Corpus Christi Colt Express - February 21-28, 2014

Celebrating Faith!

February 23, 2014 - Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

How Do you Bring Peace?

Today's  Gospel calls us to stretch ourselves to do what is uncomfortable.  Nelson Mandela once said, " If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy.  Then he becomes your partner."  He was acknowledging the work of peacemaking requires us to engage with those with whom we disagree.  In family life, differences of opinion or ways of doing things an often lead to strife.  Sometimes it is the people very close to us with whom we need to walk the extra mile.   

This Week On the Way to Mass..Explore how you interact or avoid interacting with people with whom you disagree or whom you do not like. 

This Week On the Way Home from Mass...How did you understand Jesus' words?  What would doing what he says in today's Gospel look like in your life?

Living the Word This Week

Pay attention to how your family responds to disagreements and small squabbles.  How is forgiveness expressed?  Is is practice in your family to ask for and receive forgiveness?  

Celebrating FAITH Next Week - March 2, 2014 - Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

We are Many Parts and all One Body!  

Increasingly we are realizing not only our dependence on the natural world for our physical well being (clean water and air, healthy soil for food), but our spiritual well being as well. Next week's Gospel reminds us that nature - the birds, the grass, and the wildflowers - are great teachers to us as humans.  No matter where we live, we have some access to the natural world, even if it is simply to look up at the sky.  When confined in a concentration camp, the Jewish writer Etty Hillesum found strength in seeing budding branch of a tree outside of her window.  Paying attention to our natural surroundings reminds us that we are a part of a splendid and surprising universe, something much greater than most of us imagine.

Next Week On the Way to Mass...Call attention to the world outside:  Are trees in bloom, or are the branches still bare?  Is the grass green, or is there snow on the ground?

Next Week On the Way Home from Mass...Why would Jesus want us to consider the way in which the wild flowers grow or the birds are fed? Can we make a connection to our lives? 

Living the Word Next Week

Ash Wednesday is March 5th.  As a reminder, this is a NO SCHOOL day as teachers will be on retreat that day!  :) As you family considers how you will spend Lent, reflect on this Sunday's Gospel.  Instead of, or possibly in addition to, "giving up" something, is there something you can do to develop a better connection to the natural world or to be more ecologically responsible?

WEATHER and OTHER EMERGENCY ALERTS

With so many recent weather delays, we wanted to remind parents that we use www.flashalert.net to communicate weather and other emergency (lock-outs, etc.) alerts to parents and the media. This is a GREAT tool as not only will you receive email communications but you can also receive text messages within seconds of the posting.  As a reminder, weather postings are NOT available for CCCS on Fox.  We recommend, if you you choose to find out about closures via the media about our closures or delays locally on KRDO Channel 13.  They seem to be the most accurate.  

To receive weather and emergency alerts via email and text messages, please go to www.flashalert.net and complete the following:

1. Click on Colorado Springs on the map

2.  Click on Private and Charter Schools

3. Click on Corpus Christi

4.  Enter your email address

5. Follow the directions for continuing to enter your phone number to receive texts

Did you know that our Children's Choir is performing a MUSICAL??

The St. Cecilia Schola Cantorum, our children's choral program here at Corpus will perform "The Rock Slinger and His Greatest Hit,"  a one-hour fun, and moving show based on the story of David and Goliath.  Performances are at Mount St. Francis Auditorium (7665 Assisi Heights, Colorado Springs, CO, 80949) on Saturday March 1 at 6:30pm and Sunday March 2nd at 12noon.  Admission is FREE!  Join King Saul, David and the whole Israelite army in a hilarious romp as they all decide "Who Will Fight the Giant?!" Come and bring friends or family who might enjoy the show too!

VOTE for CCCS for Best In the Springs (AGAIN)

Last year we won our first "Best of the Springs" award and we were so thankful for your votes in making this happen!  Well, it's that time of year again!  

A few months ago we asked you to nominate Corpus Christi in the Gazette's Best of the Springs.  Thanks to your nominations, we are contenders in 4 categories - Best After School Program, Best Elementary School, and Best Preschool and Best Day Care!  Please take a few minutes now and VOTE. Here's how:

• Go to http://www3.gazette.com/thebestofthesprings/
• Click on the Click Here to Vote Now tab
• Choose the FAMILY tab on the left side of the page
•  Vote in the following areas:   Best After School Program, Best Elementary School, and Best Preschool and Best Day Care 
• You can also click on Best Middle School and fill in Corpus Christi Catholic School at the bottom.  
• Join us at the event where they announce the winners!  More info to come on this!

This is an easy way for you to get involved, and it will be difficult to win without 100% participation (get your friends and family involved too).  We want to be make this a repeat year of being a BEST OF THE SPRINGS! 

Snow Days Are Just About Exhausted

The principals across the diocese met last week and discussed our snow day usage.  We do plan days for snow days but have exhausted most of the time we had allocated.  At this point, we therefore plan to extended what was originally in the calendar as a NOON dismissal day on Wednesday, Mary 21, to a FULL day of school.  If we must have other snow late starts, early dismissals or full snow days, we may need to extend the days of school past the May 23rd last day of school.  

We wanted to let everyone know of this shift, especially our 8th grade student families as it may affect furthering scheduling.  Principals meet on a monthly basis and this topic will be covered each month as necessity arises.  We will share the decisions made with you as quickly as possible.  

Middle School Teachers Available to Assist Students

Middle School teachers are dedicated to providing additional assistance to middle school students each day from 2:45-3:15 PM on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Students just need to get a hall pass from the designated teacher during class and then let parents know they will be staying after school for the day! 

 As a reminder, when middle school students are absent, they need to plan to stay after school to meet with teachers to discuss their missing assignments.  Our school policy is that they have one extra day for each day they are absent to complete a missing assignment and still receive full credit.  Not turning in an assignment during this time period constitutes a ZERO for the assignment - no matter the reason for the absence. 

ITBS Testing Coming February 24-28

As you may or may not be aware, the vision for CCCS for this year was to pilot the online version of the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) for the diocese as we are the most technologically equipped.  We found out this last Friday that Riverside Publishing is having numerous issues with the implementation of the online version. We have therefore, chosen to go with the regular - paper/pencil implementation that we have done for many years in the past.  

Please mark your calendars for the week of FEBRUARY 24-28 as our ITBS testing period. It is VERY important that students get a good night's sleep and be prepared to do their very best.   Please do not plan extra night activities or appointments for this week and try to have your child at school on time each day. We will also have no homework that week to allow students to rest and be prepared for the next day's testing.  

Even though our school makes a point to not "teach to the test", this test data is used internally to place students appropriately in classes, programs and in recommendations for placement for high school for 8th graders.  Therefore, understanding of the importance of this week's testing is important for all to understand.  

What a FANTASTIC Year for Science Fair! 
Last week, we had our Annual Middle School Science Fair!  Judges from numerous professional roles in Science and other areas of business were impressed with the caliber of the exhibits this year!  The quality of the work done by students  far exceeded Mrs. Hennessey's wildest expectations. THANK YOU parents for your support of science fair.Our middle school parents should be very proud of your students and their accomplishments; the scores this year were all very close.That being said, awards were given to the top 30% of the students and were as follows.

8th Grade:
Blue Ribbon
Bradley Baker - Does Soda Affect Germination?
Stephen Sabish - Generators

Red Ribbon
Michael Ghigleri - The Effect of Elevation on Temperature and Pressure
Joseph Font - Will Humanity Survive an Asteroid

White Ribbon
Erin McAdams - Effects of Viscosity on Fluid Motion Sydney Silver -
Temperature and Crystal Growth Brennan Zill - Sun vs. Potato

7th Grade:
Blue Ribbon
Marc Munoz - Catapult Chaos
Joseph Sabish - Nose-Cone Configurations Henry Tran - What Floats Your Boat?

Red Ribbon
Nick Baca - What Material Makes the Best Seismograph?
Nick Hay -  Green Battery
David Peters - Parachute Plunge
Celine Pietraszek - Heat Loss

White Ribbon
Lexi Boone - Soapy Mold
Rebecca Dunbaugh - How Clean is Your Water?
Josh Egbert - Trebuchet Toss
Jared Holton - Tesla Coil in a Vacuum

When you see our Middle School students - please congratulate them ALL as they have all done a superior job.

New Folder System in Front Office

As we have numerous things that are dropped off in the front office daily, we have created a system for things brought to school from parents or other individuals, ie., permission slips, etc. that need to be delivered to teachers.   Teachers will check these folders regularly so we hope this helps to get important "stuff" to them more quickly.  Obviously, students will continue to be called for lunches so no worries on this!  

Get TEXTS from CCCS! 

We are really excited to offer a new tool to our CCCS community!  We are inviting parents, students and staff to subscribe to a program called SchoolTextLine so we can share non-emergency announcements and reminders via text message! 

To subscribe, simply text: CCCS27 to: 96298 to start receiving text announcements and reminders from our school!  We currently have 30 individuals who have signed up!  Let's make this grow so it can be an effective communication tool! 

!SCRIP CARD Competition!
A text will be sent out soon via SchoolTextLine!  Once the text is sent, you will be challenged to be the first parent to come to the front desk and show us the text to win a FREE SCRIP CARD!  To subscribe, follow the directions above to get entered in our competition!!  

	St. Mary's National Honor Society Book Drive St. Mary's National Honor Society is sponsoring our annual Book Drive January 21st thru March 9th. We are partnering with area Catholic schools to donate books to local organizations (i.e.,Catholic Charities, Children's Literacy Foundation, and local school districts). We are looking for gently used books (children thru adult). If you are cleaning closets, please keep us in mind. All donations can be dropped off in the designated box in the front office of CCCS or at St. Mary's High School!   Questions: Robyn Cross, SMHS Director of Admissions, rcross@smhscs.org,(719) 635-7540

Get your Yearbook for 2013/2014

Check it out! On line ordering for the first ever, student-produced Corpus Christi Yearbook is now available. Please follow the  links below to order books, purchase an ad to promote your business or pay tribute to your child. You can also upload your favorite photos from school events for inclusion in the yearbook; action sports pictures are especially needed!

Secure on-line ordering via our publisher’s web site

• Cost is $25.00 per book
• Deadline for orders is March 31, 2014
• To buy a yearbook: https://yearbookforever.com Type in: Corpus Christi Catholic School

Both business ads and personal ads are available

• Full Page $60, Half Page $30, and Quarter Page $15
• Deadline for orders is March 1, 2014
• To buy an ad: https://yearbookforever.com Type in: Corpus Christi Catholic School

Submit your school event photos – Our yearbook team can’t be at all school events. Please upload only clear, sharp images.Our yearbook team will select and edit images as required - thanks for sharing!To upload photos: 

1. Go to: https://yearbookforever.com 
2. Type in: Corpus Christi Catholic School. 
3. Look for: Community Upload (lower right corner of the Corpus Christi page)
4. You will need our access code to upload: CCColts  (case matters)

Thanks to those of you who have already purchased your yearbook and uploaded photos using the PDF in the digital locker.

SCRIP Info!

As a reminder, in January 2013, we began a diocesan mandated requirement that each family participate in our school SCRIP program or pay a flat fee instead of participating.  As we put this incremental plan in place the first year requirement was that every family bring in a profit of $75 in SCRIP percentage credit or pay the $75.  

Here's How it Works:

As an example, we get an average of 5% back on SCRIP cards. This means that for every $100 purchased in SCRIP cards, the school receives $5.  By just purchasing $1500 over this last year in SCRIP that earns 5%, families have been able to meet the $75 requirement.  The balance will be due on or before completion of re-registration for 2014-2015.

As stated, this is a three year incremental implementation for our school with the final 2015 year profit expectation capping at $275.  In this final year of implementation, once this $275 has been met, all "extra" profit will come back to families in the form of TRIP (a Tuition Reimbursement Incentive Program) which will be credited to their tuition accounts. Many families in other schools use SCRIP to pay most of their tuition just by buying gift cards to make their regular family purchases!! 

Beginning this month through December, 2014, the expectation is that each family will purchase enough SCRIP to bring in a profit of $175. So using the 5% idea again, that would mean purchasing $3500 in 5% Scrip cards.  As always, if you do not wish to participate, a flat payment of the $175 (or $75 for this year) is always acceptable *.

* Scrip requirements for new families to our school are based on the number of months of attendance and they are not responsible for the total amounts. 

Safe 2 Tell 

Sometimes it is hard for students to report to teachers and parents when there is something going on in their lives that they know is not ok and they don't know what to do about-abuse, suicide, etc.  Corpus Christi Catholic School is now partnering with a wonderful organization formed here in Colorado Springs called Safe 2 Tell. Safe 2 Tell - http://safe2tell.org/ is an organization designed to allow youth to anonymously report events that they may not be willing or able to report to adults in their lives.  These reports are then sent to the school where we can contact local authorities or parents to get students the help they may need.  Please access the website above or call 877-542-7233 for more information.

Here's What Happening This Coming Week and the Next: 

-Saturday, February 22- 6:30 pm in Gym- 8th Grade Melodrama "Saga of the Golden Horseshoe" 

Monday, February 24 - ITBS TESTING!  No Homework and NO SPECIALS/Planning Periods this week! Regular Everyday Uniforms for PK-8

Tuesday, February 25 - ITBS TESTING! Regular Everyday Uniforms for PK-5; PE Uniforms for 6-8

Wednesday, February 26 - ITBS TESTING!; Mass uniforms for PK-8; School Mass 1:45 PM

Thursday, February 27 - ITBS TESTING!; Regular EVERYDAY uniforms for PK-8

Friday, February 28 - ITBS TESTING!; Regular EVERYDAY uniforms for PK-8

Saturday, March 1 - (RESCHEDULED) HSA SPAGHETTI DINNER and BASKET RAFFLE - 6 PM in Gym!!

Monday, March 3-Friday, March 7 - ITBS Make-Up Days
Monday, March 3 - Regular EVERYDAY uniforms for PK-8
Tuesday, March 4  - Regular Everyday Uniforms for PK-5; PE Uniforms for 6-8

Wednesday, March 5th - NO SCHOOL - Staff Lenten Retreat at Sacred Heart Retreat Center!  We will meet at CCCS and can take the bus. Please RSVP to Kim if you want to ride the bus. 

Thursday, March 6 - HSA Meeting 7:30 AM; Regular EVERYDAY uniforms for PK-8

Friday, March 7 - SCHOOL IN SESSION; Regular EVERYDAY uniforms for PK-8

Reminder of THINGS to DO:

• Check out your classroom teacher's blogs!  They are working hard to keep you in the loop of all that is going in in their classrooms!  This is a great way to be in the "know" of what your students are learning in class!  These can be accessed via our website or by following your teachers at the link they have shared.  
• Complete your re-registration paperwork and call Al Chromy with any questions!  

WHAT'S COMING SOON: 

Sunday, March 9 - Corpus Christi Colors Sunday

Monday and Tuesday, March 17-18 - AdvancEd Review Team at CCCS 
Wednesday, March 19 - St. Joseph Day Donuts with Dad in Cafeteria beginning at 7:00 AM - 5-8th Grade Awards 3rd Qt. Assembly to be RESCHEDULED to April 9th before Mass.

Monday, March 24-Friday, March 28 - SPRING BREAK - NO School!
Saturday, April 5 - CCCS Staff Hosts Parish Soup Supper - please start planning now to bring your favorite Lenten soup for this evening's event!  As a reminder this is OUR way of thanking our parish for their support of our school!