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Dear Holy Spirit Prep Families,
It’s been a joy to begin this new school year with you, and already we are ushering in the second quarter. Campus Ministry looks forward to updating you throughout the year—so here are some highlights. So far, our school’s Masses, class retreats, as well as weekly Gospel Reflections for the boys and girls of the Upper School grades have marked this first quarter. And as always, our office doors remain open to you and to our students.
I hope you’ve had the opportunity to meet Deacon John Klein, whom we are happy to welcome to the team this year. Keep him in your prayers as his priestly ordination approaches, on December 16th in Rome! It’s been a blessing to welcome the support of Jude LeCompte and Aleks Weber, Regnum Christi Missionaries who are giving this year in service to Christ and his Church, and of Annina Nakpil and Megan Ruzicka, who are spending this year in discernment with my community of Consecrated Women of Regnum Christi. Look out for one, two, or all four of them volunteering at retreats, Gospel Reflections, and apostolates.
We know the family that prays together, stay together—and so we are grateful to Monsignor Dillon, who is offering an “extra” Mass time on Christmas Eve, dedicated to the families of our school community. We are invited to gather together as a community in celebration of Christ’s birth for this 3:00pm Christmas Eve Mass, in McDonough Hall. We welcome students and family members who will be in town to attend—and to sign up to serve in the various roles at Mass.
Our Campus Ministry team would love to see you at our annual Regnum Christi Atlanta Gala. This event, which supports our communities of Legionary priests, Consecrated Women, and the work of Regnum Christi in Atlanta, is truly a family affair for us—and we would love to bring together our school family with our family of Regnum Christi. We hope to see you there!
As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out to any member of the Campus Ministry team—Fr. Juan, Deacon John, Miss Eckert and myself—we are here to support you and your children as we all strive to follow Christ. Count on our prayers, and we are grateful for yours!
In Christ, Beth Van de Voorde
Dear HSP Community,
It’s Homecoming Week! The Homecoming game is this Friday, one of the most memorable times of the year. This Homecoming Week started off with a long weekend because of Columbus Day (a great way to start the week), and we will continue to celebrate throughout the week with several dress down days.
The festivities reach their peak on Friday night, when the Cougars will host the Loganville Lions at North Springs in a battle for the centuries. As it is Friday the 13th, the theme of the game will fittingly be “Fright Night”, and Holy Spirit families are encouraged to dress in “Halloween-y” clothes, including the Homecoming T-shirt.
During the homecoming game we will coronate the Homecoming King and Queen for 2017. The nominees for Queen are:
and the nominees for King are:
And of course we’ll show Loganville Christian Academy a little bit of HSP football love. We look forward to this exciting week and seeing many of you at the game! Go Cougars!
Patrick Schulman and Sarah Durham Head Boy and Head Girl
What would Homecoming week be without themed dress-down days? We've already celebrated Heroes vs Villains day on Tuesday, and senior dress-up day Wednesday. Here's what remains for the week:
Thursday Favorite holiday attire - let's see those ugly Christmas sweaters! (Upper School)
Friday During the day: Spirit wear or Homecoming t-shirts (All School) Homecoming Tailgate and Football Game: Homecoming t-shirt or Halloween attire
Senior athletes, playing the final game of their varsity career, will be honored in between games. Come celebrate their incredible legacy at the Upper School gym!
Holy Spirit Prep's 2017-18 Annual Fund campaign has begun! The campaign runs for forty days, ending on October 28 with the Annual Fund Run. A gift to the Annual Fund is the primary gift you can make in support of HSP's mission of formation. Annual Fund donors earn free admission to the Annual Fund Run with their Annual Fund gift (including t-shirts, race access, and a picnic for the whole family).
In 2016-17, we achieved 85% participation from families, raising over $540,000. This year, we aim to raise $575,000 with 100% pledged participation from our current parents by October 27.
Believe it or not, Advent season is right around the corner, starting on December 3! HSP’s PVA has secured another season of beautiful Vermont Advent Wreaths (including candles!) and Christmas Wreaths for our community. These are wonderful fresh cut wreaths to give as gifts or keep for yourself. All items can be individually delivered! The PVA receive a portion of all the sales.
(Type in the code spirit when prompted)
Deadlines to order are: Advent Wreaths: November 1 Christmas Wreaths: November 7
Last Tuesday, October 3, Holy Spirit Catholic Church hosted the relics of St. Pio of Pietrelcina - more commonly known as Padre Pio. The event, sponsored by the Saint Pio Foundation, featured relics including a glove which covered his stigmata, a handkerchief, a lock of hair, and the mantle St. Pio wore.
Who was St. Pio?
Students in grades 2-12 visited the relics - the Lower School bussing students to the sanctuary, and the Upper School students trekking across the parking lot with their theology classes. They learned about his life, his personal holiness, and were able to encounter his relics one-on-one.
The Upper School Mass choir recently performed during the Pregnancy Aid Clinic's Evening for Life Gala at the Fox Theatre. The Pregnancy Aid Clinic is the only counseling and pregnancy support agency in Georgia that promotes the sanctity of human life as recognized in the teachings of the Catholic Church, and is supported by a host of Catholic institutions in the Archdiocese of Atlanta. The event raised funds for the clinic's new Forest Park facility. The speaker for the evening was Dr. Allen Hunt, who was HSP's guest baccalaureate speaker at last year's graduation ceremony.
We are very excited to offer a tennis workshop for moms at the Upper School's tennis courts this fall.
Day: Wednesdays, October 18-December 6 Times: Session 1: 8:20am-9:20am Session 2: 9:20am-10:20am
Cost: Annual fee, $50 + season fee, $150
Level: Tennis for Moms is for beginners and intermediate players.
Class Activities: Learning and improving your game work, your cardio, and a 5-minute devotional.
Space is very limited, so please register soon! To sign up, contact Coach Paula at coachpaula@gmail.com or 404-695-0053. See you at the court!
Through November, families at Holy Spirit Prep will host parent parties for each grade level. Save the date for your grade(s) parent parties! Invitations will be sent through your grade level.
Preschool Parent Party Friday, November 3 Hosted by Stephanie and Jim Briles
K/Pre-1st Parent Party Saturday, October 14 il Giallo Osteria & Bar, hosted by Sandy and Luis Rosales
2nd Grade Parent Party Friday, October 20, 7:00pm Hosted by Araceli Sanroman and Ulises Ramirez
3rd Grade Parent Party Saturday, October 28 Hosted by the Cusimanos 4th Grade Parent Party Friday, November 10 Hosted by the Anulewiczes
5th Grade Saturday, November 11 Vanessa and Michael Sciacchetano’s Home
9th Grade Parent Party Saturday, November 11 Hosted by the Joneses
10th Grade Parent Party Friday, November 3 Hosted by the Delaneys
Register | Volunteer | Donate to the Cake Walk
Register for the Mother-Daughter Paint Party
Holy Spirit Catholic Church and Holy Spirit Prep are pleased to host Dr. Gianna Emanuela Molla on Monday, November 6th, at 7:00 p.m. in McDonough. Dr. Molla was born on April 21, 1962, to St. Gianna Beretta Molla, an Italian wife, mother and pediatrician. St. Gianna died one week after the birth of Gianna Emanuela - on April 28, 1962 - after suffering through a high-risk pregnancy during which she was encouraged to terminate the pregnancy to save her own life.
RSVP online
Dr. Molla will speak about her "saint Mom," her family life, and her efforts with the St. Gianna Beretta Molla Foundation to honor, perpetuate and spread around the world the memory, testimony and spirituality of her mother, particularly the "Ponte Nuovo Project." Through this project, Dr. Molla hopes to restore the holy places of her mother's life, including the creation of an International Center of prayer, study and spirituality that will welcome pilgrims from all around the world.
*Books about the life of St. Gianna will be available for sale. Cash or checks accepted.
Varsity Cougar football claimed a significant victory in their recent game against Monsignor Donovan High School in Athens. The annual game has turned into a burgeoning rivalry between the two Catholic high schools, with the victor claiming a trophy dubbed "the Catholic Cup." After a stinging defeat by the Rams, the Cougars reclaimed the Cup this season with a dominating 42-8 win.
Varsity cross country competed last Saturday in the Braves Invitiational Meet in Milledgeville.
The results are as follows:
Julia Del Bosque won 9th place (20:41.69) and Camila del Bosque won 12th place (21:24.61) in the 5K.
Claire Donner won 17th place (15:21.71) in the 3K.
Andrew Churchill broke his personal record, with a new time of 18:08.60 in the 5K.
You know and love HSP, and learned all about Kindergarten at last week's Day in the Life of a Kindergartener. HSP is hosting an Open House for the public on Friday, October 20. If you know someone you think would be a great fit for HSP's kindergarten next year, let them know! You can share the flyer below with your friends, neighbors, and family. Thanks for supporting Holy Spirit Prep!
Lower School parent-teacher conferences are scheduled for Wednesday, October 18. The Lower School will dismiss at 12:30pm to accomodate conferences. Please click on appropriate class(es) below to sign up for a conference.
KA – Ms. Kelly Martin
KB – Ms. Jessica Garcia
Pre-1st – Mrs. Bethany Rusenko
1A – Ms. Tracy Kendall
1B – Ms. Megan Gallagher
2A – Ms. Lyndsay Pinzone
2B – Mrs. Kettia Jasmin
3A – Mrs. Karen Fickett
3B – Ms. Grace Jacobi
4A – Ms. Whitney Johnson
4B – Mrs. Kelly Coury
5th Grade ELA - Mrs. Stephanie Irizarry
Religion – Ms. Dana Christensen
Math – Ms. Meghan McCabe
Social Studies - Mr. John Angelle
Math - Ms. Laura Kinzey
Science - Ms. Tonnie Lentz
6th Grade ELA – Ms. Erin Messer
In a message to 6th grade parents on October 4, Mr. Schultz announced the decision to retain the 6th grade class at the Lower School in the 2018-19 school year, creating a K-7th grade campus.
To further explain the change and answer parent questions, Mr. Schultz is hosting four coffees in the next two weeks, to be held in the Media Center, to answer your questions. Those days and times are: Tuesday, October 10, 9:00am Friday, October 13, 8:15am Tuesday, October 17, 9:00am Thursday, October 19, 8:15am RSVP for a coffee Both Mr. Schultz and Mr. Pietrantonio are available in the event those dates don’t suit your schedule.
It is finally cooling off and we are gearing up for our annual Fall Festival. We are in need of your help! We need donations of prizes to hand out at each “carnival booth” the day of the Fall Festival. These can be candy (individually wrapped), pencils, tattoos, etc., - anything that can fit in a “trick or treat” bag the kids will be given. There will be a bin in the front office where you can easily drop off your donations. We greatly appreciate any help!
Sincerely, Christian Riley, Lower School PVA President 404.245.6617
Metro Music Makers has been our partner in bringing quality music instruction to our students at the Lower School. This year, we're excited to extend their private music instruction to the Upper School. Highly trained Metro Music Makers staff offer lessons for a variety of instruments, including piano, guitar, ukulele and many band instruments! For more information and to register your student, visit metromusicmakers.com/holyspiritprep.
This Wednesday, October 10, 9th-11th grade students take the PSAT, a college-readiness test that lets students explore and practice items that they will encounter when taking the SAT starting the second semester of their junior year.
How We Use Scores Besides the benefit of having students practice for the SAT, we use the scores to assess students’ readiness for advanced courses. The data collected through the PSAT is also very valuable for our school to help us reflect on any needed changes to our curriculum. Please encourage your student to take the exam seriously and to do his/her best. A score report will be sent home in January for you to keep and review with your student. If you have any other questions, please contact our Registrar, Miss Little, at rlittle@holyspiritprep.org.