Principal's Newsletter

“Education is the soul of a society as it passes from one generation to the next.”– G.K.Chesterton 

March 11, 2010

Dear Parents/Guardians, Students and Friends of Bishop Dunn,

      By the time you read this note, you should have received one (two, three, or four…you know the drill) of our IRIS (Immediate Response Information System) messages requesting your attendance at our 19^th Annual Goods and Services Auction this coming Friday, March 12^th, at Anthony’s Pier 9 in New Windsor. You might have been a little surprised that we used this method, normally reserved mainly for emergency notices, for something that obviously didn’t require an “immediate response.” As you might have already surmised from my newsletter on Monday and earlier notices, however, while acting on our auction plea does not technically qualify as an “emergency” response, your decision to join us Friday is as important to the continued success of our school as any snow closing cooperation could ever be. So I hoped that you took the time to listen to the short but wonderfully descriptive message from Mrs. Jean Galli, the coordinator of this big event, who has worked so tirelessly with dozens of other volunteers for more than four (five, six…) months to amass the more than 100 items that will be up for bid, and, along the way, also find time to put together such a super night of food, drink and fun, that you definitely will enjoy, even if you take nothing home at evening’s end.  

       Still need a few more words of incentive to attend the auction? How about these? Yankees seats…Hot-air balloon rides…Week at Disney…Wine of the Month Club! Need more encouragement?  Check the Development Office link on our website, www.bdms.org, for a list of other major items that will be up for bid, along with a more detailed menu of dining items that will be available during the program. You can still reserve a table for the evening or purchase individual tickets in advance by calling our Development Office at 569-3496. Tickets, which are $25 each, will also be available at the door. Refreshments will begin flowing at 6:30 p.m. when the auction preview opens. Bidding will start at 7:30 p.m.

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COME CHEER OUR CHEERLEADERS: Monday’s email newsletter home already included this information, but it’s definitely worth another reminder that this Saturday, beginning at 6 p.m., the Junior Varsity and Varsity teams will take part in the Orange County Parochial School League Championship Competition. The event will take place at Mount Saint Mary College’s Kaplan Center. Please come out and cheer them on!

WINNNG EFFORT: Congratulations to Ariana Tadayon, a 7^th grader at Bishop Dunn, who was recently named a 2^nd place winner in the 23^rd Annual Countywide Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Prevention Poster Contest, sponsored by the Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Council of Orange County. She was one of 1,600 students from around the county to submit posters in the competition. Winners of the poster contest will be recognized in an award ceremony on Friday, April 9^th, at the Paramount Theater in Middletown.

SOUP AND BREAD SUPPER RESCHEDULED: This is a second reminder that our Annual Soup and Bread Supper , which was postponed last week , has been rescheduled for Thursday, March 18^th in our gym, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Many of our parents and staff members prepare delicious home-made soups for the event.  Those who attend are asked to donate the amount of money that they would have spent on a meal for the evening, with the proceeds going to help defray the cost of running the daily soup kitchen operation at St. Patrick’s Church in Newburgh.

EASTER SWEETS, TREATS NEEDED: As has been done for the last three years, parent volunteers are seeking donations of Easter baskets and goodies to fill them, so that they can be given to St. Mary’s and St. Patrick’s churches to pass along to needy children in the city. Any families interested in taking part are asked to send in baskets, grass, chocolate bunnies and other Easter candy by Monday, March 29^th. The baskets will be put together the following Wednesday morning. Anyone interested in helping to assemble the baskets or donating items may contact Danielle Crinieri at 567-6769.

SACREMENTAL SPONSOR THANKED: In Monday’s newsletter I inadvertently left Mrs. Donna Perk off the list of those who helped prepare three of our older students to receive the Sacraments of Baptism, Penance, and First Communion this past weekend. Not only did Mrs. Perk and her husband sponsor one of the students, but as the 7^th grade Religion instructor, she also helped two of the students prepare for receiving the sacraments.