This Week at St. Patrick – Week of November 14

Dear Students, Parents, Faculty, and Staff,

Good Sunday morning to you! We are entering the last week of classes before our Thanksgiving holiday break.  St. Patrick Catholic High School will be closed from Monday, November 21, through Friday, November 25. Classes will resume and school offices will reopen on Monday, November 28, with three weeks remaining of this semester.

Thank you for inviting so many prospective families to our Open House. We have had a great turnout and remain excited to meet so many of the Future Fighting Irish!

Our wonderful cafeteria staff will prepare a traditional Thanksgiving meal to be served this Thursday – Thursday’s lunch is free for all students, faculty, and staff.

Our St. Patrick Christmas Ornament, is now available for purchase online and in the front office. Each ornament is exclusively hand-created for St. Patrick Catholic High School. The price is $20 each. Click here to order yours today.

Consider this…

On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were made clean. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus asked, “Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Get up and go your way; your faith has made you well.”

Luke 17:11-19

Very soon, we will celebrate Thanksgiving, a national holiday, where we will give thanks, as the first settlers to the country did, for the blessings we have experienced in the past year. But thanksgiving as an attitude or a way of life didn’t originate in the New World. Acknowledging God’s kindness and generosity to us is a foundation stone of our faith, handed down as a key element in the lives of the early Christians. The Greek word for thanksgiving, eucharisteo, is used more than sixty times in the New Testament as a response to the incredible generosity of Jesus, who poured out his life for us on the cross. Whenever the members of the early Church pondered Jesus at Calvary, they responded by proclaiming their gratitude to him.

This is a good time for us to reflect on the countless blessings we experience through the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus. May we all take some extra time to examine our hearts, and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to us any attitudes—for example, discontentment, taking God’s gifts for granted, holding on to our own agenda, or complacency—that blind us to God’s blessings and block us from experiencing and expressing gratitude. As you note what hinders you from having a grateful heart, ask the Holy Spirit to show you how you might change your outlook. Then resolve to make giving thanks to God a more conscious and active part of your life, not only on Thanksgiving Day, but every day.

Here are some other Scripture passages that might also help you pursue a life of gratitude:

“[B]e filled with the Spirit, as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” —Ephesians 5:18-20

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” —1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

“I thank you, Lord, with all my heart; in the presence of the angels to you I sing… I praise your name for your mercy and faithfulness.” —Psalm 138:1, 2

Consider, as well, these words from the saints:

What better words may we carry in our heart, pronounce with our mouth, write with a pen, than the words, “Thanks be to God”? There is no phrase that may be said so readily, that can be heard with greater joy, felt with more emotion or produced with greater effect. —St. Augustine, Letter 72

We should not accept in silence the benefactions of God, but return thanks for them. —St. Basil the Great

There is no one who, with a little bit of thought, cannot but discover many reasons for being grateful to God… Once we have come to an appreciation of all he has given to us, we will have abundant cause to give thanks continually. —St. Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermon for the Sixth Sunday after Pentecost

Count your blessings. Begin a list of what you are grateful for—your own personal “litany of thanks”—and keep adding to it. Recount this list occasionally as you pray, thanking God for each of the particular benefits he has bestowed on you. At Thanksgiving dinner, if you have the opportunity, share some of your reasons to give thanks.

Thank you for all you do as a part of the St. Patrick family. We wish you and yours a wonderful and happy Thanksgiving holiday.

Let’s make it a great week!

Go Irish!
Dr. Matt Buckley

 

Job 37:5-6: God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding. He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth,’ and to the rain shower, ‘Be a mighty downpour.’

Isn’t that a beautiful phrase! “God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding.” Rather than spending a lot of time talking or thinking about how marvelous God is, let’s praise him in prayer.

Holy, Righteous, and Eternal God! You alone are truly and fully holy. I cannot but comprehend the distant outskirts of your ways, but I love you. You are so far beyond me on my best days, I can’t quite understand why you would pay such a cost to redeem someone like me. But, Dear God, I thank you and praise from the bottom of my heart. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Bunch, Ava
Burke, Samuel
Busching, Gabriela
Carreon, Sofia
Cecil, Jayden
DeMers. Caden
Galbraith, Keira
Gruich, Nicholas
Harvey, Sutton
McNeil, Ryleigh
Moran, John Michael
Mustered, Elizabeth
Nguyen, Lynsey
Phillips, Luke
Sharp, Mia
Simnicht, Ava
Spear, Jackson
Thomas, Dominic
Weeks, Mary

Monday, November 14
Partly Cloudy | 65° | 55° | 11%

7:30am Holy Half – Eucharistic Adoration
7:45am French Honor Society/French Club Meeting
7:45am Spanish Honor Society/Spanish Club Meeting
8:30am Logistics Team Meeting
12pm Choir at the Claiborne (Singing to Nursing Home Residents)
2:15pm Leadership Team Meeting – Advancement
3:05pm Robotics Meeting
4pm Bowling Match
4:30pm 7th Grade Girls Basketball vs. Gautier (Away)
5:30pm 7th Grade Boys Basketball vs. Gautier (Away)
6:30pm 8th Grade Girls Basketball vs. Gautier (Away)
7:30pm 8th Grade Boys Basketball vs. Gautier (Away)

Tuesday, November 15
AM Rain | 61° | 40° | 60%

7:45am Student Council Meeting
7:45am Students for Life Meeting
3pm Mississippi Walk for Life Participants Gathering
3:05pm LEGO Robotics Work Session
3:05pm Quiz Bowl Meeting
5pm JV Men’s Basketball vs. Richton (Away)
5:30pm Varsity Women’s Soccer vs. D’Iberville (Away)
6pm Varsity Women’s Basketball vs. Richton (Away)
7pm Varsity Men’s Soccer vs. D’Iberville (Away)
7:30pm Varsity Men’s Basketball vs. Richton (Away)

Wednesday, November 16
Mostly Sunny | 58° | 37° | 3%

Fifth Grade Visit Day
7:30am Holy Half – Eucharistic Adoration
7:45am National Honor Society Meeting
8:30am Pathways 2 Possibilities – 8th Grade
3:05pm Interact Club Meeting
3:05pm Robotics Work Session
3:05pm SAVE Club Meeting
3:05pm Choir Practice
5:30pm JV Women’s Soccer vs. Gulfport (Away)
5:30pm 7th Grade Girls Basketball vs. D’Iberville (Away)
6pm Competition Showcase Performance
6:30pm 8th Grade Girls Basketball vs. D’Iberville (Away)
7pm JV Men’s Soccer vs. Gulfport (Away)
7:30pm 8th Grade Boys Basketball vs. D’Iberville (Away)

Thursday, November 17
Partly Cloudy | 53° | 33° | 15%

We will follow the liturgy bell schedule today, and students should dress in their liturgy uniform including blazers and ties.
7:30am Choir Practice
7:30am Peer Minister Training for Irish Provinces
7:45am National Junior Honor Society Meeting
9:40am Mass
3:05pm Christmas and Advent Decorating
3:05pm MathCounts Meeting
3:05pm eSports Meeting
3:05pm Mock Trial Meeting
3:05pm Peer Minister Training for Irish Provinces
5pm JV Men’s Basketball vs. George County (Away)
5:30pm JH Women’s Soccer vs. D’Iberville (Home)
6pm Wrestling – Dual Scrimmage @ Vancleave
6pm Varsity Women’s Basketball vs. George County (Away)
7pm JH Men’s Soccer vs. D’Iberville (Home)
7:30pm Varsity Men’s Basketball vs. George County (Away)

Friday, November 18
Partly Cloudy | 57° | 38° | 5%

We will follow the liturgy bell schedule today.
7:45am English Honor Society Meeting
7:45am Science Olympiad Meeting
9am Leadership Team Meeting – Operations
9:40am Irish Provinces – Thanksgiving
11:20am PTO Faculty/Staff Thanksgiving Luncheon
3:05pm Film Club Meeting
5:30pm Varsity Women’s Soccer vs. Long Beach (Away)
7pm Varsity Men’s Soccer vs. Long Beach (Away)

Saturday, November 19
PM Showers | 57° | 43° | 58%

9am Wrestling – Tournament @ St. Andrews

Monday | Hot Lunch: sweet and sour chicken, steamed rice, eggroll, peas & carrots; Fresh salad bar; Loaded baked potato; Fresh ham, turkey, and cheese sub sandwich with chips; Grill Items: pizza, french fries, hamburger, spicy chicken sandwich

Tuesday | Hot Lunch: country style chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy, green beans, roll; Fresh salad bar; Loaded baked potato; Fresh ham, turkey, and cheese sub sandwich with chips; Grill Items: pizza, french fries, hamburger, spicy chicken sandwich

Wednesday | Hot Lunch: red beans and rice with sausage, coleslaw, cornbread; Fresh salad bar; Loaded baked potato; Fresh ham, turkey, and cheese sub sandwich with chips; Grill Items: pizza, tater tots, hamburger, spicy chicken sandwich

Thursday | Hot Lunch: sliced turkey, dressing, rice with gravy, green beans, roll

Friday |  Hot Lunch: chicken and cheese quesadilla, santa fe rice, fiesta corn; Fresh salad bar; Loaded baked potato; Fresh ham, turkey, and cheese sub sandwich with chips; Grill Items: pizza, french fries, hamburger, spicy chicken sandwich

Happy final week before Thanksgiving Break everyone!  We continue working hard in and out of the classroom for all of our students.  Teachers are highly engaged with students.  Students are working hard to demonstrate their learning and understanding of the material being presented to them.  It has been a phenomenal semester thus far!

We continue to remind students to get all grades current for each of their courses.  Complete all assignments within the time frame presented, and look ahead to preparations for semester exams. When we return from Thanksgiving break there will be a week or two of final instruction and/or preparation for exams. It is important that your student is in attendance, actively engaged and working consistently to prepare for these comprehensive exams.

As always, if there is anything we can do to support your child’s academic journey, please do not hesitate to contact your teachers or the administration.

Please find below some tips for peacefully parenting your child.

Remember you’re a parent and a friend – teens crave the security of knowing their parents understand them, appreciate them, and love them no matter what – so they do want the relationship to be a form of friendship. But they also need to feel like they have some independence, so sometimes you may feel a bit shut out. If you can navigate your closeness in an accepting way that doesn’t take advantage of your role as parent to tell your child what to do, he’s more likely to open up and share with you.

Does a close friendship erode your teen’s respect for you? No. Don’t you respect your friends, and treasure those who are really there for you emotionally? If you offer your teen respect, consideration, and authenticity, that’s what you’ll receive in return.

And as close as you want to be to your teen, sometimes you will have to pull rank and say “No.” If you’re doing it often, that’s a red flag that something is wrong. But sometimes your teen will be looking to you to set limits they can’t set for themselves. Sometimes you’ll need to stick by your values and say no, whether that’s to an unsupervised party or a very late bedtime. And, of course, sometimes your teen will be able to use your guidance to come up with a win-win solution that answers your concerns.

Establish dependable time together – be sure to check in every single day. A few minutes of conversation while you’re cleaning up after dinner or right before bedtime can keep you tuned in and establish open communication. Even teens who seem to have forgotten who their parents are the other 23 hours a day often respond well to a goodnight hug and check-in chat once they’re lounging in bed. In addition to these short daily check-ins, establish a regular weekly routine for doing something special with your teen, even if it’s just going out for ice cream or a walk together.

Lastly, remember if your child is having any academic struggles in particular classes, please ask the teacher what remediation opportunities they have available.  There is always a solution to any issue if the student is willing to work and/or adjust how they are working to improve in the class.

 

Here comes the holidays! We have been full throttle for a number of weeks, and the ability to take a moment to slow down and spend time with loved ones is something I look forward to each year, and I hope you do as well. Let’s all take a moment to catch our breath after the completion of this week!

We have another busy week ahead of us first, though! Let’s take a look:

On Monday we will participate in our first ever Bowling match at Cypress Lanes, beginning at 4pm. Good Luck to Coach Williams and our Men and Women’s teams! Also, Junior High Basketball will travel to Gautier! French Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, and Robotics all have meetings on Monday as well.

Tuesday, Student Council, Students for Life, Robotics, and Quiz Bowl all have meetings, then in the evening our Varsity Basketball teams travel to Richton. Good Luck to our teams and coaches! Varsity Soccer also goes on the road to take on D’Iberville!

On Wednesday we welcome the fifth graders from our partner schools to our beautiful campus! National Honor Society has a meeting, as does Interact Club, Robotics, and SAVE Club. JV Soccer is at Gulfport in the evening, and Junior High Basketball is on the road at D’Iberville. On campus, our Cheerleaders will be holding their Competition Showcase in the Gymnasium. Good Luck to all!

National Junior Honor Society, MathCounts, eSports, and Mock Trial all meet on Thursday! Make sure we are joining clubs if we haven’t done so! Junior High Soccer will be at home versus  D’Iberville, beginning at 5:30pm. Come out and support your Irish! Varsity Basketball is on the road at George County, and Wrestling will have one more tune up scrimmage, this time at Vancleave.

On Friday, English Honor Society, Film Club, and Science Olympiad all have meetings. Friday evening, our Varsity Soccer teams hit the road to face off against Long Beach. Let’s Go Irish!

Saturday, individual wrestlers will make the trip to Ridgeland to participate in the St. Andrews Tournament.

Also, on Monday of Thanksgiving Break (11/21), our Varsity Basketball teams will be hosting Pearl River Central, beginning with JV at 11am. Come out and support your Irish!

Listed below are last week’s results from our athletic teams:

11/7 JH Girls Soccer vs. Gautier (St. Patrick 3-0)
11/7 JH Boys Soccer vs. Gautier (St. Patrick 8-1)
11/8 Varsity Women’s Basketball vs. Laurel Christian (St. Patrick 47-35)
11/8 Varsity Men’s Basketball vs. Laurel Christian (St. Patrick 59-29)
11/8 Varsity Women’s Soccer vs. Bay (St. Patrick 4-0)
11/8 Varsity Men’s Soccer vs. Bay (Bay 2-1)
11/9 JV Women’s Soccer vs. St. Martin (St. Martin 2-0)
11/9 JV Men’s Soccer vs. St. Martin (Tied 1-1)
11/9 JH Girls Basketball vs. Magnolia (St. Patrick 33-23)
11/9 JH Boys Basketball vs. Magnolia (Magnolia 38-18)
11/10 JH Girls Soccer vs. Bayou View (St. Patrick 10-0)
11/10 JH Boys Soccer vs. Bayou View (Bayou View- PK’s)
11/10 Varsity Women’s Basketball vs. D’Iberville (D’Iberville 39-37)
11/10 Varsity Men’s Basketball vs. D’Iberville (D’Iberville 44-42)
11/11 Varsity Men’s Soccer vs. Gulfport (St. Patrick 1-0)
11/12 JV Women’s Soccer vs. Pass Christian (St. Patrick 2-0)
11/12 JV Men’s Soccer vs. Pass Christian (St. Patrick 3-0)
11/12 JV Women’s Soccer vs. Bay (St. Patrick 4-0)
11/12 JV Men’s Soccer vs. Bay (Bay 1-0)

Congratulations to Otis Brooks ‘23 for signing his letter of intent to play baseball at East Mississippi Community College.

Congratulations to our October Students of the Month.

📸 Photo Gallery: Open House
📸 Photo Gallery: Sixth Grade Day
📸 Photo Gallery: Varsity Women’s Basketball vs. D’Iberville
📸 Photo Gallery: Varsity Men’s Basketball vs. D’Iberville
📸 Photo Gallery: Varsity Men’s Soccer vs. Gulfport

 

Parents and Members of the Class of 2026, you were emailed information and an application for the 2023 Chamber of Commerce Junior Leadership Program. Please read the information and apply by December 1, 2022.

Class of 2024, the Coolidge Scholarship Application is now  available.  This scholarship is a full ride, four year, merit scholarship that may be used by recipients for undergraduate study at any accredited college or university  in the United States. For more information, please go to this website.

On Wednesday, November 16, all eighth graders will be attending the annual Pathways 2 Possibilities Career Expo at the Mississippi Coast Convention Center in Biloxi. Pathways 2 Possibilities, or P2P, features 19 career clusters/pathways aligned with the US and Mississippi Departments of Education for students to explore based on their interests. Professionals from a variety of businesses and industries will engage students through a variety of hands-on activities showcasing careers in the respective fields. They will also share what their jobs’ duties entail and the education and training required to secure similar roles. All students must turn in a permission form to attend this event.

The registration deadline for the national December 10 administration of the ACT has been extended through Tuesday, November 15.  Click here to register.

 

The 2022 St. Patrick ornament is in just in time for Advent and the celebration of Christ at Christmas! They are on sale for $20 in the front office with Mrs. Holliman or by clicking this link.

Members of the Gold Club ($500-$999) are some of our biggest fans and supporters of the Irish Fund! When you join the Gold Club, you give to ensure students at St. Patrick Catholic High School have transportation, uniforms, materials, and the equipment they need to be successful in athletics and extracurricular activities. Your help also provides more than one month of education for a St. Patrick student.

As we continue to support champions, we know you’ll be at the tailgate and in the bleachers cheering on our student-athletes!

All gifts to the Irish Fund are fully tax deductible. Priority stadium parking and spirit items are available in addition to any Gold Club gift or higher. After an additional non tax-deductible fee of $125, any member who gives at the Gold Club level or above qualifies for priority options and parking at the St. Patrick Stadium (Including 2 all-sports passes to St. Patrick athletic events at home. The passes do not include post-season events). Click here to join!