October 30, 2008

Dear Parents and Guardians,
           
The building is quiet now and the children are gone…how different things are when no one is here at school!  The bricks and mortar are the same, but the life and energy are gone.  As I reflect on this, I am reminded of how empty our lives would be without God. The physical things would remain, but the life and energy would be missing.  As we move into this Thanksgiving season, we give thanks, first of all, for the gift of God in our lives and the ability that we have to share that gift of faith with our children.
           
What a busy month this has been!  Parent/Teacher Conferences, class projects, Sally Foster sales, Barnes and Noble Book Fair, Halloween Carnival and much more have filled our days!  Thank you, one and all, for all of your hard work and dedication to our school and to its programs.  We are so blessed, as a school, to have such dedicated faculty and staff members, parents and family members.  Know that your efforts are appreciated. And, finally, we are blessed to have the support of our local military installation.  The young men and women who helped us during the Halloween Carnival were certainly representative of all that is the best and brightest in our country.
           
Our largest fund raiser, the Tenth Annual Raffle/Silent Auction/Dinner is just days away. I hope that you will be able to help us with this event in some way:  purchasing or selling tickets; donating a silent auction item or service; securing a silent auction item or service; helping to set up or clean up, or helping during the event.  We DO need everyone’s help!  With our current economic struggles, we know that a $100 ticket may be a challenge to sell.  However, remember, that the ticket admits four adults to a complete, catered meal and an evening filled with music, fun and a chance to win!                                           

Over the last month, several of us were involved in submitting a proposal to the Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Mississippi’s Project Fitness Grant program.  Of course we hope that our school will be selected as a recipient of this PE grant but, if anything, the research that we did for the grant helped us to again realize what a gift we have in our school.  The dedication of our staff, the quality of our programs, the commitment of our families and the enthusiasm of our students (past and present) really are special.  We should hear about the grant just before the Christmas holidays.  Believe me, if we are successful, we will have a grand celebration!

As our weather changes, I know that many of you struggle to dress your children warmly. Please remember that sweatshirts/sweaters/jackets worn in the classroom must be either plain navy or white or have our school logo.  Socks, of any style, must be white or navy.  Keeping with that dress code, leggings worn by girls should be white or navy as well. Please remember that we have a good amount of uniforms that other children have outgrown.  You are more than welcome to come and find uniform pants (or shorts) that might fit your child.

We will have several opportunities to reach out to others in need during these next two months:                                                                                                                            1.  During the first two weeks of November we will be collecting non-perishable food items for Thanksgiving food baskets.  These baskets will be prepared by our Nativity Youth Ministry group and will be distributed the weekend of November 16th. Boxes for donations will be located near the school office.                                                                         2.  There will be several opportunities to help those families in Louisiana and Texas who were affected by Hurricanes Gustav and Ike.  We know, from our own experiences, that gift cards and general items are appreciated and are so helpful in the recovery efforts.  Boxes for these items will also be located near the school office.                                  3.  We are considering doing a “shoe box” Christmas gift drive for one or more of these groups affected by the hurricanes.  Some of you may remember the gift boxes that the children received from a school in Maine following Katrina.  The little items filling the boxes gave so much joy to each of the recipients!                                                    4.  Closer to Christmas, the annual Foster Children’s Christmas Party will be sponsored by our Nativity Youth Group.  Toys and other presents for these children will be collected near the middle of December.                                                                         

With the current economic situation, not every family will be able to participate in every “help activity”.  However, perhaps your family will be able to participate in one of these efforts.

Please know how much we have enjoyed working with your child throughout this first quarter of school.  Oh, there have been “days”, but we have truly been blessed this school year with many good and exciting times.  Each day is certainly an adventure, filled with many experiences and possibilities.  Please do not hesitate to contact us if there is anything that we can do for your child or for your family.

May God continue to bless us as we work together.

/s Sister Mary Jo