I enjoy the Greccio Live Nativity each year, but this year I am particularly happy that it gives us a chance to observe the 800th anniversary of St. Francis creating the first live nativity in Greccio, Italy. The stories about that event at Christmastime, 1223, tell us that for the people attending, “Jesus truly came alive.” Advent reminds us that Jesus is coming as the Messiah, while also reminding that Jesus will come again at the end of time as Judge of the world. Spiritual writers over the ages have stated clearly, that when we invite Jesus into our lives, He will be more spiritually present to us, He will be “alive” for us. If we go about all the preparations of Christmas, without a real focus on the One whose birth we celebrate, we can be left feeling tired and a little down. The more we can remember the “reason for the season,” we may still feel a little tired, but we are more likely to feel fulfilled and at peace. I hope all your efforts for Christmas lead you and your loved ones to that peace.

-- Fr. Donald '70

The week of December 11th is our last week of classes before mid-term exams. Please continue to monitor reminders in the Weekly Bulletin regarding exam schedules. It is important that our students use the review time and time at home to study and prepare for the exams. Mid-term and final exams constitute a significant portion of semester and final averages. It is important to enter exam week prepared for each assessment.

In addition, I want to thank all of those parents who have supported the many Christmas programs, including concerts and Greccio, by volunteering time, donating baked goods, and in many other ways. These events are great traditions at Curley and your effort has allowed them to be successful.

-- Jeremy Joseph '96

Students are allowed to wear Christmas sweaters to school during the week of December 11th. Students wearing Christmas sweaters are not required to wear a sport coat. The rest of the dress and grooming code is in effect. Sweaters must not contain objectionable messaging. All decisions regarding what constitutes an acceptable Christmas sweater rests with Mr. Harrison, Assistant Principal of Student Affairs.

Elective mid-terms and core course mid-term reviews will take place the week of December 11. The link for the exam schedule is in the bulletin. Please review this with your son and email me if you have any questions. Exam locations will be posted around the building. Please make sure to remind your son to continue to check his Plus Portals account and ask his teacher(s) if he has any questions or needs additional support.

-- Kenneth Pipkin

We want to remind all families of the parking lot procedures. In the morning, families dropping off at the main entrance are reminded to pull up beyond the Main Entrance doors and proceed along the curb toward the Student Dining Room entrance. This will help us to avoid bottlenecks. Students can enter the building through either the Main Entrance or the SDR Entrance. When dropping off in the athletic parking lot, please use the designated drop off lane and do not double park cars.

It is important that we continue to follow these procedures to ensure the safety of our students and an efficient process for all families.

The Parents' Guild would like to show the faculty and staff how thankful we are for all they do by collecting a Christmas Fund. Last year's collection was extremely successful allowing us to give $125 to all 75 faculty and staff members. Our hope this year is to continue this tradition and give another generous gift. Any money collected will be divided among the faculty and staff as a Christmas bonus. Please consider asking your son to contribute his own donation to thank his favorite teachers. Go HERE to make a donation. Your generosity is greatly appreciated.

The Maryland State Council of the Knights of Columbus is the sponsor of several high school scholarships, some for children of members (the Frederick M. Gossman Memorial Scholarships), and others for Catholic students in general (the William J. O’Brien Memorial Scholarships). The awards may be applied to tuition only for the 2024-25 school year. The application period is now open, and all applications must be received in their entirety by the Scholarship Committee no later than February 1, 2024. Scholarship applications are available HERE. If you have a problem accessing the information, Fr. Donald can get you an application packet.

Tickets for the C-Notes' Nite at the Races on Saturday, January 27, are selling quickly. Less than 100 tickets are left for the event. Don't delay and be disappointed. Tickets and horse ownerships are available online or by contacting Ed Lawrence (elawrence@archbishopcurley.org). Tickets are $25 until December 31. As of January 1, if there are any tickets left, they will be $30. Horse ownerships are $20 with the chance to win $100. Go HERE to purchase tickets now!

The Semper Fi Scholarship is open to Catholic students at Curley. The scholarship process involves the completion of an application, along with supporting documents from the parish and the pastor that evidence a commitment by the application and his family to living their Catholic faith. Essays from the parent and student are part of the application.

A student may receive this scholarship in any year of his education, and it is renewable on an annual basis. A committee, comprised of the donor and Archbishop Curley High School administration, will determine the annual awards.

The applicant is responsible for meeting the deadline of January 5, 2024, and having all related materials submitted by that date. Applications, in print or digital form, may be obtained in the Main Office from Mrs. Raynor.

It’s time to clean out those closets! Has your son grown 7 inches in the past year?! Are you buried under piles of clothing that no longer fit?! If so, you are cordially invited to share in the Archbishop Curley Used Dress Code & Spirit Wear Sale. Pass along your gently used Curley clothing to be donated and resold at extremely discounted prices at an upcoming sale. We are looking for items that would be part of the Curley dress-code, such as sport coats, pants, shirts, ties, belts, and shoes, and Curley Spirit Wear items like polo shirts, T-shirts, sweats, shorts, and other Curley apparel.

Collection boxes will be available in the Auditorium lobby the week of December 18th. The Curley Used Clothing Winter Sale will be held on Wednesday, January 17, 2024, from 3:00-6:00 pm in the Auditorium Lobby! Proceeds will benefit the Class of 2026.