For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy.

Luke 1:44

In our Gospel for this Thursday, Elizabeth and her unborn son, John, are depicted reacting to the presence of the unborn Christ. Elizabeth recognizes Mary's pregnancy as divine, being filled with the Holy Spirit. We can experience joy in recognizing God's presence, even without fully understanding His plans. The joy that comes from acknowledging Christ's presence is similar to a Christmas gift from God, encompassing both seen and unseen merciful workings in our lives. Despite our circumstances, we can remember He is sovereign over all. We can be JOYful because we know God is good all the time. May we all focus more on living consciously in God's presence, and find joy through constant awareness of God as we worship Him in song, prayer, gratitude, reading scripture or in awe of creation. How will you intentionally praise God this Advent season?

As we all reflect on all the faithfulness and goodness of God from the past year, let us worship Him wholeheartedly with gratitude.

Merry Christmas, Cardinals!

Mrs. Stoffel

Click the link below to view the 1st and 2nd graders lead our final Advent Prayer Service of the season! https://vimeo.com/896385161?share=copy

Password: StCeciliaAdvent2023

12/20 - Christmas Spirit Day! Wear Christmas shirt or sweater with uniform bottoms.

12/21 - All School Mass @ 8:30 AM, Assembly @ 9:45 AM, & Christmas Parties @ 11 AM

12/25 - Happy Birthday, Jesus! 🥳

1/8 - Return to school! ❤️

1/10 - Quarter 1 ends

1/15 - No School

1/16 - Report cards

1/28 - School Family Mass @ 8:30 AM (led by 3rd-5th families) followed by a Community Breakfast

1/29 - Start of Catholic Schools Week!

• Per our family handbook, "no gift exchanges will be done in the classroom, such as Secret Santas and birthday gifts." Any exchange of gifts between students must be done off campus.
• CLICK HERE to purchase the Operetta shirt for this year! Students are able to wear this for the performances in the chorus as well (so no sweaters if they have a shirt). Store closes on 12/26 (great Christmas gift idea)!
• All late lunches must be called into the school office and left in a voicemail prior to 8:30am to guarantee a school lunch.
  
• Dress code items to remember:
• Pants or leggings (black, grey, navy) must be worn if the high is less than 50 degrees.
• Earrings must be studs or very small hoops which hug the ear lobe.
• Hair cuts for male students must keep hair above their eyebrow.

During the Christmas season, our Home & School Association is organizing the Annual Staff Christmas Bonus Gift for St. Cecilia Teachers & Staff!

Our hope is for everyone to combine resources in order to provide a much-appreciated Christmas bonus to every staff member. We are thankful for ANY monetary contribution to their Christmas bonus. All amounts and donor information will remain confidential. Teacher gifts will be from “The St. Cecilia School Families.” Support from you, our families, has been overwhelming in the past! Teachers and staff have shared their deep appreciation for the generosity and overwhelming support expressed through these donations.

Please send your contribution by Wednesday, December 20th.

You may deliver your gift in one of four ways:

1. Send to school with your child in a sealed envelope marked St. Cecilia Home & School. Have your child give it to their teacher to turn into the office. Make checks payable to St. Cecilia’s Home and School.

2. Drop it off in the Office in the box labeled ‘Christmas Donation Drive’

3. VENMO: @StCeciliaHomeandSchool

4. Paypal

Sign up for basketball concessions & scoreboard! No training necessary. Shorter shifts this season to accommodate only being there during your child's game! Monies made through these concession stand and ticket sales have made it possible for ABC to fund field trips and busing, equipment for the PE classroom, tables and bins for a kindergarten classroom, donuts for the Book Fair event, and so much more! Sign up by clicking the link:

https://stceciliacathedral.ivolunteer.com/basketball2023

If you're available to help prepare lunches and serve our kids, please consider signing up to volunteer by clicking here! THANK YOU to all of the volunteers who have helped serve our students this year!

Home & School - Meets first Tuesday of the month @ 6 pm in the STEAM Lab. Contact Candice Towey, president, at zcandice@hotmail.com with any questions! Next meeting will be January 2nd at 7 PM (instead of 6).

Activities Booster Club - Meets first Wednesday of the month @ 7 pm in the STEAM Lab. Contact Tony Vaccaro, president, at tonyv78@yahoo.com with any questions! Next meeting will be January 3rd.

Registration is now open! Please click here to register. We are offering three sessions on this day:

Session 1: 8:30-9:45 AM
Session 2: 10-11:15 AM
Session 3: 11:30 AM - 12:45 PM
Both parents are encouraged to attend with their child.

We look forward to meeting your family & sharing more about our school!

Looking for an activity to do with your kids on break? Get active together and work off those cookies too! Check out this tool from Coach Dunn to provide some ideas.

Contact Sheila Graham at sgraham@stceciliacathedral.org to sign up for a ministry at an upcoming Mass. We appreciate your time and talents!