November 1, 2012

“I began to see [the saints] as models of holiness relevant to contemporary believers, and to understand the remarkable ways that God works in the lives of individuals. Each saint was holy in his or her unique way, revealing how God celebrates individuality…None of us are meant to be Therese of Lisieux or Pope John XXIII or Thomas More. We’re meant to be ourselves, and meant to allow God to work in and through our own individuality, our own humanity.”

-Introduction to My Life with the Saints by Rev. James Martin, SJ

Dear Families,

Today is the Feast of All Saints. It is a day to honor the well-known saints who are in our stained-glass windows, as well as the lesser-known, humble saints who lived holy lives but haven’t had books written about them or movies made about their lives. Today we celebrate all saints, old and new. Ever dear to us are St. Mother Theodore and St. Rose of Lima. We ask them to pray for us and for our school community. We celebrated this special feast with Mass together this morning. As always, there are many wonderful things going on here at St. Rose. Please read on:

Lunches: Please see attached letter to order the school lunch for your child for the week of November 13-16.

Closings for Hurricane Sandy: Hopefully everyone was aware of our closings on Monday and Tuesday due to the inclement weather from Hurricane Sandy. We made every effort to inform all the local news stations as well as to post it on Facebook and Twitter. This was good practice for any closings that we may have this winter. If you are uncertain how to find out about closings, please ask someone in the office.

Cookie Fundraiser: In today’s Thursday envelopes you will find information about “David’s Cookies”. These cookies will arrive in time for distribution before the holidays. Thank you in advance for your help.

11:30 DISMISSAL TOMORROW: Students will dismiss early tomorrow so that teachers can participate in CPR training. In general, the first Friday of each month is early dismissal for some type of ongoing professional development for teachers.

NO SCHOOL: There will be no school for students next Tuesday, November 6, due to the elections. Our school is a polling place for the City of Chelsea, and because it is open to the public and there is no way to CORI everyone, in the interest of safety, we close school for the day.

Tag Days: Traditionally Tag Days have been held on Fridays because there were no gym classes on that day. This year, we do have some gym classes on Friday. Therefore, we have decided to move Tag Days to Wednesdays. During the month of November, on the 7th and the 21st, students may bring in $1 to dress in play clothes instead of their uniform. Please see the handbook if you have questions about what is appropriate. Thank you!

November: The Month of All Souls: During the month of November, we remember our loved ones who have died. In the spirit of Dia de los Muertos, we will turn one of the tables in the front lobby into an altar for the month of November. Everyone is invited to bring in pictures or prayer cards to place on the altar. We will pray for everyone on our altar at community gathering each day during the month of November.

Fall Dance: Thanks to everyone who was able to come to the Fall Dance last Friday! A special thanks to the 8th grade class, Ms. Rivera, and the other teacher chaperones who gave up their time outside of school hours to host this event, which was a great success!

Question 2: If you plan to vote in the November 6 election, Cardinal Sean O’Malley asks that you educate yourself on the issue of physician-assisted suicide, and the details of this particular bill, which contradicts church teachings related to the sanctity of life. For further reading, the Cardinal invites you to check out this website:

St. Rose Calendars: Need a desk calendar for next year? We have some beautiful ones with fantastic pictures of St. Rose students for sale in the office for only $15.00. Buy yours today!

Missionary Childhood Association: During the month of November, we invite everyone to “Give Thanks by Giving Back.” Our Missions this month will go to the Missionary Childhood Association (formerly the Holy Childhood Association). It is all about kids helping kids. For more information, please visit:

Mobile Dentist: Don’t forget to send in permission slips for Forsyth Kids Mobile Dentist! This is a great opportunity for your child to have his/her teeth cleaned free of charge! The first visit is coming up November 14. You must have submitted paperwork for your child to participate. See Mr. MacNeil for more info.

FTO Update: Many thanks to our FTO, who raised enough money last year to purchase brand new gym equipment for our students this year! Our new gym teacher, Ms. Swett-Zizzo, met with Sharon Rodriguez-Alvarez over the summer and they cleaned out the gym closet and decided what items we needed to replace. FTO spent $750 purchasing this new equipment, which will make for better quality classes. We hope to be able to care for this equipment so that it lasts a long time! Thank you, FTO!

Trash as Art: Before you throw out your old coffee cans and egg cartons, please consider donating them either to our art teacher, Mrs. Parrella, or our K0 and K1 teachers, who frequently use these kinds of items with the OWL curriculum. If you are unsure if a certain item can be used or not, just ask! Thanks!

Box Tops: Please remember to cut box tops and bring them in; they help our school! We earn $0.10 for each box top we send in! Many thanks to Patty Interbartolo for being our Box Top Coordinator this year.

First Communion: If there are any children in Grades 3-8 who have not yet received their first communion but would like to, please speak with me so we can see about getting you involved in the classes. Thanks!

Stay Connected! Follow St. Rose School on Facebook ( and Twitter (@misskeeton).

Blessings,

Caitlin Keeton, Principal

580 Broadway.Chelsea.MA.02150

617.884.2626 (phone) 617.889.2345 (fax)