Mandatory Parents Meeting
We will have a Mandatory Parent Meeting on Thursday, October 23, at 7:00 P.M., in the Pavilion.  We have invited Common Sense Media to give this presentation entitled “Keeping Kids Health in a 24/7 Media World”.  This group exists because media and entertainment profoundly impact the social, emotional, and physical development of our children.  Their mission is to improve the media lives of kids and families.

At the end of the last school year the faculty became aware again of issues regarding our students’ improper computer use both at home and school.  We are concerned about the risks and dangers of revealing personal information, and we are concerned about students’ comments which are contrary to our Catholic/ Christian value system.

Please mark this date since at least one parent from each family MUST attend. If at least one parent cannot attend, please contact Sr. Marilyn.

Blessing of the Animals
On Friday, October 3, at 3:15, in the schoolyard, we will have the blessing of the animals in honor of the feast of St. Francis of Assisi. Animals (including stuffed ones!) should be brought to school at dismissal time. Please gather in front of the Green Room for this celebration!

Sandwiches
This year we are again encouraging families to make a sandwich for the poor and homeless. Each Thursday, families can send an extra sandwich to school and put it on the bench outside the office. Members of the St. Vincent de Paul Society pick up the sandwiches by 9:00 and deliver them to the Multi-Service Center at 5th and Bryant where 400 people are fed each day. Kindergarten PM parents, please note the early pick-up time! A “SANDWICHES” reminder is on the calendar for each Thursday. Some parents/students have included a note with the sandwich that was greatly appreciated! Tomorrow, Thursday, October 2, is the first collection day!

Extended Care
Due to preparations for the Parish Festival, Extended Care will be closed all day on Friday, October 10th.

School Pictures
MAKE-UP PICTURE DAY, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9, 8:30 am
If you were absent on the original School Picture Day or missed the opportunity to purchase portraits or need to have pictures re-taken.
NEW PURCHASES: If you have not yet had your picture taken and wish to do so, now is your opportunity. Call the school office, and we will send home an information packet.
RE-TAKES: If you want a re-take, you must return the complete package to the school office before Thursday, October 2.

Open House
In an effort to accommodate all the prospective parents interested in St. Cecilia School for 2009-2010, we will have six Open Houses for Kindergarten and two open houses for total school visits. Please invite friends and relatives interested in St. Cecilia School to come. It is not necessary to an appointment for visit the school on these dates. (Click here for a schedule)
Application packets for families NEW to St. Cecilia School will be available at the school office beginning Monday, January 5. Information for sibling registration will be sent home at the beginning of December.

Family Mass
The school will continue to sponsor a monthly 9:30 Family Mass. Teachers will ask families to participate by reading, bringing up the gifts, and greeting parishioners. The Children’s Choir, conducted by Sister Margaret, will sing at each of these Masses and following Mass there are refreshments in the auditorium hosted by the mothers of the sponsoring class. Please remind your younger children about behavior in the auditorium during the reception. For safety, children should NOT be chasing one another or running in the auditorium. They should not be on the stage or in the McKay Center.

Thank you for your help in this matter. Here are the dates for the school Family Masses:
October 5 Grade 4
November 2 Grade 3
December 14 Primary Advent Mass
January 25 Catholic Schools Week Liturgy
February 22 Grade 7
March 22 Grade 5
May 17 Grade 6

Halloween
So that you can plan ahead -- all students may wear costumes to school on Friday, October 31. But, remember they must be simple so that the children can sit in their desks and can go to the restrooms. NO VIOLENT CHARACTERS; NO BLOOD AND GORE; NO CROSS DRESSING! ALL COSTUMES MUST BE MODEST (no bare midriffs) and in good taste. No costumes are allowed which:
- show disfigurement of the human face or body
- depict boys dressed as girls or women
- imitate “heavy metal” music groups that advocate violence.
All must use sensitivity towards people of other cultures and those less fortunate. No students should have “weapons” as part of their costume.

Any child who comes to school with an inappropriate costume will be sent home to change. If children choose NOT to wear costumes, they must wear their school uniform.

All parents are welcome to the parade of classes at 11:10 A.M. in the schoolyard. Dismissal is at the regular time (3:00). In the afternoon, the eighth grade will sponsor a mini Halloween carnival for Grades K-3 in the school auditorium. No money is necessary for this fun event!

Red Ribbon Week
The week of October 27 is “Red Ribbon Week” sponsored by Californians for Drug Free Youth, Inc. To make the students more aware of the importance of being drug free, the Student Council will give each student a red ribbon to wear.

Counselors
This is the nineteenth year that Miss Mary McManus (K-4) and Sister Ann Gilchrist (5-8) will be serving as school counselors. The role of both is to work supportively with children to build self-esteem, to teach coping skills, and to increase social skills. While the child is the focus of their work, they are available to talk with a parent to facilitate the child’s well being and to do crisis intervention as needed. Sister Ann, as a school psychologist, can also do educational assessments for those children in any grade who may be experiencing difficulty with their academic work. Sister Ann and Miss McManus may be reached either through the classroom teacher or the school office.

Grants
Are you aware of the following grants from a parent’s workplace?
- At Federated Department Stores (Macy’s!) employees who volunteer at school are eligible to apply for “Employee Volunteer Grants-for-Schools Program”
- Union Bank of California Foundation - a matching contribution fund
- United Way of the Bay Area Charitable fund drive
- Wells Fargo Educational Matching Gift Program
- PG&E Corporation Campaign for the Community
- Barclays Global Investor
- United Way of the Bay Area Campaign
- SF City & County Employees Charities Campaign
- Community Health Charities of California
- SBC Employee Giving/United Way Campaign
- Tetra Tech Em Inc., Community Service and Matching Gifts Program
- Microsoft Matching Gifts Program

St. Cecilia School has benefited by all of these programs. Funds received have been used to purchase additional laptops for the classrooms! Can you help?

Birthday Book Club
The Birthday Book Club Committee wants to thank all those who volunteered to decorate the children’s birthday wishes for the 2008-2009 school year. As expected, we had an amazing list of volunteers to do this fun task, but unfortunately we could not use all of the people that came forward. For those of you who are not on the list, we’d like to keep you in mind for next year!

The following volunteers will be notified via email or school mail about when they will be receiving their packets. Complete instructions will be included. The volunteers are: Theresa Balistreri, Kim Do, Mary Egigian, Sylvia Grogan, Kerry Hagan, Sarah Hoang, Bik Lam, Melanie Manning, Gladys Masangkay, Lisa McKeon, Gina Miglio, Colleen Mulkerrins, Joan Mulkerrins, Terri Mungia, Lisa Ortiz-Souza, Karen Politz, Elizabeth Pratt, Julie Ridley, Kori Riordan, Nanette Shreve.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Ann Caltagirone at 415-681-7415 or anngae@pacbell.net

Boys’ Basketball Info from Pete Franceschi
2008-2009 Basketball Coaches’ Meeting October 9, 2008 7:00 Lower Church (Click here) for more information.

Junipero Serra Playground
Hurrah! Lisa Napoli, Co-Chair of Friends of Junipero Serra Playground, announces there is a date for the Junipero Serra Playground and Clubhouse ribbon cutting! Please mark your calendars for Saturday, October 25, 2008, from 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. The park is located one block south of the Merced branch library on Stonecrest.
Plan on joining for family fun that day. There will be LIVE music, light snacks, kids' activities, and more! You will be able to enjoy the clubhouse and play area, but given uncertainties with staffing, the clubhouse may not continue to be open on a daily basis right away. More will be known as the City's Rec and Park officials sort that out. The former staff person, Madelyn, has officially retired so they are seeking her replacement. Watch for future updates.

Snack Bar News
from Julie Downes and Catherine Schmitz
THANK YOU to the following volunteers: Alison Lippa, Elaine Shanahan, Jeff Schmitz, Yanni Gogonas, Eamon Roche, Daniel Holper, Matthew Cheong, Jenna Cullinan, Aidan Downes, and Cole Schmitz. Without you, the Snack Bar would not have been able to able to operate.

Call to ALL Parents with children in Third Grade:
We only had ONE person volunteer so far for the Snack Bar in October. We need volunteers for the following October shifts:

Friday, October 3 from 5:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m.
Saturday, October 4 from 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Saturday, October 4 from 12:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m.
Friday, October 17 from 5:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m.
Saturday, October 18 from 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Saturday, October 18 from 12:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m.
Friday, October 24 from 5:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m.
Saturday, October 25 from 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Saturday, October 25 from 12:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m.

If you have a daughter playing a home game, we suggest volunteering either before or after her game. Volunteers will be provided with specific instructions and duties. Please reply to either Julie Downes at julie.o'brien@barclaysglobal.com or Catherine Schmitz at catherine.schmitz@pillsburylaw.com

Festival Website
To encourage more involvement and response, we will send home a Festival Packet with the oldest child on Wednesday, October 1. Please support our Festival! See all the latest raffles, auction items, games, spirit booth items and donor board at www.scfestival.com

Surf's Up...Volunteers are down! 
All adult volunteers who work 3 shifts at the festival will receive one free dress pass for their SC student to use. If you would like to add a shift, please contact Cristi Knudsen directly. Please do not contact Booth Chairs as their schedules have already been handed in.

We still have 144 open shifts during all time slots. Please consider volunteering your time. We really need EVERYONE to volunteer for a shift. If you have questions, want to add a shift or can't remember what you've already volunteered for...email cristisknudsen@yahoo.com and she can help you! (click here) to download the volunteer form and return to the school office.

Booth Sponsors
Time is running out to become a booth sponsor! You can contribute at the $100 Clam Level, $150 Scallop Level, $200 Oyster Level, or our new $400 Starfish Level, with corporate recognition. Please fill out the Booth Sponsor form (click here) and return it to the school office.

Scrip!
Orders received:
Septmeber 25: 9 orders
September 18: 21 orders
September 11: 16 orders
September 4: 5 orders
August 28: 6 orders
Please visit www.escrip.com to register or renew your grocery cards and earn contributions for our school. Contributions can also be earned at by shopping at selected retailers and dining at participating restaurants.

When ordering your Scrip, please remember that you can donate your choice of Scrip to the Festival. Simply print out the Scrip form and look for  "Donate to the festival"  in the upper right corner of the form.
To download Scrip order forms (click here)

Origami Volunteers Needed
Got paper magic ideas? Help us by working some shifts at the origami table at the festival. Bring your ideas and creations to share! Please contact Anne Lee at 415-566-7882 or anlwy@pacbell.net

Hair Painting Chair Needed
We need one more Booth Chair at this year's festival. We will give you whatever support you need to help you get started and there are no meetings to attend. If you are interested or have any questions, please call Helen (415) 334-7725 or Cindy (415) 566-2733

Cake Booth
The response that we’ve received for the Cake Booth has been good – THANK YOU!
But we really want to have a tremendous variety of yummy baked goods and so we still need more!
For anyone who missed our last request, we’re still looking for donations of baked or purchased items. We’re asking each family to donate 3 items. These may be home baked items or purchased items (no items that require refrigeration, please).
Please fill out the cake booth donation form (click here) and return it to the school office, attention Elaine Shanahan/Cake Booth. Thank you so much for your support!

Candy Booth Contest
It’s time again to start collecting donations for the Chocolate & Candy Booth for festival this year. Once again we will be having a Contest for the class who donates the most Chocolate & Candy. The winning class will receive a wonderful pizza party with all the trimmings.
Here’s how the Contest will work:
Each class will be given a bag with their Grade and Room Number on it. Bags will be collected each week and replaced with new ones. The Chocolate and Candy will be collected, counted and tracked each week. Points will be earned by each class as follows;
Bags of Chocolate/Candy 3 Points
Large Bars of Chocolate & Boxes of Chocolates 3 Points
Medium Bars of Chocolate 2 Points
Small Bars of Chocolate 1 Point
Thanks so much for your support in making this years’ festival the best one yet! Any questions, please contact Jacinta Hurley at (415) 665-3592 or Mary Laffey at (650) 994-4798.

Books/DVD’s
The book booth for the Parish Festival is in need of your used (or new!) books and DVD's. Please make sure the books are in good condition with their covers attached. We will not be accepting any VHS videos this year! You can leave the books on the bench in front of the school office. The last day for donated books and DVD's will be Thursday, October 2. If you have any questions, please email Luana Letele at lletele@sbcglobal.net, or call 415-682-3610. Thanks for your help!"

American Girl Doll Raffle
Show your school spirit! Win Kit Kittredge star of this summer's American Girl movie. Kit shows her blue and gold pride by wearing her SC School uniform. Download and return your tickets today! (click here)

Who Needs Snow?
Get ready for winter by practicing slalom racing, snowboarding, and ski jumps. The new Wii Fit has over 40 new activities including snow sports, skateboarding and soccer heading. It also has aerobics training, yoga and training exercises like push ups and jack-knife. You can win the Wii Fit Bundle Raffle which includes 3 popular Wii games that connect into your Wii. Games included are: Wii Fit, Wii Dance, Dance Revolution and Wii High School Musical, Sing It Karaoke! Download the raffle tickets (click here)

Grand Awards Cash Raffle...Big Changes = BIG Bucks
Get your tickets in early! Over $5,000 in cash prizes. Don't miss out on our new Grand Awards Daily Cash Drawing. In addition to the Sunday Grand Awards drawing, we will be pulling winning tickets each evening of the festival. If you wait until Sunday at 5pm to submit your tickets, you'll miss out on winning cash prizes. You need not be present to win. If you need more ticket books, please pick them up at the rectory.

Hey Dude! One week left to enter!
Don't miss your chance to WIN! For only $1, you can win free rides on ALL of our outdoor inflatables, including the Giant Slide, Joust, and the new Adrenaline Rush...all weekend long. We will pull the winning ticket on Friday, October 10th, at school, during afternoon announcements. Download your tickets today (click here) and return to the school office. Don't delay! These tickets cannot be bought at the festival!

Don't Forget to Tell The Kiddies!
The Silent Auction has a new item that will thrill the kids, so be sure to tell them: VIP passes to the Halloween haunted house at the rectory. Each of the four passes will let one person go to the front of the line! If you have ever seen how long the line can get, you know how great that is. Be sure to look for it at the Silent Auction! Silent Auction Quiz Question #1 Of all the bid items at the Silent Auction which item gets the highest winning bid? The answer is vacation rentals! Vacation homes earn up to four times the average auction item! If you would like to donate your vacation rental please see our donor form. (click here). Thanks!
Thanks

Basket Accessories And Wine!
Do you have any items in your garage or closet that would work as a basket accessory? If so, please bring it by the rectory as soon as possible. The Festival is two weeks away! Be sure the item is new and in good shape! Thanks! Below is a partial list of things we need:
Wine, wine and more wine!
Cans/jars of nuts (great to pair with whiskey, etc. or party baskets)
Baking mixes
Pancake mixes (great for coffee baskets or holiday baskets)
Baking Tools (even Christmas themed tools - to go with cute Christmas cookie jar that'll be an eye-catcher)
Coffee
Tea
Party snacks
Non-perishable sausages or cheeses (we had a number of small serving or cheese trays donated)
Separately wrapped candies (to dress up glassware, make baskets look more festive - color is great too)
Specialty sauces, barbeque sauces and jarred salsas
Nice cups, glassware, stemware

Did I mention wine?

Silent Auction Quiz Question #3
Want to know an effective way to stretch your donation dollar? Ask a restaurant if they will donate by doubling (matching) the amount of a gift certificate you purchase. Our Festival Information letter and a donor card are attached here. (click here). Thanks!

iPod Touch Raffle
Be the first to own the newest iPod from Apple. With its revolutionary Multi-Touch interface, 3.5-inch widescreen color display, the new iPod Touch handles music, videos, photos, Wi-Fi, Safari, Mail and YouTube. This iPod Touch has 8 GB of storage and is sure to be a hit. Download the raffle tickets (click here) and return to the school office.

Pavilion Raffle
The Durocher Pavilion can be your for a Saturday night party. Winner also receives pizza and a $50 Safeway gift card. Click for tickets (click here)

Irish Blanket Raffle
Stay warm this winter with a beautiful wool Irish knit blanket. Gorgeously handcrafted, this blanket can be yours by purchasing raffle tickets today.(click here)

Free Dress For A Week Raffle
What St. Cecilia child would not love a free dress pass for a full week? Well, here is your chance to win your child that honor. The winner of this raffle will be able to wear whatever they like for a full week (must follow St. Cecilia free dress guidelines). (click here)

S.I. Pool Party Raffle
Attention moms and dads…..We will be raffling off a pool party at St. Ignatius again this year. This is a great spot for birthday parties. You can't win if you don't buy a ticket, so download your form today! (click here)