Education for Life The McDonell Area Catholic Schools are committed to the formation of community, academic excellence and the spiritual and physical well-being of each student in the Spirit of Jesus Christ. St. Charles Childcare St. Charles Borromeo Primary Holy Ghost Elementary Notre Dame Middle School McDonell Central Catholic High School November 2014 School Newsletter MACS Central Office Hours: Mon - Fri 7 am to 4 pm—6 pm on Thu School Offices open 7:30 am to 4:00 pm 715.723.0538 www.macs.k12.wi.us Look for MACS on Facebook & Twitter 723.2161 723.5827 723.6478 723.4777 723.9126 Extraordinary Synod for Families - Life Changing By Jeffrey Heinzen, opening Mass with Pope Francis, MACS President at which all the Synod Fathers It has been my privilege to be presided. We had the honor of invited and participate, along with sitting immediately behind the my wife Alice ’71, at the ExtraCardinals. ordinary Synod on the family in * Monday – Friday (October 7 Rome, Italy from October 5th – 10) the real work began. Pope 19th. We will be developing a full Francis opened the session by presentation that will be available saying, “This meeting on families to groups beginning in November. Here are some of the highlights. * The Synod opened with a “Festival of Families” on Saturday, October 5th. We were on the “platform” where Pope Francis presided over the evening. * Sunday, Above: MACS President Jeff and his wife Alice ’71 Heinzen October 6th speak with Pope Francis and his translator. Alice holds items was the for the Pope to bless during their visit. Happy Thanksgiving! This is the season for giving thanks for our health, happiness, family and friends. We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support of Catholic education and the McDonell Area Catholic Schools CENTRAL OFFICE CLOSED Thursday, November 27 Friday, November 28 HOURS OPEN M, T, W, F 7 a.m. - 4 p.m. TH 7 a.m. - 6 p.m. is to be a free and open discussion of what is going on in the universal church around marriage and families. All must speak freely and openly.” * Pope Francis was present during seven of the 11 days of meetings. He had cleared his calendar to be in the meeting room with about 250 people to listen and take notes for all those days. Indeed, he is very much a Pope of the common people. Continue to page 11 NOVEMBER EVENTS For full listing, check on website for school’s monthly events calendars. Nov. 3 Begin Second Quarter Nov. 5 Gift Wednesday - Parent Drop Off Nov. 9 Spaghetti Spectacular held at McD from 11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Nov. 10 Spaghetti dinner take-outs delivered to local businesses. Open House at ND and McD for current and new inquiring families for grades 5 through 11. Tuition drawings. Time 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. Music Booster Meeting - 6:30 at McD Nov. 10 -11 Parent-Student-Teacher Conferences HG, SC and BB4C Nov. 12 NDAA parent meeting 6:00 p.m. McD Athletic Boosters monthly parent meeting both in McD library 7:00 p.m. Nov. 18 Blood Drive at McD 9a.m.-2 p.m. Nov. 19 Parent Drop Off Day Nov. 20 Education Commission @ 5:30 p.m. Nov. 22 Craft Country Expo @ 9 a.m.- 3 p.m. held at McD Nov. 24 ND-McD Jazz Ensembles - 7:00 p.m. Nov. 26-28 NO SCHOOL - Thanksgiving Break Over 130 years of Catholic education 1 Family Newsletter November 2014 ACADEMIC AFFAIRS & ACCREDITATION Mary Huffcutt, Dean of Academic Affairs and Accreditation, 715.723.0538 ext. 3302 or [email protected]. Principal Brother Roger has implemented an exciting new program called Project Lead the Way (PLTW) at the middle and high school level. PLTW is a non-profit organization that has developed an interactive, hands-on, Mrs. Mary Huffcutt learning program that focuses on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) curriculum. Last summer, MACS sent three teachers for a two week intense training to be able to lead this program. Mr. Kuehl went to the University of Minnesota. Ms. Pomietlo and Mr. Jacobson attended Milwaukee School of Engineering. MACS continues to bring in our Catholic values and social justices into our curriculum and with the number of jobs that will be opening up in the STEM fields, we want to help our students who are thinking about these fields, bring these values with them. The U.S. Dept. of Commerce estimates that jobs in STEM will grow 17% by the year 2018. That is more than double than the growth expected for non-STEM jobs! We are excited about this opportunity. We are excited about the critical thinking, the project based learning and how we are bringing our values to this field of learning. Education Technology & Media Val Knobloch, MST Director of Technology [email protected] 715.723.0538 ext. 3325 This month, our 1:1 ChromeBook pilot, Project Lead the Way (PLTW) and CVTC interns updates. The 6th graders received their Dell Chromebooks in early October and Mr. Val Knobloch have been using them daily at school and home following the 7th graders who received them earlier. We have also upgraded our network filter that will allow us to monitor and enforce filter policies on school owned devices regardless of location. More details will be sent home to families in the near future. In PLTW, Mr. Mitch Jacobson’s Biomedical Science class has been doing CSI like experiments in Lab 211 where we have new mobile cart with laptops. Mr. Justin Kuehl’s Gateway to Engineering class has six sections of 7th and 8th grade students enrolled while Ms. Julie Pomietlo’s Intro to Engineering Design will welcome High School students 2nd semester. For more information on PLTW, go to: https://www.pltw.org/our-programs. And lastly, infrastructure improvements are moving along with the help of interns from the CVTC’s IT program. Boon Thao and Sean Zimmerman have joined us for a few months and have already made a valuable impact. They in turn are learning about Mobile devices management (iPads and Chromebooks) and user support. McDonell Area Catholic Schools $crip Fundraising News Barb Gale, Administrative Assistant & Scrip Fundraising Coordinator 715.723.0538 ext. 3301 or [email protected]. web link: www.macs.k12.wi.us/scrip.html The start of fall and November is a great time to stock your pantry at home and your Mrs. Barb Gale wallet for your Thanksgiving family gatherings. Being thankful for the bounties and blessings that have been bestowed, upon us, let us think about restocking our area food pantry as well or giving a needy family a grocery Scrip gift card. Preparing for the holiday season, we have started building our Scrip inventory weekly. Let us know if there are any vendors you would like to see stocked for the holiday season. I have a number of American Girl $25, Cabela’s $25, Children’s Place $25, GameStop $25, Land’s End $100 and Starbucks Coffee $10 scrip gift cards. Remember, we are open until 6:00 p.m. every Thursday evening, except for holidays. If there is anyone who has several hours a week to help with Scrip sales in our office, please give me a call. This volunteer program is in need of more help anytime from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thank you for supporting the Scrip program and working toward 2015-2016 tuition credits! Advancement News Jenny Schafer, Director of Advancement [email protected] or 715.723.0538 ext. 3306 Spaghetti Spectacular is almost here! Planning is underway for the 7th Annual Mrs. Jenny Schafer Spaghetti Spectacular set for Sunday, November 9th. This is the first of two events that are fundraisers for the entire MACS system. I would like to say a huge THANK YOU to all of the parents who have volunteered. We only have a few spots to fill on Sunday and Monday! If you have a flexible schedule, we could really use your help on Monday, November 10th to to get 600 meals delivered to area businesses on time. The more drivers we have the better our service to our supporters. The raffle baskets are coming in and they are once again fabulous! You can view them on the MACS website under the parent link of our website. Or click on Br. Roger’s image. Please help us spread the word to area businesses about our special Monday delivery. We will deliver a hot spaghetti meal, with the homemade garlic bread and salad, to businesses in the Chippewa Falls and Lake Hallie area on the 10th. Tell your employer to let everyone order in! Order forms are also on the website. We want to beat our record of 600 meals delivered. Our goal is to raise $18,000 this year. With your help, we can achieve our goal. We look forward to seeing you on November 9th! 2 Family Newsletter November 2014 MACS Parent Organizations www.macs.k12.wi.us Home and School Association Notre Dame Athletic Association email: [email protected] web link: www.macs.k12.wi.us/ndaa.html email: [email protected] web link: www.macs.k12.wi.us/hns.html Tina Ferguson, President We have moved into the season of thanks. We all have something to be thankful for, whether it is our family, career or simply this beautiful world God has provided us. Reminder that Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held on Monday, November 10th and Tuesday, November 11th. Volunteers are needed to provide soup, bread, salad and a dessert for the teachers at both Holy Ghost and St. Charles. See VolunteerSpot to volunteer your cooking skills. Also, in November will be our next parent HandS meeting, we invite you to join us on Wednesday, November 12th at St. Charles School beginning at 6:00 p.m. There are several upcoming activities that we would appreciate your input and/or assistance to coordinate. Keep in mind, meeting attendance is applied to your volunteer hours and we enjoy seeing new faces. In closing, we thank all the volunteers that provided their time at the Harvest Hoedown. The children had a wonderful time and it was a joy to see the little smiles on all their faces. Have a blessed Thanksgiving. Home and School Steering Committee Music Boosters email: [email protected] web link: www.macs.k12.wi.us/musboost.html The fall concession season has ended and a big thank you goes out to all who volunteered your time at one of the many nights. The money raised will help pay for the cost of the transportation ($6,500) to Mr. Robert Parkhurst Nashville for our music students. President Next up for the Music Boosters is the Country Craft Expo on November 22nd. Tell all of your friends and family to stop by to find something to purchase from one of the many vendors, while supporting Music Boosters. Volunteer spots still available for the event. We are looking for help at the event! Volunteers are needed to take tickets, concessions and help set up on Friday VolunteerSpot sign up. Scroll down to Music Booster Activities. No pie stand this year. Watch for the MVP Gold Cards being sold by the music students in all grades. Reminder to parents that $5 per card sold goes toward your student’s/family's account to pay for trips and $10 per card sold for high school students heading to Nashville. Meetings are held the second Monday of each month and we are looking for new ideas for the future. If you want to be part of new and exciting events for the fine arts programs at McDonell, please come to the one of the next meetings. McDonell Area Catholic Schools 3 The candy bar sales are still in full swing. We ordered the same number of boxes as last year, however last year they were gone in two weeks, and this year we have many boxes left after the official end of selling. Please consider taking another box if you are able. We will be Mrs. Michele Kressin sending back the left overs in the next NDAA President few weeks. We also collect Gordy's receipts all year long, please turn them in regularly as they are only good for one year. Remember with the receipts, we do not receive funds for alcohol or service counter sales. Hope to see you November 12th at our next NDAA meeting 6:00 p.m. in the McDonell Library! McDonell Athletic Boosters email: [email protected] web link: www.macs.k12.wi.us/athboost.html Brian Heidtke, President Monthly meetings are held on the Second Wednesday of the month at 7 p.m. at McDonell. Parents, this is a great way to find out, first hand, what’s happening with the McDonell Athletic Program. All are welcome and encouraged to attend. “Spirit of the Macks” Silent Auction – Thank you to all who attended and supported the auction this year. We had some wonderful and unique items that were auctioned this year. Final numbers are not in yet, but preliminary numbers indicate that it is close to last year’s total, which was a record year. AWESOME! Thank you for all your support! The first annual “Loop de Loopy” which was held at Loopy’s was a great success. Planning is already underway for next year’s event. Thank you to those who helped make this new event a success! Football Mania Fundraiser. Thank you to everyone who sold and purchased Football Mania tickets. Good luck and best wishes for a lot of winning tickets! Be sure to check the boosters website for the weekly winners. We are in need of a concessions chairperson for the Silent Auction and the golf outing. Please come to a meeting and/or contact a board member if you would be willing to oversee either of these activities. Upcoming Events: January 25, 2015 – Kick-off for Catholic Schools week Brunch held at McDonell March 27-28, 2014 - Alumni Tournament April 2015 - Spring Fest May 2015 - Golf Outing Family Newsletter November 2014 Notre Dame Middle School | McDonell Central Catholic High School www.macs.k12.wi.us STUDENT COUNCIL NEWS GUIDANCE DEPARTMENT NEWS Jerry Van Dyke, Guidance Counselor [email protected] 715.723.9126 ext. 3317 BLOOD DRIVE The Student Council has scheduled the annual Blood Drive for Tuesday, November 18th. We are not only encouraging students who are at least 16 years of age to donate blood, but also members of our community. Students can sign up at school. There is an online sign-up available for the public. Our goal is to collect 30 pints of blood to be able to award a $250 scholarship to a worthy student. ACT—Juniors should take the ACT at least one time during their junior year. Mr. Jerry Van Dyke Register online at www.actstudent.org. You will need to enter the McDonell school code, which is 500-402. When you register, you can select four colleges to receive your scores. Be sure to do so, or you will end up paying up to $15.00 per report to send scores to your colleges at a later time. Test Date 12-13-14 02-07-15 04-18-15 06-13-15 Registration Deadline 11-07-14 01-09-15 03-13-15 05-08-15 Late Registration 11-21-14 01-16-15 03-27-15 05-22-15 POINSETTIA SALE will be sponsored by Student Council this year. If you are interested in purchasing a poinsettia, please place your order using our email address: [email protected]. Please indicate how many of each color you would like. You will receive a confirmation reply. All orders must be placed by Friday, November 7th. The pickup date is December 3rd, from 1:00-4:30 p.m.. The poinsettias will be in the McDonell library. The proceeds will be used to fund events for Student Council and to aid our missions. COLLEGE APPLICATIONS If seniors have not completed the college application process, they should submit them as soon as possible. A number of schools have a priority date of December 15th. SENIOR MEETINGS If you have not yet done so, parents of seniors are reminded to contact Mr. Van Dyke to set up a meeting to review post high school planning (including college applications, scholarships, and financial aid) for your student. Call or email using information above. ROTARY ROSE SALE Student Council members are selling roses for $15/dozen until November 7th. Roses will be ready for pickup or delivery on Thursday, November 13th. Please be generous and purchase a dozen to help both the Rotary Club with their programs and support the Student Council. The Student Council receives a generous percentage of the sales. McDONELL YOUTH ROTARS The following students have been selected as Youth Rotars for the 2014-15 school year. October November December January Tessa McChesney Danielle Baier Emily Stoffel Rebekah Heidtke February March April May Sydney Schemenauer Stephen Ortmann Jacob Horan Claire Buchmann STUFF-A-TRUCK There will be a food drive from November 1st through November 14th. A collection bin will be in each classroom for donations. Congratulations to these students who will be representing McDonell at the weekly Rotary Club meetings in their assigned month. Congratulations to our student council members on a job well done this quarter! Without their hard work, these events would not take place. CAMPUS MINISTRY NEWS NOTRE DAME MIDDLE SCHOOL NEWS Deacon Tom Kinnick, Campus Ministry [email protected] 715.723.9126 ext. 2207 ADVENT RECONCILIATION CHRISTMAS TEA - Please mark your calendars for the 8th grade Taste of Traditions Tea which will be held on Friday, December 19th at 2:00 p.m. Reconciliation will be on Thursday, December 4th. We will begin with a Deacon Tom Kinnick short service at 1:20 p.m. in the Auditorium and confessions will follow beginning at 1:30 p.m. HEALTHY SNACKS Notre Dame Middle School Student Council will be selling healthy snacks on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday mornings during break and everyday after school in Room 109. RIGHT TO LIFE MARCH Please save the dates of VETERAN PAPERS Please watch for our 8th grade Tuesday, January 20th (departing after school) to Saturday evening January 24th. McDonell Area Catholic Schools Veteran papers in the Chippewa Herald in November. 4 Family Newsletter November 2014 Notre Dame Middle School | McDonell Central Catholic High School www.macs.k12.wi.us STUDENT AMBASSADOR NEWS SENIOR NEWS Mary Jacobson Ambassador Program Advisor 715.723.9126 Carolyn Peloquin, Senior Trip Coordinator [email protected] 715.723.9126 ext. 1102 Mrs. Carolyn Peloquin BABY SHOWER FOR MARY Thank you to everyone who donated to the Baby Shower for Mary. It is estimated that Mrs. Mary Jacobson approximately 100 packages of diapers, as well as diaper creams and baby wipes were purchased, brought to school and contributed to this worthy cause. St. Charles and Holy Ghost students donated money from two jeans days which was used to purchase diapers. Notre Dame and McDonell students were able to participate in various baby shower games throughout the week. We are hoping the baby shower games brought some awareness of how expensive it is to have a child in diapers. There was a competition for the most donations between the grades at Notre Dame and McDonell, which proved that the freshman class knows how to rally together for a good cause. Congratulations to them, and everyone who donated! The donations will be given to the local Catholic Charities, the Salvation Army and Chippewa County Public Health. We acknowledge that these donations were expensive, so we cannot express enough how grateful we are, to you, for supporting your child in this cause. We know we are making a difference in our community. WREATH DELIVERY DATES Wreaths will be delivered Tuesday and Wednesday, November 18th and 19th. Seniors or parents MUST pick them up BOTH days after school. Wreath money is due Dec. 3rd. Your next payment of $400 will be due December 10th. The profit from the wreaths will be deducted from the Dec. 10th payment for the senior trip. See Mrs. Peloquin for questions. SENIORS — You must remember to have your senior photos sent in JPEG form to Mrs. Wacker. Her email address is: [email protected]. The deadline is November 1st. Also, you will need to turn in one senior for office use. It must be the same head and wallet shoulder pose. SENIOR PARENTS/GUARDIANS Orders will be placed on Wednesday, November 12th at 11:20 a.m., after Mass, with Jostens for the senior graduation announcements. On Wednesday, November 19th, seniors will be fitted for caps and gowns at 11:20 a.m. If your son/daughter fails to bring the order form home, it will be your responsibility to directly place an order by calling Jostens at 832-0762. This order needs to be placed as soon as possible. “For I was hungry and You gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed.” Matthew 25:35 SCHOOL MUSICAL NEWS MUSIC NEWS Monday, November 10th---AUDITIONS for McDonell's Musical Peter Pan-after school in the auditorium for all middle and high school students! November 11th call back auditions and auditions for Holy Ghost and St. Peter's 4th and 5th graders. Performance dates are January 23rd and 24th at 7:30 pm and January 25th at 2:00 pm Calling all MACS Dads! Alumni! and other helpful men! McDonell's Musical Peter Pan absolutely needs your assistance. Minimal rehearsal time and little to no dancing! Only four to five Tuesday evening rehearsals and three dress rehearsals. Contact the school 715.723.9126. Amy Vogt, Choral Director [email protected] 715.723.9126 ext. 2216 Sean Hanson, Band Director [email protected] 715.723.9126 ext. 1114 Mrs. Amy Vogt Mr. Sean Hanson Nov. 24: Jazz Concert featuring McDonell and Notre Dame jazz bands and new vocal jazz ensemble, 7:00 p.m. Dec. 15: McDonell/Notre Dame choir and band Christmas concert, 7:00 p.m. Wanted: Parents of McDonell and Notre Dame students are invited to share music together in a meaningful way for the Dec. 17th school Mass. Please come worship with us and share your talents. Email Ms. Vogt (address above) if you have questions. McDonell Area Catholic Schools 5 Family Newsletter November 2014 Notre Dame Middle School | McDonell Central Catholic High School www.macs.k12.wi.us OTHER SCHOOL NEWS PEANUT ALLERGIES Please be aware that we MARK YOUR CALENDARS. . . An open house for all current students and inquiring families grades 5 through 11 will be held held at McDonell High School and Notre Dame Middle School on Monday, November 10th from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Brother Roger will speak at 6:30 p.m. Tuition vouchers 1) $250 middle school and 2) $500 high school for the 2015-2016 school year will be drawn! have students in our building with life-threatening peanut allergies. Please be mindful when bringing personal items containing nuts to school so that you do not cause a risk to those involved. Sr. Petra Rose of the Institute of St. Joseph came to visit the sophomore Church History class to talk about Iconography. She discussed the history, creation of, and symbolism/ theology of icons with the students. FREE ADVENT COMPUTER CLASSES In appreciation for our community’s commitment to Catholic Education, McDonell High School is once again offering FREE computer /iPad sessions each Monday during Advent. Faculty member Tony Reiter, along with high school students, will teach YOU what you want to learn. Classes will run from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. on Mondays, December 1st, 8th, and 15th at McDonell High School. Space is limited. Please contact the school office at 715-723-9126 to register. STUDENT PHONE BOOK. . . If you would like a printed copy of the phone book, please contact the office. GET THAT YEARBOOK ORDERED McDonell yearbooks are available to order for $50 in office until December 1st. CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OUR FALL ATHLETES GOOD LUCK To all those who are still competing McDonell Area Catholic Schools 6 Family Newsletter November 2014 St. Charles Borromeo Primary School | Holy Ghost Elementary School www.macs.k12.wi.us 1,680 diapers for Mary’s baby shower! As part of MACS’s Baby Shower for Mary, St. Charles and Holy Ghost families donated money to buy 1,680 diapers, 3,200 baby wipes and five tubes of baby cream for needy families in our community. On the two Friday jeans days (and one pajama day at Holy Ghost!) during October, the boys and girls could skip their regular uniforms if they brought in money for the shower. There will be lots of happy babies out there – Thank you! Let’s have a pajama party! Holy Ghost students were able to dress up in PJs on October 17th if they made a donation to Mary’s baby shower (above). Several Holy Ghost students proudly show off some of the diapers bought for the shower (left). How do worms respond to stimulus? One day, one hour, one million On Friday, October 3rd, St. Charles students were part of the Worldwide Children’s Eucharistic Holy Hour requested by Pope Francis. The children began their day in the gym to light the adoration unity candle and bring petitions to the prayer box. Each classroom then spent 10 minutes in prayer in the St. Charles Adoration Chapel. With six homerooms, on this one day, they were part of the one million who spent one hour with Jesus. McDonell Area Catholic Schools These two girls (above) hold out their cup of soil which houses their earthworm. Mr. John Flanagan’s fourth grade science classes used earthworms recently to study the concepts of stimulus and response. 7 Family Newsletter November 2014 St. Charles Borromeo Primary School | Holy Ghost Elementary School www.macs.k12.wi.us Aladdin flies into school On October 23rd, our K-5 students were treated to a performance of “Aladdin” by the Windy City Players. The Windy City Players is a national touring company from Chicago that enforces positive life skills in each show. This is their 29th season of educational theatrical performances. Three members of the theatre troupe played all the roles in the production. Much to the delight of our boys and girls, several extras were pulled from the student audience to assist in the shows at both St. Charles and Holy Ghost Schools. It was a very different and special rendition of a favorite fairy tale! The three members of the Windy City Players act out the flying carpet scene from “Aladdin” (left). A third grade girl was the keeper of the magic lamp that housed a powerful genie (right). Symmetry is found through art Where in the world is that place? Ms. Deb Blake and a second grader (above) show the steps in making a symmetrical mask. The boys and girls studied bilateral symmetry which is a regular, balanced arrangement on opposite sides of a line. They enjoyed designing Native American masks which are excellent examples of this type of symmetry. Students in Ms. Cheri Miller’s third grade class (right) discovered that the most accurate map of the Earth is a globe. They learned and then practiced how to figure out latitude and longitude by using the lines and points. McDonell Area Catholic Schools 8 Family Newsletter November 2014 St. Charles Borromeo Primary School | Holy Ghost Elementary School www.macs.k12.wi.us St. Charles 2014 Harvest Hoedown Estimation Winners Large Pencil Jar Rukia Lynch - Gr. 1 Guess the weight of the pumpkin Sarah Moen - Gr. 1 On Friday, October 24th, the Home and School Association, as well as many fantastic parent volunteers, transformed the St. Charles gym into the annual Harvest Hoedown. Pre-K through second grade children enjoyed rotating through a dozen activities such as the Estimation Stations, Spider Drop, Pin the Mouth on the Skeleton, Ghost Bowling, Pumpkin and Witch Hat Ring Toss and many more! McDonell Area Catholic Schools Smaller Estimation Jars of Candy Ryan Boos - Gr. K Zoie Geissler - Gr. 1 Sophia Schmidgall - Gr. 2 9 Family Newsletter November 2014 St. Charles Borromeo Primary School | Holy Ghost Elementary School www.macs.k12.wi.us Apples, anyone? Letters from home The St. Charles second graders recently visited Connell’s Family Orchard. They toured the orchard and learned how bees pollinate the trees. Later the boys and girls enjoyed a wagon ride through the orchard and were able to pick their own apples for a snack. It was a totally “delicious” trip! Mrs. Keri Brugge’s second grade class has adopted a soldier to write to during the year. His name is Sgt. Mark Hall of Florida. The class has had opportunities to talk to Sgt. Hall through emails and has written him letters. They also put together a special Halloween care package to send to their overseas friend. The boys and girls donated candy and sweet treats and made cards to help Sgt. Hall celebrate Halloween even though he is so far from home! At Holy Ghost, Mrs. Rebecca Collins’ fourth and fifth grade English classes are working on their letter writing skills by writing to soldiers in the U.S. military. They are sending their correspondence through Operation Gratitude to show how much they appreciate the men and women who serve our country! Gift of words Have you ever enjoyed Optimist Club cheese curds at the Northern Wisconsin State Fair? The money raised helps the Optimists donate dictionaries yearly to over 600 third graders in Chippewa County! Three third graders show off their new dictionaries. Fire Safety Poster Contest winners These three smiling young ladies (above) are obviously enjoying the beautiful day at the apple orchard! The theme to this year’s Fire Safety Poster contest was “Working Smoke Alarms Saves Lives: Test Yours Every Month”. We had two winners this year: 3rd Grade: Kenny Schafer, 3rd place 5th Grade: Clare Matott, 4th place ~ Congratulations! Fire Inspector Justus Busse also recently visited the third grade classes to talk about fire safety and the importance of smoke alarms. Members of the Holy Ghost Kids Club were invited recently to help out at the Feed My People warehouse in Eau Claire. A total of 19 people, including four Holy Ghost staff, nine students and six family members attended the after school event. Participants spent two hours packaging cereal and pretzels to be included in bags for children who are part of the area Weekend Meals programs. Thank you to everyone who helped with this project! Hunting season is just around the corner . . . As you prepare for hunting season, keep in mind the Chippewa Area Mentor Program is also hunting for bucks (male mentors, that is!). Our waiting list for male mentors continues to grow. There are currently 20 boys waiting to be matched. These boys are just looking for a “guy friend” to hang out with; someone they can look up to and aspire to be like. All it takes is 30 minutes per week to help a child feel important and cared about. Please contact Ashley Yakesh by email ([email protected]) or phone (726-2400 ext.2516). You can also visit our Facebook Page to learn more (www.facebook.com/ChippewaMentorProgram). McDonell Area Catholic Schools 10 Family Newsletter November 2014 Early Childhood Center Making strides against cancer www.macs.k12.wi.us BB4C trip to the apple orchard On Saturday, October 18th, four of the staff members from St. Charles Early Childhood Center took part in the "Making Strides" against breast cancer walk. Laura Stensberg, Paula Hanson, Kathy Hershberger and Shelley Burrier are encouraging others to walk next year. Great job Ladies! by Miss Jamie Our trip to Bushel & A Peck was a load of fun. We got to see where apples are stored and how they were washed. Some of the favorite activities were the wagon ride, picking our own apple and tasting the homemade apple cider. A special thank you to those who volunteered! Extraordinary Synod continued from page 1 * On Tuesday of the first week, Alice and I presented our written testimony. We were seated with a microphone between us, three cameras recording what we said and across the front of the room were four monitors with clocks on them counting down from four minutes to zero. We finished in three minutes and fifty-six seconds with a nod and smile from Pope Francis. * On Monday, October 13th, as we were being read the unedited summary of the first weeks work, unbeknownst to us the media was getting the working notes handed out to them. We were all VERY surprised by this. Alice and I were called upon as Auditors to meet with the press. They asked about our thoughts on the annulment process. * We spent the balance of the week working in small groups of 25. We worked hand in hand with the Synod Fathers and discussed the key points, paragraphs and cultural impacts. When we were done we submitted our 60 paragraphs to Cardinal Baldisseri, chair of the Synod, and 24 hours later they met with us in a large group with a consolidation of the document. * The Synod Fathers needed a 2/3 majority to approve each paragraph. Three paragraphs failed to meet that vote. At the conclusion of the Synod, Pope Francis after two weeks of listening spoke at length with us. Here are a few quotes; McDonell Area Catholic Schools * “…I have seen and I have heard – with joy and appreciation – speeches and interventions full of faith, of pastoral and doctrinal zeal, of wisdom, of frankness and of courage: and of “There were moments of profound consolation listening to the testimony of true pastors, who wisely carry in their hearts the joys and the tears of their faithful people.” - Pope Francis parrhesia.” * “now we still have one year to mature, with true spiritual discernment, the proposed ideas and to find concrete solutions to so many difficulties and innumerable challenges that families must confront; to give answers to the many discouragements that surround and suffocate families.” * “…There were moments of profound consolation listening to the testimony of true pastors, who wisely carry in their hearts the joys and the tears of their faithful people. Moments of consolation, grace, and comfort hearing the testimonies of the families who have participated in the Synod and have shared with us the beauty and the joy of their married life. A journey where the stronger feel compelled to help the less strong, where the more experienced are led to serve others, even through confrontations. And since it is a journey of human beings, with the consolations there were also moments 11 of desolation, of tensions and temptations, of which a few possibilities could be mentioned: * “…- The temptation to transform stones into bread to break the long, heavy, and painful fast (cf. Lk 4:1-4); and also to transform the bread into a stone and cast it against the sinners, the weak, and the sick (cf Jn 8:7), that is, to transform it into unbearable burdens (Lk 11:46). * The temptation to come down off the Cross, to please the people, and not stay there, in order to fulfil the will of the Father; to bow down to a worldly spirit instead of purifying it and bending it to the Spirit of God. * - The temptation to neglect the “depositum fidei” [the deposit of faith], not thinking of themselves as guardians but as owners or masters [of it]; or, on the other hand, the temptation to neglect reality, making use of meticulous language and a language of smoothing to say so many things and to say nothing!” * Pope Francis concluded, “So, the duty of the Pope is that of guaranteeing the unity of the church; it is that of reminding the faithful of their duty to faithfully follow the Gospel of Christ; it is that of reminding the pastors that their first duty is to nourish the flock. To nourish the flock that the Lord has entrusted to them, and to seek to welcome, with fatherly care and mercy, and without false fears, the lost sheep. I made a mistake here. I said welcome: [rather] to go out and Family Newsletter November 2014 Craft Country Expo ‘14 30th Annual Craft Show Saturday, November 22, 2014 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM McDonell Central Catholic High School 1316 Bel Air Blvd Chippewa Falls, WI Lunch Available Door Prizes $1.00 Admission Over 85 Exhibitors Sponsored by the McDonell Music Boosters POINSETTIA ORDERS $11.00 each - pots are 6 1/2 inch Florist Quality Plants – Professionally Grown Student’s name__________________________Grade_______Teacher____________ Parent’s name_________________________________________________________ Family’s phone numbers_________________________________________________ Email address: _________________________________________________________ IMPORTANT DATES: Taking orders now! Return this form to your child’s school by Fri., Nov. 7. PICK UP DATE: Wednesday, December 3rd from 1:00 to 4:30 p.m. These beautiful plants are perfect for gifts for your piano teacher, your neighbor, your daycare provider, those in the nursing home, your boss, the grandparents and special friends. They are also beautiful for your home, school and office decorating. Please submit a check payable to “McDonell Area Catholic Schools” (or “MACS”) for total order when picking them up. The checks will be held for one week. COLD WEATHER CAUTION: Poinsettias are extremely sensitive to the cold. Each plant will be wrapped in pretty foil and placed in a plastic sleeve when you pick them up. You must protect them from the cold air. You cannot leave them in your vehicle or uncover them until they are in a warm environment. Name of buyer Example John Doe Address/phone # 123 ABC St 555-1234 Totals: Red 2 White 1 Pink 3 # # # Total sold 6 # Total $ $66.00 $ I will pick up my plants on Wednesday, December 3rd between 1:00 to 4:30 p.m. from the McDonell library. Proceeds from this sale go to support the Student Council and the promotion of the McDonell Area Catholic Schools. Thank you and Merry Christmas!
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