\ St. Augustine School Newsletter November 2018 The mission of St. Augustine School is to devote ourselves to our strong Catholic identity, promote academic excellence, and foster respect and justice for all. We strive to create an environment that prepares our students to draw upon their faith in order to conduct their lives with integrity and wisdom. From the Desk of Mrs. O Dea Dear Parents and Guardians, Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on our many blessings and what we are thankful for. At this time I would like to say that I am thankful for all our parents, guardians, grandparents, faculty, staff, and students who make St. Augustine School such a special place. Trunk or Treat, Screamfest, and the Middle Level Halloween dance were all the culminating events of the Halloween Season here at school. A big thank you to all the volunteers who helped to make these events so much fun for everyone! As we finish up the month of October it is time to put away our summer wardrobes here at school, so as of tomorrow,thursday, November 1 st, shorts, sneakers and skorts can no longer be worn and the PE uniform must now include the Sweatshirt and sweatpants! Please be sure to refer to the handbook for a full list of warm winter uniform choices. This week we will be attending mass on Thursday, All Saints Day at 10:30am and again on Friday for our First Friday Mass. Please join us as the Saints from grade 5 Go Marching In! Please be sure to check your Renweb accounts to see your child s grades so far this term. Also, we are still missing some Emergency Contact Web Forms. If you haven t added names to this form please go to Renweb and click on Forms to fill this out as soon as possible. If you are unable to do either one of these tasks, please call Mrs. J. in the office for assistance. Our Annual Turkey Dinner Drive will be held November 19th and Mrs. Ferguson, our service coordinator, has been busy getting things underway for this drive. We will wrap up this event with our Dress Down Day on November 19th. If your child brings in two canned goods they can wear dress down clothes. Please see the flyer in this newsletter for more ways that your family can get involved with this tradition. On Tuesday, November 20th, we will gather for our Annual Staff vs. Students Basketball Game. The game begins at 5:00 pm right here in our gym! Students in grades 5-8 purchased spots on the team at last year s Extravaganza but there are two spots still available! If interested, please contact Mrs. O Dea for more information. The halftime show will be performed by Sr. Kathleen s and Mrs. Calabro s Bitty Basketball players and also Mrs. Guillet s and Mrs. O Hagan s cheerleading squad. All of the players and cheerleaders are ready to go! Mark your calendars so you don t miss out on this wonderful evening for your family! God Bless You, Mrs. Paula O Dea, principal
Nov. 1 Nov. 2 Nov. 6 Nov. 7 Nov. 12 Nov. 19 Nov. 20 Nov. 21 November Dates to Remember All Saints Day Mass @ 10:30am First Friday Mass @ 10:30 am No Buses Open House 6:30-8:00pm No School Veteran s Day Observed Turkey Dinner Drive Dress Down Day Annual Staff vs. Student Basketball Game 5-7pm Gym Noon Dismissal Thanksgiving Recess Words from our Service Coordinator Mrs. Mary Ferguson: Here we are again approaching the season of Thanksgiving. We are most grateful for all of you who are so generous with your support, whether it be prayers, food/clothing items, or money. Most recently Kicks for Kids collected hundreds of athletic shoes and socks for local basketball players. New shoes were purchased with the donated dollars and added to the piles of new or gently used pairs. The staff also put their best foot forward with assembling and delivering snack bags to dozens of utility workers in the area who have been working tirelessly to ensure safety and heat to affected homes and businesses. Elsewhere in this newsletter, you will find a flyer spelling out details of our annual parish and school Thanksgiving food drive for Lazarus House on Monday, November 19. Grade 719 will help to promote this event as an extension of their Auggies Give Back Day experience at Lazarus House Ministries. If you have small to medium sized sturdy boxes to tote the collected goods, please bring them to the school (garage door by the kindergarten) before the 19th. Stay tuned during the next few weeks for more specific ways to help make this event the success it has earned year after year. Thank you once again for your generosity. Contact me with any questions at mferguson@staugustineandover.org or 978-475-2414. A reminder for all of you that have taken the Protecting God s Children program: check in to www.virtus.org for timely articles to keep yourselves updated on ways to keep our children, loved ones, and yourselves safe. God bless you!
St. Augustine School and Parish 23rd Annual Turkey Dinner Drive November 2018 St. Augustine School and Religious Education Program are teaming up to once again to sponsor our 23rd Annual Turkey Dinner Drive! This drive benefits our brothers and sisters in Christ who are served by Lazarus House Ministries. Thanks to your generosity, St. Augustine School and Parish has provided needy families with thousands of complete turkey dinners! Our goal for 2018 is to increase our participation. There are several ways to help: 1. Have your child bring in food items when he/she comes to class. 2. Donate a frozen turkey on Monday, November 19th: Drop off turkeys between 9:00a.m. and 5:00p.m. either at the St. Augustine School front door (place in the large baskets provided near the doors.) or at the Parish Center. 3. Volunteer Monday, November 19th at the Parish Center from 5:00 5:30 p.m. Come alone or as a family. 4. Help unload food at Lazarus House on Monday, November 19th around 6:00p.m. (should take less than an hour) Permission slip will be required for children not traveling or working with their own family. N,PreK,K: cake mixes, Jell-O, powdered drink mixes Grade 1: 1 can of potatoes, 1 package of stuffing, 2 cans of gravy Grade 2: 2 packages dry soup, 2 packages of plain pasta Grade 3: 2 cans of green beans, 2 cans of corn Grade 4: 2 cans of mixed vegetables, 2 cans of peas Grade 5: 2 cans of cranberry sauce, 2 cans of beans (i.e. garbanzo, black) Grade 6: 2 cans of tomato products, 2 cans of pasta meal (ravioli, spaghettis) Grade 7: 4 cans of soup Grade 8: 2 cans of tuna fish, 1 can of coffee Confirmation: 1 jar of peanut butter, 2 packages of juice boxes
You may notice that several items are not traditional Thanksgiving foods. By including these other items we hope to provide food to needy families to feed them throughout the entire Thanksgiving weekend. The needs of the homeless in our community have, unfortunately, grown. Please do what you can. This project offers a wonderful opportunity for each member of the family to participate in various ways from purchasing food items to sorting, packaging and delivering the items. Please talk about the meaning of the project with your families. Families with several children should decide how best to participate without feeling overburdened. The drive will conclude on Monday, November 19th. We hope everyone utilizes the drive as a time to reflect on the blessings we have been given in our lives and homes. Extra donations are always welcome! Thank you and God bless you! Happy Thanksgiving! at St. Augustine School Thursdays@8:15 am-8:40 am Located by the garage next to the Main Office Savings account customers: former and new! All depositors get a prize! Contact Mrs. Ferguson if you have questions. (978-475-2414 mferguson@staugustineandover.org
Guildlines November 2018 What a wonderful October we had! From the Guild Halloween events, to the Red Sox winning the World Series We re all tired but we can confidently say we had FUN. THANK YOU to the parents who stepped up to organize our Guild Halloween Events for the kids. Screeemfest at Canobie Lake Park was spooky and so much fun. Thank you to Beth Tshudy and Lisa Hayes for your efforts. Halloween Trunk-or-Treat was amazing! The families who decorated trunks went all-out and the kids had a great time trunk or treating, dancing (the DJ was great!), eating pizza and entering the costume contest. Thank you to Erica Vozzella and Michelle Grasso for organizing. Here s what the Guild has going on in the month of November and how you can get involved. Join us for our Bingo Family Fun Night for grades K thru 4 in the Cafeteria on Friday November 16 th at 6:30pm. Pizza will be served as well as prizes for the winners. Please join us for our Parent Guild Meeting on Thursday September 15 th @ 7pm in the Parish Center, Essex St. (across from St. Augustine Church). We are hoping you can join us for a bite to eat at Andolini s Restaurant afterward. It s a fun weeknight out! All are welcome. Back by popular demand, our Thanksgiving Pie Sale has begun. This is a great way to support the Guild AND have your Thanksgiving dessert taken care of by Mann Orchards in Methuen. Pies are $15/each and there is an option to have a pie (or two) donated to Lazarus House. Pies will be available for pickup on Tuesday November 20 th from 2:30pm until 5pm at the St. Julie House Garage and from 9:15am until noon the following day (November 21 st ) at the same location. Flyers for this went out in backpack mail, but if you need a new order form please email the Guild at the email address below. It s almost that time of year again. We know you can find wreaths and other Christmas decorations everywhere, but why not order some beautiful, floristquality wreaths and plants through St. Augustine s School? St. Augustine s Annual Christmas Plant and Wreath Sale will begin taking orders mid-november so you can receive your Christmas plants November
30 th and December 1 st. To our many faithful families that continue ordering through us year after year we thank you for your continued support and look forward to providing you with beautiful, long lasting Christmas plants at reasonable prices once again. If you haven t ordered from us before, give it a try! You won t be disappointed. It s a great way to get into the Christmas spirit & support St. Augustine School. Look for the red flier coming home via backpack mail- orders this year will be placed online only at www.staugustineandover.myevent.com. *New this year 2 pick up dates: Thursday, November 30 th & Friday, December 1 st Mark your calendars for the Guild s Polar Express Night Christmas Event on Friday December 7 th starting at 5pm. We are looking for volunteers to help make this event special for the kids. We will be discussing this at our next Guild Meeting on November 15 th. The Guild sends out a Newsletter every Sunday of the school year. This is where you will get all your info for the week on what is happening in school, what we have coming up for you to mark your calendar as well as fun events. If you would like to be part of this newsletter from the Guild, please email guild@staugustineandover.org We hope to see soon! -Karen Perrault & Lynda Whitty Guild Co-Presidents