Parent Newsletter

Friday, December 14, 2007

 

Bishop McDowell Regional School 50/50 Holiday Raffle Fundraiser   So far we have sold 662 tickets and the winner will receive $331.00. We need to continue to build the winnings so it will be enticing to others as we continue to sell.  Get your tickets and money in we only have 2 ½ more weeks to sell. Call the school office if you need more tickets and don’t forget to check the school website for updates throughout the week. Rumor has it if the Bishop McDowell Regional School community can get the winnings up to $500.00 to the winner,  this means selling another 338 tickets, Mr. Grgurich is going to give the students in grades K – 8 two dress down days in a row beginning on Thursday, January 3^rd -  Friday, January 4^th.

 

2007 Christmas Musical “Back to Bethlehem” & “This Old Gingerbread House”   Join us on Wednesday, December 19, 2007 at 7pm in the Bishop McDowell Regional School Cafeteria for an evening of drama and singing as the students in Kindergarten through 3^rd Grade present the Christmas Musicals “Back to Bethlehem” & “This Old Gingerbread House” under the direction of our 2nd & 3rd Grade teacher Mrs. Kathy DeFrancesco. Our hope during this evening is to bring the joy and peace of the Christ Child to the hearts of all. We look forward to seeing you!

 

The NED Show School Assembly   On Thursday, December 20, 2007 at 9:40am The NED Show School Assembly will be coming to Bishop McDowell Regional School for the students in grades K – 8. This assembly is an inspirational 45 minute performance involving yo-yos, humor, student participation and academic motivation. The Ned show will be promoting key character traits for student success in school and in life taught to us in the scriptures of St. Paul. Never give up (focus & persistence), Encourage others (kindness & shared learning) and Do your best (diligence & excellence). When the show is over the same types of yo-yos used during the show will be available for purchase at the school until Friday, January 11, 2008. See the attached form for more information about the performance and the purchase of yo-yos.

 

Red and Green Christmas Dress Down Day   On Friday, December 21, 2007 the faculty, staff and students in Grades K – 8 will be permitted to wear red and green Christmas type shirts and socks along with jeans or sweatpants and gym shoes for a Christmas dress down day. Any shirt that is red or green may be worn with exception to decals, sayings or symbols that go against the Catholic nature of our school. As always Mr. Grgurich reserves the right to deem what is appropriate and what is not. If you are not sure if something you might wear would be considered inappropriate call the school office. Make sure to keep it fun and simple. Reminder phone calls will be made to parents for inappropriate clothing. (Girls may wear Christmas earrings.)

 

Advent Reconciliation   The students in Grades 3 – 5 will be going to confession on Monday, December 17, 2007 and the students in Grades 6 – 8 on Tuesday, December 18, 2007 beginning each day at 1:15pm in the St. Albert the Great Church. Reverend James Orr and Reverend Edwin J. Wichman will hear confessions. Reverend James Orr will prepare our students for reconciliation by having a brief prayer service for examination of conscience before the children go to confession.

 

Advent Prayer Service   Mrs. Kuhn, Mrs. Dern and the Kindergarten and 1st Grade Students are preparing an Advent Prayer Service for Thursday, December 21, 2007 at 10:45am in the gym area of the cafeteria in the Bishop McDowell Regional School building. Please join us as we move closer to the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. Please make note of the time change.

 

2007 Christmas Vacation   Christmas Vacation for the students in Grades K - 8 will begin on Friday, December 21, 2007 at 12:15pm and continue through Wednesday, January 2, 2008. School resumes on Thursday, January 3, 2008 at 8am.

 

2007 Enjoyment & Entertainment Books   Anyone still looking for a last minute Christmas gift or stocking stuffer? Bishop McDowell Regional School still has the 2007 Enjoyment Book & 2007 Entertainment Book available for purchase. Call the school office if you would like to purchase one.

 

Early Dismissal   The students in Grades K - 8 will have an early dismissal at 12:15pm on Friday, December 21, 2007. We will follow our early dismissal snack procedure with snacks being sold by the HOPE Team members in the Cafeteria beginning at 10:25am. The items being sold are not mandatory to buy; you always have the option of sending in a snack with your child(ren). $1.50 should be more than enough money to purchase a snack and drink.

 

2^nd Nine Weeks Interims   2nd Nine Weeks Interims were sent in the mail on Friday, December 7, 2007. If your child received an interim you must sign and return it to your child’s teacher. This will indicate to the teacher that you understand your child is having difficulty in a particular subject area. A follow up phone call on the part of you the parent is encouraged for further suggestions in helping your child to improve their grade.

 

2008 Magic Club   Reverse Raffle and Dinner Dance- Applications for memberships are now being accepted.  Memberships make great Thank You gifts or Christmas presents.  Why not show your appreciation for that special someone you just don’t know what to buy. Go get a jump on your holiday shopping.  For more information call Janet Grgurich at (412) 885-1752 to answer any questions you might have about this exciting evening. If you need an application call the school office and we will send one home. Don’t be left, it’s a great evening and can be quite profitable. Reminder this year’s MAGIC Club is scheduled for Saturday, February 16, 2008.

 

January Market Day Orders   All January Market Day order forms are due to the school office on Monday, January 7, 2008.  Internet orders are due by noon on Thursday, January 10, 2008. Pick-up is scheduled for Wednesday, January 1 6, 2008 from 6pm - 7pm in the Cafeteria of the school building. As always we are in need of volunteers to help on Market Day, consider giving 1or 2-hours. Also, this is a great opportunity for our 8^th grade students to do service for the school community. If you have access to the Internet you can place your own order. It’s easy! Go to www.marketday.com for step by step instructions. If you would like to volunteer or have any questions about Market Day call the school office at (412) 884 – 5676.

 

January Monthly Lottery Tickets   On Friday, December 7, 2007 the January Monthly Lottery Tickets were sent home in your child’s bookbag.  We ask that each family try to sell at least (10) tickets each month. The cost is $5 per ticket and is based on the evening drawing of the 3-digit number. Once again this fundraiser has proven to be a great source of income for the school. We have the potential to make over $2,000.00 a month if all the tickets are sold. Just a reminder if you are able to sell more than (10) tickets, contact Judy Parente at (412) 881 - 8478 and she will send you additional tickets. All ticket stubs and money are due back to Judy by Friday, December 21, 2007 including unsold tickets.

 

2007 Trim a Tree Thank you   Thank you to the following for helping to make Trim-a-Tree a wonderful night. Thank you to Michael and Gail Facchiano for providing the sleigh ride and the Christmas wreath crafts, all the members of the activity committee for planning and preparing for this function. Thank you to all of the school families and faculty for their donations to The Women's Place. We had at least 10 big boxes of gifts. Finally, thank you to the school families that attended. A good time was had by all!!! We are looking forward to next year’s event.

 

2007 Santa Lunch Thank You   Bishop McDowell Regional School held its annual Santa Lunch this past Saturday, December 8^th. Once again we were sold out and as usual the event was a HUGE success. We would like to express our sincere thanks to all of our volunteers who helped to make this fundraising event possible. First thank you to the students who were so helpful with the crafts and made such a big effort during the cleanup, you should all be proud of yourselves: Giavanna Facchiano, Alexia Facchiano, Michala Facchiano, Madison Wrubleski, Elise Zielinski, Jena Grgurich, Alyssa Blair, Nina Baker and Amanda Henning. Secondly thank you to our parents and friends: Linn and Dave Focer, Michelle Fallon, Jackie Foreman, Wendy Wrubleski, Sharon Boyle, Judy Boyle, Joanne Anderson, Janet Grgurich, Cindy Schumacher, Karen Cook and Gail Facchiano. Thank you to these parents and friends for all the donations and for our wonderful raffles: Patricia Kastroll, Cathy Dern, Jane Facchiano, Lisa and Amanda Henning and Antonietta and Michael Facchiano, Sr. Finally, a very special thank you to that special guy who comes to visit us every year Santa Claus. Thanks again and we look forward to next years event.

Bishop McDowell Regional School Junior Sports Programs   The Bishop McDowell Regional School Junior Sports Programs will begin in January and run through March. The Junior Sports Programs being offered for Grades K – 3 this year will include: Basketball, Deck Hockey and Cheerleading for both boys and girls. The registration fee is $15.00 per child per sport. Each child will receive a T-shirt for each participating sport. Details regarding the Junior Sports program and the Junior Sports Registration form will be sent home at a later date to all students in Grades K - 3.

 

Bishop McDowell Regional School Bowling Program   On Friday, December 21, 2007, the Bishop McDowell Regional School Bowling Program will have its annual Christmas Party at the Playmor Lanes on Buttermilk Hollow Road. We certainly look forward to seeing all of our bowlers at the party. After the Friday, December 21^st session bowling will resume on Friday, January 4, 2008.

 

2008 Rally for Life and Youth Mass   Please consider participating in the 2008 Rally for Life and Youth Mass to be held on January 22^nd at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. Doors open at 7am, Confessions at 8am, Rally for Life at 8:45am and 10am Youth Mass. Immediately following will be the March for Life on the National Mall. For more information, call the Department for Youth and Young Adult Ministry at 412 – 456 – 3140. See the attached flyer.

 

“Support Our School” Bishop McDowell Regional School Web site   The holidays are just around the corner and more people are turning to the Web to purchase gifts for friends and family. If you are planning to shop online remember to stop by the “Support Our School” section on the Bishop McDowell Regional School Web site. We currently have a number of merchants to shop including: Wal-Mart, Target, Amazon and Oriental Trading. Just click on a link provided from our Website and it will take you directly to the Merchant’s shop. Browse that section, purchase what you want and Bishop McDowell Regional School will receive a commission for each item you buy. The great thing about these programs, there is no extra cost to you for purchasing items from these merchants. Just remember that every time you shop at these merchants you will need to click on the link provided on our school’s Web site so we can get credit. You will be amazed at how much we can earn by doing this. http://www.bishopmcdowellschool.org/store/supportourschool.htm