April 19-23

Quote for the Week:

Christ held himself in His hands when He gave His body to His Disciples saying, "This is my body. No one partakes of this flesh before he has adored it."

-St. Augustine



Sneak Peek for the Week: http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AYV5gxagzvMYZGhtenhqcm5fNTFtM3R6ODZjbg&hl=en



Special Reminders for this Week:

• Please remember to complete and turn in First Communion books on or before Wednesday, April 21.


• Standardized testing on April 19-23.


• Mass on Wednesday, April 21 at 10:00 a.m.


• First Communion Pictures and Practice on Wednesday, April 21 for parishioners of Good Shepherd.

This will be a very busy week in second grade! We will take the Iowa Test of Basic Skills and the Cognitive Abilities Tests all week. We like to do a majority of the testing in the morning because the kids are fresh, rested, and eager to do well. I would encourage the kids to get lots of rest and to eat well. We generally do very well on these tests and they are a great measure of our curriculum. I would also ask that you try to avoid appointments and being late to school this week. We will start right at 8:20. I read the entire test to the class, so if they miss something, they may have incomplete test results. Usually in second grade the kids are excited about testing, but I always have a few who are nervous. I always tell them that these are important, but we just want them to do their best.

This is also a big week for us because we will meet with Fr. Campbell to practice receiving unblessed bread and wine. Fr. Campbell does a great job of explaining how to receive and some of the history behind the sacrament. When it comes to receiving the blood, or wine, I tell the kids to make sure that they discuss this with you. This is a personal/ family decision. They will have a chance to try it at school if they wish, but you are ultimately in charge of whether they will receive it at Mass. We will also answer any questions that the kids have this week and everyone will feel more comfortable after the practice on Wednesday night. We really try to make this special for the families, as this is a big event in the lives of Catholics. This being said, it is also essential that you send in the First Communion books on or before April 21.