From the desk of Sister Stella
From Fr. Tom Pastor
PWC President
PWC Function
Traffic Duty Assignments
Weekly Readings/Reflections
Student School Activies
Playground Volunteer
Miscellaneous

"PEACE: it does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hardwork. It means to be in the midst of these things and still be calm in your heart." (Unknown)

From the Desk of Sister Stella Maria Principal:

We offer our prayers and congratulations to all of our second grade students in our school and in our CCD program as they prepare to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation on Saturday, February 5th.

May this experience for children and parents be grace filled and peace filled.
I strong recommend that all school parents read Father Tom’s column in the church bulletin (Jan. 30,2005) It is also in this weeks epistle under Fr. Tom’s column.

Our warmest congratulations to our entire scout community. Scout Sunday was an inspirational event at St. Paul's. we are very proud of our Honorees:

Ethan Barker      William In
Brogan Feeley    Jeffrey Keeler
Ryan Fowlkes     Spencer Reed
Ciaran Hiney      Adam Rosenberg
Joe Scibelli

Nicholas Alvarado      Thomas Krogstad
Colin Campbell      Matthew Segal
Cassidy Carman      Devyn Spillane
Andrew Chait

January 30,2005

 

Parents make a difference!                                                     Elementary School
                                                                                                February 2005

Developing Thinking Skills

Use the "Think Ahead Game" to eliminate procrastination

Even the brightest students don’t always think ahead. They run out of time before the project is due. They forget to buy poster board until the stores have closed Parents can help by teaching children to think ahead.

Here’s how:
1. Think of a situation that might interest your child. For example "What would happen if the world ran out of oil?
2. Have your child list all the possible consequences. List both the good and the bad things. "It would be bad that our cars wouldn’t work. However, these could be new cars that would pollute less."
3. Have your child choose the things that are most—and least—likely to occur. Then think about the outcomes that could be best or worst.
4. Call this the "Think Ahead Game". In time your child may actually start thinking about what will happen if she puts off working on a project until the last minute.
Source: bob Algozzine, Jim Yseldyke, Judy Elliot, Strategies and Tactics for Effective Instruction, ISBN 1-570-35119-8 (Sopris West Publishers, 1-800-547-6747, www.sopriswest.com)

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            As January slides slowly off the stern of life I’ve realized I’ve been pastor at St. Paul’s for over four years. When I first arrived in January of 2001, as has invariably occurred in each new Paulist assignment I have taken on – be it parish, campus or community administration – someone has asked…"so, what do you have planned for us?"

            I freely admit that four years ago I had very little planned for the parish because my knowledge of the history, the people and the resources of St. Paul’s was limited. Over the last four years that has changed. I do have a plan now. It’s pretty simple and, I believe, straight forward. It is this:

            St. Paul the Apostle Parish is called to make a unique contribution to the mission of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

            With the leadership of this parish, I want to identify what that contribution may be and, through prayer, planning and pastoral effort, make it real. There are some basic principles that lie behind this simple though far reaching plan. This is how I articulate those principles at this time:

            1) The Paulists were invited – and remain – in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles                  to bring the unique gifts we have (or charisms in "church speak") to the                  service of the mission of this local church. Serving SPA is one of the                  ways the Paulists do this.

            2) On the Westside of Los Angeles (Deanery 13) SPA is the only parish that                  is served by a religious community. All the other parishes are served                 by dedicated and talented priests of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.                 Because we are the only "religious order" parish SPA is supposed to look                 and be a little "different" than the other parishes;

            3) Every parish cannot provide everything to everyone. In the current state of                 the Catholic Church in the U.S. different parishes are going to provide                  different gifts and "specialties" to the local church. Together we will offer                 the whole picture… the day when parishes "competed" with one another to                 offer a "full menu of services" is over. We are called to be one body with                  many different gifts.

            4) Parishes are called not only to be "one & holy" – attentive to internal life of                 the parish and its parishioners – but also to be "catholic & apostolic" –                 engaged with and in service to the community around us.

          Buying the property on Selby Avenue just across the street from the original church – while a unique opportunity we couldn’t pass up – was done with these principles in mind. In the coming months various infrastructure changes on and around the parish campus are being planned…again with these principles in mind.

          The Paulist community, at The Summit Meeting in Albuquerque last November, looked to build the future on the foundation of our historical accomplishments. So too here at St. Paul’s. With the Paulists, the Daughters of Mary and Joseph who have served our parish school so faithfully for nearly seven decades, and the many lay ministers who have (and are) emerging to provide pastoral leadership, the community at St. Paul the Apostle is primed to make new contributions to the mission of the church in Los Angeles.

        I’m pleased to be with you as we continue to journey as a community of faith.

                                                                                                           Fr. Tom

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PWC President

Dear SPA Families:

Don’t forget that Ash Wednesday is almost upon us – Wednesday, February 9th. Also, Monday, February 14th is a late day – Coaches Program will be in effect at 7:45AM for those who need it.

Hard to believe that PWC nominations are almost upon us – but it is about that time of year again. Look for the nominating form to go home soon and also be posted attached to the on-line epistle .
Please nominate yourself for positions in which you are interested!

Hope you all have had a terrific week!

Debbie Buderwitz
PWC President

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PWC Funtion News

PWC NOMINATE COMMITTEE and BOARD NOMINATIONS

This week your oldest/only child will bring home the form for you to volunteer to serve on the Nominating Committee and to nominate yourself or others for positions on next year's PWC Board. The form is also attached to this week's Epistle. Please read it over and consider being a part of this important process. The qualifications to serve on the Nominating Committee are that you have been an active (dues paying) member of the PWC for 2 years. Sister Stella and Father Tom will draw the four SPA community names from all forms received by the morning of March 4th. The Nominating Committee will meet on Monday, March 14 at 1:30 p.m. If you have any questions, please contact Joanne Drake, PWC Parliamentarian.

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Traffic Duty Assignments

For the month of February 3rd Grade Parents

Parents: Please arrive by 7:20 a.m. for morning duty and 2:30 p.m. for afternoon duty. If you need a substitute you must secure one yourself and then let one of the room parents know. Should you have any questions contact room parents Kim Combs at 479-0707 or Marchell Hilliard in school directory. Should you have questions about your particular traffic duty contact Mary Ann McQueen

Substitutes: Diane Pineschi (Fridays), Shalloe (Fridays), Ossanlo, Silver (Wednesdays), Leilani Figalan, Miguel Ferrer,

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Weekly Readings/Reflections

February 6, 2005
Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Psalm: Sunday 9

Reading I
Is 58:7-10

Thus says the LORD:
Share your bread with the hungry,
shelter the oppressed and the homeless;
clothe the naked when you see them,
and do not turn your back on your own.
Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
and your wound shall quickly be healed;
your vindication shall go before you,
and the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.
Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer,
you shall cry for help, and he will say: Here I am!
If you remove from your midst
oppression, false accusation and malicious speech;
if you bestow your bread on the hungry
and satisfy the afflicted;
then light shall rise for you in the darkness,
and the gloom shall become for you like midday.

Reading II
1 Cor 2:1-5

When I came to you, brothers and sisters,
proclaiming the mystery of God,
I did not come with sublimity of words or of wisdom.
For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you
except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
I came to you in weakness and fear and much trembling,
and my message and my proclamation
were not with persuasive words of wisdom,
but with a demonstration of Spirit and power,
so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom
but on the power of God.

Gospel
Mt 5:13-16

Jesus said to his disciples:
"You are the salt of the earth.
But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned?
It is no longer good for anything
but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
You are the light of the world.
A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden.
Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket;
it is set on a lampstand,
where it gives light to all in the house.
Just so, your light must shine before others,
that they may see your good deeds
and glorify your heavenly Father."

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Student School Activies

Friday, December 24, 2004
St. Paul students experience
Christmas giving
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Our Lady of the Angels Region
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Seventh and eighth grade students from St. Paul the Apostle School in Los Angeles served sit-down turkey dinners with all the trimmings Dec. 17 to 20 children, aged 6 weeks to two, and their homeless and low-income families at St. Joseph Center (SJC) in Venice.

"We think it's wonderful that St. Paul the Apostle's entire Student Council would volunteer their time for the less fortunate on their vacation," said Betsy White, coordinator of SJC's Infant Toddler Development Center.

              CHRISTMAS SERVICE --- St. Paul's students Kelly Speca (from left), C.C. O'Conner, Chloe Looker, Alejandra Martinez,Jackie Reid, Phil DiTullio, AlexRuddell, Brynn Callahan, Christina Duerr,Matt Reid and Michael Piechowski bring holiday cheer to St. Joseph Center.

"Christmas is about making a difference," added Sue Bjelajac St. Paul assistant principal, who coordinated the students and the event.
Last spring students and staff of St. Paul the Apostle School contributed over $20,000 from their Read-A-Thon to provide support for St. Joseph Center children and families who are wo
rking toward self-sufficiency. The Thanksgiving before last they contributed 185 boxes of food for the needy.

"We feel it contributes to the education of the whole child to be involved in service to the community," says Daughter of Mary and Joseph Sister Stella Maria Enright, principal for 36 years. "These are the future leaders of our country. It is important to give them a solid foundation."

St. Joseph Center has 11 programs on eight sites in Venice, Santa Monica, and West Los Angeles, providing emergency services, child care, job training, and senior services to homeless and low-income individuals who are breaking the cycle of poverty. For more information on how to help, call 396-6468 ext. 325 or visit www.stjosephctr.org.
Reprinted with the permission of the Los Angeles Tidings Catholic Newspaper

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Playgound Volunteer

PLAYGROUND VOLUNTEER PROGRAM

Help our coaches supervise our children during lunchtime recess! We need two parents each day. Each grade is responsible for two months per year. Parents commit for one day, i.e. Mondays, for that particular month. Questions? Contact Kathleen Felesina.

SHIFT IS FROM 12:00-12:30.
THIRD Grade- JFEBRUARY

SHIFT IS FROM 12:00-12:30.
SEVENTH Grade - JFEBRUARY

Help our coaches supervise our children during lunchtime recess! Our PLAYGROUND VOLUNTEER PROGRAM needs two parents each day from 11:15-12:00. Questions, contact Kathleen Felesina in the school directory.

Kindergarten- Year Round
11:15-10:00

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
1.	Lewis,N.	Gaines	O'Malley,K.	Burke,K.	Burke/ Harrigan( alternating week)
2	Kilroy	Gemperle	Seigle/ Weed (alternating week)	Fox / Gaffney/ Carroll (allertnating week)
Sub	Aguero	Lightbourn	Burger / Harrigan	Murphy / Harrigan / Borkovich/ Weed	Millikan

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Miscellaneous

Chess Club News

Big Tournament Turn-out!

SPA hosted its 14th Annual Winter Classic chess tournament this past Saturday and what a turn-out! Nineteen students from St. Paul played in six different sections and six of them: Charlie C. (3rd), Anthony M. (3rd), Kitty L. (4th), Mark M. (3rd), Connor H. (5th) and Duncan V. (4th) took home top awards. Other players making great moves include: Devyn S. (5th), Ben W. (3rd), Sebastian L. (2nd), Joe S. (2nd), Jack R. (2nd), and Tom T. (3rd). Our first grade made a fantastic showing with seven students playing: Nick R., Marco C., Graham M., Kelly M., Harper A., Jake L., and Jimmy L. Jimmy showed courage by playing in the Junior Varsity section. Thanks to all who took part, especially the parent volunteers. Our program is great because you are!

Look for our All-SPA tournament coming Saturday, May 7th.

Monday Feb. 7th chess club volunteer assignments are:
Advanced: Ossanlo and Pineschi
Intermediate: Loo
Beginning: McDugald

Call or email Mark Raineri if you have questions.
Web: http://home.earthlink.net/~spachess Email: spachess@earthlink.net

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