What's New
EIGHTH GRADE STUDENT ADVANCES TO TEXAS GEOGRAPHIC BEE
Congratulations!
CONGRATULATIONS TO MR. LEROY FRIESENHAHN - MONSIGNOR RICHARD McCABE AWARD RECIPIENT
The Right Reverend Monsignor Richard McCabe is the leader and inspiration of a group of visionaries that brought the dream of St. Gabriel's Catholic School to reality. Each year the St. Gabriel's Board of Trustees chooses a recipient for its Father McCabe Award who has followed Father McCabe's example and made invaluable, immeasurable and extraordinary contributions to the St. Gabriel's community. The recipient of this award will have furthered Father McCabe's vision of a Catholic school that instills in each student a lasting love of learning and a lifelong commitment to Christian values. The recipient of the Award will have contributed passion, dedication and vision to St. Gabriel's along with countless hours of service in order to make an everlasting change in the lives of all of the children who pass through St. Gabriel's doors.
When asked why Leroy should be awarded this honor, the written list could have gone on for miles! He is one of the founding fathers of Saber Dads, and he brought life to the Saber Dads Choir. He is considered the "go to guy" - always willing to help set up for weekly mass, more than happy to put on skits to get people excited about anything and everything, and he is just an all-around outstanding individual. Not only is Leroy a wonderful role model for his seventh grade son, Chandler, but also for over 400 other children at St. Gabriel's!
6th GRADE SEDER DINNER
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Even though St. Gabriel’s Catholic School’s middle school Latin team competed against teams twice their size, they still took away great honors at the Area F Convention. Each of the 33 members received at least one award at the competition at Westwood High School!
The team is led by Latin teacher, Natalie Cannon, and they are excited about going to State next month!
One of St. Gabriel’s Catholic School's eighth grade students has been notified by the National Geographic Society that he is one of the semifinalists eligible to compete in the 2009 Texas Geographic Bee, sponsored by Google and Plum Creek.
Bees were held in schools with fourth- through eighth-grade students throughout the state to determine each school’s Geographic Bee winner. School-level winners then took a qualifying test, which they submitted to the National Geographic Society. In each of the 50 states, as well as the District of Columbia, the Department of Defense Dependents Schools, and the U.S. territories, the National Geographic Society invited the students with the top 100 scores to compete at the state level.
The 2009 Texas Geographic Bee will be held at the Pat May Center, Hurst Euless Bedford ISD, in Bedford, Texas on Friday, April 3, 2009. The state winner will receive $100, the “National Geographic Collegiate Atlas of the World,” and a trip to Washington, D.C., where he/she will represent Texas in the national finals at the National Geographic Society headquarters, May 19-20, 2009.
Congratulations!
CONGRATULATIONS TO MR. LEROY FRIESENHAHN - MONSIGNOR RICHARD McCABE AWARD RECIPIENT
The Right Reverend Monsignor Richard McCabe is the leader and inspiration of a group of visionaries that brought the dream of St. Gabriel's Catholic School to reality. Each year the St. Gabriel's Board of Trustees chooses a recipient for its Father McCabe Award who has followed Father McCabe's example and made invaluable, immeasurable and extraordinary contributions to the St. Gabriel's community. The recipient of this award will have furthered Father McCabe's vision of a Catholic school that instills in each student a lasting love of learning and a lifelong commitment to Christian values. The recipient of the Award will have contributed passion, dedication and vision to St. Gabriel's along with countless hours of service in order to make an everlasting change in the lives of all of the children who pass through St. Gabriel's doors.When asked why Leroy should be awarded this honor, the written list could have gone on for miles! He is one of the founding fathers of Saber Dads, and he brought life to the Saber Dads Choir. He is considered the "go to guy" - always willing to help set up for weekly mass, more than happy to put on skits to get people excited about anything and everything, and he is just an all-around outstanding individual. Not only is Leroy a wonderful role model for his seventh grade son, Chandler, but also for over 400 other children at St. Gabriel's!
6th GRADE SEDER DINNER
A Seder dinner was celebrated in the 6th grade class to understand that all of us share biblical roots with our ancestors in faith: the Jewish people. To share in this important Jewish tradition that commemorates the Exodus, during which they were freed from slavery, reminds us all that God is with us even through life’s most difficult challenges. Jesus made this known to us by sharing in his Jewish heritage yearly at Passover. The Passover meal was made present for Christians in the Lord’s Supper, which is our greatest Passover meal. Jesus, at the Lord’s Supper, instituted the Eucharistic meal - one that he invites us to share in each time we gather together to celebrate the Holy Mass.
ST. GABRIEL'S LATIN TEAM WON OVER 50 AWARDS AT REGIONAL COMPEITION
Even though St. Gabriel’s Catholic School’s middle school Latin team competed against teams twice their size, they still took away great honors at the Area F Convention. Each of the 33 members received at least one award at the competition at Westwood High School!
The Pentathlon is a difficult, comprehensive Latin exam that all competition students take, and it contains grammar, vocabulary, literature, history, and cultural/ancient life questions. While only above-average scores rank in the award categories, every single St. Gabriel’s student ranked – an impressive achievement!
They also placed in the Individual Academic Contest and the Classical Civilization Contest. The former includes a great number of academic exams and several performance exams, while the latter is comprised of contests for monochromatic and polychromatic art, individual and paired costumes, vocal solo and ensemble, and original play. Among other awards, St. Gabriel’s won 1st place for an Original Play, a category in which they competed against high school students.
The competition also included a physical aspect known as the Olympika Contest. It was comprised of a 50-yard dash, a 100-yard run, a 200-yard run, a 440-yard relay, a Frisbee throwing contests, and a running long-jump contest. St. Gabriel’s was awarded 1st Place Olympika Sweepstakes.
CONGRATULATIONS TO COACH KUNZ
Coach Jody Kunz, Athletic Director of St. Gabriel's, has been inducted into the St. Edward's Women's Athletics Hall of Fame. Because of her outstanding performance as a volleyball and softball athlete, as well as her success as softball head coach, she is now a member of the All-Era team. Of all of the hundreds of athletes and dozens of coaches in St. Edward's history, Coach Kunz was one of only 21 individuals to receive this high honor. She was a three-year letter-winner in softball and volleyball, and she coached the softball team to the Heart of Texas Conference Title and Southwest Region Title in 1999. In addition, she advanced the team to the NAIA World Series, setting a then school record of 47 victories. We are so proud of her achievements and grateful to have her at St. Gabriel's! HEADS OF LOWER SCHOOL AND MIDDLE SCHOOL FOR THE DAY
A fifth grade student, Head of Lower School for the day, and a sixth grade student, Head of Middle School for the day, had very busy schedules! The Head of Lower School began his day by greeting lower school students, while the Head of Middle School attended middle school morning prayer. They led a Leadership Team meeting, at which they discussed their thoughts on topics such as recess, the lunch menu, and field day. After this, they attended individual meetings with staff members like the Director of Admission, the Director of Marketing and Communication, and the Director of Advancement. The day also included making special announcements, answering emails from faculty and staff, and taking tours of the campus on the Sabermobile. As heads, they offered valuable advice and made great decisions!
THE SEASON OF LENT BEGINS
Students, faculty, staff, parents, and other members of the St. Gabriel's community gathered to celebrate Ash Wednesday. It marks the beginning of the Season of Lent - a time of reflection that prepares us for Christ's resurrection on Easter Sunday.
(Students celebrating Fat Tuesday by wearing Mardi Gras hats and beads)
MARDI GRAS 5K
The fifth annual Mardi Gras 5K was such a success! Nearly 700 runners from all across Austin, and as far away as New York, gathered to run through scenic Barton Creek. Children as young as two lined up to participate in the Kids 1K Fun Run - and fun they had! Da Bull from the Austin Toros showed them how to stretch, and then he led them on an exciting race to the finish.
The sun came out just in time for the 5K, and runners of all ages and headed out on the 3.1-mile course. With wigs, hats, and beads galore, the run was festive for first-timers and veterans alike. The winner finished in an impressive 15 minutes and 52 seconds! It was a wonderful event full of great music, delicious food, a beautiful run, and an excellent community.
HAIL TO THE CHIEF
Third grade students honored Presidents Day by hosting the fourth annual Third Grade Presidential Wax Museum! Other students, faculty, staff and parents lined the halls to watch as they marched through the halls to the Commons. Once at their destination, they stood stoically until they were approached by museum visitors. If a guest asked them about their history, the "Presidents" were able to break out of their poses and recite information that they had worked long and hard to learn. Visitors discovered such things as "Abraham Lincoln was largely self-educated," and "William Taft was the 27th President of the United States!"
DIA DE AMOR Y AMISTAD
To celebrate Valentine's Day, many SGCS students spread love and cheer to others within the school and beyond! Third grade students created hand-made valentine cards to send to Casa de Angelina, an orphanage in Guatemala.
With the money that was raised through Student Council's Val-o-Gram sales, the robotics team was presented with a check that will go toward their trip to the FLL World Festival and Competition!
VOICE OF AN ANGEL
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At the beginning of the semester, we had a very special visitor: Amanda Serra, an alumna of St. Gabriel’s. Amanda is a freshman at NYU where she is a vocal performance major. In between beautifully performing pieces such as “So in Love” by Cole Porter, Amanda described life in New York City, exclaiming, “I am having the time of my life!” Students will soon be trying out for the St. Gabriel’s Spring Musical, “Fiddler on the Roof,” so she shared a few of her audition tips that helped her get accepted into NYU. She instructed that being prepared, even over-prepared, is key, as well as taking big breaths to calm your nerves, standing straight, and smiling. Amanda’s post-college plans include auditioning to be on Broadway as well as teaching music here in Austin. She is such an incredible role model, and the community was blessed to have her back for a visit!
LEADERSHIP AND SERVICE AWARD
During Catholic School's Week, the Catholic Schools in Austin honored 7th or 8th grade students who have used their gifts and talents to lead and serve in their school and community. All of the recipients for this award are recognized during a special Mass with Bishop Aymond. Congratulations!
SCHOLASTIC ART AWARDS
The Scholastic Art Awards of 2009 recognize student achievement in visual arts and creative writing. This year, the Alliance and its 81 Regional Affiliates reviewed more than 100,000 submissions of art and writing by creative teenagers from across the country. The Scholastic Art Award program is an annual national contest that recognizes excellence in the arts in public and private schools.
Congratulations to two St. Gabriel's students for earning a Gold Key award and for earning a Certificate of Merit. These students were competing against 22 other schools, 15 of them were high schools. We also had an alumnus place from Westlake High School, Marie (M.T.) Larochelle (Class of 2007).
"CELL"EBRATE BIOLOGY
The 5th graders chose plant, animal, virus or bacteria cells and made 3D representations of them. They were to show as many organelles as they could research, and were instructed to be creative (using household items) and make the cells as realistic and accurate as they could. Their teachers were blown away by their submissions, and students that tour the halls to see them have been very impressed!
NATIONAL CATHOLIC SCHOOL'S WEEK
St. Gabriel's will be celebrating service during National Catholic Schools Week from January 26th through January 30th!
Monday: Diocesan Catholic Schools Appreciation Day
Tuesday: Clergy and Religious Appreciation Day
Wednesday: Faculty and Staff Appreciation Day
Thursday: Parent Appreciation Day
Friday: Student Appreciation Day
Click here to read details about our Catholic Schools Week schedule.
Click here to read details about our Catholic Schools Week schedule.
Students excitedly displaying their Catholic Schools Week bracelets; Students kicked off the week celebrating service by preparing their monthly 400 bagged lunches for Caritas of Austin
SABERTAMEN
The St. Gabriel’s Sabers hosted their first district certamen competition, which is a fast recall of facts about classical civilization and its people, languages and culture.
“Sabertamen,” as it was fittingly called, was held on Saturday, January 24, 2009 and orchestrated by Latin teacher, Mrs. Natalie Cannon. Fifteen schools participated, bringing with them 28 teams, spectators, volunteers, parents, and their Latin teachers. With the help of Mrs. Ginny Lindzey, Mrs. Cannon co-authored 1,000+ questions over Ancient Life, History, Geography, Mythology, Vocabulary, Literature, Reading Comprehension, and Grammar for the competition rounds.
Many current St. Gabriel’s students and alumni cheerfully and willingly volunteered to show up at 7:30 and 8:00am on a Saturday to aid in setting up and running the competition. They also gratefully received help from the Dripping Springs Latin students who provided a delicious breakfast for everyone. Additionally, the St. Gabriel’s Robotics Team graciously took over the obligatory competition snack table to raise money for their club.
St. Gabriel’s entered a 4-person team comprised of 7th and 8th graders who worked hard round after round against some of the top teams in their division. Their efforts paid off because they won a spot in the final round with Kealing and St. Andrew’s, impressive opponents. The St. Gabriel’s Sabers came away with 3rd Place and a trophy to add to the Latin section of the Middle School trophy case, and they will be advancing to the Area F competition in February. Mrs. Cannon exclaimed, “I am so very proud of them!”
AFRICAN CHILDREN'S CHOIR
We are excited to be hosting a concert by the internationally acclaimed African Children’s Choir at our school on Friday, January 23, 2009 at 7:00PM.
Friends from congregations share about their experiences:
“The blessings that we have received will remain with us always. The joy, the laughter, the tears of love that flowed in both concerts have touched us at the core of who we are as a church”. – Mount Royal United Church, Montreal, QC
“We were all thoroughly blessed by this experience. It is a morning of worship I will not soon forget. What a powerful witness these children have shared with us”. – First Lutheran Church, Fargo, ND
We at St. Gabriel’s feel blessed to share this experience with you and we ask that you please pass along the details of this upcoming concert to your friends and family. Many in your church may already know about the Choir and won’t want to miss an opportunity to attend.
There is no admission to the concert. A free-will offering will be taken to support the Choir’s efforts back in Africa.
For more information, contact Erika Allen-Walsh (erika.allen-walsh@sgs-austin.org)
For more information, contact Erika Allen-Walsh (erika.allen-walsh@sgs-austin.org)
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC BEE
"GeoBee" is National Geographic's way to encourage thousands of schools across the U.S. to "to include geography in their classrooms, spark student interest in the subject, and increase public awareness about geography." Students in grades four through eight are eligible to participate, and over 200 of St. Gabriel's students vied for a spot in the top 10 in the school. They were asked several rounds of questions like, "The Shan Plateau, where rubies and sapphires have historically been mined, forms the eastern part of which Southeast Asian country famous for its gemstones?" The winner will take an extensive National Geographic test to try to qualify for the state competition.
ALL OF ST. GABRIEL'S GATHERS FOR INAUGURATION
Though we were many miles from Washington on January 20th, as a school community we joined with those who were present at the inauguration through the miracle of the digital age. Something special happened in many places on campus at St. Gabriel's with that connection. Here is but one moment: First, when all present at the inauguration were called to please stand for the administration of the Oath of Office for the Vice-President of the United States, all the children in our packed Commons stood without direction or urging from any of us present. Finally, when we were called to stand for the Presidential Oath of Office, the children stood once again, quietly, with great respect and reverence for what they were seeing. At the conclusion of each, the students joined in spontaneous applause!
ROBOTICS CHAMPIONS TAKE ON THE WORLD
Once again, St. Gabriel's Catholic School students won huge honors at the recent regional robotics tournaments. The 8th grade team started their season by winning 1st place for Robot Performance and the 1st place Champion's Award at the West Ridge Central Texas Qualifier back in December. At that same event, the 7th grade team won 3rd place in the Robot Design Category.
This past weekend both teams competed against the top 60 teams in the state at the 2008 Central Texas FIRST LEGO League (FLL) Championship Tournament at Rouse High School in Leander. The 7th grade team tied for 4th place in the Robot Performance category. The 8th grade team went home with the 2nd Place Trophy for Robot Performance and won the coveted 1st place Champion's Award for the third year in a row.
The Champions Award is the most prestigious award that any team can win, it celebrates the ultimate success of the FIRST mission and FLL values. In order to win this award a team has to place high in all four categories including Research, Design & Programming, Performance, and Teamwork.
Engineers and professors from UT, MIT, and National Instruments praised them by saying such things as, "It wasn't a matter of who won 1st, but who was going to place 2nd and 3rd because your team was head and shoulders above the rest," and "Their technical presentation and programming skills were way beyond their years...I wish I had FLL when I was a kid and I'm an engineer...imagine what they will be able to do in five years?"
The next stop for the 8th graders will be the FLL World Festival and Competition in either Atlanta, GA or Dayton, OH where the team will compete against the top 100 teams in the world!
'TIS THE SEASON
Lower school singing Christmas carols
5th graders singing to our neighbors at Querencia at Barton Creek
Advent Program
MASS BUDDIES - ST. NICHOLAS
This holiday event began by 7th and 8th graders reading the story of St. Nicholas to their kindergarten and 1st grade mass buddies. Together they then decorated a beautiful star-shaped ornament with the words of Advent: hope, peace, joy and love! When they were finished, they hung their creation on the beautiful, purple-adorned Christmas tree in the Lower School lobby. As their time together drew to a close, the middle school students presented each of the little ones with a hand-made Christmas card. One card read, "I hope you have a very merry Christmas! Have a great holiday and a happy New Year! You are the cutest, most adorable, super duper cool buddy ever!!! Say hi and give Santa a hug for me please!"
PB&J BRIGADE for CARITAS of AUSTIN
Once a month, the students of St. Gabriel's Catholic School assemble 400 sack lunches with the help of parent volunteers. The next day, eighth grade volunteers distribute the lunches at the Caritas Community Kitchen. The organization will provide services to 20,000 adults and children this year, including the working poor, the unemployed, the homeless, near homeless, and documented refugees.
When asked, “Why does it make a difference to Caritas that St. Gabriel’s makes these lunches,” their response was, “It makes a tremendous difference when St. Gabriel’s prepares and donates lunches to our Community Kitchen. That allows us to feed 400 people without cost to Caritas. Client needs continually escalate. As the price of gas, food and everything else simultaneously spirals, in-kind and monetary donations become more and more important to Caritas and help us continue to serve our clients in a fiscally-responsible fashion, making the most of every dollar that is donated.”
SGCS ART DISPLAYED AT TREATY OAK BANK
Management at Treaty Oak Bank on Barton Creek Boulevard was kind enough to display artwork created by several of our middle school students. Art teacher, Cindy Newman, framed a variety of beautiful pieces, so be sure to check them out!
COATS FOR KIDS
332 COATS COLLECTED!We are very proud of our students for collecting over 300 coats for those in need! This brings the count to over 3,000 coats in 10 years! WAY TO GO! On December 6th, faculty and staff will join the Junior League of Austin on Coat Distribution Day "to ensure that no child will have to brave the cold without a coat."
FIRST GRADE THANKSGIVING PLAY
The first graders put on an amazing Thanksgiving play for a full house! Students proudly narrated through the travels and discoveries of the Pilgrims, while their classmates performed beautifully. They learned that it took 65 days at sea for the Pilgrims to reach America, and when they did, the Native Americans told them, “Do not be afraid; we are here to help you!” They all joined together to sing “Our God is an Awesome God” and “This Little Light of Mine.” As a Thanksgiving reminder, the actors recited in unison, “When the Pilgrims came to America, they wanted to be free. They had so much to be thankful for and so do we."
VETERANS DAY
Students, faculty and staff of St. Gabriel's Catholic School celebrated Veterans Day 2008 by honoring those who have defended our freedom. Members of the St. Gabriel's community, their families and our neighbors at Qurerencia at Barton Creek were invited to attend a ceremony during which we prayed for those who have sacrificed so much for the United States; we sang the "National Anthem" and "America the Beautiful;" we watched a video explaining the importance of Veterans Day; and we gave our special guests a small token of our appreciation. Our honorees were also kind enough to tell us about their service and fascinating anecdotes about their travels. To all of those brave men and women of whom we are so proud: thank you!
GLADIATOR GAMES
After having the idea in the works for three years, the 8th grade Latin students finally had their much-awaited event: Gladiator Games! Middle school students participated in a wide variety of athletic activities, such as foot races, Frisbee throwing, and "chair"iot races. With the supervision of parent volunteers, and Latin teacher, Magistra Cannon, fun was had by all!
