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March Newsletter
The shamrocks are
in the windows, snow is melting (at last), and there is
a hush throughout the building as students in third,
fifth, and seventh grade take the Terra Nova
Standardized Tests. March has arrived at St. John
Fisher. A peak at the calendar affirms that it will be
a busy month.
The parish mission
with Father Ken Velo has been a wonderful success. If
you were able to come for all or any part of the
mission, I know there was some part of your heart that
was touched by the wit and wisdom Father Velo shared so
beautifully. The students attended Mass on Monday with
Father Velo. Be sure to ask them about his
interpretation of the Wizard of Oz story.
Our next big
parish event is Saturday’s “Passports 2010”, the
Athletic Board Fundraiser. Great food from around the
world prepared by authentic “chefs” representing those
corners of the globe will be complemented by exotic
drinks (and an open bar for the less daring). The
event is a wonderful opportunity to visit with friends
and neighbors and supports an outstanding program that
benefits all of our students. If you have not yet
purchased your tickets, they will be available at the
door.
Gavin Coyle, whose
concert last year received such rave reviews will return
to SJF on Tuesday, March 9th. This is an
event you will not want to miss. Gather friends and
family and anyone who loves good music for a very
enjoyable evening. The concert is free.
The parade will
not march down Western Avenue, but we will have a
wonderful celebration of St. Patrick’s Day on Tuesday,
March at 7:00 when we celebrate the parish’s St.
Patrick’s Day Mass. Although our third graders are
“hosting”, Irish dancers, Irish music, and a delightful
soda bread reception after mass are special features of
the event. We hope you will be able to come.
Our reading
Olympic Project was a huge success! Almost 1/2 million
pages were read by the students in this three week
campaign. The gold medal was awarded to our second and
fourth graders, the silver to our kindergarten and sixth
grade students, and the bronze to students from our
four-year old pre-school and their seventh grade team
mates. Many thanks to Mrs. Funk who organized the event
and to the teachers and parents who encouraged such
strong participation.
I hope you have
heard a bit about our school Lenten projects. Keeping
the Olympic theme alive, we are striving to pass the
torch of kindness by being more aware of the simple
kindnesses we can do for each other. Rather than
tallying them ourselves, we have asked each student and
teacher to notice these simple acts of kindness and
report them to our “central command” where they will be
recognized with a “torch” symbol on the bridge.
Crossing the bridge between buildings gets to be a
longer process each day as I stop to read about some of
the kind and caring deeds the students are doing.
Please continue to encourage their best efforts.
The Book Fair is
coming to St. John Fisher this month with special events
that are bigger and better than ever. The Fair
officially opens on Sunday after the annual Grandparents
Mass. On Wednesday evening, we will have a special
guest program. Look for lots of details about the
book fair and accompanying programs both on-line and in
the students’ book bags.
The School Board
and Finance Committee have begun to work on the school
budget for next year. Today we sent a letter asking
about your plans for next year. Since enrollment is the
foundation on which the budget is planned, we need to
base our numbers on our best guesstimate of how many to
expect. Your response to the letter will be most
helpful.
As indicated, we
are very aware of the sacrifices you are making to
provide a Catholic Education for your children and will
do our best to keep our school very affordable. More
information about our plans will be coming in the weeks
ahead.
Although we do our
best to inform new families about our early childhood
programs, we are very grateful for anything you might do
to acquaint families new to the area about these
programs. Please encourage them to call for a visit or
obtain other information that might be helpful. Thanks
for being our ambassadors of good will to the community.
Spring will
soon be in the air! Enjoy the promise of Easter.
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