During the month of September, we are focusing on the virtue of Faith. Faith means believing in God and all He has revealed. Your students are learning about a few of the saints who exemplified the virtue of faith:

· St. Martha~Patron saint of cooks and servants; Martha was easily worried and distracted which kept her from being truly present and listening to Jesus; Jesus reminded her that listening to him was what was most important. Martha turned her focus to following and listening to Jesus, strengthening her faith in Him.

· St. Jerome~Patron saint of Biblical scholars, librarians, and students; As a teenager and young adult, Jerome did not live a moral life and was not a Christian. Though he was not a Christian, Jerome often felt guilt and imagined himself in hell. His close friend, Bonosus, was the Christian influence that led Jerome to Christianity and to a deep faith.

· St. Augustine~Patron saint of brewers; son of St. Monica, Augustine was known for giving up a life of sin. He was baptized, became a priest and later a bishop. St. Augustine practiced poverty and supported the poor.

For more information on the Virtues in Practice program, visit: https://www.nashvilledominican.org/wp-content/uploads/Program-Overview-August-2017-1.pdf

We will have Monday Morning Assemblies on the first Monday morning of each month. Since the first Monday in September was Labor Day and we were not in school, we will have this month’s Monday Morning Assembly on Monday, September 10th. Students will still report to their homerooms when they arrive in the morning, and their teachers will lead them to the cafetorium for prayer, pledge, intentions, virtue talk, and announcements. The assembly will take about 5 minutes and once concluded, students will begin their academic day.

On Monday, September 10th, we will begin standardized testing for students in grades 1-8. Because we want to provide the best testing environment with as few interruptions as possible, we will be limiting the number of visitors on campus with us during this week. Please try to avoid unnecessary appointments that would cause your child to be absent during testing. As well, be sure that your child gets a good night’s sleep, enjoys a good breakfast, and arrives on time each morning. I thank you in advance for your understanding and help with this!

During testing week, we will also be conducting our Called to Protect classes for students in grades K-8. Consent forms were available during both Back to School Nights and were sent home or made available to those who were unable to attend those evenings. If you did not sign and return a consent form for your student(s), please do so and send it in on Monday. If you did not receive a consent form, please email your child’s teacher. While most students participate and we encourage 100% participation in the classes, parents can elect to have their student(s) opt out. As well, we are more than happy to share the lesson outlines that we will be using for the Called to Protect classes.

Kountry Karnival is less than one month away, October 6 & 7, 2018! In addition to being one of our school’s biggest fundraisers of the year, Kountry Karnival is a great opportunity to have a lot of fun and come together as a community. Many hands are needed to make Kountry Karnival a success. For more information on volunteer opportunities, please click Support, then Kountry Karnival on the school website.

https://site.google.com/view/smgkountrykarnival2018/home

Virtus Training will take place in the SMG Center on the parish campus on Saturday, September 29th, 8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. All volunteers must be current on their Virtus training in order to volunteer in any ministry in the parish or school.

https://fwdioc.org/training-sessions

Nolan Catholic High School will be hosting Middle School Night on Friday, September 21st, during the NCHS Varsity football game. Below is a link that will provide more information about how SMG middle school students can get involved in the event. Nolan’s Marching Band and Color Guard, Royelles Dance Team, Cheerleaders, and Football team are all providing opportunities for our middle school students to perform or be part of the night. Also, any student who wears an SMG spirit shirt will get free admittance to the game!

https://spark.adobe.com/page/NrCtgc04PjSH5

The 8th Grade students enjoyed a wonderful day of community, faith, and reflection at Camp Thurman this past Friday. What a joy it was to see this great group of students working together as they participated in the team building challenges and activities. The muddy grounds from the rainy night before only seemed to add to the fun they were having!

September 10-14th: ITBS/CogAt Testing

September 17th: Home and School Meeting @ 7:00PM in the Cafetorium

September 20th: North Texas Giving Day Please, Get Up and Give!

September 21st: Progress Reports emailed to parents

September 28th: No School; Faculty/Staff Inservice

September 29th: Virtus Training; 8:30AM-12:00PM SMG Center