St. Teresa Catholic School
October 16, 2024
St. Margaret Mary
Pumpkins and Turkey Vultures
Pumpkins - recently a friend said, “This neighbor of mine has a bunch of pumpkins. He’s giving them away, want some?”
“Oh, yes!” What fun we could have with the children and pumpkins! So, I asked for a range, between two and three hundred. That’s 2 to 300. A range of 297 between the numbers. We ended up with 193. They are lining our halls, on our windowsills, in nooks and crannies here and there. The variety of sizes, colors, shapes, stems, all adds beauty and intrigue to the accents. A few kids were awed by the entrance, a few more came on board as they saw more on first floor. Mrs. Jacobsen, who has morning duty on the upper floor, shared that even the big kids were smiling broadly by the time they got to the top! Thanks, Lord, and thank you friends with pumpkins and friends who help us connect. (We are moving them off the main steps for the sake of safe passage.) Beauty and wonder along with a little fun, that’s why we have pumpkins here at school. Next week we will be sending one home with each family who hasn’t already received one from the pumpkin patch. I know it is a very small percentage that turn into pumpkin food, but I encourage it. I bake them whole, then scoop out the seeds after it is done. They come out a lot easier after it is cooked. You might want to stab a knife into it a couple times. From experience I can tell you they can “explode” in the oven. It makes a bit of a mess, but it was very interesting. No permanent damage was done to the oven or any person.
Turkey Vultures – Have you seen their wingspan – 7 feet is not unusual. On retreat Sunday (which we have monthly), I was on a walk, and ahead of me was another Sister and overhead a turkey vulture. The vulture looked about twice as wide as the Sister was tall. It was a windy day and for a long time the bird would move one feather or so and change course. All the while I watched it, the bird did not flap its wings, rather rode the currents, this way and back, up and down, quite effortlessly it appeared.
It reminded me of the culture that would like to carry us away. If we float with the winds of time and put forth little effort, we are going to fall prey. Lord, help me (and us) discern well where we need to actively work against the trends before us. Help us to do so well for the good of our souls and that of our family and all around us. May we work together well, as unity in the battle makes it easier for everyone and builds us into a stronger Mystical Body with Jesus as our Head.
Sister Mary Michael, C.K.
Upcoming Events
October 17: Volleyball 6:45, 7:45 at St. Michael
October 18: 1:00 dismissal/Faculty meeting; 5th grade class Mass
October 21: 8th grade volleyball 6:45 at Cathedral; 7th and 8th grade confessions
October 22: 3rd grade field trip--Platte River State Park
Postcard Campaign
Come help write postcards to encourage people to vote for 434, and against 439. The Nebraska Catholic Conference will be hosting a postcard-writing event this Saturday, October 19th in the school cafeteria throughout the morning.
Last Call--School Pictures
School Picture orders are due October 18 by 1:00 p.m. Instructions to order prints were included on the proofs package you student brought home. No late orders will be accepted. After October 18, parents will need to work directly with Midwest School Services and orders are subject to a late fee.
Ed. Scholarships
Thank you to the many who have completed your application. We have been in communication with those who will qualify and need to apply. Here’s the link again. We cannot afford to leave funding on the table. We have had about 65 families complete applications and 16 more who need to do so. Parent Application Link
Tax Credit Contributions
OSN final days to get the tax credit for contributions. Here’s the link for online giving: https://givehope.nebraskaopportunity.org/donation
Volunteer Opportunity
This is the link to our Christmas Boutique volunteer sign-up. Students could fulfill their sacking requirement here. Also, parents are welcome to help with set-up!
Bus Driver Needed
Many thanks to our wonderful bus drivers at St. Teresa for all they do for our school. We are in need of a bus driver to help our current drivers with field trips throughout the year. Please call the school office at 402-477-3358 for more details if you are interested in occasionally driving the bus. Thank you for considering helping our school out in this way!
Bazaar News!
Hello, Families!
Our Parish Bazaar is coming up on Sunday, November 10th, from 11am-3:30pm! 🎉 It's a fun day with food, games, raffles, and more.
We need your help! We're looking for parents and older students to volunteer and run the games. Your support is key to making this event a success!
Sign up to volunteer here:
👉Click here to sign up!
👉Click here to sign up!
Also, a huge thank you to everyone who has donated items for Bottle Mania, Spin to Win, and Deal or No Deal! 🥤 We still need more donations, though! If you can, please drop off bottled items at the office.
Questions? Contact Nikki Suesz at 📞402-840-8516 or 📧nikkisuesz@yahoo.com.
Let’s make this Bazaar the best one yet!
Thank you,
Nikki Suesz, Bazaar Games Coordinator
Gerbil Care
We have 2 new gerbils in the office (Linus and Cletus)! If you would like to help care for them over the weekends, please see sign-up below!
Contact Sister Mary Agnes with questions: sr.mary-agnes@cdolinc.net
St. Teresa School Mission Statement
St. Teresa Catholic School, in partnership with parents, provides an education faithful to the teachings of the Catholic Church. We nurture students’ natural sense of wonder and guide them to know and love truth, beauty, and goodness, and to live as virtuous disciples of Jesus Christ with their hearts set on true and lasting joy.