The St. Columba Shepherd - 12/1/23

READ THE SHEPHERD

FRIDAY DECEMBER 1, 2023

The

ST. COLUMBA SHEPHERD GUIDANCE FOR THE WEEK AHEAD

EACH WEEK THE ST. COLUMBA SHEPHERD provides all the information you need to know and links to things that you might need to cross off your list. Stay organized by reading it every week and making sure that you add events and deadlines to your calendar!

LET'S DO IT!

DATES TO REMEMBER 12/1 - 5th Grade Choir Performing @ Botanic Gardens - 5:00 12/2 - Christmas Bazaar - 8:00-3:00 12/6 - St. Nick Visits 12/7 - Prayer & Praise Assembly - 8:15 12/8 - School Mass - 5th Grade Leading Liturgy - 8:15 Feast of the Immaculate Conception 12/8 - MS Theater Program - Wizard of Oz - 7:00 12/9 - MS Theater Programs - Wizard of Oz - 1:00 & 7:00 12/13 - School Mass - 3rd Grade Leading Liturgy - 8:15 12/13 - K-4 Christmas Music Program - 5:00 12/13 - MS Band & Choir Music Program - 6:30 12/14 - Advent Penance Service - 8:15 12/14 - Preschool Music Program - 10:00 12/15 - Christmas Parties - 11:00 12/15 - Preschool-8th Grade Early Dismissal - 11:30 12/18-1/1 - No School - Christmas Break 1/2 - Back to School!

1/3 - School Mass - Staff Leading Liturgy - 8:15 1/4 - Prayer & Praise Assembly - 8:15 1/10 - School Mass - 7th Grade Leading Liturgy 1/12 - No School Pre-8th - End of 2nd Qtr 1/15 - No School - Martin Luther King Jr Day

WWW.STCOLUMBASCHOOLDURANGO.ORG/

970-247-5527

DECEMBER LUNCH MENU December’s lunch menu is now available for your convenience. All gluten free options are noted and the menu is always available on the St. Columba School Website and on the app under Parent Quick Links.

Please remember: There is not any hot lunch on Friday, December 15th as Preschool - 8th grade have early dismissal at 11:30.

December Lunch Menu

DECEMBER STEAM After school STEAM is open to all Kindergarten-4th graders every Wednesdays from 3:15-4:15. The December session is only two weeks and will be $30. Spaces are still available.

Sign up HERE today!

Prayer and Praise K-8 students will be attending our next Prayer & Praise assembly on Thursday, December 7th, at 8:15. Families are invited to join us as we enjoy lessons from Fr. Kevin and Mr. Chick, introduce our monthly Friendzy theme, and honor those students who have gone above and beyond expectations and are receiving a St. Columba award for the month.

We hope to see you there!

MIDDLE SCHOOL ARTS PRESENTS: THE WIZARD OF OZ On December 8th and 9th, come join the St. Columba Middle School students for the timeless tale of young Dorothy Gale's magical journey of self-discovery. We'll go over the rainbow to the Land of Oz with all of its colorful characters: munchkins, talking trees, flying monkeys, and witches good and evil! Follow the yellow brick road to the glorious Emerald City, and fall in love with the Scarecrow, the Tinman, and the Cowardly Lion as they help Dorothy learn that there's no place like home.

Reserve your seats here.

Christmas Music Programs December 13 & 14 The K-4 Christmas Program will be Wednesday, December 13th at 5:00 pm.

Please join us for a classic night of Christmas carols and community. The kids have worked really hard, and we can't wait to share this night with you!

Performers are asked to wear either their school uniform or their Sunday best.

Doors will open at 4:45 so that the performers can report to their classrooms and the audience can take their seats in the gym. Please look over the song lyrics with your students in these last few weeks before the show.

K&1 Songs 2&3 Songs 4th Songs K-4 Speaking Parts

The Middle School Christmas Concert (including all 5th graders) will be Wednesday, December 13th at 6:30 pm. The kids have prepared a fun night of Christmas standards as well as popular songs, and are eager to perform for an audience! Students are asked to wear either their school uniform or school appropriate dressy clothes. Band students should arrive at 6:05 to assemble instruments and tune. The doors will open at 6:15 for all other performers and the audience. We are looking forward to a wonderful evening!

The Preschool Christmas Program will be Thursday, December 14th at 10:00 AM in the St. Columba gym. The front doors to the school will open at 9:45 for audience seating.

Students are encouraged to wear dressy clothes for the program, and some of the students will dress in costume as part of the nativity scene. Please look over the lyrics for the songs with your child in these last few weeks before our show. The children are very excited to sing on the stage for you!

Preschool Songs

St. Columba School’s Season of Giving St Columba School Fall Drive Thank you November 2023 Thank you to St Columba School families, students, teachers, and staff for your incredible generosity again this year! St Columba Food Pantry received 1,664 items for a total value of $4,075 and Fort Lewis College Grub Hub received 47 items for a total value of $576.

The Food Pantry continues to partner with other social service agencies in the community and is providing double the amount of food than previous years for those in need. The Grub Hub serves students with housing and food insecurity at Fort Lewis College. Your generous response will help meet the basic needs of these students and allow them to focus on their studies and set them up for success.

Gift Giving for the Elderly Thank You! From Four Corners: “Thank you all for everything! Our residents were so excited on our way back. The amount of gifts we received was tremendous! Thank you again!!”

St. Columba School’s Season of Giving (Continued) GIFT FOR FATHER KEVIN We would like to prepare a Christmas gift for Fr. Kevin Novack who is so supportive of our school all year long. If you would like to donate to this “SECRET” present, please bring your check or cash to the school office by December 12. Your contributions will be compiled into one gift and be presented at our student Mass.

Teacher/Staff Christmas Collection December 13th will be the last day to contribute to the staff Christmas Fund. Drop cash or checks ("Staff Christmas Fund" in the memo) in the gift-wrapped box in the office or you can contribute online HERE. All contributions will be combined and distributed to school staff before Christmas break. We hope you will support this meaningful Parents Association initiative. Thank you very much!

End of Year Giving - December 31 Our annual Day of Giving is coming up on Wednesday, January 31, 2024. If you prefer to make your gift at the end of this year, we will direct your donation toward the Day of Giving and you will still be able to enjoy the tax benefits this year. Your advance gift can have a powerful impact by inspiring others to donate or even to present a challenge for others to match your gift, dollar for dollar. Checks can be mailed or dropped at the office. For questions and business sponsorship inquiries, please reach out to giving@stcolumbaschooldurango.org. More information about Day of Giving will be shared soon.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS FR. KEVIN PROVIDES WEEKLY SCRIPTURE REFLECTION QUESTIONS TO HELP INDIVIDUALS ENRICH THEIR FAITH BY CONTEMPLATING SUNDAY READINGS.

Based on the readings for the First Sunday of Advent Readings: Is 63:16b-17, 19b; 64:2-7/1 Cor 1:3-9/Mk 13:33-37 Isaiah makes us wonder whose fault is it that people get lost or wander away from God? Should God make a big splashy entrance and command our unwavering allegiance? Have you felt frustration that God isn’t more obvious in directing our lives? Have you learned anything in God’s silence and your own stumbling?

St. Paul is encouraging, affirming, and grateful for what the Christian Community at Corinth has been blessed with. And he issues a confident claim that God is going to secure things right up to the very end. Does such confident exhortation work in strengthening faith? What have you heard from others about your faith and spiritual efforts? Have you ever commended another for the faith you witness in them? What would it mean for you to hear these affirmations addressed to you?

The thirteenth chapter of St. Mark’s Gospel focuses on end times, and how we should be prepared. The challenge, “Watch!” is a warning that we should live lives of expectation and preparedness. How present is this way of thinking to you? Have you ever made changes because you thought the end was close? Is death a friend or a foe?

THE PARISH CONNECTION

A T S T . C O L U M B A C H U R C H , W E A R E D E D IC A T E D T O C RE A T IN G A V IB RA N T A N D W E L C O M I N G C O M M U N IT Y F O R F A M IL IE S A N D IN D IV ID U A L S S E E K I N G F A I T H F O R M A T I O N . H E R E A R E S O M E O F T H E E X C IT IN G A C T I V I T I E S T H A T W E O F F E R E A C H W E E K . W E IN V IT E Y O U T O J O IN U S F O R T H E S E E V E N T S A N D E X P E R IE N C E T H E W A R M T H A N D H O S P IT A L IT Y O F T H E S T . C O L U M B A C O M M U N IT Y .

THANK YOU TO OUR GENEROUS SPONSORS

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STAY WARM THIS WEEKEND!