Catholic School Updates
Diocese of Rochester
St. Lawrence School, Greece
Holy Cross School, Charlotte
Holy Family School, Elmira
Tuesday, December 21, 2021
Merry Christmas! We hope this joyful season finds you and your family filled with love, happiness, and the many blessings the child Jesus brings to us from the manger every Christmas.
As we prepare for our Christmas recess, I would like to thank our families and staff who have made the school year not only successful, but very special. Especially during these busy weeks of Advent, the hallways and classrooms of our schools have been filled with so much joy and the making of memories that will last a lifetime. Despite the restrictions and conditions of the pandemic, our students have made this an amazing December and I hope each of our school families can enjoy a happy and healthy Christmas.
In the new year, I am sure we will face new challenges but I am also confident in the strength of our school communities to handle these challenges faithfully together. May we all carry the message of Christmas into the new year as we look forward to a return to school in 2022!
With prayers for a peaceful and healthy Christmas and blessed New Year,
Mr. James Tauzel
Superintendent of Schools
St. Mary School, Canandaigua
St. Joseph School, Penfield
St. Ambrose Academy, Rochester
The History of Nativity Scenes
St. Francis created the first recorded nativity scene in history, including the figures we know and love today surrounding the infant Jesus in the manger. The scene tells a story and brings to life the Gospel accounts of Christ's birth, including the stable animals, angels, shepherds, kings and of course the Holy Family.
Over time, nativity scenes became popular in communities and homes throughout the world and are now part of Christmas celebrations for Christians in every culture and nation. Artistry and cultural influences have created a diverse and beautiful spectrum of nativity scenes, each differing in their beauty but all aimed at reminding us of the true meaning of Christmas.
This Christmas, as your family gathers around your nativity scene, consider using the enclosed blessing prayer for your manger scene. Retell the Christmas story using the figurines and share your own Christmas memories with each other and beside the manager where Jesus lays.
St. Agnes School, Avon
All Saints Academy, Corning
St. Pius X School, Chili
Be Sure Your Voice is Heard!
One of the most effective ways to ensure that our local, state, and federal elected officials make decisions aligned to your beliefs and ideals is to work proactively and collaboratively to share your point of view. Taking the time to learn about your elected representatives and contacting them with your ideas, suggestions, and requests is a critically important step to ensuring that the laws they enact will reflect your needs. Some of these important legislative issues also center around education and often also applies to Catholic and other non-public schools.
Did you know that the New York State Catholic Conference works with Catholics across the state to represent the needs and requests of the faithful in every community? In addition to articulating the teachings of the Catholic Church to our legislators, the conference also works with other religious groups across the state, to ensure that our elected representatives hear our voice. We encourage you to stay up-to-date and participate in advocacy efforts affecting you and your family by checking out the resources available at https://www.nyscatholic.org/. Maps outlining your local representatives, sign-ups for the Catholic Action Network, and other important updates on legislative topics are all available there.
St. Mary Our Mother School, Horseheads
Seton Catholic School, Brighton
St. Michael School, Penn Yan
Our Christ-Centered Approach to Multiculturalism
Almost all Catholics have a favorite saint. For many of us, we may have more than a few! We know these holy men and women to be powerful friends to us in heaven. They pray for us and intercede to God on our behalf to help us on our way to heaven as we live our lives here on earth.
But the saints also represent just how universal the Catholic Church really is. As we begin to look at multiculturalism through the lens of our faith, we begin to see just how diverse and beautiful the Church Triumphant is and how the various cultures they represent here on earth all connect to God's love us in heaven.
Our schools, as always, have continued to study the lives of the saints as part of our curriculum and with our continued exploration into multiculturalism, we will also be discussing the many countries, time periods, and cultures the Catholic saints originated from and interacted with during their time on earth. These lessons teach us the importance of celebrating our own heritage while also embracing each other - including those different from us - as made in the image of God. Most importantly, the lives of the saints teach us that God's love is meant for each one of us and we are all called to grow closer to Him through our lives on earth.
Advent and Christmas traditions around the world have many roots in both Church and cultural traditions. These traditions each celebrate the birth of Jesus in the manager but also create a diverse array of celebrations that reflect the culture and communities where they originated. Many of the saints helped create these traditions in their home countries or participated in these celebrations during their lives.
This Advent and Christmas season, take some time to explore a saint that shares a similar cultural heritage to your family. What makes them special? What similarities exist between their life and ours? How can we learn from their example?
Below are two resources your family may enjoy regarding saints and holiday celebrations all over the world.
St. Rita School, Webster
Math Game of the Month - Fixed Factor War
This game is like old-fashioned War, but with a little multiplication thrown in!
For each pair of players you need 1 deck of playing cards with kings and jacks removed (ace = 1, queen = 0)
How to Play:
- Choose any card (other than ace or queen) to be your fixed factor and place that card in the center of the table.
- Players divide the rest of the cards equally, shuffle them, and place them facedown.
- At the same time, both players turn up their top card and determine the PRODUCT of their card with the fixed factor card that is in the center of the table. (Players must check each other!)
- The player with the greater product wins both cards. The middle card stays put.
- If there is a tie, “war” is declared and partners repeat the process, with the winner taking all of the played cards.
- The player with the most cards wins!
Note for parents: As your child practices different multiplication facts (like 7s), make sure that you put that number as the fixed factor during the game. Playing “war” is a lot more fun than just reciting facts aloud!
St. Francis - St. Stephen School, Geneva
St. Kateri School, Irondequoit
St. Louis School, Pittsford
Diocese of Rochester Department of Catholic Schools
Email: schools@dor.org
Website: dorschools.org
Location: 1150 Buffalo Road, Rochester, NY, USA
Phone: 585-328-3210
Facebook: facebook.com/DioceseOfRochesterSchools/
Twitter: @ROCCathSchools