Weekly Newsletter

Dear Nativity Families,

We have all been waiting with eager anticipation as we approached today—the final day of our Star Campaign. As pledges trickled in from families, grandparents, parishioners, and friends of Nativity over the past several weeks, we hoped that we would have some wonderful news to share when we reached our deadline. Today, we are filled with immense gratitude and joy as we celebrate an incredible accomplishment together:

We didn’t just meet our $300,000 Star Campaign goal, we exceeded it! As of today, our final total is an extraordinary $317,117.50!

What an incredible campaign and what a beautiful testament to the generosity of our community and to the deep belief in the mission and education of The Nativity School. We had 92 of our 101 families give to the campaign, bringing us to an incredible 91% family participation. To see our community come together in this way, especially during our 30th anniversary year, is truly something to celebrate.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. To every family who made a pledge, thank you for your generosity and for believing in our school. Your generosity is an expression of stewardship. You each demonstrated how sharing the gifts God has entrusted to us for the good of others and for the flourishing of our community can bring a lasting impact.

I am also deeply grateful to the many people who worked behind the scenes to make this campaign successful. A very special thank you to Kelly Blay, Heidi Bender, and Edg Rianzares for helping streamline our campaign and create such positive energy and momentum. Thank you to our School Advisory Board members, Patricia Belton and Jenna Jacobsen, who made several phone calls during the final 72 hours; to our room parents who rallied their classes; and to our teachers who helped keep the campaign in front of our families. This accomplishment truly belongs to our entire community.

The generosity of this community will have a direct impact on every student and teacher at Nativity. The funds raised through our Star Campaign help us continue to provide the outstanding academic programs, enrichment opportunities, student support, and resources that allow our children to grow in mind, body, and soul. As we celebrate 30 years of The Nativity School, I am especially grateful that we can look ahead with such confidence and unity. We are putting hearts and minds at the center of all we do for the common good, and this campaign is a beautiful example of what is possible when our community comes together around a shared mission.

St. Peter reminds us, “As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” (1 Peter 4:10). It is an incredible blessing to witness our families, parish, faculty, and staff come together in support of our children. And what a wonderful reminder that when we give generously of our time, talent, and treasure, we are participating in something much larger than ourselves.

We hope to see many of you at our School Family Mass tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. Next month, November 7, our School Family Mass will be followed by dinner together, and we look forward to another opportunity to gather as a community. On Monday, our sixth graders will be leading our school assembly followed by our October Parent Community Meeting. Please join us to hear more about upcoming events and volunteer opportunities.

Have a wonderful and restful weekend. May God bless all of you, and may He continue to abundantly bless The Nativity School and the wonderful community we are so grateful to call our own.

With heaps and heaps of gratitude,

Brittany Bateman

Virtue: Patience- endurance of suffering or bearing difficulties (especially those caused by others) without resentment or sadness.

This week we remember the Memorial of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, also known as “the little way and the little flower.” What a great feast to start the month of October, during which we will be focusing on the virtue of patience. Patience is about making small, humble steps towards God. St. Thérèse did not do anything outwardly impressive in her lifetime, but she believed, and taught the whole church with her “little ways”, while growing in holiness. These little ways were a smile, a kind word, and a small sacrifice offered with great love. We invite you to do one small craft, one small prayer, or one small act of love/kindness just like St. Thérèse did. See activity below for a St. Thérèse family craft. Also consider what patience looks like:

Three Grades of Patience

1. Basic: Bearing daily difficulties and annoyances without interior complaint.

2. Progressive: Using hardships and trials as opportunities to grow closer to God and practice virtue.

3. Heroic: Welcoming crosses out of profound love for God and accepting them with spiritual joy.