The Messenger

Dear Fabulous Families -

Capital Campaign - Good news regarding the Capital Campaign! We are getting closer to our goal. Read the letter from Fr. Molini below.

Open House - Open House for prospective students is right around the corner! We look forward to welcoming everyone on January 26.

Baby Bottles - Students came home with baby bottles today to fill with change to support Jude House and Our Lady's Inn. Check your child's backpack today!

Catholic Schools Week - We are looking forward to celebrating Catholic Schools Week at the end of this month! See the schedule of activities and dress down days below. Also, check under the PFA header to order your special lunch and choose your Blizzard flavor off of the PFA website.

Coming home in the Wednesday yellow envelope:

Auction-VIP Crew Information

American Heart Association Flyers

Yearbook Order Forms

Reminder: Submissions for the newsletter should be sent to Mrs. McEnery and Ms. Schmitt 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

Dear St. Gabriel's Families,

We have an important announcement. In our efforts to raise $5.5 million dollars in the Building Bright Futures Campaign , we have heard from one third of our parishioners who have generously pledged more than $4.9 million dollars. This is remarkable. Thank you to those that have donated sacrificially and generously.

While that progress is wonderful, we still need to raise $600,000 to get these vital projects off the ground. If you haven't yet pledged, it still leaves us in need of your participation if we are to make our goal. We really need everyone’s help.

If every parishioner who has yet to pledge agrees to pledge just $25 a month over three years – $900 total – we will make our goal. But some may not respond and we hope many will be able to do much more.

Please return your pledge card and join us in “Building Bright Futures”. If you no longer have your pledge card or campaign materials, please call the rectory at (314) 353-6303 and we’ll send you another. Or you can go to the campaign website – stgabrielstl.org/campaign – to view materials and download a pledge card. You may also go to Faith Direct and pledge online at https://membership.faithdirect.net/enroll/choosegifts/413/56871/73. You may also write a check and deliver it to the rectory. Please write “campaign” in the memo area.

Yours in Christ,

Rev. Thomas M. Molini

Pastor

St. Gabriel the Archangel is hosting our annual Open House on Sunday, January 26, 11:30-1:30. If you know of any prospective students, please have them call the office for a tour.

Parishioners are also invited to stop in after Mass 11:00-11:30 to visit before tours start at 11:30.

Please note the updated calendar below due to Catholic Schools Week options.

Link to donate: https://aesbid.com/GABRIEL25#page=1 - click on “VIP Giving Crew”

It's time, once again, for the American Heart Association Kids Heart Challenge fundraiser! St. Gabriel has been so generous in the past, and our money raised has helped so many kids with heart problems. Over the past 20+ years, St. Gabriel has raised about $300,000 for this great cause and was the #1 fundraising school in Missouri in 2022 and 2023! This is truly outstanding! Let's make this another great year!

The Kids Heart Challenge begins today and goes through February 7th. Students who participate can earn lots of prizes (thank-you gifts) as well. See the flyers below and/or the papers in today's Wednesday envelope for more details. We have separate prizes for K-5th (Kids Heart Challenge) and 6-8th (American Heart Challenge) grades this year. It is NOT necessary to fill out the parent consent form attached to the donation envelope since all the American Heart lessons and activities take place during PE class.

Please email Mrs. Morris with any questions you may have.

Many, many thanks,

Mrs. Morris

PE teacher

lmorris@stgab.org

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.
• 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/70A044FAFAD2DA5FA7-52834478-recess

Here is the link to the Sign Up Genius for cafeteria volunteers: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A044FAFAD2DA5FA7-51700775-cafeteria

St. Gabriel summer camp is a service we provide for our school families for incoming kindergarten through current 5th grade. The camp flier will be out for open house and signups to follow shortly after. I know a lot of you are already having to figure out your summer schedule as other camps have already opened their signups. We will offer 3, 4 & 5 day options and have space for 50 to 55 kids per day. Camp hours are from 7:40 am to 3 pm with an aftercare option from 3-5:30 pm.

The dates of our camp are below. The first two weeks of camp we will not be able to accommodate incoming kindergarteners but will have openings for them remainder of the camp weeks.

Week 1 - June 2-6th (World of Sports)

Week 2 - June 9-13th (Go Wild)

Week 3 - June 16-20th (Around the world)

Week 4 - June 23-27th (Works of Art)

Week 5 - June 30-July 3rd (Happy Holidays)

Week 6 - July 14-18th (Magic is in the Air)

Week 7 - July 21-25th (The Grand Finale)

The week of July 7th-11th is expected to be Totus Tuus.

Jill Farace

Summer Program Director

Class of 2025 Spring Pretzel Boys Fundraiser is open! Simply scan the QR code or click the link to place your order https://forms.ministryforms.net/viewForm.aspx?formId=bc951ef6-f927-485c-a297-2d8d456731a1

Hi 7th grade parents! This is Jennifer Schmid, I served as St. Gabriel’s Cotillion coordinator last year and I am looking for one 7th grade parent to volunteer to be coordinator this year. Cotillion is a wonderful opportunity for the kids to learn about etiquette, social skills and dance. It is a five week program that includes 7th graders from St. Ambrose and St. Raphael too and is run by Katie Schoen from St. Louis Cotillion.

The class culminates into a Grand Finale Dance that takes place at one of the participating parishes. There will be one parent from each parish that will serve as the lead contact and plenty of volunteer opportunities will be available for parents at practice and the Grand Finale.

Please let me know if you are interested in being the lead contact for St. Gabriel, I can be reached by email or text at jschmid@dovetail-stl.com, (314) 374-5673. Thank you!

• 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,

Thanks to all of our 4th and 5th grade families who came to celebrate Mass together this past Sunday.

Jude House is coordinating a collection for Our Lady’s Inn. Each family will receive a baby bottle to fill with change, dollars and checks. This bottle is coming home today in the youngest child's Wednesday envelope.

Bring the bottle to school on Thursday, January 23rd and bring it to Mass for the Offertory collection. Please help support the ministry of Our Lady’s Inn.

Our Lady’s Inn opened its doors in 1982 to aid women in crisis pregnancies.. For 42 years, mothers and their children have been housed and supported in their efforts to live healthy and productive lives, achieve educational goals, gain employment, and secure stable housing. Please be generous with your donation.

Here is a link for further Information.

https://ourladysinn.org/who-we-are/

Upcoming Prayer for Christian Unity-Save the Date. See above.

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

1/21 2A

1/ 28 1K Baptism Mass

2/4 1C

2/11 1M

2/18 4W

2/25 4H Baptism Mass

Wednesdays- 5-8 Attends

1/22 7D

1/29 7B

2/5 6D

2/12 6W

2/19 5W Baptism Mass

2/26 5P

Thursdays- All School Attends

1/16 3P

1/23 Jude House-Collection for Our Lady's Inn

1/30 3B

2/6 Augustine House

2/13 2K

2/20 2G

2/27 2A

Looking ahead 2024-2025:

Family Mass Schedule-Mass is at 10:00 am

2nd and 3rd Grade- February 9th

K and 1st Grade- April 13th

Second Grade

First Eucharist

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

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

Confirmation

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

January

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 (Kindergarten, 1st, and 3rd grade students, and Honor Choir), 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

https://www.stgabrielstl.org/Worship-and-Formation/Youth-Group

https://goraisedough.com/buy/2590