Number 10

In Sunday's Gospel we celebrate the Baptism of Jesus, an event that may seem confusing given our understanding of baptism as a sacrament of cleansing from sin. We know Jesus was without sin. So why was he baptized?

There are many possible answers to this question, but in Luke's Gospel, the baptism of Jesus is clearly the moment when he is anointed by the Spirit: "The Holy Spirit descended upon him." This anointing seals Jesus as God's beloved son and serves as a "sending forth" as Jesus begins his messianic ministry.

We should also notice that this is a prayerful moment for Jesus. Luke writes that after he was baptized, Jesus was praying. It is during this moment of prayer that he heavens opened, the Spirit descended, and the voice of God declared his love for his son.

As we read and hear more from Luke's Gospel in the coming months, we will notice other references to Jesus praying. We will find that Luke emphasizes prayer more than any other evangelist. Among the many things we will learn from Jesus' ministry is that his love of prayer - the precious time he spends with the Father - will refresh, strengthen, and guide him until his mission is accomplished.

Here, as Jesus prepares to begin his ministry, a prayerful moment bears great fruit. His heart is open to the Father - open to his guidance and love. Sealed in the Spirit, jesus goes forth to share that love with others.

This particular Sunday will mark the 20th annual All Souls Godparent/Godchild Mass!

This is the feast day where All Souls Parish honors the special relationship that is unique to our faith : Godparents and Godchildren.

The Godparent/Godchild Mass is also unique to All Souls. No another parish dedicates a mass each year to celebrating Godparents and Godchildren on this day.

It was started back in 1996 when Bishop Bill Justice was our pastor, and has been continued as a way to nurture this relationship beyond the day a child is baptized.

Please invite your Godchild and/or Godparent to join you at the 10:30 am Mass on Sunday. Then, plan to spend some time together. Get a cup of coffee, take a walk, visit a museum, watch a movie. Celebrate the lifelong connection between Godparents and Godchildren that started when you were baptized.

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Welcome back to a new year. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and New Year. As we start this new year I would encourage everyone to drop your child/children to the school by 7.55 so they are ready for the morning assembly. It is important that the children are here at school for the morning assembly and ready for classes. Thank you for your cooperation with this.

The school yard is supervised from 7.45am. Children who need to be dropped off before that should be enrolled in the morning extended care program. We cannot guarantee the safety of children before 7.45am.

WCEA Accreditation in Catholic Schools

A number of our teachers will be participating in the WCEA accreditation process over the next three months. This will mean they will be away from school for three days visiting other schools and assisting with the accreditation of those particular schools.

Junior High Dance

Our school will be hosting the junior high school dance on Thursday, February 4th from 7pm to 10 pm. It will be for our grades 6 through 8 students. Students from other Catholic schools will be invited to the dance. The following day is a student holiday, as the teachers will be attending the Archdiocesan Curriculum Day.

50 Years of Service

We wish to congratulate Mrs. Barri, our cafeteria manager, on her 50 years of service to All Souls. As recognition of her service we will honor Cathy at the 9am Mass on January 31st, which is the beginning of Catholic Schools Week. After the Mass there will be a morning tea in the hall, and the school facilities will be open for Open House and the Science Fair. Please mark your calendars for this special morning.

Parking Lot Concern

For some strange reason there are still concerns in our parking lot in the mornings and afternoons with parents not being respectful to each other. I would hope as members of a Catholic school community that parents would be courteous to each other at all times.

Catholic Schools Week

Catholic Schools Week will start on January 31st with a school mass at 9am followed by Open House at the school. There will be various activities for students during the week.

Enrollments 2016 - 2017

We are currently in the Open Enrollment period of the year for our Kindergarten class as well as for some of our other classes where there are vacancies. If you know of anyone who is seeking a Kindergarten for their child, please let them know about All Souls. Word of mouth is very important.

New families enrolling will be enrolling with our new school information system SchoolSpeak. SchoolSpeak will be the new school information system starting for the 2016-2017 school year.

Family Agreement 2016-2017

The school board has been reviewing the Family Agreement for next year. Some of the changes will be regarding the festival. The changes have been agreed to by the administration. More information to follow in our future newsletters.

End of Second Quarter

The second quarter ends on Tuesday, January 19th. It is important that all financials are current by this date otherwise your child will not be able to continue into the third quarter.

Confirmation Meeting - Monday January 11th

There is a Confirmation meeting for all 7th grade parents/sponsors on Monday, January 11th in the church hall. It is important that sponsors and those students receiving the sacrament attend this mandatory meeting.

God Bless,

Vincent Riener

Principal

11 - Confirmation Sponsor Meeting - 7pm

13 - Athletic Board Meeting - 6:30pm

15 - 8th Grade Graduation Photos

18 - Martin Luther King Jr. Day - Holiday

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

21 - First Communion Parent Meeting - 7pm

29 - Staff Development Mtg. - 12:20pm Dismissal

29 - School Board Raffle ends

31 - Feb. 6 - Catholic Schools Week

31 - Catholic Schools Week Celebration - 9am Mass

& Open House/Science Fair following Mass

WE CANNOT AWARD ANY FUNDRAISER PRIZES AT THIS POINT, SINCE NOT ALL MONIES HAVE BEEN COLLECTED. PLEASE TURN YOUR FUNDRAISING MONEY INTO THE SCHOOL OFFICE ASAP.

THANK YOU!

MRS. REIDY

The annual school raffle has started! Per your school agreement, each family is required to sell $50.00 worth of raffle tickets. We are asking you to sell twelve tickets, but if you’d like to sell more please don’t hesitate to ask the office for more tickets.

Your child(ren) will receive a free dress pass for every five tickets sold. For example, if a family sells fifteen tickets, your child will receive three free dress passes. If you have more than one child at the school, each child will receive dress passes. All free dress passes will be distributed by mid-February.

The raffle starts today and ends on January 29, 2016. All money and tickets stubs are to be turned into the school office by that date. Free dress passes will be given out to those students that return their tickets and money by the deadline.

The drawing will be held on February 1, 2016 at the Principal’s Awards Ceremony!

Thank you for your support and good luck!

The winter session of Chess Wizards is starting soon. To register your child please go online to the Chess Wizards website or mail your registration directly to them. Please refer to the attached flyer for all information.

(flyer attached)

As the new year starts, and you are looking for a perfect birthday or special occasion gift, don't forget your shopping options that will benefit All Souls Catholic School!

Our Scrip programs offers a wide variety of gift cards from local stores and restaurants. You can also shop online at the eScrip Online Mall, which has many of your favorite online shopping sites. Information about the Scrip program, a Scrip order form, and directions to the eScrip Online Mall can be found on the school website.

Amazon shoppers please remember to use the handy Amazon link at the bottom of our web page. This link will take you directly to your personal Amazon page, shop as you normally would, and the school will earn a percentage of your purchase. There is no cost to you!

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