The Charger Chronicles Immaculate Conception School Parent Newsletter November 1, 2014 • Volume 4 Issue 3 Important Dates Dear ICS Families, As we prepare ourselves to begin the month of November, our school theme is “Thankfulness,” and it goes so well with our upcoming feast of Thanksgiving. For each of us, on our worst of days, we still have SO MUCH and SO MANY to be grateful to God for. As a school community, first and foremost, we thank God for your sharing your children’s lives with us. It goes without saying: a school without children is a closed school. That’s in the real and practical sense, but – more so – we thank God for your children because of the honor you give us in helping you to form them into the honest citizens and good Christians that they will become. This IS an honor! This is a privilege for any educator, and having your children attend Immaculate Conception School means that the teachers here are much more than “instructors” in any given subject – we are collaborators with you, the parents, in the formation of your children. Yes, an honor and privilege which we are grateful to God for! Just the other day, I overheard one of our teachers who will soon be going out on maternity leave, speaking with another teacher. It was the end of the school day (when all of us are tired) and this teacher was saying: “I know I should be thinking about the baby, but all I can think about is how to help my “kids” (that is, her students) transition to the maternity sub.” This says a lot about the dedication and concerns of our teachers, and while I thank God for your children, as a school principal, I also thank God for the committed and dedicated teaching staff that I have the privilege of serving with here at ICS. I hope, that you, too, will thank God for them, also. Well, all this is from a “principal’s” perspective. I hope and pray that you will take some time aside from the turkey and fixins’ later this month to make your own list of blessings that you are grateful to God for as we celebrate Thanksgiving 2014, too. Recently, on Facebook, I found a quote. I shared it with the children one morning, and now I would like to share it with you, as I close this month’s Chronicle’s message: I did not sleep well last night, but I did wake up. My muscles are sore, but they work. My wallet is not full, but my belly is. I may not have all I want, but I have all I need. My life is not perfect, but my life is good. THANK YOU, LORD, for all the blessings you have shared with me in my life and in the lives of those I love! God bless! And HAPPY THANKSGIVING! Sr. Lou Ann Crescent City Fall Classic ICS will be participating in the Crescent City Fall Classic on November 8th. This event is aimed at exposing youth and adults to the healthful aspects of a regular exercise program, while encouraging spirited interaction. A cash grant will also be rewarded to the school with the largest number of participants. Please help us win in 1st place! To register online, go to the registration site: ccfc5k.eventbrite.com and enter in the promotional code "ICS" (above the register button). Once you type in the code and hit apply, a registration option will pop up called "Immaculate Conception School Registration" which will allow you to register for the $15 rate. The deadline for online registration and for paper registrations (attached) is Oct. 31st (at midnight). Quiz Bowlers Play Propaganda 17 Charger quiz bowlers recently took part in the New Orleans Academic Games contest called Propaganda. Students are tasked with recognizing various techniques of persuasion. The ICS Navy Team consisting of Ellie Dalton, Alexandra Evans, Macie Morrison and Louis Weaver earned the best score of any elementary Westbank school. With 37 teams participating, the ICS White Team consisting of Amy Hoang, Emily Mailhos, Marc Munoz, Lindsey Nguyen, and Olivia Szewczyk finsihed 10th in the middle school division and finished as the top school from the Westbank. The ICS Gold Team of Aline Firmin, Chloe Mahl, Jade Nguyen, Isabella Ockman, and Kennedy Richardson finshed 11th overall and 2nd place Westbank school. The ICS Columbia Team consisted of Addison Cranmer, Talyna Dinh, and Aidan Gauthe finished 12th overall and 3rd from the Westbank. Geaux Chargers! Kevin France Memorial Swimming Championships at the UNO Aquatic Center. In the 5th grade freestyle competition, Kadence Luu and Olivia St. Germain finished 1st and 2nd among all Westbank Catholic Schools. Luu posted ICS’s fastest time of the year. In the 7th grade freestyle race, Aline Firmin finished 1st among all Westbank Catholic Schools. In the 7th grade backstroke competition, Aline Firmin and Jade Nguyen finished 1st and 2nd among all Westbank Catholic Schools. Firmin posted ICS’s fastest time of the year in the backstroke. ICS was the best Westbank Catholic School at the Metro League Championships. Geaux Chargers! IC Pops 6th Annual Beautification Day Saturday, November 1st 8 a.m. - 2 p.m. The IC Pops and Builders Club will sponsor our annual Immaculate Conception School Beautification Day. For more information or to volunteer please contact the school office. IC Pops Meeting Thursday, November 20th 7:00pm in the Cafeteria Academic Update PTO Immaculate Conception students completed the first marking period on October 10th. 200 students finished the first nine weeks with honors. Way to go, Chargers! Dine out dates for the month of November: Blue Wave Swim Team Makes a Splash The Immaculate Conception Chargers Blue Wave swim team participated in the Metro League PTO Meeting Thursday, November 13th 7:00pm in the Cafeteria November 5th – TGIF November 17th – Texas Roadhouse November 20th – One Smart Cookie Legacy Breakfast As part of our 90th Anniversary Celebration, ICS will host a Legacy Breakfast on Saturday, November 15, 2014 at The Four Columns. This event is in honor of families who have made an ICS education part of their family tradition! Any family of a current student who has had at least one other family member (parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, cousin or sibling) attend or graduate from ICS is a Legacy Family. Save the Date On Saturday, January 24th, ICS will hold its’ annual golf tournament, "On a Swing and A Prayer," at Timberlane Country Club.