Lumen News – November 21, 2018

Important Upcoming Dates:

• Nov 22-25:  Thanksgiving Break
• Nov 26th: MS Basketball vs Anchor Lutheran at 5 and 6:15 pm at Lumen Christi
• Nov 27th: GALA Meeting, 7:00p in the Library
• Nov 28th:  Archdiocesan Priest Luncheon and Tour, 12-1:30pm
• Nov 28th:  7th and 8th Graders Attend “Air Play” (details below)
• 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 13th:  All School Mass, 9am
• Dec 14th:  9th Grade Retreat
• Dec 15th:  Special Olympics Polar Plunge
• Dec 18-20th:  Final Exams
• Dec 21:  Christmas Break Begins

Principal’s Update:   

This past couple of weeks has brought some disturbing news about graffiti and threats within the Anchorage School District.  We pray for the students, staff, and parents of those schools. I will reiterate that even though we have a lot going on here at Lumen, the safety and security of our students is my number one priority.  This is why we installed an electronic door lock and camera on our front entryway a couple of years ago and why we continue to run fire alarm and lockdown drills on a monthly basis.  I, and many of the staff here, receive the “Nixle” information updates from the Anchorage Police Department. As an example of the safety/security assessments we make daily, based on the events and information coming out of ASD, our Dean of Students, Mr. Bauzon, and I made a decision to have our students eat lunch in the school this week instead of walking back and forth across the parking lot to the Parish Hall.  As you go into a well-deserved Thanksgiving Break, please know that we work hard to provide a safe and secure environment each and every day so our students can spend their time here learning, growing, and developing in body, mind, and spirit.

Ready for some good news?

• Our high school girls volleyball team participated in a tournament in Cordova last weekend, traveling to and from on the Alaska state ferry system.  Congratulations to Sophia Dupras, Class of 2020, who earned All-Tournament Honors and thanks to the parent volunteers who chaperoned the trip!

• Last Friday, our 10th grade students took time away from their studies and  went on retreat all day, culminating with putting their faith in action by cleaning and stocking shelves at the Catholic Social Services’ Food Pantry.

• Thanks to an all-school charity drive, we donated over 600 boxes of stuffing mix on Friday, in time to support the Thanksgiving Blessing Project this week here in Anchorage.

• Seven prospective families (all potential 7th graders) attended our fall Open House on Nov 8!

• Thanks to your sharing, and some “boosting,” on Facebook, one of our marketing videos had over 9,500 views.  The other had over 7,900 views! The majority of these are views within the Anchorage area. We do not want to be the “best kept secret”!

• We hosted twenty 6th graders from our sister school, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, last week.  The students attended Mass, built spaghetti noodle and marshmallow structures, completed a scavenger hunt which took them to every corner of the school, and ate lunch with our students.  We pray that many of these awesome students will become Archangels next fall!

• Finally, the Virtue of the Week is BRAVE; the strength to conquer fear while overcoming difficulties and overcoming temptations.  For a great and catchy video highlighting the brave actions of so many in reaching out to help and love their neighbor, look here:  https://www.sportsleader.org/video/give-a-little-love

Thanks for all your support.  From our Lumen family, and my family, to yours, have a blessed and safe Thanksgiving holiday.  We are truly thankful for all of God’s graces to our school community and family.

Campus Ministry:

Wishing everyone a blessed Thanksgiving filled with love!

• Thank you 10th grade parents for providing a wonderful lunch for our retreat last Friday! Students were outstanding in their service to the CSS Food Pantry.  They organized, cleaned, and packed the pantry in preparation for families in need of groceries.

• Our first parent discussion group brought us into some very deep and relevant conversation.  Please join on December 9th for our next meeting at 4 p.m. in the school library.

• Please join our Lumen Christi Jingle Bell Run team. The run takes place on Dec. 8, 2018 and benefits The Arthritis Foundation. Students, teachers and families had a great time last year. You can sign up through this link:  https://events.arthritis.org/team/lumenarchangels.

• Our 9th grade Service Retreat is planned for Friday, December 14 from  8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

• 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 “Families of the Knights”

• Teams for our Dodgeball tournament will meet next Friday, November 30 at 6:30 p.m. in the gym. Teams can make costumes/uniforms.  We still have room for more players! Come and enjoy the fun!

• 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 halfway 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 26th. 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!

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.

Did you know we have several Lumen students who participate in the Rabbit Creek Youth Shotgun League’s fall and spring season?  These shotgun shooters compete once a week for 10 weeks, shooting “5-stand.” Wind, rain, snow, and ice, they shoot two rounds of 25-shots at clay pigeons thrown in all different directions. Congrats to Garrett Renfro, Class of 2021, who earned 2nd place honors as a Junior in both the Handicap and Scratch score categories this season.  Congrats also to Emily Ross, Class of 2023, who earned 1st place honors as a Sub-Junior in both the Handicap and Scratch score categories. Also participating is Jaydin Dufrane, Class of 2021. Way to represent, Archangels!

Congratulations also go out to John McConnell, Class of 2022, who passed the Bar Exam (with a score of 104 out of a possible 105!) to become the newest member of the Anchorage Youth Court. AYC is a juvenile justice system that empowers students to serve as defense attorneys, prosecutors and judges in real cases involving their peers.

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

School Announcements:

GALA Meeting ~ Tuesday the 27th!

Please join us, we need all hands on deck to make this our best Gala ever. See the flyer below for details.

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 this weekend 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. We get to keep all of the concession stand funds made during this event, so please help if you can! http://signup.com/go/yMAevNC

Ski/Snowboard 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. https://www.alyeskaresort.com/mountain/learning-center-discover-program

Spirit Wear

The first order of locally sourced Lumen spirit wear was delivered to the Front Office and looks great! We have a couple of examples at the front desk if you’d like to check them out before ordering some of your own. Any orders placed before Wednesday, November 28th should be ready and in the Office for pick up by the time school ends for Christmas break on Dec 20th. Order here: https://lumenchristi.akcustom.ink/