All Souls Catholic School

Newsletter - May 15th 2018

Number 19

Reflection

Happy birthday to the Catholic Church! Happy birthday to you, who are the body of the Church! We're all familiar with our own birthdays, and we celebrate them because they mark the day of the year in which we entered into this life. But did you know you have a second birthday?

Because you are part of the body of the Church, Pentecost is the Church's birthday, and yours as well. And like any birthday, it's a cause for celebration.

The word Pentecost is Greek and it means "50th day." Fifty days after Easter Sunday, we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and their followers, and the beginning of their Earthly ministry to make disciples of all nations.

Pentecost is also a Jewish holiday, which the Jews use to celebrate the end of Passover. Jews celebrate the gift of the law to Moses at Mt. Sinai on this day. But we, as Catholics celebrate the birth of our Church.

At Pentecost, the Apostles and their followers were gathered in a room. Jews from all over the world were gathered with Peter, the leader of the Apostles and the Eleven. At this time, a great wind blew and a flame appeared as a tongue of fire, which split itself into many individual flames above the heads of all those present. The Holy Spirit came upon these people and each began to speak in tongues. Despite the fact many had no common language, they were perfectly able to understand one another.

FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Our 8th graders will be heading off on their Washington DC trip. It is difficult to believe that the school year is rapidly coming to an end.

Thanks

We had a wonderful performance last night with our school children showcasing their musical talents. I wish to thank Ms. McDaniel for all the hard work she did to prepare the students.

Thanks to Mr. Conmy for organizing the sound for the show. It was a big improvement over previous years. We also had the opportunity to see the wonderful art work that our students have been working on throughout the year. The work seems to be getting better and better each year. A special thanks to Mrs. Carter for organizing the art show, along with her helpers.

Our teachers have been working very hard the past few weeks in preparing the students to meet grade level standards. We have completed the last of the STAR tests, and I am happy to see much growth with all our students. From these results we are able to plan for better learning experiences for the next school year.

MCA

We were able to send $384 to the Missionary Childhood Association from the collections from the Lenten money boxes. This will assist those poor families in underdeveloped countries.

Walk-A-Thon

Thanks to the School Board for organizing the Walk-a-thon last Friday. We were hoping to raise $9000 but unfortunately we have only been pledged $5,636. We are continuing with our plans to buy outdoor picnic tables for the students with the funds raised, though we will be able to buy fewer tables than anticipated.

Over Summer Break

We are currently obtaining bids for campus improvements over the summer. This will include asphalting both the yards, fixing the leaks on the upper yard school building wall, and painting the school building and the annex. Quotes to replace the Miller St. windows are also being sought. We anticipate starting on some of this work over summer. We always work through the Archdiocese Building Division for such projects. Over the weekend we are having the upstairs bathrooms refurbished. This will be great for our students.

Finances

As the year comes to a close it is important that all finances, including tuition, cafeteria, SCRIP, and other fundraiser fees, are paid by May 30th. As per school policy we are unable to issue report cards or yearbooks to families with outstanding debt. We do use a collection agency for those finances that are not paid by June 15th. To begin the new school year, all previous finances need to be paid along with the $310.00 re-enrollment fee for the 2018-2019 school year, otherwise children are unable to start on the first day.

8th Grade

Graduation festivities for 8th grade will be occurring of the week of May 29th. The Student Farewell Mass will be on Tuesday, May 29th, at 9am followed by a morning tea for the 1st grade and 8th grade. On Wednesday night we have the 8th grade Dinner and Awards evening at the Oyster Point Yacht Club. On Thursday evening, May 31st, we celebrate the 8th graders with the Graduation Mass and awarding the diploma. All are welcome to join in at the Mass at 7pm.

God Bless,

Vincent Riener

Principal