To All Our Families at St. Finn Barr Catholic School:
Dear Parents,
Last weekend, we were treated to our second grade class (along with the CCD class and some third graders) receive the sacrament of Eucharist. There are few enduring icons in the Catholic Church that are more enduring than First Holy Communion. Girls in their lace, boys in a clean white shirt, all with their hands folded and looking nothing like they usually do on a normal school day! Perfect Angels, they worked hard and studied diligently through the efforts of Mrs. Naber, our 2nd grade teacher and Juliet Samonte, our parish CCD coordinator. But more importantly, it is about our students on their way to completing their sacraments of initiation into the Catholic Church. They have begun to realize the importance of belonging to and living in community, living Gospel values and continuing the process of building the church. I’m very proud of their hard work and pleased with the preparation they received from the adults in our community. This coming Friday, we will conduct our May Crowning, which is also one of those annual events that Catholic School children will remember all their lives. You are all welcome to join us in our Marian liturgy on Friday at 9:00 AM in the Church.
Family Mass
This Sunday at the 10:00 AM Mass, we will celebrate our final Family Mass for this school year. The 7th grade is preparing the liturgy and we need you all to attend this Mass. This Mass is a celebration of our soon to graduate 8th grade class, so they need to be there, our 2nd grade First Holy Communicants, and our mothers, since this is also Mother’s Day. Father Corral has promised a special gift for our mothers (and grandmothers) or the special women in our lives who have had an important part in raising us. Please plan to attend. These liturgies are important for gathering our community together and create a sense of family. After the liturgy there will be coffee and doughnuts in the parish hall. Please plan on joining us. I’ll see you there.
The Flu
There is a lot of hysteria and misinformation out there about the flu that’s going around. I’ve already sent home a list of common sense suggestions, but let me stress that it appears that this flu is not as dangerous as once thought. No Catholic School has been closed because of a suspected case and if we take the common sense precautions that we usually do when flu season hits, we’ll probably be OK. The most important thing you can do for us is that if your child is ill (if YOU are ill) keep them home. Don’t send your child to school sick. We have disinfectant wipes here at school that we use on all surfaces, as well as Lysol disinfectant for the bathrooms and doorknobs. We’re taking whatever precaution we need to, so please meet us half way and just keep an eye on things at home. That plus your common sense will defeat this thing. Thanks.
Registration
There are still a number of you who have not sent in your registration fee for next school year. I will be making phone calls this week just to find out if everything is OK. No one has told me they are not coming back next year. My assumption then, is that happily all our families are coming back! I know times are tough right now, but I need to have your place secured. Please call me if you are having a hard time raising the registration fee and I’ll see what we can do for you. The same with tuition. If you’re having a hard time with that, give me a call and I’ll be happy to make a payment arrangement for you. Thanks so much. This is especially important for 8th grade. All fees must be paid before graduation.
Our Graduates
St. Finn Barr Catholic School will graduate 33 students this year. We are very proud of their accomplishments, and especially for the hard work that culminated in their being accepted into local Catholic and Private high schools. It takes a lot of work and a great deal of persistence to gain entrance into some of these high schools. A great deal of thanks should go to the parents of these students. Catholic High schools are not free. They’re getting more expensive every year and it’s a testament to our parents’ commitment to Catholic Education that they want their children to attend one of these schools. I’m very humbled by their dedication to further their children’s Catholic Education. Below is a list of students and their schools. A few of our students are still firming up their acceptance, and I will list their names when they inform me of their acceptance.
Fred Smith Riordan High School
Ross Jones Riordan High School
James Cullinane Riordan High School
Josh Schrader Riordan High School
Grey Curtiss Riordan High School
Alex Michael Woodside International High School
Patrick Bensi Riordan High School
Joshin Sone’ Keio Academy, New York City
Andrew Corral Stuart Hall
Brianna Woo Immaculate Conception Academy
Obinna Chinaka Riordan High School
Danielle Miranda Immaculate Conception Academy
Marques Jones St. Ignatius Prep.
Thor Daly Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep.
Jacqui Biggins Serra Catholic
Michael Keehan Stuart Hall
Dallas Reeves Riordan High School
Denise Umanzor Immaculate Conception Academy
Dezirae Easley Mercy High SF
Ada May Mercy High SF
Jocelyn Tung Lowell High
Robert Almendares Lick Wilmerding
Victoria Reimonenq Immaculate Conception Academy
Mariella Reyes Immaculate Conception Academy
George Vazquez Riordan High School
Sophia Clemente Wallenberg High School
Yura Pavkin Lincoln High School
Melad Askndafi Riordan High School
Wilhelmina Breiling Mercy High SFI need to proudly add, that many – most- of these students were given a choice of high schools to attend. Many of our students had difficult decisions to make. It is a testament to our academic program at St. Finn Barr Catholic School that our students compete ably with all other schools in the Archdiocese to gain admission into these high schools. Although we proudly send our 8th graders off to a new community, we will take some time to pat ourselves on the back and reaffirm that hard work always pays off in the long run. Next time your student complains of too much homework, or a teacher who seems unnecessarily harsh, take a look at the list on the opposite side of this page and take a deep breath!
Hours and Scrip
I’ve been informed by Mrs. Taschek that our scrip purchases are very good this year. You have all received a notice of your scrip purchases and I’m pleased that you have all taken that program so seriously. We have extended the program to the parish and that seems to be working too. Remember, the school will charge 10% of whatever is not purchased over the course of the year. For example, if you purchased all but 100.00 of your required amount, you’ll owe the school $10.00. If you haven’t paid anything, then you will have to pay 10% of $2,500.00, or $250.00. It’s not too late to make those purchases, either on line or through Linda.
Your parent hours are also a concern. You must remember why we ask parents to donate your time, as well as their treasure. We ask so that we build a strong community, and we ask because whatever talent you have, is a contribution to the school that we don’t have to buy, thus we can keep tuition lower. It’s not an arbitrary thing; We do it because we have you in mind.
Have a good weekend everyone.
Tom Dooher and the teachers and staff
at St. Finn Barr Catholic School.
Updated 05/07/09 dh
What’s Coming Up
05/06/09 3:00 PM dismissal
05/07/09 3:00 PM dismissal
Spring Musical, 7-8 PM, Parish Hall05/08/09 3:00 PM dismissal
5th grade to Zeum
May Crowning Liturgy
9:00 AM Church
05/10/09 10:00 AM Mass at St. Finn Barr Church for Mother’s Day and final school mass celebration
05/11/09 1:30 PM dismissal
Field Day, 9:00 AM – Noon, Riordan High School05/12/09 3:00 PM dismissal
a network school of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange
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It’s Never Too Late to Give Something Back.
Most of us spend a lot of time taking. Whenever you can, take time to give back.
Whether it’s love, or knowledge, power or money.
Take the opportunity.
It allows you to grow. It enriches the lives others. The rewards are often intangible
but they are great.
