Dear Fabulous Families -

• Reminder: Friday is Field Day and students are dismissed at noon. Please make sure that you send students to school with a water bottle labeled with their name.

• Scroll down to see some of the new staff members who will be joining us next year.

• There are always lots of items to go in the school newsletter throughout the year. Please send in submissions by noon on Monday to Dr. Winkeler, dwinkeler@stgab.org, and Mrs. McEnery, tmcenery@stgab.org, before the Wednesday publication. Graphics should be a jpeg or png - not a PDF.
  

Peace and Joy -

Tonya McEnery

Principal

St. Gabriel the Archangel

Dan Winkeler

Assistant Principal

St. Gabriel the Archangel

On Monday night, at the Touhill Performing Arts Center, our 5th grade team competed against 19 other teams from across St. Louis in ballroom dancing. They won silver medals and brought home a trophy!

Thank you to our 5th grade teachers, Mrs. Seiler, and Mrs. Morris for supporting the Dancing Classrooms Program.

School Supplies On-line Ordering for the 2023-2024 school year can be found here (Supply Lists)

Preliminary calendar for 2023-2024 can be found here: (Calendar 2023-2024)

Additional information will be added, but we know many of you want to plan vacations!

Calendar History -

There have been a few inquiries regarding spring break. Traditionally at St. Gabriel, when Easter is early, spring break has been added after the Triduum. For those of you who have been around for awhile, you will recall "Spring Break" is a relatively new term. Historically, any sort of break during the second semester was focused on Easter (After all, we are a Catholic school and the calendar reflected that.) There was no "Spring Break" - just the Easter break. The last time Easter occurred on this very same weekend, several years ago, we included "Spring Break" after the Triduum. There are other grade schools in our region that have taken this same approach. This also helps with our teachers who have their own children attending the surrounding Catholic schools.
A few people have brought up a document/mandate/message, etc. that said all schools would be in alignment for Spring Break. As of right now, nobody at the Office of Catholic Education knows of any such document/mandate/message. Team leaders and teachers created the calendar with an eye to instruction. Having a spring break mid-March, coming back for a week and half and then being off for an Easter break leads to choppy instruction. By the time our youngest students get back into a routine, they are out again, only to repeat the same process.

Certainly as we move forward with All Things New and figuring out pastorates, vicariates, deaneries, etc. there will be additional discussion about calendars.

Chairback Pouches:

If your child will be entering 3rd and 4th grade next year you will need a new chairback pouch.

Because the new chairs are wider in these grades the sides of the chairbacks are splitting open.

All chairbacks will now be made wider to accommodate all sizes of chairs!

They will be slightly big on the small chairs but will work nicely and hopefully save many from ordering new ones in the future

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Art Bags

All grades, kindergarten through 5th grade, will be using drawstring bags. Feel free to use any drawstring bag you may have. Just make sure you have your child's name clearly labeled on it. Joyce Ortwerth will also have some on hand that can be monogrammed but feel free to use what you already have around your house. If you already have a drawstring bag but would like it monogrammed, Joyce is also able to do that for you also. Just fill out the paperwork accordingly and drop it off to her with your drawstring bag.

Finally, if you are attached to the idea of the old art bags for the younger grade, contact Joyce she will accommodate you.

The order form can be found here: (order form).

For any further questions, please contact Joyce Ortwerth at 314-323-3168.

We look forward to the following individuals joining the St. Gabriel Family next year. Keep an eye on the forthcoming newsletters for additional introductions.

Mrs. Cramer will be serving as our second Learning Consultant/Resource Teacher. She comes to us from another local Catholic school where she has served in the same role.

As EANS funding ends, our partnership with Miriam School also ends. Together, Mrs. Cramer and our current learning consultant, Mrs. Favazza, will continue providing services and support for students who need them. This is a long overdue position and upholds the philosophy of St. Gabriel to "devote a variety of resources to serve students with special academic needs".

(Many of you probably know Layne as being one of our parents, too! She has served on the Meet and Greet Committee for PFA.)

Mr. Renfrow (pictured below on the right with his 8th grade brother and mother) is an extra special hire for us. He is a Gabe's alum and a recent college graduate. He is excited about returning to the community where he grew up.

He will be teaching 7th and 8th grade Social Studies.

Miss Smith joins SGA in the role of Assistant Principal / Middle School Coordinator. She has taught middle school and high school Math as well as middle school Religion. Ms. Smith's background in math will be especially helpful as we continue to develop our middle school math program after adding Algebra this year. She has also served as a principal working with amazing students, parents, and faculties from all over the Archdiocese.

She has 6 nieces and nephews and two Shorkies which are all like her own children. She loves spending time with family and traveling.

Totus Tuus returns to St Gabriel’s this summer during the week of June 26-30. The day program is for school aged children entering grades 1st-6th from 9 am - 3 pm in the school. There is also an evening program for those entering 7th-12th grade at 7:30 pm in the Gabriel House.

For those who are unfamiliar with Totus Tuus, it is initially a Catholic version of a Vacation Bible School led by missionary and seminarians from across Missouri. Totus Tuus includes Confessions, Mass, and Adoration as well as learning about the Catholic faith!

This is also an opportunity for high school students to volunteer who are in need of completing service hours.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Faith Kremer at vfaithkremer@gmail.com or 314-712-4433

https://forms.ministryforms.net/viewForm.aspx?formId=b2cb6348-c406-4592-a99a-1498bf1d6560

Dear Parents,

We are so happy for our 2nd grade class and their families as the students were able to receive the Eucharist for the first time. Thanks to the team of parents that helped with all the connected activities for the families. It was a great opportunity for community building.

We look forward to celebrating the upcoming liturgies.

A Favorite Mary Song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFSRRcNWufc

A Favorite Prayer Song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtwIT8JjddM&list=RDbFSRRcNWufc&index=3

Tuesday Masses

5/16 2A

5/23 Kindergarten Baptism Mass

Wednesday Masses

5/17 5W

5/24 5P

Thursday Masses

5/11 7D-Leadership Mass for 7th Grade

5/18 May Crowning -8th Blessing Mass

5/25-Students do not attend 8 am Mass

5/26 Friday, Last Day of School, All School Mass

Come pray with us. Please join us whenever you are able! Masses are at 8:00 am in church.

Peace and blessings!

Deborah DaLay

Coordinator of Religious Education

Dates below are subject to change and additional days will be added as we continue to plan for the upcoming year.

May 12- Field Day- NOON DISMISSAL

May 23- 8th Grade Graduation (6:00pm)

May 26- Last day of school- NOON DISMISSAL

We are excited to celebrate our annual Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week May 7th-12th. We have lots of fun things planned. Please see below for an itinerary of weekly events along with suggestions of how your student can contribute. Thank you!

Are you interested in getting involved to support our school, faculty and students next year? The PFA strives to foster connections across our school community through activities both in and out of school.

We have two committees that need volunteers for next year:

• The Home & School Committee needs two volunteers. This committee focuses on supporting activities at school, such as—Class Party support, Veterans Day breakfast coordination, Grandparents Day breakfast coordination. (Often this committee spends 1-3 hours on PFA activities per month).
• The Community Outreach Committee needs one volunteer. This committee focuses on connecting our school with the broader community through service activities. Join this committee in finding amazing ways to help our school community give back. (Often this committee spending 1-3 hours on PFA activities per month with slightly more for our school-wide day of service in October)

If you have a couple of hours a month to give, please consider joining PFA to support our amazing school community! Reach out to Erin Knitter (erin.k.keefe@gmail.com) or Emily McGinnis (emilymcginnis@gmail.com) for more information or to volunteer.

If you are interested in being a mentor family, please see the link below:

bit.ly/3IZsc1H

SGYG is open to all high school teens. We meet on Wednesday evenings from 7:30-9pm (Doors Open at 7:15pm) in the Gabriel House Chapel. No sign-up necessary! High schoolers can attend on a regular basis or drop-in as it fits their schedule!

-SGYG Wednesday Nights (and other activities) are now open to current 8th graders! Please feel free to join us for our weekly gatherings whenever if fits your schedule.

-Saturday, June 17th | St. Gabriel Block Party!

St. Gabriel is having another Block Party this June and SGYG needs your help! We need volunteers to work in the food tent, monitor trash during the evening, and clean-up the event. We had many volunteers last year, but need twice as many this year, especially with clean-up. Contact Sarah if interested and be on the lookout for a sign-up.

Follow us on Instagram @stgabesyg

Like our Facebook Group: St. Gabriel Youth Group (SGYG)

Join the Flocknote Group: Youth Ministry

Visit the Youth Group page on the parish website

Contact our Youth Minister: Sarah Henderson - hendersons@stgabrielstl.org

Dear Parishioners:

Sunday was a very special day for our parish, as our second-grade students received the Eucharist for the first time. Our First Communicants spent months preparing for this day with their teachers (Mrs. O’Dekirk, Mr. Grothaus, Mrs. Andrus), Mrs. McEnery, Mrs. Dalay and all of their parents. My prayers and that of our entire parish community are with these young men and women as they continue on their faith journey. All that we are is because of the Eucharist and all that we do should lead us to the Eucharist in which we are intimately one with our Lord.

Secondly, as our school year nears an end, I would like to thank all those who make our school such an important part of our parish life. I would especially like to thank our parents, our teachers, our staff, and administration, in particular Mrs. McEnery, our principal and Dr. Winkeler, our asst. principal, and Mrs. Dalay, our CRE, for the great care they give our school. The gift of our children revitalizes our parish, and the faith of our children is a source of joy to our parish community.

Thirdly, I would like to invite all of you to our cafeteria for Coffee and Donuts after the 9am mass on Sunday May 21st. This is the 40th anniversary of my ordination to the priesthood. It has been my honor to spend the last ten years in priestly service to our parish of St Gabriel the Archangel.

Lastly, the annual ACA is in full swing in our parish and Archdiocese. This appeal serves the needs of our poor, our schools, our elderly, and our community services. Thousands are assisted through the generosity of this appeal. To those who have given in the past I thank you on behalf of all those you have assisted. To those who have not given in the past I encourage you to prayerfully reflect on how you can assist the needy of our Archdiocese. It would be a great sign of love, support, and concern for those in need if we had 100% of our parishioners contributing to this appeal. If you feel after prayer and reflection that you cannot assist in this appeal, please assist those in need with your prayers. If you have any questions concerning this appeal, do not hesitate in contacting me.

Easter Blessings!

Msgr. John Shamleffer

Urban Golf is like traditional golf using one golf club of the player’s choosing and a tennis ball. Players drive, pitch, and putt with all the challenges of traditional golf but in a transformed Francis Park 12-hole golf track. Teams of 4 participate in a best ball scramble with the lowest score taking home the championship and bragging rights.

There will be 3 tee times for the event taking place at 12:00pm, 2:00pm, and 4:00pm with event check in occurring 30 minutes before your scheduled tee time at the north end of the park near Nottingham and Childress.

Sign up information:
Please email mnshekell@hotmail.com the following information to sign up for the event.
Team name:
Golfer’s names:
Preferred tee time: 12:00pm, 2:00pm or 4:00pm (first come, first serve):

Payment information:
The event cost is $200 per foursome, that cost includes Urban Golf greens fees, tennis balls, beverages including beer, seltzer, water, and food including burgers, brats, hotdogs, chips and pretzels.

To pay via Venmo, send the $200 payment to @SGAA-Urban-Golf or deliver/mail a check made out to St. Gabriel the Archangel Athletic Association (SGAA) to 6364 Devonshire Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63109.

Thank you for supporting the St. Gabriel the Archangel Athletic Association!

Enjoy a premier summer experience held in CBC’s theater, classrooms, science labs, STEM Academy, art studios, and sports facilities by being part of our CBC Summer Academy. Register today at www.BeaCadet.org/summer. Contact Melissa Ryan at ryanm@cbchs.org or 314-985-6095 for more information.