Dear Parents and Guardians,

Aren't we blessed? As we prepare to celebrate the Thanksgiving holidays it is truly a time for us to count those blessings and give thanks...to God and to one another.

THANK YOU to Gwyn Diaz and Ann Marie Leckich for the great job on the Sally Foster sale. The sale was extremely successful thanks to them and to all who participated. Things went so smoothly thanks to their organizational skills.

Thank you, one and all, for your tremendous participation in the Halloween Carnival! What a terrific time we had and what a terrific response we had to our request for help! The set-up, clean-up and everything in between went so smoothly thanks to the efforts of everyone involved. The booths looked great, the food was delicious and the crowds were tremendous. Our committee met several times to discuss ways in which to make the carnival more successful. You may have noticed some new things this year that we hope to continue in the future. Thank you, everyone for a job very well done.

Special thanks to the planning committee: Jennifer Schmidt, Peggy Givens, Donna Lively, Ashleigh Hawkins, Sheriee Semski, Marion Platt, Kris Dibble, Ann Bruffey, Kim Audo and all of those who worked closely with them. Finally, thanks to Mrs. Kavanagh and our kitchen crew--better known as our sixth grade parents/relatives. Great job, one and all!

Finally, a big thank you to the many businesses and individuals who donated items for our Carnival.

Our Band Members, directed by Mr. Hudson Wolfe, and our choir members, directed by Mrs. Nanette Burke, participated in the Nativity Parish Festival of Faith through Art and Music this past Saturday. Mrs Dawn Lyons and our third graders had art projects on display during the festival's art show. Our parish is very important to us and we are glad to maintain our "connection" by being involved in parish events.

We are very pleased that our students will be involved in the Bridge celebration on November 1st. Our choir students, under the direction of Mrs. Nanette Burke, and sixth grade students, directed by Mrs. Colleen Kavanagh, will perform at approximately 10:30. As always, we consider it a privilege to be involved in community celebrations.

Mrs. Barbara Ziz, our librarian has some wonderful plans for the Reading Fair and for our Reading Week, November 12th through 16th. Hopefully, you will be able to attend the Family Reading Night on Monday, November 12th for a night filled with reading, fun and great times. Coming on Monday we also give you the chance to see the fabulous reading projects that will be on display.

For many of us, Thanksgiving is a time that we not only count our blessings but also a time when we help others. Our Nativity Youth Ministry group will be packing Thanksgiving Food Baskets on November 17th. If you and your family would like to contribute non-perishable boxed or canned food items, they could be brought to school during the week of November 12th.

Our Bee Bucks program seems to be a great success. As you well know we have moved from our yellow bucks and bracelets to our red bucks and bracelets. All classes in Kindergarten through Grade 6 have met the goal of 500 Bee Bucks and have had a party to celebrate. We have had several "bracelet assemblies" and have had one "end of the quarter party" with drawings for prizes and awards. More than the prizes and the awarding of bucks, we have seen children remain safe, responsible and respectful. This has translated into children more responsive to the needs of others and more aware of how their behavior affects the lives of others. Dr. Debbie and Mrs. Lynn Miller have done a terrific job in organizing this program and keeping it going. Our teachers and staff members have been very involved in making sure that the program "works"!

We know that the holiday season can be fun, exciting and sometimes stressful. During these next weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, Advent and Christmas, let us hold one another in prayer. Please let me know if there is anything that we can do to help you or your family.

May God bless you! May you know and experience God's blessing of health, of happiness and of peace.

/s Sister Mary Jo