Principal's Newsletter December 17, 2021

The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.”
And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

Luke 2: 10-14

Dear SCS Families,

On behalf of myself and all of the staff at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Parish and School, I want to wish you all a very happy and holy Christmas. May the birth of Our Lord bring you peace and joy for your family.

Please know you are in my prayers as I thank God for the gifts He has blessed our school and faculty with.

Merry Christmas!

Sincerely In Christ,

Mrs. Cathy Schwarz

Principal

Diocese of Raleigh
Advent Penance Services

Friday, December 17, 2021 at 7:00 PM at St. Michael
Tuesday, December 21, 2021 at 11:00 AM at St. Bernadette

Advent Programs

The Light Before Christmas: An Advent Program for the K - 8th-grade students was held on Tuesday evening in the church. The students were dressed to the nines and did a wonderful job. The atmosphere was one of anticipation and joy as we were guided through a meditation on Advent and serenaded with hymns and carols.

A huge, heartfelt thank you to Mrs. DiPaolo, Mrs. Hoang, and Mrs. Jones for all their hard work and energy coordinating the Advent Program!

The PreK 3 class hosted their families on Thursday morning and sang several Christmas carols before ending by singing happy birthday to Jesus. The students were thrilled to have a cake to celebrate Jesus' birthday.

Finally, the PreK 4 classes held their Christmas program Friday morning. The students worked hard practicing to be prepared for the big show!

Thank you to all the teachers and parents who assisted with making these events go smoothly! We could not have done this without you!

Bee Presentation

Mrs. Paciarello's 4th graders have been learning how animals and plants adapt to survive. They were excited to welcome certified Beekeeper Vincent to the class on December 14, 2021, to give a presentation on how honeybees work together for the good of the hive as well as their physical structures and behaviors that assist in their survival.

Gingerbread Houses

As is tradition, the middle school classes enjoyed some fun last Friday. The students separated into small groups and worked on creating the best gingerbread houses they could - we had 18 submissions. They were all so creative (and the hall smelled like candy all week)! They were displayed in the hall and the rest of the school voted on their favorites! After tallying the votes the winners were announced: First place went to The Up House, second place was awarded to Gingerbread by the Sea, and third place was claimed by Winter Wonderland.

As you may imagine, this week has been chock-full of activities, Christmas celebrations, craft projects, prayers, fun, and laughter. Here are some photos illustrating the week.

PTO Message

Dear St. Catherine of Siena Catholic School Families, Teachers, and Staff,

These last couple of weeks, the warm welcoming feel of St. Catherine of Siena Catholic School touched me especially deeply as a parent and volunteer. It has been an early Christmas present from my second home. The Middle School Dance at the beginning of the month was a fun and amazing event with beautiful luau decorations and the gym, with new sound-deadening panels installed, a perfect venue – I could hear every word of every song! The Pork Dinner on December 11 was a nice and relaxed way for about 60 of us to come together as a school family for a meal. The food continued outside of school with the MOD Pizza fundraiser on December 16, and of course, the hot chocolate and treats are flowing to the students and the teachers and staff throughout the month. Certainly, the Room Moms were engaged with their classes and teachers to make this time of year special, too. When I take a step back, I recognize it’s a lot in a short period of time – especially as we all prepare ourselves and as families for Christmas during this Advent season.

It is a lot of activity – but for me, it’s part of the preparation: getting excited through special events to celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. This is what it is supposed to feel like, and I probably wouldn’t have it any other way: those feelings of busy preparation and anticipation and home, to our students certainly, but also the rest of us – parents, teachers, and all of the staff. It’s an amazing feeling and I am grateful for everyone that supported the events that created it: all of you volunteers for your precious time and dedication to prepare, organize, and attend events – it doesn’t happen without you. You helped create that feeling and I hope your engagement brought some special feelings to you and many others, too. With anticipation and a bit of excitement, I turn an eye toward our school events in the spring – both PTO sponsored and broader – and pray we can keep our momentum going to continue to draw us together as a school family. We WILL – TOGETHER!

On behalf of the PTO Board, I hope you all have a chance to rest and relax during the upcoming Christmas season. Have a blessed and joyful Christmas!

Jeff Klucinec

From all of the staff at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Parish and School, we want to thank all of the PTO members and school families who have shown so much generosity and love to our staff and students! We are incredibly grateful for you!