The Trojan Times
Saint Maria Goretti Catholic School January 12, 2020
Mission Statement
St. Maria Goretti is a living testament to our Lord's work in His youngest disciples, exemplified by academic excellence, spiritual formation, and compassionate service to others.
Principal's Message
Dear St. Maria Goretti Catholic School Families,
Happy New Year! It was great to welcome our wonderful students back last Tuesday after the Christmas break as we begin the second semester of the school year! Thank you all for your understanding as we dismissed early last Friday due to the threat of severe weather. While the weather didn't become severe until later that evening, it is always difficult to call and it's better to err on the side of safety. If you did not receive the emails or text alerts that were sent out informing parents of the early dismissal, please be sure to check your FACTS/RenWeb account to verify or update your correct contact information.
There is a lot happening over the next several weeks. The 4th- 8th Grade Spelling Bee will take place tomorrow at 1:30PM in the cafetorium. Parents of the finalists have been informed and all (whether your student is a finalist or not) are welcome to attend.
Early Bird Registration & Enrollment for the 2020-2021 school year will open next Tuesday, January 21, 2020. Details including the 2020-2021 tuition rates will be communicated by next weekend.
We are gearing up for Catholic Schools Week, January 26-February 1, 2020, and will kick off the week with an Open House and the Annual Spaghetti Dinner on Sunday, January 26th. Both events will take place simultaneously from 10AM - 3PM. We are asking that ALL SMG students wear their full-dress (Mass) uniforms to whichever Mass they attend with their families that weekend. Please be on the look out for ways to get those Spirit and/or service hours as volunteers are needed for both events. As well, an agenda of Catholic Schools Week events will be in next week's Trojan Times.
Our Dinner, Dance and Auction committee is busy organizing a fantastic event! Please get your Boots and Bling together and plan to join us for the Dinner, Dance and Auction which will take place on Saturday, February 15, 2020 beginning at 6PM in the Holy Family Life Center. The Dinner Dance is not only one of the school's largest fundraisers of the year, it is a lot of fun!! Tickets can be purchased online (see info below or school website). We look forward to seeing all of you there!
Have a wonderful rest of your Sunday and a great week ahead!
St. Maria Goretti, Pray for Us!
Blessings,
Laura Behee, M.Ed.
Principal
JANUARY VIRTUE: FIDELITY - Being faithful to promises and commitments
What is commitment? We see our parents and grandparents live the commitment of marriage. In baptism we become the adopted children of God and are consecrated to Him. In these commitments, we make promises to God or another person. Sometimes promises can be very difficult to keep, especially when we no longer feel like keeping the promise, or when another person does not seem to be keeping their part of the promise! Every day gives us the opportunity to practice the virtue of fidelity by choosing anew to remain faithful to our promises.
There are many saints who exemplified the virtue of fidelity. Three who we are going to be learning about this month are:
Saint Cecilia: Feast Day – November 22
Saint Cecilia prayed every day and could see her guardian angel. She promised to give her whole life to God and never get married. But her parents asked her to marry a wealthy young man, Valerian, and Saint Cecilia always obeyed her parents. While the wedding music played, she sang prayers to God in her heart. That is why she is the patron saint of music. She taught Valerian about Jesus, and they both gave their lives to God.
Blesseds Luigi & Maria Beltrame Quattrocchi: Feast Day – November 25
Blessed Luigi and Maria Beltrame Quattrocchi met and were married in 1905 in Rome. This couple was known for their openness to life, their hope in the midst of difficult family situations, and their loving commitment to one another.
Luigi and Maria were blessed with four children. The oldest became a Benedictine nun, and the next two children were called to the priesthood. Luigi and Maria received a unique gift in their fourth child, a girl named Enrichetta. From the start, Maria experienced great difficulties in her pregnancy, and doctors warned that she had less than a five-percent chance of living if she gave birth to her baby, and that the baby had even less of a chance of surviving. Enrichetta was born a healthy child and both Luigi and Maria grew in their love for one another and their love for God by trusting in His promises.
Throughout their lives, Maria and Luigi served the church by faithfully living the vows of their marriage and through their many charitable works. The family was consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and prayed the Rosary together each evening. Because of the holiness of their lives and their particular witness to the virtue of fidelity in their marriage, in 2001 Luigi and Maria became the first married couple to be beatified together. November 25, the date of their wedding anniversary, is now celebrated as their feast day.
Saint Gianna Molla: Feast Day – April 28
In 2004, Pope John Paul II canonized Gianna Beretta Molla, a wife, mother, and pediatrician. Gianna’s story is rather extraordinary, especially since her husband and children were still living at the time of her canonization.
Gianna Beretta Mola was born in Magenta (Milan), Italy, on October 4, 1922, the tenth of 13 children. After earning degrees in medicine and surgery from the University of Pavia in 1949, she opened a medical clinic in Meseero in 1950. She was a pediatrician, but gave special attention to mothers, babies, the elderly, and the poor. She considered her work a mission from God and exercised great care in fulfilling her responsibilities.
Gianna became engaged to businessman Pietro Molla, and they were married on September 24, 1955. In November 1956, to her great joy, Gianna became the mother of Pierluigi, followed by the birth of Mariolinia the next year and Laura in 1959. She met the demands of mother, wife, doctor, and her passion for life with simplicity and great balance.
In September 1961, towards the end of the second month of pregnancy with her fourth child, Gianna had to make a heroic decision. Physicians diagnosed a serious condition that required surgery. The surgeon suggested that Gianna undergo an abortion in order to save her own life. Gianna replied, “If you must decide between me and the child, do not hesitate, Choose the child – I insist on it. Save the baby.”
On the morning of April 21, 1962, her daughter Gianna Emanuela was born. Despite all efforts and treatments to save both of them, on the morning of April 28 Saint Gianna died. She was 39 years old. Her husband Piertro has described Gianna’s life as “an act and a perennial action of faith and charity; it was a non-stop search for the will of God for every decision and for every work, with prayer and meditation, Holy Mass and the Eucharist.”
On April 24, 1994, Pope John Paul II beatified Gianna Beretta Molla. At the beatification ceremony, the Holy Father said that Gianna’s act of self-sacrifice was possible only after a lifetime of preparation. Saint Gianna Molla continues to remind the Church and the world of the virtue of fidelity, because of her faithful commitment to her family and to God. We are being called to heroism by our choice of life. Let us ask Saint Gianna to intercede for us that we might be faithful.
UPCOMING EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES
Jeans & Western Wear Day-Friday
All students are invited to wear jeans with a western type shirt, boots, and western attire on Friday, January 17th as the Dinner Dance committee will be on campus taking pictures of students to use as part of a western-themed display at the Dinner Dance on February 15th. We will send a reminder text to parents on Thursday afternoon.
School Open House!
The Annual SMG Spaghetti Dinner
The Annual SMG Spaghetti Dinner (or lunch) will take place on Sunday, January 26th from 10AM to 3PM in the Holy Family Life Center (HFLC). Pre-purchase your tickets at the school front office beginning this Tuesday for $7 (11yrs.& older); $4 (children under 10); and $6 (seniors). Tickets can also be purchased at the door the day of the event for $8 (11 yrs. & older); $5 (children under 10); $7 (seniors), and To-Go Orders are also available!
Rubik's Cube Club
Sign up at the following link https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0D45A8AC2FABFD0-rubik
There is Still Time to Join the SMG Running Club
It is not too late to join the SMG Running Club.
These are the official Thursday dates that Running Club will meet:
- Jan. 16, 23
- Feb. 6, 13, 20
- Mar. 5, 19, 26
- April 2, 23, 30
- May 7, 14
Running Club Information Flyer: https://ec-prod-sites.s3.amazonaws.com/12396/documents/2020/1/Running%20Club%20Flyer%202019%202-1.pdf
Running Club Sign-Up Form: https://ec-prod-sites.s3.amazonaws.com/12396/documents/2020/1/Running%20Club%20sign-up%20form%202019%202-1.pdf
Girls of Grace
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Get Your 2020 Dinner, Dance and Auction Tickets Today!
The Annual SMG Dinner, Dance and Auction is Saturday, February 15, 2020! Purchase your tickets today by visiting https://smgschool.org/dinner-dance!
If you have questions about volunteering or just want to learn more about Dinner Dance, please contact Kathy Knowles at this corrected email address:
817-240-2119
REMINDERS
The 2019-2020 Annual Fund
The St. Maria Goretti Catholic School Annual Fund is essential to help fill the gap between tuition and operating expenses. The school’s 2019-2020 Annual Fund helps provide funding for many of the school’s most pressing needs such as academic enhancements, security improvements and updates, professional development for our teachers, and general operating expenses.
Please, prayerfully consider supporting our school through the 2019-2020 Annual Fund. Donations can be made by check (payable to SMG Catholic School), or online by visiting https://smgschool.org/give-now. Every gift counts!
Nolan Catholic High School Happenings
Online Application is Open
New Student Tuition Assistance Application is NOW OPEN
The application for returning students opened December , 2019. Learn More.
Spring Preview
Nolan Catholic High School would like to invite all prospective families, transfer students, and 6th-8th-grade families to our Spring Preview on Friday, March 20, 2020. Families interested in learning more about the admissions process and tuition assistance are encouraged to join us. This two hour event will run from 9:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m. beginning in the NCHS Auditorium. Hear from Nolan Catholic Administration, current NCHS families and students, enjoy a campus tour, and leave with a better understanding of why Nolan Catholic is the right educational choice.
Please contact admissions@nchstx.org to schedule a family tour, or for more information.
LAST WEEK AT SMG.....
SMG Students Return from Winter Break
Spanish Class Celebrating Los Reyes Magos
In Mexico, Día de Los Reyes (known elsewhere as Epiphany) is celebrated on January 6 to honor the Three Wise Men. This holiday represents the day the Three Wise Men gave gifts to Jesus Christ, and the day closes the Christmas festivities. It’s also the day the people of Mexico exchange gifts!
3rd Grade Science Students "Mix It Up"
Science Fair Finalist Compete at Nolan Catholic High School
PE Students Building Snowmen
HALLWAY HAPPENINGS
Value Studies by 6th and 8th Grade SMG Art Students
Kindergarten - Holiday Memories
1st Grade Snowman Math
School Website Under Construction
Pardon our reconstruction.....we are in the process of cleaning up and updating the school website. This is a work in progress, and we ask for your patience as we work to improve the site. In the meantime, if you are unable to find information you are looking for on the website, please feel free to call the office.
Calendar Notes
- Monday, 1/13: Spelling Bee-1:30PM in Cafetorium; Celician Singers 3rd-8th 3:30-4:15PM; PSIA 2nd-8th Spelling 3:30-4:15PM; SMG Ballet Folklorico 5:30-6:30PM
- Tuesday, 1/14: 3:30-4:15PM; PSIA 6th/7th Reading Writing 3:30-4:15PM
- Wednesday, 1/15: PSIA 2nd/3rd Math 3:30-4:15PM; PSIA 4th/5th Math 3:30-4:15PM; PSIA 1st/2nd Creative Writing 3:30-4:15PM; PSIA 4th-6th Maps, Graphs & Charts 3:30-4:15PM
- Thursday, 1/16: Running Club (weather permitting); PSIA 6th-8th Math 3:30-4:15PM; PSIA 3rd-5th Ready Writing 3:30-4:15PM; Library Aid Society 3:30-4:15PM
- Monday, 1/20: MLK Holiday - No School
- Tuesday, 1/21: 2020-2021 Early Bird Registration Opens
- Sunday, 1/26: Open House and Spaghetti Dinner, 10AM - 3PM; School and HFLC
Need Prayers?
We all do!! The St. Maria Goretti Catholic School Community would love to pray for you and your intentions. Please send all prayer requests to: smgprays4u@smgschool.org.
Meet Our Priests!
St. Maria Goretti Parish Website: https://www.smgparish.org/
Fr. Jim Angert, T.O.R.
Fr. Mike Ciski, T.O.R.
Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth
Serving the North Texas Catholic community by providing the faithful opportunities to grow in Christian discipleship and strengthen their relationship with Jesus Christ.
St. Maria Goretti Catholic School
Email: development@smgschool.org
Website: https://smgschool.org
Location: 1200 South Davis Drive, Arlington, TX, USA
Phone: (817)275-5081
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StMariaGorettiArlington/