The St. Columba School Shepherd - 9/8/23

TheST. COLUMBA SHEPHERD

FORMERLY THE FRIDAY FOCUS 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!

FROM THE DESK OF MR. CHICK

Dear St Columba School Community

The school year is off to a great start! Students are settling into the rigors of the school day and our teachers are growing in prayer and academic relationships with our students. We are all so grateful to you for entrusting us with one of God’s greatest gifts, His children.

Every year we gather in faith, fellowship and fun at our back-toschool Mass and potluck. It is always a beautiful reminder of who we are as the body of Christ, a community joined as His family, the joy we experience in sharing a meal and our stories about the summer passed.

We all look forward to to seeing every member of our St. Columba community at this special event!

Thank you to our Church for supporting its largest ministry, our school Thank you to our parents association for promoting important community activities. Thank you to Mrs Winn, all the volunteers, and everyone who brought a dish to share to create a meal to share We are better together!

All peace and blessings, Mr. Chick

BACK TO SCHOOL MASS & POTLUCK:

We are looking forward to seeing so many of you at our Back to School Mass & Potluck this Saturday, September 9th, at 5:00 at Claire Viles Park.

Please bring YOUR family’s favorite summer side dish to share. We will be providing pulled pork sandwiches with delicious Serious Texas BBQ sauce, hot dogs, cookies, and drinks.

See you there!

ST. COLUMBA SCHOOL APP

Have you visited your app store and downloaded the St. Columba School App yet? This is the go to place for the things you need: Blackbaud links, the lunch menu, teacher email addresses, and more. Please allow notifications and remember that you need to delete the app and re-download it if you haven’t already this year.

TEACHER/STAFF BIRTHDAY COLLECTION:

As we begin a new school year, we give you the opportunity to contribute a single monetary amount to provide one impactful monetary gift to each of our teachers and staff for their birthdays this year. The suggested amount is $25 per family (or any amount you choose) This ensures that the entire staff is celebrated equally as it takes a village to run the School. Giving to the fund is completely voluntary For the collection to be successful this year, all donations need to be made by Tuesday, September 12th.

Contribute to the Birthday Fund

FIRST PARENTS ASSOCIATION

MEETING: TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26TH, 5:30PM

This will be a happy hour mixer for new and returning parents. More info to come We are really looking forward to the chance to meet with you all. Please send a quick “I will attend” email to parentsassociation@stcolumbascho oldurango.org

THINGS TO REMEMBER:

Attendance Line: Please call our attendance line, 828-9356, to excuse your child’s absence.

School Masses on Youtube: Please join us every Wednesday at 8:15 for our school Mass. The 6th grade will be leading the liturgy next week. If you can’t join us in person, you can always stream the Mass on the St. Columba Youtube Channel HERE..

Service Hours: We are working on a complete list of ways that you can complete your service hours for the year and will be sharing that and the way we will be tracking hours in the next couple of weeks In the meantime, please keep your eyes out for different needs at the school and jot down your hours. Glenn can use setup help tomorrow and the kitchen never turns away helping hands

Service Hour Opportunity - Mass & Potluck Setup: Glenn Gundrey needs help setting up for Mass in the Park and the potluck in the gym If you are able to help get everything ready for this special night, please meet Glenn on Saturday, September 9th, at 3:00.

Blackbaud Logins: For our new families, please watch for your Blackbaud login info for the Student Information side in this week’s Tuesday folders. For our returning families, please reach out if you need the office to re-invite you to the site.

FIRST LEGO League STEM Enrichment offering for students grades 4-8: Begins Monday, September 11th. Please click HERE for application + registration information and return it to Ms Heidi at office@stcolumbaschooldurango.org.

First Lego League is so much more than simply playing with Legos! FLL teams embark on an adventurous challenge based on current, real-world issues. In the September- December season, teams build an autonomous robot using engineering concepts related to the FLL annual theme and present their work at the Regional Tournament in Durango Post-season activities, such as state or global tournaments, could be possible!

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

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

Readings: Ez 33:7-9/Ps 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9 (8)/Rom 13:8-10/Mt 18:15-20

Today one of our primary values is to mind your own business, and not interfere in another’s decisions. There is the belief that people should be able to do what they want as long as it doesn’t hurt another person. But the Lord, through the prophet Ezekiel, reminds us that we have a responsibility to one other, to keep one another safe, and faithful. When was the last time you challenged another’s decision or behavior? How did that turn out for you?

St. Paul reminds us the love is what we owe to one another. Love is the fulfillment of the Law. At core, he repeats the Lord’s summary of the greatest of the commandments. When has your love of another person forced you into a challenging situation, one that truly cost? Has it ever cost a friendship?

Jesus in the gospel challenges the Christian community to take seriously the responsibility of calling one another to accountability. We must help each other live the truth. We might demure, not wanting to foster conflict or hostility, or to open ourselves up to being challenged about our own faithfulness. How can you fulfill Jesus’ command without alienating or hurting another person? Have you been successful in the past? When have you avoided these admonitions because they could create too much conflict or difficulty?

THE PARISH CONNECTION

AT ST. COLUMBA CHURCH, WE ARE DEDICATED TO CREATING A VIBRANT AND WELCOMING COMMUNITY FOR FAMILIES AND INDIVIDUALS SEEKING FAITH FORMATION. HERE ARE SOME OF THE EXCITING ACTIVITIES THAT WE OFFER EACH WEEK. WE INVITE YOU TO JOIN US FOR THESE EVENTS AND EXPERIENCE THE WARMTH AND HOSPITALITY OF THE ST COLUMBA COMMUNITY

We're thrilled to invite you all to our Where the Trail Leads Family GIFT Gathering. EVERYONE is invited to this adventure, whether you're a family with young explorers or a seasoned adventurer! (you can stay for brunch and leave before the activities but you're also welcome to stay!)

Here's the lowdown on our trailblazing adventure:

Fellowship Brunch: donuts, something hearty, and coffee with a whole lot of love and laughter, as we share stories and get know each other better.

Crafts and Games: Get ready to channel your inner artist with some creative crafts that'll spark your imagination and deepen your faith connection Conversations that will spark your Faith.

Mark your calendars:

Sunday, September 17, 2023 * After the 10am Family Mass * 11:15am - 12:30 pm * School Gym

Your presence adds a touch of magic to our adventure, so we hope you’ll mosey on over and join us! Let's set out on a journey of growing in faith together "Where the Trail Leads " See you there, fellow adventurers!

THE PARISH CONNECTION

JOIN A PARENT SMALL GROUP!

YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO JOIN A SMALL FAITH-SHARING GROUP WITH FELLOW PARENTS. WHETHER YOUR CHILD IS IN PRESCHOOL OR 8TH GRADE, THIS IS A WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY TO GET TO KNOW OTHERS ON THE PARENTHOOD JOURNEY. THE RELATIONSHIPS THAT RESULT WILL DEEPLY ENRICH YOUR EXPERIENCE AS A ST. COLUMBA PARENT!

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP!