The School Board would like to thank the co-chairs of our  Auction event, Keri Ramon, Karrie Ambrose, Alicia Lam, and Angie Clinton, and all of the volunteers and families who supported the Auction with your time, your talents, and your treasures. It was a wonderful evening with so many parents getting together to support the school.

Proceeds from the Auction account for more than 10 percent of the school's operating budget, so it really is a big event and its success is important to all of the school families and staff. Even though the evening has come and gone, there are still ways to continue to support the Auction.  Spirit items (sport chairs, umbrellas, visors, etc.) are available for purchase as well as openings in a few sign-up parties. We encourage everyone at St. Cecilia Catholic School to find a way to participate, now and in the future.  Whether through t-shirt sales, pre-sale items, spirit items, underwriting, program ads, or volunteering on a committee...there are plenty of opportunities for each family to show their support.  Even if you can't attend the event, there are ways to help.  Full support from all of our families will ultimately be the way to keep our tuition affordable.

Consider this: your contribution to the Annual Fund is 100% tax-deductible. Think of your contribution as a gratuity. Most of us wouldn't hesitate to add a tip on a restaurant tab between 10 and 20 percent. $250, $500 or even $1,000 represent a fraction of the tuition we're currently paying. If every family made a contribution in one of these amounts, we could easily exceed our goal of $130,000.

In the past we have strived for 100% participation of all family and staff members. This continues to be an important goal, especially in our grant writing efforts, but the dollar amount of the contribution is equally important. This fund is the vehicle which advances the mission of our school. There is a balance between our desire for a state of the art facility, a well trained staff, and affordable tuition.

School board committees continue to work on a variety of initiatives and programs. We want to thank everyone who has supported the Faith in Action Committee with the purchase of the Giving of Ourselves (GO) t-shirts. Proceeds from these shirts fund the service projects being planned and performed in each class.

The Student Achievement Committee has been working with Dr. Everling and the teachers, evaluating data on class sizes and student performance and documenting the trends in this data over the past few years.

The Safety and Technology Committee has been working with Mr. Vasquez to inventory and document all of the computer equipment. This will help in the planning for future maintenance and replacement. This committee has also been working with the parish staff to ensure the school's mechanisms and procedures for security are in adequate working order.

The Development Committee has been working with Ann Bass to find ways to maximize the benefits of each giving opportunity and to increase the efficiency of supporting the many events throughout the year.

The Finance Committee continues to work closely with the office staff to track the progress of our monthly budgets. While we still have room in our enrollment for several more students, we continue to maintain a healthy balance.

The Communications Committee is working toward having the board meeting agendas and minutes available on the website. Check the school board link for more information.

For more information on these committees, please contact any member of the School Board.

Wishing you all a happy Advent season and a Merry Christmas!