The School Scoop - December 7, 2016

December 7, 2016

Dear Parent/Guardian,

We are all invited to share our gifts with genuine enthusiasm. In Matthew's gospel (5:14-16), we are reminded, "You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light the lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your father in heaven."

I am reminded of Matthew's quote above, especially at this time of the year. In the beginning of the school year, I actually gave each faculty member a candle with a base in the shape of a star and told them to make a personal goal of how they were going to "share their light" with the students. As I observe classes this year, I see teachers and students sharing their gifts and enthusiasm every day. We have very talented teachers and students at St. Cletus School.

I would like to recognize and thank our St. Cletus School Board for sharing their support and offering valuable contributions to our school. And thank you to all the staff, parents, and volunteers who share their gifts with us. I was signing thank you letters for the annual fund donations and reflected on how many generous and caring members of St. Cletus School and Parish we have. We look forward to your continued support to help us reach our goal. Another big thank you goes to FSA for generously paying for the anti-bullying speakers we have coming in to school this Friday to speak to our students. Isn't this a great time of year for sharing?

"Blessings and Best!"

Mr. Thomas Chinske

Principal, St. Cletus School

Dates to Remember

December 8: All-school Mass, 9:00 a.m., Church

December 10: Holiday Boutique, 6:00-10:00 p.m., Morrissey Hall

December 13: Dining for Dollars, 5:00-7:00 p.m., McDonald's,Countryside

December 16: All-school Mass, 9:00 a.m., Church

Visit the School Website to view the full calendar.

School News & Information

2016-17 Annual Fund

The St. Cletus Annual Fund Drive has officially begun for the 2016-17 school year. We are asking school families to please consider donating to this very important fund raiser--any size donation will be sincerely appreciated.

Checks should be made payable to "St. Cletus School" and sent to the school office (please mark "Annual Fund" on the check and/or envelope). You may also donate on-line at Support Our Annual Fund. Thank you for supporting our school.

St. Cletus Holiday Boutique, December 10 Flyer Contact Coordinator

Come out for a fun evening of shopping and socializing with your friends at the St. Cletus Holiday Boutique on December 10 from 6:00 until 10:00 p.m. in Morrissey Hall. Admission is $5.00 per person and includes a raffle ticket or a glass of wine plus appetizers.

From 6:00 until 7:00 p.m., all ages are welcome to attend. From 7:00 until 10:00 p.m., absolutely no one under the age of 21 is allowed. See the flyer above for more information.

Calling All Cardinals--It's Time to Re-enroll for the 2017-18 School Year!

Click HERE NOW to re-enroll on-line and pay (or schedule to pay) the annual $50.00 (non-refundable) FACTS re-enrollment fee (one fee per family).
NEW 2017-18 Students: click HERE to download, print, complete, and submit the New Student Application to the school office.
Current School Families: the re-enrollment deadline is Friday, December 16, so please reserve your child(ren)'s place(s) now. Class openings will be available to the public starting December 19.
In May 2017, you will be asked to complete your registration information on-line and turn in additional required documents.

Teachers' Gift Fund

This is the last call for contributions to this year's "TGF." Envelopes are due to the school office by December 16. All faculty and staff will receive Christmas gift cards from the TGF before the holiday break.

Student Pickup Procedures
We appreciate your continued patience and understanding as we smooth out any rough edges of our new pickup procedures. Our goal is to make drop-off and pickup safe for our students and easy for our parents & guardians during the construction of our new building. Thank you again for your cooperation this school year.

Giving Tree

Just a reminder: PURPLE TAGS (gifts) are to be returned before/after Masses the weekend of December 10-11. RED TAGS (food baskets) are needed on Sunday, December 18, from 7:30-11:00 a.m. in Morrissey Hall.

Giving Tree Volunteer Opportunities

We are still in need of volunteers! Please e-mail Kendall to sign up for opportunities listed below:

Saturday, December 10 and Sunday, December 11 (church): collecting and organizing Giving Tree gifts before and after all the weekend Masses.

Sunday, December 11, 2:00-6:30 p.m.: Sorting gifts in church and moving to storage. Seventh and eighth graders may come with an adult as a partner.

Sunday, December 18 (Morrissey Hall):

Seventh and eighth graders must come with an adult, or if in a group, one adult to every five students. Please note--it is not necessary to work an entire morning/afternoon shift, but at least two-hour shifts, please.

6:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.: accepting and organizing food baskets and gifts
1:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.: distribution of food baskets, gifts, and cleanup

St. Vincent de Paul Cookbooks Flyer

Thank you to all who contributed recipes for the St. Cletus St. Vincent de Paul Cookbook! We have three upcoming opportunities for you to purchase the books just in time for the holidays!

December 10: At the St. Cletus Holiday Boutique
December 17-18: Before/after Masses
Purchase in the St. Cletus rectory during business hours

Cookbooks will be sold for $15 each, and all proceeds will go directly to serving those in need in our community.

DirectorySpot School Family Directory is Now Available

We will not have a "Red Book" (hard copy) family directory this year. Click HERE to access our on-line 2016-17 directory.

Save The Dates

December 10: Holiday Boutique, Morrissey Hall
December 23: NO School: Christmas Break Begins

December 26-30: NO School: Christmas Break

December 27: Roller Skating Party, 6:30-9:00 p.m., Fleetwood Roller Rink

January 2-6, 2017: NO School: New Year's Break

School Office Hours

Monday through Friday, 7:15 a.m. until 3:30 p.m.

Aftercare Pickup

Please park in the angled parking spaces along 54th Street (behind the school building), walk up the sidewalk between the church and the school building, and go to door # 6. Ring the doorbell on the north outside wall at door # 6 to let the aftercare staff know you are here. A staff member will greet you at the door, bring you to Room 99 (aftercare pickup room), and call your child(ren) to the room for pickup. To contact the aftercare staff, call (708) 215-5408 after 3:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Attendance and Extended Care Notifications

Please notify the school office and teacher(s) for student attendance and/or extended care changes/requests:

School Office: attendance@stcletusparish.com or call (708) 352-4820

Teacher E-mail: [first initial last name @ stcletusparish.com]