From the Principal’s Desk

Greetings Friends of Saint James Catholic School,

“Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)

As we continue on our Lenten journey let us

remember that Lent is a time to recommit ourselves

to our Lord. Allow God to minister to you as He

allowed angels to minister to him. We are a society

of outward activity, seemingly always on the go via

a myriad of Energizer Bunny-like pursuits. Even

so, it is important to find time during this Lenten

season for times of reflection.

It’s been said that the only certain way to fail is to

not try. Now is a good time to try and do a little

self-examination, acknowledging our sins by

attending Reconciliation, understanding that our

Lord is there for us and loves us beyond human

comprehension. It is not that we may have failed on

occasion in the past. Rather, it is that we recognize

and acknowledge our past faults, purposefully

choosing quiet time to be still with God, listening

for and seeking His guidance.

Youngsters, spouse, jobs, friends and relatives,

regular pursuits involved with daily life – it’s no

wonder that for many of us it may be a challenge to

find time to be still, to pause and reflect, to say

“Here I am Jesus, your will be done.” However, we

can do it. We are up to the challenge. We need to

try. God will listen to our prayers.

Finally, it is my prayer that your Lenten journey

will help you know the grace that goes with walking

with Jesus. I pray that we as individuals and as a

school community will be able to make a conscious,

purposeful effort to journey with Jesus as he makes

his way to Jerusalem. By spending this time in His

presence we may refresh and rediscover the

richness of what Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection

are all about, what this means for us, and what this

offers us as followers of Christ.

Jesus, thank you for all that you do. Peace, -David

03/06 – End of 3rd Quarter / Stations of Cross, 2:15p.m.

03/08 – Daylight Savings Time Begins: Clocks Ahead

03/09-03/13 – No School – Spring Break – Woo-hoo!

03/10 – Happy Birthday Fr. Greg!

03/14 – Cougar Clean-Up Day – 8:00a.m.-12:00p.m.

Catholic Life Raffle Results – Winners

Congratulations to the following event winners!

Top Pre-K Sellers: Boy and Girl

– Brand New Bicycle!

Natalie H. (2K) and Camo D. (4K)

Top Elementary Sellers: Boy and Girl

– Brand New Bicycle!

Eve G. (5K) and Ryder B. (5K)

Top Middle School Sellers: Boy and Girl

– Principal for a Day (and Lunch of Choice)

Megan O. (7th

) and Cade P. (8th

)

Top Family Seller:

– Voucher for (1) student 2020-‘21 Registration Fee

Torres Family

Top Class in Sales (Based on Percentage):

– King Ranger Movie Theater Fieldtrip

5K – Mrs. Marek’s Class

Every (10) Tickets Sold – Free Dress Day

– Lots and lots and lots of students!

Cougar Paw Prints

A Publication of St. James Catholic School – 2019-2020 Edition 25

Enter to Learn. Go Forth to Serve. Visit us at: www.sjcstx.org

Est. 1878

Attention SJCS Community: Please enjoy this submission provided on behalf of PK2 – PK3 – PK4:

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Class News

Featuring:

Kiddie Korner

WHAT WE’RE LEARNING – PreK-2 All is well in the 2K world! We are looking forward to the warmer weather for some fun outside activities we have planned. This week we are focusing on the letter R, as well as learning about insects. We continue to go over the alphabet, numbers, and songs daily during our circle story time. Our little ones love art, so we try and incorporate some form of art in our daily routine.

WHAT WE’RE LEARNING – PreK-3 3K has been busy!!! They have been working on writing their names, letters, numbers and tracing. They will soon begin to practice cutting after spring break. This week they are working on the letter W and will work on X, Y and Z after spring break. Ms. Lawrence has been healing well and recovering slowly however she will not be able to return to us until April. We continue to pray for her strength and healing as she anticipates joining us again to finish the school year. Sadly, Mrs. Santa Smith will be leaving us at the end of this week but with joy we will have Mrs. Nette Torres help and assist Mrs. Arce. Thank you to Mrs. Smith for her help and love in the 3K classroom. 3K will have their final mass this Friday, March 6th, with the help of the 8th grade class. The 3K students will be presenting roses to Jesus at the foot of the cross. 3K parents and families will have reserved seating at the front of the church on the right side.

WHAT WE’RE LEARNING – PreK-4 In Religion, we have been discussing how Jesus wants us to be closer to him and follow him more during this time of Lent. We remind each other daily to show kindness, respect and love to each other and especially our families. We sing our Lenten song of prayer, fasting and alms giving to remind us of how we should always try to be better for Jesus. St. Valentine’s Day was a great way to share our love with notes and treats. Our final 4K Mass was beautiful last Friday and all the children did an amazing job!!! I am so proud of them!!!! In Phonics, we are moving along with our letters, sounds, sight words and now we are beginning to write sentences. We are slowly understanding what a finger space in a sentence is along with periods and question marks. In February, we discussed C,E, Y, D and V along with completing arts and crafts with each letter. In March we will discuss J, X, W, Q and St. Patrick’s Day. We will soon begin in our phonics booklets. In Math, we have been using words more than/less than to identify information, identifying 1 whole and equal parts, counting by 10s with dimes, writing numbers proficiently, and identifying different types of patterns. We will be using a balance to discuss weight, use before, after, between in identifying numbers 1-20, follow a recipe and begin to learn about and practice addition. In Science/Social Studies/Health, we have been observing how the trees have new leaves and how God is helping the plants/weather/seasons to change, we have discussed Presidents Day, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln and a bit on what the President’s job is. We have been learning about swim safety with the Miss Tristan swim program information. We’ve discussed the whole hand rules: 1. Wait for a grown up 2. Learn to swim 3. Wear a life jacket 4. Grown-ups should watch you 5. Stay away from drains and specific information with each. We are planning to have our swim lessons March 23-27 at the Schertz YMCA. We are so excited!!!

A final note…..The preschool students and teachers will be celebrating Week of the Young Child in April. This week is meant to celebrate the beauty, learning and wonders of the young child and will include many fun and interactive activities as well as our annual Art Gala. More news and information will be sent home later.

PSIA & Destination Imagination Competitions

Saturday, February 29th was a very busy day for our

Saint James students! We had several students

participating in PSIA and DI competitions.

PSIA – Dear St. James Catholic School Parents,

Guardians, Faculty & Staff,

Thank you so much for all your assistance at

Saturday’s Academic PSIA Contest! This huge event

was a great success because everyone pitched in and

volunteered to get everything done. Thank you also

for any and all donations to this event.

Our elementary students came in 2nd place at this

district competition! Everyone had a great time and

(8) students have qualified to compete in 12 events at

the State level in Fort Worth at TCU!

Much appreciation, Ron & Dana Hermes

2020-2021 School Year Incentives

A. Registration

$100 off full registration fee if paid by the

end of May.

B. Tuition Reduction

$1,000 off for each newly recruited full-time

student. In addition, to help the ‘solicit and

encourage conversation’ each newly

recruited family with a full-time student will

also receive $1,000 off their tuition. Principal

to verify ‘Recruitment’ status.

C. Service Hours

Families who exceed 125 volunteer service

hours – documented and done via approved

school activities – will have their 2021-2022

school year registration fee waived. (8th grade

families who accomplish the 125 volunteer

service hours will receive a $250 gift card or

credit toward their May tuition payment.)

Movies – Widespread Appeal

Lots of people like going to the

movies. Older and younger folks,

different ethnicities, folks of

different socio-economic status,

different geographic regions, etc. If you happen to

head to the King Ranger Theater anytime in the next

six months then perhaps you should strive to arrive

15-20 minutes early to watch the ads. You never

know what ad might hold some appeal.

DI – We also had four of our 6th grader students

represent the school in DI competition at O’Connor

HS in San Antonio. Casey H., Ariann M., Noah R.,

and Shyan T. competed in the Engineering Challenge

and Instant Challenge categories. The team, The

Condiment Squad, received 1st place! They will be

going to state April 3rd-4th. Congratulations!

CAAC Participation – Great Job Students!

On Saturday, February 22nd, 2020 seven of our Saint

James students competed in the Catholic Arts &

Academics Competition (CAAC) at St. Anthony

Catholic High School in San Antonio. They

competed in the STREAM (Science, Technology,

Religion, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) category.

Results are as follows:

Hayden J. 1st grade Bible Storytelling

Cruz R. 1st grade Bible Storytelling

Sam P. 1st grade Spelling – 4th place

Haylen R. 3rd grade Spelling

Carmella V. 3rd grade Spelling – 6th place

Shyan T. 6th grade Witness to the Word

– 2nd place

Alora P. 6th grade Art Memory – 4th place

6th grade Mathematics – 5th place

***Cedric P. studied hard for 3rd grade Bible

Storytelling & Spelling, but fell ill and could not

compete. (Campus Coordinator) Doctora Hermes

-------- -------- -------- -------- -------- --------

Congratulations to all our participants in all of the

competitions. Our school is so proud of you! Thank

you Ron, Dana and Alessandra – We appreciate you!

Ron Hermes – (Retiring) PSIA District Director

Dana Hermes – SJCS CAAC Coordinator

Alessandra Vigil-Moore – DI Coach / SJCS Parent

Cougar Clean-Up Day: Saturday, March 14th, 8:00a.m.-12:00p.m.

Earn PTC Service Credit Hours while helping to make our school grounds and facilities look great!

Quick Lunch Program Update:

1. Bookkeeper Gloria Valdes is working on FACTS entries to account for lunches Feb. 18th-March 06th.

2. Starting with the week of March 16th all families choosing to order lunch will utilize the ‘Pay Now’ feature to

instantly pay for their ensuing lunches.

There will be no more manual turning in of menus, orders, phoned in ‘please add _____’, etc.

To insure your child receives a school lunch you must have ordered and paid, online, within the specified window

of time for the ensuing week’s lunches. Q’s – Please contact Ms. Erica in the school office. Thank you.

Saint James Catholic School Motto:

“Keeping God in Everything We Do.”

Saint James Catholic School Mission Statement:

Saint James Catholic School exists as a gift to God’s

children, to prepare them to live a life of faith with

Jesus the Good Shepherd as their teacher and friend.

Inspired by the Holy Spirit, our school seeks to foster

in each student spiritual growth, academic excellence,

and a sense of service with moral integrity.

Saint James Catholic School Vision Statement:

The vision of Saint James Catholic School is to

develop and inspire within its students faith-based

values that represent the service nature of a Catholic

school; to treat others with love and kindness as Christ

loves each of us. Our service to others will give back

to the community while fostering our Catholic

identity. Saint James will also strive to maintain

sound and transparent fiscal policies which will enable

our school to continue to grow and provide a quality

education to all those we serve.

2019-2020 School Year Theme:

Indescribable Joy

Unshakable Faith

Unstoppable Love

“With GOD all things are possible.”

Matthew 19:26

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Prayer for Saint James Catholic School:

Dear Lord, bless our Catholic school. Help us to

continue to be a humble source of wisdom, always

yearning to learn more about your tremendous love

for us. May all who enter Saint James Catholic

School be filled with the gift of your Holy Spirit,

coming to know you in a more meaningful way.

Guide us as a community that respects and

welcomes everyone. May Catholic education

continue to grow so that your good news can be

taught to children throughout the world. Amen.

All of us, together…

Attention SJCS Families: NOW is the time to apply to Hope for the Future Tuition Assistance!

There is more money available for early applicants. Questions? Mrs. Gloria Valdes is available to help.

NOW! Now is the time to apply for a Hope for the Future Tuition Assistance award!

Xing Tea, where are you?

Did you make it all the way here to the end of this

edition of our school newsletter? Thank you for

reading such! Now then, for a Mr. Stone ‘help’

request. Mr. Stone/I can’t find Xing Tea anywhere.

I’ve searched, found that it is supposedly for sale here

in Texas – Wal-Mart and Target both state such – and

yet from San Marcos to New Braunfels to Seguin I

haven’t yet found Xing Tea at any of the respective

Wal-Mart, Target, H.EB., etc. outlets. So, if you

happen to spot some being sold someplace please let

me know! I am particularly looking for Blueberry,

Mango, or Peach Xing Tea:

Thank you for keeping an eye out for this product! If

you see it ‘for sale’ then please forward along the

establishment and location of such to me so that I

might go out and make a purchase. Thank you.