Dear Friends and Parents,

There are very few times in the day-to-day life of a Principal that I am able to sit uninterrupted and simply reflect. Snow days are one of those rare times. As I thought about the last few months at Mount Carmel Academy, I realized that too often I do not have the time to publicly thank all the people that help to make our school such a special place.

I would like to start by thanking each of our parents for the trust you place in our school in choosing MCA to educate your child. Each of your children brings unique talents, abilities and personalities to our school, making it a rich, vibrant place to learn.

I would also like to thank our Pastor Father Srenn for all his support. Often times, his help and support happens "behind the scenes" and publicly goes unnoticed. A special thank you also goes out to our dedicated faculty who pour their hearts into educating all of your children on a daily basis. I can say without a doubt that this is the hardest working staff that I have ever encountered.

MCA is also fortunate to have a forward thinking, committed School Board and a Parent Association that coordinates many special activities that directly benefit our students.

Lastly, I would like to thank several people that made possible some of our many recent special events:

Kate Mulligan, her organizing the recent 3rd-5th grade Family Ballroom Dance social, and in advance for the upcoming PK-2 Family Valentines Dance.

A huge MCA Thank You goes out to Cultural Fair Chair, Carol Ann Nasser. The Cultural Fair was a fantastic success and I am sure all your children loved it! It was all made possible by the hard work and organizational talents of Carol Ann and the many parents that served on sub-committees.

Open House Thank You's:
MCA hosted another successful open house on January 27th. Special thanks to Tatiana Demirdjian for organizing a flawlessly run open house and to Debbie Rooney and the Hospitality Committee of the Parents Association for the refreshments.

Thank you to Student Tour Guides:
Aram Demirdjian
Gabby Demirdjian (Alum)
Zach Ueno
Elyse Garcia
Mimi Carter
Gigi Carter
Eddie Villasenor
Stephanie Simon
Justin Simon

Thank you to Parent Tour Guides:
Matt Ambre
Kathleen Challand
Andrea Gawrit
Linda Bendixen
Tammy Morehouse
Suzanne Reznicek
Lisa Hebert
Aileen Prieto
Jacque Simon
Ed Villasenor
Brigette Ueno



Sincerely,

Shane Staszcuk,
Principal

Everyone at MCA kicked off "Fat Tuesday" with a Mardi Gras Celebration. Everything from musical chairs and ring toss to face painting was enjoyed by all students. A big thanks to Joanne Blake and the middle school students for organizing and helping out.

Burning of the Palms
On Tuesday, February 5th, the students of Mount Carmel Academy gathered in the east parking lot at 10 a.m. for a traditional ceremony in preparation for Ash Wednesday, the burning of the palms.

Operation Rice Bowl
Once again OLMC parish and MCA will participate in Operation Rice Bowl, a program of Catholic Relief Services. With Operation Rice Bowl, we reach out to assist our brothers and sisters around the world through traditional Lenten practices, by offering our prayers, by fasting, learning, and giving. In Lent 2008 many countries will be the focus of Catholic Relief Service projects made possible by Operation Rice Bowl. Students will take time during the Lenten season to learn about these countries and the lives of the people there. This year, Operation Rice Bowl offers an opportunity for you to join in an online Lenten Community. You can visit http://orb.crs.org/ to learn more, and sign up to receive weekly e-mail reflections during Lent. MCA students and CCD students will participate in collecting money over the forty days of Lent. You will find ORB Calendars and Rice Bowls in the church bulletin. At the completion of Lent, just count up the money you collected, make out a check to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, and place it in the envelope found inside the Rice Bowl. Our almsgiving provides assistance to those who need help the most.

Stations of the Cross
OLMC invites you to take advantage of the increased prayer opportunities the church offers this Lenten season. Take some time on Monday evenings for private meditation before the Blessed Sacrament, weekly Lenten Mass on Wednesday evenings or Fridays with the Stations of the Cross, all at 6:30 p.m. MCA students will participate in Stations each Friday during Lent at 2 p.m.

3rd-5th Grade Students enjoyed showing off their dance moves to their parents on January 25th's "May I Have this Dance" Family Social.

Alderman Manuel Flores gave a great inspirational speech followed by a question/answer program. Thank you to all who volunteered and special thanks goes to Carol Ann Nasser for organizing this fantastic event!

A Special Congratulations goes out to our winners of the Computer Graphic Art. Pictured above is Giorgino's winning entry. All entries were created in Kidspiration/Inspiration software. Everyone that submitted graphic art are winners! A slide show presentation of all the art was shown at our Cultural Fair.

Winner of 3-5th Grade Category
Giorgino Edery- 3rd grade

Winner of the 6-8th Grade Category
Jojo Brown- 6th grade

Honorable Mention Category
Yahn Gawrit- 5th grade

Congratulations to all!

Don't forget to attend the 4th Annual MCA PK-2nd Valentines Dance on Friday, February 8th from 6:30-8:30 pm in Casey Hall. Please see Kate Mulligan for details.

This great event can be accessed on-line by clicking here.

Family Mass has been a long tradition of Mount Carmel Academy and Our Lady Of Mount Carmel, beginning over a decade ago when some MCA parents and parishioners recognized how good it is for us to come together for prayer and community. Once a month during the school year, each class takes a turn hosting the 9:30a.m. Sunday Mass at the church and reception following in the MCA cafeteria. Please help the families listed below by offering to donate breakfast treats or your time. See you at Mass.

FAMILY MASS SCHEDULE 2007-2008
3/2/08 Fifth Grade - Lisa Hebert
4/6/08 First Grade - Flo Albarracin and Kate Mulligan
MAY Eighth Grade - Jacque Simon