ICS Newsletter 12.18.14

Upcoming Events

12/18 - Family Supper; ICS Advent Program, 7:00 p.m., St. Michael Hall
12/19 - 1/2 Day of School; Skating Party / Winter Wonderland; NO AFTERCARE AVAILABLE
12/22/14 - 1/2/15 - Christmas Break
1/5 - Classes resume
1/7 - School Mass, 8:30 a.m., ICC
1/9 - Geography Bee, 8:30 a.m., St. Michael Hall
1/14 - School Mass, 8:30 a.m., ICC
1/16 - End of Quarter 2 / Semester 1

Prayers
We pray for Andres Krubek, Paula Ruiz and Valeria and Sebastian Ramos as they mourn the loss of their great-grandmother from Puerto Rico, Mrs. Alicia Jimenez de Jimeno. May God surround their family with His loving arms to offer His peace, comfort and love. 

We continue to pray for the healing of Mr. Saul Torres, Sr., the grandfather of Sebastian, Sarah and Sophia Torres. Mr. Torres, Sr. has been critically ill for the past two months. May God's healing hand be with Mr. Torres, Sr. and may God provide strength and peace to the Torres family. 

We pray for the success of this evening's Advent Program. May Jesus's Holy Name be glorified through our singing, our gathering and through our celebration!

Similarly, we pray for a successful Skating Party and Winter Wonderland tomorrow. May students be safe and joyfully engage with each other in celebration of our AMAZING school!

We pray for those who will benefit from our Metropolitan Ministries drive as well as all of those who will go without food, shelter and companionship, especially during the winter months and especially during the Holiday season.  

We pray for peace in our world, in our homes and in our hearts. 

We pray for our ICS community as we anticipate our school's feast day - Christmas! Emmanuel, God is with us! May we continue to prepare our hearts and minds for the coming of Jesus into our world, our hearts and again at the end of time through the mystery of the INCARNATION!

Have a prayer request? Send it to: icsmzele@icstampa.org. Prayers will run for two weeks unless otherwise specified.


Thank You
Thank you to Ms. Maniscalco for her AMAZING efforts to prepare our students and school for tonight's Advent Program: Lessons and Carols. We look forward to celebrating the gift of our faith this evening through the gift of music! Great work, Ms. Maniscalco!

ICS Athletics

ICS Boys' Basketball is hard at work preparing for the start of their season when we return from Christmas break. We wish them the best of luck and keep them in our prayers as they begin their season in 2015. 

For more information about the Irish Athletics Program, especially for a list of the upcoming schedule, please visit Coach Garofolo's Coach's Corner website.

ICS Family Challenge

The “home” represents the most precious human treasures, that of encounter, that of relations among people, different in age, culture and history, but who live together and together help one another to grow. For this reason, the “home” is a crucial place in life, where life grows and can be fulfilled, because it is a place in which every person learns to receive love and to give love. 

-Pope Francis I

GO: Love.

ICS Advent Program
Our ICS Advent Program is tonight, Thursday December 18. Students should be at the school no later than 6:30 for a 7:00 p.m. start time. Dress code for 3 - 8 is solid white on top and black on the bottom (no leggings and nothing above the knee). PreK through 2nd should wear their "Christmas best!". Students should report to their Homerooms by 6:30. 

The program will take place in St. Michael Hall at 7:00 p.m. Seats are first come, first served. There is no cost for attendance. 

The ICS Advent Program will take the form of "Lessons and Carols"(for details, visit here: http://www.kings.cam.ac.uk/events/chapel-services/nine-lessons.html). This scripture based prayer service set to music is set to be an AMAZING night of Christmas spirit! 

The entire event should take less than 60 minutes. After their performances, students will report back to their Homerooms. For security reasons, parents / families should go to their student's homeroom to pick them up after the conclusion of the Advent Program. Students will not be released to parents from the stage. 

If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Maniscalco: maniscalcos@icstampa.org or contact the Main Office.  

Friday 12/19
Tomorrow we will host our Winter Wonderland (Grades PreK - 2) and Skating Party (Grades 3 - 8). Permission slips for either event are necessary in order for students to participate. 

The Winter Wonderland event for Grades PreK - 2 will be held at ICS from 8:30 - 11:30. Drop-off will BEGIN at 8:00 a.m. and pick-up will begin at 11:30 a.m. from the Pavilion. 

The Skating Party for Grades 3 - 8 takes place at Skate World (7512 Paula Dr., Tampa, FL 33615) from 9:00 - 11:00 a.m. Drop-off and pick-up occur at and from Skate World. Drop-off BEGINS at 8:45 and pick-up will last until 11:15 a.m. 

This counts as a day of of school for our students; attendance will be taken. However, the absence will not count toward any penalty (specifically 8th grade Perfect Attendance Awards). 

There is no Aftercare available on Friday December 19. 

If you have any questions about either event, please contact the Main Office!

Many thanks to all who helped in our drive to support Metropolitan Ministries!

Merry Christmas!
On behalf of Fr. Michael Suszynski and our ICS Faculty and Staff, we wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. May the joy of the Incarnation fill your hearts and homes this Christmas season.

On a personal note, I regret to inform you that I will not be in attendance this evening for our Advent Program: Lessons and Carols, as I have to attend to family matters in Cleveland, OH. I apologize for my absence and I will miss being a part of this school-wide event. Students have worked hard. Ms. Maniscalco and the teachers have organized an outstanding program. Again, I am sorry that I will not be able to attend. The entire ICS community will be in my thoughts and prayers tonight and always. I greatly appreciate your understanding.

Merry Christmas! See you in 2015!

Be blessed. Be bold. Fight for JOY!

IN KEEPING WITH OUR TRADITION, WE AT INCARNATION CATHOLIC SCHOOL:

Inspire life-long learners,

Challenge each individual to be a disciple of Christ, and

Strive to live our Catholic faith through service to each other and the community.