GRATITUDE Why should we bother to practice gratitude in our lives? Actually, scientific studies indicate that gratitude plays a significant role in a person’s sense of wellbeing. “Acts of daily gratitude result in higher levels of alertness, enthusiasm, determination, optimism and energy. Additionally, people who perform acts of gratitude are more likely to help others, to exercise more regularly, make more progress towards personal goals and are more likely to feel loved. Gratitude encourages a positive cycle of kindness among people since one act of gratitude encourages another.” McCollough and Emmons. St Augustine had this to say about being appreciative: “People go abroad to wonder at the height of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of the rivers, at the vast compass of the oceans, at the circular motion of the stars, and they pass by themselves without wondering. Let us acknowledge the wonder that we are here, in these particular bodies, at this particular time, in these particular circumstances. May we never take for granted the gift of our individuality.” What great advice! Let’s all look at ourselves in a positive manner and allow gratitude to unlock the fullness of life for us. Be grateful for the demands others make of us, for that means that we are considered to be positive contributors in their lives. Be grateful for the weariness at the end of the day, for that means that we have been productive for ourselves and others. There is simply no end to the opportunity we have to be grateful people provided we regard our “glass of life” as being “half-full”.

Lord, help us to see life afresh and to strengthen one another in our practice of gratitude.

We are grateful for Your guidance through the dwelling of Your Holy Spirit in each of us.

Amen.

Thursday 11-19-15

Liturgy at 8:15 (1)

PS/PK Conferences

Friday 11-20-15

Gr. 4-6 Parent Social

Tuesday 11-24-15

Early Reg. Incentive Ends

Wednesday 11-25-15 No School-Thanksgiving Break

Sunday 11-29-15

First week of Advent

Monday 11-30-15

Classes Resume

Advent Prayer Service 8:10

Thursday 12-3-15

Liturgy at 8:15 (K)

Sports Attire Day (after Mass)

Sunday 12-6-15

Advent Week #2

54th Annual St. Nick Social

Monday 12-7-15

Advent Prayer Service 8:10 Preschool Christmas Program 10:15

Tuesday 12-8-15 Preschool Christmas Program 10:15

Wednesday 12-9-15

K-5 Dress Rehearsal 1:15

K-5 Christmas Concert 6:30

Thursday 12-10-15

K-5 Sweetness of Christmas

Friday 12-11-15

No School – Staff Development

November 18, 2015

Thank you! Thank you for supporting Jumbo Gumbo and coming out to vote for your favorite school music video. All of the videos were fun and unique. While our school didn’t take top prize we did win a football signed by Green Bay Packers Coach Mike McCarthy. This football will be raffled off at Brewfest 2016.

Early Registration Incentive Students entering Kindergarten, 6th, or 9th grade will receive a reduction in tuition of: $150 Kindergarten $200 6th Grade $250 9th Grade Hurry, the incentive expires on November 24, 2015!

Brewfest This year’s Brewfest was our most successful yet. After all invoices were paid, we had a profit of $19,711.91. Each year 10% of our profit is donated to our tuition assistance fund which means that we contributed $1,971.19. Our Brewfest funds will provide $12,000 to technology in our schools. The remainder of the funds will go towards needs at our school. A huge thank you goes to everyone for their help and support for our school fundraiser!

Mark your calendar and plan to attend Brewfest 2016

Friday, October 21, 2016

Teacher & Staff Christmas Cookie Trays St. Gabriel PTO needs your help! We need volunteers to make delicious holiday cookies/treats/candy for the Christmas trays we create for our teachers and staff. Every little bit helps! If you can add an extra batch to your holiday baking, we would truly appreciate your help and generosity. Email Kelly Weiss at beisenst@uwosh.edu if you are available to help. We will contact you in early December with a date for the cookies/treats. Teacher and Staff Gifts It’s hard to believe but, Advent begins in less than 2 weeks and Christmas is about 5 weeks away! Our PTO is organizing an opportunity to provide scrip gifts for our teachers and build our tuition assistance at the same time! This was sent out last Friday in a separate email and is also attached to our newsletter. St. Gabriel Concerts Below is a schedule of St. Gabriel Christmas Concerts. Mon/Wed Preschool Program Monday, December 7 at 10:15 AM Tues/Thurs Preschool Program Tuesday, December 8 at 10:15 AM K-5 Concert Wednesday, December 9 at 1:15 (dress rehearsal) Wednesday, December 9 at 6:30 PM Pre-K Concert Wednesday, December 16 at 10:00 AM Elementary Band Wednesday, January 13, 2016 at 6:30 PM

mailto:beisenst@uwosh.edu

Advent Post Office is Returning At St. Gabriel we have an Advent Post Office that is operated by our second grade class. Please see the attached letter for more information.

Enrichment Update Session 2 Registration is now open! You can view the descriptions, schedules and more here. Elementary Enrichment Upcoming Events An enrichment recital will be held on Thursday, November 19 at 6:30 p.m. in the FAEC, and will feature Ballet/ Jazz and three Hip Hop classes including B Boyz (all boys), G-Force (all girls) and Genesis (co-ed). The KidStage performance of Shrek! will be on Sunday, December 6 at 3:00 p.m. at the FAEC. Scrip Holiday Schedule – Plan ahead! NOVEMBER No Scrip orders the week of November 23rd. The next order date is Monday, November 30th for delivery on Thursday, December 3rd. DECEMBER December 14th is the last day to order Scrip prior to Christmas and New Year’s. Orders will be delivered Thursday, December 17th. No Scrip orders the week of December 21st or December 28th. Next order date is Monday, January 4th for delivery on Thursday, January 7th.

Birthday Lunch Day Each month we pick a day to celebrate each of the birthdays from that month. (December & June are celebrated in December, January & July are celebrated in January, and February & August are

celebrated in February). The students are out of dress code on this day and are invited to sit at a special student table in the lunchroom. Our 4th grade students design individual placemats for each birthday student. The entire student body along with the teachers, staff and parent volunteers sing Happy Birthday and we sing a special blessing song to the birthday students. Below is a picture of our November birthday lunch day.

SMCS News Read the SMCS Email News Updates for information about the following: Calendar Updates US Baseball Academy VEX Mentors Needed VEX Tournament Schedule Holiday Scrip Dates Enrichment Session 2 Sign Up Enrichment Upcoming Events

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0e4aa4ac28a6f58-enrichmenthttp://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001jOoz0MALXH6eM4LpeBkR4zDpDNDpNW_03c4aSIDsSuLJXlb9F1SPMnLDLdHgxqJBvTnjZjJY4xwQBGJm7TixANDrSqlq4zEQ5mPh34rBszW_Qvao-IcjeoERh7Ws_oFkfWZ9QBSApx1zmxj4O29Lj69ZuGLlmn4o_oSzD-Ly0ijQy4Hs86gBEtATsIg7SAeWilFQWo4rZeYhsoMxGojDBpZTzn3unnABL4HYNmaJbXcoOslwsBjKVU16RJiCbNSoHHyWU_nuesJe6XKy23WsufIQryac-VIuRlrdcPHiBcBFMs4IQh5mLA==&c=sQvgm-vJX4FpHAfdz2iXCUxy2hAMLDZ0pi2Td_iODsXLuVxOo8MIlg==&ch=xa0IYTiuw4UjvwXCkzC2pOm2IRbDeAczoez8lG7wWBfU-ZHYOBUSpA==x-apple-data-detectors://22/x-apple-data-detectors://22/x-apple-data-detectors://22/x-apple-data-detectors://23/x-apple-data-detectors://23/x-apple-data-detectors://23/http://smcatholicschools.org/newsletters/

Christmas 2015

Dear St. Gabriel Families, The St. Gabriel PTO has a very convenient, yet optional, teacher/staff Christmas gift program for you. We initiated this program last Christmas and the response was extremely positive, from both families and teachers/staff. Using the attached teacher/staff list, you choose a dollar amount for the individuals you choose for the SCRIP program. Let’s say, for example, you plan to purchase a gift worth $10 for your child’s classroom teacher and $5 for one of your child’s specialist teachers. Put $10 next to the classroom teacher’s name and $5 next to the specialist’s name on the attached sheet. Benefits:

St. Mary Catholic Schools receive $$$ from the SCRIP program. Teachers/staff choose their own gift cards. Let’s face it – it becomes costly to give a gift to EVERY teacher your child(ren)

have. With this program, you can provide something to everyone you want, even if it is only $1.

Holiday budget control! Decide how much you want to spend on your child(ren)’s teacher/staff gifts and divide that total amount among the teachers/staff.

We have also included ‘gift tags’ for you to fill out (To: From: ). Teachers/staff will receive these gift tags, however, they will NOT know how much each family gave towards their SCRIP gift cards. Individuals will simply be told how much total money they have to purchase SCRIP gift cards. What a great way for teachers/staff to treat themselves to a favorite store or restaurant! Please note that Mrs. Bergholz will be the only individual to record families’ gifts. Please bring the attached sheet, your gift tags, and your money to the St. Gabriel school office by Friday, December 18. If you have questions, please contact Mrs. Bergholz, Mrs. Leege, or Kelly Weiss (PTO, email is beisenst@uwosh.edu). Thank you, St. Gabriel PTO

Christmas 2015 Scrip Form

Family Name _____________________________ Mrs. Slavinsky Pre-School ____________

Mrs. Calmes Pre-School Aide ____________

Mrs. Ellyson Pre-Kindergarten ____________

Mrs. Coenen Pre-Kindergarten Aide ____________

Mrs. Konetzke Pre-Kindergarten ____________

Mrs. Roloff Pre-Kindergarten Aide ____________

Mrs. Rothe Kindergarten ____________

Miss Lamecker First Grade ____________

Mrs. Olsen Second Grade ____________

Mrs. Schumacher Second Grade Aide ____________

Mrs. Benrud Third Grade ____________

Mrs. Buss Fourth Grade ____________

Ms. Mathews Fourth Grade Aide ____________

Miss Vancil Fifth Grade ____________

Miss Loughrin Physical Education ____________

Mr. Arboleda Music ____________

Mrs. Newcomb Guidance Counselor ____________

Mrs. Schneider Librarian & Computer ____________

Ms. Bartow Art ____________

Mrs. Fahley Reading Specialist ____________

Mrs. Gagne Learning Specialist ____________

Mrs. Fritsch Spanish ____________

Mr. Bailey Band ____________

Mr. Sawall Band ____________

Mrs. Panzer After School Care ____________

Mrs. Thone Extended Care ____________

Mrs. Bergholz Office ____________

Mrs. Leege Principal ____________

Fr. Larry Seidl Pastor ____________

TO: TO: FROM: FROM:

TO: TO: FROM: FROM:

TO: TO: FROM: FROM: TO: TO: FROM: FROM:

Dear St. Gabriel Family and Friends,

The second graders will be opening St. Gabriel Post

Office for the 21st year on December 1, 2015.

We will deliver mail to anyone within the school. There

will be one mailbox located in the front hallway. We will sell stamps (10

cents each) and postcards (10 cents each) in the hall by the school office. If you would like a package delivered, please bring it to Room 3 (Mrs.

Olsen’s classroom), the cost is still only 10 cents per package regardless of size.

Hours: School days 7:45-8:00 and 2:50-3:05

Delivery: 12:20 every school day

To Send A Letter: IMPORTANT! Write the

person’s first and last name & grade on the front of the postcard or envelope and drop it in the school

mailbox Last delivery date: Friday, December 18, 2015

Please contact Mrs. Olsen tolsen@smcatholicschools.org with any

questions.

Thank you,

Mrs. Olsen

Use St. Gabriel Post Office for:

* BUDDIES * CHRISTMAS CARDS

* NOTES OF ENCOURAGEMENT * THANK YOU NOTES

(All proceeds support the St. Gabriel School student letters to our St.

Gabriel Parish Senior Buddies throughout the school year)

mailto:tolsen@smcatholicschools.org

54th Annual St. Nick Social This event is sponsored and organized by ALL

families and friends of St. Gabriel Parish & School!

Sunday, December 6th 11:00 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Lunch in Stingle Hall

Lunch will be served after the 10:00 am Mass until 1:30 p.m.

Lunch = $3.00 Extra Entrees = $1.00 Lunch plate includes: Sloppy Joe or Hot Dog, fruit, beans or carrots,

potato salad or chips and lemonade or water. Soda = 50₵ Dessert = 25₵

Activities in Allen Center Children of all ages are invited!

Game Tickets = 25₵ Cake Walk = 25₵ Come and have your photo taken with St. Nick

We are looking for middle or high school students to help run the games and parents to help with the games and sell tickets (great way to earn service hours). Shifts are either 10:45 -12:15 pm OR 12:00 - 1 :30 pm. We also need help setting up on Saturday, December 5th at 9:00 am and taking down after the event on Sunday. Please call Lisa Van Dyke at 527-9341 or go to SignUpGenius.com and use the email mlvandyke5@gmail.com to sign up if you are able to volunteer. Your response by December 1st will be greatly appreciated.

Also needed are cakes for the Cake Walk. There will be carts between the kitchen

and gym prior to the Saturday Mass (12/5) and both Sunday masses (12/6) for you

to set your donated desserts . Thank you in advance for your generosity! Let's

make this event extra special for our children of the parish!

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Nov 29 Advent Week #1

Nov 30—E 1—F 2—A 3—B Liturgy at 8:15 (K) Sports Attire Day after Mass

4—C 5

6 Advent Week #2 St. Nick Social

7—D Advent Prayer Service PS Concert 10:15

8—E PS Concert 10:15 Immaculate Conception Liturgy 12:15 (5)

9—F K-5 Dress Rehearsal K-5 Concert 6:30

10—A No Liturgy

K-5 Sweetness of Christmas

11 No School Staff Development

12

13 Advent Week #3

14—B Advent Prayer Service

15—C Gr. 3-4-5 Reconciliation

16—D PK Concert 10:00

Gr 2 First Reconciliation

17—E Liturgy at 8:15 (4)

Dec/June Birthday Lunch Day

18—F 19

20 Advent Week #4

21—A Advent Prayer Service

22—B 23 No School Christmas Break

24 No School Christmas Break

25 Merry Christmas!

26

27 28 No School Christmas Break

29 No School Christmas Break

30 No School Christmas Break

31 No School Christmas Break

December 2015

Hamburger/Bun

Fritos

Carrots

Fruit & Salad Bar

Soft Shell Tacos

Spanish Rice

Refried Beans

Fruit & Salad Bar

Cheese Pizza

Garlic Breadstick

Peas

Fruit & Salad Bar

Chicken Patty/Bun

Smiles

Broccoli

Fruit & Salad Bar

Teriyaki Chicken

Rice

Fortune Cookie

Fruit & Salad Bar

Pancakes/Syrup

Sausage Patty

Green Beans

Fruit & Salad Bar

Popcorn Chicken

Buttered Pasta

Corn

Fruit & Salad Bar

Ham & Cheese

Mini Pretzels

Carrots

Fruit & Salad Bar

NO SCHOOL

Soft Pretzel & Cheese

Yogurt Cup

Broccoli

Fruit & Salad Bar

Spaghetti/Meat Sauce

Garlic Bread

Green Beans

Fruit & Salad Bar

Grilled Cheese

Tomato Soup

Mixed Veggies

Fruit & Salad Bar

Hot Dog/Bun

Baked Beans

Tator Tots

Fruit & Salad Bar

Nacho Grande

Refried Beans

Fruit & Salad Bar

Bosco Sticks

Marinara Sauce

Peas

Fruit & Salad Bar

Holiday Nuggets

Mashed Potatoes

Corn

Fruit & Salad Bar

NO SCHOOL NO SCHOOL NO SCHOOL

NO SCHOOL

Chef Salad Available Daily

PBJ Available Daily

NO SCHOOL

Available Milk – 1% white, skim milk

skim chocolate

NO SCHOOL NO SCHOOL

Menu Subject to Change USDA IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER AND PROVIDER DAILY:$2.40 Weekly: $12.00 Month: $36.00

Nutrition Tip: MyPlate recommends: Get started cooking more often at home: If you don’t usually cook, start gradually. Make it a goal to cook once a week and work up to cooking more often.

ELEMENTARY

3 4

9 10 11 7 8

16 17 18 14 15

23 24 25 21 22

28

2 1

30 29 31