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A Newsletter to Parents and Guardians
February 12, 2015
Dear Parents and Guardians,
HEALING POWER
In the Gospel of St. Mark that we will read on this coming Sunday, we find Jesus continuing his healing
ministry with a man who suffered from leprosy who approached Jesus, knelt down and begged Jesus
saying, “make me clean.” This scriptural citation is more than Jesus healing a man who had a devastating
physical condition. It represents the breakthrough of God’s kingdom of love, justice, concern and
happiness into human history. Jesus shows why He has come, namely to share our helpless and miserable
human condition and to redeem us from our sinful ways, our devastating spiritual condition.
As we prepare to begin our Lenten journey with Jesus, let us bear in mind that Jesus is the cure for the
ravages that sin brings to our lives. During Lent, our Church provides us with several opportunities to
nurture and deepen our relationship with Jesus and thus experience His healing power more fully just as
the cured leper did in Sunday’s Gospel. May we all have the courage to kneel before Jesus and beg,
“make me clean.”
May our gracious and loving Lord continue to bless our MBS students, their families and our faculty and
staff with His healing love and power of forgivness.
SCHOOL CLOSED
SCHOOL WILL BE CLOSED ON MONDAY AND TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16TH AND 17TH!
TEACHER OF THE YEAR
Our school is pleased to announce that the 2015 Knights of Columbus Council 9053 Teacher of the Year
is Mrs. Norrie Hamby.
Mrs. Hamby is the mother of Kiley, Kennedy and Kayden and the wife of Max Hamby. The Hamby
family resides in Ocean Pines, Maryland and they are parishioners of Saint John Neumann Parish.
Mrs. Hamby holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology from the College of Charleston and a
Master of Education degree from Wilmington University. Mrs. Hamby currently teaches first grade at
MBS. She has been employed at our school since 2010 and has also taught kindergarten during that time.
In addition to her teaching duties, Mrs. Hamby is the coordinator of the primary grades and has recently
served as the Internal Coordinator for the school’s year-long reaccreditation process with the Middle
States Agency. She continues to serve in that capacity on the school’s planning team. Mrs. Hamby is
viewed as a highly effective member of the faculty of our school and can always be relied upon to offer
her assistance when leadership is needed. She has consistently been rated as “Exceeding the Standard”
(the highest rating) on her annual performance ratings.
Mrs. Hamby and her family are members of St. John Neumann Parish where she has served as a catechist
and leader for the Children’s Liturgy of the Word.
In nominating Mrs. Hamby for this recognition, the nominator described Mrs. Hamby as “highly
professional,” “an instructional leader who leads by example,” “Catholic education is at the heart of Mrs.
Hamby’s commitment to our school.” Another nominator cites Mrs. Hamby’s “positive attitude,”
“commitment to the integration of technology into instruction,” and as “a school leader in our
professional development program.”
It is with great pleasure that we recognize Mrs. Norrie Hamby, the 2015 Most Blessed Sacrament
Catholic School Knights of Columbus Teacher of the Year.
ASH WEDNESDAY LITURGY
MBS students and faculty will be attending Mass at St. John Neumann on Wednesday, February 18th at
10:00 a.m. in observance of Ash Wednesday. We will NOT be going to Liturgy on Thursday,
February 19th.
RICE BOWL
During Lent, our church encourages us to build a closer relationship with the Lord through prayer, fasting
and almsgiving. In order to provide an opportunity to our families to join in almsgiving, our school will
participate in the Rice Bowl program that is sponsored by the Catholic Relief Services. In doing so, we
join Catholic families across the globe in responding to God’s people who are in need. Each family
received a “rice bowl” box in last week’s folder. We ask that you fill it with change and plan to return it
to MBSCS during Holy Week. Thank you, in advance, for whatever you can do in this regard. May God
bless us with a holy Lenten Season as we move forward to the Triduum and the glory of the Resurrection.
EMERGENCY FOOD DRIVE
The Seton Center has a food shortage! We are asking MBS families to donate canned and boxed goods
next week. We will have collection spots in the cafeteria and in each pod until February 20th. Please help!
CASINO NIGHT SUCCESS!
On behalf of the entire Casino Royale 2015 Committee, we'd like to express our gratitude to everyone
who helped make this year's event a HUGE success! From the Teachers to the Homeroom Parents to the
School Staff and our Donors and Sponsors: THANK YOU! If you were able to join us this year, we
hope you enjoyed your evening...and for those who weren't able to make it, we hope you will next year
(you missed a great time!!).
There were a lot of moving parts to coordinating this event, so we'd like to note....
* The D'Amico Family & Denise Westbrook: the food truck was a HIT and the food was
delicious!! Louie's BBQ is the BEST!!!
* Gina March for jumping in as our Auction MC to get the party started! Great job...you're hired for next
year!
* Jocelyn Snelsire, Lisa Edmunds, and Lauren Higgins: for answering our questions, dealing with our
craziness, and giving us guidance (like it or not)!!
* Mr. Record: for helping out the "rookie" Casino committee and being supportive of our ideas and
letting us "go" a little bit!!
* And of course, to all of our committee members: Sean Kilroy, Jeannie Rial, Kelly Stanislav, Jill Wild,
Stacy Steinberg, Abby Clark, Angela Simmons, Jim McCrystal, Michelle & Steve Carlson, and all of our
volunteers...again, thank you all! Anne Flaherty, Casino Royale Co-Chair 2015
Also, many thanks to everyone from the faculty and administration of M.B.S. We appreciate the
time, energy and effort that was put out for another great Casino Night. Thank you! Thank you!
Thank you! Special thanks to Anne and Sean for their great leadership and coordination! Thank
you to all who attended and placed bids.
HEALTH SUITE NEWS
We are in full swing of the cold/flu/virus season, just some tips to help stop the spread of the illness
throughout the classroom. If you suspect your child has a virus or any other illness it is recommended
to have an evaluation by your primary care provider as soon as possible. Don’t forget to get your
doctor’s note to return to school, this note informs the school that the student is not contagious and may
return to school. With all illness, it is important to remind your child about frequent hand washing, no
sharing of food/utensils, and to cover your cough and sneeze. You must keep your child home if they
have a fever and remain home until fever-free without any fever reducing medication for 24 hours. By
keeping your child home, this will help with the spread of illness and your child will get the rest
they need to get well. If you feel your child needs another day at home because of recent sickness,
this is not a bad idea, because of all the other viruses that are in peak now. Your child is less likely
to pick up another illness if they have enough rest. Thank you for your cooperation in helping to
prevent the spread of illnesses/viruses.
The school policy is that if your child is out 3 days or more the student needs to return to school with a
doctor’s note. The note is to inform us that your child is no longer contagious. If your child returns to
school without a note, they will be in the nurse’s office the day they return until a note is faxed to the
office. This is to protect the students and staff from viruses/flu.
When calling the office in the morning to report your child out for illness, it would be helpful if you could
let the office know the illness or symptoms. With respect to your privacy, any help will allow the school
to better track viruses or flu. When children have been absent from school for more than three days, a
note is required from the health care provider for re-entry. This lets the teachers and health suite know
that the student is no longer contagious. By working together, we can all contribute to a healthier
learning environment for our students and your children. Thank you for your cooperation.
APPLICATION FOR DIOCESAN AND MBS TUITION ASSISTANCE
Diocesan Tuition Assistance for the 2015-2016 school year are now being accepted. Tuition assistance
through the Diocese of Wilmington is provided to children attending grades K-12. Pre-school, before and
after care are not funded through this program.
Parents are encouraged to apply through FACTS online at www.online.factsmgt.com/aid. FACTS
representatives are available to guide parents through the application process and to answer any questions
by calling 1-866-315-9262. Completed applications, including all supporting documentation such as
tax forms, are due March 9th. Applications that are submitted after that date will not be
considered for assistance.
COMPLETED TUITION ASSISTANCE FORMS SHOULD NOT BE RETURNED TO SCHOOL.
They should be returned to the FACTS agency in the envelope provided. Included with the FACTS
application is a procedures document for information on what other documentations are required
along with the completed application form.
BUS
Bus invoices were mailed home January 29th. In order to avoid the $25.00 late charge, please make sure
your payment is made no later than February 15, 2015.
CONGRATULATIONS
Congratulations to the following students who recently received the Sacrament of Reconciliation:
Peyton Stanislav
Blake Ell
Amber Marshall
Isabel Mitchell
Isabella Marinelli
Sophia Maskell
Dominic Piperno
My Whittington
Anna Wiest
May God bless you always! Congratulations!
ALADDIN
The following is next week’s schedule for play practice.
Wednesday, February 18 ------------------ Narrators ONLY
Thursday, February 19 ---------------------- Aladdin, Jasmine, Genie, Sultan, and Jafar
SUMMER CAMP FAIR
Not sure what to do with your kids this summer? Want to give your children a new opportunity? The time
for summer planning is now! MBS is hosting a Summer Camp & Enrichment Fair Tuesday, February 17
from 5:00-8:00PM. This is your opportunity to discover local and regional summer programs and talk to
professionals responsible for running them. Day programs from Lewes to Berlin will be present as well as
Over-Night Programs from across the Delmarva Peninsula. We will also have unaffiliated camp
professionals to help answer your questions and explain the benefits of summer camp. Please pass along
to friends and family in our community.
COUNSELING CORNER
This past week and next week grades Pre 3, Pre 4, K, 1, 6, 7 and 8 had or will have a visit. We are
starting a series on Bullying. Pre3 and Pre 4 will discuss a book, “Billy Bully”. In all the other classes,
we define bullying; we discuss the roles of the bully, the bystander and the victim. We discuss the
difference between tattling and telling/reporting. I stressed the importance of telling about an incident of
bullying the day it occurs, not in a week. We talked about ways to tell an adult without everyone
knowing they told. As far as the bystander, it is so important that the bystander take a positive role,
therefore, standing up for the victim or help report the incident. The bystander can help bully if they
laugh along with the bully or spread rumors about what they saw or heard. If a student does an act of
bullying we talked about how they need to talk to someone to learn about what they did and how to make
things better in the future. Overall, we talked about treating others the way we want to be treated. We
talked about thinking before we speak or before we do something and ask ourselves, "Is this showing
kindness or love?" Parents, please talk more with your children about this important topic. As you all
know in listening to the news, bullying is a topic very present in our children's lives, social media is
certainly making this issue even more pressing. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions
or concerns, [email protected].
Attention 8th grade parents!!!! Save the date!
If your 8th grader plans on attending Stephen Decatur High School, there is an 8th grade orientation on
Thursday, Feb. 26th at 5:00 p.m. in the SDHS Auditorium.
CAMP FAIR
TO MY MBS FAMILY
It has been a little over a year since my diagnosis of metastasized Breast Cancer. My children and I are
forever grateful to you for the outpouring of love, support and prayers you have shown us in this past
year. Winning the Tuition Wheel was a wonderful surprise. Thank you to everyone who contributed on my
behalf. We will always be grateful for all that you have done for use.
God Bless,
Diane Jablonski, Emily & John Shea
MBS ATHLETIC DEPT. NEWS
Sports Physicals: A current sports physical MUST be filled out before your child can participate in
practice/games, no exceptions.
VERY IMPORTANT: Our end of the season Sports Recognition Program will be held on Friday,
February 20th @ 8:30am. A form will be coming home with students by the end of the week.
The Epworth game we postponed on 2/10 will NOT be rescheduled.
Boys Basketball: Congratulation to the JV & V Boys team for an outstanding season, it was a pleasure to
watch each one of you grow and develop into basketball players!
Please be prepared to arrive 5-10 min. early to pick up your child from practice. When practice is over a
parent/guardian should walk up to the front door to pick the child up, it is very dark and we want to
make sure all students have a ride.
A white (for home) or blue (for away) t-shirt must be worn under the jersey for games. NO
T-shirts will be given to students it if it is forgotten.
Girls Basketball: Congratulation to the JV & V Girls teams for an outstanding season, it was a
pleasure to watch each one of you grow and develop into basketball players!
Please be prepared to arrive 5-10 min. early to pick up your child from practice. When practice is over a
parent/guardian should walk up to the front door to pick the child up, it is very dark and we want to
make sure all students have a ride.
A white (for home) or blue (for away) t-shirt must be worn under the jersey for games. NO t-shirts will be
given to students if it is forgotten.
Lacrosse: We are holding signups for both girls and boys lacrosse in the gym for the next couple of
weeks. With that being said we will need coaches for BOTH teams, I would like to have at least 2-3
coaches per team. If you are interested in coaching please contact me at your earliest convenience.
Softball: We are holding signups for softball in the gym for the next couple of weeks. With that being
said I will need any coach who is interested in returning to contact me at your earliest convenience.
Fitness & Sports Equipment: We are looking for gently used fitness/sports equipment such as dumbbells,
BOSU balls, medicine balls, cleats, lax sticks/helmets etc. for our teams/faculty to have access to. Since
the beginning of the year there has been a strong push to improve physical fitness from both the students
and staff here at MBS. Before I go out and purchase more equipment I wanted to ask our MBS families
first. For more info. or to set up a time to drop off equipment, please contact me via email.
Pictures, Pictures, Pictures!!!: We are currently looking for any sports pictures from the 2014-15 MBS
Athletic Season(s). Any pictures you may have or will take during our various seasons please email them
to [email protected] or [email protected]. Thanks!
LIBRARY NEWS
Please note the Delmarva Shorebirds “Hit The Books” bookmarks have been distributed to students who
would like to participate. Children who read four books (starting from 1/20/15) can write the titles on the
bookmark and turn the bookmark in to their teacher by 2/26/15 to earn two tickets to a Delmarva
Shorebirds game. Students can turn in their bookmark as soon as it is complete.
Thank you for helping to return your child’s library books on time. And a special thanks to the many
families who have donated gently used library books this year. We truly appreciate all you do!
Tues: PreK4, 1st & 7th
Wed: PreK3, 3rd, 4A & 4B
Thurs: Kindergarten, 2nd, 5th, 6th, 8th
CONGRATULATIONS
Congratulations to MBS graduate, Jimmy Brannon for being selected to represent Delaware at the
Congress of Future Science and Technology Leaders in Boston, Massachusetts this June. Jimmy was
selected because of his exceptional academic standing, extraordinary leadership potential and a desire to
contribute to the field of science or technology.
IMPORTANT DATES
February 2015
16
17
18
27
President’s Day, School Closed
Faculty Retreat, School Closed for Students
Ash Wednesday, School Liturgy 10:00 a.m.
SNOW MAKEUP DAY, FULL DAY OF SCHOOL
PARISH NEWS
ST. JOHN NEUMANN
Parents of 2nd graders: Our next Parent only meeting will be 10 a.m. on Sunday March 8th at
MBS. Fr. Joe will be presenting that day.
WWWJ@SJN
WHAT - Wednesday Walk With Jesus
WHEN - Begins Ash Wednesday 3:00-4:30PM in the church and every following Wednesday during
Lent
WHERE - The church aisles of St. John Neumann will be our labyrinth as we walk side by side with
Jesus opening our hearts to Him alone.
WHY -Want to walk in with your issues and walk out with new direction?
HOW - Labyrinth walking is one of the simplest forms of focused meditation.
A labyrinth is not a game it is an important tool that can offer a spiritual awakening. It is a help in
discovering what God is calling us to do with our lives and depending on Him rather than depending on
ourselves, things and people outside.
Bring your children if you’d like so that they too may walk or do their homework or watch a video in the
library.
ST. JUDE THE APOSTLE
“Transformative Aging”
Presented by Sister Lynn Lavin OSF, PhD
March 21, 2015
8:30am – 5:30pm
This retreat will focus on our own aging process, the invitations and the challenges that are unfolding as
we grow older. We will reflect together on the spiritual aspects of our aging process as well, how God is
present in our transitions, in our daily living and how we are being invited to live with an attitude of
gratitude for God’s providential care on the journey.
A continental breakfast, drinks, snacks, and lunch will be provided. A free will offering is suggested.
Registration is required in parish office by March 13th and may be directed to Parish Office 302-6447300 or [email protected].
ST. MARY STAR OF THE SEA
Lectio Divina is held every Tuesday at 6:30 pm in our parish center room 116. During the hour we read
the Gospel for the upcoming Sunday and share what it is saying to us. All you need is an open heart and
mind.
Walking Towards Eternity is a DVD Series that helps you connect the Scriptures to your daily lives.
This series and the continuation of the set are held Tuesday mornings following 8:30 am Mass and
Thursday evenings at 6:00 pm in our parish center room 110.
Word of Life meets the second Sunday of each month in room 116 of our parish center at 9:40 am. This
month we will share how we lived the August word: "Forgive your neighbors the wrong done to you, and
then your sins will be pardoned when you pray." (Sir. 28:2)
ST. MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL
St. Peregrine Society is our society that supports cancer victims and those touched by the suffering of
loved ones. We meet on a monthly basis to pray for our loved one and those touched by cancer and any
other illness. Any questions please contact Deacon Dave at 302-945-8317. The purpose of this society is
to meet on a monthly basis to pray for intercessory prayer to Saint Peregrine, the patron saint of
Cancer. We will be meeting on a Sunday in the latter part of the month at 3 PM alternating between Mary
Mother of Peace and Saint Michael the Archangel.
St. Michael the Archangel:
2015: March 22, May 31, July 26, September 27, November 22
Mary Mother of Peace:
2015: February 22, April 26, June 28, August 23, October 25, December 27