The Cougar Chronicles December 2006 Joanne F. Gannon, Principal James T. Ferdella, Asst. Principal

MERRY CHRISTMAS

December......Here we are only weeks away from Christmas.  It seems like yesterday we were preparing ourselves for the first day of school and now our children and teachers are getting ready for their beautiful Christmas Play on Wednesday, December 13.

We just had our wonderful Senior Luncheon on November 17.  Everyone had a great time!  Our children were the entertainment, by singing to our Senior Friends, and they enjoyed every piece of music they sang!  We would like to thank Paula Hayeck and her committee for putting this together and what a beautiful job they did!  From the decorations, setting up of the tables, to the delicious early "Thanksgiving Dinner". We also thank the upperclassmen for being "Waiters and Waitresses". You did a great job.

We had Jesse Tree on November 25 & 26. We thank Susan Lynch and her committee for putting this successful event together as we welcome in Advent.

December is a busy month ~ Fun was had by all at Elves Workshop! The children and teachers had a great time shopping for Christmas gifts. Thanks to Maria Lemieux, Sue Storer, Sira Naras and their committee for all of their hard work!

We had a successful year at our annual Holly Fair. We thank everyone who gave us their time to make it possible.  Thanks to Wendy Lyon, Debbie Leonard and their committees for bringing us into the Christmas Spirit!

Looking forward in 2007, we will begin with our Magazine Drive and St. Mary Ball. Please help us make these fundraisers successful by volunteering and attending. How about trying a new magazine this year? And don’t forget to save your subscription renewals. Let’s get all of our friends and family together for the St. Mary Ball. Let’s make this one the best yet! Catholic School week will be here before we know. Let’s get our school name out there! Don’t forget about the Pasta Festival on February 3. We still need volunteers to help. Contact Ann Daly for more information.

From our families to yours we would like to wish everyone a Very Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year!

Luke 2:9-14

Emelie Hayden & Susan Lynch

As We Approach Advent

Each year when Advent comes and the days of December begin to fly by, we can easily become overwhelmed and frantic. We may dream about ways of making this time of year more calm and peaceful by cutting back on the nonessentials and focusing on the true meaning of the season. But that is always much easier said than done. Sometimes though we are blessed with experiences and insights that help us to realize more fully just what it is that we are preparing to celebrate at Christmas. St. Mary’s School Christmas Play seems to do that for us, and that is why I am looking forward to seeing our children perform on December 13th.

Their Christmas play reminds me of a story I once heard about a young mother who rushed from work to see her own daughter’s Christmas pageant. She made it just in time to see Amy’s kindergarten class walk out on stage to sing their song, “Christmas Love”. The children had rehearsed for weeks and those in the front row had practiced holding up large letters, one by one, to spell out the title of the song. As the class would sing “C is for Christmas” a child would hold up the letter C. Then “H is for Happy” and on and on until each child holding up his letter had presented the complete message, “Christmas Love”. The performance was going smoothly, until Amy held up her letter M upside down. She was totally unaware that her letter M appeared as a W. Some of the older children began to snicker at Amy’s mistake, but she had no idea there were laughing at her. So she stood tall, proudly holding her W. Teachers tried to quiet the children’s laughter, but could not. Finally a hush came over the audience when the last letter was raised. Amy’s mother smiled as her eyes filled with tears. In that instant, everyone understood the reason they were there and why we celebrate Christmas. When the last letter was held high, the message read loud and clear: CHRISTWAS LOVE! And we believe He still is.

May each of you and your families be blessed in this season of preparation and in the joy of Christmas as we celebrate God’s amazing love for us.

Father Mike

A Teacher's Reflection

by Colleen Johnson

Someone once said, “Great schools are the result of great cooperation. Let’s remember that it takes both the white and the black keys of the piano to play ‘The Star-Spangled Banner.’” Nowhere is this clearer than a school in the midst of the reaccreditation process. As we at St. Mary School work to finish our self-study, we see in black and white how everyone comes together to make our school the exceptional place that it is. Priests, administration, faculty, staff, parents, and students come together like the keys on a piano to produce a harmonious atmosphere in which our mission thrives.

Recently I was fortunate to step back from our own reaccreditation process to be part of a visiting committee for the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. As a member of this NEASC team, I traveled to Connecticut to evaluate a school not unlike our own. It was a small community of learners from Pre-K through Eighth Grade. The mission of the school shone clearly in all of the actions of the principal, faculty, staff, parents, and students. Our team was treated like royalty. From the welcome basket we received upon check-in at the hotel to the hospitality shown throughout each of our four days, we were made to feel not as strangers, but as friends.

Throughout our four days of camaraderie, I could not help but think of St. Mary School. As we write our own self-study, we are expressing all that we embody. We, too, will show our NEASC visiting committee the exceptional nature of our school, just as the school in Connecticut did. As my visiting committee praised the school for the cooperative spirit it created and instilled in all involved, I admit that I again thought of St. Mary School. How fortunate I am to be a part of something so special and to look forward to sharing that with professionals like myself next year!

I will admit, however, that being a member of a visiting team is grueling work. The schedule was very similar each day. Each morning, we arrived at the school for 8:00 prayer and then got to work. Time was spent between interviewing administration, faculty, and staff; observing students at work and play; reading through numerous supplemental materials; and typing up assigned parts of the evaluation. Parents provided us with plenty of food and coffee while serving us with a smile in genuine appreciation for our role in helping them achieve their goal. Our mealtimes were usually spent in discussion of the task at hand. After dinner, we would return to the hotel and continue researching our notes and materials and typing our evaluative report until at least midnight. Then we would retire and start all over again the next day.

At 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, we finished our evaluation. As we left, the principal wanted to get a photo of all of us, as haggard and tired as we all looked and felt! He presented each of us with a bell as yet another token of appreciation for the work we were doing to affirm all that had been so proudly presented in his school’s self-study. On the ride home, I again looked back on my experience at the end of the reaccreditation process. It reinforced my understanding that this process is necessary for a school to flourish. It is through this reaccreditation process that our strengths are celebrated and those things that we need to work on are revealed so that we may become even better. An anonymous person once wrote, “The highest reward for our toil is not what we get for it, but rather what we become by it.” The self-study has helped us become more aware of who we are and for what we stand, and my trip to Connecticut helped me become a more reflective teacher. Moreover, I forged new friendships. Third Grade will soon be writing to the Third Graders of the school I visited. The reaccreditation process connects us as schools committed to hold education at a high standard.

Princess Leia (Mrs. Johnson) and Master Yoda (Marcus Johnson) joined the rest of the
students and staff at the Saint Mary School Halloween Parade held on 31 October 2006.

Raising Cain

Latest Work on the Inner and Social Life of Boys, and Boy Underachievement Conference
by Catherine Kelleher

On October 20, 2006, Joanne Gannon, principal at St. Mary School, and Catherine Kelleher, grade eight teacher, participated in a conference presented by renowned author and school psychologist Dr. Michael G. Thompson. The full day seminar on the specific challenges boys face in the school environment was designed for educators, psychologists, social workers, and interested parents. Dr. Thompson focused on the differing emotive characteristics, learning styles, and physical activity levels between most girls and boys.

In our American culture, boys are frequently taught not to outwardly exhibit hurt feelings and disappointment. Instead, they are encouraged to stoically mask their feelings. These suppressed emotions then become manifested in aggressive behaviors. Studies suggest that, although boys tend not to express hurt feelings, they are often deeply wounded by feelings of perceived rejection, by a failure to perform at expected levels, or by other disappointments common to trying to fit in their peers. Dr. Thompson stressed the importance of responding to the emotional needs of a young boy with understanding and patience. He provided strategies for opening a dialogue with a boy suffering from a feeling of social isolation or frustration due to disappointments. He emphasized the need to facilitate the child’s movement from the typical “stonewalling” attitude to a point where an honest appraisal can be made of his emotional state.

In the classroom environment, boys seem to have a more difficult time sitting still and focusing on the lesson. In addition, boys like to be both physically active and engaged in concrete “hands-on” activities. Often, the typical classroom structure cannot incorporate as much activity as many energetic boys require. To help these concrete learners succeed in the classroom, Dr. Thompson suggested incorporating several styles of instruction into the lesson plan rather than using extended periods of lecturing. Breaking the instruction period into shorter blocks of varied activities keeps the active, concrete student engaged and successful in the classroom.

Dr. Michael Thompson has written several well-received books, Raising Cain and The Pressured Child, and has participated in the making of documentaries on the particular concerns of boys in the modern American culture.

A Dream Come True

by Sr. Rosemarie Borzi

Lufthansa airline landed in Boston on our return flight from Rome on October 20th. The wheels touched down on the runway, but my spirit is still soaring. It is difficult to verbalize my feelings regarding the spiritual events that took place in honor of my Foundress, St. Rosa Venerini. The canonization was certainly the highlight of my life, as well as the trip to Italy. The words of Pope Benedict XVI are seared into my memory as he stated: “Today the name of Rosa Venerini will be written in the book of the Saints forever.” Thunderous cheers and applause could be heard resounding throughout the throng of people engulfing St. Peter’s Square. Banners, posters, flags, and scarves were raised in exultation at the mere mention of Rosa’s name. It was a joyful noise unto the Lord!

The ceremony lasted about three hours, but time passed quickly since it was shrouded in enthusiasm and euphoria. The Venerini Sisters have been waiting and praying for this event to occur since 1728. God, in His infinite goodness, has allowed me to be a part of this magnificent tribute to Rosa Venerini. May God be praised!

Featuring 5th Grade

The Fifth Grade created a classroom museum of many cultures. Everyone brought in artifacts that represented their heritage and shared them with the class. The artifacts came from all around the world.
Part of our Native American project, our class made habitats representing what we learned about the Native American tribe we researched. While doing research and sharing habitats we learned a lot of things about many Native American tribes.

Hey Knitters & Crocheters!

Hey all you knitters and crocheters, listen to this. The 5th grade is making baby hats. We are doing this to save babies lives, because during the first 24 hours of a baby’s life a lot of body heat escapes from the head, and if they lose too much body heat they will die. So, if they wear a hat their body heat won’t escape, and they will live. My class has set a goal of 299 hats, but we can only achieve this goal if we have your help. Knitting and crocheting is simple, fun, and easy. It is also very relaxing. Almost anyone who is willing can learn to knit and crochet. So, if you want to help us, swing by the downstairs bulletin board for patterns. Please help us to save a baby’s life.

THANK YOU.

Caitlyn Leonard
St. Mary School
Grade 5

Knit & Crochet for Needy

Our school is knitting and crocheting hats for newborn babies! Many newborn babies die within the first 24 hours of life, when their body heat escapes from their heads. We’re knitting and crocheting hats to help those babies. I’m going to knit a hat and maybe even crochet one too. All people can do it. It feels good to help others and it’s really easy. People who don’t know how can learn, too! Stop by the fifth grade or ask a St. Mary student to come to fifth grade and ask for a cap pattern. The pattern is double sided, showing the knitting pattern and the crocheting pattern. All you need to make the hat with is sport weight yarn or worsted weight yarn. It doesn’t matter which you choose. Then all you need are knitting needles or a crochet hook. (You need a pattern to find out which size needles you need or which size crochet hook you need. It depends on the type of yarn you have.) If you want to help save babies’ lives then you’ve found a way to do it. Remember it’s fun, relaxing and anyone can do it!

Nicole Lucier
Grade 5
St. Mary School

On Friday, the tenth of November, the fifth grade class went on a retreat. We learned a lot about teamwork, love of God, self, and neighbors, and what self-esteem is. At the end of the day we went to Mass.

Senior Luncheon

Welcome to the Saint Mary School “Senior Luncheon!”

A sincere welcome to our school by Mrs. Gannon!

The St. Mary Annual Senior Luncheon was held on Friday, November 17th and a good time was had by all. Even the weather cooperated with a warm, late fall day. Over one hundred seniors enjoyed the traditional Thanksgiving turkey dinner. The students in kindergarten through fifth grade provided delightful entertainment. Mr. Gannon led the choir through some wonderful songs and the seniors were captivated with each selection. Many thanks go out to all those that volunteered and helped make this event a special day for the seniors. The seniors were very thankful and are already looking forward to next year’s luncheon!

The Second Grade delights the audience with songs about Thanksgiving!

Parents' Association Info

Worcester Ice Cats

Join the Mom’s (or significant Female adults ) and Son’s of Saint Mary School for an adventure on Ice, 19 January 2007! It’s the Worcester Ice Cats! Tickets go on Sale December 6 and end December 22.  Join us for an evening of fun and excitement as the “Worcester Ice Cats” show us their stuff against rivals “Providence” at 7:35 pm!

The Cougar Chronicles

Editor: Jennifer Srnka - 508-842-3324 - Srnka@townisp.com

The Cougar Chronicles is a monthly, volunteer-produced publication of Saint Mary School, produced in cooperation with and funded by the Saint Mary Parents’ Association (SMPA). Our goal is to provide current information which is useful to parents whose children attend Saint Mary School. Unless indicated otherwise, opinions and statements in any article within this newsletter are solely those of the author.