If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.

Henry David Thoreau

Page 1 of 2

Upcoming

Events

January 3 Classes resume Boys basketball practice begins

January 9

Middle School Shirt Day

January 10

End of Second Quarter

January 11 No School

January 18

Out of Uniform Day

January 23-27

Right to Life Trip

January 27 Right to Life Shirt

Day

January 30 Middle School

Shirt Day

January 2013 Issue 6

608 3rd Avenue NW Cascade, IA 52033 www.aquin.org (563) 852-3331

Well, I hope you have all tested out the snow blower or at least found your shovel. The good news is that your kids may be stuck at home with nothing better to do than clean your house and shovel the driveway.

This weekend, I spent a great deal of time being with my kids and trying to reconcile why anyone on earth would take those beautiful children away from me and it brought forth one of my greatest weaknesses as a Catholic: accepting the loss of children. It wasn’t until mass on Saturday evening that Fr. Haugen helped sharpen my reality. He spoke of how we are all preparing for Advent and being asked to rejoice in Who is coming and how people all over the country—Newtown, Connecticut included—were hearing the same readings and Gospel and how our experiences change our interpretation. How could we ask people to rejoice when they are saying goodbye to children whom a week ago were wide-eyed over the promise of Christmas. What he said next was critical for me: We must believe that God is everywhere and with everyone. If we do not believe that than as Christians, we have nothing to build our faith upon and nothing to believe. When we finished saying the Our Father, he told us to offer peace to one another and said, “parents hug your children”. It was in that moment while hugging my daughter that I truly realized how it is so critical for me to be the rock for my children because in this world, they look to me and other adults for the peace and support that they need to navigate the challenges that they experience in life. My son later made a rather profound statement to my wife. He said that when you are little all that you worry about is playing and being with friends, but as you get older, you have to worry about so many things in life. The truth in this statement is devastating because I realize that as much as I try, I cannot protect my children from the chaos of our world. What I can do is let them explore this world and do everything I can to give them a chance to talk, ask questions, and learn. What I ask of you today is to be the stability that these kids are looking for and to be the light in this unspeakable darkness. Give them what they need…nothing more and nothing less.

In the recent days, I have done a great deal of searching for balance, and it brought me back to a letter that my very good friend gave to me years ago.

You soar with eagles, but never go too high that you lose sight of what is really important. When you are having a tough day (and there will be some) remember the Guiding Force that is the wind beneath your wings. Life is built upon three pillars, only three things that really matter—your God, your Family, and your Country. Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver, the other gold.

I truly hope this Christmas deepens your faith, strengthens your family, and allows you to reflect on the stark beauty of this life.

Merry Christmas!

Jeff

Jeffrey A. Haverland, Principal

Lori Manternach, Administrative Assistant

Kelli Trumm, Finance

We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to the Dubuque Racing Association for their

generous award to Aquin! With their help, we are able to continue to meet and exceed the

technology needs of our students!

S

Attachments • January calendar and menu

If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.

Henry David Thoreau

Page 2 of 2

Protection of Children

The next installment of the Protection of Children Newsletter is attached to this email

Salvation Army Thank You The Salvation Army recently sent us a thank you for our generous donation of $229.00 towards the “Red Kettle” campaign. The money we donated was originally going to be used to help defray the cost of bussing students to the Beckman All System Mass that was later cancelled. Thank you to everyone for their thoughtfulness!

Thank You from Preschool Teachers Miss Diane and Miss Paula, and Mrs. Merritt and Mrs. Kearney wish to thank those who helped set up for the Preschool program last week. Many hands certainly made light work!

Tis’ the Season to be Reading! Take time this holiday season to turn off the TV and electronic games and pick up a good book to read with your children. Every Aquin student should have at least one library book tucked into his or her book bag. Just be sure to pack up all those library books and return them January 3, 2013 as this is when all library books are due back. And if by chance you should have your child do a little “cleaning” in the house, be sure to return any lost or misplaced library books, too! It would be greatly appreciated if all books could be returned after Christmas break. Thanks for your cooperation. Donations to the Aquin Commemorative Book Program this past month include: Julie & Bob Oeschger, Meg & Tom O’Brien, Barb & Mark Otting, Deb & Randy Manternach, Mary & Dave Benke, Barb & Dave Morreim, and Kelli & Bernie Trumm (In memory of Marie Beck). Thanks to all our generous donors this past year.

2013-14 4-Year-Old Preschool and Kdgn Open House

It is time to start thinking about registering your child(ren) for 4-Year Old Preschool and Kindergarten for the 2013-2014 school year. We will hold an informational meeting in the school gym for these two programs on Thursday, February 7 from 5:30-6:15 p.m. for 4-Year Old Preschool and 6:30-7:15 p.m. for Kindergarten. Please bring your children! While I meet with parents at the beginning of each session, the children will be meeting their teachers and finding their classrooms. We hope to see you then!

January Out of Uniform Day Our Out of Uniform Day for January will be for Nora Manternach, daughter of Dean and Lori (Ehlinger) Manternach, former Cascade residents who currently live in Solon. Nora is 1 ½ years old and was diagnosed with Leukemia shortly after Thanksgiving. She is currently receiving treatments every other day at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinic. Her last treatment is right before Christmas and then Nora will go through some tests to see how the treatments are working. We are asking for your generosity at this time by sending any donation you would like to give to help offset some of Nora’s medical bills. Thank you. Dean’s parents are Don and Anita Manternach and Lori’s parents are Paul and Mary Ehlinger, all of Cascade.

End of 2nd Quarter/Progress Reports The second quarter will end on Thursday, January 10. Progress reports will be sent home on Friday, January 11. Please be sure and check your child’s book bag.

Parent/Guardian Questionnaire Each student in Pre-K (4 yr.) through 8th grade will be bringing home a Parent/Guardian Questionnaire. Please fill out a questionnaire for each of your children and return it to their teacher by Friday, Jan. 4.

Basketball Practice Basketball practice for boys in grades 7 and 8 will begin on Thursday, January 3 at 3:30. All participants must have a physical before they may begin practice. Coaches this year are Brad Belding and John McGuire.

No School/Early Dismissals We will resume school on Thursday, Jan. 3, 2013. We do not have school on January 11 and January 23 is a 12:00 dismissal.

Eyeglasses Collection Thank you to everyone who brought used eyeglasses or purchased new ones for our collection going to the Dominican Republic. We collected over 100 pairs of glasses!

Scrip News Scrip is no longer available to purchase at the Aquin office but continues to be available at both banks in Cascade as well as Pearl’s in Bernard. If you have large amounts of BP that need to be ordered or vendors that are not on our order form, please contact the Aquin office; we will still be ordering that for you. Stay tuned for an online Scrip ordering program coming to our System in the near future.

Living Nativity Divine Word College in Epworth will have a Living Nativity Scene on Saturday, December 22 from 4-7 p.m. All are invited to attend with their children.

Aquin Gala Please mark your calendars for the 2nd Annual Aquin System Gala, which will be held on Saturday, March 16, 2013.

Christmas Thank You! The Aquin staff would like to thank those who sent goodies and gifts during the holiday season. Many days our teachers’ lounge was filled with delicious treats! Thank you for your thoughtfulness.

Invest in YOUR Community: Catholic schools build upon a proud past, a commitment to faith formation, a values-based education, and universal respect as they anticipate a promising future. Most importantly a Catholic school approaches education of the whole child: mind, body, and spirit. We believe every student should have the choice for a Catholic education and with your support we will secure that right for every child. As an Iowa taxpayer, you can contribute to the Our Faith, Our Children, Our Future School Tuition Organization and receive an Iowa tax credit equal to 65% of your donation. The amount you contribute also qualifies as a charitable donation on your federal tax return. Support your community and invest in Catholic education. All donations must be postmarked by December 31st in order to qualify for the tax credit in 2012. Give today at www.OurFaithSTO.org or call 563-556-2580 ext. 256

Right to Life Pilgrimage The Aquin 8th graders and Mrs. McGuire, along with parent chaperones, will depart for the Right to Life Pilgrimage on January 23 and return on January 27. The March will be held on Friday, January 25. Please keep all those traveling to Washington, D.C. in your prayers.