Family Messenger, February 28, 2013

Holy God,

In this Lenten season may our hearts soak up

the words of scripture, and may these

words bear fruit in our lives.

Amen.

A Message from the Principal

It has come to my attention that there is some concern about the funds raised from our 2011 auction and the change of venue for the 2012 auction. Please see a summary of the 2011 auction below:

·       The total profit earned from last year’s auction was $42,098.71 (includes raffle, live, and silent auction)

·       Of the $47,984.70 collected from 2011 raffle ticket sales, profits after expenses for the raffle were approximately $25,000 (note that the car has never been donated to the school; had the grand prize winner opted for the car, we would have been expected to pay the cost of approximately $21,000);

·       15% of parishioner raffle sales, or $950.25, was donated back to the parish building fund

·       Since 2006, it was projected that the cost of upgrading the school’s electrical infrastructure and installing air conditioning would be about $600,000 for both projects. Since then, all auction proceeds have been reserved for the electrical and air conditioning projects. The profits from last year’s fundraiser put us in a position to be able to begin the air conditioning project. While minor adjustments to the work are still in process, all classrooms are equipped with cooling units.

The 2012 Mardi Gras Festival will be held on May 19, 2012 at the Community Center. Tuition and fees each year only cover salaries and benefits, so we rely on fundraising for all other operational expenses, capital improvements, and emergency reserves. Your support of this event is critical to continue to make the work that goes into planning these events worthwhile.

With changes in the economy, we have noticed a decrease in auction profits from year to year. The bidding at the live and silent auctions has decreased, impacting our bottom line. In an effort to increase our profits this year, the PTO Board agreed to use our own facility, the Incarnation Community Center, for the event to eliminate the cost of renting a venue. Last year we paid $17,545.77 to rent the Hilton. We have also opted to eliminate the car as the grand prize for the raffle to increase profits, though cash prizes will still be given. We are not asking for donations for class baskets or class projects in the hopes that greater participation will occur at the event. Next week you will receive your invitation. The Mardi Gras Festival promises to be a fun and exciting evening with a new look and feel, and we look forward to your support and participation.  

Sincerely,

Ms. Olivia Carrillo

Principal

Important Dates

·      February 29 – Lenten Soup Supper 6:00 p.m.

·      March 2 – Walk to School Day

·      March 2 – 2^nd Grade Field Trip

·      March 3 – Father/Daughter Dance

·      March 9 – End of Trimester II

·      March 9 – 8^th Grade Field Trip

·      March 10 – Academic Decathlon

·      March 11 – St. Joseph’s Table

RE-REGISTRATION ENDS THIS WEEK!

The re-registration period that guarantees your space in the class for 2012-2013 ends this Friday, March 2. Please be sure to have your form and payment in by Friday. After March 2, we will begin filling seats with new student applicants. To re-register your account must be up-to-date. Please call Mrs. Fenton if you have any questions.

Note: the Mandatory Fundraising amounts for the SCRIP Contribution and Raffle Tickets for the Auction were incorrectly listed on the Re-registration form. The 2012-2013 amounts will remain the same as this year: SCRIP Contribution--$250;  Raffle Tickets for Auction--$100.

Thank You For Supporting the Book Fair

Thank you to everyone who came to the book fair. Our total fair sales excluding sales tax were $3,956.69. Based on these sale figures, Scholastic allowed us to choose some book profit and some cash. The library will receive $1,280 in Scholastic dollars to buy new books either from the fair or from the Scholastic catalog, AND $349.17 in cash to buy books from different publishers. Scholastic also gave us an additional $768.50 in Scholastic dollars as a bonus for supporting One for Books, having a family event after Mass on Sunday, an additional 5% sales growth bonus, and a 10% second fair bonus.  The library now has $2,048.50 to spend in Scholastic dollars and almost $350 in cash. In addition to buying new books for the library, some of the Scholastic dollars were spent buying every book on each teacher’s wish list for the classroom. Thanks again for helping to buy new books for our students!