October Edition
OCTOBER Meeting
Since October is Respect Life Month, the
activities for our October 4,2000 meeting will revolve around that theme. We will begin at
7:00PM in the MacDonald room (of St. Mark Catholic Center) with a respect life prayer
service. Next, we will hold our "Jump for Life" JUMP-A-THON in the gym. We will
end the evening with our usual snacks and drinks in the cafeteria.
Here are the details for JUMP-A-THON. (It should be fun!) The idea is to raise money for
our local pro-life organization People for Life, Inc.
During the jump-a-thon each child will "jump" for two minutes. Each child will
choose one of the following types of "jumps":
1) regular two-footed jumps,
2) single person jumping rope, or
3) jump-shots (basketball)
Parents will do the official timing and counting of the jumps, as well as sign the pledge
sheet for each child for whom they count jumps. Children waiting for their turn can either
cheer for the others who are jumping, do a little "warming-up" of their own, or
do some adult-led activities (eg, sing songs, play Duck-Duck-Goose, etc.)
Prior to the evening of the jump-a-thon, each child needs to fill out the top portion of the pledge sheet (attached in this newsletter) and collect pledges from sponsors (relatives, friends, neighbors, perhaps from themselves even!). A sponsor may either pledge a flat donation or pledge a certain amount of money per "jump." (Feel free to make copies of the pledge sheet if you have more than one child.)
After the jump-a-thon, each child will figure out the
"Amt. Due" for each sponsor and collect the money earned. If a sponsor pledges
an amount per jump, simply multiply the number of jumps completed by the amount pledged to
figure out how much money to collect from them. (i.e., "# of jumps completed" x
"pledge per jump" = "Amt. Due") Then each child will turn in their
"total amount collected", by October 18th, to me (Annette Ahrens), and I will
then see that People for Life, Inc. gets it. At the Jump-a-thon I will provide you with a
return envelope. You can either mail me a check or give me the cash in person if you are
going to be seeing me.
This is my first time organizing a jump-a-thon, so if anyone has any
suggestions let me know!
Here's what each family needs to bring for the evening:
1) A snack and a drink to share (drop it off at the cafeteria before
coming to MacDonald room)
2) A jump rope or basketball (if you chose "jumping rope" or
"jump-shots")
3) A stopwatch or a watch with a second hand
4) Your jumping shoes!
Hope to see you all there! If you have any questions or suggestions, please call me!
Mrs. Annette Ahrens
All Saints Day!!
Put the All Saints Day Celebration on your calendar for the evening of November 1st. Take
time now to decide which Saint you will be studying and dressing up like. Adults as well
as Children are welcome to take part. More details will be in the next newsletter.
Fresh Ideas? Call Gretchen Lorei
Very Important:
Membership Dues are Due
The school year of 2000-2001 membership dues of $15.00 per family need
to be givento Bill Swick by October's end. The dues are used to fund the monthly
newsletter, buy supplies for meeting, and to help pay for group activities. With any
questions please call Gretchen Lorei at 866-3008.
You can get the money to Bill Swick either at October's meeting or you
can mail it to him at 1713 W 6th Street Erie 16505.
Little Flowers
Little Flowers next meeting is Friday October 13th.,
9:00a.m. at the Lorei's Home. Remember to bring aprons, index cards, 3-ring binder, and
craft from last month. (call Kathleen Peterson if you need more info: 774-0061)
Mother's Meeting
There will be a Mothers Meeting on September 30th. It will
begin with 8:00a.m. Mass at St. Georges' Church followed by 9:00a.m. breakfast at Eat 'n
Park on upper Peach St. (no reservations are necessary)
OUTDOOR ADVENTURE!!
We are working on plans to offer an outdoor adventure for our Catholic Homeschoolers at
Camp Crestfield in Slippery Rock, PA.
Camp Crestfield offers low- and high-ropes courses, a climbing wall, and canoeing. We are
tentatively scheduling the outing for Friday, October 6, arriving around 12:00 noon.
The Camp Crestfield staff, with the help of parent chaperones, leads
the students through the high-ropes course and climbing wall, but parent-volunteers are
expected to supervise and lead any activity on the low-ropes and canoes. The age
requirement for the high-ropes and climbing wall is age 10+. Each of these guided
activities requires about one hour per 10 students.
The cost for the high ropes AND climbing wall would be $8.00 per student, with an
additional "donation" per person for the use of the low ropes and canoes. The
total cost per person (including the donation) will be determined and participants will be
notified prior to the field trip.
There is a possibility that Mr. Bill Swick will be able to transport a
good number of participants from Erie to Slippery Rock. He is able to accommodate up to 14
passengers. As time draws closer to the trip, details regarding transportation will be
made available to interested participants.
It is necessary to provide the Camp staff with information regarding the number of
participants for the purpose of planning. Therefore, I kindly request that you contact me
ASAP with the names of those family members intending to participate. I will also gather
names of those who might be interested in traveling with Mr. Swick. Also, please feel free
to call with questions or further information.
Mary Neville
EACH Website
The 'official' website for EACH is: http://frontpage.velocity.net/roaminka/EACH/homepage.html
Please also visit our families apostolate's website: "Catholic Family Education"
http://www.gifts-of-faith.com/CFE
Thanks!
Kathleen Peterson
roaminka@velocity.net
Thank You
We would like to express our most sincere thanks to all of
our Catholic Homeschoolers who have been such wonderful prayer warriors for our baby,
Peter, prior to and following his surgery on August 22 (Feast of the Queenship of the
BVM). Peter has recovered beautifully from his surgery, and his physicians at Children's
Hospital in Pittsburgh are well-pleased with the results. Peter will not require any
further surgeries, but will be followed by the doctors for five years. We have no doubt
that your intense prayers and sacrifices have carried Peter and the rest of us through
this period. Our God is an AWESOME God!
With Love and Gratitude,
The Neville Family
Diocesan Events
Pro-Life chain
The annual Life Chain will be held on Sunday, October 1st, 2:30- 3:30
pm . The NEW LOCATION this year will be at the intersectionof 18th and Peach emanating
North, South, East and West. This is near the proposed site of the abortion mill coming to
Erie. Please bring a radio tuned to WCTL as they will be helping to unite the event. The
last 15 minutes of the Chain will be held in silent prayer for all the victims of
abortion.
Pro-Life signs can be picked up at several Information Centers along Peach Street. A
dollar per sign donation is requested but not necessary.
We hope to have many of our home-schoolers present!!!
Rosary march
The Fifth Annual Rosay March will be held on Sunday, October 8th at 2:30pm in downtown
Erie.
Those who wish to participate in the march should arrive at the North side of the
Cathedral at 2:00pm. We will proceed to walk 8 blocks downtown as we recite the rosary
lead by some of our priests from the diocese. Those who cannot participate in the march
may stay in the Cathedral and pray the rosary which will also be lead by priests from our
diocese. After the march, there will be exposition, consecration to the Immaculate Heart
of Mary, recitation of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, and a guest speaker from the
Youngstown diocese, Fr. A. Edward Gretchko.
This year celebrated the eighty-third anniversary of Our
Lady's apparitions at Fatima, and corresponds to Our Holy Father's request to have a
statue of Our Lady flown from Fatima to Rome for an "Entrustment Ceremony" of
the world to the guidance of Mary to lead us into the Third Millennium.
We hope to have many home-schoolers present and marching!!!!
Life Jam 2000
Attention youth!!
Be part of the first annual LIFEJAM 2000 pro-life youth ralley Saturday, October
7th at Gannon University's Hammermill Center in Erie. Got Life? - Live like ya' mean it!
Affirm that LIFE is good!!
Feautred at the event will be guest speakers Mary Beth Bonacci, Greg Schlueter, Martin
Doman and David Bunnell.
Most of the homeschoolers are attending the event with there parish youth groups. If you
need the inforation on the even you can call the diocesan office of youth ministry at St.
Mark's Center.
Trivia
Answers to past Trivia:
Who was President of the U.S.A. during the World War II? What part of a plant are green
peas?
Franklin D. Roosevelt, the seed
New Trivia:
How come there wasn't any popcorn during the war?
-Matthew Wagner
EACH Humor
Contrary to popular belief, it wasn't the apple on the tree that got us banished from
Paradise. It was the pair on the ground.
Contributed by Bobby Wagner =-)
From the editor
A great bid THANK YOU to everyone for having pretty much everything to me by the
15th!!!!!!!!!!
Please remember that contributions to November's newsletter need to be Emailed or sent to
the addresses above by October 15th!!!
Also, please get your 15$ dues in ASAP!!! Please let us know if you no longer wish to
receive the newsletter.
Love and God Bless Always,
Tarq