Joyfully Embracing Our Mission
St. Clare School Family Newsletter | 4 October 2018
Let the children come to me
"Let the children come to me;
do not prevent them,
for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.
Amen, I say to you,
whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child
will not enter it.""
~Mark 10
Dear St. Clare School Families,
My husband and I both immigrated to the United States from the Philippines. We raised our children without the help of the network of family members we would have had, had we lived in the Philippines. We did like many families do: we shuttled our children from home to day care or school and then back home or to a variety of after-school programs and activities.
One of those after school days involved taking my 4 and 7 year olds to my medical appointment. Being new in Gilroy at the time, I had no one with whom to leave my children, so they had to tag along. I will never forget the comment the medical professional directed to my children as she walked in the room: "Children are meant to be seen and not heard." Not only did that comment hurt my heart as a parent, it made me wonder why someone who felt this way would chose a profession that ushers children into the world.
I feel the same way when I hear about adults who interact with children in every capacity talk about how a child is "this way" or "that way" as if they will be "this way" or "that way" forever. Wouldn't it be better to say that we have been charged with such an awesome responsibility to form the hearts and minds of a child and that we ought to take that seriously? We see Jesus, on many occasions, point to "children such as these" as examples for their vulnerability, their innocence, their capacity to love and accept without judgment. Let us take this mandate to heart every time we encounter children--ours, and others'--so that they in turn can carry this lesson of compassion, of inclusion and acceptance, and this love as they grow to become adults who practice compassion, inclusion and love. They may sometimes make wrong choices, but they are ours, and we love them anyway.
PARENT-TEACHER-STUDENT CONFERENCE SIGN UPS
The Conference sign ups are LIVE and ready for you, if you haven't yet signed up. We will close access to the sign ups on October 10, so please do so now! Please remember that students will lead their Conferences in grades 5-8 and that all students should attend the Conferences with their parent(s). Please follow the directions CAREFULLY on the form so that everyone has the opportunity to sign up at a time that works for them. Thank you for your cooperation and for responding positively to partner with us on the faith formation, social-emotional development and academic success of your students!
SO, SO, GRATEFUL: JOG-A-THON WAS AMAZING!
I am so thrilled to have been part of my very first St. Clare School JAT. What a great and wonderful event: so full of love and care and joy! Thank you to Robin Reynolds, Eddie and Luisa Anderson, Shirley and Al Mata, Louisa and Brent Rapport, Lucia and Joe Baldwin, Eric and Saskia Lagergren the many room parents, water and hospitality parents, our "dabbers" and our cheer squads for the energy and enthusiasm they brought to fulfilling this great act of community and service to benefit our school and our students. My heart is full! We are grateful to have had Fr. Tad and Fr. Prosper start us off with a blessing and off we went! $60,000 and counting. Just WOW. I'm humbled by your generous spirit.
BLESSING OF THE ANIMALS
Fr. Tad blessed the live and stuffed toy animals or animal pictures today at morning assembly. Thank you to those of you who joined us and brought joy to our morning. All animals: humans, live and still were very reverent, respectful and appreciative of the prayer experience we shared. You are an amazing community, St. Clare! If you missed the opportunity this morning, there will be a Blessing of the Animals on Saturday at 1 P.M. right outside the church steps. Don't miss it!
FAITH FAMILY GROUPS
Our buddy classes spent Friday morning together in prayer: creating cards to welcome Bishop Cantú or Opening the Word for the following Sunday. We were in awe of the leaders we witnessed in our "older" grades who shared their faith, learned from you and from their religion teachers, with their "younger" buddies. They ARE listening and all those Sundays spent in church DOES make a difference. Keep it going. We are loving what we are seeing in the spiritual growth of our students!
FACILITIES UPDATES
This Friday, we are continuing some much needed TLC for our physical plant. We are installing new linoleum floors in Room 6, our MakerSpace (formerly known as the Middle School Learning Center). Mike Altieri's company is installing sleeves for volleyball in the Middle School lot and tether ball sleeves in the Middle School and Elementary lots. Marcos, our hard-working custodian is power-washing the Elementary lot. Many other projects are under way and we will continue to update you.
Our boiler is ready to go, having undergone a major overhaul to ensure we have the heat we need for the winter. Our crew of loyal and hardworking parents show up month after month at Saturday work days. Thank you all, for showing such pride in our well-loved physical plant. We are so grateful.
TECHNOLOGY UPDATES
The Diocese of San Jose IT Department is now fully staffed and are working on the long list of to-dos they have been given. They are responsive and knowledgeable. It won't be long before we are back on track. We are working with them and our School Advisory Council committees to secure the services we need to connect our two campuses with Voice Over IP phones, an integrated PA and bell system/emergency system. Thanks to your generosity with JAT, we are able to provide these improvement for the welfare of our students. We will continue to evaluate our technology needs and keep you posted.
MATH CLUB IS UNDER WAY!
Mr. and Mrs. Hoang are spear-heading the charge to begin a St. Clare School Math Club for our middle schoolers. Please attend the first parent meeting on Monday, October 15 from 7-8 P.M. in Room 6 (MakerSpace). The flyer is included in this newsletter. This is a great opportunity to instill leadership skills in our students and build engaging activities to use applied math to enrich our academic program.
Our work is never done but we can rest in the comfort that we are doing good work nonetheless. We are grateful for your partnership, your kindness and your trust. Come and join me in the Faculty Lounge for our monthly chat, "A Cup with the Principal" on Wednesday, Oct. 10 immediately following morning assembly.
With God's blessings to you this weekend to honor our past and think about the Kingdom being built for the future!
Peace.
Mrs. Cecile Mantecón, Principal
CONGRATULATIONS ST. CLARE SCHOOL! WE EXCEEDED OUR JOG-A-THON GOAL!
The 28th Annual Jog-a-Thon was truly a wonderful day filled with sunshine, smiles, sprinters and Silver Boxes. It was a joy to run side-by-side with students, teachers and parents to achieve our fundraising goal to improve our school.
And we did it! As of 3pm on October 3, we have reached over $60,000, exceeding our goal of $50,000! What an achievement!
99Pledges is still open to accept donations until midnight on Friday, Oct. 12. After that, the Jog-a-Thon committee will tally all the donations. On Friday, Oct. 19 class and individual winners will be announced.
Thank you again for your strong spirit and willingness to work together for our school.
SCHOOL POLICY FOR VISITORS ON CAMPUS
Please remember all visitors must check in at the school office whether they are just dropping off an item for a student or they are helping in a classroom. This policy is in place for both the elementary and (especially) the middle school. Any visitor without a visitor’s badge will be ask to return to the school office. Please see the school policy below and on page 37 of the Parent/Student Handbook.
Visitors
Parents and other visitors must always start at the School Office before proceeding to their destination to sign in and out of the property and they must wear a Visitor’s Badge. Prior arrangements must be made with a teacher, office staff or the Principal before visiting the school. Lunchtime and recess are provided for the social and physical development of students. Parents and other visitors may not visit with students during these times.
Hicklebee's Author Series – The Echo Room author Parker Peevyhouse Visit for Grades 6 - 8, October 16
Author Parker Peevyhouse will be giving a presentation and discussing her new book to students in grades 6 – 8 on Tuesday October 16.
The Echo Room is a smart, claustrophobic, speculative young adult thriller with an immersive psychological mystery. New York Times bestselling author, Jeanne Ryan, described The Echo Room as “The Maze Runner meets Memento in this clever, engrossing sci-fi mystery!” It has also been described as having a plot full of twists and blinding turns.
Families without students in grades 6 – 8, can also purchase a copy of the book and have it personalized if they wish. Attached is an order form. Hardcover books are $18 each. Please make checks payable to Hicklebee's Bookstore and submit both payment and order form to the office by October 12. Autographed books make a wonderful gift for a family member or friend. There is no obligation to purchase.
Called to Serve!
Beginning at the October 14th Sunday Mass we invite parents to lector at the 9:00 A.M. second Sunday Family Mass. If you have not been trained to be a lector, Fr. Prosper and Mrs. Paty Rascon from the parish will be happy to train you.
The following dates are open:
- October 14
- November 11
- December 9
- January 13
- February 10
- March 10
- April 14
- May 12
If you are interested in signing up to be a lector, please email me directly at adress@dsj.org with the date you have chosen. After I have received your email, I will confirm with you the date chosen. Thank you for your support. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
~ Sister Ann Marie
Need Service Hours?
Gospel Reflection | 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Click HERE to access this Sunday's readings from the USCCB (U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops) site. To access other resources to form your faith and reflect on scripture visit: Creighton University's Daily Reflections, download Laudate, or Loyola Press' 3-Minute Retreats.
If you have online resources or apps that you recommend, please send them along so that we can share them with the community.
On your mark...
Chase says, "Collect those BoxTops!"
The first deadline for BoxTops is quickly approaching. Please turn in all your BoxTops by Friday, October 26. Thank you!
Awesome Showing
Faith Family Group | Grade 6 and 2 Buddies
Kingdom of God | 4th Grade
Blessing of the Animals | Miss Cherell and Cassie
UPCOMING EVENTS
- 10/5 Local Holiday No School CKZ/CTZ
- 10/15-10/19 Parent-Teacher-Student Conference Week
- 10/20 Saturday Work Day | 9 A.M.
- 10/31 Halloween Party
SERVING ST. CLARE LINK
St. Clare School
Email: office@stclareschool.org
Website: drexel.dsj.org/stclareschool
Location: 725 Washington Street, Santa Clara, CA, USA
Phone: 408-246-6797