Tiger Talk!
December 16, 2016
Dear Parents/Guardians,
We are still “waiting with patience and joy” around here in this Advent season. Our Home and School Board has kept us all very entertained recently. The students have shopped with personal assistants. They had Breakfast with Santa. These events took a lot of preparation, and the end result was a really good time.
I had the pleasure of attending a field trip with 6th and 7th Grade students to Dickinson High School where we saw a wonderful production of many classics. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow was one of 4 reenactments we were able to enjoy together. (Some of our students decided to try reenacting it for me.)
On Tuesday, I saw A Christmas Carol at the Delaware Children’s Theatre with the 8th Grade. We were able to stay after the show and ask the actors many questions. We learned about theatre production, puppetry, and much more about the behind-the-scenes life of a play.
All of our students have been participating in the Monday morning Advent prayer service and the lighting of our Advent wreath. The youngest students are fascinated by the battery operated candles they can light and leave “burning” for extended periods of time. Father Nick reminded us last Friday at Mass that the true gifts in our lives are our children. His message was a simple one for everyone to understand. We are all gifts to each other and we should treat each other as gifts from God, each with our own special qualities. In this busy time of year, I wish for you and your families to find peace, quiet time to relax, to see the beauty around you, and to count your many blessings.
I ask that you keep Nick Mercantini and his family in your prayers, as they will be celebrating the Christmas holiday at A.I. DuPont Hospital for Children. Nick continues to receive medical care 24/7; however, he is no longer in the Intensive Care Unit. He remains on the third floor, across the hall from where my own son and I spent a year and a half. Nick is receiving excellent care, and his grandmother remains vigilantly at his side. Nick is currently improving with his physical therapy. He is able to move his head and stick his tongue out to indicate “yes” to questions asked of him. His eyes are better focused than a month ago. He is alert for the majority of the day as well. He remains paralyzed from the neck down, but the medical staff is working very hard with him to learn to speak again. He has been able to quietly speak a few words (with a lot of effort), and he smiles again when friends visit. Every sound he makes is a “gift” to his family. Every smile is a “gift.” Every day is a true blessed “gift.” I pray that your families have a blessed and happy Christmas filled with many “gifts.”
School News
Thank you to all who attended our Christmas Show today. It was a fantastic show with the 8th Grade acting as our stagehands and emcees. Our students look forward to these festivities every year and work hard to memorize their songs. Thank you for coming to share these special memories with our students.
- For those who didn’t know, on Thursday, we had our Christmas Dress down Day. Our students were certainly festive with all their Christmas shirts, sweaters, and accessories. I must share this one photo from that day. This is 6th grader Mateo Ahumada and Mr. Limmina, who both had a certain Christmas style that day.
Congratulations to our October Students of the Month! We somehow missed including the names of our October students of the month in November’s Tiger Talk. We want to make sure these students are recognized for their “Joy”fulness in our school. October’s Fruit of the Holy Spirit was “Joy.” Congratulations to Sky Livingston (PreK 3), Lejin Waitieh-Kabehl (PreK 4), Mason Carroll (K), NunNu Chen (1st), Natalie Krevchuck (2nd), Faye Kelleher (3rd), Hannah McGuigan (4th), Brianna Ramos (5th), Kyle Reynolds (6th), Joey Mazalewski (7th), and Danny Piergalline (8th). Great job!
Congratulations to our 8th Graders who received the Sacrament of Confirmation! As always, it was a beautiful service and the students enjoyed the opportunity to talk to Bishop Malooley and receive this holy Sacrament.
Reminder – Please do not enter your child’s classroom in the mornings after the 7:30 A.M. bell has rung unless you have an appointment with the teacher. This is a very hectic time for teachers, getting the students organized and ready for the day. Please stop in the main office if you need to leave a message for a teacher. I have recently noticed parents entering classrooms to speak to teachers. All teachers need to be vigilant and supervise the entire class and attend to student needs. This takes attention away from the students. Teachers are not available to meet with parents during the school day without an appointment. I appreciate your cooperation with this.
Thank you to all families who donated books to Book ‘em, a literacy initiative run by the Wilmington Police! 7th Grader Cara Quinlan organized this service project on her own and our school families donated over 1,000 books. Cara and the Wilmington Police thank you for your generosity!
St. Nicholas Day – On December 6th, some of our youngest students received a visit from St. Nicholas. As with the tradition, each student left a shoe in the hallway and St. Nick left a present in it for them. Their faces explain the happiness they felt from this special visit.
Financial Aid for the 2017-2018 School Year – Financial aid packets are now available in the main office. A parent must come into the school office to sign out a packet. Students may not bring them home. All parents applying for financial aid to our school MUST apply to the Diocese first. This is a new policy. Please be aware that without a completed application to the Diocese, a family will not be considered for financial aid through our parish education fund. This is a new policy. Please contact Mr. Shields or Mrs. Serio with any questions.
Social Media News – In some exciting social media news, our Facebook page will be up and running next week. The page is called St. Anthony of Padua Grade School Families, Alumni, & Friends. Please like and share our page! We will be posting school updates and events that will be happening at St. Anthony’s. Let’s get the word out there about how awesome our school is!
From the School Nurse
Too Sick for School?
Below are some guidelines to help you make the decision about when to keep your child home from school. The recommendations are based on the guidelines provided by the Communicable Disease Program of the Department of Health and Human Services. They were developed to help prevent the spread of potentially contagious disease.
Keep your child home if he/she has any of the following symptoms:
| Symptom | Explanation |
| Fever | Greater than 100.5 F. May return when fever-free for 24 hours (WITHOUT the use of fever-reducing medication). |
| Vomiting | Any unexplained episode in the past 24 hours. May return 24 hours after last episode. |
| Diarrhea | Three or more unexplained episodes of watery or loose stools in 24 hours OR sudden onset of loose stools. May return 24 hours after last episode. |
| Rash | Any new rash accompanied by a fever. May return after rash goes away or clearance given by a health care provider. |
| Skin Lesions (Sores) | Drainage from a sore that cannot be contained within a bandage OR sores are increasing in size OR new sores are developing day-to-day. |
| Cough | Serious, sustained coughing, shortness of breath, or difficulty breathing. |
| Other | Symptoms that prevent the student from active participation in usual school activities OR student is requiring more care than school staff can safely provide. |
Home is the best place for a child who is ill.
Technology Department News
For the first Tiger Talk Technology section, we have two topics to mention.
• The first is our new content filtering hardware. Previously we were filtering what students were able to view with an old server that required maintenance and very expensive software. By replacing it with CIPAfilter CF250, we are able to reduce the maintenance time and reduce our expenses. In the future we will be able to filter content even when students are using their Saint Anthony’s iPads at home. CIPAfilter specializes in filtering content for schools and have been providing this service for over a decade.
• The other topic of interest is our visitor coming Monday, December 19th at 9:00 A.M. The Delaware Department of Technology & Information will present on the topic of Cyber Safety for grades 3- 8. Students will learn about bullying, information they should not post online, and other important topics.
o On Wednesday, you should have received a related pamphlet titled “The Parent’s Guide to Cyberbullies,” detailing how to notice bullying and what to do if it happens. Please read the material and feel free to discuss it with your student if you haven’t already.
Parish News
Parish Monthly Social-Epiphany Sunday – Our next parish social will be held on Epiphany Sunday, January 8th, in the Ballad Room of the Grade School, following the 9:00 A.M. and 11:00 A.M. Masses. Stop by for food, fun, and socializing with fellow parishioners and friends. The social, as always, will feature a variety of great treats from Serpe’s Bakery.
• SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: We will feature our traditional Epiphany Pageant at the 11:00 A.M. Mass on Epiphany Sunday–a treasured tradition of the Christmas season at St. Anthony’s.
Hope you can make it!
Business Office News
Tuition Payment Dates – Occasionally a family may need to adjust a tuition payment date. This is to inform you that the Business Office will need a minimum of 3 business days’ notice to change that date. If you should need a date changed please contact Lisa via email at lserio@stanthonynet.org or at 302-421-3707.
Important Dates
• December 19th – Advent Prayer Service – Lobby – 8:00 A.M.
• Cyber Bullying Presentation – 3rd – 8th Grade – Ballad Room – 9:00 A.M.
• December 21st – Noon Dismissal – Professional Development for teachers
• December 23, 2016 – January 2, 2017 – Christmas Break – No School
• January 3rd – School Resumes
• January 5th – Math League – St. Anthony’s – 3:00 P.M.
• January 8th – Parish Social – Ballad Room – After 9:00 A.M. and 11:00 A.M. Masses
• January 9th – Student Council Meeting – PreSchool – 3:00 – 3:30 P.M.
• January 13th – Martin Luther King, Jr. Prayer Service – 2:00 P.M.
• January 16th – No School – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
• January 18th – Home and School General Meeting – Ballad Room – 6:30 P.M.
• January 20th – Trimester 2 Interim
• January 22nd – Open House – 12:00 – 3:00 P.M.
Our next Tiger Talk will be after the New Year! Have a blessed Christmas and a very Happy New Year!
Christmas Blessings,
Mrs. White and Mr. Shields
“Patience will bring you perpetual peace and tranquility.” ~ St. Francis de Sales