 Written by Karianne Earnest
The students in Kindergarten are participating in a reading incentive program with Heifer International, called Read To Feed. Throughout this program, the students will be reading and learning about global poverty. Please check out the Read To Feed website and share this information with your friends and family. Thank you for helping us make a difference. The Read to Feed fundraising period is from now until March 29th.
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Written by Leona Kelly
Holy Rosary students will be attending Mass tomorrow for Ash Wednesday, at which time ashes will be administered as a visible symbol of penance. All are welcome to receive the ashes. The ashes are made from blessed palm branches, taken from the previous year's palm Sunday Mass. St. John Paul II's Deacon Chris joined us at school on Monday this week, to burn the blessed palms for this year's ashes.
Ashes will be distributed at the following times:
There are many words floating around this time of year that may seem unfamiliar, especially if you are not Catholic, or are new to the faith; things like Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday, Shrovetide, Ash Wednesday, etc. So, what do they all mean?
"Beginning with the Easter Triduum* as its source of light, the new age of the Resurrection fills the whole liturgical year with its brilliance. Gradually on either side of this source, the year is transfigured by the liturgy. (CCC 1168) Therefore Easter is not simply one feast among others, but the "Feast of feasts," the "Solemnity of solemnities," just as the Eucharist is the "Sacrament of sacraments." (CCC 1169) (*The Easter Triduum includes Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday). With this definition, it is easy to see that Easter is revered as the most important Christian holiday. Just as Advent is the season leading up to the birth of Jesus on Christmas, Lent is the 40-day period leading up to the Resurrection of Jesus on Easter. This season begins on Ash Wednesday and is a time of penance, marked by praying, fasting, abstinence, and other acts of penance. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent. It is not a holy day of obligation, but it is strongly encouraged that you attend Mass on this day (March 6, this year). Fasting and abstinence are obligatory on this day. The ashes we receive remind us that our bodies will one day return to ash. This visible reminder helps up enter prayerfully into the season of Lent. Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday and Shrovetide are all words for the final celebration before Ash Wednesday. They are a time of feasting, when Christians in times past traditionally would use up their milk, eggs, and sugar before assuming the simplified diet and fasting of Lent. At Holy Rosary we observe this tradition with a Shrove Dinner served by our local Knights of Columbus, in conjunction with our annual Science Fair. Want to join us for our Shrove Dinner and to see the great work our students have done for the Science Fair? Click here to learn more: From our Faith Formation Director: Are you looking for a family formation activity this Lent? Sign up for the Lenten Adventure at holyheroes.com for fun videos and activities delivered to your inbox every day! External Links: https://www.facebook.com/catholicdioceseboise/ www.idahokofc.org/council_master.php?cnum=1663 https://www.holyheroes.com Resources: Catechism of the Catholic Church  St. Valentine's Day Scavenger Hunt created by Deanne Slaughter Written by Leona Kelly In honor of St. Valentine's Day, we celebrated with a breakfast for students and their families. Following breakfast, students could participate in a scavenger hunt to learn more about the life of St. Valentine. There were many families in attendance and it was a great way to start the day. Check out our gallery below to see some of those who attended. St. Valentine, pray for us!  Written by Carina VanPelt and Leona Kelly Happy Catholic Schools Week! Did you know that there has never been an America without Catholic Education? Catholic Schools existed for almost 200 years before the Declaration of Independence was signed. From the beginning, the Catholic Church championed the cause to make education available to everyone, not just the nobility. (Dynamic Catholic and Archdiocese of Cincinnatti, 2015) Today, Catholic Schools continue to provide a high-quality education to all students. The mission of Catholic School goes well beyond academics. In Matthew 28:19-20 it says, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations." In addition to providing a high-quality education, the mission of a Catholic School is to form disciples - to teach students to know Jesus, to love Jesus, to follow Jesus, and to serve Jesus. (Dynamic Catholic and Archdiocese of Cincinnatti, 2015) For almost 100 years, Holy Rosary has been able to provide the students in the greater Idaho Falls community with a high-quality Catholic education. We are blessed with amazing teachers, staff, parents, and students. This week we celebrate our Catholic Schools. We kicked off our celebration on Friday, January 25, with a carnival. There were hot dogs and chips for dinner, and an ice cream bar, in the cafeteria. Upstairs, the gym was filled with carnival games from Gaga Ball, to a Cookie walk, to the Ring Toss.  During Mass this weekend, parents gave talks at the Pulpit, about their experience with our school. Our choir also sang for the 10 AM Mass. First thing this morning, we held an awards ceremony honoring the hard work of our students. Our local Knights of Columbus Council presented Holy Rosary with a Papal Flag, led us in the Pledge of Allegiance, and awarded certificates to 6th Grade students who participated in their writing contest. Awards were also given for Holy Readers, Attendance, Millionaire and Multi-millionaire Readers, GRIT, Academic Achievement, and GREAT. We look forward to a week of celebration honoring Catholic Schools. Here's what you can participate in:
Please pray for your parish school during this Catholic Schools Week. We will be praying in thanksgiving for your love and support. God Bless! Works Cited: Dynamic Catholic and Archdiocese of Cincinnatti. (2015). Teach Lead Serve: The Ministry of Teaching. Erlanger: Dynamic Catholic Institute. External Links: www.flaginstitute.org/wp/2015/03/flag-of-the-vatican-city/ www.idahokofc.org/council_master.php?cnum=1663 www.holyrosaryschoolif.org/student-led-conferences.html www.svdpusa.org/ Registration for returning students is open. The intent-to-return form was sent home in the family folder. If you haven't received your folder or didn't get a chance to look at it yet, you can click below to download the form, fill it out and bring to school.
Intent-to-Return Form Registration will open to the public on February 7. We're so excited to have your children at our school! Written by Jillian Mock Third Grade would like to announce our Corporal Work of Mercy: Shelter the Homeless Many do not have homes, warm beds, or consistent meals, and that includes animals! To bring joy into the lives of homeless pets, we will be partnering with Snake River Animal Shelter to collect supplies for those waiting for adoption. Just a few points to remember:
 On December 4, representatives from Snake River Animal Shelter addressed an assembly at Holy Rosary Catholic School. All donations from the 3rd Grade pet supply drive will go to animals awaiting adoption at Snake River Animal Shelter. Written by Deanne Slaughter At our student retreat last Friday, the Second Grade presented a skit on the ancient Advent tradition called the Jesse Tree, which highlights key people in Jesus' "family tree."   I invite you to take a look at our Jesse Tree in the school hallway. All the ornaments were made by our teachers and staff. Each one represents an ancestor of Jesus or a prophet that foretold His coming. We can learn important life lessons by getting to know the ancestors of Jesus, and a Jesse Tree is a fun, visual way your family can prepare for Jesus' coming during Advent. For more information visit www.loyolapress.com and search "Jesse Tree." Have a blessed Advent! Written by Fran Hassing Bury the dead. That is a tough Corporal Work of Mercy for a sixth grader at Holy Rosary to perform. Yet our wonderful sixth grade class certainly honored the dead without actually attending a funeral. On Friday the second of November the entire sixth grade class at Holy Rosary went to Rose Hill Cemetery to rake and bag leaves. With thoughtful and loving hands they gently brushed off headstones, knelt in prayer, and noted the fragility of life. I was so proud to announce to three different people walking through the cemetery that these were Holy Rosary students when they stopped to tell me how impressed they were to see such community service. Through out the rest of the month of November the sixth graders lead the whole school each morning in the "Eternal Rest" prayer. Written by Anita Garcia The second grade class at Holy Rosary had a coat drive during the month of October as their Corporal Works of Mercy service project, Clothe the Naked. The students made signs and went to the classrooms to help advertise this project. At the end of the month the Knights of Columbus sent a representative, Tony Koonce, to talk to children about the impact in the community. Tony then took the coats to Saint Vincent DePaul to be donated to families in need this winter.  Annually on November 1st, we celebrate All Saints' Day, in honor of all saints (known and unknown) of the Christian church. At Holy Rosary, this celebration can be seen school-wide. We start the day by attending Mass together, with each student dressed as a different saint. This year, at the end of Mass, our students paraded around and outside the church for all parishioners to join in the celebration. Following the parade, each class had different activities to learn about each of the saints in their own group. In the Pope's message from the Vatican today, he said, "it is good for Catholics to let themselves be encouraged by the saints, who did not live their lives by “half measures.” To read more of the Pope's message, visit https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-on-all-saints-day-live-for-heaven-not-the-world-63455 |
AuthorMrs. Kelly is the Computer Lab Teacher at Holy Rosary Catholic School and is Mom to 3 beautiful children, 2 of whom are students at Holy Rosary. Archives
March 2019
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