|
St. Christopher, Pray for Us
As a child, I wore a St. Christopher medal proudly claiming my patron saint. I loved the image of "Christopher" as the Christ bearer with the child Jesus sitting atop his shoulder.
The simple oval medal rarely left my neck and shoulders, and I felt as long as I was wearing it, I was personally protected. In today's language, St. Christopher "had my back."
I remember too ,having a little plastic, magnetic St. Christopher statue on the dash of my parent's car. Looking back on it now, I think seat belts for the four kids would have made more practical sense than relying on the protection of my patron saint but that's another story.
What got me thinking about St. Christopher was the tragic shooting at Umpqua Community College in Oregon. I couldn't get past the image that this horrible event took place on a campus where feeling safe and secure, valued and dignified are prerequisites for learning in community. I was a bit overwhelmed with the sadness that shootings on our American school campuses are too common and we who live in them are particularly vulnerable. The news of this shooting unfolded on a day that we were celebrating the Feast of our Guardian Angels and I was struck with the questions that come when horrible things happen to good people-where was their St. Christopher?
There is the saying that we should pray as if everything depended on God but we act as if everything depended on us (many spiritual directors think we should frame it, we pray as if everything depended on us but act as if everything depended on God but that too is another story). My point is that while I wore the St. Christopher medal and we drove with the Christopher statue, it was my responsibility to be safe. Reason and faith go hand and hand; my faith tells me I should trust in the providential love of our God but it is reasonable and expected that we do our part to protect each other, to protect the children in our care, to "carry" those we are responsible for. God depends on us to care for all of his children.
We at St. Pat's have plans for safety and procedures in place on how best to respond when the sanctity of our campus is compromised. Our Safety Committee led by Patty Davidson and including a former police officer have looked at best practices and plans so that we are current. From first aid training for over 20 employees to having defibrillator practice, we started the year with safety in mind. Our calendar includes regular and incremental drills for fire and earthquake as well as lockdowns for intruders. It is a tricky thing to practice "real life" without scaring 5 year olds but the Committee has protocols which all of us must know to keep safe. Our first training drill for fire and earthquake is this week, we are offering our Safe Environment classes for employees and volunteers, and we are following up on maintenance issues related to safety.
When I say "we do our part", it includes you and I am grateful that you are part of our "Christopher" effort. Some of you have offered to help with rewriting our website photo policy for greater security; others have recently sent safety plans from their work sites; a parent pointed out our crosswalks need to be re-painted; Hedgefest 11 is scheduled again this month and I want to reiterate that this is more than campus beautification but a chance to make sure our sight lines are good for safety. Keep on offering suggestions, be observant for how we can be more secure, and join us at our activities which focus on care for our children. Together we will make the difference.
I know we no longer have a St. Christopher day on the church calendar but I still love the image of him carrying Jesus on his shoulder. It is with that spirit that I can get past the tragedies and commit again to the sacred responsibility of carrying those who are most precious to me-your children. peace, Chris
|
|
Upcoming Events
October 6: Individual Photos- Nice Free Dress or Uniform October 8: Primary/Intermediate Mass, 8:45 AM October 9: Health Screening: K,1,2,3,7 October 15: Noon Dismissal, Conferences October 16: No School, Teacher Inservice October 17: Harvest Festival Save the Date!
|
|
Annual Fund 16
We are beginning a letter writing campaign this week! Watch for more information in your child's backpack. We appreciate your efforts in participating in and supporting this campaign.
We are thankful for the strong support of Annual Fund 16 so far. In pledges and gifts, we have over $95,000 toward our goal of $150,000. If you haven't pledged or donated, please take a moment to do so today. We will need everyone's participation to reach our goal! For more information, click here for the video and click here to learn more about Annual Fund on our website. Don't forget to pledge or donate by October 31! Thank you.
Click Here To Make A Donation
|
|
Accreditation Stakeholders' Meeting
Community members, parishioners and parents are welcome to join us for a Stakeholders' Meeting as we begin our Self-Study Year in the school's accreditation cycle. The meeting will be held on October 27 from 6-8 PM in the Gym.
|
|
Conferences
Teacher Conferences-Meetings that Matter
There can be too little communication from school to home; there can be too much electronic communication; and there can be too many messages that are just informational. But there is rarely any downside to face to face communication between parent and teacher when talking about student learning. The only time Parent-Teacher conferences are bad are when they don't happen! Please make time to schedule your conference appointment, or in the case of Middle School, make time to attend. These brief meetings are often all we need to keep in touch about how the school year has started. These meetings can be gateways to longer, more focused, meetings if necessary. The message we send to our kids when we make time for conferences is that "you matter, your education matters, your teachers matter". We look forward to listening and sharing with you; our partnership matters! See you then, Chris
|
|
Community Ministry
St. Patrick School Community Ministry "Question of the Week" is "Who will receive good things from God?" Find reflection opportunities in the Mass readings for Thursday, October 5. Better yet, join students and teachers in Grades K -1-2-3-4-5 as we celebrate Mass together on Thursday at 8:45. Let's lift each other up in prayer! Coming soon: Middle School Mass: October 15, 8:45 Living Rosary: PreK-5th Grade, October 22 8:45, Gym. All School Mass to Celebrate All Saints and All Souls: October 29, 8:45
|
|
COFIA Update
COFIA's container of school supplies, clothing and other materials arrived at St. Jude's school in Uganda. These cute children are wearing St. Pat's and Annie Wright donated uniforms. A lot of the school supplies and clothing were donated by St. Pat's students. It's great to see the difference these donations are making at St. Jude's!
|
|
CYO
Cross Country
Congratulations for completing the second to last meet of the season. We had 12 top 10 finishers! - Two 1st Place, one 2nd place, two 4th place, two 5th place , three 6th place, and two 10th place. Here are the details for the upcoming week:
Tuesday practice at Vassault from 3:45-4:45 pm.
Thursday practice at Point Defiance from 3:45-4:45 pm.
Sunday race starts at 1:50 pm.
Sunday, October 18th, the End of the Year celebration in church basement is at 5:30 pm.
Please check with coaches if you have any questions.
Basketball
Sign-ups start this week. Please talk about this with your children in 4th -8th grades and have them sign-up in their classroom. For sign-ups please make sure that your son or daughter has your email address so that the coach can contact you next week, especially if you are new to the school. The sign-up sheets should be in the classroom Monday-Friday. There will be a coaches' meeting on Monday October 12th in the gym at 7:15 pm. Please contact the athletic director if you have any questions. His email address iscyoathletics@saintpats.org.
CYO volleyball starts forming teams for 5th-8th grades in February. Practice will start in February. Games start in March. The season runs through April.
There are several other athletics that are offered through the Sno-King CYO program. Saint Pats has not had its own team in these sports, yet! We would need volunteer coaches for these sports which are soccer, baseball, softball and track.
|
|
Basketball Clinic
FREE GIRLS BASKETBALL CLINIC! Is your kindergarten - 4th grade daughter interested in learning some basketball basics? On Wednesday, October 7th from 4:00-5:30, join past and current CYO girl basketball players and coaches for an afternoon of fun basketball drills and games. No experience necessary- just come and learn more about basketball!
|
|
Photo Request
School parent, Mindi Marsh has generously volunteered to create our yearbook this year. If you have any unique and wonderful pictures of students, teachers, administration, classroom events, fields trips, CYO sports, etc., please email them to Mindi Marsh at swampclan@hotmail.com. If you have questions, she can be contacted either through email or call 253.232.9152. Thank you!
|
|
Health Screening
Health screening for vision and hearing will be held on October 9 for grades K, 1, 2, 3, and 7. The 5th grade, make-ups and re-screenings will be held on October 30.
Please send your child/ren with appropriate eye wear and/or hearing aids.
If you are looking for a good way to obtain commitment hours, please don't hesitate to volunteer. No medical experience is needed, but Safe Environment is required. Interested? Questions? Please email Shannon Zawilski at redheadrn@comcast.net. Thank you!
|
|
Coding With Kids
Want to become a coding ace and write your own games? Whether you have never written a line of code or have attended our class already, this beginner/intermediate class is for you! You will learn/practice core coding concepts (functions, variables, etc.), as well as important programming skills, such as debugging and time management. Beginners will be creating their first animations, quizzes and computer games in just a few short weeks!
|
|
Raffle
Bellarmine is holding a student raffle in support of their Financial Aid Program. If you would like a chance at winning $5,000 while also supporting accessibility at Bellarmine, please consider purchasing raffle tickets from a Bellarmine student or the Bellarmine Advancement Office. Tickets are $10 each.
|
|
From the Parish
The Art of Teaching the Good News:
Surprised by Joy!
Presented by Sr. Liz Tiernan, SNDdeN
Saturday October 17, 2015 9:00 AM - Noon
Doors open at 8:30 AM for continental breakfast
St. Martin of Tours Parish, 2305 54th Ave. E, Fife 98424
Workshop content includes:
-
The Six Tasks of Catechesis
-
Prayer in the Classroom
-
Discipline Techniques "Surrounded by Angels"
-
The Catechist's Personal Relationship with God
Free for all Catechists!
The workshop is funded by the Pierce County Deanery All Catechists of the Pierce County Deanery are invited! RSVP to Kim Ward 383-2783 ext. 4108 or kward@saintpats.org
Sr. Elisabeth Tiernan, is a member of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, and has been a religious educator for many years. She has traveled extensively as a workshop presenter. Sr. Liz presents ideas and methods intended to enhance the classroom experience for teachers and students alike. Her style is interactive making use of visuals, music, media and storytelling, as well as prayer and ritual.
Youth Group Saint Patrick Youth group meets every other Sunday from 4-5:30 PM in the Parish Center. We have fun, great fellowship, games, food, and grow in our faith. Come every time we meet or whenever you can make it. Bring a friend and join us.Visit Our Website
|
 |
|
