The Messenger

Dear Fabulous Families -

Exciting times are ahead for our parish and school! Read more about the Capital Campaign that will kick-off the weekend of October 26-27. Read more about it below!

Our next Parent University session occurs next Thursday, October 24, at 6:30. Come hear the presentation, "Master the Media" from Webster University instructor, Julie Smith.

We are less than two weeks away from our annual Make a Difference Day. This is an opportunity for individuals and families to volunteer on Saturday, October 26! Check out the opportunities using the QR code or link below. There are morning and afternoon times available to help out at the school or church or at another site.

Coming home in the Wednesday yellow envelope:

• 8th Grade only - ITBS Scores
• 8th Grade only - Volunteer Opportunity at Trunk or Treat
• Picture Retake Information
• Little Bit Foundation Donation Information

Reminder: Submissions for the newsletter should be sent to Mrs. McEnery by noon on Monday. Graphics should be a jpg or png. In the subject line, please put "Newsletter".

Tonya McEnery

Principal

Jenn Schmitt

Assistant Principal

After more than 7 years of careful planning and parishioner input, St. Gabriel the Archangel will be launching the Building Bright Futures capital campaign at all masses next weekend, October 26-27. Please come and listen to the exciting plans for our parish.

Fr. Molini will explain various components of the plans, the campaign itself, and ask for your prayerful support. Two building projects will be presented, each designed for the use of the entire parish:

1. a complete renovation of the Gabriel House into a Center for Innovative Learning for St. Gabriel School that will further differentiate it among K-8 Catholic schools (and include plenty of parish meeting space).

2. a new Welcome Room connected to the church building that will help make us a closer and more welcoming community. It’ll include space for pre- and post-funeral and pre-wedding events, after-Mass gatherings, parish meetings… among a multitude of uses.

The students of St. Gabriel School will play a big role in the campaign, too. We’ll hold a couple surprises. But at the 10:00 am Sunday Mass, you’ll get a taste of the type of innovative and collaborative projects that will now be possible in the proposed Center for Innovative Learning through sample projects created by the 7th and 8th graders.

Because the campaign proposes projects benefiting the school and the entire parish for decades to come, the success of the Campaign depends on the generosity and participation of everyone – school families and non-school families alike. Please attend one of the masses next weekend and learn more.

Coffee and doughnuts will be provided in the cafeteria after the 10:00 am Sunday Mass. Light food and refreshments will also be provided after the 5:00 pm Saturday Mass.

Multiple public “Town Hall” sessions will also be announced next weekend for the week of November 3 to provide even more detailed explanations and parish-wide Q&A.

Finally, for the good of the parish, we ask that everyone participate in some way. Volunteering, helping to endorse the plans and by giving financially. Secondly, when we ask for gifts, that everyone aim high. Again, the investments we’re making are for the good of our parish, our school, our neighborhoods and the entire community.

The Book Fair is almost here! St. Gabriel is hosting the Scholastic Book Fair on Monday, October 21, and Tuesday, October 22.

Here is the link to St. Gabriel's online book fair.

Here you can set up E Wallets - the cashless way for your child to shop the fair.

You can also order any books that were not in stock at the fair while still supporting St. Gabriel.

Help us make it a success by volunteering by using this link . The schedule is below so you can see when your child's class is attending the book fair.

Join author and professor Julie Smith as she shares all the ways we can help our kids thrive in today's digital world. From smishing, bot-spotting, terms of service, Google alerts and beyond - come learn all the things you didn't know you didn't know. This fast presentation will give you loads of questions to ask and a stronger sense of what's happening online.

Julie Smith has provided media workshops around the world from church basements in Philadelphia to ballrooms in Uzbekistan. She has been on the faculty at Webster University since 2001 and is the author of "Master the Media: How Teaching Media Literacy Can Save our Plugged-In World.

Reserve your tables early for one of the most fun nights of the year!

This is a popular event that sells out and a limited number of VIP tables are available. Don't forget to pre-order your pizzas too. Scan the QR for more details!

https://forms.ministryforms.net/viewForm.aspx?formId=27a36057-ff4d-4a83-ab9d-9705a555ecfa

Interested in helping organize and volunteer at a classroom party? The Home and School Committee of the PFA is looking for Party Volunteers for the 2024-2025 school year to do just that.

Sign-ups will go live on the PFA website on Friday, October 11th at 9am (https://stgabrielpfa.membershiptoolkit.com/). For more information or questions, please contact Jessica Rahn at jessica.lewis00@gmail.com, Melissa Snodgrass at melissa.snodgrass@me.com or Laura May at lauraekelly@gmail.com.

Parents have the opportunity to volunteer at school by helping with lunch and recess duties. All volunteers must go through the Protecting God's Children / Safe Environment training requirement.

• Please do not sign up for a position if you have not completed Protecting God's Children / Safe Environment training. Information on this is posted below. .
• The following links are for the first trimester.
• To start, please only sign up for one spot to give others the chance to volunteer.

Here is the link to the Sign Up Genius for recess volunteers: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A044FAFAD2DA5FA7-50541017-recess

Here is the link to the Sign Up Genius for cafeteria volunteers: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A044FAFAD2DA5FA7-50540464-cafeteria

• Important - All volunteers need to successfully complete the mandated Archdiocesan Protecting God's Children/Safe Environment Training. Before signing up for lunch duty/recess duty, field trips, etc., volunteers must have this completed. Please use the following link to find the complete information from the church website: mandated training information. Please direct questions to our parish secretary and Child Safety Coordinator, Eileen Garavaglia, at 314-353-6303 Ext. 110 or garavagliae@stgabrielstl.org.

Dear Parents,

This Friday, October 18th, at 2:10 pm in church, our fifth grade class will lead the rosary. Please join us if you are able

Sunday is the 7th grade Family Mass. It is great to be able to celebrate Mass with our parish community.

Please keep our second graders and their families in your prayers as the second graders prepare to receive the sacrament of Reconciliation next month. We look forward to meeting with second grade parents tomorrow evening for the 1st Reconciliation Parent Meeting.

Also, keep our eighth graders and their families in your prayers as the students meet with their sponsors and commit to preparing for Confirmation. Next Wednesday is the Confirmation Sponsor Meeting.

From the USCCB site:

https://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/catholic-social-teaching/upload/catholic-social-teaching-poster-for-children-digital.pdf

The students are so proud when they have parts at Mass. We hope you can join us whenever you are able. See below for the school day Mass Schedule.

School Masses

Tuesdays- 1-4 Attends

10/22 1M

10/29 1K

11/5 1C

11/12 4H

Wednesdays- 5-8 Attends

10/23 7D

10/30 7B

11/6 6D Baptism Mass

11/13 6B

Thursdays- All School Attends

10/17 6D

10/24 6B

10/31 5W

11/7 5P

11/14 Joan House- Veterans Mass

Looking ahead 2024-2025:

Family Mass Schedule-Mass is at 10:00 am

7th Grade- October 20th

8th Grade Confirmation Commitment- November 17th

4th and 5th Grade- January 12th

2nd and 3rd Grade- February 9th

K and 1st Grade- April 13th

Second Grade

First Reconciliation

Parent Mtg.-Thursday, October 17th at 6:30 pm in church

First Reconciliation-Thursday, November 21st- at 7 pm

First Eucharist

First Communion Parent Mtg.- Wednesday, March 26th- 6:30 pm in church

Sunday, May 4th- 1st Communion, 2pm Mass

Confirmation

Sponsor Mtg, Wednesday, October 23, at 6:30 pm-Cafeteria and North wing classrooms

Confirmation Day of Reflection- February 18, 2025

Confirmation Mass -February 20, 2025 at Saint Gabriel the Archangel Church at 7 pm

Prayer Resource:

The School Sisters of Notre Dame have a virtual prayer space to pray for peace.

SSND Prayer Room: Open on Fridays from 9am- 9pm Central Time.

https://ssnd.org/ssnd-virtual-prayer-room/

Please contact me if you have any questions.

Come pray with us!

Deborah DaLay

Coordinator of Religious Education

Dates below are subject to change and additional days will be added as we continue to plan for the year. Dates are also posted on the Google calendar located on our website.

2024-2025 SCHOOL YEAR

October

17- First Reconciliation Parent Meeting, 6:30pm

18-5th Grade Living Rosary at 2:10 pm in church

20- 7th Grade Family Mass

23- Confirmation Sponsor Meeting, 6:30p

25 - Picture Retake Day

25 - Trunk or Treat, 6:30-8:30 pm (New)

26 - Make a Difference Day - Family Service Day!

November

1- No School: All Saints’ Day

7- 6th Grade Religious Summit Field Trip (Updated)

15- End of 1st Trimester

15- Planning & Collaboration (Noon Dismissal)

16 - St. Gabriel 90th Anniversary Gala

17- 8th Grade Confirmation Commitment Family Mass

21- First Reconciliation, 6:30pm

27-29- Thanksgiving Holidays

December

11- Vocal Concert, 7pm

12- Band Concert, 7pm

20- Christmas Parties, 11:05

20-Christmas Break Begins (Noon

Dismissal)

23-January 3, 2025 - Christmas Break

January

6- Classes Resume

12- 4th & 5th Grade Family Mass (NEW)

15- American Heart Association Fundraiser Begins

20- No School: MLK Day

26-31- Catholic Schools Week

26- Open House

27- Spelling Bee, 2:05pm

31- Noon Dismissal

February

7- End of American Heart Association

Fundraiser

9- 2nd & 3rd Grade Family Mass (NEW)

14- End of 2nd Trimester

14- Valentine’s Day Parties, 11:05am

14- Planning & Collaboration (Noon

Dismissal)

17- No School: Presidents’ Day

20 - 8th Grade Confirmation

25- Parents/Students/Teacher Conferences, 3:30-7pm

27- Parents/Students/Teacher Conferences, 3:30-7pm

28- Noon Dismissal

March

5- Ash Wednesday

6- 4th Grade Field Trip to LinkUp (Updated)

7- Stations of the Cross

8 - Auction

14- Stations of the Cross

17-21- Spring Break

24- 8th Grade Field Trip to Holocaust Museum (Updated)

26- First Communion Parent Meeting,

6:30pm

28- Stations of the Cross

April

4- Planning & Collaboration (Noon

Dismissal)

13 - Kindergarten & First Grade Family Mass (NEW)

17- No School: Holy Thursday

18- No School: Good Friday

20- Easter Sunday

21- No School: Easter Monday

23-25 - 6th Grade Camp

25-27 - AYM Luke 18 Retreat for 8th Graders

May

2- 2nd Grade Jesus Day

4- First Communion, 2pm

5- 2nd Grade Only, No School

6-7- Art Fair

6- Vocal Concert, 7pm

7- Band Concert, 7pm

9- Noon Dismissal: Field Day

15- May Crowning

15- 8th Grade - Last Day

16- 8th Grade Mystery Trip

16- 7th Grade Leadership Day

20- 8th Grade Graduation, 6pm

23- Noon Dismissal: Last Day of School

You can also use this link to register.