The Trojan Times
Saint Maria Goretti Catholic School March 1, 2020
Mission Statement
St. Maria Goretti is a living testament to our Lord's work in His youngest disciples, exemplified by academic excellence, spiritual formation, and compassionate service to others.
Principal's Message
Dear St. Maria Goretti Catholic School Families,
This week, we begin the final week of the third quarter followed by Spring Break next week. With all that we have happening each week, the school year seems to be flying by! Please be sure to read the Trojan Times in its entirety, so that you are up-to-date on upcoming events.
On Monday, we begin celebrating Dr. Seuss's Birthday and Read Across America Day. Various themes and events have been planned for each day (see below for more details) and on Thursday, we will have an assembly with special guest Mayor Williams, Mayor of the City of Arlington, on hand to help us celebrate and promote reading, as well as recognize those students who participated in the 28-Day Read Aloud Challenge during the month of February. If your student has not yet turned in their Read Aloud Challenge calendars, please have them do so tomorrow.
Friday is Spring Pictures Day. Students may wear their "Sunday spring best" or their uniforms for pictures that day. Friday is also an Early Dismissal Day at 12:00PM. There will be No Lunch Service, but there will be SMEED until 6:00PM. Teachers will be participating in an inservice meeting that afternoon, after which of course, Spring Break officially begins!
Reminders:
We are looking for sponsors to help us to provide a free t-shirt for all students to wear during our school-wide Fun Run that will take place in conjunction with our Field Day on May 8th. If you own a business or know of anyone who would like to be a sponsor, please contact our development coordinator, Laura Perez at development@smgschool.org. All sponsors will have their business name and/or logo printed on the back of the Fun Run t-shirts, which is an advertising win-win!
There are still a few experience items available from the Dinner Dance:
- Mommy and Me Paint Party with Mrs. Jamison (for 1st grade and up); date TBD; $50 each: 2 spots available
- Baking with Mrs. Behee-Friday, April 3rd, 3:30-5:30PM; $25.00 each: 3 spots available
- 3rd & 4th Grade Popsicle Stick Craft Party with Mrs. Gutierrez & Mrs. Pfaff-date TBD; $20 each
- Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd Grade Spring Fling Dance Party-Thursday, March 5th, 4:30-6PM; $25.00 each: a few spots available
- "Wanted Students" posters: every child had their picture taken for these posters; if you did not purchase the poster of your child at the Dinner Dance and would like to, please see Mrs. Malloy in the front office. $10 each.
If you are interested in any of these experiences, please contact the front office. The cost of these experiences can be conveniently charged to your FACTS account.
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!
Registration & Enrollment: Registration & Enrollment for the 2020-2021 school year is well underway! All registration and enrollment information can also be found on our website. As well, if you would like to defer your registration fee and pay it next month or over the next few months, please contact our registrar, Mrs. de la Pena (jdelapena@smgschool.org). As a reminder, tuition assistance is available and Father Jim and I are committed to making a Catholic education available to any family who wishes one for their child(ren). I also encourage you to contact me with any questions or concerns.
I hope you all have a terrific week ahead!
St. Maria Goretti, Pray for Us!
Blessings,
Laura Behee, M.Ed.
Principal
MARCH VIRTUE: TEMPERANCE - Enjoying things in a proper, balanced way
Temperance is a virtue of moderation and balance. It does not mean avoiding all pleasure, but having and using pleasant things in a way that is healthy, balanced, and consistent with what is good. Temperance guides to have neither too much, nor too little of what we need and desire. The temperate person will be strong and flexible, like a perfectly tempered two-edged sword.
There are many saints who exemplified the virtue of temperance. Three who we are going to be learning about this month are:
Saint Teresa of Avila: Feast Day – October 15 – Saint Teresa sometimes had trouble with self-control, especially with the amount of time she spent reading and talking to friends. As she grew closer to God she learned to give the right amount of time to Him and to others. When she joined the Carmelite nuns, they had forgotten their rules about how much time they should be in silence so that they could talk to God. She helped them to take time for silence and prayer and to take time to play and have fun together.
Saint Camillus de Lellis: Feast Day – July 18 – While Camillus was still a boy, he developed bad habits of foul language, meanness, and gambling. He was bright but lazy, and by age 12 he quit going to school so he could spend his time gambling and fighting. At 17, he entered the army but continued his bad behavior. After being wounded in battle, he had to take a job-working in the garden of a Franciscan monastery. It was through the compassion of one of the friars that God’s grace entered his heart, and Camillus gave his life to Christ.
Camillus went to Saint James hospital in Rome where he became both a patient (to recover from the wounds he had received in battle) and a caregiver. Now, instead of giving into his sinful desires to gamble, he followed a strict life and practiced many penances. With Saint Philli Neri as his spiritual guide, Saint Camillus was eventually ordained a priest and founded a religious order, the Congregation of the Servants of the Sick and Poor, to serve the physical and spiritual needs of the sick in hospitals. For the rest of his life, Saint Camillus saw the opportunity to serve the sick as an opportunity to serve the Lord.
Venerable Matt Talbot: (1856-1925, Ireland) – Matt Talbot was a small but strong man, who overcame alcoholism by prayer, penance, and the virtue of temperance. His daily life was based on a quote from an Irish saint, Saint Columbanus: “Pray daily, fast daily, work daily, and study daily.”
Matt was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1856. His mother and father had twelve children and worked very hard. Matt’s father took jobs wherever he could, and the family often had to move. In those days, school was not mandatory in Ireland. Matt did not like to go to school but chose instead to find work.
One of his first jobs was at a wine bottling store. It was not unusual for a company to pay its employees every week at the local pub. It was also customary that the pub owner then required every worker to spend some of their newly received money on alcohol at the pub! Matt soon began drinking after work, and it quickly became a serious problem. He and his friends would often drink more than the money they earned working, and Matt even turned to begging or stealing from passersby if it would help him get money to buy alcohol. His mother quickly found out about his drinking and prayed constantly for him to stop, but his habit continued for many years. One day while waiting outside a pub, some friends he knew refused to even acknowledge him. They had lost all respect for him, and he finally lost respect for himself.
He went home to his mother, who had never given up on him, and told her he was ready to “take the Pledge”. This meant that he was ready to stop drinking. His pledge was for three months. Although it was very difficult, he did it! He took another pledge for six more months and he made it through that too. Finally, he made the pledge for life.
From that point on, his devotion to his Catholic faith grew. He worked hard to repay any money he owed to pub owners or others from whom he had taken money. He spent the rest of his life working hard but always for God’s glory. He took care of his mother when she was old. He prayed much each day and did penance for the life he had lived as an alcoholic. He slept in a small bedroom on a hard plank bed with a wood-block pillow He was generous to others and gave money to charitable causes, even though he did not have extra money. He read many books about the lives of the saints, knowing that the saints were his friends. He was often seen praying or going in or out of church. He attended Mass daily, sometimes several times a day, and went to Confession weekly.
It was while he was on his way to church on Trinity Sunday, 1925, when he died of heart failure. Matt Talbot was declared “venerable” in 1973. He is the patron saint of alcoholics and addicts. Today there are “Matt Talbot houses” around the world that rescue and treat people with addictions.
“Three things I cannot escape: the eye of God, the voice of conscience, the stroke of death. In company, guard your tongue. In your family, guard your temper. When alone, guard your thoughts.” - Venerable Matt Talbot
Celebrate Dr. Seuss Week and Read Across America at SMG!!
SMG 2019-2020 Yearbooks On Sale Now!
Greek Story Theatre Performance April 17-18: Donations Needed
The SMG Stars from our 6th -8 th Grade Performing Arts Classes have begun rehearsing for our Greek Story Theatre performances on April 17-18, 2020. Please mark your calendars to join us! As you know, theatre productions have several costs associated with them: performance rights, costumes, props, backdrops, set pieces, and more. We are doing our best to minimize the financial impact to our students and to our school while still creating a high quality, free performance. We would like for you to consider helping donate items for our show.
Please note: Some items will be returned following the final show. These items do not qualify for SPIRIT Hours. Please see notes on the sing up to see which items qualify for SPIRIT Hours.
Turn items in by March 6th, 2020.
Join us for the Fort Worth Zoo Run on April 4th
SMG Run Club
We are ready for Spring and ready to RUN!
You do not have to be a member of Run Club to join our team.
Last year we had a blast as we ran through the Fort Worth Zoo.
You can register online and join our team- SMG Run Club.
Beginners can choose a 1K Fun Run and experienced runners can come out for the 5K.
https://raceroster.com/events/2020/28843/23rd-annual-zoo-run
You must register by March 20, 2020.
April 4th is the 23rd Annual Fort Worth Zoo Run
Chess Club
The SMG Chess Club meets on Wednesday from 3:30-4:00PM in the 5th-8th Science Room. Space is limited to 20 participants and is open to all 5th-8th Grade students. Sign up at:
The Magic of Chess Video
Anyone who is interested in learning how to play chess, who’s just getting started, or who already loves to play: Watch The Magic of Chess.This charming short film by Jenny Schweitzer Bell, presented by The US Chess Federation, was filmed at the 2019 Elementary Chess Championships at the Nashville Opryland resort. The short film is filled with excellent advice, “uninhibited, philosophical insights” by kids who seem to love playing chess:
https://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/the-magic-of-chess-jenny-schweitzer-bell
There is Still Time to Join the SMG Running Club
It is not too late to join the SMG Running Club.
These are the official Thursday dates that Running Club will meet:
- Mar. 5, 19, 26
- April 2, 23, 30
- May 7, 14
Running Club Information Flyer: https://ec-prod-sites.s3.amazonaws.com/12396/documents/2020/1/Running%20Club%20Flyer%202019%202-1.pdf
Running Club Sign-Up Form: https://ec-prod-sites.s3.amazonaws.com/12396/documents/2020/1/Running%20Club%20sign-up%20form%202019%202-1.pdf
Girls of Grace
Fifth through eighth grade girls are invited to join the Girls of Grace Club, a devotional journaling group which meets the third Wednesday of each month, except this month's meeting has been moved to Wednesday, February 26th. Visit our web site for more information https://smgschool.org/girls-of-grace
.REMINDERS
28-Day Read Aloud Calendars Due March 2nd!
The 2019-2020 Annual Fund
The St. Maria Goretti Catholic School Annual Fund is essential to help fill the gap between tuition and operating expenses. The school’s 2019-2020 Annual Fund helps provide funding for many of the school’s most pressing needs such as academic enhancements, security improvements and updates, professional development for our teachers, and general operating expenses.
Please, prayerfully consider supporting our school through the 2019-2020 Annual Fund. Donations can be made by check (payable to SMG Catholic School), or online by visiting https://smgschool.org/give-now. Every gift counts!
Remember to Keep Collecting Those BoxTops!
SMG Alumni and Former Student News
Calling all St. Maria Goretti Catholic School Alumni and Former Students!!
Mark Tompkins, SMG class of '73 along with Tom Moore, class of '67; Janey Morrow Wright, class of '64, Pru Vader Brett, class of '57, Pam Fields Webb, class of '69, Dave Tompkins, class of '82 and Laura Perez, class of ‘81 are on a mission to get all 2,500+ SMG Alumni and former students together to celebrate!
St. Maria Goretti School's 65th Anniversaryfor our HOMECOMING
Saturday, March 28, 2020.
7PM- 9PM
SMG School Cafetorium
Laura Perez is SMG Catholic School’s new Development Coordinator and our Alumni Liaison for the SMG School.
Over the years, school records have been lost and we are without contact information for many of our alumni and former students. For you to have received this newsletter, we have your current email address and we are asking your help in contacting as many of our alumni and former students as possible, so we can update our records.
First and most important, please provide your full contact info to: www.smgschool.org/alumni.
Then please forward this newsletter to your classmates, siblings, and SMG friends and ask them to also provide their contact info to: www.smgschool.org/alumni.
We look so forward to hearing from you! Your help in our mission to contact all the former students and getting together for our 65th Homecoming on March 28, 2020 is valuable to carry on our SMG tradition.
Should you have any questions and/or want to join our committee, please contact Mark Tompkins metntex@yahoo.comand/or Janey Morrow Wright jawright44@aol.com.
Nolan Catholic High School Happenings
Online Application is Open
New Student Tuition Assistance Application is NOW OPEN
The application for returning students opened December , 2019. Learn More.
Spring Preview
Nolan Catholic High School would like to invite all prospective families, transfer students, and 6th-8th-grade families to our Spring Preview on Friday, March 20, 2020. Families interested in learning more about the admissions process and tuition assistance are encouraged to join us. This two hour event will run from 9:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m. beginning in the NCHS Auditorium. Hear from Nolan Catholic Administration, current NCHS families and students, enjoy a campus tour, and leave with a better understanding of why Nolan Catholic is the right educational choice.
Please contact admissions@nchstx.org to schedule a family tour, or for more information.
Classical Education Speaker Series at NCHS
LAST WEEK AT SMG.....
1st Grade Writers
First graders read silly sentences they created from a random adjective, noun, verb and adverb.
Alleluia Banners
Students created beautiful Alleluia posters and banners which were displayed during Fat Tuesday celebrations. During the Lenten prayer service, SMG students laid the banners at the alter as we said good bye to Alleluia until Easter.
Fat Tuesday
On Tuesday, students, faculty & staff celebrated Fat Tuesday by enjoying King Cake during lunch and participating in Pancake Races, a traditional Fat Tuesday custom. More about this tradition can be found at https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/Pancake-Day/.
Following the races, we quietly processed into the church for a Lenten Prayer service. The Alleluia banners and colorful beads were put away as we begin observing this season of fasting and sacrifice.
Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday is one of the most popular and important holy days in the liturgical calendar. Ash Wednesday opens Lent, a season of fasting and prayer. It is a season of penance, reflection, and fasting which prepares us for Christ's Resurrection on Easter Sunday, through which we attain redemption. https://www.catholic.org/lent/ashwed.php
SMG Run Club
Stations of the Cross Observed by SMG Students on Friday
The Stations of the Cross are a 14-step Catholic devotion that commemorates Jesus Christ's last day on Earth as a man. The 14 devotions, or stations, focus on specific events of His last day, beginning with His condemnation. The stations are commonly used as a mini pilgrimage as the individual moves from station to station. At each station, the individual recalls and meditates on a specific event from Christ's last day. Specific prayers are recited, then the individual moves to the next station until all 14 are complete. https://www.catholic.org/prayers/station.php
HALLWAY HAPPENINGS
Art - Walk Like an Egyptian
Art - Cave Paintings
1st Grade - Borrowing in Subtraction
PreK 4
2nd Grade: If I Were President....
PreK 3: Shapes and Letters
School Website Under Construction
Pardon our reconstruction.....we are in the process of cleaning up and updating the school website. This is a work in progress, and we ask for your patience as we work to improve the site. In the meantime, if you are unable to find information you are looking for on the website, please feel free to call the office.
Calendar Notes
- Monday, 3/2: Faith Families Assembly,7:55AM in Cafetorium; 2nd-5th grade Confessions, 9:00AM; Rubik's Cube Club Meeting Lunch/Recess; Ceceilian Singers 3:30-4:15PM; PSIA 2nd-8th Spelling 3:30-4:15PM; PSIA 4th-8th On-Site Drawing 3:30-4:15PM
- Tuesday, 3/3: 6th Grade to NCHS: VIkings Live!,PSIA 6th/7th Reading Writing 3:30-4:15PM
- Wednesday, 3/4: PSIA2nd gr Math 3:30-4:15PM; PSIA 4th/5th Math 3:30-4:15PM, PSIA 4th-6th Maps, Graphs, Charts CANCELLED; PSIA 1st/2nd Creative Writing 3:30-4:15PM
- Thursday, 3/5: Read Across America Day Celebration/Assembly: 7:55AM in Cafetorium; Running Club (weather permitting) 3:30-4:15PM; PSIA 6th-8th Math 3:30-4:15PM
- Friday, 3/6: Individual Spring Picture Day; Early Dismissal @ 12PM; NO Lunch Service;
- Monday, 3/9-Friday, 3/13: Spring Break, NO School
- Friday, 3/20: Teacher for the Day; 3rd Quarter Report Cards Emailed
Need Prayers?
We all do!! The St. Maria Goretti Catholic School Community would love to pray for you and your intentions. Please send all prayer requests to: smgprays4u@smgschool.org.
Meet Our Priests!
St. Maria Goretti Parish Website: https://www.smgparish.org/
Fr. Jim Angert, T.O.R.
Fr. Mike Ciski, T.O.R.
Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth
Serving the North Texas Catholic community by providing the faithful opportunities to grow in Christian discipleship and strengthen their relationship with Jesus Christ.
St. Maria Goretti Catholic School
Email: development@smgschool.org
Website: https://smgschool.org
Location: 1200 South Davis Drive, Arlington, TX, USA
Phone: (817)275-5081
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StMariaGorettiArlington/