Financial Update
I spent the bulk of the month of February meeting with the staff for a yearly review and solidifying contracts for next year so I did not have much time to invest in solicitation activity. So I thought I would update you now that it is March. I think I will just be doing it at the beginning of the remaining three months of the year. That is right. After March there will only be three more months.
| Pledges | Collections | Number of Givers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual Fund | $161,000 | $149,918 | 294 |
| Centennial Campaign | 297,370 | $56,700 | 49 |
Notes: Our grandparents have given $10,857 thru the Grandparent Lunch solicitation to the Annual Fund. The staff at the school has given $15,039 to the Annual Fund. There has been 100% participation by the staff. These numbers are included in the totals. The goal for the Annual Fund is $200,000. We recently sent out a letter to those who have not been able to give so far. If they respond I believe we will make the goal. The goal for the Centennial Capital Campaign over the next five years is $2,000,000.
Blanchet Report
I am very happy to report that Bishop Blanchet High School sent us some wonderful information last week. Nine of our students who are presently enrolled at the school received grades for the second semester placing them in “First Honors” and ten of our students, who are presently enrolled in the school, received grades placing them in “Second Honors”.
Bingo
The staff of Holy Rosary School held a wonderful event last Friday evening. It was Bingo Night. Hundreds of our students showed up for a fun filled two hour celebration. There was a great festive atmosphere. And the event ended up generating over $6,000! All of these funds are considered a part of the auction income for this year. We are off to a good start. (A big thanks to all the STAFF who put this event on. They are AMAZING!)
Principal For A Day
New Administration took control of the school on Fat Tuesday. Dylan was the Principal and his friend Sam was the Vice Principal. They had absolute control and the loyalty of the entire school staff. The day went very well. They started off the day with hot chocolate and donuts. They observed a few teachers and wrote up comments on them. They reviewed the school. They went out to lunch. They reviewed the entire school looking for any safety issues, and, of course, they made it to their recess. Student support was strong, especially when they started out by offering an “out of uniform” day. I am not sure either is going to want to become a Principal later in life!
Registration/Parish Membership
For the last few years there has been a bit of confusion concerning Parish membership particularly during the times when eighth graders apply for high school, when first communion starts for the second graders and, when families first apply for entrance to the school.
Parish membership is important and should be decided well before these events take place. And that is an issue that, of course, is decided by the parish. Because of that, it seems there will be less stress and confusion for families if we address this during our registration period. The Parish has added one form to the registration packet to help with this at these grade levels. All you have to do is print your family name on the form and turn it in to the parish office. They will process it and return it to the school. Please remember that this year you will be signing up for automatic withdrawal tuition payments. That way you do not have to remember to send them in. There will also be no mistakes on the amounts of the payments. This will help avoid late payment penalty fees.
It is also my perception that many people do not realize that Band had to be paid for separately. This is a program that Kennedy Catholic High School offers us. We have to pay Kennedy HS. It is for our upper school students who elect to take it. If a child takes Band the parent must go online and schedule payments. The same is true for other programs such as Lego Robotics, Spark Yoga, Sponge Mandarin, Milk, BASE, and Dance.
Lent: Keep The Light On
Father Madigan, like all priests in the Archdiocese, will be available in the Church on Friday evenings for confession. This will take place between 6:00 and 7:00 starting this Friday March 7th and ending on Friday April 11th. Hopefully everyone will take advantage of this opportunity. It could be a family event, like it used to be decades ago.
Our Lenten journey has begun. We held a wonderful Ash Wednesday service yesterday. Each class is collecting mission money for an outreach of their choice throughout Lent. All students will be bringing in food for the Parish Food Bank. Students will be selecting an Outreach to bring in items for. On Holy Thursday there will be a prayer service in the Church at the beginning of the day and students will bring over all they have collected throughout Lent. Father Madigan will bless the items and the children and mission the eighth graders to deliver the items throughout the day.
The following Lenten Prayer, by William Arthur Ward, was given to the staff by a staff member. I know it really speaks to me. I offer it as a Lenten reflection:
Lenten Prayer
Fast from judging others; feast on the goodness of them.
Fast from emphasis on differences; feast on the unity of life.
Fast from apparent darkness; feast on the reality of light.
Fast from thoughts of illness; feast on the healing power of God.
Fast from words that pollute; feast on phrases that purify.
Fast from discontent; feast on gratitude.
Fast from anger; feast on patience.
Fast from pessimism; feast on optimism.
Fast on worry; feast on divine order.
Fast from complaining; feast on appreciation.
Fast from negatives; feast on affirmatives.
Fast on unrelenting pressures; feast on unceasing prayer.
Fast from hostility; feast on non-resistance.
Fast from bitterness; feast on forgiveness.
Fast from self-concern; feast on compassion for others.
Fast from personal anxiety; feast on eternal truth.
Fast from discouragement; feast on hope.
Fast from facts that depress; feast on truths that uplift.
Fast from suspicion; feast on truth.
Fast from thoughts that weaken; feast on promises that inspire.
Fast from shadows of sorrow; feast on the sunlight of serenity.
Fast from idle gossip; feast on purposeful silence.
Fast from problems that overwhelm; feast on prayer that supports.
– George