December 2, 2016

Long ago in a little town, most of the people got ready for Christmas by decorating their houses with lights and ornaments. However, one older couple did things a little differently. They cleaned everything! They would scrub their whole house—from ceiling to floor. When they were done, they would announce to the whole town that now they were ready for Christmas, the coming of the Christ Child.

John the Baptist would have liked that old

couple. Throughout John’s ministry in the wilderness, he called on people to make themselves clean as a way of getting ready for the coming Messiah. In his camel hair coat, John may have looked strange, but he was God’s messenger sent to make things ready for the coming Messiah. He was, as the prophet Isaiah called him, “the voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord…’” (Luke 3:4). John called people to get ready, not by decorating houses or throwing parties. Rather, John knew that the way to really get ready for the coming Savior was to turn away from sin—to repent and to look to the one coming for forgiveness and new life.

The words of John still call us today! His words call us to get

ready for the coming Savior—not by decorating our homes and buying expensive gifts—but most importantly by getting ready on the inside. We get ready John’s way when we turn away from our sins. We get ready John’s way when we remember that we have been baptized and

made children of God. And, we get ready John’s way when we welcome Jesus into our hearts and homes with love, forgiveness, and the new life he brings.

Like the old couple in the story who washed

and cleaned their whole house in preparation for Christmas, we, too are to prepare ourselves to receive Jesus this Christmas by making ourselves “new and clean”. May our prayer this Advent season

be that our Lord Jesus enter our lives and “create in me a clean heart, O Lord, and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10)—come to us with your life and your love.

In Christ’s Service, James L. House, Principal

2016-17 School Year Theme – “Superheroes for Jesus” – Hebrews 12:1-3

Prayer Walk Families for

the week of Dec. 2-8

Saria Lopez

Isabelle Lutrick

Lexi Makai

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Dec. 3…“Jingle Bells and Jammies”

Christmas Fellowship

– 9:00-10:30 AM

Dec. 3-4…Nativity Nights at St. Paul

– 5:00-8:00 PM

Dec. 4…“Lesson & Carols” Worship

Service – 10:00 AM

Dec. 6…Boys BB Game vs St. Luke

– 4:30 PM

Dec. 7…School Chapel Service

– 8:20 AM

Dec. 9…PSIA Parent Information

Meeting – 4:00 PM

Dec. 13…RGV Vipers Field Trip

Dec. 14…Children’s Christmas

Service – 7:00 PM

Dec. 16 & 19 – Classes Christmas

Caroling – mornings

Dec. 19…Family Christmas Lunch

– 11:30 AM

Dec. 20…All-School Christmas

Assembly – 8:30 AM

“Favorite Carol” Chapel

Service – 11:00 AM

Early Dismissal – 12:30 PM

Dec. 21-Jan. 3…Christmas Vacation

From the Principal’s Desk. . .

St. Paul Academy 1920 E. Washington Ave. Harlingen, Texas 78550

Office Phone 956-423-3926

Check us out on the Internet at www.stpaultexas.com or www.fastdir.com/stpaultexas

JINGLE BELLS & JAMMIES. . .You are invited to attend “Jingle

Bells & Jammies” tomorrow, Saturday, Dec. 3rd from 9:00-10:30 AM in

the cafetorium. Following a light “donut & milk or juice”

breakfast, we’ll sing carols, do a Christmas craft, enjoy

some Christmas treats, and share the story of Christ’s birth

at Christmas. Great fun for children ages 2 through 4th

Grade and their families! Remember to wear your

pajamas and join us for this fun Christmastime fellowship

event tomorrow morning.

NATIVITY NIGHTS 2016. . .Join us this Saturday & Sunday, Dec.

3rd & 4th from 5:00-8:00 PM for Nativity Nights at St. Paul. We will host

two nights to a live nativity on the front lawn of the church, the peace of

the Nativity Walk in the sanctuary, and the opportunity to engage in family

fun activities centered on the birth

of Jesus! We expect thousands of

people from the community to

join us this year for this exciting

event! Plan to join us for the

food, fun, and opportunity to

share the Hope we have in Jesus

in this season of the year!

HELP US INVITE THEM!. . .We hope to involve thousands of folks

in this year’s Nativity Nights celebration. But, they’ll only come if they’re

invited by YOU! To help you invite your relative, neighbors, co-workers,

and friends, we’re sending home another special “Nativity Nights” Post

Card. Give it to a friend this weekend and invite them to come along with

you on Saturday or Sunday evening!

“LESSONS & CAROLS” SERVICE Join us this Sunday, Dec. 4th on the

Academy campus for “Lessons &

Carols” Worship Service at 10:00 AM in

the gym. This special service will

provide an opportunity for all of our

members and guests to worship together

as one and to celebrate Holy Communion as one body in Christ! The

service will also feature the singing of many favorite Christmas carols

accompanied by a string quartet and piano as we hear from God’s Word!

Plan now to attend and worship with us at “Lessons & Carols”.

ST. NICHOLAS DAY. . .is Tuesday, Dec. 6th. The

students and staff of St. Paul Academy will observe the

day by participating in the ancient custom of placing

their shoes outside their classroom doors and receiving a

special treat. Be sure to ask your child about the

“Legend of St. Nicholas” and the lessons of Christian generosity learned

from this early Christian church leader next Tuesday.

CHAPEL OFFERING PROJECT. . .This week’s

chapel offerings in support of the Samaritan Purse

“Operation Christmas Child” project totaled $44.83;

bringing our four-week total to $259.57. Please

remember your chapel offerings next Wednesday in

support of Operation Christmas Child as we near our $400 goal.

ANNUAL FUND GIFTS. . .Earlier

this week, every St. Paul Academy

family received a letter asking for your

kind support and generous donations to

this year’s St. Paul Academy Annual

Fund. This is a great opportunity for you

to direct some of your “year-end giving”

to the ministry of St. Paul Academy and

your child’s continuing education, and

receive a nice tax-deduction, too!

Already this week, we’ve received

several gifts totaling over $3,000. Please

consider a tax-deductible gift to St. Paul

Academy this holiday season! Any

questions, contact Mr. House.

PSIA PARENT MEETING. . .We

were very pleased to see so many student

register to participate in the 2016 PSIA

district competition in March. To begin

preparing for competition, we will hold a

PSIA Parent Meeting next Friday, Dec.

9th at 4:00 PM in

the library. At this

meeting, you will

receive rules and

information for

your contests. You’ll also talk with your

event coaches and decide upon the best

days and times to meet for practices. It is

VITAL that both parents and students

attend this important meeting. Make

plans now to attend!

ANGEL TREE GIFTS. . .Just a

reminder—if you chose one of the

“angels” from the “Angel Tree” during

the last few weeks,

the deadline for

returning your

wrapped gift to the

school office is next

Friday, Dec. 9th.

We plan to deliver

the gifts to our

special community

families soon after. Remember to bring

your wrapped gifts along with the angel

tag. Thanks for your generosity in

supporting this special project!

CHILDREN’S CHRISTMAS SERVICE. . .Plan to attend the 2016

St. Paul Academy Children’s Christmas Service on Wednesday, Dec. 14th

at 7:00 PM in the gymnasium. Our PK thru 7th grade students will lead

the evening worship service entitled, “What Child is This?” with our

focus on the message of the Christmas

Gospel told through a series of

questions in song and verse about

Jesus’ birth. We hope to see all of you

the evening of Dec. 14th as we sing

favorite Christmas carols and share the

story of Christ’s birth once again

through the message of the children’s

worship service!

PRE-SERVICE SUPPER. . .St. Paul Academy will hold an Advent

Sloppy Joe Supper for our families and members & guests of St. Paul

Lutheran Church and Academy on Wednesday, Dec. 14th from 5:30-6:30

PM (prior to the Children’s Christmas

Service) in the cafetorium. Check out

the flyer coming home today on which

you can place your reservation. All

reservation forms should be returned to

the school office by next Friday, Dec.

9th. Thanks for your support of our

Advent Sloppy Joe Supper!

ICE GALA AUCTION NEWS. . .Planning for the 2016 St. Paul ICE

Gala Dinner & Auction scheduled for Saturday, February 25th is moving

right along! More details will be coming home in late December regarding

ticket sales, group/corporate tables, etc. Now’s the time to start thinking

about helping obtain items for the live and silent

auction. Remember—the success of our auction will be

a direct result of our families securing items to be

auctioned off that night. Help us secure auction items

today! Contact a donor today, and then complete an Item

Acquisition Sheet (available at the school office). Email

or call us—we’ll send copies home with your child.

And, thanks for your support

HOLIDAY SCRIP ORDERS. . .I’m sure you’ve already started your

Christmas shopping! Have you been using Scrip Cards purchased from St.

Paul Academy? Remember, Great Lakes Scrip cards are just like cash—

but so much more, because a %age of

your purchase stays right here at St.

Paul as profit for our PTLS. And, Scrip

is available for over 200 local shops,

restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores, and other

retail establishments. The monthly Family Order

Form is available online or is attached to the

newsletter email for your easy download. All orders returned to the office

by 8:00 AM Tuesday morning, Dec. 6th will be delivered by Friday, Dec.

9th. Discover the ease and convenience of shopping with Scrip and turn in

your order form every Tuesday or order over the internet by visiting

ShopWithScrip.com using the school code.

CHRISTMAS LUNCHEON. . . Parents, you are invited to join the students

for a special Christmas Luncheon on

Monday, Dec. 19th at 11:30 AM

(immediately folowing the Favorite Carol

Chapel) in the

cafetorium. Our

menu will consist

of ham and turkey

with all the

Christmas

trimmings! Watch for the Luncheon

Reservations Sheet coming home next

week; but plan now to join us for this

special pre-Christmas treat!

CHRISTMAS ASSEMBLY. . .Mark

your calendars and plan to join us for our

special All-School Christmas Assembly on

Tuesday, Dec. 20th

at 8:30 AM in the

gym. Parents, we

invite you to come

join us as we enjoy

the fun of singing

traditional Christmas carols and watch

various groups share holiday performances

to kick off our special day before Christmas

vacation.

Saints Hot Lunch Menu

Week of Dec. 5-9

Monday – Macho Nacho w/cheese

sauce, Baked Tostito Scoops,

Brown Rice, Refried Beans,

Lettuce & Tomatoes

Tuesday – Domino’s Pizza,

Cucumbers, Ranch Dressings,

Cookie

Wednesday – Chicken Nuggets,

Mashed Potatoes w/brown gravy,

Green Beans, Sliced Bread

Thursday – Turkey Sandwich,

Lettuce/Tomatoes/Pickles,

Baby Carrots, Sun Chips

Friday – Spaghetti w/meatballs,

Broccoli, Dinner Roll

All meals are served with fruit and a carton of 1% white or chocolate milk

Ticket prices: K-8 students –$3.25 per meal and 35¢ per

extra milk (limit 2) (meals can be purchased on a daily basis by

placing funds on your Fast Direct lunch account—three I.O.U. lunch limit)

St. Paul Academy

School Code is: 1ALL427B37414

CHRISTMAS DRESS DAY. . .Do you have a

special Christmas t-shirt, sweater, sweatshirt, scarf,

or other Christmas attire that you’re just dying to

wear? Or maybe you would just like to get into the

holiday spirit by wearing “red & green” Christmas

colors. If so, wear them to school on Tuesday, Dec.

20th for “Christmas Dress Day”. Help us add to the

merriment of our special half-day of Christmas

activities! Plan now to participate in our Merry

Christmas Dress Day fun!

“FAVORITE CAROL” CHAPEL. . .Join us for our “Favorite Carol”

Chapel Service on Tuesday, Dec. 20th at 11:00 PM. Come usher in

Christmas with us through the words of our favorite Christmas carols as

chosen by the students. Parents and younger siblings are invited to attend

this special chapel service, too.

EARLY DISMISSAL. . .Classes will be dismissed for

Christmas vacation immediately following lunch at 12:30 PM

on Tuesday, Dec. 20st. Parents, please make arrangements to

pick up your children no later 1:00 PM as there will be no

After-School Extended Care that day.

BASKETBALL NEWS. . .The

Saints Boys’ basketball team started

the month of December with a tough

loss last night to the Calvary Christian

team. During the next two weeks, the

team see action as follows: • Tues. (12/06) vs. St. Luke @ 4:30 PM

• Mon. (12/12) vs. Kenmont @ 4:30 PM

• Thurs. (12/15) at Calvary @ 4:30 PM Plan to come cheer for our Saints

teams throughout the season!

STOCKTHE CART. . .During

December, we’re once again

collecting PEANUT BUTTER for

our “Stock the Cart” collection.

Remember, our “Stock the Cart” and

“Backpacks of Love” programs

provide weekend meals to local

children who are less fortunate than

ourselves and share the love of Jesus with them! Remember to bring your

donation of peanut butter next week for our “Stock the Cart” collection.

Thanks for participating!

BOX TOPS NEWS. . .Have you

finished filling your November

“Thanksgiving” box tops collection sheet

yet? The new December collection sheet

were sent home

before Thanksgiving.

See if you can collect

all 25 box tops before

Christmas Vacation.

Remember, each box top is worth 10¢ for

our Saints kids. Thanks for your support

of our “Easy Fund Raisers” General

Mills “Box Tops for Education”

program.