The Bear Paw Newsletter
The "Bear Paw" is a weekly newsletter for parents written by our principal, Mrs. Suzanne Duffy, and published with the dedicated assistance of school secretary, Mrs. Sarah Ruffing. This newsletter is sent home each week on Monday (or Tuesday, if Monday is a holiday) through our school-home communication system, which is referred to as the “Family Envelope”.
The Family Envelope is a large manila-colored envelope that is sent home on Mondays with the oldest child in each family. It contains important updates, notices, junior high cover sheets, referrals, permission slips, hot lunch order forms, etc. along with the “Bear Paw”. Parents are to collect the Family Envelope from their oldest SPBS student; read all the contents carefully, especially the “Bear Paw”; sign any needed forms; sign the front of the Family Envelope; and return it to the school the next day with anything the parent wishes to send back to the school or their child’s teacher.
The “Bear Paw” contains events for the current week, as well as the upcoming week. This weekly calendar is a great way for parents to keep track of upcoming events, deadlines, class activities, etc. The “Bear Paw” also contains information about administrative policies, along with updates on SPBS, SPB Parish, and community activities and events.
SPBS Event Coordinators, who wish to place announcements in the “Bear Paw” are asked to provide their article to the principal on the Thursday, prior to the Monday they would like it to be published, as all “Bear Paw” articles need to be reviewed by the principal before publication.
An important component of the “Bear Paw” is the “Sports Paw”, which is contained in it. This one-page sports newsletter outlines all practices and games for our school’s teams for the current week and the upcoming week, which most of our students in grades 5-8 participate in throughout the year. It also provides information on scores for games. The “Bear Paw”, Family Envelope, and “Sports Paw” combined have proven to be one of our school’s most effective communication tools between school and home.
The principal’s weekly newsletter allows our school families to learn about activities and events for all the grades, which also helps build community. As a convenience to our school families, we also make the “Bear Paw” and the “Sports Paw” available from our Web site each week.
SPBS 2007-2008 "Works of Mercy" ~ Be Merciful as Your Father is Merciful.
We are not only to receive the mercy of God, but to use it by being merciful to others through our actions, our words, and our prayers; in other words, we are to practice the Corporal and Spiritual Works (Acts) of Mercy.
The Lord wants us to do these works of mercy, because even the strongest faith is of no use without works. These are the Works of Mercy:
CORPORAL WORKS |
SPIRITUAL WORKS |
Feed the hungry |
Teach the ignorant |
Give drink to the thirsty |
Pray for the living & dead |
Clothe the naked |
Correct sinners |
Shelter the homeless |
Counsel those in doubt |
Comfort the prisoners |
Console the sorrowful |
Visit the sick |
Bear wrongs patiently |
| Bury the dead | Forgive wrongs willingly |
Jesus' Call to Mercy:
"Whatever you do for the least of my brothers and sisters, you do for me." (Matthew 25:40)
I am giving you three ways of exercising mercy toward your neighbor: The first-by deed, the second-by word, the third-by prayer. In these three degrees is contained the fullness of mercy, and it is an unquestionable proof of love for Me, your God.
Many souls...are often worried because they do not have the material means with which to carry out an act of material mercy. Yet spiritual mercy, which requires only your time, willingness and effort, is within the grasp of every soul.
CLASS |
WORKS OF MERCY |
KINDERGARTEN & 6TH GRADE |
"CLOTHE THE NAKED" |
1ST GRADE & 8TH GRADE |
"GIVE DRINK TO THE THIRSTY" |
2ND GRADE & 7TH GRADE |
"SHELTER THE HOMELESS" |
3RD GRADE |
"VISIT THE SICK" |
4TH GRADE |
"FEED THE HUNGRY" |
5TH GRADE |
"VISIT THE IMPRISONED" |
FACULTY |
"BURY THE DEAD" |