Family Messenger December 4, 2008

God our Father,
We watch for the day when your Son returns,
when he will wipe away all tears,
when evil and death will be no more,
and when the universe will be filled with your presence.
May he come quickly! We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

A Message from the Principal
As Christmas approaches, it is once again time for our annual collection of the gifts for the students at St. Columbkille. With the way dates fall this year, we only have approximately two weeks to collect, and we need your help! Gifts will be delivered December 18. Our goal is to collect 257 gifts to donate to these students.

St. Columbkille has sent us the breakdown of the number of boys and girls in each class. Of course, this breakdown is not the same as ours, so please check with your child’s teacher for details about purchasing a boy’s gift or a girl’s gift. Please wrap a new, unused gift and bring to your child’s homeroom. We have the names of all St. Columbkille students; therefore we will be able to personalize the gifts we collect as they come in. For many of these children, the gift that you donate may be the only gift they receive this Christmas. We want to be sure that no child is left out, so please be generous. Thank you for your support!

Ms. Olivia Carrillo

Important Dates
• 12/4 – Awards Assembly 10:30 a.m.
• 12/5 – Pictures with Santa
• 12/6 – Barnes and Noble Book Fair @ the Americana
• 12/8 – All School Mass
• 12/10 – Fall Sports Banquet

Celebrating Advent
On Sunday, we began the season of Advent. Advent is a time of quiet, joyful preparation for the celebration of Jesus’ birth and also a time to remember that we wait for Christ to come again at the end of time. It is a season to enjoy the hope that Christ’s Resurrection points to. This is a time of anticipation and new beginnings! At home, you can create a mood of anticipation with your family by displaying the empty manger from a Christmas nativity scene; you can also set an advent wreath at home and light it each week as we approach Christmas. May this season of Advent fill your family with joy!

A Message from Father Paul
CHRISTMAS 2008

Dear Friends:

I hope this Advent Season finds you all happy and in the best of health! I have never sent out a Christmas letter before but I thought it would be the easiest way to let you all know what’s going on in my life these days.

As some of you know, I have had several significant health issues over the past couple years and currently am dealing with advanced stages of osteoporosis and hardening of the carotid arteries. I visited Bishop Jerry Wilkerson recently, the bishop of the San Fernando Region, and he urged me to take time away from the parish to work on improving my overall health. Though this is a very difficult decision to make, I know it’s what I need to do for the sake of the parish as well as my own. I’ll be leaving early January and am hoping to be back in six months feeling much better than I do presently. Though I’ll have frequent doctor appointments in the Glendale area, my plan at this time is to spend much of the coming months with family members in Northern California.

On November 21st I began a two year regimen of daily injections of “Forteo” which has successfully restored bone loss in those who have used it. Right now the doctor tells me I am at risk of a spontaneous broken hip simply by stepping off the curb in the wrong way as well as compression fractures in my back. As far as the arteries go, I still don’t know what treatment will be determined.

Father Tim, Father Tom, Msgr. Frilot and Father Pat are overwhelmingly supportive of the need for me to take this time away. I know I can count on your prayerful support as well.

I’ll still be picking up mail at Incarnation when I’m in town.

Let’s continue to pray for each other!

May all of the peace and joy of this Holy Season be yours in abundance!

Love,
Father Paul

WASC Surveys
As part of our school improvement process, parents, staff, and students will be asked to complete surveys. The data gathered from these surveys will be reported in our self-study. Enclosed is a survey for parents. Please take the time to provide thorough responses to the questions provided. We would appreciate having the surveys returned to the office no later than Friday, December 12.

Scrip Tip from Jennifer Bunt
Good news, GAP is extending their 2% extra bonus until December 19th. You'll get 11% on your purchases. These are also good at Banana Republic, Old Navy, and Piperlime (their on-line shoe store). Amazon (special order) is now offering an additional 2% bonus until December 19th. You'll get 6% on your purchases. If you are savvy and like the double dip action, purchase your scrip, sign on to eScrip, click the on-line mall button, and go to Amazon. They'll give you 2.4%, bringing your grand total to 8.4%. Wait...there's more. Amazon offers free shipping on many orders over $25 AND they don't charge tax.

Ms. Carrillo has asked the children to donate gifts to St. Columbkille for Christmas. Why not save yourself some time, earn some contributions to your scrip account, and buy a gift card to KMart.
They're contributing 10% through December 19th.

Psst..I also have wish lists from the teachers of places they enjoy. Great Christmas gift idea.
Free parking. No crowds. With these kind of deals, we can laugh in the face of the recession!

Barnes and Noble Book Fair
Barnes and Noble at the Americana has invited us to come and participate in a Book Fair at their store. The book fair is this Saturday, December 6 beginning at 10:00 a.m. Any purchases made that day—a book, novelty, coffee, or cheesecake—when the Inca voucher is presented will earn 10% for the school. We have elected to accept our 10% profit in cash: 80% will go to the air conditioning fund and 20% will go to the library fund. Please come support your school. Bring your voucher and do some Christmas shopping at Barnes and Noble!

Business Office
Beginning this month all invoices will be sent through the Home Messenger. This will save the school a $0.42 stamp as well as make sure that all families receive their invoices. To ensure privacy, invoices will be sealed in an envelope. Please place your payment in the same envelope and return in the Home Messenger. If you are paying more than one invoice it is ok to pay with one check. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to call me. Thanks!
--Mrs. Fenton

Library Labeling Party
You are invited to come to the library on Thursday morning, December 4, for a labeling party! The time is 7:45-10:30 a.m. Coffee and cake will be served. I have over 200 new books for the library that need labels, so we can put the books on the shelves for the kids. Bring a coffee cup. Stay for an hour or the whole time. Small children are welcome, as the library will be closed to students until 10:45. Please remember that you must be Virtus trained, and participation hours will be given. Hope to see you there!
--Mrs. Hihn

Coaches Needed – Participation Hours Opportunity
Receive 40 hours automatically…become a coach! We are looking for A and B level basketball coaches for our spring sports season. If you are interested in coaching (boys or girls), Virtus training, fingerprinting, and CYO certification is required. We need you right away in order to have Incarnation teams represented in the CYO! Contact Jimmy Mueckay, PTO Commissioner of Athletics, if you are interested in coaching.