Message from the Principal

Week of November 23, 2009

The administration, faculty, staff, and students would like to wish you and all of your loved ones a blessed and bountiful Thanksgiving! May God bless you always!

* Please scroll down the entire "Message from the Principal" in case there are changes from week to week. Some things are on here for a couple of weeks as reminders to everyone. It's a good idea to mark this site as a favorite, and make it a priority to check it weekly at the very least.

PLEASE CHECK THE "WEEKLY COMMUNICATION ENVELOPE" LINK, THE "FORMS" LINK, AND THE "CALENDAR" ON THIS HOMEPAGE WEEKLY!

ANNUNCIATION B.V.M. SCHOOL HAPPENINGS

- There will be a Dress-Down Day for students in grades K-8 on Tuesday, November 24 for their great performance in our Musical Military Tribute.

- I hope that you saw us on 6abc Action News on Thursday at 11:00pm. they gave our Musical Military Tribute a great spot in their newscast!
The show was terrific, and it really tugged at one's heartstrings. What a wonderful and spirit filled performance! Thank you to our children, Mrs. Burrough's, teachers, parent helpers, our veterans, and those currently serving our country around the world. We are free because of the brave!

GOBBLE, GOBBLE, GOBBLE! It's almost time for our THIRD ANNUAL ABVM TURKEY TROT on Saturday November 28. We want to see YOU, YOUR FAMILY, FRIENDS, and NEIGHBORS - rain or shine! Registration begins at 8:00am and the race/walk will begin at 9:00am. Let's walk off that wonderful Thanksgiving dinner that will then be but a great memory!

- Santa's Secret Shop needs volunteers on on Thursday December 3 to help with Santa's Secret Shop. Check the flyer that went home with the children last week. If you are able to volunteer, please contact Margaret Mary Soltys at mmsoltys@verizon.net.

- Parents, please have your child/children check the "Lost and Found Bins" in the back of the cafeteria for any items they may have lost. If they are not claimed by Friday, Dec. 4, we will be donating them to the St. Vincent de Paul Society.

Baked Goods Needed The holiday season is such a busy time and the Theme Basket/Party with Santa is 2 weeks away. We are calling on volunteers to make a baked good for this festive occasion. We are in need of about 40-50 goodies, so that all can have a tasty treat as they browse the tables and spend time with Santa.

Please email Meg Welde (jmwelde@aol.com) or Jeanne-Marie Pennington (jeannemariepennington@yahoo.com) to let us know if you can help with a baked good. If you don't bake, Testa's bakery does a great job. Any goodie would be appreciated. Thanks again for your support. Meg Welde.

- Open House for grades 1-8 and an Information Session for Pre-K 3, 4, and Kindergarten will be held on Tuesday, December 15 from 7:00pm-8:00pm. The Pre-K 3, 4, and Kindergarten Information Session will take place from 7:00pm-8:00pm. If you have relatives, friends, or neighbors who might be interested in our great school, please bring them along!

- Girls Scouts at Annunciation B.V.M. School are collecting new or gently used hats, gloves, and scarves for winter wear for the St. Vincent de Paul Society. We will have a box outside of the school office for the collection which will take place from December 1 until December 18.
- Parents we would love for you to share your expertise in any area with our students, whether it would be for one class period or an after school club, we look forward to your help and time! It could be for any grade Pre-K 3 through 8. Please contact your child's teacher or me.

- Carol Night will be on Sunday, December 20 at 4:00pm in church and on Tuesday, December 22 at 7:00pm in church. There will be a brief Band Concert by our school band before our Sunday Carol Night performance. All students are expected to attend. Sports practices are not an exception.

PRETZEL ORDER FORM FOR DECEMBER - The December Pretzel Order Form is on the website under forms. All orders are due on Tuesday, November 24th (for December). Thank you! Mrs. Adams

- Student, Parent, Teacher Conferences will begin after school on Tuesday, November 24 and continue until 8:00pm, and on Wednesday, November 25. All students in grades 5-8 are to attend their conference and be an active participant. Marks close on Monday, November 30 for the eighth grade due to the Neumann Scholarship requirements, and marks close on Friday, December 4 for grades 1-7. Parents, you should be checking Gradebook to track your child's/children's progress throughout the trimester, and if necessary contact your child's teacher if grades are going down, or if you have any questions about your child's progress. E-mails are great, but sometimes a phone call, or a conference may be in order along the way. Keep the lines of communication open! Students in grades 5-8 will be filling out a "Self-Assessment of Personal Progress" form that will be gone over at the conference.

Need to Change GradeBook Password - all parents received an e-mail on Thursday, November 12 telling you that you need to pick a new GradeBook Password in order to access Gradebook. Your User ID will remain the same. There is no longer a need to call the office for your password, because only you will know your password. I also noticed that many families have not yet checked the grades of their children on GradeBook. Please make this a priority.

-Donuts with Dad will be on Thursday, December 10 from 7:30am-8:30am in the cafeteria. Students may bring their dad, or granddad, uncle, or special friend.

Thank you! We would like to thank all the families who donated items for our Thanksgiving Baskets. All items have been packed and are just waiting for the turkeys. Your generous spirit will make this Thanksgiving a grateful one.

Congratulations, Ryan Rastatter! Ryan qualified for the National Cross Country Championship in Nashville, TN.

- Future City Competition is a challenging nationwide program which challenges students to create the cities of the tomorrow while encouraging their interest in science, technology, engineering, and math through hands-on applications. The 2009-2010 theme is "Providing an Affordable Living Space for People Who Have Lost Their Home Due to a Disaster or Financial Emergency." Twelve 7th and 8th graders have volunteered to man this great endeavor. Mrs. Diane Giordano is our teacher mentor, and Dr. Frank Russo is our engineering mentor. We will keep you posted on their progress this year.

SCRIP ORDER FORM
 The scrip order form is on the website under forms. We are not doing a weekly communication envelope, and scrip orders are due every Friday. Scrip will be returned to your child by Tuesday.

BLOCS/EITC TUITION GRANTS
The application for tuition assistance will be available on the BLOCS website, www.blocs.org, as well as the Catholic Schools site, www.catholicschools-phl.org in early January. The deadline is Thursday, April 15, 2010. I also have forms if you know of any businesses that would like to be a part of the EITC grants. Should you have any questions or concerns, please call the BLOCS phone line at 215-587-0590.

*Registration is on-going! If ever you have any questions, concerns, or ideas, please give me a call at 610-446-8430, or e-mail me at ekearney07@comcast.net.

Sincerely,

(Mrs.)Eileen D. Kearney

Principal

ANNUNCIATION B.V.M. SCHOOL: HAPPY, BALANCED, AND BLESSED