The Messenger
A Publication of St. Gabriel the Archangel School 11/16/2022
Dear Fabulous Families -
- An email was sent earlier today through Teacher Ease regarding a neighborhood incident. Please make sure your computer settings are set to get email alerts and text messages should the need arise. Directions are found below to ensure your contact information is up to date.
- Grades from first trimester have been posted in Teacher Ease. Please see directions below to access.
- We have practiced fire, tornado, and earthquake drills. Next week we will practice the intruder drill after watching the age appropriate video that was shown at Back to School Night.
Peace and Joy -
Tonya McEnery
Principal
St. Gabriel the Archangel
Dan Winkeler
Assistant Principal
St. Gabriel the Archangel
Teacher Ease Communication Preferences
Please be sure to check your Teacher Ease communication preferences using the directions below.
- Log in as a user, go to Parent/Student Main > Miscellaneous > Communication Preferences
- Change the Text Message permission to On next to the desired announcement type
- Save
Please note: If a parent has not previously set up their communication preferences, they will see a message at the top of their screen when they log in. See screenshot below of the message a parent will see. Then click on the provided link.
Report Cards- Now Open
First Trimester report cards are now available. To view the report card please follow these steps:
- Scroll over “Academics”
- Click on “Report Cards”
- On the new page you will see your respective report card. On the right side click “View”
#Giving Tuesday is November 29th!
Help us bridge the gap between tuition and the cost to educate our students.
Giving to St. Gabnel Parish School on #Giving Tuesdav ensures we are developing the whole child: academically and spiritually.
You may choose to make a one-time gift by donating online through our school website stgabschool.org/giving or mail your donation to
St. Gabriel the Archangel School - Giving Tuesday
4711 Tamm Ave
St. Louis, MO 63109
Bundle up Chromebook Sale!
Notes from SEL
Many students in the elementary grades had questions about the idea getting into a car with a stranger, even in an emergency. This would be a great thing to speak with your kids about, specifically who they could expect to pick them up or take care of them in an emergency. Other things to continue to reinforce with your child are being able to recite both parent's cell phone numbers and the family's home address. We will be reviewing these important safety items in SEL
Our counselors are here to partner with you. Please reach out with any concerns you may have.
Mrs. Callison (ccallison@stgab.org) and Ms. Mense (mmense@stgab.org)
Monday and Friday Recess Duty
Please consider signing up for Monday and Friday recess duty! In doing so, you will provide opportunities for teachers to take a much needed break. Each session will start with picking up the kids in the cafeteria at 10:50 and will conclude at 12:35. Thank you for donating your time to help our fabulous teachers and staff! There will be 2 teachers and 2 volunteers at each recess.
Protecting God's Children and Safe Environment Training must be complete.
Feel free to bring activities to mix up the fun for the kids:)
School Community: Recess Duty (signupgenius.com)
Contact Mrs. Roell about signing up, if you have questions: mollyroell@me.com
School Environment Training for Volunteers
Poinsettia Sales - Last Chance to Order
The 8th Grade Class of 2023 is selling Poinsettias this year. Please use the link below to view the 3 color and 4 size options being offered this year and place your order. These make wonderful gifts and can beautify your home during the Advent and Christmas Seasons!
Sales end on Friday, November 18.
Order Link:
https://forms.ministryforms.net/viewForm.aspx?formId=b1c60715-c1ed-434f-8a8f-580cb9eefef3
December Lunches
Below is the link to the December Lunch Order. Orders are due by Sunday, November 20th by 6 pm
Included is the December menu for your reference. It can also be found on the school website. All orders have to be done through the google link below. The reference menu is a great tool to print out and mark the days your child(ren) are ordering. We are still not selling drinks at school; all drinks must be preordered. Payments are due by November 28th. If you have any questions or difficulty ordering, please send an email to stgablunch@gmail.com for assistance. We have added several new items to the menu that we hope your children will enjoy.
St. Gabriel Lunch Cook Needed
Looking for help in the school cafeteria making lunches for the kids.
Hours are 9 am - 1:30 pm with flexible days. If interested please email stgablunch@gmail.com
Dear Parents,
Thanks to all the family members that were here today to celebrate our 7th grade Baptism Mass. Your/their presence is much appreciated!
We are so happy for our 2nd graders and their families as the students celebrated the healing sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time this past week. We are grateful for their teachers who prepared them with faith and loving care. Students in grades 3-8th will be offered the opportunity to receive the sacrament of Reconciliation this Advent Season.
Our House system continues to cultivate leadership in our students. Thanks to Joan House members for coordinating our Veterans' Mass and collection and to the 5th Grade for hosting the reception for the Veterans. John House is coordinating our annual collection for Whole Kids Outreach. Here is a link to Whole Kids Outreach's ministry.
https://www.wholekidsoutreach.org/
Here is a link to their registry:
CHRISTMAS TOY DRIVE
to benefit Whole Kids Outreach
Make Christmas Special for a child in need!
<November 21-December 1>
Whole Kids Outreach serves rural Missouri children in need. In December, WKO hosts a Christmas Store so that kids can have a great Christmas morning!
<Saint Gabriel the Archangel> will be collecting new toys and other items (unwrapped) for children birth through young teens for the WKO Christmas Store. Every WKO child/teen receives a large, medium, and small gift , so all gifts are appreciated. In addition, cash donations and Amazon, Walmart and Target gift cards are welcome!
Please no items that suggest violence or war (e.g., Risk, Battleship, toy or Nerf guns, etc.). If possible, please mark out the UPC codes with a black marker—this helps us greatly!
Please drop off your toys here by
<December 1st>
Act of Contrition
My God, I am sorry for my sins with all my heart. In choosing to do wrong and failing to do good, I have sinned against You, whom I should love above all things. I firmly intend, with your help, to do penance, to sin no more and to avoid whatever leads me to sin. Our Savior Jesus Christ suffered and died for us. In His name, my God, have mercy. Amen.
Here are some simple prayer resources:
https://www.loyolapress.com/catholic-resources/liturgical-year/sunday-connection/
Tuesday Masses
11/15 1C
11/ 22 5P All School Thanksgiving Mass
11/29 4S
12/6 4M -4th Grade Baptism Mass
12/13 3P
12/20 3B All School Mass
Wednesday Masses
11/16 7M-7th grade Baptism Mass
11/23 No School
11/30 7A
12/7 7D
Looking Ahead: 12/14 6B- Baptism Mass for 6th Grade
Thursday Masses
11/10 Joan House -Veteran's Mass
11/17 5W
11/24 No School-Happy Thanksgiving
12/1 John House Mass
12/8 No school Immaculate Conception
12/15 5K
Come pray with us. Please join us whenever you are able! Masses are at 8:00 am in church.
Sacrament Days for 2022-2023 School Year:
8th Grade
Confirmation Retreat Day- April 18th
Confirmation-April 20, 2023 at 7:00 pm
2nd Grade
First Reconciliation- November 10 at 7pm in church
First Communion Parent Meeting- March 30 at 6:30 pm in church
First Communion-May 7, 2023 at 2:00 pm
Peace and blessings!
Deborah DaLay
Coordinator of Religious Education
Year at a Glance for 2022-2023
Dates below are subject to change and additional days will be added as we continue to plan for the upcoming year.
November 23- Thanksgiving Break- NO SCHOOL
November 24- Thanksgiving Break- NO SCHOOL
November 25- Thanksgiving Break- NO SCHOOL
December 8- Feast of the Immaculate Conception- NO SCHOOL
December 13- Vocal concert (2nd, 4th, 5th grades, and Honor Choir)
December 14- Band concert
December 21- Noon Dismissal
December 22 -January 2, 2023 - Christmas Break- NO SCHOOL
January 2- Professional Development for Staff - NO SCHOOL
January 3- Classes resume
January 13- Planning and collaboration- NOON DISMISSAL
January 16- Martin Luther King Jr. Day- NO SCHOOL
February 3- NOON DISMISSAL
February 10- End of 2nd Trimester
February 16 - Mid-Year Conferences - NOON DISMISSAL (new)
February 17- Planning and Collaboration changed to Mid-Year Conferences - NOON DISMISSAL (new)
February 20- Presidents' Day- NO SCHOOL
February 25 - Follies
February 26- Archdiocesan Band Festival (Concert Band)
March 10- Planning and Collaboration- NOON DISMISSAL
March 13-17- Spring break- NO SCHOOL
March 25- Auction
March 30 - First Communion Parent Meeting, 6:30 pm, Church
April 6- Holy Thursday- NO SCHOOL
April 7- Good Friday- NO SCHOOL
April 10- Easter Monday- NO SCHOOL
April 18- 8th Grade Confirmation Day of Reflection
April 20- Confirmation 7pm at SGA
April 21- Planning and Collaboration- NOON DISMISSAL
May 7, First Communion, 2:00 pm, Church
May 9- Vocal concert (Kindergarten, 1st, 3rd grades, and Honor Choir)
May 10- Band concert
May 12- Field Day- NOON DISMISSAL (UPDATED 8-11-22)
May 23- 8th Grade Graduation (6:00pm)
May 26- Last day of school- NOON DISMISSAL
Stay connected with SGYG
SGYG is open to all high school teens of the parish as well as their non-parishioner friends.
- We meet on Wednesday evenings from 7:30-8:45pm (Doors Open at 7:15pm; Optional Socializing until 9pm) 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!
Follow us on Instagram @stgabesyg
Like our Facebook Group: St. Gabriel Youth Group (SGYG)
Join the Flocknote Group: Youth Ministry
Visit the Youth Group link on the parish website
Contact our Youth Minister: Sarah Henderson - hendersons@stgabrielstl.org
Message from Msgr. Shamleffer
Dear Parishioners:
This past Thursday on November 10, our second graders celebrated the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time. I thank their parents, teachers (Mrs. O’Derkirk, Mrs. Andrus and Mr. Grothaus), Mrs. Dalay and Mrs. McEnery for helping prepare these children for the sacrament.
This sacrament, like all sacraments, is an encounter with our Lord and we are blessed to receive the graces we need to more unite our lives with his. When the Church celebrates the sacraments she makes a profession of faith in Jesus Christ, and in this way she keeps her memory of him alive.
We blessed here at St. Gabriel to have the Sacrament available daily and I thank Msgr Simon and Fr. Mark for their fidelity to this ministry. I always find this sacrament to be one of great joy as it enables those who partake of it to remove the effects of sin and grow ever closer to our Lord. Our God truly is the loving Father!
The Sacrament reminds us that: Because of human weakness Christians ‘turn aside from [their] early love' (see Rev 2:4) and even break off their friendship with God by sinning. The Lord, therefore, instituted a special sacrament of penance for the pardon of sins committed after baptism, and the Church has faithfully celebrated the sacrament throughout the centuries.
What happens in the Sacrament of Reconciliation?
In the Sacrament of Penance, "the sinner” who by grace of a loving and merciful God embraces the way of penance comes back to the Father who ‘first loved us' (1 Jn 4:19), to Christ who gave himself up for us, and to the Holy Spirit who has been poured out on us abundantly.
What is the role of the priest in the Sacrament of Reconciliation?
According to the Rite of Penance, "the Church exercises the ministry of the sacrament of penance through bishops and priests. By preaching God's word, they call the faithful to conversion; in the name of Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit, they declare and grant the forgiveness of sins. In the exercise of this ministry priest’s act in communion with the bishop and share in his power and office . . ."
What is the role of the community in the sacrament?
According to the Rite of Penance, "the whole Church, as a priestly people, acts in different ways in the work of reconciliation which has been entrusted to it by the Lord. Not only does the Church call sinners to repentance by preaching the word of God, but it also intercedes for them and helps penitents with maternal care and solicitude to acknowledge and admit their sins and so obtain the mercy of God who alone can forgive sins.
Jesus’ words, “woe to the one through whom [sins] occur,” hold a key of insight for all of us because they have a positive dimension in addition to the explicit negative one. While it is our duty to avoid leading each other astray, we are also called to help one another remain true to the gospel message. Luckily, one does not need to be perfectly holy to help another. Even the lowliest sinner can help the most righteous person when we rely on the Lord.
We often fail to recognize the degree to which our actions affect and influence others. This is especially true in our family life and relationships with the people we spend the most time with. By our actions, we often lead one another astray or closer to heaven.
In my experience, focusing on each other’s welfare more than contemplating our own helps to avoid the notion that we are unworthy as leaders on this journey. By spending less time worrying about whether or not we can do it, we can properly focus on the next step in this moment to care for those around us. This focus fosters an unselfish mindset that reminds us that we are all here to help each other to be better Christians—ultimately, to get each other to heaven!
Blessings!
Msgr. John Shamleffer
Advent by Tailgate
Confession- Times Added
Wanted: Maintenance Director for St Gabriel Parish and School
Responsible for the effective, efficient and safe maintenance, renovation and upkeep of parish
buildings and grounds. Main duties include supervising the preventative, routine and emergency
maintenance and upkeep of the buildings and property for the church and school.
Primary systems include HVAC, plumbing, electrical, security, fire safety, energy management, irrigation and grounds. Will supervise one or more maintenance employees and may supervise and coordinate with outside contractors. Will perform routine to mid-level maintenance functions.
Applicants should contact Monsignor Shamleffer at shamleffer@stgabrielstl.org or leave a message at the church rectory 314-353-6303.