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January 26, 2017OWATONNA — Beginning Sunday, St. Mary’s School in Owatonna will celebrate Catholic Schools Week with a variety of activities and service projects.
“It’s a time to celebrate who we are and what we do, having some fun activities related to showing some of our core values, like prayer, service and learning,” said Kathleen Segna, St. Mary’s principal. “We’re here to help kids learn and teach them how to give, pray, lead and love.”
In celebrating Catholic Schools Week, “we recognize God’s goodness and celebrate all of our blessings,” said Lori Connor, a second-grade teacher at St. Mary’s and one of the principal architects of the week’s activities. “It’s a reminder that each and every day is a gift from God, and we should use it to honor Him.”
Catholic Schools Week kicks off with a pancake breakfast from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Sunday in St. Mary’s cafeteria. The school will also be conducting an open house from 9 a.m. to noon.
Monday is learn day, and students can dress in pajamas. Grades two and six will be creating tie blankets, while grade four will collect items for the food shelf.
Connor asks her students to earn money by doing chores at home, and then with the other second-graders and sixth-graders, the money is combined to buy fleece blanket kits to tie.
“These blankets are made with love, and then when they are all tied, we pray over them for the children that will receive the blankets,” Connor said.
The blankets will be donated to the Beds for Kids program.
“It’s beautiful to see the children work so hard on a gift they will bestow upon a child in need,” Connor said.
Tuesday is give day, focusing on helping “the last, the lost and the least.” The day’s top service project will entail kindergarten-readiness students making Valentine’s Day cards for those living in nursing homes.
There will also be a talent show from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.
“I always love the talent show because it gives students a chance to shine in something we didn’t know they had a talent in and allows their peers to see them in another light,” she said.
Pray day is Wednesday, and doughnuts will be provided after Mass by the Home and School Association. Kindergartners will craft cards of appreciation for Navy personnel, while those in grade three will do a “Valentines for Vets” service project.
“Once we had our daily themes, we chose activities to go along with those root beliefs,” Connor said. “Each grade level has a special activity that they do at some point during the week.
“Learning happens not only when you are teaching curriculum but happens each and every minute of the day. We live out our faith through our actions.”
Thursday is a day to lead, and students can dress as superheroes. There will also be a winter carnival in the morning led by junior high students.
“I love the carnival games the junior high students will be doing,” Segna said. “They learn to lead and the importance of details.”
A core philosophy at St. Mary’s is that “service is leadership,” and the carnival takes in both aspects of that belief, said teacher Chris Smith, who oversees the carnival. “Students demonstrate leadership by developing activities that younger students will enjoy.”
“Students then lead the activities and ensure students have fun, are safe, and that games are played fairly,” Smith said. “Students also perform service in that when they are not running their activity. They take students in kindergarten readiness, kindergarten, first-grade and second-grade around to the different activities.”
Those younger students are part of respective “Spirit Groups,” he said. Spirit Groups are multi-age groups with students in kindergarten through eighth grade that meet monthly to encourage students to live out a virtue of the month.
“The highlight of the day for most junior high students is the time they spend with the younger students they take around to the activities,” he said. “Another endearing lesson for sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade students is that life is not all about them, and that we are to use or gifts and talents to benefit the common good.”
Friday will be a day for love, and students no doubt will love the opportunities available to them, from sledding for second-graders to skating at Morehouse Park for fifth-graders. Those in fourth-grade get a trip to Serengeti Water Park, while junior high students will head to Grand Slam in Burnsville.
“When we heard the forecast for snow, the children were cheering to know that we could then go sledding because prior to that, so much of the snow had melted,” Connor said. “We will spend the afternoon at sledding and then we return for cookies, fruit and juice provided by our parents.”
The week concludes Feb. 5 with another family event, bingo from 1 to 3 p.m. in the school cafeteria, Segna said.
“We try to provide lots of opportunities for family,” she said.
Catholic Schools Week will also function as a “kickoff” to registration for next school year, she said. “It’s a time for new families to come in and see what we’re all about.”
Catholic Schools Week at St. Mary's
Sunday, January 29 - Pancake Breakfast 8:00 am-12:30pm in SMS Cafeteria
Open House 9:00 to Noon
Monday, January 30 – LEARN-We put forth our best effort.
Dress up: Pajama day
*Mrs. Berg to read a story to everyone in the gym at 9:45
* DEAR: (Drop Everything and Read) 1:30-1:45
*1st grade penguin races were held last week to celebrate early!
*2nd and 6th grade service project: tie blankets for Beds for Kids
* 4th grade service project –“Souper” Bowl – collect items for the Food Shelf
Tuesday, January 31 - GIVE: We help the last, the lost, and the least.
*Dress Up: Crazy Hair and Crazy Wear Day
*Activity: Talent Show 12:30-1:30
*K activity: “ice skating” in the cafeteria
* Kindergarten Readiness service project: make Valentine cards for nursing homes
Wednesday, February 1 – PRAY: We honor God and share our faith with others.
*Dress Up: Red, white, and blue
*Mass: Donuts provided after mass by Home and School Association
*DEAP (Drop Everything and Pray) All- School – 1:40pm
*K service project: cards of appreciation for Navy personnel
*3rd grade service project-Valentines for Vets
Thursday, February 2 - LEAD: We seek the good in others and work patiently.
*Dress Up: Super Hero Day
*Activity: ~Winter Carnival (games led by JH students) 8:15-9:00 and 9:05-9:50
*grade level service projects done throughout the week
*ice cream provided by Home and School Association
Friday, February 3 - LOVE: We put the needs of others first & treat them like family.
* Dress Up: SMS Wear Day
*Activity: Grade levels will play board games “family time”
*1st grade service project—reading to younger students
*2nd grade sledding (weather permitting)
*4th grade Serengeti Water Park
*5th grade skating at Morehouse Park
*3rd grade endangered animal posters (followed by zoo field trip in February)
* Jr. High(6-8th) to Grand Slam, Burnsville
Sunday, February 5 - SMS Family Bingo 1:-3:00, SMS cafeteria
