Dear School Family,
I hope you are having a wonderful summer. We have been so busy here. I feel like it
has been forever since I sent out a communication. I have several new staff members
to introduce to you. It will prove to be an exciting year. Our Diocesan theme for this
school year will be “One Body in Christ”. We will teach that each person is “sacred”
and “social” and that we all have “rights and responsibilities” to care for people,
especially those who are “poor and vulnerable”. “Solidarity” is our call. We will
discuss that workers have rights and that “work” has dignity. And we will teach
that we care for “creation.”
Now, let’s get to all of our new staff; some you may know! I was fortunate to have
applicants within our diocese and/or with some connection to our school and parish.
Two of my new hires are actually former students of Mr. Limmina.
Danny Teasdale, father of Maddie and Liam, will be the Second Grade Teacher
Assistant with Ms. Wolfe. Danny has served our YAC as a coach for student
athletics. He is recently retired and has decided to join our school family on a daily
basis.
Carole Trzepacz, former Teacher Assistant will be the Administrative Assistant in
the main office and will work Monday through Wednesday. We couldn’t let her retire
too soon. She will also serve as YAC (Youth Activities/Sports) President.
Roseann Detlefson, mother of Julian, will be our Grade School Secretary in the main
office on Thursdays and Fridays. Roseann is a former teacher who has been working
in the office as a volunteer on a regular basis. Roseann has served on our Home and
School Board in many capacities.
Kimberly Galloway will be our new Sixth Grade Homeroom Teacher and teacher of
Middle School Language Arts. Kimberly is licensed by the State of Delaware as an
English Language Arts Teacher. You may see Kim and her family at 5pm Mass on
Sundays with Father Zumbrum.
Sydney de Brabandar is a Padua Academy and West Chester University graduate.
She is licensed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. She will be teaching Pk-8 Art
in the afternoons and will be the Teacher Assistant in First Grade every morning.
Katelyn Shepheard, our new Kindergarten Teacher, is dual certified in Delaware as an
Elementary Teacher (Grades K-6) and a Special Education Teacher of Students with
Disabilities (Grades K-12). Katelyn earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree from
Wilmington University.
Shayne Hinton, our new School Counselor earned her BS in Psychology at Neumann
University and her MED (Major Elementary and Secondary School Counseling). She
is certified by the state of Delaware as both an Elementary and Secondary School
Counselor.
Shelby Kapa will be our new PreK 3 Teacher. Shelby holds Bachelor of Behavioral
Sciences and Master of Science Degrees from Wilmington University. Shelby is
certified by the Delaware Department of Education as an Early Childhood Teacher.
She also completed the course Administration of Medication Certification.
Dr. Carly Campana is a parishioner who comes to us from within the Diocese of
Wilmington. She will be teaching Gym and Middle School Spanish. Carly graduated
from York College with a BA in Spanish and a BS is Sociology. Postgraduate work
was completed at Wilmington University, earning a Master’s in TESOL and a
Doctorate in Educational Leadership. Carly holds Delaware certification as a World
Language Teacher (Spanish K-12).
As you can see, I have spent most of the summer interviewing people. I take this
responsibility very seriously and strive to put not only highly qualified candidates in
place but those with big hearts who love students. I am thrilled with the results of
these searches. All of our new staff members bring with them an energy and
enthusiasm that is so refreshing. They can’t wait to meet you.
I look forward to seeing all of you on Thursday, August 25th from 5-7 pm for Meet
the Teacher Night!
There are several other plans for growth and improvement in our school and parish,
but I wanted this Tiger Talk to highlight our growing school family. I will keep these
updates very brief.
We received a grant to purchase new Chromebooks for the incoming Eighth grade
class. The students are not aware of this. They will pilot this project. We have had a
huge success with iPads in grades 4-8. This will be a new experience. I thank Mr.
Hernandez and Mr. Shields for their work behind the scenes filling out paperwork and
following up on grant money. That is tedious work but it always benefits our
students.
This grant will also provide money for new and upgraded security cameras and the
replacement of all exterior school doors. Those doors have been here since I attended
this school in the 70’s. It is time for a little facelift; for the school, not me, I hope 🙂
I want to thank Miguel and Victoria Pezellin for their hard work this summer. They
have been stripping, cleaning, and waxing the floors in this heat advisory and have
been working non-stop since the Festival ended. The place is really shining!
A special shout out to our small but very strong Facilities Crew; Jhony and Miguel! It
is stunning what you have accomplished since May. I come and go every day/night and
they are always here before and after me.
And a huge note of gratitude to Mr. Shields. I believe he is the most humble and hard
working person on staff in this parish. He works quietly behind the scenes in almost
every aspect of parish and school life. He and I plan to give a State of the School
address in the coming future to share with you our plans for the future. This year of
Middle States Re-Accreditation has reminded us of how blessed we are to be part of
a parish school with such great school families.
Please be sure to check out our new school website. It is a work in progress. Mr.
Hernandez is giving it a more modern look! Our school calendar is updated, and Ms.
Abby continues to add things daily. The school’s Family Handbook will be available
shortly.
Our new mission inspires and motivates us daily. It drives every decision we make. I
guarantee you that you couldn’t find two people more dedicated to partnering with
you for your child’s success than Mr. Shields and me. I welcome all of our new
families, and I hope that you will be as happy here as Mr. Shields and I have been
with the education our children received here. The past two years were difficult,
but we are coming back strong and ready to be better than ever. We will be
tightening up discipline and ensuring that students follow school rules, the dress
code, and take their schoolwork seriously. The first day of school we will talk about
our Diocesan theme, our school motto to “Be who you are and be that well,” and
our high expectations.
I pray this summer has been a restful and peaceful one for you and your families. I
hope this email finds you all happy and healthy. Stay safe!
We are still looking to hire a full-time nurse. They must hold a BSN or RN. Please
spread the word! It is a great job opportunity that is only for 9 months 🙂 We are
currently using Indeed but would love to hire someone with an internal reference.
Summer Blessings,
Mrs. Judith J. White
Princi-PAL