The Defender
March 24, 2023
Important Upcoming Dates
- March 27, 2023 Kindergarten Round Up-(No school for current Kindergarteners)
- March 30, 2023 1st and 2nd Grade Play 2:45 PM and 7:00 PM
- April 6, 2023 NO SCHOOL - Holy Thursday
- April 7, 2023 NO SCHOOL - Good Friday
- April 10, 2023 NO SCHOOL - Easter Monday
- April 11, 2023 NO SCHOOL - School of Faith
A Message from Mrs. Tate
Dear St. Michael the Archangel families,
This has been a week of love and compassion. I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to our students, staff, and families for the love and support during this difficult week. We love the Puchalla family and pray that our Lord, Jesus Christ envelops them in his arms of mercy as they lay Gabriel to rest.
Some of your kids may want to attend the funeral for Gabriel on Saturday. This can be a beautiful way to both honor Gabriel’s life and help kids heal in times of sorrow. We highly recommend that students who attend the funeral are accompanied by a parent so that they have the support they need both during the service and moving forward.
For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I will help you.”
Isaiah 41:13
Please allow me to share our gratitude for the ability to share the power of prayer with our community. What a wonder we witness every day that we call upon the Lord to bless us! What a wonder we witness every day that we call upon St. Michael to protect us! What a wonder we witness every day that we lay our intentions at the feet of our Blessed Mother so she can intercede for us and carry our prayers to her Son, Jesus Christ! These wonders are the true blessings of a Catholic school community that one can not truly understand and realize until he/she is enveloped in its love.
Lord, how can we ever thank You enough? How can we ever show our love and gratitude enough for your sacrifice? You endured more pain, more shame, more sorrow, more grief than we can possibly fathom. Help us remember why You gave Your life. Because of love. Because of mercy. Because we desperately need them both. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Please join me at this link for commentary on chapter 5 of The Collapse of Parenting: How We Hurt Our Kids When We Treat Them Like Grown-Ups, by Leonard Sax, MD, PhD.
We look forward to seeing you at Mass this weekend! St. Michael Mass Times: Saturday 5:00 p.m., Sunday 7:30 a.m., 9:00 a.m., 10:30 a.m., Noon, and 5:00 p.m.
Sincerely,
Diana Tate, Principal
All-School Adoration – Volunteers Needed
We are thrilled to be able to offer all-school adoration during Lent this year. We will have Eucharistic Adoration on March 6, March 27, and April 3 from 8:15-11:00 in the church. Please sign up here if you are able and willing to help us keep at least two adults in the church adoring during each of these dates/times. Feel free to sign up for as many days/times you wish. We welcome all adorers!
Mathletics – Get Involved and Save the Date
All 4th, 5th , and 6th graders are invited to participate in Mathletics. Mathletics is a diocese-wide math competition between middle schools. This year we will be kicking off the SMA Team with two practices and an intra-SMA competition. We will begin after Spring Break with events immediately following school. Save the following dates if your student would like to participate! All skill levels are encouraged to participate. More information coming soon.
April 13 (Practice)
April 20 (Practice)
April 27 (Intra-SMA Competition)
Presidential Service Award Program
For the past several years, St. Michael the Archangel School has participated in the President’s Volunteer Service Award Program. The award recognizes US citizens who have achieved minimum hours of service over a 12-month period. For SMA, this period is from April 1, 2022-March 31, 2023.
It is an amazingly simple process - just keep track of service hours. Forms can be found on the SMA Website. Hours must be submitted to the front office by MONDAY, April 3, 2023.
For student service and community outreach ideas, check out SMA VSL - Student Volunteers.
If you have any questions, email Megan Morris
CYO Track & Field 2023 – REGISTRATION OPEN!
Registration for the CYO 2023 Track Season is now open for grades 3 through 8. Speed on over to https://cyojwa.org/current-programs to sign up!
No tryouts are required and all students are welcome! Joining the track team is a terrific way to get some exercise, have fun with friends and develop a love for running, jumping and throwing. All you need is a pair of shoes (or track spike shoes for more competitive runners) and a little bit of determination.
EVENTS
The 5th-8th grade races include distances of 60m, 100m, 120m, 220m, 440m, 880m and 1 mile. There are multiple relay races, too! Field events are high jump, long jump, ball throw (football for boys, softball for girls), and shot put. The 5th-8th grade athletes may compete in four events per meet.
The 3rd-4th grade races are 60m, 100m, 120m, 200m and 400m. Each runner can participate in two races per meet. Participants in 3rd-4th grade do not compete in any field events.
PRACTICE & MEETS
· For 5th through 8th graders only, practices will be held on Mondays and Wednesdays from 6:00 PM-7:15 pm at Prairie Star Middle School, starting Monday, March 20th, and going through Wednesday, May 3rd.
· The 3rd and 4th graders practice Tuesday nights only, and they are from 6:00-7:00 PM at Prairie Star Middle School. The first practice will be Tuesday, March 21st, and the final practice will be Tuesday, April 25th in advance to their third and final meet.
Track meets are scheduled for the following Saturdays: April 15 @ Miege HS, April 22 @ TBD, April 29 @ Miege HS, and then City Finals (for 5th through 8th only) are on Saturday, May 6 @ Miege HS.
FEES & REGISTRATION
Register online now at https://cyojwa.org/current-programs to get the Early Bird pricing. Fees go up $25 as of March 27th for late sign-up.
· $90 for grades 5-8
· $65 for grades 3-4
Your registration fee includes a jersey. More info about track and field is available on the CYO website by clicking HERE.
WE NEED VOLUNTEER PARENT COACHES, NO MATTER YOUR LEVEL OF EXPERIENCE:
Last year we approached 120 kids from 3rd through 8th in participant count, which was great. What was missing though was enough help from parent-coaches at the practices. We desperately seek for VIRTUS trained parents to volunteer at the practices AND if possible, some at the meets as well. Being a former track star is not required. Email Ed Baldwin at ed@communitymortgagekc.com with questions or if you would like to volunteer to help coach.
Parish News
Come Experience the Live Stations of the Cross at St. Michael's
Our Lady of Unity Parish is bringing their Live Stations of the Cross to our campus at St. Michael the Archangel on Saturday, April 1st at 11:00am. Come walk with us as we see, feel and hear about Jesus passion. Everyone is welcome. They are bringing costumes for children & adults that would like to be part of the action so come 15 minutes early. Everyone should dress weather appropriate.
You can also experience the Live Stations of the Cross at on Good Friday, April 7th at 11:00am starting at St. John the Evangelist, 2910 Strong Avenue, Kansas City, Kansas. The stations are recreated during a procession through the streets around St. John the Evangelist so again dress weather appropriate. It will mostly be in Spanish but there will be English translations by Father John Cordes.
Archdiocese Take Back Family Time Challenge
Join the challenge! Take Back Family Time is about spending meaningful, intentional time with your family. Each month families are encouraged to make time to complete the monthly activity. See the attached image for more information. #TakeBackFamilyTime #TakeBackSunday #archkckcs #archkck
Parish Serve Day
Serve at St. Michael and the surrounding community!
Saturday, March 25, after 8:15 am Mass
For more info and to sign up: www.stmichaelcp.org/parish-serve-day
Parish Serve Day-Gardening Angels-Church Grounds
Come help us with Spring clean up of the landscaping beds on our beautiful St. Michael the Archangel campus. We will be getting our hands dirty while trimming, weeding, and removing blown leaves and trash in many of the garden beds that surround the church, rectory and school building. Date: Saturday, March 25 Time: After 8:15 Mass Location: Meet in the Parish Hall Please bring your gardening gloves.
Check out the tabs at the top of the Sign Genius to see all the volunteer opportunities, both here and in the community, to find the perfect fit for you and your children. https://www.signupgenius.com/tabs/13574dd01a4cde5c06-parish#/
St. Thomas Aquinas Summer Camps
During May, June and July, Saint Thomas Aquinas High School offers a variety of sports camps for students entering grades K-8 to explore. Our sports camps include Baseball, Basketball, Cheer, Cross Country, Dance, Football, Soccer, Softball, Strength, Speed & Agility, Swimming, Track & Field (Jumps) and Volleyball.
Saint Thomas Aquinas High School also offers several activity camps. These include Art, Baking, Break Out Boxes (intriguing puzzles similar to an Escape Room), Chess, Crafting, History & Film, Show Choir and a STEM camp!
Registration is available online through our website: www.stasaints.net/summercamps. Or if you prefer, you can download and complete the attached camp registration form and mail it to:
Saint Thomas Aquinas
Summer Camps
11411 Pflumm Rd
Overland Park, KS 66215
We look forward to providing a positive camp experience not only for your son or daughter but for their friends too! Please feel free to pass this information on to friends, neighbors and relatives too!