What would you sacrifice?

Did you know that the Thursday morning Masses are traditionally planned by the students? Yep, that’s right. Starting in 3rd grade, the classes take turns planning the liturgy, being greeters, reading, singing etc. So the first Thursday of the school year held a treat for those attending the weekly Mass with the St. Mary’s student body. Instead of the students running the Mass, the teachers did! So the weekly tradition of students from various grades sharing their responses to a Gospel-inspired reflection question was taken over by, you guessed it, the teachers!

What a nice surprise to see the leaders of our school speaking from their heart and setting such a nice, genuine example for our students. So moved by it, one parent suggested we post some of the responses here so others might be able to hear what they had to say.

The reflection question was:  In the First Reading a sacrifice of great value was made to the Lord in return for his favor in battle.  What are you willing to sacrifice or give up in God’s honor?

And here are some of the responses from our teachers:
Judy Eilers
I give up worldly entertainment and material things and use that money to help the poor and/or religious programs like my son’s ministry.  My son is a Catholic priest and serves at Texas State University.  My husband and I have given our time and resources to help his campus ministry program.

Debbie Akin
I would sacrifice unnecessary shopping and spending and try to be more frugal and thrifty when having to buy something. This in turn would give me a better opportunity of giving extra to the Kingdom of God.

Debbie Crenwelge
Nowadays life is moving so fast that we do not stop and take time to praise God for the blessings that he has given us.  To honor God I would like to stop, think, and give some of my time which I really waste and use it to share God’s love and to honor him.  We have only one precious life that God has given us so we have only one precious opportunity to share God’s love.

Carla Gale
I say the Morning Offering prayer every morning.  In this prayer, I give God my whole life, all my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of the day.  I also try to make some little sacrifices during the week like giving up a special treat or giving time to someone in need.  I try to remember Jesus’ sacrifice of love.

Ann Blake
I would like to honor God by giving up the tendency to whine or complain about things I cannot change.  For example, it’s so common to complain about our heat and drought yet we have easy access to air conditioning and clean, fresh drinking water…unlike many of our neighbors in other countries.  I believe that by counting my blessings instead of complaining of hardships I can glorify God

Sandra Weinheimer
I am willing to give up wealth and having new things to honor God, for God looks into what is in our hearts and not what we possess.

Debbie Klein
23 years ago, I decided to become Catholic for the sake of my family.  I grew up in another wonderful religion.  I knew I needed to become Catholic, but I didn’t want to dishonor God or my parents who raised me.  After much prayer, God led me to become Catholic.  To honor Him, I followed His lead to the Catholic Church.  I found out after becoming Catholic, I was not dishonoring Him by leaving my other church, but I added to my faith and honored Him even more by becoming Catholic.  I gave up a church I grew up in, but it was worth the sacrifice to build a stronger faith.

Jennifer Petsch
After I had my children I had a choice to make between going back to teach at my old school, the public school in Kerrville where all of my friends were, and where my mom was teaching, or starting a teaching career at St. Mary’s.   I chose St. Mary’s because I’m able to teach the Gospel to my students, and because my own children are at the school with me and I feel that St. Mary’s has a good family environment.

How would YOU answer the question?

By Trish Rawls
St. Mary’s School Council

Are you living up to the St. Mary’s mission statement?

Our students sure are.

It seems every time I turn around, there is some kind of different service project going on around school.  So I decided to do a little digging and see exactly what was really going on.

The mission statement at St. Mary’s Catholic School in Fredericksburg is “To inspire a lifelong love of God and service to neighbor” and it seems every student is involved in some kind of service project (most likely many) during the course of the school year to help accomplish this. Inspired by teachers, parents, local needs, world events and liturgical seasons, students learn the value of raising money and donating items and time to help others in need. It’s wonderful!

In early November, as the school celebrates All Saint’s Day, Lacey Vorauer’s 3K students make donations and sacrifice some of their things for the poor and needy—just like the saints did. They talk about St. Vincent de Paul and even walk all of the donated items to the St. Vincent de Paul box as a class. How cool is that! “I think it’s a wonderful service project and a great way for the younger kids to physically give to the poor and try to live our lives as the Saints did by thinking of others and giving of ourselves.” Says Lacey Vorauer.

Carol Reyes’ 4K class has adopted a student from Columbia. “We adopted Jhon three years ago when he was just 4, and I even have former students asking me how he is doing!” The class conducts sucker, candy cane and pixie stick sales throughout the year to provide funds for his school supplies and clothing. A picture of Jhon is posted in the classroom and the children really love that connection.

The epitome of service are our men and women in the military. In order to honor and thank them, the 1^st grade and 6^th grade classes collected holy cards and spiritual material, and crafted handmade rosaries to send to American troops. Debbie Klein’s first graders also wrote Easter letters to former St. Mary’s student, PFC Danny Flores.

7th grade students, along with Religion teacher Sandra Weinheimer, visit with nursing home resident Rita Sharnhorst.

Every year Sandra Weinheimer escorts her religion classes to local nursing homes twice a semester. What a gift for both generations! “These visits help the students learn to respect the elderly and have compassion for them. It teaches them that giving doesn’t always have to be about money or things.” Says Weinheimer. On the last set of visits, they even conduct living history interviews.  First graders also brightened the day of nursing home residents by making tray ornaments for Christmas and Easter.

The second grade class raised an amazing $635 by selling pencils in their pencil machine they placed in the library. (And if anyone has been in the library with their child, you understand how hard it is to get out of there with out trying that machine out.) Funds raised are going to the Living Well College. The class also raised money to improve science resources available to their own teachers.

The annual 8^th Grade Service Project is usually a largest single school effort that continues throughout the year. This year’s 8^th Grade Service Project benefited Coy Akin. (Which I’m sure everyone reading this would know that by now.) Coy Akin is the son of 22-year St. Mary’s Kindergarten teacher, Debbie Akin. Money collected was donated to the Coy Akin family to help offset costs of a kidney transplant that took place in early January. Many fundraising events were held to aide the endeavor including Coins-for-Coy jars in the cafeteria and a more-than-memorable student vs. faculty volleyball game.

Despite all these school-generated service projects, the students still manage to participate in other parish wide service events including the Catholic Relief Rice Bowl Campaign, donating baby items for Project Gabriel, the Annual Holiday Food Drive and others.

But St. Mary’s service projects don’t stop there. St. Mary’s students and families even reached out to a fellow San Antonio Archdiocese student when his house was destroyed by fire. Funds were collected shortly after the tragedy.

“The students really get into the giving nature of these projects. It’s amazing to see the students learning this valuable and genuine character trait. And honestly, we don’t really realize how much they do until we see it all together like this. I’m very proud. And parents and the community should be, too. ” Says Billy Pahl, St. Mary’s principal.

One thing is for sure, we can learn from our children about service to others as much as they can learn from us. I could write for a whole week on all the giving acts I have witnessed since being a part of St. Mary’s. Academic excellence and athletic prowess are things to be proud of, but inspiring a lifelong love of God and service to neighbor is what people will truly be remembered for.

What have you witnessed? Did I leave some good things out? Let us know.

By Trish Rawls
School Council Member

They Pat Our Back. Let’s Pat Theirs. (Part 2) The Knights of Columbus

Back in November, I started a series of blog posts about some historic organizations that are part of St. Mary’s Parish and play an important role in helping our school. People must really want to know about them because that first post about St. Ann’s Society was the most popular blog post yet!

How many of you think the Knights of Columbus ride horses and are called “Sir”?

OK, well, I’m sure the majority of people reading this are not that misinformed, but on the other hand they probably do not know all the wonderful things this great group of men actually do.

Chartered in 1882 with the intent to render financial aid to members and their families, The Knights of Columbus are still true to the four principles on which the order was founded – charity, unity, fraternity and patriotism. The Order has been praised by popes and other world leaders for its support of the Church, evangelization, Catholic education and aid to those in need.  It is now the largest Catholic men’s fraternal organization in the world with over 1.8 million members in over 14,000 councils worldwide.  Council 9765 in Fredericksburg was chartered in 1988 and consists of members from St. Anthony’s parish in Harper, St. Mary’s parish in Fredericksburg and St. Francis Xavier parish in Stonewall.

Of those members, many of them are fathers, grandfathers and uncles of St. Mary’s students.

Here are some of the events sponsored or led by KC Council 9765 that directly and indirectly benefit St. Mary’s students and their families.

• Annual bowling tournament to raise money for college scholarships to local students ($1,500 awarded each year for the last several years)
• Monthly pro-life rosary to pray for an end to abortion and for those affected by abortion
• Annual basketball free-throw competition for youth ages 10-14
• Military blood drive (at least twice a year) to collect blood units that go directly to our military serving across the world
• Collection of items and money for care packages given to military in theater across the world
• BestFest – Sausage and Beer Tasting to raise money for charitable giving
• Prepared hamburgers for Vacation Bible School participants and staff
• Prepared hamburgers for the Wednesday Rock youth group
• Adopt-a-family: purchase, wrap and distribute gifts and clothing for local families in need. In addition, collect and distribute food donations to these families
• Annual ‘Change For Babies’ coin collection during Lent with monies going to Gabriel Project to help single mothers in need
• Cleanup of the St. Mary’s Cemetery

Charitable donations given by the council

• Financial support of local seminarians ($500 per year per seminarian for the term of their education – $2,500 in 2010 alone)
• Purchased bibles for the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults participants ($200/year for the last 4 years)
• Vacation Bible School supplies and other needs
• Christmas gifts to priests and deacons in Gillespie County
• Christmas gifts to seminarians from Gillespie County
• Financial support for fuel money to and from San Antonio for couples studying for the deaconate
• Financial support to adopt local needy families during Christmas
• Financial support to families of badly injured members
• Financial support to families and widows of deceased members

Want more? Here are some specific projects that directly impact our school

• Painted the interior of the ‘old high school’
• Purchased the ice machine in the gymnasium concession stand
• Clean-up following Turkey Dinner
• Generous annual donations annually to the Adopt-a-student program
• Volunteers to run the concession stand at all Apache home football games. This also includes preparing hamburgers and sausage wraps so that parents of players and cheerleaders can watch their children participate instead of run concessions
• Annual donations to St. Mary’s Turkey Dinner, Winter Benefit & Maifest (paddle wheel, raffle and auction items)
• Annual donations to the St. Mary’s Golf Tournament
• Donation to the Teacher’s Endowment Fund

I don’t know about you, but I’m impressed! Next time you’re talking with someone that is a K of C member, thank them for all they do. Better yet, if you’re interested in becoming a member of this philanthropic group of Catholic men, contact John Eilers at 456-6279 or Matt Seidenberger at 992-9329.

What is an $8 Decoration Really Worth?

In November I purchased an $8 decoration for my music classroom. It was a plastic door covering with a picture of the holy family, wise men, and shepherds and it played “Silent Night.” It was appealing and I thought the decoration would provide a teachable moment about the famous Christmas carol, “Silent Night”.  It seemed like a win-win for me.

I bought it, tried to put it on my classroom door (no luck!), then placed it over my chalkboard.  I planned on showing it to the students, discuss the history of the carol, play the recording then move on.  Well, my “plans” changed when I showed it to my first class.  The students ended up teaching me rather than the other way around. I discussed the picture, identified the bulbs that would light up then turned off the lights so the bulbs would shine brightly while the music played.

Before my eyes I watched the students transform.  No one moved, not a sound was made, eyes were bright, mouths were open, and concentration was 100%.  The magic of Christmas was right before my eyes!

I had tears in my eyes, which I tried to hide because my reaction was such a surprise to me.  Of course we had to play it again because the students wanted to sing along.  Some students did not sing because they just wanted to enjoy the beauty of it all.  I decided it was just a one-time class reaction and that the other classes would not be so riveted.

Once again, I was proven wrong.  Every class from pre-k 3 through 4^th grade reacted the same way.  Since that week, students have come to music to proudly tell me they heard “Silent Night” at their Opa’s house, on the television, at church, on their mom’s Christmas CD, etc.

So, what is an $8 decoration really worth? To me, it was priceless.  In an ordinary classroom, on an ordinary day, I experienced the glory and awe of Christmas through the eyes of children.

Merry Christmas to all of you!

by Michele Stehling
St. Mary’s Catholic School
Music Teacher/Director

Keeping Christ in Christmas

Growing up, my mother was one of those Martha Stewart clones that had oodles and oodles of Christmas decorations. We had Christmas plates, dish towels and even oven mits.  Elf candle holders and candy cane candles. A life-size light up Santa and snowman. Christmas was BIG at our house.  And growing up in Ohio, where basements were as common as pick-up trucks are in Texas, that just meant more space to store them. (Admittedly, to this day, I would probably have just as many Christmas decorations as her if I only had a basement in which to store them.)

But amongst all the Santas, and mistletoe. Elves and twinkle lights. Lawn reindeer and window candles, one of the most cherished memories I have is this:

On Christmas morning, me and my 4 siblings would vie for the honor of taking baby Jesus out from behind the nativity scene, where he has been anxiously awaiting his debut, and putting him in his place of honor INSIDE the manger—made of real wood and using actual hay, of course. (Mom would have it no other way.)

Even though it was so little in comparison to all of the other Christmas decorations it brings forth one of the strongest memories.

This year, when I brought my measly 3 or 4 boxes of Christmas decorations down from the attic (No, nothing even close to having a basement.) the boys asked if they could set up the manger scene. While I worked on unpacking other things, they set up the scene with enthusiasm. Then I saw one of my boys running back to his room. He came back out with a small lamp from his desk—the kind with a bendy neck so you can point it whatever direction you want. He then proceeded to set up and point through the BACK of the manger (Yes, it has a window in the back of the stall.) It was just beautiful!

So, I’ve decided maybe that will be THEIR job to do together every year.

We all have Christmas traditions. Why not create one totally centered around the true meaning of the holiday…. if you don’t already. Here are some ideas.

1. Let’s the kids set up the manger scene.

2. Instead of JUST reading The Night Before Christmas, also read the Christmas story in Luke 1:5-56 through 2:1-20, or read a beautiful story book like “The Crippled Lamb”

3. Sing Christmas carols together like Silent night, Away In A Manger, What Child Is This, etc.

4. Before opening gifts Christmas morning, say a prayer together thanking God for HIS wonderful gift.

5. Give your children only three gifts symbolizing what the wise men brought to Jesus.

6. Make a birthday cake and sing Happy Birthday to Jesus.

Everyone can put a sticker on the back of their car, but what are you doing to truly keep Christ in Christmas? Share your traditions and ideas with us!

by Trish Rawls
St. Mary’s School Council

They pat our back. Let’s pat theirs.

If there is one thing St. Mary’s School could not do without, it’s our parish— the people and the organizations/ministries in which they are active. When we go out and sell tickets to Turkey Dinner, solicit auction items for fundraisers and ask for volunteers at various events, the people that respond are the same people that are part of these organizations; the same people that we see putting envelopes in that second collection earmarked for St. Mary’s School.

Many of us have no idea what these groups do, so I’m dedicating the next 4 blog posts to four groups in particular that do so much for the St. Mary’s community and deserve our support as much as we have asked for theirs. They are the St. Ann’s Society, Catholic Daughters, Knights of Columbus and St. Joseph’s Society. Sometimes the best way to say “Thank you for your support” is to show support to them. Thanks!

St. Ann’s Society
Did you know that this group is led by one of St. Mary’s very own teachers? Yes, Mrs. Eilers, one of our kindergarten teachers, is one of the leaders of this wonderful group of women — many of whom probably walked the halls of our school. Aside from events that directly benefit our school, here is a list of some of the other things the St. Ann’s Society does.

• Care for Holy Water fonts — which the entire school uses every Thursday morning.
• Sew Baptismal Bibs — which are probably in many of our keepsake boxes at home.
• Flowers for the Alter at Easter & Christmas — which we all enjoy.
• Paying for Altar Breads & Wine — which we partake in….you get the idea.
• Purchase and care of vigil candles
• Laundry and iron Purificators & Corporals used for Mass
• Host Blood Drive
• Visit Nursing Homes several times a year
• Take religious literature to Nursing Homes and Jail
• Sponsor Loving Care (meals after funerals) along with Catholic Daughters
• Help St. Joseph Society at their annual dinner by baking cakes and helping serve
• Bake cakes for Assumption Seminary Polo Fest
• Monetary gifts to Padua Place (for retired priests)
• Monetary gifts to Living Well – School for handicapped adolescents
• Monetary gifts to New Horizons Association for Retarded Citizens
• Send gifts of clothes and baby items to Seton Home and Allied Women Center at Christmas
• Monetary gifts to Vacation Bible School and Mai Fest — directly benefiting our students
• Give three $500 scholarships to graduation seniors
• Pray for sick members
• Offer masses for living and deceased members
• Send get well cards to members who are ill
• Recognize 50-year marriages and 50-year memberships
• Monetary gifts to priests and deacons at Christmas
• Annual Bake Sale the Saturday before Easter
• Provide handmade quilt and other prizes for Fall Festival with proceeds going to St. Mary’s School
• Sell raffle tickets after all Masses a few weeks before fall festival.

And that’s just “all in a day’s work” for the members of the St. Ann’s Society!

By Trish Rawls
St. Mary’s School Council

Imagine that!

So we were passing Fr. Enda’s house on our way home and one of the boys said “Wouldn’t it be funny if Father Enda was a baker man?”  (Think they meant ‘Pastry Chef’.) It sort of came out of left field so I said “Why would that be funny?” And he replied. “Well, then he could hold out a muffin, or cake or anything to his customer and say ‘Take this, and eat it.’”

I  had to pull over to the side of the road with laughter so hard it hurt.

Needless to say, we had some good laughs—innocently, of course—thinking of all the professions Father Enda could have gone into. Some of the suggestions were:
Policeman – nope. He would forgive everyone and let them go.
Football player – nope. He would give hugs instead of tackling them.
Used car salesman – Nope. He’s too honest. (No offense to any used car salesmen in the audience.)
Advertising Strategic Executive – Ditto (That was mine.)
Farmer – His vestments would get too muddy.

Anyway, it’s fun how kids can so easily take us out of our grown-up bubble of seriousness and remember what it’s like to just have fun and use our imagination. I am a strong advocate of art as an important tool to help in all areas of education —and life. Creativity helps one see things in various ways. It helps in problem solving. It helps change the world. Some of the brightest engineers and computer programmers are amazingly creative.

When we think of “creative types,” our first thoughts go to fine artists, photographers,  art directors, designers, architects, etc. But one of the most creatively demanding professions out there is…….TEACHING! If you’ve ever had a birthday party at your house, then you’ll appreciate the creativity involved in wrangling more than 12 kids in one location. I would spend the month before thinking about a theme, games, seating etc. I’m usually so exhausted by the end of the party that I swear “it’s Gatti’s next time.” Now imagine the party is going to last for 7 hours instead of 2. It will happen 5 days a week. And then tack on the responsibility of actually teaching them something in the meantime.

Someone told me a story about a teacher that gave each child in her class a checkbook (fake, obviously). They would get “deposits” for positive efforts and “withdrawals” for negative efforts. At the end of the week, they would “balance” their checkbooks – literally. And they could spend what they wanted in her “store.” (Odds n ends of donated toys and items.) It taught the kids to make better decisions, addition and subtraction, saving vs. spending habits, responsibility and reward. I thought that was brilliant – what a creative idea!

Anyway, I’m not sure really what my point is, other than to really encourage kids and parents to use their imagination—we ALL have one. And thank the teachers who you see using theirs to make class interesting. Be open to new ideas. Cherish the artwork the students bring home —it’s opening the door to creative thinking.

Some of you may have read this before, but this is the ultimate story about imagination. Shows what imagination can do for others, too. Wow!

Read the story — “The View “

by Trish Rawls
School Council

179 Days To Go

First Day of School Pep Rally

I think. That’s what one parent said this morning and I’ll trust her on it. I didn’t actually check the calendar.

I don’t know about anyone else, but today was such a great morning. Something just felt different in that gym at this morning’s first day of school pep rally. Perhaps for me it’s because the summer flew past  me faster than a 3K student on his way to the playground. Or perhaps, I was just caught up in the remnants of building the new school website and so for weeks had been thinking about what a great place this is.

The 154th year of St. Mary’s Catholic School—what an awesome legacy to be part of!

I can remember when we first entered St. Mary’s as “newcomer” parents just 4 years ago. I mean, truly newcomers. We did not grow up here and, therefore, we did not know lots of alumni who already had children attending St. Mary’s. I think I knew one or two mothers from a Mommy’s day out program.

And I thought Mr. Pahl was “Mr. Paul” and folks were casual with him. Ha!

I remember enrolling my kids into St. Mary’s because I really believed it was the right thing to do for them. I grew up attending Catholic schools K-12. My husband attended public. We both turned out fine. (Depending on who you ask.) But I have a strong belief in providing my children the opportunity  to feel comfortable building a relationship with Christ. It just was a fundamental part of my education that I was not willing to sacrifice for them. So much in fact, that I enrolled them without the approval of my husband. The first and only “big” decision I’ve made without him.

Why am I telling you this? Because he now knows and understands why I did it.

We had several families that came to St. Mary’s new this year. They saw the value. They want that same experience for their children. Some we know. Some we don’t. But please welcome those families and encourage your kids to include any new students in their activities.

Spirit Stick Winners Mr. Pahl and Mr. O'Leary

We are off to a great start with “spirited” leadership at the helm! Congratulations to Mr. PAHL and Mr. O’Leary for receiving the first spirit sticks of the year!

Blessings for a wonderful 2010-2011 school year!

Trish Rawls
School Council Member & Parent

A World Without Bullying?

I was so excited to hear about the upcoming speaker that is coming to the school on August 9th! I’m glad to see that we are taking a proactive role in educating teachers, students AND parents on this important subject. Despite the universal concern, there is an additional level of expectation that I think we all expect from the community at a Christian school.

I read an article recently that said “everyone takes part in bullying.” You’re either the bully, the victim or the bystander that does nothing.” As I tried to label myself —as a child AND an adult—I didn’t like any of them, and realized it neglected to point out a fourth participant; the one who courageously steps in and says “Stop.”  I was saddened by this apparent oversight since I myself think the world is full of this fourth category. They just, unfortunately, don’t get the same press as their adversaries and are, therefore, overlooked as more desirable role models.

Having two polar opposite children myself, I often wonder what lies ahead in the adolescent years. One is athletically inclined, socially adept, thrives on human interaction, likes to be in control and simply has that “cool” gene; signature characteristics of the “B” word.

The other, along with unfortunately inheriting my unique sensitivity and imagination, would rather read a book about dinosaur extinction theories or see how long it takes to freeze a toy car in a bowl of water than play catch, is affectionate with every person he comes in contact with and is just, well….sweet; the perfect brew for the “victim” label. Sometimes I feel like the planets have aligned in our house to create a breeding ground for the “B” word. Of course, I chalk a lot of it up to sibling rivalry, but nonetheless, I can’t help but think of the antics I see at home as merely a “warm up” for what happens when the interactions take place with other kids.

When I think of bullying, my mind conjures up characters such as Scott Farcus in “A Christmas Story” depicting an era when bullies were as easy to spot as a fly on rice. But these days, it’s much harder to pin down. The sweetest child to an adult could be the “leader of the pack” on the playground. I was curious and I went online to read about what other schools implement as policy. I once again was taken aback to see wholesome environments turned into an attempted black and white judicial system. I was beginning to see….it’s just not as easy as it sounds.

One school had a “Zero Tolerance Bullying FAQ” on their site where the kids could ask questions and the more I read, the more ridiculous and silly it sounded to try and put hard concrete rules down on paper. There’s just always an exception. One child asked “So sometimes I like to play with my friend at lunch and I’ll sneak his apple behind my back. I’m just playing, but is that considered bullying and will I get suspended?” The answer on the site said “Yes. The bullying rules state that you may not take property from another student without his or her explicit permission.”

What bullying all comes down to is one word……..INTENT! Picture the scenario above. In one instance, it can be called bullying no doubt. Intimidation can be the cruelest form of bullying. But another, just a couple of friends having fun together and laughing. The ONLY difference is the INTENT of the person taking the apple. And only THAT person (and sometimes the apple owner) knows the intent. (Oh, and most importantly, God.) Just like in a court of law, it’s the INTENT that has to be proven for a solid case. Even at home, with our own kids that we have known their whole lives, we don’t always know the intent. (And be careful, because after awhile, you start assuming it.)

There are new buzzwords surrounding the term now, too. “Exclusion” is where kids are left out of activities and/or peer groups. And “cyber bullying” involves email, texting and other forms of digital communication. Both can be terribly hurtful but it all comes back to “intent.”

Because of some behavioral content on certain channels, (and admittedly our inability to limit TV time) about a year ago we canceled cable and started getting old TV shows via Netflix. Andy Griffith was Steve’s favorite and Little House on the Prairie was mine, so we went there after the lame visual effects of Lost in Space lost interest. And believe it or not, the boys like them! But let’s face it, Little House on the Prairie would just not have been the same show without Nellie and Mrs. Oleson. Because of them, I learned about the golden rule. I saw Ma and Pa guide Laura and Mary into becoming good Christians despite the obvious schoolyard agitations and belittling.

What a great example of how “bullying” (aside from being physically abused, of course) is something we have to deal with throughout life. Yes, the world would be wonderful if we could all skip through a flower of gardens with hurtful experiences hitting us like a feather. I’m sure everyone reading this has dealt with one or two “Nellie”s and “Mrs. Oleson”s —even as an adult.

Having said that, my heart aches when my #2 child INTENTIONALLY gets hurt, left out or mistreated—or any other child for that matter.  All I can do is hope that his sweet spirit does not get broken but makes him a more compassionate and loving person in the end.

So what else can we do?

I, by no means, am an expert on the subject, but can only assume that setting a good example for our children and encouraging compassion and courage could help carve a solid path of Christian character. Standing up for someone else in front of peers is such a hard thing for a young person to do. But if we teach children Christian values and hammer home the Golden Rule, hopefully GOOD intentions will follow suit.

So, let’s encourage true compassion and inclusion to our children and their friends. Make an extra effort to get to know the other children in your child’s class. Get to know their parents and develop open and comfortable lines of communication. And keep St. Mary’s a safe and happy environment for every student that walks the halls.

Despite whether you have faced this issue or not, I hope you will take advantage of this opportunity on August 9th at 7:00 pm in the St. Mary’s Gym. Mike Brock, international speaker and counselor, will be here to talk about this very topic.

PS — I  have been told by some friends, “Be glad you don’t have girls.” Because girls are, by nature, more emotional, the bullying can be intensified. If you have a daughter, this is a great article to read “You Can’t Come To My Birthday Party” written by a licensed marriage and family therapist.

Blessing for a happy and successful 2010-2011 school year!

by Trish McCabe Rawls
School Council Member
St. Mary’s Parent

Want to help affect tuition increases in the future?

Who wouldn’t say “YES!” to that, right? If you’re like me, when it comes to tuition you might have always thought there’s really nothing you can do about it except pray that it doesn’t go up dramatically.  Despite variations in family budgets, I don’t think you’d find any family that actually WANTS tuition to go up. I think we’d all agree on that.

But what if I told you that, collectively, we ALL could have a profound effect on the tuition rates in the future. How?  One word—ENROLLMENT.

Did you know that enrollment is the single most powerful way to increase the financial stability of the school? Enrollment health directly effects how well our teachers are paid and how much tuition needs to be.

So you’re thinking “OK, what’s that got to do with me?” I’ll get to that.

I have been in the advertising and marketing business for 20 years, so when I was asked to be on the School Council and head up “Marketing, Enrollment & Communications” I did what I do with every new client. (That’s what I consider St. Mary’s in this situation—a client.) I basically do a “situation analysis.” I look at what drives the consumer to the product? Where are the hot prospects? How do we reach them? What are key influences that make them take action? What drives them away? Who is the competition? What do we have that differentiates us from the competition? And a whole host of other questions that, in the end, give me a pretty good picture of how to market the “product.”

For most organizations or products, you could do a number of things such as ads, direct mail campaigns, radio or TV commercials. Those cost a lot of money. But if we did that here,  we’d sort of be defeating the purpose and not really accomplishing a goal since St. Mary’s potential families are not driven to St. Mary’s based solely on traditional advertising avenues.

There are some general types of people that will consider St. Mary’s.
1.Family Trees : These are the people whose parents went to St. Mary’s, they themselves went to St. Mary’s and they are sending their kids to St. Mary’s. If they considered other options, it was only for “due diligence.” St. Mary’s is “home” for them. They feel like part of the family. They have history here. They would need a really good reason to stray.

2. Fredericksburg Newcomers with Children : There is a larger and larger influx of people moving here from cities like Houston, Dallas and even other states like California. In fact, the Fredericksburg CVB recently conducted an audit that confirms this. Alot of these people are moving here with successful careers to work remotely. They are looking for a better place to raise their children. They have sophisticated educational appetites and will “shop around” for a school.  With these families, there needs to be a great first impression as a school decision will need to be made quickly.

3. Fredericksburg Newcomers without Children: There is also a segment of newcomers that arrive here without children. However, they inevitably learn about the different schools through friends and acquaintances. So when they start their own families, they have had some “gestation” time in which to be listening and watching.

4. Cost Conscious Catholics : Yes, we are all cost conscious, but there is a segment of the population that can’t get past that issue. They would REALLY LOVE to send their kids here. But they plain and simple just can’t afford it. They find out tuition costs and stop in their tracks. Paying tuition would be too much of a financial burden, so they cannot see any further.

Now that we’ve determined WHO the “basic” target audiences are. How do we REALLY attract them? Really.

With YOU!!!!

We moved here without kids but started attending St. Mary’s Church. When our kids were under 1 year old,  I started doing marketing work for another school in Fredericksburg. I was very impressed with their academics and Christian environment. I met some parents that had children there and they spoke very highly of the school. I just assumed that’s where our kids would go. But when our kids started going to Mommy’s Day out, I  met someone from the #1 group mentioned above—a St. Mary’s Family Tree member. I was very gravitated to her energy and her excitement about the St. Mary’s. She suggested to me that I should look into the St. Mary’s preschool…that it was “REALLY GOOD”….so I did. And the rest is history. Believe it or not, sometimes that’s all it takes. There was no song and dance. No pre-rehearsed, persuasive sales job.

Do you see where I’m going with this?

Never underestimate the power of a simple suggestion to another parent about St. Mary’s. Where would I be now if this person had never mentioned it to me? Who knows. We can all plant the seeds of consideration in other families without the need to force it on people. If St. Mary’s is not right for someone, it just won’t be, but WE ALL are our best marketing tool to boost enrollment.

What it comes down to is that a majority of “products” are chosen, or at least considered based mainly on what they hear from other people. That is why social media venues like Facebook and Twitter have gained so much momentum.  So we HAVE to use you all to help get the word out.

So here are some simple suggestions

1. Keep an eye out for new families. Whether they’ve just arrived or have been here for a couple of years. Mention your experience with St. Mary’s in whatever ways you feel comfortable.

2. Encourage non-St. Mary’s friends to come with you to games, events or open houses. It’s amazing what a simple invitation can do to open a door — and a mind.

3. Brag! Brag about your kids’ report cards or the game they won or an academic achievement. Who doesn’t love to do that? In person, via email or on Facebook!

4. Remember the benefits of St. Mary’s. Here is a run down….. (or add others you may have!)

• Tuition Costs: Of all the private school options in Fredericksburg, St. Mary’s offers the most affordable tuition. There is also tuition assistance available which many are not aware of.
• Excellent Education: Students are taught how to learn by dedicated teachers and are consistently at the top of their class while progressing through Fredericksburg High School.
• Christian Foundation: Although St. Mary’s is a Catholic school, children of any faith are welcomed with open arms. The core religion curriculum is based on Catholic teachings, but all students gain a well-rounded knowledge and appreciation of the teachings of Jesus Christ.
• Strong Roots: St. Mary’s is backed by 150 years of community and parish support. That goes a long way.

5. Referral Program: Remember the referral program. You’ll receive a discount on YOUR tuition if one of your referrals turns into a new family at St. Mary’s. See Mr. Pahl for more details.

6. Apache Pride: Wear your t-shirts to baseball games and other summer activities. Put stickers on your cars. Be our advertising team.

In a nutshell, if you are happy at St. Mary’s, shout it from the rooftops!

By Trish McCabe Rawls