Please pray for Sibohan and Mossy Orford (Niamh Gr. 10, Molly Gr. 6, and Ronan Gr. 4) who had surgery on Tuesday, November 3. Sibohan needed a kidney transplant, and her husband, Mossy, was a match! We pray for their speedy recovery. There will be a benefit for the Orford Family on November 21. For more information pick up a flyer by the school office or call Donita Murphy 415-559-5948 or Marina Roche 415-601-2390.

Health Alert!
Parents, we ask your continued cooperation in keeping your children home from school for at least 24 hours after they no longer have a fever (without fever-reducing drugs). Sending them to school too early after a fever does not help them nor the faculty, staff, and other students! Your following this directive is one of our best defenses in keeping the flu from spreading throughout the school!


St. Cecilia School 2009-2010 Yearbook
Capture those memories that last a lifetime! All yearbooks must be pre-ordered. Click here for the order form. Just complete the form, print it, and enclose it in an envelope (marked “Yearbook”) with $15.00. All orders are due orders are due by Friday, November 13. Yearbooks will be distributed in May.

Yearbook Pictures
Please send in pictures of any school event for the 2009-2010 School Yearbook. We would like to include as many students and events as possible in the yearbook. We especially need pictures of athletic events. Please send pictures to: Yearbook Staff— Grade 8 Room 14. We will be collecting pictures through the end of January.

Little Sisters of the Poor
Again this year we have received an appeal from the Little Sisters of the Poor to collect items for their residents at St. Anne’s Home for the Aged. Students can bring their donations to the classrooms from Monday, November 16 through Friday, November 20. A list of suggested items will be sent home soon. Thank you for your generosity!

Mother's Club Cookbook
Need a holiday gift or a hostess present? Consider the St. Cecilia Recipe Collection. Our community cookbook is a best seller and includes approximately 250 tried and true family recipes, many of which are treasured family keepsakes. Be inspired to try some new holiday recipes. The collection includes some wonderful everyday favorites and some gourmet meals. We even have some recipes for those in a hurry.

Books are $15 each or 3 for $30. The cookbooks are expected to sell out so get them before they are all gone. Books will also be sold after all the Masses on Sunday, November 8. Click here for the order form and return it to the school office. Checks should be made payable to St. Cecilia Mothers’ Club. Orders are filled once a week on Mondays. Any questions? Contact Sally Maske at 415-753-6950 or email at cookbooksc@earthlink.net.

Box Tops
Thank you very much to all who participated in the Box Tops Collection Contest. This includes all of the seventh graders who donated their time to assist in counting box tops! Grade 1 room 4 and Grade 2 Room 3 won the free dress day with both classes bringing in over 1000 box tops each!! We earned close to $650 for St. Cecilia School! Keep up the good work. The next contest will end in February with a special prize--T.B.A.

Parents please check the box tops web site to win box tops by simply doing your Christmas shopping on line. A surprising number of stores participate in the program! http://www.boxtops4education.com/earn/marketplace/Default.aspx

SCRIP
Safeway Card Renewal Time on Escrip!
Renew your Safeway Club Cards by November 1, so that our school can continue to earn $$ on your Safeway purchases. It's fast and easy - all you need to do is log on to www.escrip.com and click "Yes renew" and you're done! If each of our 400+ families does this, we have the potential to earn over $25,000 annually in support of our school! So please renew before November 1. Also don't forget that you can double-dip by purchasing and using Safeway Gift Cards from our Scrip Program. Questions - email Elaine Shanahan at Shanfam@pacbell.net. Thanks for your support!


Scrip Gift Card Program:
Remember scrip gift card orders are filled every Thursday, and this is the easiest way for our school to earn money. Click here for the new order form. Please do not use previous order forms as there have been vendor changes for this year.

eScrip
Renew your grocery and debit cards on eScrip. If you have not yet enrolled, registration is free and easy. For more information or to join eScrip: www.escrip.com or 1-800-592-0942. St. Cecilia Parish group ID #136952501.

Lucky S.H.A.R.E.S. Cards
Help our school earn 3% when shopping at Lucky Supermarkets. We just recently received a check for $450!). Simply swipe the S.H.A.R.E.S. card before paying for your groceries (whether you pay by cash, check, credit, debit or gift card). If you do not have a Shares Card, contact Elaine Shanahan who will send one to you via your oldest child. Contact scrip coordinator Elaine Shanahan, 269-5562 or Shanfam@pacbell.net, with questions about any of this. Thanks for your support of our school!


Sunshine Newsletter
Click here for the Sunshine Newsletter which recognizes the Primary Grades Citizens of the Week and reminds us to pray for those who have died.

Following are quotes from fellow parishioner who have attended past Thanksgiving Retreats.

Describing the natural beauty of CYO Camp:
“A feeling of peace, tranquility, and presence of God is felt in the fresh air, the sun on your face, the beautiful trees, and the starry nights.”
“CYO camp is located in the natural beauty of the redwoods.”
“Usually, wild turkeys and deer can be found wandering around the camp. There is also an quaint little lake with a beautiful reflection of the trees surrounding it.”
“The scenic surroundings of CYO Camp are a pleasing escape from the city.”

Describing the lodge and cabins & restrooms:
“The lodge is the perfect place for Mass, dining and group activities. Each family is assigned their own cabin, that are clean, comfortable, and heated. The restrooms and showers are very clean with plenty of hot water!”
“The lodge is comfortable, clean, and a fire is always burning. It is a wonderful place to gather and connect with people. I enjoy sitting by the fire with my sister and friends while listening to stories and singing.”

Describing the value of a retreat at this time of year:
“We have school-age children, so the months before Thanksgiving are filled with jobs, getting back into the swing of school, two birthdays, the Parish Festival, volleyball, soccer, and so on, ending the big meal on Thanksgiving. When we arrived at retreat we can just let it all go. I didn’t have to cook (hurray!).”
“There’s no TV or computer to distract us so we were able to recharge and focus on each other.”
“It was a lovely break. The Thanksgiving Retreat is really relaxing.”
“The retreat provides an excellent opportunity to think about God and reflect upon the blessings in my life.”

Describing how this is a real coming together of Saint Cecilia Parish Family:
“This retreat is a wonderful way to strengthen friendships outside the traditional Mass and school environments.”
“The topics encourage talking and sharing with each other but without any pressure. This closeness helps us to see ourselves as our neighbor sees us.”
“At Thanksgiving Retreat you can meet new people from St. Cecilia and get closer to God.”

Describing how this retreat deepens your spiritual life:
“This retreat allows the opportunity to spend more time in personal prayer, spiritual reading, meditation, and sharing of faith with others. There is a sense of peace with no distractions.”
“It’s spiritual to just walk the trails and take in the beauty.”
The retreat helps me step away from distractions and to deepen my relationship with God through quiet prayer.”
“I liked the focus on spirit, identifying ways to be a better person, and recognizing your own challenges. My husband isn’t Catholic, and we were worried that he’d be uncomfortable. But the focus isn’t on dogma, so inter-faith families shouldn’t hesitate to attend.”
“The retreat helps you deepen your relationship with God - and you get to play fun games!”

Additional thoughts and reflections:
“The food at retreat is delicious! My favorite was the grilled cheeseburgers with a side of fries. The salad bar and buffet meals were also excellent.”
“The cost of the retreat is very reasonable and includes the cabin and all meals.”
“Children of all ages are welcome. Child care is provided by our high school parishioners who do a great job caring and entertaining the children.”
“St. Cecilia families should share this experience with their friends and family visiting for the Thanksgiving holiday.”

Men of St. Cecilia Father-Daughter Dance!
Saturday, November 14, 7:00 P.M. to 11:00 P.M., in the Durocher Pavilion. Join the fun with DJ music and dancing, face painting, caricatures, ice cream bar, finger foods, sodas, Shirley Temples, and photos (for a small price)... Dinner will NOT be served. Please drop off checks at the rectory or mail them to: St. Cecilia MOSC, 2555-17 Ave., S.F., CA 94116. Cost: Adults ($25) and Girls ($15). Make checks payable to MOSC. Click here for more information or contact Mike Riordan at mriordan@mcguire.com.


Altar Serving Update
All altar servers should have received their November/ December schedules through their classroom. If you did not receive one, please Click here to download a copy here or you can obtain a copy at the rectory. Unfortunately, since the beginning of school, there have been a total of 37 servers who have missed Masses! Please, please write down your schedules on your calendar or keep the schedule in a prominent place in your home. Also, if you cannot serve your Mass, please find a reliable substitute to take your place. Questions should be directed to Luana Letele at lletele@sbcglobal.net or call 415-682-3610. Thank you for your faithful service to your church, school and community.

Boys' Basketball Team Selection
Here is the schedule for boys’ basketball team selection. Grades Four and Five have two practices. They must attend both. If you are unable to attend you must call Pete Franceschi at 415- 250 – 6800.

Saturday November 7
3rd Grade--5:00–6:00
4th Grade--6:00–7:00
5th Grade--7:00–8:00

Sunday November 8
6th Grade--1:30–2:45
4th Grade --2:45–3:45
5th Grade --3:45–4:45
7th Grade--4:45–6:00
8th Grade--6:00–7:15

We are still looking for four coaches-- one third grade coach, one fifth grade coach, one sixth grade coach, and one eighth grade coach. If you are interested or know of anyone who might be interested, please call Pete.


Soccer Uniforms
Please return your soccer uniforms to the school office as soon as possible. It should be washed, and put in a bag with your name and grade clearly written on it.

Future Information
All future contact between the athletic department and families will be done through the school’s Wednesday eNewsletter. Please make sure that you read it carefully each week because dates and other information are subject to change.

Athletic Board News
Thank you to everyone who sold gift wrap, magazines, and candy for SC Athletics. All items were delivered to your child’s classroom on Monday, November 2 and Tuesday, November 3.

Our Limo & Rainforest Café Winners are listed below!
Our top dollar sale winners are:
Grades K - 4
Katelynn Hoo—Grade 1 Room 4
Dylan Souza—Grade 2 Room 1
Nina Flores--Grade 1 Room 4
Connor Sheedy—Grade 3 Room 9

Grades 5 -8
Madeline Conley—Grade 5 Room 18
Kieran Manning—Grade 5 Room 19
Celida Moran—Grade 6 Room 16
Agnes DeVera –Grade 7 Room 24

Raffle Winners are:
Grades K-4
Jalene Gee—Grade 2 Room 1
Emily Kayser—Grade 1 Room 4
Ethan dela Calzada—Grade 3 Room 9
Kieron Collins—Grade 3 Room 9

Grades 5-8
Tommy Shiels—Grade 8 Room 15
Chris Pang—Grade 7 Room 24
Walter Nicolson—Grade 6 Room 16
Stella Weinkauf–Grade 6 Room 22