St. Marys March
Newsletter
I have a picture of a lion and one of a lamb that I use when I
set up the classroom calendar for March. We like to test out the old
proverb about March coming in like a lion and leaving like a lamb or
vice versa. So every year my class decides whether March has come in
like a lion or a lamb. Usually there is some discussion, however this
year the vote was unanimous. March definitely came roaring in with the
heavy snow and bitter cold. The weather was so bad in fact that the
statewide tornado drill, which was scheduled for March 4 had to be
moved to March 6 due to the inclement weather. I don’t know about you
but I find it rather amusing that a weather related disaster drill had
to be moved due to bad weather. We even had a two-hour delay the first
week of March. However in spite of all the leonine weather, March looks
to be a busy month.
The second graders of the parish are preparing to receive their First
Holy Communion on March 28. On Saturday, March 7, the children and
their families gathered for the Jesus Day Retreat. The children and
their families made bread as a reminder that Jesus is the Bread of
Life. While the dough was rising, the families participated in a guided
meditation and watched a DVD about receiving Jesus in Holy Communion.
As the bread was baking, there was a family discussion time. The
parents and grandparents shared their memories of their First Communion
with the children. Everyone enjoyed the day and left eagerly
anticipating the children’s First Communion.
The eighth graders sponsored a book fair on March 9 through March 15.
Each day the students shopped for books during school and after school.
The fair was open this weekend after all Masses. Also on Sunday, March
15, the eighth graders had their annual St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast
featuring Chris Cakes. In case you don’t know, the special thing about
Chris Cakes is not only are they tasty but you have the option of
catching your pancakes as the Chef Chris tosses them to you. I’m not
sure which I enjoy more, eating the pancakes or watching people catch
them. By the way, the secret to successful pancake tossing is to do
nothing but stand there with your plate. Chef Chris is pretty accurate!
Proceeds from both the Book Fair and the St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast go
towards the class trip to Puerto Rico
The last week of January was Catholic Schools Week and representatives
from many schools attended Mass in Cincinnati. Because of the distance,
there was a special Mass for the schools in the Northern Area. The Mass
was celebrated at Holy Rosary Church in St. Mary’s, Ohio. Our fifth
through eighth graders joined other students from Catholic schools in
our area at the Mass. I happened to be going back upstairs after lunch
and met the students returning from the Mass. I overheard several
students say “That was a really good Mass!”
Speaking of Catholic Schools Week, our Special Person Day had to be
postpone due to (you guessed it) inclement weather. Originally on the
Friday of CSW, the children had invited special people in their lives
to come to Mass with them and after Mass enjoy refreshments. The new
date for Special Person Day is March 27.
On Friday, March 13, the seventh and eighth graders were invited to
Memorial Hall to attend a performance by Scrap Arts Music, a percussion
group. The group’s instruments all have been made from industrial
scraps.
The third and fourth graders will be going to the Garst Museum on March
31 as part of their Ohio History studies. The Garst Museum has received
a grant which funds this program. The children learn about Native
American culture in our area, the military history of Greenville, and
about two famous people from Darke County, Annie Oakley and Lowell
Thomas.
Finally on behalf of the students and faculty at St. Mary’s School, I
would like to congratulate Jose Badell on his performance at the Ohio
High School Athletic Association District Swim Meet. I am sure that
most of you read in the newspaper how well he did at the meet. Jose is
one of our alumni. He is also one of my former first graders and his
little sister, Isabel, is a first grader in my class this year. We are
very proud of him and look forward to reading about his accomplishments
in the future.
I began this letter with an observation about March being a lion.
Here’s hoping that the proverb holds true and that March will turn
lamblike soon!
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