Book Review: A School of Prayer

I have been doing some spiritual reading the past couple of months, and the name of the book I’ve been reading is A School of Prayer: The Saints Show Us How To Pray, by the late Pope Benedict XVI. It has certainly been worth the effort, and I would highly recommend it for spiritual reading through Lent. 

The late holy Father begins with Abraham and the Old Testament, continues through Jesus’ teaching, and concludes with the New Testament books and Revelation. The book is filled with profound insights such as, “…our entire lives are like [Jacob’s] long night of struggle and prayer, spent in desiring and asking for God’s blessing, which cannot be grabbed or won through our own strength but must be received with humility from him as a gratuitous gift that ultimately allows us to recognize the Lord’s face”(p. 32) and “…God himself teaches us how to pray…He himself gave us the appropriate words to address him…Let us pray the Lord that we might be every day more aware of the fact that the Liturgy is an action of God and of man…”(p. 276) 

Over the last 37 years, I have wanted to grow in my own approach to prayer, and this book was simply excellent in that regard. I do not want to finish my life and still feel like I have only just begun to learn how to pray! If your Lenten spiritual reading needs some reflection on prayer, pick up the late pope’s book!

Important March Dates:

March 3 – 7-12 Confessions

March 3 – Stations of the Cross

March 4 – NHS Game night

March 7 – 7-12 Speaker

March 7 – Freshman Registration Night

March 8 – 4^th Grade Virtue Assembly

March 9 – 4^th Grade Recorder Concert

March 9 – K & 1 Field Trip

March 10 – Stations of the Cross

March 12 – Sacred Concert

March 14 – Spring Blood Drive

March 16 – 7^th Grade Retreat

March 16 – Upper School Penance Service

March 16 – Spring Conferences; K-6 Half Day

March 17 – K-12 Mass, Opening of 40 Hours Devotions

March 20-24 – Spring Break

March 31 – 7-12 Confessions

March 31 – Stations of the Cross

PreK-12 Spring Conferences – March 16^th

Mark your calendars for Parent/Teacher Conferences on Thursday, March 16^th. A reminder that school is in session this day as normal for grades 7-12, but it is a half-day ending at 11:00 AM for grades PreK-6. There is no after school care. Watch for a Sign-Up Genius coming soon to schedule your conferences.

Print Your Tuition Tax Statements for Last Year (Or Prior Year)

Print your annual Household Paid Tuition Tax Statement directly from the TADS website! Here are the instructions: 

1)        Log in at https://secure.TADS.com  

2)        Choose "Billing" at the left side of the page

3)        Choose "Household Paid Tuition Tax Report" 

4)        Select the year you wish to print. 

Questions? Please contact Sandy Veal, 651-925-8815.

Gmail Users: Missing Emails?

It has come to our attention that Gmail is filtering direct emails from Saint Agnes School faculty and staff to some users’ spam folders. If you use Gmail, please take a moment to check your spam folder for emails from any users “@saintagnesschool.org” and “Report as not spam”.

NB: This does not occur for the newsletter or emails generated through Educate. Thank you!

Center for Mission Writing Contest: Entries Due THIS WEDNESDAY, March 1st!

A final reminder that Writing Contest entries are due Wednesday, March 1! For entry submission guidelines, please download or view the flyer below. Thank you! We look forward to reading your students' reflections!

Junior High Science Fair Tomorrow (2/28)

The Saint Agnes Junior High Science Fair will held in Gruden Gym on Tuesday, February 28^th and will be open to the public from 1:00-2:45 PM

Family and friends are welcome to come and see what the junior high students have been working on!

9th Grade Course Registration – Tuesday, March 7th

All students entering 9th Grade for Fall 2023 will register for courses at a special event on Tuesday, March 7th. This is for current 8th graders at Saint Agnes as well as those students coming from other schools. Parents and students will get an overview of the high school academic program and have the opportunity to review course placement and make elective requests.

The program will be at 6:00 PM in the Helene Houle Auditorium. Contact Mr. Karl Hendrickson, Assistant Headmaster, or Mr. Joseph Olson, Director of Admissions, with questions.

Snow Days Dance Photo Link:

https://spaces.hightail.com/space/0C34cp7WSq

Aggie Athletics Calendar

View Aggie Athletics calendar here.

Trap Shooting Club Information (7th-12th Grade)

Trap shooting is a co-ed spring sport (Multi-spring sport athletes are welcome)

Season: March 26^th (our first practice is April 1^st) to May 27^th

Head Coach: Joseph Olson (jolson@saintagnesschool.org , 651-925-8803) Parents interested in coaching contact Mr. Olson directly

When – Every Saturday from 10:00AM– 11:30AM or Noon

Where We Shoot - Metro Gun Club in Blaine

Student Info Meeting – Wednesday, March 1^st 3:00pm in Auditorium

Cost to Participate - $275 + $35 League Cost

• Must provide own shot gun 
• Must have completed either DNR Firearm Safety Course or League SAFE in order to practice and compete (We recommend DNR course as you can not obtain hunting license with League SAFE Course)

Sign up with League ($35) (Team ID: sai991) as well as Saint Agnes ($275)

Team will provide ammunition

League FAQ’s

2023 Spring League Schedule

CASA: Caring for After School Aggies Help Needed

Sign-Up Genius Link for Spring Semester 2023:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0D4AA4AC23A2FE3-casa20222023

2023 Summer Series Instructors Needed

This year, our Summer Series program runs from Monday, June 12th through Friday, August 18th. If you are interested in teaching a class or would simply like more information, please reach out to Mrs. Miriam Naughton, the Summer Series Coordinator.

2023 VBS Instructors Needed

Running as a part of our Summer Series program, our VBS is also in need of instructors! It will run Monday-Friday, June 12th-16th, 09:00 AM-12:00 PM. If you are interested and able to serve with this program, please reach out to Mrs. Miriam Naughton, the Summer Series Coordinator.

Lent Stations of the Cross

Join us for Stations of the Cross every Friday during Lent at 8:45 AM.

Financial Aid and Scholarship Applications

If your family is seeking financial assistance for the 2023-24 school year, financial aid applications are due by February 28^th. NEW THIS YEAR, all families with a current 8^th grade student going into 9^th grade that is applying for aid is asked to fill out our general Need-Based Scholarship Application (no cost) along with the financial aid application.

Lower School Yearbooks

Order your 2022-23 Lower School yearbook using the button below and use School ID: 711670