Dear Families,

As we move toward Thanksgiving, the students have spent a great deal of time reflecting on what they are grateful for.  Watching them think and reflect has made me do the same.  I thought I would take a moment to share what I am thankful for.  

I am most thankful for the opportunity to be the principal of such an amazing school. I am one of those lucky people who gets to do something he loves on a daily basis.   I am also thankful for the faculty, staff and volunteers who dedicate their heart and soul to making Saint Francis Xavier school the wonderful place that it is.  There are so many things that happen here on a daily basis and I know for a fact that without all of these people those things would not happen.  Finally, I am thankful for all of our families.  You give us the greatest gift, which is the opportunity to be part of your children's lives and work with them on a daily basis.

I often walk around the school as a reminder of how special my job is, watching all the people who make this community so remarkable.  One lap around the building and I am ready  to conquer the world.  This feeling usually translates into answering about 10 emails, but sometimes we have to conquer the world one e-mail at a time! I hope the Thanksgiving holiday treats all of you well and allows for a moment of reflection about the many gifts you have in your lives. I wish all safe travels and a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.

On Monday we will have our spirit day for the month.  This Monday will be color rush.  Students should do their best to wear as much of the color they are assigned as possible.  I ask that student keep in mind the importance of appropriate attire and that they still wear shoes that are safe for physical education and recess.  This group's and colors can be found below.

Blue - 8th and Pre-K
Green - 7th and Kindergarten
Red - 6th and 1st
Yellow - 5th and 2nd
Orange - 3rd, 4th, and 3 yr olds

God Bless,

Eric Becker

Craft Fair - Saturday, November 19th from 9-4
Over 50 Crafters: quilts, holiday decorations, jewelry, 18" doll clothes, granite cheese boards, wreaths, oil paintings, salsa, note cards, purses, hats, ornaments, body and bath products, baby accessories, dog treats, painted mason jars, goat milk soap, and more.

Non-hand crafted items include: LuLaRoe clothes, Tupperware, Pure Haven Essentials, MakeUp Eraser, Boy Scouts - Discount Books and more.

Get your Thanksgiving desserts at our amazing bake sale: pies, fudge, cakes, breads and more!

Huge Raffle with over 40 prizes from Maplefields, Hannafords, Chop VT, Chuck's Heating and AC, Leunig's Bistro, Long Trail Brewery, Skirack, 14th Star Brewery/Restaurant, Citizen Cider, Eaton's Fine Jewelry, Courtyard, Shelburne Farms, Church Street Tavern, Vermont Teddy Bear, Essex Cinemas, Hampton Inn, Northern Lights Rock & Ice, Champlain Valley Fair and much more!

Proceeds from this event will be matched by Catholic Financial Life up to $1,000.

Craft Fair Raffle Tickets DUE TODAY
It's hard to be believe the craft fair is this weekend.  We hope your students are selling lots of raffle tickets.  Pre-sales of the raffle tickets are a huge part of the success of the craft fair.

Don't forget that the student who sells the most tickets will win $100!!!! and the runner-up get $50!  

Remember to put your sold raffle tickets in an envelop with your child's name on it so they will get credit for selling those tickets.  If you have any left over tickets, please return them as well so we can use them during the craft fair.

All tickets must be turned in by Friday, November 18th at 3:00 pm if your child wants to be eligible for the prize. - Thanks for your support everyone!

Craft Fair Bake Sale
The bake sale table is still looking for homemade desserts, fudge and pies to sell this year during the craft fair on November 19th.  Pies are one of our biggest sellers and so far we are low on pie sign ups. Please click HERE to sign up or the sign up sheets are located in the Home and School binder. Help us continue to be the BEST craft fair bake sale around! Please email Joanna Sartwell at jostamp9@gmail.com with any questions. Thank You!

Make the Most of Advent
During the busy pre-Christmas season, make the time to prepare your heart to celebrate the birth of our Lord. Saint Francis Xavier Parish will be offering a special Advent Bible Study: "Entering the Story: Jesus' Birth through the Eyes of Zechariah, Elizabeth, and Mary," led by Jordan Easley.  6-7 PM on Tuesdays (11/29, 12/6, and 12/13) in the Sanctuary and 9:45 to 10:45 AM on Tuesdays (11/29, 12/6, and 12/13)) at the Francis Center (at St. Mark's). No registration necessary. Questions? Email jordan.easley@gmail.com

Any CD players collecting dust in your house?
Audio-books on CD are popular in the library, especially the titles on the current Dorothy Canfield Fisher list.  If you have a personal CD player (Walkman style) gathering dust in your house, please consider donating it to the library.  (But check to see if your own student might want to use it at home first!) - Mrs. Finn

Girls on the Run 2017
The snow may just beginning to fall but the GOTR coach team is looking forward to spring already! If you are interested in coaching or just thinking about it, please contact Stacey Zierak at zieraks@comcast.net,  for more information. The coach registration is now open and the new training session will be held mid January.  

Girls on the Run is a program for SFX girls in grades 3-5.  Please go to www.girlsontherunvermont.org for more information. No running experience necessary!! Just a willingness to help the girls realize their full potential.

Blog: Give Thanks
Thanksgiving will upon us soon so I decided to write about giving thanks!  It seems like it is always easier to gripe or complain about things;  but wouldn't it be nice to spend more time saying thank you? Thank you for our warm homes, food to eat, clothes to wear and especially each other.  

When my own children were younger we made a paper lunch bag into a Thanks bag.  We drew hands on it to show like they were praying ,giving thanks to God.  Then for the month of November we would put small notes in saying what we were thankful for.  These notes would then be read on Thanksgiving day. November has already started, but why not try it from now until Thanksgiving?  What a good habit to get into.  Read more...