Twin Day 2013 (Red Ribbon Week) - 6th Grade

7th Grade Chapter 5 Forum

Gym Members, today in 7th Grade theology we presented projects from our Chapter 5 studies in a public forum. These projects included games, essays, and skits. One of the best skits we had was from a group of guys who reenacted Jesus' healing of the paralytic (they brought mustaches):

Nuff' said.

40 Days for Life

Good morning gym members!

Autumn is finally upon us which means two things for the Dumb Ox Gym: 1)cooler weather & 2)the beginning of the 2013 40 Days for Life.

For those of you unfamiliar with this event, for 40 days, from September 25 through November 3, all across the nation, people who support the Pro-Life movement unceasingly pray for the rights of the unborn and for counsel and healing for parents who struggle because of abortion. This is a global effort, as the 40 Days for Life are observed in 19 countries across the world. In each city that observes these 40 days, a location is picked, one close to an abortion clinic, where Catholics and other supporters peacefully gather to pray for the unborn and their parents. I am writing to you on Day 6 of the 40 days, and thus far 36 babies have been saved. . .

His excellence Bishop Slattery has said that the men and women who support this movement are among the finest in the world. You can show your support by going to the "Garden of Peace," across the street from "Reproductive Services" to wait and pray at:

6136 E 32nd Place
Tulsa, Oklahoma
*near 31st and Sheridan

Though I encourage you to take your middle school children over to the Garden of Peace to pray for the unborn and their parents, I just want to remind you, as a forewarning, that not all people see this issue through the Claritin-clear eyes of the Gospel, thus you may encounter hecklers at the Garden.

However, as a final word of encouragement, the people who gather for the 40 Days for Life are not simply the politically minded: they are gathered in Christ's name. He warned us that "they" who persecute him will persecute us, but never fear, "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."

The Son of God, who in the Mystery of the Incarnation became flesh and was once himself an unborn child, is very much at work in His Church still, through efforts like the 40 Days for Life. It truly is His efforts, and not our own that make the 40 Days for Life the beautiful success that it is.

Please offer your support.

*for more information, please check out the website at:
http://40daysforlife.com/tulsa.html

Broken Arrow Neighbors

Good morning Gym Members!

This morning, some 8th Grade students got a rare physical workout in the Dumb Ox Gym. Students who were in the winning group, the "Spider-Pigs," from the 8th Grade retreat a few weeks back won the privilege of delivering all of the donations All Saints gathered for Broken Arrow Neighbors to their center.

The Dumb Ox Gym would like to thank Broken Arrow Neighbors for their community support here in our little slice of Heaven that we call Oklahoma.

The Dumb Ox Gym

*yaawn* Oh?! Good morning. (I didn't see you there). Well Gym Members, it's a brand new school year and I, Mr. Simons, am still getting used to waking up early for the commute to All Saints. We have some exciting things coming up here at All Saints, and in Middle School Religion, but I wanted to start the year out by addressing one of my most frequently asked questions: "Mr. Simons, why is your classroom called the 'Dumb Ox Gym'?" Well faithful Gym Members, I'll tell you. . .

 

Saint Thomas Aquinas has been one of my favorite saints and patrons for a while now. In addition to his many admirable qualities (which are indeed numerous and have been deftly laid out by much better writers elsewhere), I find him to be an inspiring example of a kind of balance in the intellectual life that most seek but few ever find. He has a way of tempering his fine-tuned, detail-oriented mind with simplicity, which keeps him from thinking himself into traps and circles. I believe this to be one of the many reasons why St. Thomas is the patron saint of schools and intellectuals. However, St. Thomas was not always regarded as having such a great mind by all who knew him. . .

When he was a schoolboy, he had a nickname. This nickname was due to a couple of factors: he was a big guy (represent), and when he was mulling something over in that big ol' brain of his, he tended to look pretty vacant. As you can imagine, young Thomas was thinking and learning all the time, but only his professors saw how brilliant he was. His confreres thought he was as sharp as a bowl of Jell-O. And so, they "lovingly" started to call him the "Dumb Ox."

 

(Shameless plug alert!) And since G.K. Chesterton, who wrote arguably the best biography on St. Thomas Aquinas in the English (or any) language, likes a bit of irony in his afternoon tea, he named said biography Saint Thomas Aquinas: The Dumb Ox.

 

Being a fan of St. Thomas (and Chesterton) myself, I decided to adopt this moniker for my class room. And so, regarding why I call my classroom the "Dumb Ox Gym," I will now treat you to the following syllogism:

 

Thomas Aquinas is the patron saint of schools and intellectuals.

He was also known as the "Dumb Ox."

A gym is a place you go to get a workout.

Therefore, the "Dumb Ox Gym" is the place you go to get an intellectual workout.

 

Nuff' said.

 

See you soon with more classroom and Campus Ministry realted updates! It's going to be a great year!

Campus Ministry Banquet

There will be a Campus Ministry Banquet on this coming Monday, May 13.

4th through 8th Grade students will be eligible for a pizza party at lunchtime in the cafeteria providing they:

 

1. . . .were Altar Servers in one or more of our school Masses.

2. . . .were Ushers in one or more of our school Masses.

3. . . .went above and beyond in acquiring Middle School Service Hours by at least acquiring double the amount asked of them for their grade level (6th - 12 or more, 7th - 16 or more, and 8th - 20 or more).

Service Hours

Middle School Service Hours are due this Friday, May 10.

6th Graders need 3 hours for this semester.

7th Graders need 4 hours.

8th Graders need 5.

 

Please turn in service sheets to me as soon as you are able!

Mini-Me

Last Thursday during Catholic School's week  was "Dress as Your Favorite Religious Person" Day. (Most of the teachers, including myself, dressed as ourselves. Rather arrogant of us, don't you think? =D) We actually had quite a few "Mr. Simonses" running around the halls as well. Best representation definitely goes to Cecilia here for her apt depiction of myself, complete with glasses, cardigan, and suspenders:

The Schism of 1056

Back in November, the 8th Grade was learning about the Schism of 1056, when the Eastern Orthodox and Western Catholic churches split due to political and theological differences. Here we have Kevin, Connor, and Grant acting as representatives of the West (the facial hair is due to the fact that the Eastern Christians thought that the Westerns were barbarians. . .and barbarians have beards. Get it?!). Would only that the 11th Century Orthodox Christians heard such moving testimony for the beliefs of the Catholic faith. Perhaps the world would be a better place. . .maybe. . .probably not.

To the victor. . .

Sorry for the delay. Above we have Jerry and Tessa, two newly inducted "Clark Scholars," reaping the rewards of diligent study. Students who achieve the highest possible scores on my evaluations are inducted into the Chlark Scholars (by having their names included in the monthly "Good News"). They are then given the choice of receiving candy, a homework pass, or holding my snake, Clark (hence the name).