The Cougar Connection
The mission of Corpus Christi Catholic School is to nurture every child by providing the opportunities to grow in faith, achieve academic success, and serve others as disciples of Jesus
March 8, 2021
Dear Families, 

This week our students in grades 2-8 will begin taking the IOWA Assessments also known as the ITBS Test (Iowa Test of Basic Skills.)The results of this test help us to better serve your children. We use their scores to evaluate curriculum and create school and grade level areas of improvement. We want all of our children to have the opportunity to produce the results they are capable of. There are ways that you can help with this: 
  • Make sure your child gets plenty of rest during the testing period. 
  • Make sure your child eats a healthy breakfast each morning before the test.
  • Help to minimize any disturbances to the testing process by not scheduling any appointments that will take your child out of the classroom during testing time.
  • Make sure your child arrives at school on time and has number 2 pencils.
  • Please keep our students in your prayers.

Generally, our testing time will begin promptly at 8:00 a.m. each morning. If your child is in grades 2-8 and arrives at school tardy, they will be asked to remain in the office until the testing period is over, so as to not interrupt the classroom during testing. 
Sincerely,
Bible Verse/Prayer Focus
Our Bible verse focus for the month of March is John 14:6

“Jesus answered, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Our prayer focus is The Apostle’s Creed:

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell; the third day He arose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen. 
End of 3rd Quarter
This Friday, March 12th, marks the end of the third quarter. 3rd Quarter Report Cards will be posted in student portals by Friday, March 19th. Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held on March 22. More information concerning conferences will be shared soon.
Fish Fry Fridays
Friday, March 12 AND Friday, March 26

5:30-7:30 p.m. (or until we run out)

Drive-Thru only

$10 Cash, Check or Venmo - @CCSCatholic-PTO

All plates include 4 Pieces of Fish, Coleslaw, and Choice of French Fries OR Baked Potato

All volunteers will be wearing masks and gloves.

Interested in volunteering? Call Laura Rahmel, 504-529-8350 or sign-up HERE.

Our PTO supports our school by helping to fund various needs of our school including technology, recreational, educational, and building maintenance projects. Thank you for supporting the Fish Fry!
Food Pantry Friday
We will collect items for the Blessings in a Backpack Ministry this Friday. Students who bring an item for the Food Pantry may come out of uniform with their spirit shirt. Middle School students will be able to come out of uniform on Monday, 3/15.


The following items are requested:

PK-2: canned soup
Grades 3-5: fruit cups/applesauce cups
Grades 6-8: macaroni and cheese
St. Patrick’s Day Out of Uniform
Students are able to come out of uniform on Wednesday, March 17 wearing green for St. Patrick’s Day. This is a fundraiser for our 8th-grade end-of-the-year luncheon. $1 donation is encouraged.
Safe Environment Training
In the pastoral effort to respond to a heightened need for the protection of our children, the Archdiocese of Mobile developed a Program for the Protection of Children and Adolescents. As a part of this program, all children in grades Pre-K through 12 in schools and parish religious programs will be given strategies on how to protect themselves. Since parents are their children’s primary teachers, an integral part of the program will be to provide parents with information to help their children remain safe. You may access the Child Protection Policy on the Archdiocesan Website

We will be presenting this program during the week of March 15.  In addition, your children will bring home a bit of homework to be shared with you. Please look for it and talk to your children about their personal safety. If you have concerns about your child’s participation in this training, please contact your child’s teacher. 
Summer Camp Program
We are now accepting registration for our 2021 Summer Camp Program. It is open to all of our K2 - 1st-grade students this year (going into K3 - 2nd grade). The program begins Tuesday, June 1st, and will end on Friday, July 30. Please see the attached registration form for program hours and tuition. The registration deadline is March 15.

Cougar Character
We have had many students earn Cougar Character awards recently. Students can build Cougar Character by being:
  • Compassionate
  • Honest
  • Attentive
  • Respectful
  • Agreeable
  • Considerate
  • Trustworthy
  • Enthusiastic
  • Reliable
Students earn “paw points” when these character traits are displayed. Once a set number of paw points are earned, students receive a certificate along with a few other incentives. Congratulations to the following students who recently earned a Cougar Character award:
Cooper Mann
Thomas Darling
Alex Manas
Jillian Dempsey
Brooks Butcher
Jacob Sullivan
Anna Saunders
Adrian Calzada
Morning Carpool Reminders
When arriving at school each morning, please prompt your student to follow the directives of the teachers on duty as to when to exit the car. It is important that students begin to exit their car when prompted so all students will be safely out of the way once traffic begins to move again. 

Also, parents should make every effort to have their students to school on time. Our tardy bell rings at 7:55. Students who are chronically tardy to school are missing instructional time in the classroom. In addition, students that arrive late cause disruption to the learning environment. Please make every effort for your student to arrive at school on time. 
Cub Scouts - Boston Butt Sale
Please support the Cub Scouts! Friends of Cub Scout Pack 29 are selling Boston Butts from Dick Russell's Barbecue for $35. Available pickup dates are March 14th - March 17th. The funds are used for their Pinewood Derby, Spring Campout, and Blue & Gold Ceremony!! 100% of proceeds go to the Cub Scouts!! Click this link https://Paypal.me/CubScoutsPack29, and provide your mailing address and desired pickup date. A ticket will be sent to you. Today (03/08/2021) is the last day of the sale. Questions? Contact JC Smith at 251.610.2451.
2021 COUGAR SWAG
Parents have requested and now is the chance to purchase! A PTO subcommittee has been collecting information about ordering Cougar Swag but we need to justify purchasing minimum quantities for products. Please fill out this simple survey so we can gauge interest.

Washington DC Trip
Attention parents of current 5th, 6th, and 7th graders!

Our middle school trip to Washington, DC is quickly approaching next year! We will travel in April 2022!

Don’t wait to sign up your child for this awesome experience!

Click here to see what students have to say about DC!

Register online at www.worldstrides.com/signup or call WorldStrides Customer Service at 1-800-468-5899. Use Trip ID # 187852

Pay a deposit, and spread the remainder into easy monthly installments. Encourage your student to use the Gift of Education E-Cards and Facebook tools so that friends and family can help them reach their goals!

Financial Assistance is available! Call customer service to get a quote. (You do not need to be registered to get a quote.)

Contact Laura Rahmel at lrahmel@gmail.com or 504-259-8350 for more information or watch the 16-minute parent presentation.
Yearbooks on sale NOW!
There are exciting changes for the 2020 - 2021 yearbook! It will include events from the entire school year. As a result, the yearbook will not be distributed until we return to school in August. However, the deadline to purchase a yearbook is this spring. They are on sale NOW. Click below to order yours today.

AmazonSmile
We have established an account with AmazonSmile! AmazonSmile is a simple way for you to support our school every time you shop, at no cost to you. AmazonSmile is available on your web browser and can be activated in the Amazon Shopping app for iOS and Android phones. When you shop at AmazonSmile, you’ll find the exact same low prices, vast selection, and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added benefit that AmazonSmile will donate 0.5% of your eligible purchases to the charitable organization of your choice. Below is the link to our charity page where you can begin your shopping!
Click on image to see the list of retailers in the coupon book.
We have 2 new app signups! Now we have a total of 78 current Box Top supporters. Out of the 78 supporters, 22 of those are actively scanning receipts. THANK YOU!!!

Just last month there were a total of 86 receipts submitted for our school.
We hit $201.80 on the app for this school year!
While the pink box tops are becoming harder to find they can still be submitted! THANK YOU for taking the time to clip and turn those in.

Since the program moved digital there are fewer and fewer pink box tops to clip though there are still some out there. This is why scanning your receipts is so important for this FREE MONEY program to work.

Please continue to scan your receipts and clip your PINK box tops!
If you are not using the Box Tops for Education app please consider doing so. This is free money for the school and all you have to do is scan your receipt.
The app is very easy to use and had lots of bonuses.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. Christine Stanton, 251-232-9364 or cpstanton2013@gmail.com
Upcoming Dates to Remember
Complete March calendar can be found HERE.

March 10
ITBS Testing Begins

March 12
3rd Quarter Ends
Food Pantry Friday
Fish Fry Friday

March 17
St. Patrick's Day OOU, $1 donation

March 15
School Advisory Council Meeting (6:00)

March 23
AR OOU for grades 3-5 (Point goal)

March 25
AR OOU for grades 3-5 (Percent Correct)
A is for Africa Just .25

March 26
Fish Fry Friday
Corpus Christi Church News
Mass Schedule
Saturday Vigil Mass : 5:30 p.m.

Sunday Morning Masses: 7 a.m., 9 a.m., 11 a.m.

Sunday Mass is also available on the parish website and YouTube channel. Each Sunday, Mass is posted at 6 a.m. and is available for viewing anytime, any day, along with all previous online Masses.

Weekday Mass:
6:30 a.m. Monday - Friday (please sit on the left side of the church)
8:15 a.m. Monday - Saturday (please sit on the right side of the church)
No one is obligated to attend Mass on Sundays. Archbishop Rodi asks those who choose to attend public Masses to cooperate with Governor Ivey's request to wear masks in church.
Friday Stations of the Cross & Mass
Every Friday during Lent, Stations of the Cross will be prayed at 6:30 p.m., followed by Mass at 7:00 p.m.
Pro-Life News
Ash Wednesday, Feb. 17 — Palm Sunday, March 28: 40 Days for Life Spring 2021 campaign.

Ways you can be involved:

1. Pray & Fast for an end to abortion.

2. Sign up to pray for one hour/week or just one hour the whole campaign at the abortion facility, Planned Parenthood, 717 Downtowner Loop West.

3. Reach out in our community by spreading the joy of LIFE. Wear precious feet, pass out pro-life literature, put a pro-life sign in your yard, get educated, and then educate others about the evil of abortion and the beauty of LIFE.

Opportunities to pray - Saturdays, 9 am, Feb 20 - Mar 27 Rosary at PP sidewalk with Msgr. Wall. and Tues., Mar. 23, 7:15 am, Mass at PP sidewalk with Fr. Steve Williams

Healing After Abortion: Confidential, compassionate help is available at HopeAfterAbortion.org for anyone you know.

Info: Mae & Chris Rehm, 554-2032 or at maemouse@aol.com
One Faith One Family Conference
SAVE THE DATE! Held here at Corpus Christi. Stay tuned for more details!
Children’s First Eucharist
Practice: Saturday, April 24, at 10:00 a.m. in Church.

First Eucharist Mass: Sunday, April 25, at 1:00 p.m. in Church.

Info: Jennifer Pritchett, PCL at jennypritchett22@gmail.com
High School Confirmation Candidates
H.S. Senior Class of 2024
Masks and social distancing are required at all meetings
Sunday, April 18, 3-4:30 pm, in the Banquet Hall.
Info: awentworth.confirmation@gmail.com
R.C.I.A.
We extend a special welcome to all who wish to join the Catholic Church. We also extend a special welcome home to Catholics who have been away from the Church because of sacramental marital status or any reason.

To receive more information about joining the Church, you can contact us through the following ways.

Call: 342-1852 and leave your name & phone number.
Email: Church@CorpusChristiParish.com.
Join us on Wednesdays, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Banquet Hall of the Corpus Christi Community Center, wearing masks and keeping social distancing.

Please Note!
If attendance at the classes is problematic for any reason, other arrangements can always be made. Our “R.C.I.A.” program is always flexible to make it easy for all who wish to join the Catholic Church."
Morning Women's Bible Study
Thursday morning women's bible study is held 9:15 - 10:45 in the conference room, on the 2nd floor of the community center. All will safely distance and wear a mask. Nursery will NOT be provided. All women are invited to share this journey of faith and fellowship. Please contact Patti Hughes at 251-401-9623 or pm.hughes@comcast.net for more information.
Men of St. Joseph
Join the meeting in person or by phone.
Dial in: 251-665-2515. Conference ID: 102102#
Contact Jay Cox at 401-6070 or Auburn50@hotmail.com for more information.
Tuesday Night Bible Study
6:30 p.m., Tuesdays in the Parish House. Contact Dave Burchette, 367-6660 or davebur1955@gmail.com for more information.
Society of St. Vincent de Paul
Join us in service, grow in spirituality, and open your heart in friendship to neighbors in need. The St. Vincent de Paul Society responds to local individuals and families with food, clothing and emergency financial assistance. Your help will feed children, prevent evictions and so much more. Financial donations can be placed in the brass poor box in the church vestibule, and clothing and food donations can be left at the St. Vincent de Paul Society table. If you are in need of assistance, call 251-366-6443. To find out how to join us, contact Ann Mackie at annmackie10.am@gmail.com. For more info go to www.svdpccc.org or follow St. Vincent de Paul Corpus Christi Conference on Facebook.