The Trojan Times
Saint Maria Goretti Catholic School December 8, 2019
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,
Another busy week is ahead as we continue through this beautiful season of Advent and the soon to be conclusion of the first semester of the 2019-2020 school year!
We look forward to seeing all of our SMG parents and friends at the annual Christmas Music and Band Program which will take place this Wednesday evening beginning at 6:00PM in the Holy Family Life Center (gym). Doors to the gym will not open until 5:45PM. Students are required to attend/participate and student attire is Sunday or Christmas best or Mass uniform.
If you are planning to purchase gift cards from your favorite retailers, restaurants, and grocery stores to give for Christmas this year, please consider buying them through our Scrip Gift Card Program. You earn money toward tuition and the school benefits as well. Please see below for details about the three ways to purchase!
Save $10 off the price of tickets for the SMG Dinner, Dance and Auction now through December 18, 2019. The annual Dinner, Dance and Auction will take place on Saturday, February 15, 2020. Information and a link to purchase tickets is posted in this newsletter.
Finally, the online Spirit Store is open through tomorrow, Monday, December 9th. There are several new items available for purchase including stocking hats, blankets, and fleece zip vests. Please see the link and information listed below for details.
Have a wonderful rest of your Sunday and a great week ahead!
St. Maria Goretti, Pray for Us!
Blessings,
Laura Behee, M.Ed.
Principal
DECEMBER VIRTUE: Patience - Waiting or enduring without complaint
Paragraph 1832 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church lists patience as one of the twelve fruits, or perfections, that the Holy Spirit forms in us. If this fruit of patience is truly alive in us, we can control our emotions when something disagreeable happens and respond with calm instead of anger, dismay, or irritation. In times of great suffering, such as a serious illness or a loss of home or job, the virtue of patience can be a tremendous witness to the God Who always responds to our prayers: “I waited patiently for the Lord, and He inclined to me and heard my cry” (Psalm 40:1).
There are many saints who exemplified the virtue of patience. Three who we are going to be learning about this month are:
Saint Monica: Feast Day – August 27 – Saint Monica grew up believing in Jesus. Her husband did not believe in Jesus, and that made her sad. Her son did not believe in Jesus either and lived a bad life. That made her even more sad, and she prayed every day that her husband and son would believe in God. Finally, they did believe in God, and Saint Monica’s son loved God so much that he became a saint too –Saint Augustine!
Saint Isaac Jogues: Feast Day – October 19 – Isaac Jogues was a member of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and the first priest to go to present-day New York. He and his companions traveled from France to North America to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ of the Native Americans. Isaac knew and believed that Jesus died for all people and took to heart His words, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirt, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28: 19-20).
Once he arrived, Saint Isaac Jogues first had to learn to speak the language of the Mohawks, and since they did not use the same alphabet, it took a long time to be able to speak with them about Jesus. Since he knew he was doing what God sent him to do, he persevered patiently, and many people converted. In the end, however, the natives grew suspicious of the saint and captured, tortured, and killed him. Through all of this, Saint Isaac Jogues suffered without complaining, not growing angry with God or the people he evangelized. His patient endurance won him the martyr’s crown-and life in heaven with Jesus Christ!
Saint Rita of Cascia: Feast Day – May 22 – Born the only child to a mother and father known as the Peacemakers of Jesus in their small Italian town, Margherita (Rita) Lotti was drawn to religious life at an early age by the example of the Augustinian nuns who lived nearby. However, out of obedience to her parents’ desire for her security, Saint Rita married Paolo Mancini and became the mother of twin sons. Her husband was an angry and abusive man, and became involved in the political intrigues of the time. He was ambushed by enemies and murdered! Rita and Paolo’s sons swore revenge, but the anguished, continuous prayers of their mother won their conversion, and they forgave their father’s murderers.
Not long after, the sons themselves died, and Saint Rita asked to enter the Augustinian monastery, only to be denied because some of the nuns were related to the murderers of her husband, and it was feared Rita’s presence would cause upset. In response to this refusal of her request, Saint Rita turned her efforts to healing the division among the families involved in her husband’s death, and, once peace was secured, was able to finally enter the monastery and consecrate her life to God.
After many years as a faithful religious, Saint Rita spent the last four years of her life confined to bed by illness, where she nevertheless continued of give of herself by teaching the younger nuns in the community.
UPCOMING EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES
SMG Spiritwear Store - December 9th MIDNIGHT DEADLINE
Just in time for Christmas shopping, our SMG Spiritwear store is back open with some great new items for gift giving! The store is open now until 11:59 p.m. on Monday, December 9th. Items will be delivered to school for your student to bring home on Thursday, December 19th. See the link below for ordering.
SMG Christmas Program 2019
6th-8th Grade Christmas Dance
Performing Arts Students Winter Showcase
SMG Annual Toy Drive: Dec. 2-17
Volunteers Needed for Children's Christmas Eve Mass at SMG!
As is our tradition at Saint Maria Goretti, volunteers are needed to participate in this year’s 6pm Children’s Christmas Eve Mass. You will fill the following roles: 4 angels (Grades 1 – 4); 4 shepherds (Grades 1 – 4) Rehearsal will be held on Sunday, December 23rd at 3:00PM in the Church. Participants will be accepted on a first come/first served basis. If you are interested please contact Michelle Hewitt by text at 817-371-9616 or leave a message at the Parish Office (817-274-0643).
Tamales: Orders Due December 16th - Delivered December 20th
Purchase tamales and hot sauce for your holiday festivities. Proceeds from the sale of tamales go to support the SMG Cheerleaders. Cheerleaders will be taking orders, or you may send your order along with payment to school with your child. An order form is available on our school website: https://smgschool.org/documents/2019/12/SMG%20Tamale%20Order%20form.pdf
For questions, contact:
- Ms. Meurer mmeurer@smgschool.org
- Mrs. Paladini spaladini@smgschool.org
Girls of Grace
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Friday, December 13th Christmas Shirts & Jeans: $1 Donation
REMINDERS
Purchase Holiday Gift Cards Through Scrip at SMG
Scrip is a Gift Card Program that gives back! Purchase gift cards to your favorite stores and restaurants, and they give a portion of the sales back to the school. Currently we give 75% of the profits back to our families for tuition credit. Program runs April 2019-April 2020. There are 3 ways to purchase: Online, Paper Order Form, and during SCRIP Office Hours.
3 WAYS TO ORDER ARE AVAILABLE:
Online: www.ShopWithScrip.com: quick and easy from your computer or personal device. Please note the 3 types of gift cards listed above are available when ordering online. If ordering a physical card, the order must be placed by Monday at 9:00 a.m. for a Friday delivery.
Order Form: All orders must be submitted by 9:00 a.m. on Monday morning to ensure Friday delivery. Only physical cards available.
School: in-stock SCRIP is available for purchase at the school during SCRIP Office Hours. SMG SCRIP Office Hours, Inside Cafetorium doors
- Monday 8:30am-9:00am
- Wednesday 7:45am-8:15am
- Friday 7:45am-8:15am
Order forms must be turned in to the SCRIP coordinator, or the front office, by Monday at 9:00am to receive your order by Friday of that week.
Questions? Contact Olivia Bradley at SCRIP@smgschool.org
The 2019-2020 Annual Fund and End-of-Year Giving
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.
With the end of 2019 just around the corner, this is the opportune time to include the school’s 2019-2020 Annual Fund in your End-of-Year giving. Donations can be made by check (payable to SMG Catholic School), or online by visiting https://smgschool.org/give-now. Every gift counts!
Get Your Discounted 2020 Dinner, Dance and Auction Tickets Today!
The annual SMG Dinner, Dance and Auction is Saturday, February 15, 2020! Purchase your tickets today through December 18, 2019 at the discount price of $40 each--a $10 savings! See below or visit https://smgschool.org/dinner-dance for details!
Nolan Catholic High School Happenings
Online Application is Open
New Student Tuition Assistance Application is NOW OPEN
The application for returning students will open starting December 1. Learn More.
Fine Arts Christmas Concert
Please join us on Friday, December 13, at 7:00 p.m. in Hartnett Arena for the biggest Fine Arts event of the year featuring performances by Ballet Folklorico, Choir, Dance, German Folk Dancing, Jazz Band, String Orchestra, Theatre, and Wind Ensemble. There will also be an Art Gallery featuring pieces and live demonstrations from our Art and Photography students.
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.
LAST WEEK AT SMG.....
Outdoor Learning Center Making Progress
A huge THANK YOU to SMG alumni, Mr. David Tompkins, for designing, organizing the purchase of materials, and then building along with SMG parents, Mr. Jesse Bradley and Mr. Matt Lester, the eight raised bed boxes that will be placed in our Outdoor Learning Center Garden once excavation of the garden is complete. We are so excited to be creating an area that will engage students through hands-on activities like gardening and nature study, fostering curiosity and faith-filled, life-long learners.
Congratulations Robotics Club: Another Season of Learning and Fun
The FIRST Lego League season concluded on November 23rd. Our three teams (SMG Builder Boiz, SMG Skylab and SMG Skittle Bots) earned the same number of points at the Robot games. Thirty-four teams participated at the qualifier and 4 teams advanced to the Regional Championship in Dallas on February 8th.
Our all-girls team, the SMG Skittle Bots, won the FIRST Lego League Core Values Award. This award recognizes a team that excels across the Inspiration, Teamwork, and Gracious Professionalism® categories. This team displays extraordinary enthusiasm and spirit, knows they can accomplish more together than they could as individuals, and shows each other and other teams respect at all times.
A mass was held at St. Andrew’s Catholic Church in Fort Worth to celebrate all the Catholic teams in the Metroplex. A small reception followed which was organized by the RoboVikes Robotics Team from Nolan Catholic High School.
A special thanks to SMG FLL mentors Claudia Morales, Gilbert Morales, Tom Payne and Hector Lara. They met weekly after hours with SMG students to guide and prepare them for the robotics competition. We appreciate your dedication to our school and students.
Faith Families - Advent, Patience, and The Jesse Tree
Students, faculty, and staff came together for prayer, pledge, and announcements, and then we discussed the virtue we will be focusing on during the month of December, Patience—waiting or enduring without complaint. When faced with situations, people, and events that irritate us, we all have the opportunity to practice patience. As we grow in the virtue, little things bother us less and less.
The season of Advent ties in perfectly with the virtue of patience. We talked about the origin and meaning of Advent, from the Latin word “Adventus”, which means “arrival” or “coming”. We also read a special book titled, The Advent of Christmas by Matt Maher, which simply explains the meaning of Advent and the waiting for the arrival of Christmas. As the celebration of Jesus’ birth approaches, let us prepare, pray, and await patiently the reconciliation of all things this Advent season.
We ended our whole-group assembly with the PreK-3, PreK-4, and Kindergarten students singing a preview of the songs they will be performing during the Christmas Program. They are super excited to sing for parents, families, and guest next week!
In their small Faith Family groups students continued the discussion of Advent, learning about and creating a beautiful Advent tradition—the Jesse Tree. A Jesse Tree represents the family tree of Jesus. During the Advent season, a Bible story is read which relates to Jesus’ family or God’s people. After the story is read and discussed, an ornament is placed on a tree—the Jesse Tree. This is typically done every day in Advent leading up to Christmas while we patiently wait for the birth of Jesus.
Spring Creek BBQ Supports SMG and the Local Community
Thank you to all SMG families and friends who helped make our October Dine Out Night at Spring Creek BBQ such a success! We were presented with a check for $1100! A special thank you to the following classes with the highest number of participants at the event: Mrs. Watson, 1st grade; Ms. Meurer, 2nd grade; and Ms. Schump, 4th grade!
Since 1980, Spring Creek Barbeque and Carroll Family Restaurants have donated to hundreds of charity organizations, focusing on youth sports groups, schools, teachers, churches, and community outreach and service programs. They average annual donations in excess of $2.5 MILLION PER YEAR!
SMG Christmas Store
Another great SMG Christmas Store is all-well-wrapped up! Thank you to our wonderful chairs, Mrs. Freeman and Mrs. Massengale, and the many volunteers who helped make this year’s store a huge success. The students look so forward to this SMG tradition and understand the gift is in the giving!
Nolan Catholic High School Performance
Confessions
3rd-8th Grade student visited the church for confession this week.
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.
Christmas Shirt and Jeans - Ho! Ho! Ho!
Baking With Mrs. Behee
An SMG Tradition: A Visit From Saint Nick
St. Nicholas Day is observed annually on December 6. St. Nicholas Day celebrates the third-century saint who sold all of his possessions and gave his money to the poor. Raised to be a devout Christian, his whole life was dedicated to serving the sick and suffering.
In the days leading up to December 6, children throughout Europe put their shoes or a special St. Nicholas boot in front of the fireplace or the front door at night to find them filled with small presents the next morning.
HALLWAY HAPPENINGS
Spanish Class: Four Seasons
Art Class
4th Grade Science: Concrete Stepping Stones
2nd Grade: The Ten Commandments
1st Grade: Stone Soup Reader's Theatre
Kindergarten: God's Precious Gifts
PreK 4
PreK 3
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, 12/9: Celician Singers 3rd-8th 3:30-4:15PM; PSIA 2nd-8th Spelling 3:30-4:15PM; PSIA 4th-8th On-Site Drawing 3:30-4:15PM; SMG Ballet Folklorico 5:30-6:30PM
- Tuesday, 12/10: PSIA 6th/7th Reading Writing 3:30-4:15PM
- Wednesday, 12/11: PSIA 2nd/3rd Math 3:30-4:15PM; PSIA 4th/5th Math 3:30-4:15PM; PSIA 1st/2nd Creative Writing 3:30-4:15PM; PSIA 4th-6th Maps, Graphs & Charts 3:30-4:15PM; Christmas Band/Music Program 6:00PM
- Thursday, 12/12: SMG Running Club 3:30-4:15PM (weather permitting), Art Club (1st-8th) 3:30-4:20PM; PSIA 6th-8th Math 3:30-4:15PM; PSIA 3rd-5th Ready Writing 3:30-4:15PM
- Friday, 12/13: Jr. High Christmas Dance 6:30-8:30PM
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/