Ave Maria Catholic Academy is a very special place. One of the most important components of a successful school is the collaboration between the educators, the students and their parents. We are working together for the best interest of our children!
Some of the exciting events that have taken place during the month of December are:
- During the season of Advent, the school took time each day to prepare ourselves for the birth of Jesus. Each day a class created an ornament to hang on our Jesse Tree. The ornaments on the Jesse Tree are meant to connect Advent and Christmas to the thousands of years of history covered in the Old Testament. Our Jesse Tree reflection was read by an Eighth grader each day, and our younger students lead us in prayer. Also during this season, the students were encouraged to do good deeds to prepare their hearts for the coming of our Lord. The students wrote down their good deeds on foot prints to mark their Journey to the Birth of Christ. These foot-prints were displayed at our Christmas Celebration as a reminder for the students of their kindness and love for God and others.
- As an academy, our school has entered into a special relationship with St. John's University. We have had the priviledge of welcoming Dr. Andrew Ferdinandi, a professor at SJU, to two parents meetings during December. On December 1st, Dr. Ferdinandi and I met with the parents of students in grades Kindergarten, First and Second. Then, on December 15th, we met with grade Three and Four parents. We were able to enjoy breakfast together while discussing the progress of the 2010-2011 school year. The parents had the opportunity to express their concerns, ask questions and provide valuable feedback to the school. Dr. Ferdinandi also provided us with some wonderful insight to assist us as both parents and educators of our children. We look forward to continuing these meetings in January with our Fifth through Eighth grade parents, as well as our Pre-kindergarten and Nursery parents.
- Our Ladies Night Out Bake Sale and Raffle was a great success, bringing in over $400 to support the fundraising event which will take place on Thursday, March 10, 2011. Thank you to all the parents who sent in baked goods and raffle items. We would like to acknowledge the winners of the Second grade Christmas themed goodie contest, Mrs. Gina Eriquez and Mrs. Marlo Manco.
- On Thursday, December 9th, we held our mandatory report card conferences. Thank you to the parents for taking the time to meet with your child's teacher. The following day we held our awards ceremony to acknowledge the children who have earned Honors, received Merit Awards, and for those who received a N.U.T. card for perfect attendance during the First Trimester. We congratulate all these students for their accomplishments
- Once again our Christmas Show which took place on December 16th, was a huge success. Our Eigth graders did an excellent job reminding us of the true meaning of Christmas with their performance of The Best Present Ever by Rachel Olsen. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mrs. Giacalone and the entire AMCA faculty and staff, Mr. Modafferi, Mrs. Hennessy and Mrs. Hegarty for all their hard work preparing the children for the show.
- Thank you to Mrs. Doreen DeCandia for her dedication to AMCA. Together with the fundraising committee, she put together a great event on December 11th. After the very festive Christmas Tree Lighting at OLG Church, parishoners and parents were able to shop for wonderful Christmas gifts at the Holiday Blitz as they enjoyed hot chocolate and refreshments provided by Father Rucando. Also, our AMCA students were able to shop at our annual Christmas Sale on December 21st. The students were able to buy personalized ornaments and stockings, as well as great gifts for the whole family. We were also happy to welcome the Daughters of St. Paul, who sold religious and spiritual books and media and will be returning on January 30th for our Catholic School's Week Open House. Once again, thank you to Mrs. DeCandia and her committee of volunteers, and our class coordinators for helping to make this a great day for our students.
- Finally, our month concluded with our Christmas Celebration on December 23rd. The day consisted of our final Advent Prayer Service and placing the last two ornaments on our Jesse Tree. Each class also donated a gift to help the less fortunate members of our community. Our buddy classes enjoyed breakfast together, sang "Happy Birthday" to Jesus and had the opportunity to take a picture with our special visitor, Santa Claus. A very special thank you to Mrs. Marlo Manco for coordinating this event. Thank you also to all the parents, grandparents, brothers, cousins, etc. that helped set up for the event, as well as the class coordinators who assisted me during this month and at the celebration. We are very lucky to have such supportive parents willing to donate their time and talents to our school.
We look forward to another busy and exciting month at
Ave Maria Catholic Academy!
Mrs. Maria Cuomo
Principal
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