P2 / UPCOMING EVENTS

Adoration and Rosary,

Ordination of Jeremy

Sabugo, and so much more

happening in November!

P3 / SAINTS

Celebrating Saints and

Saints in the Making,

Blessing of Animals, and the

Month of the Rosary

P4 / SERVICE

Student to Student update,

upcoming “Food Fight,”

Career Day, and this year’s

Thanksgiving celebration

P5 / BACK TO THE ‘ĀINA

A recap of our field trip to

Hoa‘āina O Makaha Farm

and cultivating the same

spirit at St. Michael School

NOVEMBER 2017

n the Catholic Church, the first day of

November is All Saints’ Day, a day we

commemorate all those who sit at the throne

of God in heaven. For us, these men and

women serve as exemplary models of faith

who actively and regularly intercede on our

behalf. This special feast also reminds us that

everything we do must be redirected toward a

higher calling and purpose that stretches

beyond human imagination and into eternity.

In today’s world, it seems that we don’t

speak often about heaven (or hell, for that

matter). Yet, it is our Christian belief that what

we do here on earth affects what will happen

after we die. The purpose of the Church’s

existence is really to help lead people back to

God and thus to heaven. St. Ambrose once

said, “The Church is beautiful in her saints.”

The purpose of educating our children in

Catholic schools is not just to be successful in

this life, but to live forever with God in the life

to come—to become saints!

Catholic-First, Every-thing Else Follows

As a Catholic school, our Catholic identity is truly

what sets us apart from other public or private

schools. Nothing we do is more essential than how

we educate through the lens of our faith.

St. Michael Catholic School

Every year, our graduates go on to some of

the top schools on the island. But regardless of

where they go or end up in life, our hope is

that they leave our school with a deeper sense

of self-worth and identity as a child of God, a

stronger integrity with a solid value system,

and a compassionate heart modeled after our

Lord Jesus Christ. This is why Catholic

education is important and relevant, and this is

why we will continue working hard in keeping

St. Michael School “Catholic-first”.

Students gather for quiet prayer in the presence of the Blessed

Sacrament during our First Friday Eucharistic Adoration.

For Catholics, the Eucharist is the “source and summit” of the Christian life. We believe Christ is truly made present—body, blood, soul, and divinity—in this special sacrament.

SCHOOL CLOSURES Friday, November 10 (Veterans’ Day)

& Wednesday, November 22 - Friday, November 24

(Thanksgiving Break)

Sacred Hearts Brother Jeremy Sabugo will be ordained a priest on Saturday, November 18, 2017 at St. Ann Church in Kaneohe at 10:00 in the morning.

FR. JEREMY SABUGO’S FIRST MASS Sunday, November 19

10:00 AM St. Michael Church

NOVEMBER BABIES

November 8 - Mrs. Baron

November 13 - Alexander Beleno

November 14 - Ava Andersen

November 14 - Kalena Baron

November 14 - Nola Reed

November 16 - Miles Jordan

November 26 - Ciana Cubi

November 28 - Nathazzia Hernandez

November 30 - Shamila Green

CELEBRATING SAINTS

ALL CREATURES

OF OUR GOD

AND KING FEAST OF ST. FRANCIS BLESSING OF ANIMALS -

Wednesday, October 4

Each year, we gather for a special Blessing of

Animals on the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the

patron saint of animals. Although it was mostly dogs

who came, the prayer service was also attended by a

couple turtles and a bunch of parents. Students also

brought their favorite stuffed animals with them.

The month of November begins with the great feast of the All Saints!

Halloween is actually named after this particular Catholic holy day.

The word “saint” comes from the Latin “sanctus,” which means holy.

Hallow is an Old English word for holy. So another way of saying

“All Saints” is “All Hallows”. Because Halloween is the evening

before All Saints, it was originally called All Hallows Even (or Eve),

which eventually turned into the term we now call Halloween.

At St. Michael School, we celebrated both the secular and the

sacred. On Halloween (October 31), students and teachers came

dressed in their best Halloween costumes while our faculty and

staff voted on the best costumes in each class. The Student

Servant Leadership transformed the Science room into a

frightening Haunted House.

All Saints’ Day (November 1) began with a feast day Mass honoring

all the saints in heaven, known and unknown. Students came

dressed as their favorite saints. Kindergartener Damien Morris

(pictured left) came as St. Damien—of course! Following the Mass,

students formed an All Saints parade around the school, complete with

“When the Saints Go Marching By” appropriately playing in the background.

Parents were there to pass out candies to the students in parade while the faculty and staff once again

chose the best costumes from each class. The festivities concluded with a special well-choreographed

and very entertaining Disney lip-sync performance by our seventh and eighth graders.

Winners of this year’s Halloween costume contest. Kindergarteners dancing at our Halloween assembly.

“St. Patrick,” “St. Elizabeth of Hungary,” and “Bl. Chiara”. Uila Goldsmen, Stella Stancoven, Mrs. Cubi, and Nautica Cubi checking out the turtles.

“Saints in the making.”

MONTH OF THE ROSARY Traditionally, October is considered the month of the Rosary because of a special feast that falls on October 7, the

feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. Throughout Christian history, the Blessed Virgin Mary has been called constantly

called upon to intercede on behalf of the faithful who pray to her with confidence that she will always lead us

back to her Son, Jesus Christ. It’s been said that praying the rosary is like offering a bouquet of roses to our

Blessed Mother. At St. Michael School, students gathered to pray the rosary during our First Friday Adoration.

During one of the weeks that we could not have our weekly school Mass due to a funeral, everyone gathered

in the parish hall to pray the rosary especially for our school, but also for the person whose funeral was being

celebrated (pictured right). Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us!

Our hearts and prayers are with Catholic schools and all those affected by Hurricane Harvey, Irma,

and Maria over the past month especially in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico, and the Caribbean

nations. The National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) extended their campaign asking

every Catholic school family around the country to contribute at least $1 per student to help

Catholic schools impacted by the storm to rebuild, reopen and re-enroll students. Thanks to your

generosity, St. Michael School has donated a total of $250 to this campaign!

NCEA will distribute 100% of the funds collected to dioceses in the affected areas for their Catholic

schools in vital need of support due to the impact of Hurricane Harvey, Irma, and Maria.

Thanksgiving at St. Michael School

GROWING UP

Kindergarten and First Grade held a special

Career Day on October 13. Special Guest Mrs.

Jessica Russell spoke to the children about her

career as a teacher.

The students designed special hats detailing

what they hoped to be when they grew up.

FOOD FIGHT! This month through December 15, St. Michael School will be hosting its very first “Food Fight.” Although

most people will immediately think of a messy event with food flying everywhere at everyone, this food

fight is actually a competitive canned food drive.

Classes will be competing to see which could collect the most points based on various canned food

items. Every week, there will be different bonuses that can help increase their team’s points or bombs

that can help diminish the opposite team’s points.

Preschool and Grades 7 & 8 will be on one team, which Grades K-6 will be its own team. Points will be

tallied every week to see who is in the lead. The winning team will win a pizza and ice cream party in

January.

All canned food donations will go to our parish outreach program as well as other local pantries/charities

to help those most in need especially during the holiday season.

WEEKLY BONUS POINTS (+5 points each):

November 13-24: Canned fruits/vegetables

November 27-December 1: Canned spaghetti/pasta

December 4-8: Tuna

December 11-15: Ramen

WEEKLY BOMBS (-5 points each):

November 13-24: Mac & Cheese, Hamburger Helper, or other dry

pasta mixes

November 27-December 1: Soup

December 4-8: Spam

December 11-15: Pork & Bean or other beans

OTHER INFORMATION:

• Food items must be left in the team bins in the designated classrooms.

• Points will be calculated and posted weekly, and only one team will

win at the end of the Food Fight.

• All food items will benefit our parish outreach and other pantries/

charities.

FOOD ITEMS AND POINTS:

• Vienna Sausage (1 point)

• Spam (3 points)

• Corned Beef (3 points)

• Tuna (3 points)

• Canned Fruit (2 points)

• Canned Vegetables (2 points)

• Soup (2 points)

• Pork & Beans or other beans (1 point)

• Mac & Cheese, Hamburger Helper, or other pasta mixes (2 points)

• Ramen or Cup of Noodles (1 point)

• Rice (1- or 5-lb. bags) (3 points)

• Cereal or oatmeal (2 points)

• Peanut Butter (3 points)

WORKING THE LAND

Back to the ‘Āina Back to Our Roots

The land connects us. To the past, present,

future, and to each other.

“Living our vocation to be protectors of God’s handiwork is

essential to a life of virtue; it is not an optional or a secondary

aspect of our Christian experience.” - Pope Francis

Students make a farm-made papaya dressing. (pictured right)

heart of this area. The second field trip of this

year took us to the “Ke Ala” program at Hoa‘āina

O Makaha, and naturally, our students were

ready to get down and dirty on this farm.

After an hour-long bus ride around the Wai‘anae

Mountain Range, students from Preschool

through Grade 8, along with their teachers and

chaperones, arrived at the farm. Keeping with

Hawaiian protocol, Ocean Lancaster (Grade 8)

offered the entrance oli [Hawaiian chant] and

Kuʻuleilani Samson (Aunty Ku‘u), cultural expert

at the farm, welcomed our group into the farm.

Students were shown an interactive mini-

ahupa‘a system, a native Hawaiian land division

that provided for an entire community using

resources from the mountain to the sea. After a

brief introduction to the day in the gathering

area, Aunty Ku‘u gave a tour which included

speaking about many different plants, its uses,

and a lot of cultural connections such as symbolic

rock features and various legends.

Students helped out in the farm by cleaning out

weeds in the raised beds and also made a special

papaya seed dressing using ingredients straight

from the farm. One of the highlights was mixing

the dressing in the bicycle blender!

We gained a much greater appreciation for the

land and our natural resources, understanding

that the land truly connects us beyond this

present moment and beyond ourselves.

Waialua is by no means a stranger to

agriculture; it’s embedded in the very

Kuʻuleilani Samson welcomes and introduces

the day to everyone.

Grades 7 & 8 helping in the farm by cleaning out

weeds inside of the raised beds.

First grader Elka Stancoven assisting to make a

papaya salad dressing with many ingredients

straight from the farm itself.

Activities Coordinator Shannon Shima briefs the

upper grades on some of the plants on the farm.

SCHOOL GARDEN

Plans are already underway for St. Michael School to start our own garden on campus. This garden will serve as

an outdoor “classroom” as well as a meeting and gathering place for the community. More details coming soon!

Christmas Luau - A Benefit Fundraiser -

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2017 6:00 PM at St. Damien Hall

GENERAL: $25 / CHILDREN (12 and under): $10

FUNRAISING Providing for the future There are several ongoing fundraisers that are very easy participate in. Check it out!

SHOE DRIVE

Help us collect 25,000 pairs of footwear!

Details: Donate used and new shoes in good condition (soles are intact, have laces [if applicable], no holes, dry [not moldy] and still have life left in them). If they are dusty or dirty, that’s okay. We cannot accept ice skates, roller blades or roller skates. Heelys are okay. Baby, kids and adult foot-wear all count towards our goal. Drop-off at the school office.

BOX TOPS

FOR EDUCATION

$5.00 earned for every 50 Box Tops collected!

Details: Clip “Box Tops” from various products you purchase and send them to St. Michael School in a baggie. ** Free Dress Pass for students who turn in a sheet or

Ziploc bag of 25 Box Tops. **

FUNDRAISING UPDATES

A big mahalo to everyone who contributed participated in the various fundraisers

we’ve had in the couple months. Here is a brief update on the total funds

raised from the different events and activities:

Foodland Give Aloha = $9,690.69 September Bingo Night = $1,371.00

California Pizza Kitchen = $490.00 Habilitat Christmas Trees = $758.55

Scholarship Opportunities A collaboration with Kamehameha For many parents, it is a challenge to afford the costs of private education. Fortunately

for many families of Native Hawaiian ancestry, Kamehameha Schools offers several

opportunities to help ease the financial burden of sending their children to private

schools including St. Michael School.

Pauahi Keiki Scholars (Preschool) Scholarship Pauahi Keiki Scholars (PKS) is a need-based scholarship for eligible keiki who are planning to attend a participating PKS preschool in Hawai‘i.

Eligibility Requirements:

All applicants must meet the following eligibility requirements to be considered:

• State of Hawai`i Resident – Kamehameha Schools (KS) defines Hawai‘i residency

as having lived continuously in the state of Hawai‘i for at least 12 months

immediately prior to date of application.

• Applicant was born in 2013, 2014, or 2015.

• Applicant must be planning to enroll at St. Michael Preschool in the 2018-2019

school year.

Apply online at https://apps.ksbe.edu/financialaid/preschool/pks. Applications are due by FEBRUARY 15, 2018.

OTHER OPPORTUNITIESAugustine Educational Foundation

augustinefoundation.org

Preschool Open Doors

patchhawaii.org/programs/preschool-open-doors

Friday, November 17, 2017

6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

St. Damien Hall

$15 per person includes laulau dinner, bottled water, five bingo cards, a marker, and raffle

Tickets available for purchase from the school office. Additional bingo cards can be purchased at $5 for five cards.

St. Michael School is excited to announce our new school management system – RenWeb School Management Software.

RenWeb’s ParentsWeb is a private and secure parents’ portal that will allow parents to view academic information specific

to their children, while protecting their children’s information from others. You may view your child’s grades, attendance,

conduct, tuition, as well as other useful school information. You can also communicate with teachers and other school staff

online whenever necessary. All you need is an Internet-capable computer.

To access ParentsWeb, go to www.stmichaelschoolhi.com and click the “RenWeb ParentsWeb” icon.

If you have not signed on to ParentsWeb before, simply click the “Create New ParentsWeb Account” and follow the prompts

to complete your sign-up. The email you use to create your account in ParentsWeb must be the email the school currently

has on file for you. Please contact the school office if you need assistance with ParentsWeb.

Hi! My name is Kala Winter. I am currently in the 8th grade, and I started attending St. Michael School last year. Before I came to St. Michael, I attended both Waialua Elementary and Hanalei Elementary in Kaua‘i.

Before coming to St. Michael School, I felt that I fit in fine at the public schools, but I realized some of the people I considered my friends were definitely not the best role models. They were not reliable and some were outright mean. I also felt that I wasn’t challenged enough academically. I honestly believe that I would have turned out to be a very different person if I had not been able to come here to St. Michael School because I might have been negatively influenced by the people I hung out with at my old schools.

At St. Michael School, everyone is family. It is my home away from home, and I’m learning so much that I don’t think I would have learned anywhere else. At my previous school, I felt that I only became really good at taking tests, but not necessarily fully comprehending the content. Currently, I am a 4.0 student, and I can honestly say that the teachers here have helped me more in completely understanding the material that we’re learning. I’m also actively involved with our Student Servant Leadership where I am learning practical leadership skills and how to be an “active Christian, life-long learner, effective communicator, problem solver, self-evaluator, and responsible citizen.”

I am also starting a nonprofit art network called our.Artistry, and with this, my grades, and contributions to my community, I hope to go to high school at Mid-Pac or Iolani, and then to college at Juilliard or some other performing arts school. I haven’t really thought about what I want to study yet, but I know I want to help people and be in the performing arts business. I hope to always give back to my community.

I am so very grateful that I have been able to come here to St. Michael because it has taught me so much, and I know that I will continue to learn much more in my last year here as a student. I will carry these lessons with me through my life and never forget them.

Thank you for this opportunity to share my experience at St. Michael School. And thank you for your continued support for my education and the incredible education of all students at St. Michael School.

Annual Fund Appeal

“I honestly believe

that I would have

turned out to be a

very different person

if I had not been able

to come here to

St. Michael School.”

In a world where we are constantly bombarded with news of violence, injustice, and moral depravity, St. Michael School

stands to be an institution that teaches students to be beacons of light, love, and hope while providing an outstanding

academic curriculum. Our hope is that our graduates will go on to impact the world with infectious positive changes so that

we can truly build a better society.

It is no secret that over the past several years, St. Michael School has gone through many struggles and challenges.

However, because of the amazing dedication of many individuals supporting us, we have continued to be able to provide a

quality Christian education. There has already been so much progress in helping St. Michael School to be a thriving school

once again, a lot of which has happened just in the last few months. There is a tremendous positive and encouraging

atmosphere on campus especially between students, parents, faculty, staff, and the church community. And most

importantly, we’ve truly established a strong Catholic culture by building a culture of prayer and fraternity. The effects are

already being felt beyond the walls of our church and school.

Although much has been done to improve the state of the school, there still remains challenges and benchmarks that need to be met in order to maintain this

enthusiasm and growth. This year, we have begun an Annual Fund to help provide additional financial stability to the school as well as provide other support in

different areas of concern, such as tuition assistance, capital and technological improvements, curricular updates, etc. This is where your support is needed and

encouraged. Our overall goal is to raise at least $18,000, and the campaign begins now until the end of 2017. Whatever amount you can donate or pledge will be

greatly appreciated, and all donations are tax deductible.

Our faculty and staff believe so much in the school that together

they have already personally contributed over $4,600 toward

this fund with 100% of our employees participating!

Every dollar will go toward investing in a stronger Catholic private

education in the North Shore for years to come. Help us continue

our mission of an education that makes a difference by making a

donation to our school today.

Kala Winter working with fellow 8th grader

Thalia Delima on a science experiment.

In October, donation letters were mailed

to every household in the North Shore.

If you did not receive one, please

contact the school office.

Donations can also be made at the

school or online by credit card at

www.stmichaelschoolhi.com

SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY

1 All Saints’ Day

8am School Mass

2 3

8am Eucharistic Adoration with

Rosary

4

5 6 7

Field Trip: “Sister Act” (Gr 2-8)

8

8am School Mass

Mrs. Baron’s Birthday

9

Class Spelling Bees

10 Veterans’ Day (NO SCHOOL)

11

12 13 14 Mid-Quarter ACRE Testing

15

11am School Mass

16

Field Trip: Iolani Palace (Gr 5-8)

17

Bingo Night

18

19 10am School Mass

with Parish

11am Reception for Fr. Jeremy Sabugo (Hall)

20 21 Thanksgiving Celebration

11am Prayer Service (Church)

11:30am Lunch

12:30pm School-wide Spelling Bee

22 23 24 25

26 27 28 29

8am School Mass

30

NOTES

NOVEMBER 2017