NEWSLETTER

St. Fr

ancis

of A

ssisi

Cath

olic S

choo

l

December 11, 2015

Did You Know?

St. Francis of Assisi

Catholic School

exists to form,

inform and

transform students

as members of

Christ’s Mystical

Body. Body.

Your parish family appre-

ciates your gift of steward-

ship and a special thanks

goes to those who have al-

ready met or exceeded their

pledge! Check out page 3 of

this week’s Flash for a

breakdown of where we are

financially as a parish.

In 1st grade, you might have run across some Jack’s and Jill’s, blind mice, and even cows jump-

ing over the moon. We have been preparing for our annual Nursery Rhyme performances! On Fri-

day, December 4th, first grade dropped the ABC’s and 123’s and headed over to Clare Hall in full

costume, and accompanied by props. We performed our nursery rhymes for our supportive friends

and family. If you peeked in on our performances, you would have seen Humpty Dumpty falling, a

mouse running up a clock, and Little Boy Blue looking for his sheep. A few weeks back, when

students were asked to pick their favorite nursery rhyme, memorize it, create a costume or prop,

and stand on a stage in front of a crowded audience, there were some astounded faces and many

wide eyes. We even heard “Who? Not me!” Although when the big day came, after long prepara-

tion, we exchanged the wide eyes for wide smiles on stage as our audience applauded our many

performances. What a talented young bunch of 1st graders we have! By~ Mrs. Lynn

Monday, December 14:

Reconciliation, 7-8 grade

Tuesday, December 15:

Reconciliation, 3-4 grade

Band/Choir Concert

2:15pm & 7:00pm

Wednesday, December 16:

Reconciliation, 5-6 grade

Vikings Singers Choir

Tour 8:30am

Friday, December 18:

Bishop Kemme’s

Visit to SFA!

Christmas Parties, 11:15am

12noon DISMISSAL~

NO LUNCH or EDP

Tuesday, January 5:

Classes Resume

from the Faculty &

Staff

I have a special book that I refer to often entitled, Grace for the Moment. The inspirational thoughts

that the author, Max Lucado, shares seems to be exactly what I need at the time. I read this prayer

this week and thought that maybe it would be inspirational to you, as well:

“...If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent an educator. If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist. If our great-est need had been money, God would have sent us an economist. But since our greatest need was forgiveness, God sent us a Savior. He became like us, so we could become like him. Angels still sing and the star still beckons. He loves each one of us like there was only one of us to love.”

May God’s love for you and your family flow to everyone that you meet this holiday season. On

behalf of the Teachers and Staff of St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School, we wish you joyous bless-

ings this Christmas and happiness and holiness in the New Year!

With you in Christ, Mrs. Mary Carter

Is eating healthier part of

your goals for 2016? Check

out this website for deli-

cious and nutritious recipes

for your family.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/butternut-squash-hummus-56389855

“Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit”

VIKING

It has been a busy time for

7th and 8th grade students in science. This se-

mester they have worked on P.L.T.W. (Project

Lead the Way). The 7th graders worked with

the Inventor program where they drew items in

3D on the computer that they had first meas-

ured and drawn on paper. The 8th grade stu-

dents concentrated on a unit about Energy and

the Environment. They built windmills that

had to perform 3 different tasks to complete

their coursework. Both classes have worked

with Study Island this semester. This comput-

er program helps students review current con-

cepts taught in class but also concepts taught

in previous years. Did you know that students

are only tested in science, for Kansas Assess-

ments, in 5th and 8th grades? That is a lot of

time to remember science information. We are

happy to have such a great tool to help the

students review current and prior knowledge.

The 7th grade students are hard at work cur-

rently completing a project which demon-

strates the 3rd law of motion. They are devel-

oping a vehicle that will demonstrate the 3rd

law of motion and travel 1.5 meters. The 8th

grade students are learning about the periodic

table during a chemistry unit right now.

by~ Mrs. Mermagh

The St. Francis of Assisi

Charities Committee Holiday

Food Drive is underway

through Friday, December

18th.

Marked boxes are located at the en-

trances into the school. All donations

will be delivered to Catholic Charities

“Our Daily Bread” food pantry. Below

are suggested items but feel free to do-

nate any non-perishable food.

Canned fruits and vegetables

Canned chicken and tuna

Canned pasta and soup

Rice and pasta

Oatmeal and cereal

Thank you for your support in helping

feed the hungry of our community!

The Charities Committee

14th Annual

Valentine Dinner

& Dance! Saturday, January 30

th

7:00 – 11:30 pm

Invitations are coming soon!

Come for food, fellowship & fun!

Questions? Contact Shawna Edwards.

573-7852/shawnaed@yahoo.com.

by~ Mrs. O’Connor

Friday, December 18th:

12noon DISMISSAL,

NO lunch served, NO EDP

NO SCHOOL:

Monday, December 21st~

Monday, January 4th

SCHOOL RESUMES:

Tuesday, January 5th

The 8th grade

science class, led

by Mrs. Mernagh

was visited by

several Bishop

Carroll students

with the St. Gianna

Catholic Health

Academy. They spoke to the students on

Sleep and Healthy Eating. They shared their

experiences of dealing with academics and

healthy living. Mrs. Mernagh shared how

healthy living relates to science. She shares,

“The girls talked about getting at least

8 hours of sleep at night. It is also important

to put your cell phones away so that you get a

deep sleep. They also talked about eating

healthier and we should make sure to have

half of our plates with fruits and vegeta-

bles.” Mrs. Conrad our school nurse also

added why healthy living is important: “Two

very important things that affect children at

school are eating breakfast and getting ade-

quate amounts of sleep. Sleep gives cells a

chance to regenerate, muscles to repair them-

selves, and the brain a chance to recalibrate

hormone levels that affect mood, appetite and

ability to focus. Breakfast helps improve

mental performance and concentration during

the school day.”

Preschool is

an amazing

place to be! We

are learning our

letters through

many engaging

activities this

year. The high-

light of each week

is our cooking

lesson. Our classes are blessed with

wonderful parents who volunteer week-

ly for our cooking class. Our letter “N”

cooking lesson this week will be a creat-

ing a Nativity Scene. Learning our al-

phabet letters is our first priority; mak-

ing it cross curricular, it becomes more

meaningful!

In preschool, we discover interactive

ways to learn through play that incorpo-

rates music,

art, creativi-

ty, fine mo-

tor and in-

vestigative

skills. Some

of our favor-

ite memories

this year

have been a

trip to

Klausmeyer Dairy Farm, cooking, mak-

ing scarecrows and hand print turkeys,

using our science toys for investigation

and singing along with Dr. Jean’s letter

songs.

Next week, we will be having a Gin-

gerbread Event with our families at our

Christmas Party. Each child will make

a house to take home for Christmas.

Preschool is a great opportunity to

build social skills, make friends and

learn concepts while preparing for Kin-

dergarten. Our students love to learn

new things!!

Handprint Turkeys for our parents!

Father Jarrod Lies stopped by at recess to see us.

St. Francis of Assisi will

have a special focus on

Fr. Kapaun and our mili-

tary for Catholic Schools

Week this year. We are planning a

special bulletin board to honor veterans

and active members of the military,

from the SFA school and parish family.

If you or someone you know is a veter-

an or currently serving in the military,

lease provide Mrs. Wescott with their

name, military branch, rank and a photo

(copies please, no originals) if possible.

We will add these people to our bulletin

board and ask Fr. Kapaun to pray for

them. Thank you for your participation.

Email information to Mrs. Wescott at

awescott@stfranciswichita.com or drop

off information for her at the school

office.

*a non-pledge parishioner refers to those that contribute financially but did not fill out a stewardship of treas-ure form. Your parish family appreciates your gift of stewardship and a special thanks to those that have already met or exceeded their pledge!

Where Are You?

Are you behind on your pledge or your giving? Don’t worry you’re not alone! For many families the bulk of

their giving happens in December. Please remember your parish family and your promise to it as you com-

plete your year-end charitable contributions. This is a great time to prayerfully reflect on where you are cur-

rently at with your gift of treasure and consider making an effort to catch up your contribution by year end or

an extraordinary gift. Information provided by the Parish Finance Council, December 2015

Where Are We?

Before the calendar year comes to a close, we want to share a summary of giving to our parish. As of November 15th,

the parish has received $3,800,000 in contributions. The majority of which was from parishioners who have already

made their annual pledge—Thanks! What follows is detail on where we have not yet met our pledge or are below

last year’s giving and how it financially impacts our parish.

$990,000

$363,000

Amount Pledged and Given (where short of pledge)

Total Given

Short ofPledge

$115,000

$39,000

$135,000

$74,000

Breakdown of Pledge Shortfall(breakdown of the $363,000)

0-10% ofpledge met

10-30% ofpledge met

30-80% ofpledge met

80- 99 % ofpledge met