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St.
Mary’s November Newsletter
I have in my life done a fair amount of writing, and I have to tell you
that the absolute hardest part is coming up with an opening paragraph.
A writer searches for that one or two special sentences that will grab
the reader’s attention and draw him into the piece. Recently one of my
second graders hit that nail squarely on the head. Each quarter my
students are asked for a writing sample. First quarter’s assignment was
to write a Halloween story. The student’s story began, “Once there was
a vampire named Dracula. He lived to suck blood.” Now there’s some
opening sentences! I really enjoy teaching writing to children. While
all my writing assignments are designed to help the children develop
their writing skills, I have to confess that occasionally there is an
assignment which I give for my amusement. Case in point, last week the
children were asked to pretend that they were turkeys and to write me a
letter to persuade me not to eat them for Thanksgiving. They came up
with some very interesting reasons. Some were too pretty, while others
claimed to be unhealthy or even poisonous. One “turkey” even said she
played soccer and was all bruised up. I think she may have been
confusing turkeys with apples. Last month during the field trip to
Brumbaughs Fruit Farm the children learned that when an apple falls and
gets bruised, it begins to rot. However, I am not an expert on turkeys,
soccer playing or otherwise, so perhaps soccer playing turkeys have
rotten spots.
Speaking of turkeys and Thanksgiving, St. Mary’s will have its annual
Thanksgiving luncheon on November 23. Already the ingredients are being
gathered. There are several pounds of apples waiting to be washed and
sliced up by the second graders and bread waiting to be transformed
into the first graders’ special stuffing. All the students will be busy
next week preparing their class’s contribution to the feast. One of the
highlights of the dinner is the return of our alumni. It’s Thanksgiving
and Homecoming all rolled into one!
November 1 was the Feast of All Saints. As is our custom, the seventh
and eighth graders, dressed as saints, gave short presentations about
their chosen saints. They gave their presentations in character. I
think my favorite was the young man who at the end of his speech said
he had to go now because God wanted him back in Heaven. The
preschoolers only go to Mass on special days. The seventh and eighth
graders are their big buddies. At Communion time I looked up and saw
the “saints” very gently and patiently helping their little buddies out
of the pews and guiding them toward the sanctuary to receive their
blessing. You know, their presentations were great, but their actions
far outshone the speeches that morning.
On November 16, Muffins for Mom was hosted by the St. Mary’s Board of
Trustees. The moms and their children enjoyed muffins and beverages
before school. The event was very well attended. Next month on December
7, the will host Donuts for Dad.
Kathy Schemmel came on November 16 and talked to the fifth through
eighth graders about consecrated women. She is a consecrated missionary
working in Trinidad.
The fifth through eighth grades traveled to Victoria Theater to see a
performance of The Wright Brothers. The students enjoyed the
performance. The younger children will also attend a performance at the
Victoria later in the school year.
On November 18 the seventh and eighth graders attended the Northern
Area Schools Mass. This is an opportunity for the students from the
Catholic Schools in the northern area of the archdiocese to gather and
worship together.
As I am writing this column, Thanksgiving is still in the future,
albeit the very near future. And as I mentioned, the students are ready
to prepare the feast. However we are already preparing for the
Christmas program which will be on December 12 beginning at 7:00 p.m.
Actually we, as in the kindergarten through fourth graders, have been
working on the Christmas program since Halloween. This year, the school
will present a live Nativity in the grassy area next to the playground.
The kindergarteners through fourth graders will sing. The children have
been working very hard on several special songs. The public is invited.
In case of inclement weather, the program will be moved to the church.
On behalf of the staff and students at St. Mary’s School I hope you
have a Happy Thanksgiving.
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