Happy New Year! I hope that all of you were able to rest and relax with your families during break. We were so happy to see the students back in class on Wednesday and students were happy to be back with their classmates, sharing stories about their Christmas and adventures over break. This week, we will be ending the Christmas season with the celebration of the Epiphany of the Lord on Sunday, January 7th.
During the month of January, we begin our day praying, “Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.” This Beatitude is wonderfully explained by Pope Francis when he said, “Jesus proclaims in this Beatitude…that there is a thirst that will not be disappointed; a thirst that, if satisfied, will be sated and will always end well, because it corresponds to the very heart of God, to His Holy Spirit Who is love, and also to the seed that the Holy Spirit has sown in our hearts. May the Lord give us this grace: to have this thirst for justice which is precisely the desire to find it, to see God and to do good to others.” This goes with our January value of justice.
Christmas Show
Thank you to all of our family and friends who attended our Christmas Show. It was a wonderful and joyous event. The students were excited to share the songs they had been working on. If you were unable to attend or would like to rewatch it, please check our Facebook page “St. Anthony of Padua Grade School Families, Alumni & Friends”. A video and pictures from the Christmas Show have been posted there.
Congratulations to our December Students of the Month!These students were recognized for their cooperation at school. Congratulations to Sullivan D’Angelo (PK3), Milan Gregory (PK4), Andrew Jakotowicz (K), Nicholas Savko (1st), Nathaniel Pinkney (2nd), Jameson Fernandes (3rd), Megan Zweidinger (4th), Brennan Lott (5th), Luke Hayes (6th), Cameron Steele (7th), and Drake Taylor (8th). Way to go!
Happy 70th Birthday to our school!!!
This year, 2024, marks the 70th anniversary of our school. To get even our youngest students excited, we will be referring to it as the school’s 70th Birthday. We would like to celebrate our school and help continue our mission by having a Day of Giving. Other schools in the Diocese have had great success with this. This will be our first! It is a chance for you to show your school pride, share the good news about our school with the greater community, and help ensure that our school is sustainable for the future. We have not had an annual appeal or Annual Giving Fund since 2020. For those of you new to us, we always had an Annual Giving Fund, asking all families to contribute a tax deductible $100 with all money going directly to the school. Parents would reach out to grandparents and other family members or their place of employment for a tax deductible match. Look for more information to come. Save the date for February 29th! Help us LEAP into our anniversary celebration year!
Salesianum Seniors Internship
This week, a group of twelve Salesianum seniors started a brief internship in our school. These gentlemen are observing our teachers and the amazing job they do. They are acting as teacher assistants in each room. Our students are especially enjoying these new friends in the classroom. They are reading stories, working in small groups, helping individual students, working on crafts, and seeing what teachers do on a day to day basis. They are getting their hands and school pants dirty at recess as well. Our students love asking them questions and playing with them at recess and gym. We will miss them when they leave next week and hope they come back to visit again after they leave us.
Box Tops for Education
Earn money for our school with a few easy steps! Look for the “Box Tops” label on products you have already purchased, download the app, and scan your receipt. It is that simple.Look for a flyer to come home next week about this program. We just received a check today for $40 from only 3 families using this app. Thank you to our friends who most recently shopped at BJ’s, ShopRite, ACME, Walmart, and Food Lion. You can see your contribution on the app 🙂
Catholic Schools Week
Catholic Schools Week is coming up quickly! We will be celebrating from Sunday, January 28th to Saturday, February 3rd. There will be fun activities and treats for students and staff throughout the week. A schedule will be sent home soon.
Home and School’s Joe Corbi Fundraiser is returning On January 23rd, the order forms and information will arrive and the fundraiser will begin. Orders will be accepted through February 13th, and the delivery date will be March 20th. I look forward to cookie dough, cheesecakes, and pizza, as I will be running out of holiday treats by then for sure.
Financial Assistance for Tuition
This is a reminder that the deadline to apply for the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington 2024-2025 tuition assistance through FACTS is January 31, 2024. There are no exceptions. FACTS must receive the application and required documentation* no later than January 31. The diocese cannot consider late or incomplete applications. Tuition assistance will only be granted to those families whose children (K-12) are officially registered in a diocesan inter-parochial or parish school. Those not registered will not be awarded tuition assistance.
WE ARE ACCEPTING 2022 W-2s. YOU DO NOT NEED TO WAIT FOR 2023 W-2s.
Reminder – Next Friday, January 12th is a noon dismissal with NO AFTERCARE, and school is CLOSED Monday, January 15th in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
School is closed on Monday, January 22nd for a Teacher Professional Development Day
Winter Blessings,
Mrs. Judith J. White, Principal
“Like the Magi, let us set out, clothing ourselves in light, following the star of Jesus, adoring the Lord with our whole selves.” ~ Pope Francis