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April 20, 2014 - Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord
He IS Risen!
Easter is a joyful celebration of the core of our faith: Christ has died, Christ is risen, AND Christ will come again! Let's think about what that day must have been like...Mary thinks someone has moved Jesus' body and runs to Peter and John. Yet after Peter enters the tomb and John follows him, we are told that John "saw and believed." How human of them to be confused, perhaps even frightened, at first. Perhaps this is how grace works! If we are willing to seek Jesus, we will know the gift of new life and of RESURRECTION!!
This Week On the Way to Mass..The mood should be VERY different today! For six weeks, we have said or sung Alleluia during Mass! See how many times you can use the word ALLELUIA on the way to Mass today during your conversations you have!
This Week On the Way Home from Mass...Talk about how Easter is expressed in the liturgy and the church: what did you see, hear, smell, and feel that expressed the joy of the Resurrection?
Living the Word This Week
We have a four day weekend this week! If the weather is good, spend some time outdoors this weekend and into the week! Enjoy a park, the woods, or maybe a lake in the mountains! Be open to the signs of new life. Do you see that the birds have returned? Are spouts of new plants coming up? Bring signs of new life into your home and add them to your prayer space and maybe your dining room table.
Celebrating Faith
April 27, 2014 - Second Sunday of Easter/Sunday of Divine Mercy
Faith is a Journey
Faith is a Journey
How wise was it of the Church to have this Gospel reading the week following the Sunday after Easter! Many, if not all of us, experience times of struggle and questioning. Thomas had been a faithful disciple, yet in his grief at Jesus' death, he doubted the Apostle's account of Jesus' appearance. Faith is a journey with turns and detours, not always a straight line! Faith is, however, the highest form of devotion to Christ! At times, our task is to simply be faithful to the journey!
St. Faustina was a great example of how beautiful our faith journey can be! Divine Mercy Sunday, celebrated on the Octave of Easter (the Sunday after Easter Sunday), is a relatively new addition to the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar. Celebrating the Divine Mercy of Jesus Christ, as revealed by Christ Himself to St. Maria Faustina Kowalska, this feast was extended to the entire Catholic Church by Pope John Paul II on April 30, 2000, the day that he canonized Saint Faustina.
St. Faustina was a great example of how beautiful our faith journey can be! Divine Mercy Sunday, celebrated on the Octave of Easter (the Sunday after Easter Sunday), is a relatively new addition to the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar. Celebrating the Divine Mercy of Jesus Christ, as revealed by Christ Himself to St. Maria Faustina Kowalska, this feast was extended to the entire Catholic Church by Pope John Paul II on April 30, 2000, the day that he canonized Saint Faustina.
Our Church is also celebrating the Canonization of Blessed Pope John Paul II and Blessed Pope XXIII on Divine Mercy Sunday! Check this out to find out more about this very special day! Popes Canonized
Next Week On the Way to Mass.. For the next 50 days, we are in the season of Easter. Talk about why this is GREAT to have a lengthy period of time to grow into the meaning of this wonderful time of feast!
Next Week On the Way Home from Mass... Ask family members for their suggestions of ways to celebrate Easter over the next six to seven weeks! Decide on what you can do as a family!!!
Living the Word Next Week
Continue to sing Alleluia and Easter hymns as your prayer before or after dinner! Keep fresh flowers on the table or in your prayer space. Young children enjoy arranging flowers so give them this task!
Teacher Appreciation Week - May 5-9 - Each day we have a theme for the day! Please read below and help make your teacher's week extra special!
Monday, May 5- "Thank you "A LATTE" for all you do!"- today, please send a gift card to your or your teacher's favorite coffee shop! Caffeine - it's what keeps our teachers going!
Tuesday, May 6 - "Our Teachers Help Grow God's Kids!" - please send in a flower or potted plant for your teacher(s) today to let them know how grateful you are for them partnering with you in help grow your kiddo!
Wednesday, May 7 - National Teacher Appreciation Day! - please send in a note of thanks
and/or a small token of appreciation to your teacher(s) today!
Thursday, May 8 -"Our Teachers Our CATHOLIC to the CORE!" - please send in an apple of some kind - a real one, a teacher-type gift with an apple on it, an apple pie, etc.!
Friday, May 9 - Kick Your Feet Up and Enjoy Your Week - "Spa Day" - Massages for Teachers throughout the day and an HSA Sponsored Luncheon for our Teachers and Staff at their lunchtime!
Best of the Springs 2014
Monday, May 5- "Thank you "A LATTE" for all you do!"- today, please send a gift card to your or your teacher's favorite coffee shop! Caffeine - it's what keeps our teachers going!
Tuesday, May 6 - "Our Teachers Help Grow God's Kids!" - please send in a flower or potted plant for your teacher(s) today to let them know how grateful you are for them partnering with you in help grow your kiddo!
Wednesday, May 7 - National Teacher Appreciation Day! - please send in a note of thanks
and/or a small token of appreciation to your teacher(s) today!
Thursday, May 8 -"Our Teachers Our CATHOLIC to the CORE!" - please send in an apple of some kind - a real one, a teacher-type gift with an apple on it, an apple pie, etc.!
Friday, May 9 - Kick Your Feet Up and Enjoy Your Week - "Spa Day" - Massages for Teachers throughout the day and an HSA Sponsored Luncheon for our Teachers and Staff at their lunchtime!
Wow! We are so EXCITED! This Thursday night, the Best of the Springs were announced amid a HUGE celebration at the Pikes Peak Center in Downtown Colorado Springs! Thanks to the votes of our amazing Corpus Christi Communtiy- this year we were once again elected as one of the Best of the Springs. As you may recall in 2013, we won Bronze Best Elementary School of the Springs. This year you voted again and we were nominated and won in the top three in four different categories! First Place - Gold, Second Place - Silver, Third Place - Bronze
So drum-roll please! For Best of the Springs 2014, Corpus Christi Catholic School won:
Silver: Best of the Springs Elementary
Bronze: Best of the Springs After-School Program
Silver: Best of the Springs Day Care Center
AND....
GOLD: Best of the Springs Preschool!!!
We are so proud of this great accomplishment and we thank our entire community for making it happen!
HAVE YOU SEEN our COMMERCIAL? Share this link with friends!!!
We are so proud of our CCCS we had to share it!! Check out the commercial that is on local TV stations now! You may see yourself or your child!!! CCCS Goes LIVE!!!
CALLING ALL DADS!
On May 22nd during Field Day, Corpus Christi will be holding our annual Dads Cooking Lunch from 10 AM-1 PM at the St. Mary's Grace Center. Dads will be preparing
hamburgers and hot dogs for the children. Dad volunteers are needed for the
following: grilling, preparing, serving and clean-up.
If you are able to help out with this event or have any questions please contact Marc Munoz at marcamunoz2003@yahoo.com
FOLLOW US on FACEBOOK and TWITTER
We are so proud of our CCCS we had to share it!! Check out the commercial that is on local TV stations now! You may see yourself or your child!!! CCCS Goes LIVE!!!
CALLING ALL DADS!
On May 22nd during Field Day, Corpus Christi will be holding our annual Dads Cooking Lunch from 10 AM-1 PM at the St. Mary's Grace Center. Dads will be preparing
hamburgers and hot dogs for the children. Dad volunteers are needed for the
following: grilling, preparing, serving and clean-up.
If you are able to help out with this event or have any questions please contact Marc Munoz at marcamunoz2003@yahoo.com
FOLLOW US on FACEBOOK and TWITTER
We have really been working our Facebook and Twitter pages. We now have 300+ followers!
That is HUGE for a school our size! We have some great things to share! Check us out!
Follow us on Facebook at: Corpus Christi Catholic School, Colorado Springs
Follow Us on Twitter at: @CorpusCOS
We are so proud of our CCCS students and how well they did on their ITBS testing! We wanted to share with you their 2013-2014 class cumulative grade equivalent ITBS scores and let you know that individual scores will come home with final report cards at the end of the year!
Also, please access www.teacherease.com for a letter from our Superintendent, Mrs. Holly Goodwin, about the new testing format and how we are using this data in our diocese! As a reminder the expectation we would have is that students be at their grade level in the 8th month, i.e, if a student is a 3rd grader, the national average would be a 3.8. As you can see, the longer students are in our school, the larger the growth!
Here's our FANTASTIC Grade Equivalent ITBS Class Averages:
Grade 1: 2.1
Grade 2: 3.3
Grade 3: 4.3
Grade 4: 6.4
Grade 5: 7.1
Grade 6: 8.1
Grade 7: 10.3
Grade 8: 11.8
Wow! As you can see, 8th Graders scored 3 Grades above the National Norm! Our CCCS students and teachers ROCK!! We are SO proud of you all!
Mark your calendars! Our Annual May Crowning of Mary and Rosary this year will be held on May 7th at 8AM. It is a beautiful event! Please note the following:
- All students are asked to bring at least 1 flower to school to offer to Mary and a Rosary
- All First Communicants will wear their First Communion clothing and bring their regular uniform to change into later
- All 8th Graders who will be receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation will dress in their Confirmation clothing and may stay in these clothes for the day: Button down shirts, ties and slacks for boys and Modest Dresses for girls
- Parents are ENCOURAGED to join us in this beautiful day!
Diocesan School Calendar for 2014-2015 NOW Available
Can you believe we are in full swing in planning for the 2014-2015 school year? Now available in the digital locker section of www.teacherease.com is our finalized diocesan school calendar for the 2014-2015 school year! Please access this calendar for general full diocesan school dates. To see what is happening at CCCS - go to the calendar on www.teacherease.com for more articulated day-to-day events for Corpus Christi individually!
Can you believe we are in full swing in planning for the 2014-2015 school year? Now available in the digital locker section of www.teacherease.com is our finalized diocesan school calendar for the 2014-2015 school year! Please access this calendar for general full diocesan school dates. To see what is happening at CCCS - go to the calendar on www.teacherease.com for more articulated day-to-day events for Corpus Christi individually!
St. Mary’s High
School
Middle School Neon
Dance
Saturday, April 26th
From 7pm until 9pm
St. Mary’s High School Cove
Admission: $5.00
It's that time of year again! We are looking for some new additions to our Home and School Association Board! For the 2014-2015 school year, Mr. Ed Wilcox will be serving as our President/Treasurer as well as the HSA Representative on the School Advisory Council. Mrs. Michelle Giancamilli and Mrs. Jackie Rodriguez will serve as our Vice Presidents! Mrs. Markita McKamey has served as our secretary but with Brianna graduating, we are looking for a new SECRETARY and a MEMBER AT LARGE! Please access the HSA Application in the digital locker section of www.teacherease.com if you would like to serve in either of these rolls!
CCCS Text Line
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!
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 60 individuals who have signed up! Let's make this grow so it can be an effective communication tool!
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 Coming Up:
Friday, April 18 - GOOD FRIDAY - No School
Sunday, April 20- EASTER!!!
Monday, April 21 - EASTER MONDAY - No School; 8th Graders Leave for 8th Grade Trip to Washington DC;
Tuesday, April 22 - PE Uniform for 6-8 Grades; Everyday Uniform for K-5
Wednesday, April 23 - Mass Uniforms
Monday, April 21 - EASTER MONDAY - No School; 8th Graders Leave for 8th Grade Trip to Washington DC;
Tuesday, April 22 - PE Uniform for 6-8 Grades; Everyday Uniform for K-5
Wednesday, April 23 - Mass Uniforms
- Administrative Assistant Day - please help make Mrs. Ambuul, Mrs. Munoz and our volunteer, Mrs. Gibar's day special!!
- St. Mark Feast Day is on the 26th! Today at Mass we will pray for our Father Mark!!
Thursday, April 24 - Everyday Uniform for K-8; MANDATORY 7th Grade Parent Meeting - 6:30-7:30 PM in Middle School Math Room
Friday, April 25 - Jeans Day - check out your planner for more info!
Monday, April 28 - Everyday Uniform for K-8
Tuesday, April 29 - PE Uniform for 6-8 Grades; Everyday Uniform for K-5
Wednesday, April 30 - Mass Uniforms for K-8; School Mass 1:45 PM; Corpus Christi Confirmation for 8th Graders - 7 PM, CCCC
Monday, May 5-Friday, May 9 - Teacher Appreciation Week - see schedule above!
Lunch/Recess Volunteers:
A HUGE thank you to our lunch/recess volunteers! You help keep our kiddos safe and allow for our teachers to have a break at lunch! Thank you so much for your help! If you have been looking for ways to volunteer and would like to volunteer to serve in May, please see Nichole Munoz, our Volunteer Coordinator. The time we ask that volunteers be here is only from about 10:20-12:45 and it is a fun way to serve our school and be with your kiddos!
Schedule for the Rest of April:
April 22 - M. Franco & G. Piadad
April 23 - C. Bralick & S. Mang April 24 - C. Pepper & C. Bralick
April 25 - T. Malec April 28 - M. Donahue & C. Bralick
April 29 - M. Franco & R. Gayton April 30 - J. Meyers & S. Mang
Thursday, April 24 - Everyday Uniform for K-8; MANDATORY 7th Grade Parent Meeting - 6:30-7:30 PM in Middle School Math Room
Friday, April 25 - Jeans Day - check out your planner for more info!
Monday, April 28 - Everyday Uniform for K-8
Tuesday, April 29 - PE Uniform for 6-8 Grades; Everyday Uniform for K-5
Wednesday, April 30 - Mass Uniforms for K-8; School Mass 1:45 PM; Corpus Christi Confirmation for 8th Graders - 7 PM, CCCC
Thursday, May 1 - Everyday Uniform for K-8; HSA Board Meeting 7:30AM
Friday, May 2- Everyday Uniform for K-8; First Friday Adoration - 11:15-11:45; Noon Dismissal, Staff PLC 1-4 PM
Monday, May 5-Friday, May 9 - Teacher Appreciation Week - see schedule above!
Lunch/Recess Volunteers:
A HUGE thank you to our lunch/recess volunteers! You help keep our kiddos safe and allow for our teachers to have a break at lunch! Thank you so much for your help! If you have been looking for ways to volunteer and would like to volunteer to serve in May, please see Nichole Munoz, our Volunteer Coordinator. The time we ask that volunteers be here is only from about 10:20-12:45 and it is a fun way to serve our school and be with your kiddos!
Schedule for the Rest of April:
April 22 - M. Franco & G. Piadad
April 23 - C. Bralick & S. Mang April 24 - C. Pepper & C. Bralick
April 25 - T. Malec April 28 - M. Donahue & C. Bralick
April 29 - M. Franco & R. Gayton April 30 - J. Meyers & S. Mang
- 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!
Coming Up Soon:
Saturday, May 3- CCCS Middle School Dance in our school cafeteria - 7-9 PM
Tuesday, May 6 - Second Graders Retreat at Salesian Sister's Convent - 8:15AM-2:45PM; National Evangalization Team (NET) Retreat for 5-8th Graders 8:30AM-2:30PM - in CC Gym
Wednesday, May 7 - May Crowning and Rosary at 8 AM - No School Mass at 1:45 Today!
Thursday, May 8 - Mother's Day Muffins with Mom - 7AM in Cafeteria; No School Mass - Pastor's Meeting with Bishop
Thursday, May 8 - Mother's Day Muffins with Mom - 7AM in Cafeteria; No School Mass - Pastor's Meeting with Bishop
Friday, May 9 - Spring Fling Art and Talent Show - 5:30PM- Doors Open to tour building-wide Art Show and HSA-sponsored Dinner served in Cafeteria; 6:00PM - HSA General Meeting and SAC State of the School in Gym; 6:30PM - Preschool-8th Grade Talent Show in Gym
Sunday, May 11 - Corpus Christi Colors Sunday; NCEA Pastor Appreciation Day!
May 12-May 15 - 8th Grade Finals
May 12-May 15 - 8th Grade Finals
Thursday, May 14 - SAC Board Meeting - 7:45AM; Light of Leadership Mass for 7/8 Graders - 1:45PM
May 15, 16, 20, 21 - 6/7 Grade Finals
Thursday, May 15 - 8th Grade Practice for Baccalaureate Mass - 1PM-3PM; 8th Grade Baccalaureate Mass at St. Mary's Cathedral - 6PM
Sunday, May 11 - National Catholic Education Association (NCEA) Pastor Appreciation Day
Friday, May 16 - Last Day for 8th Graders; Yearbook Signing from 1:45 PM-2:45 PM
Friday, May 16 - Last Day for 8th Graders; Yearbook Signing from 1:45 PM-2:45 PM
Monday, May 19 - St. Mary's High School Graduation - CCCS in session
Tuesday, May 20 - 8th Grade Breakfast beginning at 7:30 AM and Awards Presentation from 8-10AM in Parish Hall; 8th Grade Graduation Practice in CC Sanctuary -10-11AM; 8th Grade Graduation Mass in CC Sanctuary- 5:30PM
Wednesday, May 21- Pre-Kindergarten Graduation -10AM in Gym; Kindergarten Graduation - 11AM in Gym; Full Day of School for 1st-7th Graders; All Preschool-7th Grade Students will take things home today
Thursday, May 22 - CCCS Annual Field Day for 1st-7th Graders
- Parents - please plan to stay for the day or drop off and pick up at the SMHS Grace Center - 1655 Pirate Heights, Colorado Springs, CO 80907
- Lunch Sponsored by HSA-Annual Dads Cooking Lunch
Friday, May 23 - Last Day of School for 1st-7th Graders; Noon Dismissal
Monday, May 26 - Memorial Day - School Offices Closed
Tuesday, May 27-Friday, May 30 - Teacher Professional Development Days; Report Cards, ITBS Scores, School Supply List mailed out to families by end of week
Saturday, May 31-Sunday, August 2 - Building and School Offices Closed for Summer
2014-2015 School Year Dates to Put on Your Calendar Now
We wanted to get you some dates to be able to start planning for next year! We are really excited about next year! A few things you will see that may look a little different for the 2014-2015 school year are:
- We are combining our Ice Cream Social and our Back to School Night into ONE NIGHT- our goal is to get information to families BEFORE school starts so our students and families are able to hit the road running for a successful year. Please see the schedule below.
- The second piece we are implementing is assessment (testing) days. This is a very common practice in other schools and allows for students and teachers to get to know each other both personally and educationally! 6th-8th Grade students will have group testing, as noted below, but Preschool-5th Grade students will have a special one-on-one time with their teachers that parents will sign up for between August 4 and August 11. We will also have pay-based extended care available for families if needed on these assessment days.
So here is how our calendar looks for the last week of July and the first few weeks of August:
We wanted to get you some dates to be able to start planning for next year! We are really excited about next year! A few things you will see that may look a little different for the 2014-2015 school year are:
- We are combining our Ice Cream Social and our Back to School Night into ONE NIGHT- our goal is to get information to families BEFORE school starts so our students and families are able to hit the road running for a successful year. Please see the schedule below.
- The second piece we are implementing is assessment (testing) days. This is a very common practice in other schools and allows for students and teachers to get to know each other both personally and educationally! 6th-8th Grade students will have group testing, as noted below, but Preschool-5th Grade students will have a special one-on-one time with their teachers that parents will sign up for between August 4 and August 11. We will also have pay-based extended care available for families if needed on these assessment days.
So here is how our calendar looks for the last week of July and the first few weeks of August:
Monday, July 28 - Dennis Uniform Sale in Gym - 3:30-6:30 PM
Monday, August 4 - School Offices Open for 2014-2015 School Year, Teacher Workday
Tuesday, August 5 - Teacher Workday
Wednesday, August 6 - Teacher Professional Development Day at Corpus Christi
Thursday, August 7 - Teacher Professional Development Day at Corpus Christi
Friday, August 8 - Teacher Professional Development Day at Ave Maria Catholic School
Monday, August 4 - School Offices Open for 2014-2015 School Year, Teacher Workday
Tuesday, August 5 - Teacher Workday
Wednesday, August 6 - Teacher Professional Development Day at Corpus Christi
Thursday, August 7 - Teacher Professional Development Day at Corpus Christi
Friday, August 8 - Teacher Professional Development Day at Ave Maria Catholic School
Monday, August 11- Ice Cream Social & MANDATORY Parent Orientation Night
- 5:00-6:30 PM- Ice Cream Sponsored by HSA in Gym
- 5:15-6:15 PM
- 6:45-7:15 PM- 6-8th Grade Parent Orientation in Cafeteria
- 6:45-7:45 PM - New Parent Orientation for all Preschool-Elementary Students with Administrative Staff - Procedures, Teacher Ease Training, etc. in Computer Lab
- 7:15-7:45 PM- 6th Grade Question/Answer Session in Mrs. Bruno's Room with all middle school teachers
- 5:00-6:30 PM- Ice Cream Sponsored by HSA in Gym
- 5:15-6:15 PM
- Preschool-Elementary Classroom Parent Orientation, School Supply Drop Off and Assessment Sign-Up Time - teacher presents at 5:15 and then repeats again at 5:45
- Student Council Led Tours - starting at front door every 15 minutes
- Middle School Locker Set-Up Time and School Supply Drop Off
- Teacher Ease Refresher Drop-In Time with Mr. Smith in Computer Lab
- 6:45-7:15 PM- 6-8th Grade Parent Orientation in Cafeteria
- 6:45-7:45 PM - New Parent Orientation for all Preschool-Elementary Students with Administrative Staff - Procedures, Teacher Ease Training, etc. in Computer Lab
- 7:15-7:45 PM- 6th Grade Question/Answer Session in Mrs. Bruno's Room with all middle school teachers
Wednesday, August 13
- First Day of School (Student Orientation) for 1st-8th Grade - 7:40AM - Noon
- AM Open House for Preschool, 1/2 Day Pre-K, Jr.K and Kindergarten
- PM MANDATORY Individual Assessments for Preschool- 5th Graders- parents sign up for one assessment period for today, Thursday or Friday
- PM MANDATORY 7/8 Grade Group Testing from 12:00-2:00 or 2:00-4:00 - parents sign up for one assessment period today
- Fee Based Extended Care Available for Preschool-5th Graders Today from Noon-4:00 PM - please sign up at the front office by August 11
Thursday, August 14
- Full Day of School for 6th-8th Graders only
- MANDATORY Individual Testing Day for Preschool-5th Graders-parents sign up for only one testing period
- Fee Based Extended Care Available for Preschool-5th Graders Today from 7:45-2:45 PM - please sign up at the front office by August 11
Friday, August 15
- Full Day of School for 6th-8th Graders only
- 6th Grade Assessments while at school today
- MANDATORY Individual Testing Day for Preschool-5th Graders-parents sign up for only one testing period
- Fee Based Extended Care Available for Preschool-5th Graders Today from 7:45-2:45 PM -- please sign up at the front office by August 11
Monday, August 18- First REGULAR Full Day for ALL Preschool-8th Graders
