Almighty Father,

You sent forth your Son as a beacon of hope for all people.

As Teacher, he has given us the prime example of the importance of education.

As disciples, we look to him for inspiration and strength.

Thank you for the many sisters, brothers, priests, and laypeople who have dedicated their lives in service to our Catholic schools.

Thank you for the teachers and administrators who sustain our schools today.

Thank you for the parents who have given support and witness to the importance of Catholic education in their daily lives.

Thank you for the students who work hard to further their education.

Bless All Souls Catholic School and the many people who advance our mission.

May our building be a home for those who seek to grow

in faith, knowledge, and service of others.

May our community always support one another and exhibit hospitality to newcomers.

Fill our minds with knowledge and wisdom.

May our understanding of the world help us to grow in appreciation for it.

Fill our hearts with gladness.

May we always turn to you in times of need.

Fill our hands with the tools we need to serve others.

May we show them your unceasing love through our actions.

It is difficult to believe that today is February 1st. The school year is flying by, and we are in the midst of new enrollments for Kindergarten. If you know of any families with Kindergarten age children please refer them to our school office to arrange a tour and to meet me. The Kindergarten assessment is taking place this Saturday, February 3rd at 8:30am. Please ensure you have completed the admissions online forms.

Re-enrollment for current families begins March 1st for two weeks. You will receive information from Mrs. Cierra about the process during this month. I do need to let you know that at the time of re-enrollment the fee is due. The fee will be $310 per child. So please budget for this during the next six weeks.

Open House was held last Sunda, and it was great to see families taking an interest in coming to view their child's classroom and work, as well as to visit the Junior High Science Fair. Unfortunately the 9am Mass was poorly attended by many of our families. I wish to thank those who did attend the Mass to celebrate the kick off for Catholic Schools Week. As a Catholic school we are trying to build community and have our students experience this. I believe this is accomplished at the school but when it comes to worship as a community we have a long way to go. I would ask that you think about this aspect of your commitment to Catholic education. We have so many positive things that happen in our school community.

Science Fair

Congratulations to all our students who prepared wonderful work this year for the science fair. I believe the standard has grown over the years. I wish to thank Mr. Nicholas for all his work in preparing the students for it.

I also wish to thank all my staff for preparing for the Open House. The campus looked wonderful with classroom teachers going out of their way in preparing beautiful displays and showcasing student work.

Field Trips

Over the next few months we will be seeing various classes attending field trips. Today our 8th graders have gone to Sacramento for their study program on state government. The 6th graders will be going on their five day Outdoor Education program, and classes will be visiting the Exploratium to learn more about science.

Afternoon Pick Up

A reminder to everyone that the gates open at 2.45pm on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and at 2:55pm on Tuesday and Thursday due to PE classes in the lower yard. I ask everyone to be respectful of these times and not to sneak through the clinic carpark past the control cones. We need to work respectively with our neighbors.

Change in Polices

Please be aware that with the School Finance Committee we have had to tighten our policies in many areas of finance. Therefore if there were concessions made in the past these are not being honored anymore. I would ask you to work with my staff with these changes.

Many families are sending children with large amounts of money for the office. Please do not do this, as at times the office does not receive such monies. All checks should be placed in a sealed and labeled envelope.

Clarification of the School Raffle

The current school raffle is wrapping up with the drawing of the winners on Monday at the Principal's Awards Ceremony. The school raffle is part of your family agreement. This means you are responsible for $50 of sales or you will be billed at the end of the event. This raffle is not connected with the Parish Festival Raffle.

Please be aware that next school year there will be no required school fundraising events. The required fundraiser amount will be included in the tuition. Our School Board has endorsed this initiative.

Crab Feed

The Annual Crab Feed is being held this Saturday, February 3rd at 6.30pm in the Parish Hall. I wish to extend a big thank you to the Athletic Board and to Mr. Hartman for organizing this wonderful event. All proceeds will go towards the Athletic program.

Valentine's Day

Just a reminder that Valetine’s Day is a normal school day. Please be mindful that Valentine's Day falls on Ash Wednesday this year, and all students must be in full uniform for our 9:00am Mass. School staff will not be hosting any parties or gift or card exchange among students. We ask parents to be respectful of the school’s position for Valentine's.

God Bless,

Vincent Riener

Principal

“Your talent is God’s gift to you. What you do with it is your gift back to God.” - Leo Buscaglia

Talent is defined by Merriam-Webster as a “special often athletic, creative, or artistic aptitude”. As preparation for our school talent show begins, it started me thinking about the varied talents of our students. We have singers, dancers, musicians, and athletes. Some come by their talents naturally, others acquire their talents through hard work and practice. Either way, our students have many talents to share.

This made me reflect, then, on why two of the last three talent shows were cancelled. The reality was, for both cancellations, that students just didn’t follow directions and didn’t get their paperwork in on time. Announcements in the newsletter, on the signage boards, during school assemblies, and in the classrooms were either not read/heard or were just ignored. Excuses were made while students tried to sign-up weeks after the cancellations were announced.

It was as if the students believed that due dates meant nothing, rules could be ignored, and no one would ever tell them “no.” It made me wonder, are these were the same students who are perpetually late to school? Are these the same students who find themselves in homework detention time after time because they don’t finish their work? Are these the same students who miss going on a field trip because they never returned their permission slips?

I certainly hope that we will not have the same problem this year. I hope that procrastination turns to determination and that directions and deadlines are taken seriously. Sign-ups start on Monday, and I am looking forward to showcasing the many talents of our students at the show in May.

All the best,

Miss J

All Souls Talent Show 2018

Sign-ups for the All Souls Talent Show start Monday! We are asking students to plan ahead to share their special talents for the annual show in May.

This year we’ll be looking for VARIETY -- from tap to ballet, beach tunes to Beatles, jazz to old time rock-and roll, musical instruments to magic tricks, disco to Disney tunes, and any number of things in between. The material/music can be from Broadway, television, radio, or the movies.

Musicians will need to provide their own instruments. Singers will need to provide their own karaoke-style music/accompaniment. Remember: NO LIP-SYNCing or singing over pre-recorded vocals. Please provide a copy of lyrics with your sign-up sheet (even for background music). Content MUST be appropriate to the age level of the performer as well as for an elementary school audience.

To keep the number of acts at a manageable level we must limit participation to one act per student/group. If you have any questions or need help with ideas ask Miss Johanson. Try-outs will be in early March, and this year’s show will be on Thursday, May 3rd.

Sign-ups start next week. To sign-up please complete and return the form below to Miss Johanson no later than dismissal on February 15th. Priority will be given to the earliest sign-ups in the case of duplication of ideas/songs.

The sign up sheet is attached.

1 - Junior High Grade Dance - gr. 6-7-8

2 - Archdiocesan Educators' Conference - Student Holiday

3 - New Student Testing- 9am

3 - Athletic Board Crab Feed

4 - School Family Mass - 9am

5 - Early Dismissal - 2:30pm - Faculty Meeting

5 - Principal's Awards Ceremony 9am

11 - Rite of Enrollment for Confirmation

14 - Ash Wednesday - 9am Mass (Full School Uniform)

14 - Athletic Board Meeting - 6:30pm

16 - Semester Holiday

19 - Presidents' Day - Holiday

20 - School Board Mtg. - 6:30pm - Annex Meeting Room

21 - Spring Pictures

22 - First Communion Parent Mtg. - 7pm

Email: info@ssfallsoulsschool.org
Website: www.ssfallsoulsschool.org
Location: 479 Miller Ave, South San Francisco, CA, United States
Phone: (650) 583 3562