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January 22, 2019 | The Valley Catholic
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
Learning a Life of Service at Saint Simon
Kindness, compassion, respect, and
empathy: four virtues that make up
who we are as Christians and reinforce
the Principles of Catholic Social Teach-
ing, the Beatitudes, and the Works of
Mercy. Catholic social justice teaching
encourages the faithful to serve one an-
other, especially those in greatest need.
Catholic schools have long embraced
this, and Saint Simon Parish School in
Los Altos is no exception.
Saint Simon strives to develop and
teach its students how to be SAINTS
– Spiritual, Academically Prepared, In-
quisitive, Neighborly, Trustworthy, and
Strong. A key component to achiev-
ing this is service to the community.
“At Saint Simon we feel so strongly
about service learning that we have a
dedicated Outreach and Social Justice
Coordinator,” stated Michelle Nealon,
Vice Principal.
“Our future is dependent on citizens
who understand the meaning of the
Gospel of Luke,” according to Ryan
Roth, principal. ‘For unto whomsoever
much is given, of him shall much be
required.’ We expect our students to
learn to live with grateful hearts and
give of themselves for the greater
As part of their service project, students at
Saint Simon School collect food for those
in need.
good,” he added.
Each month, the Saint Simon stu-
dents meet either as a class or within
their “school families” (made up of
students in grades 1-8) to work on ser-
vice projects. “I really enjoy working
with the lower grade students in my
school family on these service learn-
ing events,” said one eighth grader. “It
gives me the opportunity to be a leader
and help the younger kids understand
the importance of helping the poor, the
environment, and those in need here
and in faraway places.”
These projects serve multiple com-
munities including the Parish, those in
Santa Clara County, and the less fortu-
nate world-wide. Not only do the Saint
Simon students learn about the people
they are serving, but they are able to
serve those in need through “hands
on” activities. This includes providing
lunches for the homeless each month,
making placemats and cards for the
elderly, collecting donations for Veter-
ans, supporting Catholic Relief Services
through Operation Rice Bowl, monthly
food drives, donating backpacks for
school children, and supporting the
Kinship Center of San Jose.
This school year Saint Simon has
more than 50 service learning activities
scheduled. During Catholic Schools
Week, every student will be involved
in a community service project rang-
ing from native habitat restoration to
packing food for the needy.
“Our goal is to lead by example
and inspire others to do the same,”
said Roth.
Presentation High School hosted its annual
Feast of the Presentation on December 17 .
The Camp Fire smoke forced the school to
close during the week of Thanksgiving, but
that didn’t stop the school from reschedul-
ing this important event. During this special
mass, the Sisters of the Presentation were
in attendance to renew their vows. The
school also celebrated its foundress, Nano
Nagle’s 300 th birthday. Mass was followed
by fun performances by the faculty and
staff. The Feast of the Presentation is one
of the students’ favorite days of the year.
Saint Leo the Great
School December Giving
On December 17, Saint Leo the
Great School sent a box to the pa-
rishioners of Saint Thomas Moore
Catholic Church in Paradise, CA.
Their church no longer exists, but the
parishioners that have survived the
fi re are now attending a neigh oring
Catholic Church in Chico.The chil-
dren of Saint Leo the Great School
created 175 beautiful handwritten
cards with messages of faith and
prayers. In addition, the school sent
rosaries with prayer cards. The fami-
lies of Saint Leo’s have also donated
over $800 in Target and Walmart
gift cards, which will be provided
as well. The cards were truly beau-
tiful to read and their thoughts and
prayers were touching. We hope
the recipients will be very thankful
that our children have them in their
thoughts this holiday season.