Lumen News – November 15, 2018

Important Upcoming Dates:

• Nov 16th:  10th Grade Retreat (details below)
• Nov 18th: Parent Discussion Group, 4-5:30 pm
• Nov 19 MS Basketball vs Anchor Lutheran at 5 and 6 pm at Lumen Christi
• Nov 20th:  US Naval Academy Midshipman Jack Martensen Visit, 1:15pm
• Nov 21st:  NHS Cultural Appreciation Day/Lumen Spirit Wear Day
• Nov 22-25:  Thanksgiving Break
• Nov 28th:  Archdiocesan Priest Luncheon and Tour, 12-1:30pm
• Nov 26th: MS Basketball vs Anchor Lutheran at 5 and 6:15 pm at Lumen Christi
• Nov 28 – 30th: MS Basketball Tournament at Lumen Christi
• Nov 29th:  All School Mass, 9am
• Nov 30th:  Archdiocese of Anchorage Youth Dodgeball Tournament
• Dec 2nd:  Start of Advent
• Dec 3rd:  All School Rosary, 2pm
• Dec 6th:  Feast of St. Nicholas/All School Mass, 9am
• Dec 8th:  Arthritis Foundation Jingle Bell Run
• Dec 14th:  9th Grade Retreat
• Dec 15th:  Special Olympics Polar Plunge

Principal’s Update:

We have been highlighting the accomplishments of many of our student athletes recently, and rightfully so.  I love watching our students use their God-given talents on the field, on the court, in the pool, on the mat, and now on our air rifle range in the gym!  To enhance our athletics this year, we are working to incorporate the Sports Leader sports ministry program into our school.

At a recent game, one parent approached me and said, “What’s this whole Sports Leader thing?  I see the sign in the gym and I’ve heard you mention it before, but I don’t really understand it.  [Athlete’s name] never talks about it after practice. What’s happening with it?”

I like these conversations because they are a lens into how well (or, in this case, how poorly) we are “spreading the good news.”  One clear lesson is that we can always do more to communicate with our students and our families about the great programs we have to offer here at Lumen.

We are in the initial stages, so I expect questions like the one posed by the parent.  As I told our coaches at our August retreat, I am firmly committed to the success of Sports Leader here at Lumen.   I believe it can help our students grow closer to Christ through a focus on faith and virtue.  Further, I think Sports Leader aligns well with the faith life activities (retreats, charity drives, etc.) and theology curriculum we already have in place.  This year, we are doing the following:

• Every week, our students should learn about a new Virtue either in the classroom or on the court or both.  This week’s virtue is HOPE; the strength to hold that your inner longing will be fulfilled. Since the start of the school year, we have talked about SELFLESS, GRATITUDE, IRON-WILL, RESPONSIBILITY, TOUGHNESS, UNITY, WISDOM, ACCOUNTABILITY, DETERMINATION, VISION, DEDICATION, and OTHER-CENTERED.

• I am also encouraging our coaches and our student athletes to pray before and after every practice and game.   Prayer should be a natural part of our day, and sports are no exception.

• It is important for our teams to attend “sports team Masses” together for the very same reason our weekly school Masses are important–to be a community in the presence of Jesus.  The easiest way to do this is to attend Mass at 7:15am in our Chapel of the Archangels.

• Eventually, during the high school basketball season, we will start to conduct a few of the “jersey ceremonies” unique to Sports Leader.  More to follow on these later.

With your help, we will see the positive impact of this sports ministry program in the days, weeks, months, and years to come.

Want proof?  Don’t take my word for it.  See what Sports Leader has done for Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic in Indiana:  https://www.sportsleader.org/video/sportsleader-at-our-lady-of-mount-carmel and Pittsburgh Seton La Salle Catholic in Pennsylvania:  https://www.sportsleader.org/video/sportsleader-at-pittsburgh-seton-lasalle.  I believe you will be impressed and will see why this is such a great addition to our school.  Please share these videos with your son or daughter and anyone else you think might want to know what we are doing here at Lumen.

And, as always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to talk to me at a sporting event, give me a ring, stop me in the hallway, or send me an email.  Thanks for your support!

Campus Ministry:

Please join us this Sunday in the Library!

90{87587bff62748d853b25c5c00e545c389c2cc3e9e64848ccec5036484113dbfe} of our kids are no longer practicing their Faith by age 22. Join us for our first Parent discussion group on how we can Beat those Stats in our families!  Bob McMorrow, Elise Martinez and Mrs. Loeffler will be facilitating the group and sharing the most recent research on how to pass down our Faith effectively.  We will meet at 4:00 p.m. at Lumen Christi in the Library.

• Thank you 10th graders for submitting permission slips!  Tomorrow, Nov. 16th, our 10th grade will be on campus from 7:45 am – 11:45 am.  We leave for Catholic Social Services at 11:45 am and return to campus by 2:30 pm  Please contact Mrs. Loeffler at eloeffler@lumenchristiak.org if you have questions. Please Pray for our 10th graders!

• The Thanksgiving Project — on November 19th from 2-8 pm, The Food Bank of Alaska and St. Patrick’s Parish will be providing food for 1400 families in need. You can help in several ways

  • Donate canned goods (vegetables and cranberry sauce). You can drop off at St. Patrick’s Parish on Muldoon Rd., or contact Dave Patterson at 230-9188

  • Volunteer your time

    • Register online at www.cssalaska.org

  • Offer financial support by check, cash or online

    • Go to www.foodbankofalaska.org

    • After “type of donation” check for Thanksgiving Blessing

    • Fill in St. Patrick’s in the box

Thank you in advance!

• Please join our team and take the Polar Plunge for Special Olympics! Our jump time is 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, December 15. To register go to https://secure.e2rm.com/registrant/TeamFundraisingPage.aspx…and sign up under the team Calling all students to join our team for the November 30th Dodgeball tournament.  It will be held at Lumen Christi and teams from parishes all over the Archdiocese will be competing. See Mrs. Loeffler for more info.

• January 18th we will be having an evening of prayer and fellowship, and food for teens and parents!  Please mark your calendars. Further information to come.

• We have Mass on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday at 7:15am in our Archangel Chapel, and each Thursday at 9am at St. Benedict Church. Please join us!

Upcoming Events:

Youth Night is held at St. Benedict Church each Wednesday – all high school Lumen students are welcome! Several Theology teachers offer extra credit for Faith events attended outside of school hours. Students can check with teachers.

Prayer Spot:

Please remember the following in your prayers this week:

• • All first responders

  • The families and communities affected by violence

• Any prayer requests that families would like listed here in Lumen News and also in the Lumen Prayer Book of Intentions may be sent directly to Mrs. Loeffler.

LUMEN-ary Drive:

LUMEN-ary Drive Update:  Good news!  30 days into the drive we have pledges of $20,435, so we are just over half-way to our goal of $40,000.  This is a great start! Thank you to all who have donated to date and encouraged other family members and friends to support the mission of Lumen Christi.  With 100{87587bff62748d853b25c5c00e545c389c2cc3e9e64848ccec5036484113dbfe} participation, our teachers and administrative staff have collectively donated $4,000 of the amount raised so far.  We ask that you please continue to “get the word out” to extended family and friends about the LUMEN-ary Drive, either through a personal note or an email along with a copy or attachment of the LUMEN-ary Drive brochure.  To date, 22 families have sent one or more notes out (through the school office) and we have received $2,150 from these new supporters. Nine school families have made their contribution so far, so we still have work to do.   Please remember that a successful LUMEN-ary Drive is critical to the financial stability of our school.  If you have not yet supported this year’s drive, please do so by Thanksgiving, if at all possible.  Together we can support our school’s mission of providing a rigorous Catholic education in a Christlike environment.

Archangel Sports Update:

Come out and support our Middle School basketball teams as they take on Anchor Lutheran on Monday, November 19th. Tip off time for the girls is 5p, 6p for boys. Both sets of games will be at Lumen Christi as the teams prepare for the Middle School Basketball conference tournament which will be held at Lumen Christi November 28 – 30.  Come cheer on the Archangels!

Good luck to our High School Volleyball team as they compete for the conference title in Cordova this weekend.  Good luck to all the Archangel athletes!

Student Spotlight:

Our students do amazing things, both on campus and off. We’ll be using this new section of Lumen News to highlight those who have accomplished or contributed something extra over the past week.

Inaugural shout-outs to:

*Mollie McCamy, who will be attending the Regional Championships for Irish Dance in Portland, Oregon this weekend. Good luck Mollie, may the luck of the Irish be with you!

*All of the following students who worked the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton “Bring It Home” Gala – Noah Cruz, Brenden Gregory, Halle Faro, Jeannie McConnell, Alexander Lych, Juan Ramirez, Vaeda Michaelson, Liam Thomson, Anthony Rybicki, Joseph Moriarty, Shon Miller, Joshua Van Tuyl, Julianne Estes, Mai Do Pham, Sophia Dupras, Megan Flaherty, Kaiya Thorsness, Sabrina Warren and Jamie Martin. Lu-Mom Kellie Thomson reports “Each and every one of the 19 Lumen Christi students who volunteered their time for the St. Elizabeth Auction did a superior job representing Lumen Christi. It wasn’t an “easy” few hours. I couldn’t have been more proud of them! What an opportunity to show the St. Elizabeth School community the high caliber students who attend Lumen Christi High School. It was my absolute privilege to volunteer with them.”

*Parents/Guardians – if your student has done something that deserves “Spotlight” recognition, please let Mrs. Gore at the Front Desk know!

School Announcements:

Class of 2019 Senior Memory Pages:

Now that your Senior Portraits have been submitted, it’s time to get working on your Senior Memory Page. Please adhere to the following due dates:

• If you and your family opted to create your own Senior Memory Page, it is due Tuesday January 22nd. This must be a digital file that is submitted to Mrs. Spillers. Price is $100.00. If you have yet to pay, please do so at the front office.

• If you have chosen to have the Yearbook Staff create your Senior Memory Page, photos for your page are due Monday December 17th. These photos must be in digital format and submitted to Mrs. Spillers. Price is $150.00. If you have yet to pay, please do so at the front office.

Calling All Photographers!

If you have pictures of your student participating in any sports, clubs, or Lumen-affiliated activities, please send them to Mrs. Spillers (mspillers@lumenchristiak.org) so that we can include them in our 2018-2019 Yearbook. Thank you!

MAT-SU Veterans Foundation Gun Show

The Alaska Veterans Gun Show will be held on November 24th and 25th in the Lumen gym. Hosted by the Mat-Su Veterans Foundation of Alaska, this event is a great way for parents and students to earn Share Hours by manning the concession stand, and helping with set up and tear down. Be on the look out for a “Sign-Up” notice soon.

Scrip

Our next order deadline is Sunday, November 18 at 7pm.  If you wait until the weekend to place your order you’ll see bonuses for Carrs/Safeway (5{87587bff62748d853b25c5c00e545c389c2cc3e9e64848ccec5036484113dbfe}), Shutterfly (11.75{87587bff62748d853b25c5c00e545c389c2cc3e9e64848ccec5036484113dbfe}) and Cold Stone (26{87587bff62748d853b25c5c00e545c389c2cc3e9e64848ccec5036484113dbfe} – wow!). You may place your order online at www.shopwithscrip.com. If you’re setting up an account on shopwithscrip.com for the first time, Lumen’s enrollment code is: B968B67E44853.

Scrip will be hosting exclusive bonus rebates on Tuesday, November 20th. This is a one day only event; participating merchants won’t be announced until 8pm Alaska time on Monday. These bonuses will only be available for electronic gift cards or to reload funds onto gift cards you’ve already purchased. If you don’t already have a ScripNow account to make instant purchases, please consider establishing one before this event on Tuesday.

Questions on the Scrip program can be directed to Celine at kap.celine@gmail.com. Thank you for supporting Lumen Christi’s fundraising efforts by purchasing gift cards through Scrip!

Ski/Snowbarding Package
Love the idea of your student getting some Alyeska skiing or snowboarding time in, but dread the drive to Girdwood? Check out the attached flyer and sign them up for the “Discover Skiing & Riding” program with Lu-Family Member Yvette Tousignant. Pick-up/Drop Off at Carrs Huffman 3x this winter for a full day of skiing or boarding. Deadline to register is January 3rd.