San Gabriel Mission Elementary
Family Newsletter
December 11, 2013
Dear Parents, Tonight is the last night for the Novena for the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. It is part of the 6:30 pm Mass in the Chapel of the Annunciation. Please join us for o ne of the special Masses tomorrow, December 12th, to celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. We will celebrate a Student Body Mass at 8:30 am in the Chapel of the Annunciation. The other Parish Masses are listed in the Parish Bulletin that is going home with your child today. December 16th is the first night of Posadas. The Huerta Family is hosting the night that w as assigned to San Gabriel Mission Elementary School. Please join us for any or all of these evenings of final preparation for Christmas. Check the Parish Bulletin for details. I will send the Parish Bulletin home w ith the children on Monday, so that you get the information early in the week. Since it is important that you get announcements early, I will continue to send the Parish Bulletin home on Mondays instead of Wednesdays in the future. Please w atch for it each Monday. The time for immediate preparations for our Christmas Program is upon us. Our program is on Thursday, December 19th at 7:00 pm in the Chapel of the Annunciation. The children need to be in the Parish Center at 6:30 pm. Please leave the children w ith the teachers and go to the Chapel. Dress/Costumes for the children are: TK-­‐Sheep 1st-­‐Angels 2nd-­‐Shepherds 3rd-­‐Shepherds Grades K, and 4-­‐7: dressy free dress – dark pants/skirts and Christmas colored shirts/blouses or dresses. Grade 8: appropriate costume for each one’s assigned part. Each parent is asked to be as creative as possible in preparing costumes for your children according to this list. Keep it simple – bathrobes for shepherds, cardboard wings for angels (not too big), etc. It is not meant to be an expense for the family, rather to add a traditional touch to o ur program from our school’s history. Call your child’s teacher if you have any questions. Thanks for your on-­‐going support of our Bless the World Program during this Advent Season. 1) Many of the children are making contributions in our W orld Bank/Buckets each day that will be used to purchase w hat is needed for the five families that Father Bruce has given to us. 2) Our Christmas Wishing Tree (located in the O ffice Hallway) has ornaments that list items needed by these families. If you want to give added help to these families, you may take an o rnament from this tree and let Ms. Kazan know what you have selected. Please wrap the gift, attach the ornament, and then turn it in to Ms. K azan or the office. Please turn in all gifts by Wednesday, December 18th. 3) Non-­‐perishable food is being collected to give to Christian Service for distribution to over 200 families that have asked for assistance. 4) Children and parents are invited to make decorations for the Food Boxes. Legal sized sheets o f paper are being used to cover the boxes and you may get these sheets from your child’s teacher. Please complete them by Friday, December 13th. Our Hospitality Committee will be hosting a reception in the Parish Center after the Christmas Program. Donations of baked goods are needed for the event. Please call the office by Friday, December 13th to let us know if you w ill be able to bring something that evening. This w ill enable us to plan for any additional items that the PTA will need to purchase. Please bring the donations to the Parish Center by 6:15 pm on December 19th. Thank you in advance for your continued generosity. The Morales Family will again decorate the Parish Center for the evening, so there will be a place for you to take your own family “Christmas Program” photo at the reception. Our Bless the World Program for Advent is helping you and y our family prepare for Christmas. May these remaining day of Advent be a time for all of you to experience the real meaning of this holiday season. Blessings, Sister Sharon, OP