Greetings,

Happy Friday! A week into December and we sure felt the cold - brrr! More importantly, we’ve begun a new liturgical year in our Catholic Church – the beautiful season of Advent! The word Advent comes from the Latin meaning, “coming.” It’s a time of preparing for the Second Coming of Christ (end of the world), and the commemoration of the Incarnation (The Nativity of Our Lord in space and time / Christmas). Jesus is coming, and Advent is intended to be a season of preparation for His arrival. While we typically regard Advent as a joyous season, it is also intended to be a period of self-preparation, much like Lent. Prayer, penance, and fasting are appropriate during this season.

The St. Nick Shop was a booming business with busy shoppers all week! Thank you to all our volunteers who helped set-up, work in sales, and take-down. Your efforts did not go unnoticed!

We are grateful to have had Bishop Bob Fisher celebrate Mass today for us during the Feast of St. Nicholas. Apparently, St. Nichoals stopped by the school late Thursday evening to deliver some goodies for our students who left shoes out in the hallway in hopes a visit would happen. I’m happy to report no coal was found 😊

The Parish Advent Wreath lighting ceremony on Tuesday evening was beautiful! The turnout was great! We are super excited for Mrs. Koester and her choir of Sailors to perform for the Christmas Concert on Thursday, 12/12, at 6:30 pm in the church. Come join us!

REMINDER: Parent volunteers, we are so grateful for your presence and assistance in our school on a daily basis, especially during these holiday seasons. Please be mindful of the teachers and our students who are still trying to teach and learn. DO NOT try and go visit them outside of their classrooms as it distracts and disrupts the learning process. All volunteers should enter and exit the main office and sign in. Report to your assigned designated area and when you are finished volunteering, exit through the main office. As the old saying goes in the game of Monopoly, “Do Not Pass Go, Do Not Collect $200!” Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

In closing, I pray you have a safe and restful weekend. Go Sailors!

God Bless,

Mr. Barker

IMPORTANT:

Applications for the 2025-2026 school year are now open ONLY for NEW students.

This applies to you if:

• You have another child who will be new to Star next year
• You have a friend or family member wanting to apply

DO NOT FILL OUT AN APPLICATION if you are a current family with no new changes. Details regarding re-enrollment & tuition will be released in the coming weeks. Please stay tuned for more.

Thank you!

A very big and jolly thank you to all of our volunteers for the St. Nick Shop. Whether you were a wrapper, or helped our students shop, you helped make this a memorable year for our students.

A very special THANK YOU to Sara Pilotto and the St. Nick Committee for making sure the shop was always stocked, for organizing everything, and making it seemless.

Happy Anniversary, Msgr. Smetanka

Help us congratulate Msgr. Smetanka on his priestly ordination anniversary on Wednesday, December 11. Thank you, for 42 years of service to the priesthood!

Stock the Lounge - December

Kindergarten

We would love to treat our amazing teachers and staff with a special treats during the school year. This month, we invite Kindergarten families to sponsor “stock the staff lounge.” Please consider signing up for an item to show our appreciation to teachers and staff! 

Men's Club Meeting

Next Men's Club meeting is on Thursday, January 9 at 7:30 PM in the Star Cafeteria. Please join us in fellowship to discuss future facilities projects and additional athletic opportunities. Pizza and beverages will be provided.