The Trojan Times

St. Maria Goretti is a living testament to our Lord's work in His youngest disciples, exemplified by academic excellence, spiritual formation, and compassionate service to others.

Dear SMG Families,

Happy second week of Advent! It is hard to believe we have only two weeks left in the first semester and until Christmas break begins. Please take a few minutes to read the events posted in this week's newsletter so you don't miss anything during this busy time of year!

Please note, Bishop Olson is unable to be here on Wednesday morning as originally planned to celebrate Mass with students and the SMG community. We will be rescheduling Bishop's visit for another date after the new year, and I will communicate that information to you as soon as a date has been finalized.

I hope to see all of you Tuesday night at the SMG Christmas Program. Mrs. Richards, Mr. Cullen, and students the have been working very hard to bring you what will surely be a wonderful program!

Have a great week!

St. Maria Goretti, Pray for Us!

Blessings,

Laura Behee, M.Ed.

Principal

Each year, second grade students from districts, private, and parochial schools across Texas are invited to participate in the Texas Reading Bee. This is an opportunity for top readers to compete with other second grade students in Texas. This year, SMG 2nd Grade student Maddy Lester was our SMG competitor. Congratulations to Maddy for taking 4th Place in the Reading Bee! Way to go and way to represent SMG!

SMG students will be helping to warm many soles this winter. They have already collected nearly 250 pairs of socks!

Congratulations to our SMG Robotics team, the Robotastik 4 for earning the second highest score and advancing to the North Texas Regional 2nd Round Qualifier yesterday during the qualifying competetion held at Nolan Catholic High School. Robotastik 4 team members include (L to R) Kate Sanchez, Thu Nguyen, Molly Breclaw, and Elizabeth Hyde.

This year's Christmas Store has come to a close, but not before students were able to purchase Christmas presents for each member of their family! A huge thank you to Christmas Store chairs, Jessica Geisel and Andrea Freeman, and the numerous volunteers who helped make this year's Christmas Store a success!

We were excited to host our first PreK and Kindergarten Open House of the year last Wednesday morning. Attendees were treated to refreshments, worked on a craft, toured the school, and enjoyed listening to a Christmas story told by a special visitor!

The SMG Annual Dinner, Dance, and Auction will be here before you know it! We need your help to make this year's event a success. The Dinner, Dance, and Auction Committee is accepting all types of donations. In particular, if you or anyone you know could provide any of the following, please contact Kathy Knowles at jameskathyknowles@tx.rr.com or Jessica McGuinness at Jessica-mcguinness@hotmail.com.

• Food Sponsorship of $3000.00 - includes Table sponsor with 10 tickets, full-page color ad/recognition in program, VIP Access to Dinner and Bar, recognition in the weekly Trojan Times and on the SMG DD Website for the duration of the school year, gift bags for the table
• Destination Spots - Vacation homes, Timeshares, that could be donated for a week or a long weekend; would be included in the live auction
• Dinner Package for "Dinner with Father Jim and 6 Friends"
• Season Passes to local water parks/pools
• Tickets to Professional and College Sporting events; tickets to Plays, Opera, and Music Performances, and other Fine Arts Productions
• Golf Packages/Tee Times at area golf courses
• $20.00 Gift Cards to be used for game prizes at the event
• Other items/packages/services that can be purchased in the silent auction
• Personal or Business Ads in the Evening's Program:

-$500.00 Full page/full color, back cover, back inside cover

-$250.00 Full page/full color inside ad

-$175.00 Half page/full color inside ad

-$100.00 Half page/grayscale ad

• Tuesday, December 11th: SMG Christmas Program @ 6:30PM in the Gym**
• Wednesday, December 12th: Mass @ 8AM Dress Uniform required
• Friday, December 14th: 6-8th Grade Christmas Dance 6:30-8:30 PM in the Cafetorium
• Wedneday, December 19th: Mass @ 8AM Dress Uniform required
• Friday, December 21st: Class Christmas Parties @ 11AM; End of 2nd Quarter; 12PM Dismissal; No SMEED;
• December 24-January 4: Christmas Break-No School
• Monday, January 7th: Classes resume

**More information above