Tiger Talk!
February 2, 2018
Dear Parents/Guardians,
Today at Mass, we celebrated to Feast of the Presentation of Jesus, when Jesus was presented in the temple. Father Wrightson had a beautiful message about Jesus being the “light of the world” for us. Jesus passed this light onto each one of us. Now we are called to be the light of the world, and we are asked by Jesus to continue in his name by being a light for others. Father reminded us to be nice to others, go the extra mile, and be the best we can be. He told us we should be the light for one another in a world that so desperately needs it. As our Eighth Grade prepared today’s Mass and had many “last” events here at St. Anthony’s this week, I could not help but feel very hopeful about our world. If these young, faith-filled, tolerant, and kind students are any reflection of the light we are sending out into the world, I do believe we have a lot to look forward to. Father said that Catholic Schools Week is not just a week, but a chance to spread the light of the world beyond this week and into the world for the rest of this year.
This week has been a very exciting week for our school and Catholic schools across the country as we celebrate Catholic Schools Week. The theme for Catholic Schools Week is “Catholic Schools: Believe. Learn. Serve. Lead. Succeed.” These 5 words are important to every Catholic school, and here at St. Anthony’s we try (and succeed) to live up to them. When a new family comes to tour the school or a new student starts, a consistent comment made is the sense of belonging and family they feel here. The teachers and staff work hard to make sure all students are learning and succeeding at their level in the classroom. Service is something we work on here, whether it is from activities like drawing pictures and cards for people in nursing homes, collecting socks or food for those in need, or having dress down days to benefit the Childhood Missions. Part of the fun for the students comes from the different events and activities that happened this week.
- Monday was Go Orange Day and we also held our Knowledge Bowl. Our students came out in full force with their orange gear (and so did our teachers!) It was wonderful to see so much school spirit on the first day of Catholic Schools Week. In the afternoon, we held our Knowledge Bowl. I was thoroughly impressed with all the questions our students were able to answer and how much they’ve learned so far this year. What an amazing job!
- Tuesday was Twin Day. Not only did we have twins, we also had triplets and quadruplets. It was stunning to see the lengths our students went to so they could match with their “twin.” Tuesday was also Teacher Appreciation Day. Thank you to our Home and School Association for the delicious lunch they provided to our teachers. Another thank you goes to our Student Council who provided some delicious breakfast treats to our teachers Wednesday morning. It was enjoyed by all.
- Wednesday was Spirit Day. Mrs. Orensky put together a great set of activities appropriate for the different grade levels, and our 8th Grade class did a great job helping during these periods so everything ran smoothly. The scores were very close, but at the end of the day, the Black team came out on top.
- Thursday was Student Appreciation Day. The whole student body went to Penn Cinema to see the movie “Ferdinand.” Our generous Home and School Association paid for the movie and snacks for everyone to enjoy. I can safely say everyone had a great time at the movies.
- Today was the annual 8th Grade vs. Parents Volleyball Game. At the time of writing this the game had not been played, but be sure to check our Facebook page to find the results.
- Thank you for your generosity in donating to our “Soup-er” Bowl! Our families are so giving to others in need.
In additional exciting news, this year is our year to host our Italian guests, as part of our Olevano, Italy, Sister Cities Project. For those of you that are new to our school community, every other year we send 2 to 4 families to Italy to stay with host families. This is an amazing trip. I had the pleasure of going with my daughter when she attended school here. Everything, except the plane ride, is covered by the program. It is typically 10 days and nights in beautiful Olevan sul Tusciano, Italy. The city of Olevano is the sister city to Wilmington, where many Italian immigrants traveled from several years ago. Many of those immigrants are the workers that built our parish.
We are looking for host families here in our parish. Hosting really means simply providing lodging. The program is extremely action packed. There are places set up for you to take your family (or send them without you). The committee plans the itinerary. You simply go along for the ride. Everything is paid for. Meals and special events/tours are included. You may have to occasionally have coffee or a pastry in the morning, but that would be the extent of it. They typically do not eat breakfast.
As you can see I am excited about this possibility rolling around again. Typically it is held during the school year. This year, the program should run from June 8th through the following week. They would like to be here to be a part of our Italian festival. Please consider hosting!
If you host a family, you get to experience Italy the following year. Olevano is a small town on a mountain. I can’t even begin to describe its beauty and the warmth of family that you will encounter. You will stay in Italy and travel with the other school families (typically 2-3 families, possibly more). You see the sights, learn the culture, enjoy the food, and are treated like absolute royalty. The government there welcomes you and the people of the town are instant friends for a lifetime. No words can express the joy and fun we experienced. You do not need to speak Italian. They have translators, and the children will entertain you with Google translate (not always literal, but definitely comical). We alternate years for traveling. Our students and parents go to Italy one year, and then they come here the following year. Typically one parent and child make the trip, but entire families are welcome to go. I hope you consider hosting a family. It is definitely worthwhile! Please contact me if you have any questions.
School News
Congratulations to our Knights of Columbus Essay Winners! – Congratulations to Caitlyn Kowalski (5th), Jack Aloi (6th), Neha George (7th), and Gracie Hillis (8th). Each grade had a different essay topic to write about and these students’ essays will be going to the state competition.
Congratulations to our January Students of the Month! January’s virtue was “wisdom.” Congratulations to Mason Knoff (PK3), Iago Ramos (PK4), Noel Pulliam (K), Desmond Denny (1st), Jessica Garcia (2nd), Nathan Minor (3rd), Colin Hannan (4th), Richie Jakotowicz (5th), Connor Quinlan (6th), Neha George (7th), and Leah Rizzo (8th)! Keep up the good work!
Aftercare Sign-out Procedure – For the safety of our children, the two-step sign out procedure for Aftercare must be followed. First, a parent or authorized adult must stop at the school office and sign the sign-out sheet. Second, the parent or authorized adult must physically go down to the Aftercare room to get the child. This step provides a second measure of safety for the children in that the Aftercare staff will visually identify the adult who is taking charge of the child. Parents and other adults are not to text their children and tell them to meet them in the lobby or to leave the building and go to the adult’s car. Failure to comply with this procedure will result in losing Aftercare service.
Yearbooks are for sale! – Yearbooks can be purchased online at http://jostensyearbooks.com/?
. If you would prefer to send in cash or check orders, please send $30 in an envelope with your child’s name, grade, and Attention Ms. Palmer. Checks should be made out to St. Anthony of Padua School.
Financial Aid for the 2018-2019 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. 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. Please contact Mr. Shields or Mrs. Serio with any questions.
*Reminder – Financial aid packets have to be completed and submitted by March 5th.
Padua Academy’s Musical Theater Program will be performing “The Addams Family” on Friday, 2/16, and Saturday, 2/17, at 7:30 P.M. and on Sunday, 2/18, at 2:00 P.M. If you are interested, tickets can be purchased at the door for $10. For further information, please contact Lisa Kowalski at lkowalksi@paduaacademy.org.
Business Office News
Tax Statements Available Through FACTs – Families using the FACTs program can quickly and easily create a payment summary of their account. This is especially helpful to our PreSchool families.
- By simply clicking “View Printable Payments Summary” on the Payments tab, you can retrieve and print a summary of payments for the 2017 year or any other specified timeframe. Each payment summary contains the date range, family name, subaccounts, and the school‘s Federal Tax ID number.
Parish News
February Social – Our next parish social will be held on Sunday, February 4th, in the Ballad Room of the Grade School, following the 9:00 A.M. and 11:00 A.M. Masses. Our Antonians will be singing this Sunday. 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, delicious breakfast pizzas from Degnars Greenhill Deli, and a variety of foods.
Important Dates – Please continue to check our school website (https://sapgs.org
) for upcoming events and information. Also like our Facebook page to see more photos from our events.
- February 5th – Student Council Meeting – Preschool – 3:00 – 3:30 P.M.
- February 8th – 1st Grade Field Trip – Cab Calloway – Seussical, Jr.
- February 11th – Boy Scout Pancake Breakfast – 7:00 A.M – 2:00 P.M. – Ballad Room
- February 12th – Math League at St. Anthony’s – 3:30 P.M.
- February 14th –Ash Wednesday
- Grotto’s Night – Pennsylvania Avenue – 4:00 – 9:00 P.M.
- February 15th – School Spelling Bee – Gym – 1:30 P.M.
- February 16th – No School for Students – Teachers’ Professional Development
- February 19th – No School – Presidents’ Day
Peace and Blessings,
Mrs. White and Mr. Shields
“Let us thank all those who teach in Catholic Schools. Educating is an act of love; it is like giving life.”
~ Pope Francis