St. Charles Borromeo School

March 2010                                                                         We Are the Church

Dear Saint Charles School Families,

As we observe the season of Lent, the theme for Saint Charles School is Jesus, Remember Me. A group of eighth graders (called the Got Prayer group) has decided that they would like to lead the school with prayer services each month. We welcome their enthusiasm to share their love of Jesus, prayer and song with the rest of us. They led us in prayer to begin Catholic Schools Week and then again for a Lenten service.

With the beginning of March, the IOWA Tests of Basic Skills and the Cognitive Abilities Tests are administered to grades one, three, five and seven. As a way of common sense, we encourage the students to get plenty of sleep and eat a nutritious breakfast in preparation for the tests. The teachers and our school psychologist, Mrs. Rabatin, spend time with the students practicing the “how to’s” of eliminating answers and making the best choices. Although we do not want any students to become stressed about the tests, we do not want them to approach them too casually either. These tests do matter, since they are a standardized way of assessing student knowledge. They are especially important in the seventh grade, since high schools consider these scores when students apply in grade eight. Please take some time to discuss these tests with your child and reinforce that he/she should do his/her best.

Many thanks to our PTU! As the volunteers (PTU and others) are busy making the Lenten Fish Fry at Saint Charles a success, many of the same people are spending time organizing the second annual Wearin’ of the Green Dinner Dance on March 13. Please join the PTU at its monthly business meeting on March 10 to see how you can help. The PTU is sponsoring a second Scholastic Book Fair from March 22-24. Prices are greatly discounted. Books make a great, healthy addition to an Easter
basket. Speaking of Easter, be sure to mark your calendars to participate in the Adult Craft Night on March 29 so that you can create a beautiful centerpiece for the season.

The basketball and wrestling seasons have ended and we applaud all our student athletes. Special recognition is bestowed upon the sixth grade girls’ basketball team coached by Deena Brennan. They have been selected to receive a CYO Sportsmanship Award. Congratulations! We know that our children are called to “strive to act at all times as a model of Christ-like values and behaviors.” No
matter what the score at the end of an event, sportsmanship is paramount. Our spring athletes, in track, baseball, and softball, are encouraged to keep the CYO philosophy in their hearts during every competition.

Some specifically notable events on the March calendar are the Classroom of Champions (at Saint Edward High School) and the Band Concert (at Saint Columbkille School), both taking place at 7:00 PM on March 10. Congratulations to Nathan Bokros, Mary Beth Ibos, and AnnMarie Rosa, for being chosen to participate in the Ohio Music Education Association Competition on March 27 in North Ridgeville. Confirmation candidates have practice after the 7:00 PM Mass on March 16, with Confirmation taking place on March 21 at 2:30 PM. We welcome Bishop Roger Gries to Saint Charles as the celebrant.