Merry Christmas to you and yours! May the New Year bring many blessings! Have a great time celebrating with the children who really know how to celebrate. Thank you for the gift certificate to Dillards that I received for Christmas! I can't wait to use it when the Christmas rush is over and the really great sales begin. We will be back in school on Monday, January 4. Tuesday of the first week back will be a Blue Shirt Day. If you go to www.scholastic.com/staysmart/ there are lessons for 20 days. These lessons are graded from K-8 and are for children who are home sick. They are really good and very appealing. If you have a child that you want to challenge at home you might have them do some of these activities. You can work at any grade level that you choose. There are also some other good resources at that site. Liturgy of the Word for the children happens Sunday at the 10 o'clock Mass. This is a great opportunity for the children to get a grasp of the readings at Mass. Since this is the year the children receive two sacraments this would be a big opportunity for their faith to grow. Please continue to pray for the children and families in Room 8 and in Our Lady of Lourdes School. There are many people in our community who need prayers at this time. The children and I pray daily for all of your intentions. Thanks!