Last Sunday marked the third Sunday of Advent – the season preceding the celebration of Christmas, during which we prepare for the birth of Jesus Christ. The third Sunday, also known as “Gaudete Sunday” or “Joy Sunday”, is a day of rejoicing, and marks the halfway mark to Christmas. We light the rose-colored candle in the Advent wreath, and take time to reflect on the joy that comes with this season and the Christian theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity.  During Advent, our students are practicing these virtues in many different ways. In the Infant Community, the Guides lit the Advent candles during the blessing at snack time, and today the students made Christmas cookies. The Primary students have participated in Advent activities in the Atrium this month, and the Lower Elementary students are preparing Nativity plays they will perform in their classrooms on Thursday. This morning, the Upper Elementary students visited St. Dominic Village to sing songs of the season for the residents, and will lead the student Advent services later this week. Our Adolescent Community concluded their three-day spiritual retreat at Camp Kappe today, during which they focused on morality and the development of conscience. Finally, while abroad, the High School students toured the Vatican and learned more about their own faith and the faith of the early Church Fathers.

UPCOMING EVENTS Friday, December 21 PSO Faculty & Staff Appreciation Luncheon, 12:30 PM (Welcome Center)   Monday, January 7 In-service Day. No School. No Childcare Available.   Tuesday, January 8 Return to School Friends of the Library Work Day, after drop-off (Library)              Wednesday, January 9 Christian Meditation for Parents, 8:05 AM (Atrium) Group Photo Retake Day   Thursday, January 10 AC Market, 3:00 PM (Outside the Welcome Center)   Friday, January 11 Friends of the Garden Work Day, after drop-off (Welcome Center) Spring Sociables Sign-up Day, 7:30 AM – 12:00 PM (Gym) and 2:00 – 5:00 PM (Welcome Center)   Monday, January 14 Scholastic Orders Due   Tuesday, January 15 AC Market, 3:00 PM (Outside the Welcome Center) C-Team Girls Basketball HOME Game, 4:30 PM (Gym) Varsity Girls Basketball HOME Game, 5:30 PM (Gym) Parent Education: Moving Up to Lower Elementary, 6:00 PM Parent Education: Moving Up to Adolescent Community, 7:00 PM (AC Classroom)   Wednesday, January 16 Christian Meditation for Parents, 8:05 AM (Atrium) Mass,1:30 PM (Gym) Boys C-Team Basketball AWAY Game, 4:30 PM (St. Rose Lima) Boys Varsity Basketball AWAY Game, 5:30 PM (St. Rose Lima)   Thursday, January 17 Girls Varsity Basketball AWAY Game, 4:30 PM (St. Theresa) Parent Education: Moving Up to Upper Elementary, 6:00 PM

COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS

Dismissal Procedure for Friday, December 21 Infant Community will be dismissed 11:15 – 11:30 AM with their older SCM siblings in the Welcome Center. All ½ day Primary will be dismissed at 11:30 AM with their older SCM siblings in the carpool line. All full day Primary, Lower & Upper Elementary, AC and High School will be dismissed at 12:00 PM (unless they have an Infant sibling or ½ day Primary sibling, then they will be dismissed at time stated above). Please do not arrive before 11:50 AM for the 12:00 PM dismissal. In the event you arrive while the 11:30 AM dismissal is in process, we will ask you to kindly circle the line until our 11:30 AM dismissal is complete.

Classroom Pets for Christmas Break  There are a few classroom animals that need a place to vacation over the Christmas break. If you have room to include them with your family, please contact Emily Blackman at  [email protected] .

Gymnastics Classes Begin in January Children as young as 2 years old can sign up for gymnastics classes. Classes for Primary AM students begin Monday, January 14, 2019. All day students (Primary and older) begin class on Tuesday, January 15, 2019. Details and registration forms can be found online at  ParentsWeb in the Resource Documents section.

ADVANCING THE MISSION

End of Year Giving

Thank you to all who supported St. Catherine’s Montessori in 2018 through volunteer efforts and generous giving. If you wish to make a final gift for 2018, please do so on or before Monday, December 31, 2018. Online gifts can be made at  stcathmont.org/donate . To discuss other available options to make a year-end gift, please contact Advancement Director Lyndsey Ray at 713-665-2195 or  [email protected] .

Two New Sociables for Spring

Just one more day until we share the Spring 2019 Sociables Catalog to help you prepare for Sign-up Day on January 11! In the meantime, here are two brand new events we hope you will enjoy.

¡Fiesta Cubana! (Adults)   March 23, 2019 6:00 PM - 10:00 PM Location: Barfuss Residence Forget Havana, where stilettos, guayaberas and deep red lipstick with matching 1950s Oldsmobiles rule the night. Let’s instead go to Cuba’s countryside, “el campo”, to enjoy and celebrate the very roots of Cuban culture with an authentic “Guateque”; an informal gathering of good friends who come together to drink rum, play guitar, smoke cigars and enjoy delicious homestyle food. So put on your most comfortable pair of jeans, your most broken-in pair of boots, a super comfy flannel that you can Salsa the night away in (it’s not a true Cuban party without dancing!!), a cowboy hat, and then you will officially be a Cuban Guajiro and ready to join this party! ¡Azúcar! — Be ready to enjoy an authentic Cuban pig roast, with all the typical Cuban sides (vegetarian and non-pork options will also be available). Signature Drinks: Mojitos and Cuba Libres. A cigar bar, a DJ, with lots of Cuban music. The opportunity to play dominos, a favorite Cuban pastime And...for anyone who would like to watch how the pig is cooked in the Caja China, we welcome you to come early! Hosts: Alba-MacDonald Family, Barfuss Family, Jordan Family, Tschen-Hickok Family, Visbal Family

AC Star Gazing at Rancho Reid (Adolescent Community and Parents)     May 18, 2019 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM Location: Rancho Reid; Caldwell, TX Enjoy observing the night sky with a couple of high-powered telescopes while an amateur astronomer describes each magnificent planet, star or moon. A light dinner, s’mores ingredients and drinks will be provided. Parents are welcome to join us for this event. Hosts: Reid Family

PSO ACTIVITIES

PSO Friends of the Arts: Additional Side Dishes Needed for Dominican Sisters Concert and Dinner Help Friends of the Arts and the SCM Ensemble make this year’s Dominican Sisters Christmas Concert special. The concert and dinner will take place in the SCM Gym tomorrow (Thursday, December 20), and Friends of the Arts is in need of three more side dishes and one additional salad. Please  click here and sign up.

PJs and Basic Needs Items Were Delivered to Casa de Esperanza! Thank you again to the SCM community for making Christmas special for 125 children! Three van loads of PJs and items from the Basic Needs list made their way to  Casa de Esperanza last week. An SCM family (that would like to remain anonymous) also helped to make this year’s drive even more productive by collecting items via a Christmas donation drive at their office.

HIGH SCHOOL CORNER

Welcome back to the High School Corner!  We are back in town and already miss being on the road! We had the most fantastic time in Greece and Italy. In addition to having incredible educational experiences and seeing some of the most monumental historical sites in the world, we walked 196,000 steps—that’s 84 miles!  We have created blog entries and vlogs (video blogs) that document our Greece and Italy trip. These will be available for reading/viewing in January of 2019. Stay tuned! But in the meantime, you can  click here to see more of our travels. Thank you for reading, and we will see you in 2019!   Sophia D. High School Corner Committee Member

Inside and Outside the Classroom

Adolescent Community Spiritual Retreat

This week, the Adolescent Community participated in a three-day spiritual retreat at Camp Kappe in Plantersville, TX. The retreat included a presentation by Dr. Alex Gotay, a nationally-recognized speaker and retreat leader regarded for his ability to communicate with teens and young adults and bring communities together. The students heard presentations on moral and human development, and the topics and questions explored at Camp Kappe will inform lessons throughout the rest of the school year.  In advance of the retreat, the adolescents participated in two community service projects. One group made blankets for the  Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word . The other volunteered at  The Beacon , and engaged with the individuals who benefit from the organization’s services. As part of their spiritual retreat, the students also researched community service opportunities, which the Guides will use to develop plans for AC service projects in the coming months.

If you would like to submit something for the Globe, please send it for approval to [email protected] by  Monday at noon. LIKE US ON FACEBOOK!

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