Tiger Talk! March 31, 2023

Dear School Family, 

March has been our busiest month by far. We continue to Love throughout Lent.You showed your genuine concern for our former teacher, Mrs. Hidalgo, rallying and supporting her by donating over $2,900 towards her recovery so far. I cant wait to share this with her family. They are lovely people. I was blessed to have her as a teacher and to attend this school with her children.She still lives in our school neighborhood. Thank you for reaching out into the community to help a family in need keep their loved one at home. 

Thank you to Father Sleeva Raju Kala for guiding our students in Stations of the Cross this Lent. Father Sleeva walked from Station to Station in the Church with two candle bearers to read a reflection for each Station. 3rd through 8th grades were reverent as we prayed The Way of The Cross for Young Children.This version of the Stations walks the children through Jesuss journey and relates Jesuss struggles to those struggles children face in their everyday lives. Congratulations to our March Students of the Month!March Students of the Month were recognized by their teachers for being fair. Being fair can be hard, but fair is not always equal! Students show fairness by following rules and directions in a calm and respectful manner.Congratulations to Leo Casale (PK3), Sophia Kapa (PK4), Jade Jackson (K), Tristan Ford (1st), Matthew Savko (2nd), Luke Scarpato (3rd), Lola Monaghan (4th), Dominic Arters (5th), Mason Carroll (6th), Christopher Walker (7th), and Gideon Keen (8th). Way to go! 

Middle States Visit

Our Middle States visit is now complete, and I could not be more proud of our school and everyone who makes it the amazing place that it is. It was a privilege to have had fresh eyes on our school to give us an honest opinion of their impressions. Our team consisted of two teachers from Pennsylvania and a religious sister who is a principal in Pennsylvania as well. The visit began on Sunday with a welcome dinner and tour of the facility and ended on Wednesday with the Middle States team reading a brief report to the faculty and staff based on their observations and their multiple interviews. Some of the things noted by the team was first and foremost that our studentsfavorite thing about St. Anthonys is the teachers. The parents and students also consider this to be a home for them where they feel safe and loved. Parish trustees, our pastor, and stakeholders all shared their pride with the visiting team. Our Superintendent, Dr. Lou DeAngelo, stopped by to meet the visiting team members and visit classrooms. Our Associate Superintendent, Carol Ripken, joined us for our welcome dinner and took part in the stakeholder interviews. Both superintendents shared that our school is welcoming to all and has a strong leadership team and the most friendly and welcoming children and staff. The Middle States team noted that our teachers are all very qualified and stronger than they realized. Our teachers always downplay their abilities and qualifications, but you and I know how awesome our teachers truly are! The team also noted that our school does a wonderful job ensuring we care for the whole child, socially, emotionally, and academically, by having a full-time special education teacher and a full-time counselor. I look forward to receiving the written report. It could take up to six weeks to receive the final written report. I wish I had taken notes, but I was trying to contain my pride and excitement as the countless commendations were being read aloud. Most importantly, the team recommended us for Reaccreditation for the next seven years. I want to say Thank You!once again to all of the people who came to meet our Middle States team. I appreciate you taking time out of your busy work schedules and time away from your families. It means a great deal to Mr. Shields and me. 

Upcoming Important Dates:

April 6th – Noon Dismissal with NO AFTERCARE 

Joe Corbi Order pick-up. More details will follow! 

April 7th – April 16th – Easter Break 

April 17th – School Reopens 

April 22nd – Beef and Beer School Fundraiser – 7:00- 11:00pm in the Ballad Room 

April 29th – YAC Banquet at Padua Academy 

May 3rd – Evening of Sacred Music – 6:30pm at St. John the Beloved – our Antonians will be singing! 

May 10th – May Procession 

May 18th – Field Day 

May 19th – Spring Band Concert – 2:00pm in the Gym May 24th – State of the School/Thank You Party for Parents May 25th – Noon Dismissal with NO AFTERCARE May 26th – May 29th – School Closed for Memorial Day weekend 

May 31st – 8th Grade Graduation – 6:30pm in the Church June 7th – Noon Dismissal – NO AFTERCARE 

June 8th – Last Day of School – 10:30am dismissal June 11th – June 18th – St. Anthonys Italian Festival! 

New Safety Protocol

Anyone who knows me knows that the safety and the happiness of my students and staff is the most important thing to me. I have lost countless nights of sleep recently reviewing our building access. Although we have been given an excellent review of our building safety and safety procedures, there is always room for improvement. I ask for your patience and understanding as I continue to take additional precautions to keep our school family safe. 

I asked our facilities crew to remove the bright orange sign over the front doors main entrance. We now have a camera view all the way out to the street and visibility seeing all cars coming up the street and parking in front of the school. The lobby is brighter now as well. 

We have three sets of double glass doors when you enter our building. Two of those have always been left open during the day. Occasionally, parents have come in and we have allowed them to enter the Kindergarten classroom or walk their child to class (if late). Moving forward, parents MUST report to the main office. Nobody will have access to the building or any classrooms unless they have made an appointment in advance and have checked into the office first. There will be no drop-ins made to classrooms. You can email your childs teacher or leave a message for your childs teacher in the main office, but there will be no unannounced classroom interruptions during our school hours of 7:30am until 3pm. The front doors of the school will be closed at 7:50am when the first bell rings and anyone entering after that time will be marked late. From 7:30-7:50am there are three adults in the main lobby: myself, Mr. Shields, and Mrs. Hinton. Once the 7:50 bell rings, we disperse and begin announcements and meetings with parents and students in our offices. 

Updated Food Policy – Effective Immediately (3/31/23) St. Anthonys will no longer accept DoorDash/UberEats/GrubHub or other food delivery services for studentslunches. This will reduce the number of visitors (unvetted strangers) entering our building. Yay Lunch is available to all students for lunch delivery and there is the option to pack a lunch for your child. If you are not ordering from Yay Lunch, students should come to school with their lunches and snacks, ready to start the day. 

We will no longer be allowing pizza or other main items for special occasions (student birthdays). The only exception will be when a teacher has planned a party in advance and notified parents of this. 

If there is a special occasion and you would like to send in a treat to the classroom, this must have prior approval from the classroom teacher. We have multiple food allergies throughout the school, so only store bought, individually packaged snacks/desserts will be allowed. Store bought cupcakes are also fine as long as the package is sealed when delivered to school. 

These last few months of school seem to move very fast. For that reason, I am listing important upcoming dates and events for the school and parish. Please remember you can always check the school calendar if you are not sure of an event. 

April’s Catholic Social Teaching

Our Catholic Social Teaching for April is Care for Gods Creation (Matthew 6:25- 34 – Dependence on God; Genesis 1:1-31 – Story of Creation). In the true spirit of our patron saint, St. Francis of Assisi, our 8th Grade has already started living this theme by caring for the smallest and most vulnerable animals. Mrs. Achenbachs homeroom class collaborated with the University of Delawares 4-H Embryology Program. We have 6 healthy, happy, thriving little chicks. What you may not know is that this year we had the unfortunate circumstance of a few chicks dying. Rather than letting them die alone, staff members took chicks home. One chick was taken to Hockessin Animal Hospital where it was humanely euthanized. All chicks were placed lovingly in tiny boxes and given a proper burial by our outstanding facilities crew. 

Preschool Parents

Starting Monday, April 3rd, only one door will be open on Scott Street. All preschool students will enter using the door closest to the main entrance. We will have two adults supervising that one entrance. At dismissal we will have both doors open as usual, as we have 2 adults to supervise each door. Please try to arrive promptly in the morning. The Scott Street door will be locked as soon as the 7:50 bell rings. If you arrive late, your child will have to wait in the lobby until a staff member is available to walk them downstairs. Please have patience, as the mornings are very busy. You may have to wait a few minutes until office staff is able to escort your child to class. 

I wish everyone a most peaceful and restful Lenten season and a very Happy Easter! When we return, I am looking forward to so many fun events for our students and even a few events just for the adults to socialize, relax, and celebrate another successful year. I hope you will mark your calendars to join us. Save the date for our Italian festival! If you have never worked at the festival, you are in for a treat. It is 8 nights of entertainment, food, drinks, fellowship, rides, games, and much more. You will get to interact with your childs teacher in a most unique way. You may be bartending (ABC certification required), serving desserts, working a cash register, manning an entrance gate. You will be amazed by how this entire property is transformed into an event that has over 50,000 visitors. 

Lenten Blessings, 

Mrs. Judith J. White, Principal 

“All things of creation are children of the Father and thus brothers of man. … God wants us to help animals, if they need help. Every creature in distress has the same right to be protected.” 

~ St. Francis of Assisi

for guiding our students in Station of the Cross this Lent. Father Sleeva walked from Station to Station in the Church with two candle bearers to read a reflection for each Station. 3rd through 8th grades were reverent as we prayed The Way of The Cross for Young Children.This version of the Stations walks the children through Jesuss journey and relates Jesuss struggles to those struggles children face in their everyday lives. Congratulations to our March Students of the Month!March Students of the Month were recognized by their teachers for being fair. Being fair can be hard, but fair is not always equal! Students show fairness by following rules and directions in a calm and respectful manner.Congratulations to Leo Casale (PK3), Sophia Kapa (PK4), Jade Jackson (K), Tristan Ford (1st), Matthew Savko (2nd), Luke Scarpato (3rd), Lola Monaghan (4th), Dominic Arters (5th), Mason Carroll (6th), Christopher Walker (7th), and Gideon Keen (8th). Way to go! 

Middle States Visit

Our Middle States visit is now complete, and I could not be more proud of our school and everyone who makes it the amazing place that it is. It was a privilege to have had fresh eyes on our school to give us an honest opinion of their impressions. Our team consisted of two teachers from Pennsylvania and a religious sister who is a principal in Pennsylvania as well. The visit began on Sunday with a welcome dinner and tour of the facility and ended on Wednesday with the Middle States team reading a brief report to the faculty and staff based on their observations and their multiple interviews. Some of the things noted by the team was first and foremost that our studentsfavorite thing about St. Anthonys is the teachers. The parents and students also consider this to be a home for them where they feel safe and loved. Parish trustees, our pastor, and stakeholders all shared their pride with the visiting team. Our Superintendent, Dr. Lou DeAngelo, stopped by to meet the visiting team members and visit classrooms. Our Associate Superintendent, Carol Ripken, joined us for our welcome dinner and took part in the stakeholder interviews. Both superintendents shared that our school is welcoming to all and has a strong leadership team and the most friendly and welcoming children and staff. The Middle States team noted that our teachers are all very qualified and stronger than they realized. Our teachers always downplay their abilities and qualifications, but you and I know how awesome our teachers truly are! The team also noted that our school does a wonderful job ensuring we care for the whole child, socially, emotionally, and academically, by having a full-time special education teacher and a full-time counselor. I look forward to receiving the written report. It could take up to six weeks to receive the final written report. I wish I had taken notes, but I was trying to contain my pride and excitement as the countless commendations were being read aloud. Most importantly, the team recommended us for Reaccreditation for the next seven years. I want to say Thank You!once again to all of the people who came to meet our Middle States team. I appreciate you taking time out of your busy work schedules and time away from your families. It means a great deal to Mr. Shields and me. 

Upcoming Important Dates:

April 6th – Noon Dismissal with NO AFTERCARE 

Joe Corbi Order pick-up. More details will follow! 

April 7th – April 16th – Easter Break 

April 17th – School Reopens 

April 22nd – Beef and Beer School Fundraiser – 7:00- 11:00pm in the Ballad Room 

April 29th – YAC Banquet at Padua Academy 

May 3rd – Evening of Sacred Music – 6:30pm at St. John the Beloved – our Antonians will be singing! 

May 10th – May Procession 

May 18th – Field Day 

May 19th – Spring Band Concert – 2:00pm in the Gym May 24th – State of the School/Thank You Party for Parents May 25th – Noon Dismissal with NO AFTERCARE May 26th – May 29th – School Closed for Memorial Day weekend 

May 31st – 8th Grade Graduation – 6:30pm in the Church June 7th – Noon Dismissal – NO AFTERCARE 

June 8th – Last Day of School – 10:30am dismissal June 11th – June 18th – St. Anthonys Italian Festival! 

New Safety Protocol

Anyone who knows me knows that the safety and the happiness of my students and staff is the most important thing to me. I have lost countless nights of sleep recently reviewing our building access. Although we have been given an excellent review of our building safety and safety procedures, there is always room for improvement. I ask for your patience and understanding as I continue to take additional precautions to keep our school family safe. 

I asked our facilities crew to remove the bright orange sign over the front doors main entrance. We now have a camera view all the way out to the street and visibility seeing all cars coming up the street and parking in front of the school. The lobby is brighter now as well. 

We have three sets of double glass doors when you enter our building. Two of those have always been left open during the day. Occasionally, parents have come in and we have allowed them to enter the Kindergarten classroom or walk their child to class (if late). Moving forward, parents MUST report to the main office. Nobody will have access to the building or any classrooms unless they have made an appointment in advance and have checked into the office first. There will be no drop-ins made to classrooms. You can email your childs teacher or leave a message for your childs teacher in the main office, but there will be no unannounced classroom interruptions during our school hours of 7:30am until 3pm. The front doors of the school will be closed at 7:50am when the first bell rings and anyone entering after that time will be marked late. From 7:30-7:50am there are three adults in the main lobby: myself, Mr. Shields, and Mrs. Hinton. Once the 7:50 bell rings, we disperse and begin announcements and meetings with parents and students in our offices. 

Updated Food Policy – Effective Immediately (3/31/23) St. Anthonys will no longer accept DoorDash/UberEats/GrubHub or other food delivery services for studentslunches. This will reduce the number of visitors (unvetted strangers) entering our building. Yay Lunch is available to all students for lunch delivery and there is the option to pack a lunch for your child. If you are not ordering from Yay Lunch, students should come to school with their lunches and snacks, ready to start the day. 

We will no longer be allowing pizza or other main items for special occasions (student birthdays). The only exception will be when a teacher has planned a party in advance and notified parents of this. 

If there is a special occasion and you would like to send in a treat to the classroom, this must have prior approval from the classroom teacher. We have multiple food allergies throughout the school, so only store bought, individually packaged snacks/desserts will be allowed. Store bought cupcakes are also fine as long as the package is sealed when delivered to school. 

These last few months of school seem to move very fast. For that reason, I am listing important upcoming dates and events for the school and parish. Please remember you can always check the school calendar if you are not sure of an event. 

April’s Catholic Social Teaching

Our Catholic Social Teaching for April is Care for Gods Creation (Matthew 6:25- 34 – Dependence on God; Genesis 1:1-31 – Story of Creation). In the true spirit of our patron saint, St. Francis of Assisi, our 8th Grade has already started living this theme by caring for the smallest and most vulnerable animals. Mrs. Achenbachs homeroom class collaborated with the University of Delawares 4-H Embryology Program. We have 6 healthy, happy, thriving little chicks. What you may not know is that this year we had the unfortunate circumstance of a few chicks dying. Rather than letting them die alone, staff members took chicks home. One chick was taken to Hockessin Animal Hospital where it was humanely euthanized. All chicks were placed lovingly in tiny boxes and given a proper burial by our outstanding facilities crew. 

Preschool Parents

Starting Monday, April 3rd, only one door will be open on Scott Street. All preschool students will enter using the door closest to the main entrance. We will have two adults supervising that one entrance. At dismissal we will have both doors open as usual, as we have 2 adults to supervise each door. Please try to arrive promptly in the morning. The Scott Street door will be locked as soon as the 7:50 bell rings. If you arrive late, your child will have to wait in the lobby until a staff member is available to walk them downstairs. Please have patience, as the mornings are very busy. You may have to wait a few minutes until office staff is able to escort your child to class. 

I wish everyone a most peaceful and restful Lenten season and a very Happy Easter! When we return, I am looking forward to so many fun events for our students and even a few events just for the adults to socialize, relax, and celebrate another successful year. I hope you will mark your calendars to join us. Save the date for our Italian festival! If you have never worked at the festival, you are in for a treat. It is 8 nights of entertainment, food, drinks, fellowship, rides, games, and much more. You will get to interact with your childs teacher in a most unique way. You may be bartending (ABC certification required), serving desserts, working a cash register, manning an entrance gate. You will be amazed by how this entire property is transformed into an event that has over 50,000 visitors. 

Lenten Blessings, 

Mrs. Judith J. White, Principal 

“All things of creation are children of the Father and thus brothers of man. … God wants us to help animals, if they need help. Every creature in distress has the same right to be protected.” 

~ St. Francis of Assisi

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