Joyfully Embracing Our Mission
St. Clare School Family News | 12th December 2021
Journeying in Hope and Love: Building a Culture of Accompaniment
A Reflection for the Third Sunday in Advent
Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say: Rejoice!
- Philippians 4:4
I know that, alone, I cannot see, hear or touch God in the world. But God in me, the living Christ in me, can see, hear and touch God in the world, and all that is Christ's in me is fully my own. His simplicity, his purity, his innocence are my very own because they are truly given to me to be claimed as my most personal possessions... All that there is of love in me is a gift from Jesus, yet every gesture of love I am able to make will be recognized as uniquely mine. That's the paradox of grace. The fullest gift of grace brings with it the fullest gift of freedom. There is nothing good in me that does not come from God, through Christ, but all the good in me is uniquely my own. The deeper my intimacy with Jesus, the more complete is my freedom.
-- Henri Nouwen, Finding My Sacred Center
Compassionate Lord,
let me know the power of your gift of grace.
Amen.
Dear St. Clare School Families,
Happy Third Sunday of Advent. Today’s celebrations honoring La Virgen de Guadalupe melds our Catholic faith with the beliefs of the indigenous peoples of the Americas. Our Blessed Mother has a way of transcending belief systems, cultures and differences through her deep love for her Son and her obedience and trust in God’s plan.
Today’s reflection from Henri Nouwen speaks to understanding our part in receiving the gifts and grace God gives us. Mary received this grace by her yes and she continues to honor God’s gift by being the intermediary for His people.
Revealing Gifts
Everyone whom I allow to touch me in my weakness and help me to be faithful to my journey to God’s home will come to realize that he or she has a gift to offer that may have remained hidden for a very long time. To receive help, support, guidance, affection, and care may well be a greater call than that of giving all these things because in receiving I reveal the gift to the givers and a new life together can begin.
THIS WEEK’S CELEBRATIONS
Please see posts regarding this week’s school celebrations:
Christmas Dress Up Themes | uniforms are always an option (these are not free dress days if students choose not to dress in the daily theme)
***In-Person CANCELED*** DUE TO EXPECTED EXTREME WEATHER CONDITIONS | Zoom in at 6 P.M. on Wednesday, Dec. 15. to watch at home or at your own watch party. Link will be shared after Zoom party.
StandUp4Kids continues | remind students what they can bring and how they can “earn” what they are donating
OFFICE REMINDERS
Please let students know that they should sit and eat lunch for 10-15 before getting up to play. Many students are opting to play and not eat lunch. We are seeing students tossing their food in the garbage. Please speak to them about waste and the importance of sustenance for brain development and learning.
Students will need to ask permission from yard duty personnel before they may get up.
Students should make sure areas are picked up and spills are cleaned up.
Students should not leave garbage or uneaten food on the table. They must be put away in the student’s lunch pail or disposed of appropriately (compost, landfill, recycle). Teach your students how to distinguish between these three!
During lunch or recess, Mrs. Rizzo and Ms. McKinnon are out helping with Yard Duty. Most of the time, an administrator is keeping an eye on the door and attending to office needs (students, teachers, parents).
PLEASE: if you are picking up your students during this time, make sure that you send a note to the teacher and to Ms. McKinnon so that your students know to go to the office instead of going out to the yard for lunch or recess. (Recess is between 10-10:30, while lunch is between 11:45-12:40.) Let teachers know if they should be sent home with their backpacks or if they will be returning.
If you are dropping off lunch or snack, please drop them off BEFORE 9:30 or before 11:30. We do not have the personnel in the office to personally deliver to your students. Thank you for considering the impact of your planning on our office staff.
We appreciate your support and consideration as we work to make sure teachers and students are supported!
BLESSINGS OF RAIN
Anticipating lots of precipitation this week, please be prepared and be mindful of your children’s needs.
Please send students to school in waterproof jackets with hoods; umbrellas if they know how to use them.
Please send students with shoes that would stay dry in the rain. Cloth/canvas shoes (Van’s, Converse, Toms, skateboard shoes) do not do well in wet weather.
Please teach students how to dry off their feet as they enter the building.
A SUCCESSFUL BOBA/BAKE SALE
Congratulations to Mr. Lin and the Math Club for a successful fundraising bake and boba sale last Friday. Initial count looks like they made between $300-400 after expenses to donate to StandUp4Kids. Thank you for supporting their Club service project.
IMPORTANT: This Week
VIRTUS lessons in the classrooms this week.
Take pictures for Yearbook and share it HERE.
Christmas Program preparations under way. Stay tuned for more details.
Theme dress (linked above).
Friday is homeroom day and is a 12:30 day. CKZ and the school office will close at 1 P.M. so that our faculty and staff can begin holiday celebrations with loved ones. Please pick up your children by 12:45 P.M. so that we can gather as a staff to pray before we go off on break. Thank you for your kind consideration.
I am grateful for your partnership, particularly for responding positively and cooperatively to the shifts this week with street construction. As Msgr. Fran noted in his update, I, too, am amazed at their efficiency. They had good signage, they tidied up after each work day and were very positive and cooperative. I am also grateful to the Engineering Dept. and the Civil Engineer working with us. He has kept us informed every step of the way. Apart from the Wednesday confusion regarding dismissal time, he has made every effort to keep our community in mind.
Thank you to those of you who followed directions and cooperated with some of the changes we made to make things a bit safer and flow a little more smoothly. Let’s continue to work on the process, particularly this week as we anticipate some rain.
I also want to thank our loyal families who attend mass each weekend, particularly to our donut donors. We are grateful!
Your students will come home with this year’s Christmas card, designed by one of our talented middle schoolers, Alexa A. She represented the sentiment of the season well! Congratulations to her and to her parents who support her artistic endeavors.
May this third week of Advent be filled with LOVE, for it is the one thing that leads us closer to God’s kingdom.
Peace and all good things,
Mrs. Cecile Mantecon, Principal
Starting Monday Christmas Spirit Week! Let's see Your Christmas Spirit!
Funding a Need | Considerations for Year-End Giving
Until last year, most of us took clean air for granted. Then came Covid, a deepening drought worsening allergies, and a wildfire season lasting months. For over a century at St. Clare School, our classrooms were cooled by the South Bay breeze, but we learned this is no longer reliable. Last fall we scored some of the worst air quality in the world after the lightning storm caused hundreds of wildfires, so windows had to stay closed. Our central boiler which provides heat in the winter is also no longer reliable.
Our school is working to upgrade the heating system and add air-conditioning to maintain a steady climate and a clean learning environment inside the classroom. Beyond good health, several academic studies have found a link between clean air and academic performance. In the Covid era, we know that continually cleaning air and maximizing airflow is the most important way to reduce viral transmission, even more important than surface disinfection.
Please support our efforts to improve our school air quality for students and staff. In coming months there will be several opportunities to be a part of this effort, which will require considerable financial resources. We ask you to remember our students and staff in your prayers, participate to the best of your ability, and consider a sustaining gift that will pay dividends to our community for years to come. Thank you for your generosity.
If you can help spearhead this effort, contact Michael Adams who is coordinating the multifaceted efforts to bring HVAC upgrades to St. Clare.
2021-22 School Calendar
Below, you will find the Calendar Grid for the school year. Some find this difficult to navigate, so I’ve created the Calendar Highlights document which I hope will make it a bit easier for you to consume.
Some changes since the end of the school year: we added September 20th as a NO SCHOOL DAY and our School Year will end a day earlier. The original calendar had us attending 183 days of school, knowing that we had three days over the required 180 days. We are keeping the 181 days in the event we have to close for an emergency due to poor air quality.
Other options to view the calendar include a Google calendar synched to ParentSquare, or subscribing to the St. Clare School Public Calendar below:
Google Public Calendar
You are invited to subscribe to the St. Clare School *PUBLIC* Google Calendar which is also synched to ParentSquare.
PUBLIC URL TO ACCESS FROM A WEB BROWSER
PUBLIC ADDRESS IN iCAL TO ACCESS FROM OTHER APPS
DATES TO REMEMBER
Dec. 15 | Christmas Program | 6-7 P.M. Watch Party In-Person and Link Posted on ParentSquare
Dec. 17 | Early Dismissal | 12:30 P.M.
Dec. 20 - Dec. 31st | Christmas Break | Office is Closed; CKZ is Closed
Jan. 3rd School Resumes: Welcome Back
Jan. 14 | No School | Teacher In-Service Day
Jan. 17 | No School | Martin Luther King Jr. Day Observed
Our Beloved St. Clare
Photo by Ed Carlo Garcia www.edcarlogarcia.com
St. Clare School
Email: office@stclareschool.org
Website: https://www.stclare.school
Location: 750 Washington Street, Santa Clara, CA, USA
Phone: 408 246-6797
Facebook: facebook.com/stclareschoolsantaclara