Dear Parents, Students, and Friends of Kelly,
Welcome to the season of Advent. Advent is a time of preparation. We are asked to remember the time before the birth of Christ and, like the people of that time, to prepare ourselves with great anticipation for the coming of the Messiah. Like other Christian traditions, Catholics are taught that Christ will one day return and so during Advent we not only prepare ourselves to celebrate the historical event of the birth of our Savior, but we also prepare ourselves for His eventual coming again. During this Advent season, I pray that we each are touched more fully with the presence of God in our lives and recognize the tremendous miracle and blessing of Christmas.
Our next All-School Mass will be on Monday, December 9 at 9:30 am in the Centennial Complex. All are welcome.
Exam Preparation – By the time you read this newsletter, there will be just a few class days left before mid-term exams. Just like Advent, which allows many days for preparation, I encourage everyone to take plenty of time to prepare for these exams. Teens often feel a ‘cram session’ the night before an exam is all that is necessary, but taking time over a number of days to prepare will yield better results not only on these exams, but also in learning this habit for future exams in high school and beyond.
Exam Schedule and Information РExams are scheduled for Tuesday through Friday, December 17-20. The actual exam schedule is attached to this newsletter. Students are only required to be at school for a scheduled exam. There will be a study area in the IC available if students want or need to stay at school when they are not taking an actual exam. There will also be food available in the caf̩ or students may leave for lunch. The Port Arthur and Orange buses will still run Рplease refer to the attached exam schedule for times.
Monday, December 16 will be an Early Dismissal at 12:25 pm. Please make arrangements for your child to be picked up as soon as possible. No lunch will be served. Staff will gather for our holiday luncheon off campus and then teachers will be making final preparations for exams. The Port Arthur bus will return students to St. Catherine around 1:15 pm.
Christmas Break is December 23 through January 3. Classes resume on Monday, January 6 and it will be a Blue day. Students will report to homeroom that morning to receive their 2nd semester schedule. Although the schedule of many students will remain unchanged, many others will change due to a variety of reasons.
Vaping continues to be a major challenge for schools all over our country. Although I believe our students understand intellectually the dangers of vaping, they are certainly not immune to the marketing efforts of companies or to the perceived cultural attitude that vaping is somehow ‘not a big deal’. I encourage every parent to be on the lookout for signs of vaping by your child. We treat incidents of vaping as a disciplinary incident and, if a student is caught vaping at school or during a school event, consequences will follow. Below is a link to a recent article about vaping and teens:
After the New Year, we will begin the re-registration process for the 2020-21 school year. This will involve going to a computer link the school will provide, confirming or updating the information we currently have on file, and resubmitting that information along with the re-enrollment fee. Please be watching for further information.
We continue to work on repairs to the school after Imelda. Much of the wall repairs and painting has been completed. Hopefully most, if not all, of the flooring in the offices and classrooms will be installed over the Christmas break. We are waiting for approval from the Insurance Company and the Diocese to begin replacing various furnishings damaged during the flood.
Take time during this Advent Season for prayer and meditation. All the distractions, turmoil, and busyness as we approach Christmas can make quiet time and preparing ourselves difficult. Have a wonderful, blessed Advent and a most holy Christmas.
Roger S. Bemis
Principal