The Messenger
A Publication of St. Gabriel the Archangel School 5/9/2024
Dear Fabulous Families -
- Congratulations to our Second Graders who received their First Communion this past Sunday!
- Friday - Field Day is tomorrow! Please see reminders below from our PE Teacher, Mrs. Morris.
- Uniform Fitting - The uniform fitting with Just Me Apparel is next Tuesday. This is primarily for students who need new skirts/jumpers in our school plaid. This is a good time to order items now so they are ready for the fall. Students who have outgrown their uniforms are expected to purchase/obtain new uniforms for the fall. Additional information about the uniform fitting can be found below.
- Sr. Gail - Congratulations to Sr. Gail, St. Gabriel Band Director, as she conducted her final concert last night. We wish her the very best as she enjoys retirement at the end of this school year. See photos below and the invitation to say "good-bye" at the Donut Sunday on May 19.
NEW! Please note that the link for second semester lunch and recess duties are below:
Coming home today from the office in the yellow envelope:
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
St. Gabriel the Archangel
Field Day Information
Field Day - Tomorrow
FIELD DAY
Friday, May 10, 2024
~ 12:00 p.m. dismissal ~
Some helpful reminders:
Normal morning drop-off procedures will take place.
Students should be in their homerooms by 7:45 a.m.
Normal 12:00 p.m. dismissal pick-up procedures will take place.
All students should bring a water bottle (labeled with their name).
A Pirate’s Booty snack bag will be provided to the students on Field Day.
Students are not required to wear their school uniform on Field Day.
K-5th students should wear colored short/long-sleeve t-shirts (see
color listed on the paper in the Wednesday envelope).
6,7,8th students should wear their house t-shirts.
All students should wear appropriate length shorts or sweatpants.
All students should wear socks and tennis shoes (NO Crocs, sandals
or flip-flops allowed).
Eye black is allowed if desired, but NO body paint should be worn.
K-5th students will be staying with their homerooms to play games.
6,7,8th students will be playing games with their houses.
The walking permission slip that was signed by a parent/guardian in the beginning of the year will be used as the allowance for your child to go to Francis Park for games. We will also be using other areas around/inside school for games.
***** Tamm Ave. will be drivable for drop off and pick up, but it will be closed from
7:45 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. There is no through traffic or parking on Tamm. Ave. (in front of school between Murdoch and Nottingham) during Field Day since we will be spreading out and using the street for games as well.
Thank you in advance for your cooperation. If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Morris at lmorris@stgab.org.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Morris, PE teacher
Sr. Gail's Final Bow
Sr. Gail Passes the Baton to Dr. Unnerstall
And the band plays on...Dr. Unnerstall conducts the last song.
Sr. Gail - Retirement
Order Fall School Supplies
School supply shopping made easy!
School supply shopping made easy!
Click the below link or scan the qr code to order your school supplies today! Orders ship directly to your house. Be sure to select next years grade level/s! Contact Molly Roell if you have any questions, mollyroell@me.com or 314-803-2236
https://schooltoolbox.com/school-supplies/school/list-boxes/?schoolId=55723
Uniform Fitting - Save the Date!
From: Just Me Apparel, Our Uniform Supplier
The spring uniform fitting will be held at St. Gabriel School this year on Tuesday,
May 14, 3:00-6:00 pm.
- We will send a staff to help you with your uniform needs and take your orders. Attending your fitting allows you to try on uniform clothing and determine your correct size.
- When your orders are complete and ready for pickup you have several options. We can call to have you pick up your order at Just Me Apparel, you can pay to have it shipped to your home, or it can be delivered to St. Gabriel in August to be picked up at school.
- For pricing or sizing questions, please visit our website at www.justmeapparel.com or call us at 636-391-3551. You can order on line or by phone throughout the school year and we will make weekly deliveries to your school!
This is the perfect time to get your orders in for next school year. This is important to insure skirts and jumpers fit appropriately. Skirts and jumpers should be at least finger-tip length. Many students are outgrowing their current uniform.
Protecting God's Children / Safe Environment Training
- 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.
Religious Education Information and Resources
Dear Parents,
.
We are so happy for our second graders and their families who celebrated the sacrament of First Eucharist this past Sunday. A second grader told me after Mass on Tuesday that she has now received the Eucharist three times!
Thanks to all the first grade family members that were able to join us for the first grade Baptism Mass on Tuesday. Their presence was a blessing to the community!
A Favorite Prayer Song for Eucharist:
Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit,
That my thoughts may all be holy.
Act in me, O Holy Spirit,
That my work, too, may be holy.
Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit,
That I love but what is holy.
Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit,
To defend all that is holy.
Guard me, then, O Holy Spirit,
That I always may be holy.
Saint Augustine (354-430)
Earth Day Newsletter from the School Sisters of Notre Dame:
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/
It is our privilege to partner with you in your child's religious formation. Students attend Mass twice weekly. See below for our Mass days and for which homeroom is in charge of Mass planning. Masses are at 8:00 am. Please join us whenever you are able!
Tuesdays
5/14 4S
5/21 4M -Kindergarten Baptism Mass
Wednesdays
5/15 7R
5/22 7L
Thursdays
5/9 7th Grade Leadership/Baptism Mass
5/16 8th Grade Blessing and May Crowning Mass
5/24 Last Day of School Mass-Friday, May 24, at 11:15 am
Please contact me if you have any questions.
Come pray with us!
Deborah DaLay
Coordinator of Religious Education
PFA Uniform Swap - Mark Your Calendars!
Urban Golf Fundraiser - May 18
The 2nd Annual SGAA Urban Golf Tournament is an event benefitting the student athletes of the St. Gabriel the Archangel Catholic School and Parish.
Urban Golf is like traditional golf using one golf club of the player’s choosing and a tennis ball. Players drive, pitch, and putt with all the challenges of traditional golf but in a transformed Francis Park 12-hole golf track. Teams of 4 participate in a best ball scramble with the lowest score taking home the championship and bragging rights.
There will be 3 tee times for the event taking place at 11:00am, 1:30pm, and 4:00pm with event check in occurring 30 minutes before your scheduled tee time at the Rockwell Beer Garden parking pad just to the west of the tennis courts.
Sign up information:
Register for the 2024 Urban Golf Tournament at the following website:
https://birdease.com/26661/register
(Scroll to the bottom for the Urban Golf options. Tee times are first come, first serve).
Payment information:
The event cost is $200 per foursome, that cost includes Urban Golf greens fees, tennis balls, beverages including beer, seltzer, water, and food including burgers, brats, hotdogs, chips and pretzels.
Payment is accepted on the Birdease registration website (preferred method), via Venmo payment to @SGAA-Urban-Golf or mail/deliver a check made out to St. Gabriel the Archangel Athletic Association (SGAA) to 6364 Devonshire Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63109.
Thank you for supporting the St. Gabriel the Archangel Athletic Association and our young athletes!
Calendar Dates for 2023-2024
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.
MAY DATES
May 10 - Field Day - Noon Dismissal
May 14 - Uniform Fitting, 3-6:00 pm
May 17 - 7th Grade Leadership Day
May 17 - Mystery Day
May 21 - 8th Grade Graduation, 6:00 pm
May 24 - Last Day of School, Noon Dismissal
JUNE DATES
June 23-28 - Totus Tuus
For the 2024-2025 Calendar, click here.
Welcome to ARCHANGEL YOUTH MINISTRY (AYM) covering the parishes of the St. Louis Hills neighborhood (St. Gabriel & St. Raphael). AYM is open to all high school teens. No sign-up necessary and teens do not need to be from the St. Louis Hills parishes to participate. High schoolers can attend on a regular basis or drop-in as it fits their schedule.
Sunday evenings (6:45-8:30 pm in Gabriel House) include snacks, socializing, games, talks, and discussions. Teens are encouraged to bring a friend to share in the fun.
AYM CELEBRATES OUR MOTHERS!
*No AYM this weekend due to Mother's Day. Enjoy the day with your mom and other special women in your family!
*The next AYM Life Teen night will be Sunday, May 19th, following the 5:30 pm Youth Mass. Moms are invited to join us for the evening to have dinner and play trivia. Teens are welcome and encouraged to attend even if their mom is unavailable. Please rsvp to Sarah by May 16th so we can plan accordingly.
CURRENT 8TH GRADERS:
You're Invited! With the completion of the Luke 18 Retreat weekend, current 8th graders are now invited to start attending AYM Sunday Nights whenever it fits their schedule. We look forward to having you join our AYM Family!
LOOKING AHEAD:
SGA 90th Anniversary Mass & Block Party | June 15th | The Block Party is a fundraiser for AYM so we will need many teen and adult volunteers!
National Eucharistic Pilgrimage | July 7th | 10 am Mass at the Cathedral Basilica followed by a Eucharistic Procession (walk) to St. Stephen Protomartyr church | More info to come...
Steubenville Conference | July 12th-14th | 8th-12th graders
STAY CONNECTED with AYM
Follow us on Instagram @archangelym
Like our Facebook Group: Archangel Youth Ministry
Join the SGA or SRA Flocknote Group: Youth Ministry
Visit the Youth Group page on the SGA parish website
Contact Youth Minister: Sarah Henderson - hendersons@stgabrielstl.org
From Fr. Molini
“We don’t use the envelopes to donate to the parish”.
Every now and then, the rectory office gets a message like this from a family asking us to cancel the donation envelopes mailed out to parishioners. The problem is that often, there is no indication they have used any means to donate to the parish; no envelopes, no stock donations, no “once-a-year” gift, nothing, for years. I cannot express the dismay I feel when a family is willing to use our school, but not support the parish as well. It further emphasizes a societal inability to see the whole picture, focusing only on what affects “me” as an individual.
As a Catholic parish, our view must be more broad and communal.
We have recently seen the closure of several Catholic Schools in the area. Most had long-term concerns ranging from low-enrollment and rising costs associated with other issues. I guarantee, in addition, that part of the challenge facing those parishes was the disconnect between support for the school and parish. No parish school can survive on tuition payments alone. Every parishioner is asked to support the parish, whether a child is in school or not. If the parish is unable to maintain their fiscal health, the school will suffer.
In addition, every parishioner assists the education of the parish’s children since tuition does not cover the total cost to educate a child. Every child receives a “scholarship” in this way, offset through Sunday contributions.
This may be a good wake-up call for us all. Do I support the parish…by attending Sunday Mass, participating in our activities, and donating to the good of the whole parish?
Am I just interested in using the school for education, or do I support the entire ministry of our parish to foster a strong parish community that benefits the spiritual and communal integrity of our area? The school cannot survive on its own…and the parish needs everyone’s support.
Feasibility Study Update
Feasibility Study and Future Plans
We have received the results of the Feasibility Study and are grateful to the many of you who participated, either by interview, paper survey or online survey. Over 325 responses were received – more than one-fifth of parish households – a satisfactory response for surveys. The committee has reviewed the results and summarized it as follows:
- We need to continue to make clear that St. Gabriel’s is not merging with another parish or school. As I’ve said since my arrival: St. Gabriel and St. Raphael are two independent parishes with two independent parish elementary schools and two separate parish communities. There are no plans for any changes to this configuration.
- There is parish interest that the Archdiocese support this effort in a tangible manner. I’ve already broached this subject with those involved, and will do so again.
- Significant enthusiasm was expressed for both proposed projects.
- A Gabriel House renovation needs to be done, and must include some space accessible for parish use.
- Most also like the Gathering Space concept, but want it as large as possible.
- Six - to - seven million dollars as a goal seems unlikely. Still, conducting a capital campaign was supported by the vast majority of survey respondents.
Again, thanks for the honest and generally supportive comments. The committee has several tasks before it:
1. Re-evaluate the proposed projects and size them to better reflect the sentiment of the parish response. This means probably not building an addition to Gabriel House while further defining the use of the building for parish and school use. We also will re-consider the size of the Gathering Space.
2. Once we have explicitly identified the best use of the spaces under consideration, meet with the architect to begin the drawing process and settle on estimates.
3. Enlarge our current committee to include parishioners with skills and expertise in planning, construction, marketing and fundraising.
4. Begin the capital campaign process once our enlarged committee is in place and more defined plans and price point are complete.
I will continue to use the bulletin to keep you apprised of the process and building plans. Thanks so much for your patience and support throughout this process.
A reminder: The timing of the campaign and the work on the buildings is still to be determined but be assured, you will be kept informed as we proceed with the work.