Tiger Talk!
December 11, 2020
Dear Families,
I hope the beginning of this Advent season has been a peaceful and blessed one. Our Advent theme this year is “Waiting and Wondering.” We have talked to the children about what it means to have patience, as we await the celebration of Jesus’s Birth on Christmas Day. Each Monday we pray a special Advent prayer before we light the next candle on our Advent wreath (in the school lobby). The repeated theme in all of our prayers is that we are patiently waiting for Jesus to come. We talk about the faith, hope, love, and joy that came from a humble stable and the very simple birth of a baby boy. This supports our Corporal Works of Mercy monthly virtues as we continue to learn about sheltering the homeless with our Bible story, No Room in the Inn; The Flight to Egypt (Luke 2;1-7; Matthew 2:1-15).
Prayer Request! Please keep Ms. Mary Murray, our First Grade Teacher, in your prayers. Ms. Murray’s father, Gerard Murray, passed away last week. His private (family) funeral service will be held this upcoming Tuesday. It has been a very difficult couple of weeks for her family. We send them our virtual love, support, compassion, and sympathy at this time. We have missed her and look forward to her return next week.
Lunch/Water bottles/Snacks Reminders:
- Lunch – Be sure to pack a lunch for your child every day. Cafeteria service is a Pre-Order option only. There is no daily ordering option.
- When you send in your monthly lunch menu, be sure your child’s name and grade are filled in (space is provided) and the payment is attached. We had several menus returned this month with no name. It took hours to figure out which students the menu belonged to. A fully operational cafeteria is a blessing. Not many schools are offering this benefit. Please help us keep it running smoothly.
- Water Bottles – Please send in multiple water bottles with your child. Our water fountains are not in use due to COVID.
- Snacks – Each class has a designated snack time. Please be sure to send a snack in with your child. Other than recess, this is the break they look forward to the most during the school day!
NO AFTERCARE next Friday, December 18th! Please arrive promptly at 3pm next Friday, December 18th. We would like our staff to be able to start their Christmas break with their families right after dismissal. The school office will close at 3pm next Friday and will reopen on January 4th.
Christmas Break/Virtual Return
- School will be closed for the Christmas Break from December 19th through January 3rd.
- Per the letter sent home from our superintendent, we will reopen virtually on January 4th. Information will be sent home over the course of the next week from your child’s teacher. At this point, the diocesan plan is to be learning remotely for one week, Monday, January 4th – Friday, January 8th.
- For students who are physically in-school, we will be sending home books and supplies over the course of next week so students will have everything they need for their week of online learning.
Congratulations are in order to the following people:
- God Bless our Eighth Grade class. They are celebrating the Sacrament of Confirmation this week and next. They have been preparing for months to be filled with the Holy Spirit and blessed with the Fruits of the Spirit…Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety, and Fear of the Lord.
- God Bless Ms. Lexie Cazier, our Preschool 4 year old teacher! Ms. Cazier will marry her best friend this weekend. We wish them all the best; a life of love and laughter.
Financial Aid for the 2021-2022 School Year – Financial aid application information has been emailed to all parents. Anyone wishing to receive any form of financial assistance for the 2021-2022 school year MUST complete and file the online application through the Diocese of Wilmington. Please know that an award or grant form this year does not guarantee an award or grant for next school year. A new application must be filed. The parish will not award any tuition money until the application process through the Diocese is finalized. Please contact Mr. Shields or Mrs. Serio with any questions.
- The deadline to apply is March 4th. There are no exceptions to this deadline.
Thank you for keeping the safety of our school family a priority. Because of your diligence and the hard work of my staff we have been able to remain open since September 1st. I am so thankful for that. Please do not relax with our four priorities (masking, safe-distancing, sanitizing, and daily screening) over the Christmas break. We are counting on all of you for our ability to continue in-person learning through next week and resume it on January 11th. If we hear any news about a change to our current plan, I will notify you by School Messenger email as soon as possible.
Tiger Talk! will resume on January 15th. We will use School Messenger emails to communicate as needed. I wish everyone a beautiful and blessed Christmas with your families. I am looking forward to an exciting 2021!
Love and Blessings,
Mrs. White
“Advent is a time of waiting for our Lord, who will visit us all in our own hearts! The Lord is coming! Let us wait for Him!” ~ Pope Francis