Principal's Notes: Monday, Aug. 16, 2010

Monday Notes
August 16, 2010

Dear Families,
Welcome to Villa Teresa School! We are in our 77th year of serving families in Oklahoma City. There were so many who came to Open House even though we were in the midst of more than 100 degrees. We have several new staff members – Rachel Vallee (LC 3), Janie Patrick (LC 2 ½ ), Cary Holton (LC 4), Gary Hoeffken (Third Grade), Ashleigh Adams (fourth grade) and teacher assistants – Patricia Yanez (First Grade – she will also be teaching Spanish for our LC 4 students), and Blair McGhee (Kindergarten). We also have a new kitchen staff – Emily Walsh and Stephanie Stubbs.

At Open House, you received your Parent/Student Handbook – please read carefully! Also fill out forms in the side panels – we would like them back in the office by August 27. In the cafeteria during Open House, there were several volunteer opportunities for you to sign up – if you are interested, please contact the office. The PTO has a new website where you can see the latest – very nice site, Thanks to Diana Bittle. (vtspto.com) There were also opportunities for your child to participate in the areas of sports, Girl and Cub Scouts, applied arts – guitar, piano, dance, violin or cello or cheerleading. If you were unable to get to the table (it was quite crowded), feel free to contact the office – we will add you to the list.

Besides working through adding an additional third grade, we were challenged in creating a space for our third kindergarten room. Mrs McKinley was invited to move in with us at the convent – and now has a wonderfully huge classroom which we fondly have named “Kinder Village”. Feel free to stop by and visit – it is darling. I love this time of year because our teachers have worked in the midst of training sessions to create such a beautiful, loving environment for learning.
We are so blessed to have a fantastic staff who help the Carmelite Sisters to fulfill their mission in educating our youth.

Thanks to all who signed up to be Homeroom Parents – you are awesome! Beth DeGrace will be scheduling a meeting soon to introduce to you your responsibilities. Speaking of responsibility - our staff has chosen the Gospel value this year to be “Responsibility”.
We have a ceremony, the last Friday in the month (September will be our first). Two or three students will be chosen from each class who modeled this Gospel value. A certificate is given and as many guests and you would like to attend is invited to come.

We hope you enjoy your time with us! We are excited about school starting.
Menu for the week of Aug 16-20
Monday, Aug 16 – Chicken Alfredo, green beans, peaches, milk
Tues., Aug 17 – Crispitos, carrots and peas, Mexican rice, pudding, milk
Wed., Aug 18 – Turkey hot dogs, fries, pickles, fruit snacks, milk
Thursday, Aug 19 – Salisbury steak, mashed potatoes and brown gravy, peas, mixed fruit, milk
Friday, Aug 20 – Beef fajita tacos, mixed vegetables, jello and milk

Immersed in Christ (Twenty-first Sunday of the year) The Good News is for all (Immersed in Christ is a spirituality program which promotes reflection upon the Sunday Readings – Fr. David Knight is the author and creator of the program. “Immersed in Christ is a simple plan for transforming the “religion” of all the people in the pews into a spirituality of dynamic, conscious interaction with God for the sake of transforming the world – beginning with personal and family life, parish, school and workplace.”

INVENTORY: How do you feel about change in the Church? Do you become upset when words of familiar songs are changed? When phrases from foreign languages are added to accommodate immigrants?
INPUT: We ask God to save, not just us, but everyone “who trusts in you”. Our true union is found in our desire for what God promises.
Scripture: Isaiah 66:18-21; Luke 13:22-30; Hebrews 12:5-13
INSIGHT: What is the underlying unity of faith and devotion underlying all differences of expression among believers?
INITIATIVE: Invite someone who is “different” to come to Mass (or Church) with you.