St. Mary’s School...
March Parish News   
March 16, 2012 

Happy belated St. Patrick’s Day! Last Sunday, the eighth graders anticipated St. Patrick’s Day with their annual St. Patrick’s Day Pancake Breakfast. Once again the breakfast featured Chris Cakes. For those of you unfamiliar with Chris Cakes, they are part breakfast food and part skillful exercise. Unlike traditional pancakes, these are tossed to you by the chef. Half of the fun of being at the breakfast is watching people catch their breakfast. (For the timid, pancakes are served the traditional way, no catching required.) Along with the breakfast, the eighth graders sponsored a Scholastic Book Fair from March 5 through March 11. The money raised from the breakfast and the book fair will go towards the eighth graders’ class trip in May. 

On Tuesday, March 6 the fifth through eighth grades went to the Victoria Theatre to see Fourscore and Seven Years Ago. The play was set in during the Civil War and was about a Confederate soldier and an escaped slave. On the same afternoon Mrs. Barga from the Darke County Extension Office delivered a dozen eggs to Mrs. Henry’s kindergarten and my first/ second grade classrooms. She set up an incubator in each room. Along with the eggs and incubators, each class was given a set of pictures showing the development of the chicks from Day 1 to Day 21, when the eggs should hatch. Hopefully by the end of the month we will have new chicks. This is an annual science project that is eagerly anticipated by both students and teachers. My class has been very good at being careful around the incubator. We have to be careful not to bump the table since that could harm the chicks inside the eggs. This is also Mrs. Barga’s last year as our “hatch coordinator”. She will have other responsibilities at the Extension Office. We will certainly miss her. She has done a terrific job and we wish her good luck with her new assignment. 

This Wednesday was Spring Picture Day. The students dressed in their spring attire and had their pictures taken. Everyone looked very nice. I always enjoy seeing the students out of the regular dress code and all dressed up for pictures. It’s a nice change of pace.

On Monday the NED Show will come to St. Mary’s. This is an exciting assembly to motivate and inspire students. NED stands for Never Give Up, Encourage Others, Do Your Best. The goals of the program are to improve academic performance and improve student behavior. Prevention of bullying is also addressed. The fourth through eighth graders are beginning their final rehearsals this week for the spring musical, Freedom Bound. Aside from practicing the performance itself, they are busy putting their costumes together. Dress rehearsal is Friday morning, with the kindergarten through third grades as an audience. The musical will be held Friday evening, March 23 at Memorial Hall. The performance begins at 7:30 and is opened to the public. Admission is free. So where are you going to find a better deal for an evening of entertainment? We hope to see you Friday evening. 

On March 26 the seventh and eighth graders will visit the Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal. The will see an OMNIMAX Theater show, Ring of Fire. They will also visit the National Science and History Museum and view the featured exhibition “A Day in Pompeii”. 

We are nearing First Communion. The second graders and one third grader are finishing their preparations. The children from the day school along with the PSR will participate in the Jesus Day Retreat on Saturday, March 24. This is a special day for the children and their families. Among the special activities planned, the children will make special garden stones commemorating their First Holy Communion. They will receive Jesus in Holy Communion for the first time on Saturday, March 31. The St. Mary’s School Choir will sing at the Mass. The second graders will join the choir for the prelude before Mass. Please keep the children and their teachers in your prayers. 

It looks as though spring may have arrived. However, keep in mind that I am typing this in the middle of the week, and living in Ohio, by Sunday we could have three feet of snow! Since we will be in the Easter Season before my next letter, on behalf of the staff and students at St. Mary’s School, I would like to wish you a Happy Easter.