Number 5

In this Sunday's Gospel, Jesus illustrates how loathsome and destructive self-righteousness can be with the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector - a brief but impactful story of two men praying in two very different ways.

The first man is a Pharisee, a publicly respected religious figure in Israel. The Pharisee, Jesus says, said a prayer to himself. Now this may simply mean that he is speaking quietly in his own mind. Or it may mean that his prayer never made it outside of the walls of his own self-righteousness to find its way to God. The Pharisee's "prayer" extols his own greatness with words that should send a chill down the spine of every single one of us: "I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity." What an awful thing to say! But which of us has not said those very words in our own hearts? On a regular basis? Yes, this parable is for us.

The second man is a tax collector, a publicly despised figure in Israel. Israelite tax collectors had two things working against them - they were employed by the oppressive Roman Empire, and they were known to charge more than required and keep the extra for themselves. So they were colluding with the enemy and cheating their own people! But this tax collector - like the Samaritan leper in last's week's Gospel - is the "hero" of the story. He approaches prayer with humility, with eyes downcast out of deference, beating his breast as a sign of repentance, and praying the prayer we should all aspire to when our self-righteousness tries to win the day: " O God, be merciful to me a sinner."

The tax collector, Jesus teaches, is right before God. He may not be perfect, but he has not poisoned himself with the paralyzing toxin of self-righteousness. He is asking for mercy, and he shall have it. The Pharisee, on the other hand, has exalted himself. It is a false exaltation based on a distorted reality. The Pharisee has left no room for growth, healing, mercy or salvation. But at some point the walls of his self-righteousness will crumble away, and he will be humbled.

Dear Parents/Guardians,

I wish to thank everyone for your expressions of condolences with the sudden death of my mother. It was comforting to know that your prayers were with my family and me. God Bless.

The big news this week is the beginning of the installation of the solar system for the school and the parish. The children were excited to see the trucks and cranes on campus and to see the panels being hoisted to the roofs of the school and the church. The panels should all be in place by the end of the week and then cabling will begin from the roof to the main electrical panels in the boiler room. With this new solar system the school will be contributing the preservation of the environment as well as saving the school financially in the future.

Early Morning Drop Off: We have noticed many children are being dropped off at the school yard before 7.45am and in some cases as early as 7.15am. This is not an acceptable practice as you are leaving children in an unattended area. The school provides supervision of the yard from 7.45am, and the school is not responsible for children prior to 7.45am. We do have extended care where children should be attending if they need to arrive early.

Blocking the Clinic Driveway: We have been notified that some people are parking across the driveway of the clinic on Spruce while waiting in the afterschool pick-up line, blocking exit for their patients. Once again, please be mindful of the road rules and the hours of gate openings at the school. The clinic has been instructed to contact the traffic control in the event this practice continues.

Tuition and Other Financial Issues: As we come to the end of the first quarter, it is important that all school tuition, extended care tuition, and outstanding cafeteria monies are paid and that all finances are up to date. In the event these are not, your child/children will not be able to return to school for the beginning of the second quarter. Please contact Mrs. Reidy immediately to make payment.

End of Quarter and Parent/Teacher Conferences: With the end of quarter, there will be parent/teacher conferences beginning Tuesday, November 8th through Thursday, November 10th. You can sign up for a conference on SchoolSpeak. If there are any issues with signing up please contact Mrs. Cierra at info@ssfallsoulsschool.org.

All Saints Day and All Souls Mass: We will be celebrating All Saints Day, November 1 and All Souls Day, November 2, and there will be masses on both days. Children are required to wear complete school uniform on these days. Junior high boys are required to wear their white collared shirt and tie.

High School Information Night: We recently held a high school information night where we had invited high school admission directors to meet 7th and 8th grade students and their parents. Due to the poor attendance we will not be offering this evening in the future. Parents will be able to attend the respective high school open houses and visit the websites.

Pumpkin Patch: Our annual trip to the Spruce School pumpkin patch will be happening on Monday, October 24th. It is important that if you have volunteered to chaperone, that you have completed Shield of Vulnerable and Live Scan. If you are not sure, please contact Mrs. Cierra. Pumpkins are only available for enrolled school children, not for siblings or other family members. There have been some enquires about this.

Halloween: With Halloween approaching, we ask that everyone be vigilant with safety with your children. Children may come to school in appropriate costume, and we will be having regular classes till lunch time. At 1.15pm there will be the annual parade down Miller and around the town hall and up Grand to Spruce and back into the school yard. At the conclusion of the parade, there will be class parties. A reminder that we are serving healthy food to the children. I wish to remind parents that we need to cut down on the amount of food also and that no junk food is to be brought to the parties.

Veterans Day Holiday: On Friday, November 11th we commemorate Veterans' Day. There will be no school on this day.

Bingo Class Evenings: As you are aware Bingo is a program critical to school operations, and it the Bingo program in difficulty at the moment. Numbers have dropped and the School Board members have been assigned the task to regenerate the program. One of the methods is to assign a class family night once a month for this year. We have developed the following schedule for the rest of the year. The purpose will be for a class community night at Bingo on the respective Friday night. Bingo begins at 6pm. We ask that the room parents contact your families in your respective grades before the scheduled Bingo event to encourage parents and friends to attend.

The schedule is as follows:

November 11th - Whole school community night.

December 9th - Grades Kindergarten and 7th

January 20th - Grade 2

February 10th - Grades 5 and 6

March 24th - Grade 4

April 7th - Grades 8 and 1

May 19th - Grade 3

God Bless,

Vincent Riener

Principal

"It takes a village to raise a child."

This well-known proverb brings to mind the fact that it takes teamwork to raise and educate children, especially in today’s fast-paced media-influenced world. You, as parents, are the primary educators of your children. We, at school, are here to support you in that role.

I hope, in future entries to this new journal, to bring you insights into some of the common issues that may affect your children at different grade levels. What is developmentally appropriate for my child’s age? What is different at this grade level? Are other children doing these same things?

Do I know all the answers? Of course not. But I am happy to share what I’ve heard, seen, and learned over the years. If you have questions, please don't hesitate to ask. Working together we can create, as stated in our school philosophy, “a spirit of understanding and cooperation in which teachers, students, and parents can grow and learn together.”

All the best,

Karen Johanson

20 - First Communion Parent Meeting - 7pm

24- Pumpkin Patch Field Trip

31 - Halloween - Parade and Classroom Celebrations

1 - All Saints Day - 9am Mass (Full School Uniform)

2 - All Souls Day - 9am Mass (Full School Uniform)

6 - School Family Mass - 9am

7 - Faculty Mtg. - 2:30pm Early Dismissal

8-9-10 - Parent Teacher Conferences - 12:20 Dismissal

9 - Athletic Board Meeting - 6:30pm

11 - Veterans' Day - Holiday

14 - Principal's Awards Ceremony 9am

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

16 - Athletic Board Awards Night - Baseball & Volleyball
16- Group Photos (Full Uniform)

18 - Athletic Board Spaghetti Feed

18 - Basketball Sign-ups Due

21 - Staff Dev. Mtg. - 12:20 Dismissal - Athl. Board Hot Dog Sale

23 - Minimum Day - 12:20pm Dismissal

23 - School Board Raffle begins

23 - Thanksgiving Prayer Service - 9am (Full School Uniform)

24-25 - Thanksgiving Day & Holiday

If you have not turned in your monies, please do so at this time.

Thank you!!

Mrs. Reidy

As you are looking for a perfect birthday or special occasion gift, don't forget your shopping options that will benefit All Souls Catholic School!

Our in-house Scrip program is back in business after the summer break, and you can always shop online at the eScrip Online Mall, which has many of your favorite online shopping sites.

Amazon shoppers please remember to use the handy Amazon link at the bottom of our web page. This link will take you directly to your personal Amazon page, shop as you normally would, and the school will earn a percentage of your purchase. There is no cost to you!

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