The Borromeo Bulletin #49

Home of the Bobcats: December 5

THOUGHTS FROM DR. VOELKL...

This past Sunday marked the second Sunday of Advent. Advent encompasses the four Sundays and weekdays leading up to the celebration of Christmas.

The Advent season is a time of preparation for our hearts and minds for the anniversary of the Lord’s birth on Christmas.

In addition to our school Advent wreath each classroom has individual wreaths. The use of the wreath and candles during Advent are a longstanding Catholic tradition that was originally adopted by Christians in the Middle Ages as part of their spiritual preparation for Christmas.

The wreath and candles are full of symbolism tied to the Christmas season. The wreath itself, which is made of various evergreens, signifies continuous life. The circle of the wreath, which has no beginning or end, symbolizes the eternity of God, the immortality of the soul, and the everlasting life we find in Christ.

Even the individual evergreens that make up the wreath have their own meanings that can be adapted to our faith. The laurel signifies victory over persecution and suffering. The pine, holly, and yew signify immortality and the cedar signifies strength and healing. The pine cones that decorate the wreath symbolize life and resurrection. The wreath as a whole is meant to remind us of both the immortality of our souls and God’s promise of everlasting life to us through Christ.

The candles also have their own special significance. The four candles represent the four weeks of Advent, and one candle is lit each Sunday. Three of the candles are purple because the color violet is a liturgical color that signifies a time of prayer, penance, and sacrifice.

The first candle, which is purple, symbolizes hope. It is sometimes called the “Prophecy Candle” in remembrance of the prophets, especially Isaiah, who foretold the birth of Christ. It represents the expectation felt in anticipation of the coming Messiah.

The second candle, also purple, represents faith. It is called the “Bethlehem Candle” as a reminder of Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem.

The third candle is pink and symbolizes joy. It is called the “Shepard’s Candle,” and is pink because rose is a liturgical color for joy. The third Sunday of Advent is Gaudete Sunday and is meant to remind us of the joy that the world experienced at the birth of Jesus, as well as the joy that the faithful have reached the midpoint of Advent.

On the fourth week of Advent, we light the final purple candle to mark the final week of prayer and penance as we wait for the birth of our Savior. This final candle, the “Angel’s Candle,” symbolizes peace. It reminds us of the message of the angels: “Peace on Earth, Good Will Toward Men.”

As we continue through this Advent season we pray for opportunities to fill our hearts with Christ and the many blessings of the season.

Dr. Voelkl

BASK for December

Here is the September sign-up for BASK. Important INFO: If you have more than one child that will be attending BASK please sign them up separately or change the number of children to how many children. Then in the comments put our child's names so we can make sure they are on our list for the day.

signupgenius.com

PATIENCE VIRTUE AWARD WINNERS

Congratulations to all of our students who have exhibited the VIRTUE of PATIENCE during the month of November. We look forward to growing KINDNESS during the month of DECEMBER.

SPANISH CLUB FUNDRAISER

FACTS GRADES

THANK YOU to all the parents who joined us "virtually" for Parent Teacher Conferences. As a reminder our FACTS information system has the capacity to accomplish many things! In addition to sending nurse notes and lunch balances it is also where teachers update and load student grades. At the fourth through eighth grade levels students are awarded overall percentage grades in addition to 1, 2, 3, or 4 for specific skills. While the skill sets are marked at the conclusion of the reporting period you are able to check in on overall percentages over the course of the trimester by logging into your FACTS account. A FEW IMPORTANT REMINDERS...

1. Teachers do not enter grades every minute of every day. You may notice a percentage that seems particularly low or off from what you are used to seeing from your child. It may mean that the teacher put the points for the assignment in the system but has not scored it yet. It may mean that your child has not turned a specific assignment in. It may mean that your child struggled on a certain task. Start by asking your child. If they are not able to offer an explanation feel free to reach out to the individual teacher.

2. The ability to check grades is an option we have left open for parents as it does allow you to check in occasionally to ensure your child is putting forth their best effort and completing assigned tasks. It opens the door for dialogue and discussion between you and your child. The key word is occasionally. As students progress through the grade levels the goal is not only to help them grow academically but to also foster increased independence and personal responsibility. We want them to take ownership for their learning. Of course, there are always outliers and cases in which this approach needs to be more gradual and more frequent checks are required. In these cases we look forward to working with you to develop strategies and skills that enhance their work habits and performance.

The following screenshots and descriptions should help walk you through the process.

HOME SCREEN

When you log into your account this should be the first screen you see. You will see that my cursor is placed on the word STUDENT. Click here...

STUDENT HOME SCREEN

Once you click here you will notice a drop down of choices specific to your first or only child on the left side. On the main screen you will see the list of the classes they are enrolled in. You can see that I have Trimester 2 selected at the top.

STUDENT GRADEBOOK REPORT

In order to see a breakdown of specific grades within a class you will then select the GRADES option from the sidebar on the left. Once you have done this you can click on specific classes to see a more detailed report. If you have more than one child you will simply select the other student by clicking on the arrow in the rectangle under the word student at the top.

zoom_out_map

CAFE HELP

We could really use some help in the Cafe. Our first session (11:00-12:00) is a slower pace with K-3 students and is mostly helping open items, pass out disposable silverware and condiments, help kiddos stand in line patiently for recess, and help wipe off tables. The second session (12:00-1:00) is a much faster pace yet has lots of kiddos 4-8 grade in and out of the Cafe in less than an hour. This is mostly monitoring/walking the room and helping wipe off tables. Thank you in advance and thank you to those who have helped in the past and continue to help!

Sign up here!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60b084fada628a0fd0-bobcat

BREAKFAST WITH SANTA

* Please download the flyer for the link to work ~

Please know that there will be NO admittance with out reservations space is limited.

pdf

insert_drive_file

Breakfast with Santa Reservations.pdf

Download

239.8 KB

HOME AND SCHOOL MESSAGE

SHOP FOR LIFE VENDOR FAIR

Sunday, Dec. 12th from 8 am – 1 pm in the gym. Please come support the teens going to the Pro-Life March by shopping from our vendors! If you ordered a poinsettia, these will be available for pick-up. We will also be selling Krispy Kreme donuts, have a raffle and lots of great items to purchase for Christmas gifts! Vendors include: Mary Kay, Scentsy, Usborne Books, Paparazzi, Color Street, homemade knitting/sewing, jewelry, purses, vintage toys, home décor and much more!

CHRISTMAS MASS SCHEDULE

There will be a 5:00 pm Saturday mass starting the 1st Saturday of Advent Nov 27th.

Also 1/2 of the church will be set up for social distancing, and the ropes will be removed on the other half.

Christmas Mass schedule is as follows:

Dec 24:

4pm (two Masses at this time, one in church, the other in the gym)

6pm Spanish

11pm Bilingual

Dec 25:

7am

9am

11am Spanish

On December 26, there will be no 6pm Mass.

Foobadap- OnLine Spiritwear Shop

We are excited to give you the opportunity to purchase additional items from our on-line Spirit Wear store!

*Foobadap is experiencing shortages and longer shipment times for their inventory, so orders might be slightly delayed. Foobadap appreciates your patronage and patience.

https://borromeo21-22.itemorder.com/sale

The password is: borromeo

The store never closes but order cut offs are the 1st and 15th of every month. School Delivery will then be after the 8th and 22nd of every month.

If you have any items you would like to see added to our collection PLEASE let us know so tht we can work with our spirt wear reps to offer them.

zoom_out_map

PRAYER REQUESTS

Please pray for our 8th grade students who attended their Luke 18 retreat this weekend.

Please pray for our second grade students who are preparing for their First Reconciliation next Friday.

For all those suffering from and continuing to heal from COVID.

For all the members of our United Stated military who continue to serve our country.

Please share your prayer requests with us so that we can add them to our weekly bulletin.

zoom_out_map

KUDOS CORNER

THANK YOU to our wonderful parents for your continued generosity this Christmas season!

THANK YOU to all who have donated to our Mini Vinnies this year.

THANK YOU to all the parents who continue to help and volunteer in the Cafe.

THANK YOU to our home and school volunteers who continue to plan and organize community building events for all of us especially our recent DINE OUT NIGHT at Freddy's.