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Living Our Faith
Prayer Partners & Prayer Requests Please CLICK HERE for more information about Outreach Ministries. |
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Parish Connections Update
Weekly Rosary
Please join us for our weekly, Friday morning Rosary.
CLICK HERE for more information.
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Volunteer
Opportunities
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Please
CLICK HERE to view the many volunteer opportunities that are available here at Serra Catholic
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A Message From Our President
Let us each gift the light of Christ to others as we celebrate this Advent and Christmas Season.
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Our Gift to You
It is my prayer that you enjoyed the special gifts from our Preschool through Eighth-Grade students by attending the beautiful Christmas presentations.
CLICK HERE to view highlight videos from the performances of Grades TK through 8. Please look for a highlight video of our Preschool Christmas performance the first SerraDIPITY upon our return, which will be Thursday, January 12.
I would like to publicly thank Ms. Jade Sammy and Ms. Peggy Armenta for their dedication and hard work with our Preschool through Eighth-Grade students, which was evident in the amazing performances they gave over the past two weeks. The reverence and love for the birth of our Lord Jesus, portrayed through the beautiful Nativities, was enacted by Eighth-Grade students coordinated by Mrs. Maureen Tilton and our Fourth-Grade students coordinated by Ms. Armenta. Also, a thank you to Mrs. Shirley Merchant, Mrs. Christina Tsichlis, and Ms. Caitlin Cherry for their behind-the-scenes help with the nativity presentations.
It takes a lot of commitment, time, and devotion, which was exemplified by these staff members and our students, to present these concerts for your enjoyment. I am sure you will agree with me that they all succeeded in making these remarkable performances ones to remember in our hearts throughout this blessed Christmas Season and the coming new year!
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St. Junipero Serra's Adopt-A-Family Delivered
Earlier in the week, our St. Serra parents and Campus Ministry students, delivered your generous Christmas gifts and hospitality to over 40 families through Catholic Charities. Thank you to PTO-VP Outreach Mrs. Robin Torriero and AAF Event Chair, Mrs. Carol Lawson, for their leadership and organization as well as EVERY parent who shopped, wrapped, bagged gifts, loaded cars, and drove to Santa Ana sharing their joy with those in most need this season. With each family, our students were the very hands and feet of Jesus. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for modeling acts of mercy and kindness, "It is more blessed to give than to receive."
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 Praying that this Christmas will bring you the gifts of grace and joy found in Christ.
Merry Christmas and blessings to you throughout the new year.
Mrs. Angeline Trudell,
Mrs. Carol Reiss & Mrs. Julie Tipton
God is Good... All the Time
Angeline Trudell
President
"Be brave, take heart, all who put their HOPE in the Lord." - Psalm 31:24
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Principals' Corner
Mrs. Carol Reiss, Principal, Preschool - Grade 2 &
Mrs. Julie Tipton, Principal, Grades 3-8
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January Renaissance STAR Testing
The second Renaissance STAR testing window for the 2016-2017 school year is
January 9
- January 20.
The third and final window will be May 22 - June 2.
CLICK HERE
for the
January Renaissance STAR Testing Schedule
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
- Please note that due to Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on Monday, January 16, some classes will have their Reading assessment on Friday, January 13.
- Please be sure to review your child's January scores between January 20 and May 21.
- Kindergarten will take the STAR Early Literacy and Math assessments during this window.
- Grades 1-4 will take the STAR test during their technology time. Please note that 2nd grade will take their test at an earlier than usual time. Grades 5-8 will take the Reading STAR Test during their ELA class and the Math STAR Test during their math class.
HELPFUL TEST TAKING NOTES
- Make sure your children have eaten well on test days. Studies suggest that good nutrition is related to improved attention and concentration.
- Help your children by encouraging a good night's rest.
- Ensure that your children make it to school on-time so that they do not miss any instructions and are allowed ample time to settle in and relax before the test begins.
- Please do not schedule dental or doctor appointments on testing days.
- Although it is important to let students know the tests should be taken seriously, it is also important not to increase their test-taking anxiety.
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California Car Seat Law Changes
As required by CA preschool licensing laws, we must inform you of CA car seat law changes. Since the changes pertain to passengers and drivers of all ages, please be sure to read about the new law which goes into effect
January 1, 2017
on the attached flier.
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Reminder
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Student planners (grades 2-8) will be available for $8 in the Student Store when it reopens on January 4.
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ADMISSIONS REMINDER
All families should have completed their Intent to Return by today,
December 15. Families who have NOT completed their Intent to Return would have received an email from Admissions
on December 13. If you have any questions please contact Shirley Merchant in Admissions at smerchant@serraschool.org.
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2016-2017 Service Hours Parent Portal News
Recording and tracking of family volunteer hours performed between 5/1/16 and 4/30/17
As previously announced, the 2016-17 Service Hours Parent Portal was activated on December 8. Thank you to the many families who have already begun submitting their hours performed. Important! Please refer to your family's Service Hours Instruction Card enclosed in last week's Weekly Envelope for access instructions and login credentials. A re-delivery attempt will be made in January for families who did not have a Weekly Envelope on December 8.
CLICK HERE
to read more about recording and tracking your family volunteer hours. To access the portal go to the school website at
www.serraschool.org.
Click on the Quicklinks
symbol and select
Record Service Hours
link, or CLICK HERE to be taken directly to the portal.
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Interactive Advent Calendar
A big thank you to Ms. Beth Thomas for preparing and keeping current our 3rd annual Advent Calendar. As we prepare for the Birth of Jesus, please enjoy the Advent Season through the eyes of our St. Serra students by
CLICKING HERE to view this beautiful Advent Calendar. The calendar can also be found on our website under the Quicklinks.
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Last Minute Shopping...
Why not purchase an e-card through scripsense
?
Better yet, take the STRESS out of shopping and have the rebate go towards the Chapel fund by shopping online with scripsense.
Looking for a spot to celebrate Christmas cheer.
Don't forget our Local Merchant program when dining at Hanna's. With your
scripsense
local merchant icon, 10% of anything you eat or drink at Hanna's supports the Chapel Fund. No hard card necessary. All you need to do is present your mobile device with the
scripsense
Local Merchant icon to your server to scan upon paying your bill.
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Extended Care News
As a reminder, there is NO AFTERNOON Preschool or TK - Grade 8 Extended Care tomorrow,
Friday, December 16
. It is a minimum day and the last day of school before Christmas Break. Extended Care will be open the morning as usual.
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 In-N-Out® Ordering closes tomorrow!
Month of January and Annual (Jan - May) Orders
Monthly ordering for January will close
tomorrow
. In January, In-N-Out® lunch will be served on
Thursday, January 12
, 19, and 26. In-N-Out® will not be served on Thursday, January 5, so please plan accordingly.
This will also be your last chance to place the Annual In-N-Out order for the remainder of the school year(January - May). All In-N-Out® ordering will close
tomorrow
Friday, December 16
. NO LATE ORDERS WILL BE ACCEPTED!
CLICK HERE
to visit our In-N-Out® page to place your order.
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ALL PARENT PTO Meeting
Wednesday, January 11, 2017
9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Please invite a friend and join us at the All Parent PTO Meeting, January 11 in the SAC. All are invited to join the St. Serra PTO Board, Mrs. Trudell, Mrs. Reiss, Mrs. Tipton, the Assistant Principals and School Vice Presidents for a morning of fellowship, SJSC event information, and light hospitality. Mr. Rich Meyer, Headmaster at JSerra High School, will speak on parenting topics and there will be an open forum for Q&A with all in attendance.
Be sure to mark your calendars for the final All Parent PTO Meeting on May 3, 2017.
Volunteers Needed in the New Year!
C
heck out the current and new
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
for 2017. Be sure to bookmark this page and check regularly for updates. Thank you!
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Don't Forget Next Drawing Date Is February 23, 2017!
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TO EVERYTHING THERE IS A SEASON
TUITION ASSISTANCE LUNCHEON
Muzzy Family Student Activity Center
Kick off Catholic Schools week by joining us in support of Catholic Education for our own St. Serra community, as well as the Marian Alliance of Schools in Santa Ana: The School of Our Lady, St. Anne Parish School and St. Joseph School.
Underwriting Opportunities
Registration
Registration is ongoing. Tickets are $95 each
.
Reserve your seat
while you still have a chance. If you don't know a hostess this year, grab a friend or group of friends and we will seat you together at your own table.
Volunteer Opportunities
Please visit our
Volunteer Page and Sign up Genius
for volunteer opportunities that are still available. All SERVERS will get double hours both on Saturday the 28 for training and the day of the event.
For additional questions, please contact Pam Owens in the Advancement Office at powens@serraschool.org or Event chair, Karin Hendrick at karinhendrick@outlook.com.
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Don't Miss Out! Next Dedication Ad Deadline is January 8
Final deadline is
Sunday, February 5.
Yearbook ads are a great way for parents, families, and friends to commemorate student achievements and important milestones.
Have lots of photos and unsure of how to organize them in an ad?
Never designed an ad before and not sure where to start?
Dedication ads are digital with online templates and easy submission to help you design a lasting recognition for your family!
 Shout-Out Ads for your special Serra Bear
Is your
child celebrating their first Holy Communion? Graduating from
Kin
de
rgarten? Want to send a special message to your child's teacher? The possibilities are endless!
Let everyone know how proud you are of your student with a Shout-Out Ad -- a unique way to show the special Serra Bear in your family how amazing they are...straight from your heart and into the yearbook.
For more information on how you can design, preview and pay for your Dedication or Shout-Out ad online, please
CLICK HERE.
CLICK HERE for more information on St. Junipero Serra Catholic School's Yearbook Ad Guidelines and
Frequently Asked Questions
Don't know if you ordered a Yearbook?
CLICK HERE for a list of Yearbook orders as of December 9, 2016 in the Parent Protected area of our website, or check your email for an order confirmation from Jostens.
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Business and Advancement Offices - Payment and Donation Reminder
As a reminder, the School Office will be closed for Christmas vacation beginning Friday, December 16 at 1:00 p.m. and will reopen on Wednesday, January 4. Please forward all payments and contributions during the break via mail or our
on-line donation
form via the website.
To take advantage of the 2016 tax year, contributions MUST be dropped off by Friday, December 16 or postmarked by December 31, 2016. Contributions received or postmarked after December 31 will be acknowledged as a 2017 contribution. For questions, please contact Dana Hardenburgh in the Business Office at ext. 181, or Shannon Smith in the Advancement Office at ext. 139.
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Annual Fund Update
Consider Making A Donation before the End of the Year!
We would like to thank the families who have already generously given to this year's Annual Fund! While we are up in total dollars raised to date, we are slightly down in total gifts. In this season of giving, let's finish December strong as well as take advantage of the end of the year tax deduction available to us!
Won't you please consider joining those who have already donated, including 81% of our staff, by making your donation today?
Let's keep Serra Strong! These funds are specifically earmarked to upgrade our current science labs in the Middle School building as well as for new on-line curricular program licenses for our lower grade students.
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Scrip News
SCRIP SALES SCHEDULE DURING CHRISTMAS BREAK
Virtual and Reloadable Cards available online, year-round
As a reminder, our 2 online programs are a great tool to keep earning rebates during this time as they offer e-cards and online shopping. Please contact us on or before Friday, December 16 at 12:00 noon to set up your account so you will be able to shop and earn rebates over the Christmas Break. Account activation is immediate on Scripsense.com, and 2-3 days on shopwithscrip.com. Please email Tina Maroutian, Scrip Coordinator, at
tmaroutian@serraschool.org
.
PRESTOPAY PHYSICAL CARD Orders placed on shopwithscrip.com after 7:30 a.m. Monday, December 5 will be processed on Monday, January 9 and available for pick up on Thursday, January 12.
Weekly:
Regular Weekly Orders will resume on Monday, January 9.
Daily:
Daily sales will resume on Wednesday, Janury 4.
Tutto Fresco -
Currently Unavailable
For questions, contact Tina Maroutian, Scrip Coordinator at tmaroutian@ serraschool.org.
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After-School Classes Begin the Week of January 10
Some of our classes include: Showtime Dance, Soccer, Academic Chess, Young Rembrandt Art, Piano Lessons, Golf, LEGOS, Computer Science Club, and new this year ROBOTICS for grades K-5!
CLICK HERE
for a list of After-School Classes St.Serra Catholic School offers. Information regarding After-School class registration will be available on the website the week we return from Christmas break. Please note that parents are not permitted in the room during class but are asked to pick up their students in the front of the MEC immediately following after school classes.
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Community Programs of Interest
JSerra Christmas Choral Concert "Oh Holy Night"
Friday, December 16, 2016, 7:30 p.m.
Mission Basilica, San Juan Capistrano
Please join us for an evening of Heavenly voices raised in Heavenly song.
General Admission is free. For limited reserved VIP seating
CLICK HERE.
BoysTown Offering Free Common Sense/Parenting Classes
BoysTown is offering free parenting classes at the RSM library during the month of January 2017. These classes are available to parents/caregivers of children ages 13-18. The classes can help you with: balancing discipline with affection, praising your child's good behavior, reducing a child's problem behavior, power struggles between you and your child, and effective communication.
CLICK HERE for more details.
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