On Sunday we have one of the more perplexing readings from Luke's Gospel. Last week we heard Jesus read a prophecy from Isaiah that proclaimed positive events, especially for those who are suffering. This week's Gospel is what immediately follows, with the opening verse repeating last week's final verse.

We might expect people to be excited when Jesus states that the positive prophecy "has been fulfilled in your hearing." Initially they seem to be, but within a few verses, they are ready to literally thrown him off a cliff! What has happened?

It begins with their initial skepticism. They ask, "Isn't this the son of Joseph?" The people know Jesus' father is an everyday carpenter, not a priest, prophet, or rabbi. Why should Jesus be applying Isaiah's prophecy about being the messenger of good things to himself?

Jesus responds by mentioning two times in history when God worked through prophets in unexpected ways during a politically tumultuous era when the leadership was falling away from belief in God.

God sent the prophet Elijah during a drought. As Jesus points out, many people were suffering, but God sent Elijah to a window in Sidon. Her residence in Sidon means she was not Jewish, yet the Jewish prophet was sent to her. The second example is similar and involves Elijah's successor, Elisha. Elisha healed a foreign leader, but we do not hear of Jews being healed by him. Once again, God was working outside of the Jewish community to offer salvation.

The Jews of biblical times saw themselves as better than non-Jews because they were God's chosen people. In fact, the prophesy that Jesus read in last week's Gospel is an edited version of the original. The original prophesy (Isaiah 61:1-2) also revealed that God would take vengeance, a promise regularly made by the prophets regarding the enemies of the Jews.

But Jesus did not include the part about God's vindication in his reading. Can this really be good news for the Jews if there is no punishment for their enemies? Or is Jesus - this local carpenter who is not theologically trained - suggesting that the enemies of the Jews may also experience God's blessing? No wonder the people turn on him and want him dead.

This scene reminds us of what can happen when we see ourselves as better than others, or when we have expectations for what God should do. We can become blinded by our own desires and can unintentionally try to inhibit God's work.

We had a wonderful Catholic School's week recently. I wish to thank everyone for your support with the week.

We were privileged to witness our 3rd, 4th and 8th graders present their speeches at the recent Principal Award ceremony. We were all amazed how well the students delivered their speeches. Congratulations to them and to the Speech Club moderators Mrs. Mancinetti and Mr. Nicolas.

2019 - 2020 Updates

Move to Trimester

With the next school year approaching our school will be changing from the quarter model to the trimester model. This will allow teachers to give more time to instruction, and we will be reporting to parents three times a year. The parent/teacher conferences will be in early October. Some of the Archdiocese schools have been trialing this model for two years, and from all reports it has been successful.

Thanksgiving

We have noticed over the years that student numbers during Thanksgiving week have been low. Therefore we will be taking the whole week off as of 2019.

Christmas

Our Christmas vacation will be similar to what we did this year. We will be finishing on the Friday before Christmas.

We will be presenting our school calendar for approval to the Archdiocese. Once it is approved then we will be able to release it.

Re-Enrollment and Tuition

The re-enrollment period for 2019-2020 will begin on Friday, March 1st and finish on March 15th. Please be aware that it is important that you complete the re-enrollment process during this time and to submit the fee of $310.00. This fee has not increased.

On the other hand, tuition has increased due to the salary increase of 4% percent for teachers and staff. Medical insurance has also increased. To meet a balanced budget we have had to increase tuition by 5%, and this is very conservative. Expenses to run a school are becoming higher each year. We work fervently to manage our finances and to provide a high quality education for our students.

Computer Games

We wish your support in talking to your child about alternative computer games that are not shooting games. Many students spend hours of computer time playing online games with their friends that involve violence. As a school we do not support these types of games. We are informing the students that they are not to play non-violent shooting games at school.

Drop-Off and Pick-Up Procedures

A reminder to everyone when you enter the lower parking lot that it is one way. Please do not turn around and go against the traffic. The safety of our children is our priority, and last week one driver decided to go int the reverse direction and nearly hit one of our safety patrol students.

Confirmation Rite of Enrollment

We wish our 7th graders the best for the Rite of Enrollment ceremony, which will be held in the Church on Sunday. This will formally begin their confirmation process.

Presidents Day Holiday

A reminder that Friday,February 15th and Monday, February 18th there will be no school.

WCEA Accreditation

Over the next two months some of our staff will be away for three days as they participate on WCEA accreditation teams within the Archdiocese. I will be chairing one of the teams in the Monterey Diocese from Tuesday, February 19th to Friday, February 22nd.

Valentine's Day

Just a reminder that Valentine’s Day is a normal school day. 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

Preparations for the Junior High Science Fair started back in November 2018 with students selecting their topics and researching their ideas. Throughout the two months of preparation, students were able to formulate a hypothesis, put together a research plan, write out a step by step procedure, collect data, and put together a project board. Students had the opportunity to work on their projects in class or during Christmas Break. There were some amazing projects that showed attention to detail and a love for science. Congratulations to the following individuals on their accomplishments.

Some of these projects will be featured in the San Mateo County STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) Fair in March.

5th Grade (High Honors or Judges Pick)

High Honors-Matthew Ayon Water: Our Li(ph)e Source

High Honors-Sophia Rapadas/Kobe Caldwell: A.S.M.R Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response

Judges Pick-Elias Montes: Potato Battery Experiment

Judges Pick-Gabriel Barroso: Pencil Resistors

6th Grade

1st Place-Eric Dean: Copter Drones: What Does a Simple, Inexpensive Design Look Like?

2nd Place-Eva Alba: Ants Navigation

3rd Place-Korey Baca: What's the Deal With Thawed Meat?

7th Grade

1st Place-Nayeli Casique: Shakey Bases

2nd Place-Antonio Senores-Ramirez: Tap Water vs Bottled Water

3rd Place- Nico Navarro: Where there is a Charge, there can be Sparks.

8th Grade

1st Place-Maya Samayoa: Can Price Change Opinions?

2nd Place-Isabel Cosino: Does Music Affect Plant Growth?

3rd Place-Peter Tang: Heat and Chemical Reaction

In this digital age it can be hard to connect with someone new. Sometimes, being able to connect with another person through writing a letter can open up a new world and opportunity. The 7th grade class participated in a pen pal activity with fellow 7th graders from Shirokawa Junior High School in Seiyo City. Seiyo City is located in Shikoku, Japan. This was organized through the efforts of Mr. Nicolas and Mr. Shou Yuan. Mr. Yuan is an assistant teacher for the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program (J.E.T). Mr. Yuan is a Bay Area native who is currently living in Japan and teaching English.

The group from Japan started the chain with handmade Christmas cards to our students. Some activities that the Japanese students and the All Souls students had in common included from baseball, basketball, and K-Pop. The 7th graders wrote back to their respective pen pals on the back of post cards that featured various sites in San Francisco. Students explained and described the different sites in San Francisco that were featured on the cards. Currently, the group from Japan is writing their replies to our students, and they are waiting to see what will come next.

The picture below shows the Japanese students receiving their post cards from the All Souls Seventh Grade.

Enrollment Period begins January 28 and ends March 1. Applications should be submitted to the school main office. Please note Preschool Application is attached below.

10- Rite of Enrollment for Confirmation

13- Athletic Board Meeting - 6:30pm

15- Semester Holiday

18- Presidents' Day - Holiday

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

20- Spring Pictures

21- First Communion Parent Mtg. - 7pm

28- Family Fun Night

3- School Family Mass - 9am

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

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

9- School Board Parents' Night at Molloy's

13- Athletic Board Meeting - 6:30pm

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

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

21- Talent Show

22- Spring Holiday

27- Basketball Awards - 6:30pm - Church Hall

30- First Reconciliation - 9am

31- Cesar Chavez Day

Box Tops for Education was started by General Mills in California back in 1996, after the company decided they wanted to create a program to help support education and benefit America’s schools. All Souls has benefitted from this program over the years, receiving sports equipment, microscopes, and a variety of other educational items.

You can help by clipping the Box Tops off approved products you already have in your pantry. You don't need to clip the actual product UPC — just the Box Tops logo will do. From frozen foods to produce and household cleaning products, there are literally hundreds of opportunities to help, and each Box Top is worth 10 cents. Doesn't sound like a lot, but it adds up fast.

There are so many participating companies! Participating companies and product lines include General Mills, Green Giant, Totino's, Pillsbury, Old El Paso, Ziploc, Hefty, Juicy Juice, Betty Crocker and many more. For a full list of eligible items check the Box Tops for Education website at https://www.boxtops4education.com/earn .

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