St. Mary’s School November 2013

Last month I wrote that I was surrounded by all kinds of scary things. This month the bats, spiders and jack-o-lanterns have been replaced by pilgrims, Native Americans, and turkeys. Hmm, could it be another holiday approaches?

The sixth grade class attended the outdoor learning adventure at Glen Helen. Glen Helen is both a nature preserve and an outdoor learning facility. The sixth graders left on November 5 and returned on November 8. The Glen Helen field trip is a much anticipated highlight of sixth grade. St. Mary’s sixth graders have been going to Glen Helen for over 15 years.

Report cards were sent home and parent teacher conferences were held on Thursday, November 7. On November 9, kindergarten through fifth graders sang at the Rosary Altar Society’s Christmas Bazaar. They sang a medley of Thanksgiving and Christmas songs. I have to say, I was quite proud of the students, especially the first through fourth graders, who had just visited nursing homes the week before and sang Halloween songs. It was amazing how quickly they brushed up on Christmas carols, complete with rhythm instruments, to put on a very nice performance for the shoppers at the bazaar. They may have been inspired by the Lehman Limelighters, the show choir from Sidney Lehman High School, and their mixed choir who performed for the students on November 7. One of the Limelighters, Erik Rodenburgh is an alumnus of St. Mary’s School.

On Veterans’ Day, the student body and staff walked down town to see the Veterans’ Day parade. The first and second graders had made flags in the morning to wave during the parade. That afternoon tryouts were held for parts in the spring musical. On March 21, 2014, the fourth through eighth graders, directed by Mr. Steve Blocher, will present The American Dream. The musical will be held at Memorial Hall. Admission is free and the public is invited.

On November 13, the kindergarten through fourth grades traveled to the Victoria Theater to see a presentation of “Skippyjon Jones”. The performance was presented by Theatreworks USA and is part of the Frank M. Tait Foundation Discovery Series at the Victoria Theater. The students, teachers and chaperones thoroughly enjoyed the performance.

Greenville Junior High School’s fall sports assembly was on Thursday, November 15. It had been rescheduled due to the two hour fog delay the previous Tuesday. The following student athletes from St. Mary’s were honored at the assembly: Jacob Goldsmith and Joseph Edwards, both members of the 7th grade football team, and seventh grader Chloe Cox who played volleyball. Congratulations to all three.

The classes are getting ready to prepare the 25th annual Thanksgiving luncheon which will be on Wednesday, November 27. Every class is collecting ingredients to make a dish to contribute to the meal. My second graders will be making fruit salad for the luncheon. The first graders will make the stuffing. They are looking forward to tearing up bread and cracking eggs! All leftover food will be donated to Grace RCC.

Looking ahead, the first Crazy 8 drawing will be held Sunday November 24. There will be eight drawings throughout the year. Winning tickets are returned to the drawing, so there is a possibility of winning again on the same tickets. The prizes are first place, $250, second place, $125, and third place, $100. The tickets are $25 apiece. If you would like to purchase tickets call the school at 548-2345.

As Thanksgiving approaches, it is good to count your blessings. Several of my colleagues and I were discussing a commercial that perhaps you have seen. I think it is for a retirement investment company. In the commercial, various people were asked what they would like to do, if they could do anything in the world, with the idea being, that if one saved an appropriate amount of money, one could do that after retirement. We all realized that our response to that question was that we would teach. How blessed we are, that we have been able to do the thing we most like as our vocation. I guess that does beg the question, what will we do with ourselves when we retire? If our two recent retirees are any indication, I suspect that we will be seen around St. Mary’s, volunteering as tutors and librarians! So I hope that as you count your blessings, you will be as fortunate as we are. Have a blessed Thanksgiving. Enjoy your family and friends, for they are among our greatest blessings.