Holy Spirit Catholic School Where the Spirit Guides You!

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1 Holy Spirit Catholic School Where the Spirit Guides You! December 2016 News & Notes December 1, 2016 Dear Holy Spirit School Family, We wish you a Blessed Advent! This is an exciting season of waiting and anticipating the coming of Jesus at Christmas. We are certainly keeping busy at school, but not without keeping the true meaning of Christmas in the forefront of our studies and festivities! This year we celebrate Advent with a homemade wreath on our wall in the school foyer. Each day the students are asked to THINK, ACT, and PRAY while being read to. Evening on the Polar Express will be this Saturday, December 3 rd from 6:00 PM-8:00 PM The movie will begin at 8:30 PM in the Parish Hall with a movie ticket. Thank you to Mrs. Susan Pertouka, and Mrs. Jeanne Kielhofner, chairpersons, Basket Raffle Coodinator: Mrs. Caitie Kaufmann and Mrs. Marisol Sarmiento; Concessions Coordinator: Mrs. Jeanne Kielhofner, Registrations: Mrs. Joan Stephens, Santa s Secret Shop: Mrs. Jean Niemczyk and Mrs. Diane Catlow. We also want to thank ALL the parents volunteering time and for the donations. It takes a lot of volunteers to make this event successful. Please see the attached flyers for more information. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2016 With great anticipation, we invite you to come and enjoy our Christmas Concert Back to the Manger. It is created by Christy & Daniel Semsen. It will be performed by Grades 2 nd through 4 th. Pre-Kindergarten thru Grade 1 should wear Dress-Up Clothes; Choir Grades 2 & 3 can wear dress up clothes or decade clothes, (accessories from the 40 s, 50 s, 70 s 80 s or 90 s). (NO holes in any clothing please) Grade 4 should wear what was discussed in class. The Christmas Program will be on Wednesday, December 7 th with a Dress Rehearsal that afternoon. Please set aside this special Wednesday evening. Wednesday, December 7 th with a Dress Rehearsal that afternoon beginning at 1:00 PM. Please set aside this special Wednesday evening and come enjoy! I d like to thank Mrs. Meyers for her preparing the children for this special program. We are blessed to have such a dedicated teacher! NOTE Regarding lunch on Christmas Program Day Parents we are asking on Wednesday, December 7 th that NO microwaveable lunches be sent in with students; they will be eating in the classroom. The gym will be decorated and set-up for our Christmas Program. Continued next page

2 WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21 ST Wednesday, December 21 st, we will begin with an 8:00 AM Total School Advent Liturgy. A little later we will sing carols and have a story in the Church. Each class will return to their homeroom and have a class Christmas Party from 10:50 AM 11:45 AM. Pre-School will have their Christmas Program at 9:00 AM in the Rigali Room. Pre-Kindergarten will have their Christmas Party at 10:30 AM-11:30 AM. Students may DRESS UP on this day. CHRISTMAS VACATION Christmas vacation will begin after Noon Dismissal on Wednesday, December 21 st. There will be NO SPIRIT ZONE on Wednesday, December 21 st. CLASSES RESUME Classes will resume on Wednesday, January 4, 2017, on a regular schedule 7:50 AM to 3:00 PM. LOOKING AHEAD. Parents, please mark your calendar for our next Home & School meeting, Wednesday, January 18 th beginning at 7:00 PM. Babysitting will be provided by our Grade 8 parents and students in the Fine Arts classroom. I am grateful for your attendance at the first meetings, please continue to join us and show your support. Thank you! THANK YOU. Principals Appreciation Day could not have been nicer this year! Thanks SO MUCH for the wonderful cards and gifts! I have had more enjoyment reading through the cards! They are very sweet and a lot of them funny! Thank you Holy Spirit Family and Faculty, for making me feel appreciated! I feel very blessed to be here!! Grandparents Day was a wonderful time! We had just under 200 grandparents come to our event. Thanks to our 3 rd and 4 th grade teachers and students who prepared a very special mass. I m pretty sure the grandparents enjoyed the activity of making something he/she was thankful for out of everyday items as much as the students did! The selfie stations were a big hit as well! A huge thank you to Mrs. Krissie Neal for chairing this event and the many parent volunteers who helped make the morning a success. It was a morning filled with happiness and joy! Thanks to Mrs. Marisol Sarmiento and the 6 th grade parents who provided lunch for the November faculty lunch! ANNOUNCEMENTS St. Patrick Essay School Contest Winners Grade 8 students were given the opportunity to write an essay on If you were Homeless, what would you want people to know about your life? And What can you do to change the life of a homeless person this day, week, month, or year? They were all very well written. The final three chosen were: Nicole Bergen, Emily Casey and Maggie Rakonick. Congratulations! Their essays have been sent in to St. Patrick s and will be considered by a panel of judges at St. Patrick s. We will let you know if one of the girls becomes a city finalist. Be sure to check out all of the attachments! There are many fun things happening this month at Holy Spirit! Continued next page

3 PLEASE NOTE. HEALTHY STUDENTS We want to remind you that our first thoughts are of keeping every child safe and healthy. If your little one has a fever, is coughing and/or sneezing continually, please keep them home. They must be fever free for 24 hours WITHOUT the aid of Tylenol, Motrin, etc. Being present for school is very important, but being healthy is an even greater concern to us. WINTER RECESS Children will be encouraged to play outdoors when weather permits. Fresh air and exercise are essential to maintain good health. It is assumed that parents send children to school dressed appropriately with gloves, mittens, hats and warm footwear. Criteria in making decisions about whether or not children go outside for recess are as follows: Temperature 20 degrees F or higher with a wind chill above +10 degrees means that children will have a normal recess outside. Temperature of 15 to 19 degrees F with a wind chill above +10 degrees means 5-10 minutes outside. Wind-chill +9 degrees or below means no outside recess. Temperature below 10 degrees F means no outside recess SNOW SCHEDULE Please see the below paragraphs from our Family Handbook page 34. SCHOOL CLOSING DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER During the months of January, February and March we need to be mindful that severe winter weather may be part of our St. Louis experience at any time. Local weather forecasts frequently stimulate questions from students and parents alike regarding Holy Spirit School inclement weather procedures. School will remain open whenever possible. Generally, if the staff can get here, school will be open. Please do not assume that weather-related school closing announcements from the Pattonville School District will automatically apply to Holy Spirit. A Snow Schedule has been developed. The start time for the Snow Schedule will be 9:30 AM with school doors opening at 9:00 AM. Parents are asked to use their discretion in deciding whether or not to send the student(s) since conditions vary from house to house, from one subdivision to another. The parent is the only one aware of the unique conditions he/she has to deal with in transporting his/her child(ren) to and from school. Transporting students to and from school from areas where driving conditions may be hazardous is not encouraged. The school encourages regular attendance, but does not require perfect attendance. An attempt will be made to gather the best possible information regarding weather and road conditions before a decision is made to open or close school at these times. Additionally, if school would be called off during the day (i.e. dismissal at Noon), there will be NO SPIRIT ZONE. The decision to close school due to inclement weather will be announced as follows: KMOX-AM Radio (1120 AM) Announcements broadcast: 5:30 AM, 6:30 AM, 7:30 AM & 6:00 PM & 9:00 PM. KMOV-TV Channel 4 News 4 Snow Alert information displayed from 4:30 AM to 8:30 AM and at 5:00 PM, 6:00 PM & 10:00 PM. Continued next page

4 KSDK-TV Channel 5 Newschannel 5 Stormwatch information displayed from 5:30 to 8:00 AM and at 5:00, 6:00 & 10:00 PM With your support, our parish school can help keep our students and their families as well as the faculty and staff safe during severe winter weather. Thanks in advance for your assistance during these non-routine periods of time. PLEASE BE SURE TO USE THE FASTDIRECT SCHOOL EVENT CALENDAR THROUGHOUT THE SCHOOL YEAR TO CHECK ON UPCOMING EVENTS. You and your families are in my prayers for a joyful, peaceful, and blessed Christmas. May your holidays be merry and bright! Thank you for your prayers, support, and cooperation in the spiritual and educational formation of your children. God bless you all this Advent, Jill Gould Principal

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10 Polar Express Games and Activities: 6:00-8:30 pm in the school gym Polar Express Movie: 8:30 pm in the Parish Hall Tickets: $5 in Advance $7 at the Door (per person) 6:00 to 8:30 pm in the Holy Spirit School Gym Come experience all of the games and activities that you love from the Breakfast with Santa experience plus enjoy new activities inspired by the Polar Express Movie Included in your ticket Games and Activities Crafts A visit and picture with Santa Also Available Santa s Secret Shop Basket Raffle & Silent Auction (winners will be drawn or declared at 8:00) Concessions with Christmas inspired treats featuring a Hot Chocolate Bar Ticket for Games and Activities Tickets are $5 in advance and $7 at the door Passenger Information Number of: Adults Children For Office Use: Paid Cash or Check Number Wear your pajamas! Bring a new toy for the Kiwanis Club toy drive. Help spread the magic of Christmas to others. Starting at 8:30 in the Holy Spirit Parish Hall If you re not too worn out after the games and activities, head down to the Parish Hall for a FREE viewing of the Polar Express movie...or come just for the movie! Dress in your pajamas, bring your pillows and blankets. Spread out and enjoy the movie that is inspiring a new generation of young and old alike to BELIEVE in the magic of Christmas all over again. * Just like in the movie, we too have just one rule for this event..our rule is just make sure that all children under 18 have a parent or someone to watch over them during the show. Please no dropping off for this event. Family Name: Address or Phone #: Ticket for The Polar Express Movie The movie is FREE, but we d love to get an idea of how many are coming Passenger Information Number of: Adults Children

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12 Candy Cane Sale Proceeds will go to Toys for Tots Monday, December 5 th, thru Friday, December 9 th During lunch the student can write a message to a friend, family member, teacher, classmate, anyone! The message will be attached to a Candy Cane and delivered the next week! 50 cents for each message. or Buy 3 for a dollar!

13 Let s decorate cookies on Tuesday, December 6 th! Decorating a cookie will be included in the Hot Lunch price for Tuesday, 12/6. Bring a dollar if you are not going to purchase hot lunch and you will have the opportunity to purchase a cookie and decorate it!

14 Mark your Calendars! Tuesday, December 6 th is Holy Spirit day at the Papa John s on Dorsett. Orders placed online will increase the percentage the Home and School Association receives by up to 5% to a maximum of 25%. Want to help our school in two ways? Buy a gift card at the script table and make an additional donation to our school. The school will receive a free pizza party courtesy of Papa John s for total sales over $150. So please close your kitchen and help the cause! Thank you for your support!

15 WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21 st WILL BE A DRESS UP DAY IN CELEBRATION OF JESUS BIRTH. Students are to wear dress clothing which would be considered appropriate for weekend Mass. The following items would be appropriate for Dress Up day: Casual Dress pants Khaki Dress pants Modest length skirts or dresses Dress or golf shirts, blouses and sweaters. Girls Tops must be mid-thigh length or longer when wearing leggings Are NOT considered appropriate attire for Dress Up day. Blue Jeans Overalls Mini -Skirts Warm up Clothes Sweat Pants Soccer or Gym Clothing Shorts Halter Tops Sleeveless Tops Thank you in advance for your assistance in making student Dress Up day a successful event for everyone at Holy Spirit Catholic School. Thank you for your assistance, Principal