Welcome Back
On behalf of the Parents Guild of Most
Precious Blood Catholic School, I would like to welcome all of our
returning families back and offer a warm welcome to all of our new families who
have embarked on the beginning of their journey with our MPB School
family. If you are a new family and would like to “pair-up” with
an existing family please send a note into the main office
Attention : “Parents Guild” and
we will make arrangements. This can be helpful for your first year at Most
Precious Blood as you navigate our web of activities, school rules, and
fundraisers or just need a friend to call with a question every now and then.
We are fortunate this year to have many of our
fine teachers returning for yet another year of dedicated service to our school
and deeply appreciate the nurturing Christian environment they provide for our
children every day.
We are also fortunate to have several new
teachers join us . Mrs. Geralyn Cronin will be teaching our 1st
Graders; Mrs. Beth Balogh will be teaching our 4th Graders;
Mrs. Helen Lynch will be teaching our 5th graders; and Mrs. Debra
Falco will be teaching our 7th Graders. We welcome you and look
forward to all of our teachers’ enthusiasm and the academically challenging and
Christian environment they create in our school every day.
I would also be remiss if I didn’t point out the
obvious in the dedication we see from our own Principal Sr. Margaret. She
and Mrs. Faraone were a regular presence at the school all summer,
beginning their preparation of the school for our children the day after the
last day of school this past spring. Thank you both for your dedication and
longstanding commitment to our children.
Thank you as well to Fr. Fallon, our
Pastor for his unrelenting interest in, and dedication to, our school and our
children. I have spoken to Fr. Fallon about his vision for the school and was
pleased to hear of many of his goals, including the development of an alumnae
association and the construction of a playground. Indeed, we are very fortunate
to have our school under the stewardship of two great individuals: Sr. Margaret
and Fr. Fallon.
Now some
housekeeping…
Our first meeting of the Parents Guild will be
on Wednesday September 10 at 7PM. It would be great if we had a larger
representation of our school family in attendance. In order to make our school
the optimum experience for our children we need every families involvement in
this organization. So many people have approached me with great ideas for the
school, for our children, and for our community, and I feel the only thing
keeping us from developing these ideas is our unwillingness to get involved.
Please don’t misunderstand my comment. All parents have dedicated, in some way,
a massive amount of time and efforts into the school and we appreciate their
efforts.
Whether it is those
painting the cafeteria this summer, or coaching our
basketball teams and cheerleading squads. I know and respect how much
work we all put into the
American Girl and the Tricky Tray/Silent
Auction as well as our monthly Bingo obligation. These are
just to name a few of the ways everyone gives so much and these efforts
contribute substantially to our schools budget and helps control our tuition.
But there is so much more we can do to build our
school Faith community. I know as a fellow parent, our purpose is our Children.
Our Cause is their education, not just in the classroom where Sr. and our
teachers do such a magnificent job, but also in the world community. Together as
a Parents Guild, we can make that difference in our collective children's lives.
We can model what it means to be a CATHOLIC in a secular society. We can
overcome our own limitations through a willingness to work together and do a
little more where we can, while being sensitive to the genuine needs and
limitations of others. We can nurture an environment based on common Christian
decency and respect for others. This is my hope for Parents Guild to continue
accomplishing this year and with your help on September 10 at 7 PM we can
take the steps necessary together to continue to strengthen our school community
around all of our dedicated families that are a part of our school.
To this end, we would like to open up our lines
of communication to each other. Throughout the next month, the Parents Guild
will be sending out an invitation to be a part of an MPB school Family
Directory. This directory would serve multiple purposes including
facilitating the ability of families to reach out and communicate with others
within the school. This can be useful in many ways. My wife Liz and I will only
ask an MPB graduate to babysit our children. These are older siblings to
students still in the school. Maybe you need advice in a field another parent is
a known expert in or you need a reference for a carpenter or a plumber or an
electrician. Regardless of the reason, communication is a healthy thing for our
school.
It is also in the spirit of communication that I
would ask that if anyone has an issue of concern or a question, to please call
me.
Thank you and we will see all of you on
September 10 at 7PM.
Terence P. Mahoney
MPB Float in Montgomery Day Parade
Come join us in
the General Montgomery Day Parade at 9 AM this Saturday September 6 (Meet
on Route 211 at the OC Airport) to show our school pride. We have constructed a
float, thanks to the Lee, Butler, Barry and Watkins families that centers on the
theme “Excellence in Education” highlighting our schools academic achievements,
extra-curricular activities, school organizations, and athletic prowess. The
Float is topped off with a noticeable yet unassuming Burgundy Cross (similar to
the one on our school shield) to indicate that above all we are guided in
education by our Faith. This is our schools first year in this community parade
and it is the Parent Guilds hope that we have an excellent showing of families
(past present and future are welcome) . We request that present students wear
either their school, basketball, or cheerleading uniforms. Our girls involved
in American Girl are welcome to wear an American Girl outfit with corresponding
doll. We are relying on our families to get the word out to past present and
future MPB families to join us to demonstrate our school spirit and pride. Any
questions, please call Terence Mahoney at 845-649-9768.
Fundraising Corner
The
Annual walkathon and Welcome Back Picnic is scheduled for September 27,
2008. The Walkathon will commence at 9AM and pledges should be in the form
of a flat amount. (Any amount is appreciated) Each child who participates will
be able to earn one “dress down day” pass for every $25 raised. The picnic will
immediately follow. Please watch out for a notice on this kick off event in the
Wednesday folder.
By now, all
families should be aware of their fundraising commitments for the year. Please
contact the chair of the individual fundraiser with any questions. Thank you
to all families that participate and even go above and beyond the fundraising
obligation since the monies raised help offset school budget costs and keep our
tuition costs under control.
