Dear Parents,
December brings with it many things--Advent, winter, basketball, Christmas, family returning home, and sometimes s-n-o-w. All of them are upon us. Often times we feel overwhelmed by the busyness of the season. During this busy season the Bishop Garrigan Schools are bringing in the quiet joy that can be found in the season--morning Advent wreath prayer, intercom prayer and Christmas songs, and classroom prayer.
Advent is a time for preparing. Our focus is on Christ, our Savior. May the true spirit of the holiday season be yours.
Eugene Meister (President), Kathleen Froehlich & Michael Stence (Principals)
The fundraiser is quickly approaching the finish. You will notice below when the money for the fundraiser is due at school. Please turn all the money in at once in the original envelope.
What is the money used for? We will continue to use the money for supplementary reading materials and for playground equipment. Thank-you for doing your best to sell for Seton. Whether or not we get to have Airwave Fun Centers the next year always depends on our sales from the year before.
Please consider this before you allow your child(ren) to see the movie.
The Golden Compass is the name of a movie and of a book. It is the first in a trilogy of Dark Materials by atheist Phillip Pullman of England. The other books in the trilogy are The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass. The movie is a watered down version of the book in hopes of luring parents to buy the book(s) for their children. I have seen the advertisements. They look like something middle school students would really like.
But, by his own admission, Mr. Pullman says he wants children to read the books and decide against God and the Kingdom of Heaven. Pullman's direct quote is, "I want to kill God in the minds of children... I want them to decide against God and the Kingdom of Heaven." He has purposely set out to destroy children's belief that God exists. The trilogy is in direct opposition to The Chronicles of Narnia, each book getting worse and worse until at the end of the third book the children kill God and go about their lives.
There are many reviews that state what was shared herein with you. The Archdiocese of Omaha's review stated, "The danger of The Golden Compass movie (and book) is how deceptively it will draw people away from Jesus.... Ultimately, the movie wants to have children rebel against parents, teachers, the Church, and anyone in authority! And to worship his/her own demon! Never before have movie producers sunk this low to lure America into deeper darkness! It is time to take a stand."
After reading a story about eyes in our reading series, the second graders invited Dr. Tony Trainer to the classroom to give a presentation. Dr. Trainer brought in a model of the eye to teach students about the pupil, iris, lens, cornea, and retina. He then let the students look through 3-D glasses. He also gave each student a contact lens to see and feel. Finally Dr. Trainer had everyone stare at four dots in a picture for one minute. At the end of the minute, the students quickly closed their eyes for five seconds. Most were able to see a picture of someone. It was Jesus!!!
In second grade science, the students learned about grouping animals. They were allowed to bring their stuffed animals to put into groups. The animals ranged from the bear to a pheasant; and even a jellyfish came to class. Scott Moeller, Kossuth County Naturalist, gave a presentation on bats. The students learned how a bat flies and how it uses echolocation to hunt for its food. The students discovered that bats help us by eating thousands of mosquitoes. So, if a bat is in our homes, instead of grabbing a tennis racket, the best thing to do is to open a window to free the bat. Scott will come again later in the year to give us information about insects.
Second graders have attended reconciliation stations. They are preparing to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation the following dates:
Eucharistic stations will be after the first of the year. The dates for First Communion are:
- Mrs. Myra Miller
You are invited to audition for the upcoming Countryside Community Playhouse children's theatre production of "The Keeper of the Tales", stories from 1001 Arabian Nights. Tryout dates are Monday, December 3, and Tuesday, December 4, at 6:30pm at the Algona Public Library. Show dates will be February 1st and 2nd. The Playhouse is looking forward to seeing you there.
The fourth grade class recently read the short story I Love Guinea Pigs by Deck King-Smith. While Mrs. Berte worked with students on reading skills, Mrs. Nelson worked on vocabulary words and homographs that were in the story. (Homographs are words that are spelled the same but sound differently depending on their usage in the sentence.) The students had to pay special attention to these words as they were also their spelling words for the week.
Many interesting facts about guinea pigs were learned. For example, male and female guinea pigs are referred to as boars and sows. They look like a smaller version of the more common pigs we are familiar with in the Midwest. Guinea pigs are really rodents like mice, rats, and squirrels. They may come in many different colors, they can be smooth or rough coated, short or long haired. They are hardy animals and do not often get sick. They are easy to care for, which makes them a great family pet.
As a special treat, Gabby Holmes asked her mother to bring their two pet guinea pigs, Smores and Butterscotch, to class. The students could personally interact with one of the many species of guinea pigs. It made for a very special and fun learning experience.
- Mrs. Nancy Nelson
Several important areas of our program are featured in this month's section of the Annual Progress Report (APR).
Achievement on the ACT is a recognized predictor of future college success, while graduation rates and the percentage of students planning to pursue post-secondary education are indicators of the quality of the high school program. See also how our students' proficiency rate compares with state and national statistics in reading, math, and science.
The theology action plan outlines our expectations and activities in the religion department. Note that both knowledge (ACRE tests) and behavior (prayer and service) are included. Two things which the action plan does not include are memorized traditional prayers and mass participation.
Rhonda and Dave Wieland would like to share that their son Kyle's deployment to Iraq ended November 7, 2007. He has returned to Fort Richardson, Anchorage, Alaska, and will be home for Christmas. They would like to thank the Bishop Garrigan Schools' entire family for their prayers of support for him and their family during his deployment. A special thanks to all who sent gifts, letters, etc. to Kyle. They brought him great comfort and helped keep his spirits up. They encourage your continued support for all soldiers and their families.
In the healthiest families, family members share their concerns directly with the person involved with the concern ... rather than dragging a third party into the mix.