Dear St. Maria Goretti Catholic School Families,

It was nice to see so many of you at the Curriculum Night. I hope you took home useful information about your child's teacher and classes. We are looking forward to partnering with you again this year.

At SMGCS we teach virtues and saints using the Virtues in Practice program. In September we will begin the year of faith. Teachers will be reviewing the virtue of the month with your children and introducing them to a saint that embodies that virtue. I have included the information for the month of September below so you can review and have meaningful conversations with your child.

Our 5th Grade Trojan volleyball team is still in need of a coach. Without a coach, we cannot have a team. Please consider giving your time and talent to our eager athletes. Please contact Ms. Seyer at eseyer@smgschool.org if you or anyone you know is interested.

Please be sure to order your child's hot lunch by 5:00 PM each day. Information on how to get a lunch account and the monthly lunch menu can be found on the SMGCS school website.

Please remember to keep your child home if they are not feeling well. It is extremely important that you notify the front office that your child will be out AND email Nurse Beth when your child is ill. Keep in mind that as the parent, if you or your children have been exposed to someone who is COVID + or you are going to get a COVID test, Nurse Beth should be notified. We want to keep our school community healthy and we can only do that if we make sure that we communicate with each other.

We ask that you continue to keep our students, teachers, staff, and priests in your prayers.

St. Maria Goretti, Pray for Us!

Blessings,

Amy Utendorf, M.Ed.

Principal

Saint Jerome was born into a wealthy pagan family and studied in Rome, where he became a lawyer. Because of his great intelligence, Saint Jerome came to believe in God in his mind - but not in his heart. After he was baptized, he began to study about God, and it was then that he finally had a true conversion. Saint Jerome then lived for years as a hermit in the Holy Land, and people said a lion lived with him. This is why the saint is shown with a lion in most paintings. Saint Jerome became so famous for knowing Scripture that the Pope asked him to help translate the Bible into Latin so that more people at that time could read it.

After Saint Paul, perhaps one of the most compelling stories of conversion to faith in Christ must be that of Saint Augustine. Born of a pagan father, who became a Christian only on his deathbed, and of Saint Monica, who was born and raised in the Christian faith, Saint Augustine was blessed with great intelligence and burdened with an unruly heart.

Although raised in the faith of his mother, Saint Augustine was not baptized and drifted away from belief in God to follow the world. By the time he was 15, he was living with a woman outside of marriage, with whom he later had a som. Saint Augustine's keen mind led him to the famous academic centers of the pagan Roman Empire, where he taught with great success. Unsettled in his understanding of the meaning of life, Saint Augustine followed the philosophy of the Manichaeans for a time, which saw the world as a great struggle between good and evil and life in the body as something to be scorned.

The turning point in the saint's life finally came when, inspired by the mysterious words of a child to "take and read", Saint Augustine opened up the Bible and his heart was opened to God. Baptized by Saint Ambrose, bishop of Milan, Italy, Saint Augustine eventually returned to Africa, sold his property, and founded a monastery.

Made Bishop of Hippo (north Africa) by popular acclaim, Saint Augustine fought against the heresies of the day - including Manichaeism and became one of the most prolific writers of the Christian faith the world has ever know. Perhaps the most quoted of his sayings is the one that best describes the profound faith of Saint Augustine: "Our hearts were made for You, O Lord, and they are restless until they rest in You."

Glamourcraft School Photography has emailed student proofs to all parents. Use the following links or call 817-923-9901 with any questions.

www.glamourcraft.com

https://glamourcraft.com/contact-us/

Run Club Mission:

To have the children experience running and walking as forms of exercise that can last a lifetime through positive reinforcement and good habits.

Run Club Schedule:
Running Club will meet on the following Wednesdays, from 3:30-4:15 pm (weather permitting).

Oct. 6, 20, Nov. 3, 17, Dec. 1, 15, Feb. 9, 23, Mar. 9, 23, April 6, 27, May 4, 11

A COMPLETED SIGNED FORM BY THE STUDENT AND PARENT MUST BE SUBMITTED TO THE SCHOOL BEFORE THEY ARE ALLOWED TO PARTICIPATE.

Third through eighth grade students are invited to participate in the first-ever Classics Club Reading Challenge. To be named a member of the Classics Club, students need to read ten books from the provided reading list during the 2021-22 school year. Additional club information and a reading list are available at the link below. Please see Mrs. Richards for more information.

https://smgarl-my.sharepoint.com/:b:/g/personal/rrichards_smgschool_org/Ebh1zL_sTOJGuj9I_STLtDMB22viM1oAz7qc3d9PpWYraA?e=kjI58G

The Texas Rangers are having a Catholic School’s Night on September 18th at 6:05 for the White Sox game. Please see the link below to order tickets and a special T-Shirt. Go Rangers!

Tickets:

https://offer.fevo.com/texas-rangers-v-white-sox-147aawb-ce5dc4a?fevoUri=texas-rangers-v-white-sox-147aawb-ce5dc4a%2Ftexas-rangers-v-white-sox-147aawb-ce5dc4a

T-Shirts:

https://www.yoomarkit.com/product/baseball-night-2021/

To participate in athletics next school year (Junior High or High School), students will need a physical dated on or after June 1, 2021. If your child plans to participate in sports during the 2021-2022 school year, they must have a current physical examination, and the form below must be completed and on file before the student may participate in school or diocesan sports.

https://smgschool.org/documents/2020/5/Physical%20Exam%20Form%202020.pdf

Parent volunteers will need to renew their VIRTUS training in order to continue volunteering. The VIRTUS renewal program is called "Keeping the Promise Alive" and must be attended in order to keep Safe Environment status current. Our school Safe Environment Coordinator will email parents with information on how to register for a renewal session.

We are in the process of planning the Kountry Karnival Food Festival.

Mark October 2nd and 3rd on your calendar!

We need volunteers to help plan this event. If you are interested in helping please reach out to Mrs. Laura Perez at development@smgschool.org.

Box Tops makes it easy for families to earn cash for schools and help teachers get the supplies they need. Traditional Box Tops clips are being phased out of production, but may continue to be found on many products throughout the store. Although you may still clip coupons, there is a NEW and EASY method:

• Create a Box Tops for Education account via the Box Tops app or website - View the video: How it Works, Join For Free
• Buy Box Top Products
• Use your app to scan the store receipt within 14 days of purchase -View the video: How to Scan

We are hoping to update our official Facebook page with some more recent, positive reviews, likes, and shares. Please visit our official Facebook page (Facebook@StMariaGorettiArlington) and help us spread the word about our great Catholic school!