tvc.dsj.org | December 11, 2018 CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
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Saint Lucy School Strives to “Be the Change”
Saint Lucy School students and fam-
ilies are focused on actively changing
the lives of people in our community...
our city...our world. Every Wednesday
during the months of November and
December, Saint Lucy School is high-
lighting a new charity drive focus for
the week. Weekly guest speakers at
Thursday morning assemblies share
information with students and families
about their charity and how their dona-
tions help real people in our commu-
nity. A “Be the Change” e-newsletter
and social media posts help spread the
word to families, alumni and friends.
The Layette Drive was the first char-
ity focus. The drive assists mothers in
need within the Diocese of San Jose.
Their newborn babies receive a layette
of an approximate value of $250. The
Layette Tea, an honored diocesan event,
took place on December 2 at Saint Lucy
Parish and School. Prayer, speakers,
entertainment, raffle, and fellowship
filled the afternoon.
Each class is also eager to bring a
specific food item. The students help
sort and package the collected food
from the school and parish to create
family meal baskets that will be given
to a local families the Saturday before
Christmas by the Saint Vincent de Paul
Outreach Program. The program also
serves homeless families staying at the
Sobrato Living Center.
On December 12, Saint Lucy School
will participate in “Fill A Truck” day
where Campbell police officers will
arrive with an empty truck parking
in our parking lot for our students to
help fill with toys (newborn to age 14)
as part of The Campbell Community
Toy Program. Toys are distributed to
children of low income families in the
Campbell School District.
Finally, every year on December 13,
the feast day of Saint Lucy, the school
presents a collection of new or used
prescription eyeglasses to the Lions
Club International in her honor. Saint
Lucy is the patron saint of vision and
light, so It is fitting that these dona-
tions are then distributed to people in
low and middle income communities
throughout the world so they can im-
prove their vision.
Each charity supports vital services
within our community. Saint Lucy
School is proud to be a part of helping
those less fortunate and to continue to
Be the Change.
Sacred Heart Nativity Celebrates the Legacy of Father Mateo Sheedy
In commemoration of the 18th anniversary of his
death, on October 25, Sacred Heart Nativity Schools
welcomed friends, supporters and community mem-
bers to join in a Celebration Luncheon to honor Father
Mateo Sheedy’s legacy.
Over 150 guests enjoyed student-led school tours,
observed Family Legacy projects, were entertained
by student Folklorico Dancers and shared a delicious
meal. Following the meal, Letty Gomez of Sacred
Heart of Jesus Church shared some of her personal
experiences with Father Mateo, and two Nativity
eighth grade students, Celeste Cortez and Gabriel
Torres shared the impact that Nativity School has had
on them and their families. To conclude the afternoon,
school president, Deacon Rubén Solorio, presented
Bellarmine College Preparatory High School with the
first Father Mateo Sheedy Visionary Award in grati-
tude for the tremendous support that they provide to
the faculty, staff, and students of the school.
Father Mateo was the visionary behind the cre-
ation of Nativity School on the previous campus of
Sacred Heart School. As pastor of Sacred Heart of
Jesus Church, he realized that few if any students in
his parish were qualified to attend the local Catholic
High Schools let alone Santa Clara University. For
this reason, he brought in the Jesuit model of Nativ-
ity Schools, and canvased the neighborhood to find
students. While he sadly did not live to see the school
open, his spirit is very much alive today in the hall-
ways of the school.
Students at Saint Frances Cabrini
Celebrate Day of the Dead
In celebration of el Día de los Muertos,
the Day of the Dead, and in connec-
tion with Spanish class, the fourth
grade students at Saint Frances Cabrini
School created small remembrance
boxes to honor someone in their family
who has died.
Students also wrote a short tribute
about their loved one. This project
recreated, in a simple way, the ofren-
das, or altars, that Hispanic families
put in their homes to remember loved
ones who have died. Students enjoyed
sharing their project with their class-
mates.
Through this activity, students
were also able to understand that,
although the death of a loved one is a
sad time, the Day of the Dead is a time
Naho, Brooke, and Sean remembering their
loved ones.
of sharing happy memories of the life
of those who have gone before them.
Saints Wax Museum at
Saint John the Baptis tSchool
On November 2, the eighth grade
students at Saint John the Baptist Cath-
olic School hosted a “Saints Wax Mu-
seum” in conjunction with All Saints
Day & All Souls Day celebrations.
Throughout the month of Novem-
ber, the eighth graders learned about
the process of canonization, chose a
saint they knew relatively little about,
and composed a report on why their
saint was significant to the Catholic
faith. All classes at the school were
invited to attend the “Wax Museum,”
where eighth grade students had
prepared “elevator speeches” to teach
younger students about their saints.
Teachers of younger grades had
their students conduct interviews
with the saints and used the project
Saint John the Baptist 8th grade student,
Kris Estrada, being interviewed by several
first grade students.
as a means of enrichment in their own
lessons on the Feasts of All Saints and
All Souls.