Joyfully Embracing Our Mission
St. Clare School Family News | 19 January 2020
Come! Live in the Light!
You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned?
It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
You are the light of the world.
A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden.
Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket;
it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house.
Just so, your light must shine before others,
that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.
~ Matthew 5:13-16
Dear St. Clare School Families,
“I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”
This last line in Isaiah’s reading on this Second Sunday in Ordinary Time seems fitting as we commemorate the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech transcends the Civil Rights Movement and resonates soundly to this day. As Catholic Christians, we are held to the “truths” that Dr. King referenced from Declaration of Independence, “that all men are created equal” by living out the tenets of Catholic social teaching. In recognizing the life and dignity of the human person, walking in solidarity with our brothers and sisters, answering the call to family, community and participation, advocating for the option for the poor and vulnerable, recognizing the dignity of work and the rights of workers, caring for God’s creation and understanding that it is our duty and responsibility to protect the rights of all of God’s children, we are living out these “truths”, being the light to all nations.
2020-2021 REGISTRATION PACKET WILL BE SENT HOME THIS COMING WEEK
Your Registration Packet which will include the 2020-2021 Tuition Agreement will be sent home this week. The signed (hard copy) of the Tuition Agreement is due back to the School Office by February 10 in order to secure your child(ren)’s spot at St. Clare School.
Catholic Tuition Discount
If you would like to be considered to receive the Catholic tuition discount, you will need to attach a copy of the tax (donation) letter from your parish. This tax letter will be sent to those parishioners whose evidence of consistent and significant contributions came via the WeShare (online) giving portal, via personal check or via the weekly envelope. Parishes will send these letters to qualifying donors after January 31, 2020. St. Clare School supports parishioners from Roman Catholic parishes in the Diocese of San Jose and neighboring (Arch)dioceses.
TEACHER IN-SERVICE DAY: EXPLICIT INSTRUCTION
Each month, cohorts of teachers from schools in the Diocese of San Jose meet to learn and collaborate about effective instructional practice. Teachers continue to work on the following Adult Learning Benchmarks:
Implement teaching and processing strategies to ensure all students understand the purpose and relevance of every lesson so that students all students can identify their own learning goal.
Intentionally organize learning opportunities to ensure scaffolding is responsive to student needs so that all students can reach the learning goal.
We recognize that we have to continue to learn in order to meet the needs of all our learners.
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK BEGINS ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 26
We look forward to your presence at next Sunday’s Family Mass at 9 A.M. followed by the Pancake Breakfast and Open House. Please be on the lookout for communication from your Room Reps about involvement with this week’s festivities. A flyer outlining the events of each day is coming soon.
To affirm your choice, please enjoy the graphic that outlines “A dozen reasons to choose Catholic schools”.
COMING TOGETHER FOR THE CLASS OF 2021
One of the many advantages of Catholic schools is the opportunity to walk the journey with others. One such opportunity manifested itself last Friday when the Diocese of San Jose’s Office for Youth and Young Adult Ministry, Santa Clara University’s staff and St. Clare parents (present and alumni), faculty and staff came together to prepare and lead a retreat for our seventh graders. With a short timeline and an ambitious goal, we secured the use of the California Mission Room at Benson Center, thanks to SCU staffers: Helen Otero, Robin Reynolds, Chiqui Tanedo and Shirley Mata. Other SCU staffers offered their sponsorship and support throughout the day: Sarah Bonini, Ryan Mendoza, Laura Nichols, Adriana Meza-Gutierrez, Kathy Almazol and Patty Lopez.
Youth ministers from Holy Family, Holy Spirit and St. Francis of Assisi parishes, along with the Director and Asst. Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry prepared opportunities for the class to deepen their encounter through the story of Jonah, Joseph, Clare and Francis, Paul and others. Ms. Payton (K) and Ms. B (TK) also shared their experiences as St. Clare students and how they overcome obstacles as middle schoolers. Ms. Kim, Ms. McCormick, Mr. Payne and Mrs. Filion facilitated small groups and Mr. Gallagher, Mr. Botcharnikov, Mr. Goetz and Ms. Valerye came to guide some activities. “Lean on Me” became the theme of the day, urging students to come together as “One”, affirming their connectedness as the Class of “2020-One”.
It was yet another example of the spirit of the community of St. Clare where Nothing is impossible with God.
From the bottom of my heart, I am grateful to all who walked this journey of faith with our seventh graders!
READ! READ! READ!
Please continue to partner with your classroom teachers to build a culture of readers at home and at school. Reading informational texts enriches your children’s vocabulary in order to access rigorous material and engage in critical reasoning. Remember that beginning in third grade, students are reading to understand (comprehension) more than they are learning to read (decoding, fluency).
As with everything that requires competence, it must be practiced. Your classroom teacher can provide you with resources to help your children reach reading benchmarks as well as challenge them to go beyond their zone of proximal development. Remember that sustained silent reading for 15-30 minutes a day can make a world of difference in a successful transition to the next grade level.
TO BE CONTINUED: PRACTICE SELF-REGULATION
We will continue our focus habit of practicing self-regulation. In addition, please remind students to practice being polite: to greet each person; to respond when greeted; to use the magic words--not ‘Abracadabra’ or ‘Open Sesame!’--but “Please” and “Thank You”; to hold open the door for others; to let someone else pass and to be respectful and kind. As with every habit, these need to be practiced. Thank you for your help in instilling these virtues in our students.
This Sunday's gospel continues with references to the Baptism of our Lord, this time, from the perspective of John the Baptist. I offer this reflection from Creighton University's Steve Scholer:
The depictions of Christ’s baptism in the River Jordan are many. From paintings by Leonardo Da Vinci to stained glass windows by Tiffany, the central elements are the same: Jesus and his cousin, John the Baptist, in the Jordan River with the Holy Spirit overhead as a dove. As Catholics, we enjoy the fine work of the talented artists, but it does not begin to fully convey the depth and significance of Christ’s baptism and what it truly means for us.
The word “baptize” is Greek in origin (baptizein), which means to plunge or immerse, and baptism is the first and probably the most important sacrament of the Church. It is through baptism that we are brought into the Church. It is God’s most precious gift to us, and it signifies our liberation from sin and that the Holy Spirit dwells within us.
It has been said that by our own baptism we became missionary disciples of Christ and as such we need to be personally involved and actively engaged in living a faith-filled life, participating in a Christian community of faith and love. For is this not the very reason we belong to the Church, to be engaged in a community of faith and love?
I could expound upon the many benefits of baptism, but the more challenging question, one worthy of our reflection, is how are we using this precious gift? Maybe a good place for us to start is to reflect back when many of us, as parents presenting our children for baptism or as godparents, renewed our baptismal promises. These promises are as good a guidepost as any for us to continue to follow.
We might ask ourselves if, as engaged Christians, we are role models for our children. Do we worship together as a family and nurture our children to develop a strong faith? The same questions can be extended beyond our homes and families, to those with whom we interact in our workplaces and communities; do we present ourselves as engaged Christians and serve as role models?
I dare say all of us have come up short in answer to these questions, but do not despair, for our God is a loving and forgiving God. Equally as important, through our baptism, the gift of the Holy Spirit dwells within us. Through the Holy Spirt, God is personal to each of us and has the power to transform us into the people we want to be.
The gift of the Holy Spirit that God gave us at our baptism is ours to call upon when we need guidance. The Holy Spirit can help us to live the lives we are capable of – lives as engaged Christians--lives of compassion and love for members of our families as well as strangers on the street. Maybe it is time for us to “plunge” ourselves back into our faith.
May we continue to walk in solidarity with one another in our quest to be light for others.
Peace and all good things,
Mrs. Cecile Mantecon, Principal
The Daily Examen | Fr. James Marin, SJ
Reminder: No School January 20 (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day) and January 21 (Teacher In-Service Day)
St. Clare School Open House and Pancake Breakfast
St. Clare School
Pancake Breakfast & Open House
Sunday, January 26, 2020
St. Clare Parish Hall
Immediately following the 7:45 & 9:00am Masses
*See flyer attached and share!*
Please join the St. Clare community for a pancake breakfast as we kick-off Catholic
Schools Week and host the St. Clare School Open House. St. Clare families will be
serving pancakes, sausage, coffee, and juice – and new to the menu this year
scrambled eggs and breakfast potatoes!
$6.00/child (age 12 or under)
$8.00/adult
Cash or check only
We still are in need of volunteers use link below to original post and sign up.
St. Clare School's Inaugural Golf Fundraising Tournament is COMING SOON! Registration is NOW OPEN!
Click HERE to read the original post for more details.
THANK YOU FROM THE OFFICE
UPCOMING EVENTS and THE SCHOOL CALENDAR
The 2019-2020 St. Clare School is now available for public consumption. You will find the calendar in a number of places. They all sync to the Google Public Calendar for our school, so you can trust that these calendars are current.
To find the calendar in our school website, go to https://www.stclare.school/ and scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the "Calendar" icon (third from the left) or visit https://www.stclare.school/calendar.
To find the calendar in ParentSquare, go to your HOME page and look for "EVENTS" and click on "view all".
To subscribe and add the St. Clare School Public Calendar to your calendar app, use this link:
- 1/20 No School: Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Observed
- 1/21 No School: Teacher In-Service | CKZ Available to those who RSVP
- 1/22 A Cup with the Principal
- 1/23 Free Dress for those with PASSES
- 1/24 Spirit Shirts with Uniform Bottoms
- 1/24 Graduation Photos for the Class of 2020!
- 1/26 Catholic Schools Week Mass at 9A
- 1/26 Pancake Breakfast following Sunday morning masses
- 1/26 January Open House, 10A-1P | Welcome, alums!
St. Clare School
Email: office@stclareschool.org
Website: https://www.stclare.school
Location: 725 Washington Street, Santa Clara, CA, USA
Phone: 408 246-6797