Annunciation School Wednesday Weekly Phone: 444-4000 CALENDAR Thursday, January 29 Catholic Schools Week Yasoo Yani Math Club @ 2:50 p.m. Living Rosary in the Cathedral @ 6:00 p.m. Open House @ 6:30 p.m. Friday, January 30 Catholic Schools Week Gr.7-8 jr. high dance @ 7:00 p.m. (gym) Tuesday, February 3 noodles 4th gr. art docent @ 1:30 p.m. Choir @ 3:00 p.m. Wednesday, February 4 Dismissal @ 12:00 p.m. Staff meeting Prayers Please keep Mrs. Ross in your prayers as she undergoes hip surgery next Tuesday. While Mrs. Ross recovers, Mrs. Kozina will take the lead, and Cheryl Orsi will fill the aide position. In true form, Mrs. Ross has left Mrs. Kozina with detailed lesson plans for the next eight weeks. In addition, she anticipates that boredom will set in quickly and plans to work closely with Mrs. Kozina to complete the grading! Please pray for a speedy recovery for Mrs. Ross. Please keep the family of Melissa Dobson in your prayers. May they be comforted during this difficult time of her passing. God’s Corner The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra effort. ~Ecclesiastes 9:10 Fax: 444-4013 Jan. 28, 2015 Annunciation-School.org Catholic Schools Week The celebration of Catholic schools is off to a great start. On Monday the cathedral was full of adoring grandparents, grandfriends, and parents who us helped kick of the week with an all- school Mass. Thanks to our amazing PTO, our guests enjoyed coffee and scrumptious treats before perusing the 100 Day Museum. On Tuesday, students demonstrated their pride in being a Saint, and Student Council helped pass out parent appreciation bags as a token of gratitude. Today we had five nuns and Bishop Blaire visit the classrooms (please ask your children about the visits), and art docents have decked the halls with beautiful pieces of artwork in preparation for our Open House. We hope you will join us for our living rosary in the cathedral tomorrow at 6 PM before heading over to the school. On Friday morning, PTO and faculty/staff will serve pancakes to those students who bring a new or slightly used book, and wearing pajamas to school is always a favorite! This weekend Student Council members will speak about the significance of a Catholic education, and if the students wear their uniforms to Mass, they will receive a FREE DRESS pass for Monday, Feb. 2. Words from the wise… Sister Sharon from Lodi visited kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grade students today, and shared the story of her calling to the vocation sixty-one years ago. She was gentle, kind, and patient with a wide array of questions ranging from her favorite baseball team to marriage. During the course of her visit, she shared something she recently heard someone say and it is definitely worth repeating. If one finds him/herself being critical of someone, he/she should stop and think of three positive attributes about the person. Perhaps we can take Sister Sharon’s lead and apply this strategy of positive thinking to our lives! Haphazardly Everafter This year’s jr. high play is the fractured fairytale Haphazardly Everafter. Under the direction of Mrs. Elizabeth Costello, our junior high students are excited to present this funny and entertaining performance for all to enjoy. Please be sure to mark the date for Thursday, February 5th at 7:00 p.m. in the gym. Tickets may be purchased at the door for $5.00. See you there! D.C. trip Calling all 7th grade parents. There is a mandatory Washington, D.C., meeting for parents who plan to send their son/daughter to Washington, D.C., in the Fall of 2015. Registration material will be provided along with an overview of the trip. We look forward to seeing everyone on Thursday, February 19 at 7:00 p.m. . If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Silva. •Three-Page Edition• “Free” dress… Spirit days and free dress days are designed to bring about sense of celebration and fun, and Student Council puts a lot of effort into planning these special days for our students. Although it is called “free” dress, there are certain expectations that we have with regards to modesty and respect. The handbook does not specifically say “no yoga style pants,” yet it does state that students are expected to wear “appropriate school clothing” and clothing that “calls undue attention” is not permitted. It states “NO tight pant without long shirt or sweater to cover rear.” PLEASE follow the guidelines for spirit and “free” dress days. Today we reminded the students that tight clothing (shirts, pants, sweats, “yoga” style pants, etc.) are not acceptable. Yesterday there were many students wearing tight pants without out a long shirt or sweater, and there were many comments made by fellow students. It is cause for uncomfortable situations when we have to ask students to call home for a different shirt or pants, but if tight or immodest clothes are worn, then we will ask them to do so. Thank you for supporting us with this. Math Club brainteaser... Sam and Andrew run around a circular track in opposite directions. They each run at a constant rate and pass each other every 30 seconds. Sam requires 45 seconds to go around the track once. How many seconds does it take for Andrew to complete one lap? Please have your answer ready for Peter Rainwater on Thursday at 2:50 for Math Club. Crab Feed Saturday night’s Crab Feed was a great success! Gina Ratto was our fearless leader this year, and we would like to extend our gratitude to her for her many years of putting her heart into this fundraiser. With Hilary Sanguinetti and Shanda Wallace by her side, the three women and their wonderful husbands, in addition to many volunteers, worked tirelessly that to create a festive and welcoming environment that our lively community thoroughly enjoyed. Oh, and we certainly cannot forget the mouth watering crab, seasoned to perfection, and the size-huge oysters, served piping hot off of the grill. We are very grateful to the kindergarten through third grade parents for serving their hours, whether the hours were fulfilled selling raffle tickets, setting up for the event, or serving the crab, they did an excellent job! Gina and Hilary are passing the crab feed torch to Patty Pedrucci and Jammie Widmer, who graciously agreed to run with the lead. The evening was well attended, and we look forward to next year with Patty and Jammie at the helm! Open enrollment We look forward to add to our community of Saints! If you have a child ready to start kindergarten next year (5 years old by Sept. 1), don’t forget to submit an application. Also, if you know of any students/ families moving into the area or looking for a Catholic education, please invite them into our community. Applications are available online and in the office. Completed applications are due to the office by February 27. Please note an upcoming change As many things stay the same, some things change. Our focus of superior academics, and teaching Catholic values stay the same; however, with the recommendation of ASAC, one change effective 1/1/15 is the gradual elimination of the parishioner discount. The parish is not financially able to help as it once did. Currently families who regularly attend Mass are eligible for a parishioner discount of $500. Moving forward, the discount will decrease $125 per year and will cease to exist in five years. Please be assured there is a financial assistance program that enables us to keep a Catholic education open to all children. If you are in need of help with tuition, please go online to TADS and complete an application. Note that applications are due no later than April 15, 2015. Parishioner discounts will be offered to those who attend Mass regularly – as evidenced by the collection envelopes submitted at Mass (regardless of monetary donation). Freshman alumni grades The feedback from St. Mary’s regarding the freshman alumni is very positive. Not only are students active in sports, clubs, and the arts, but they are maintaining their grades, all while settling into their freshman year! Twenty-three 2014 graduates moved on to St. Mary’s and have been hard at work. St. Mary’s graciously shares the academic successes of graduates for the feeder schools, and we are proud to announce that students exceeded our expectations. Two students earned a 4.0 while 26% of the students earned a 3.5 or better. 70% of the graduates earned a 3.0 or better. In addition, 30% of the students tested into and completed their first semester of Honors Math, 26% conquered Honors English, and 22% took on the challenge of Honors Science. Overall, students experienced great success and are continuing to work hard during the 2nd semester. St. Mary’s High School Applications are now being accepted for the 2015-2016 school year. Please join us for Parent Information Night on Thursday, January 22, 2015, at 6:00 p.m. in the Morelli Gymnasium. Eighth Grade Day is Friday, January 23, 2015. All prospective students must apply to take a placement test. The first placement test will be given on Saturday, January 24, 2015. For more information, please contact the Registrar at 957-3340, ext. 103/[email protected] Ministry of Hospitality Have you ever thought about helping out at Mass? The Annunciation Parish is dedicated to creating a warm and welcoming community. The newly formed Welcoming Ministry Team is actively looking for interested parishioners, and what better place to look than our wonderful families at Annunciation School. You might have noticed new greeters, ushers, and bulletin distributors at Masses (including our own students) over the last few months as well as enjoyed donuts and coffee and evening snacks. Our hopes are to add more familiar faces to fill these roles; to promote community and hospitality; and to create more meaningful experiences every weekend. If you are interested in signing up to help in any of these roles (any frequency), please contact: Erin Rishwain 981-2989 ([email protected]) or Eba Martinez 406-2441 (jemartinez@ sbcglobal.net) The Big Raffle Get your stubs and money in for your Big Raffle tickets and take advantage of the monthly Early Bird drawings. Remember the ticket stubs chosen for the monthly drawings go back into the raffle drum and are eligible for all drawings! Annunciation Preschool Annunciation preschool will be hosting their annual pasta dinner fundraiser on Saturday, March 14 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The preschool Open House is January 29 from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The first drive through dinner is Monday, February 9, pick-up located in front of the choir room from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. Chicken dinner is $12. Order forms are available at both the preschool and the school office. Questions regarding any of these events? Contact Miss Shannon 465-2961