Dear Parents/Guardians,
Today at Mass during his homily, Father Nick spoke to us about making mistakes. In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus talks to his followers about allowing others to make mistakes. Father Nick used the example of a weatherman making weather predictions that do not come true. Even when the weatherman is wrong, they still get to keep their job. Just like the weatherman, we are allowed to make mistakes and have misunderstandings. Father Nick explained that not one of us is perfect and we should use the mistakes we make and what we learn from them to keep getting better. Jesus will always forgive us and give us another chance. And as always we should “Be who we are, and be that well.”
School News
Grandparents’ Day – Thank you to everyone for inviting grandparents and special people to Grandparents’ Day! The day was wonderful with the halls and classrooms filled with smiling and proud grandparents. Children were thrilled to share their work, snacks, games, and time with their special people. We had a lovely prayer service, and Father Nick told the children stories about his own grandmother. The Antonians sang independently this time, without the leadership of Mr. Colligan, and they did an excellent job. At the end of the prayer service, Student Council officers had their induction ceremony and all representatives and alternates received their Student Council pins. We had the Scholastic Book Fair going on throughout the day, and Clifford the Big Red Dog was here to visit students and classrooms.
I want to give a special thank you to Mrs. Lynn DeLuca, Mrs. Melissa Farrell, and Mrs. Giovanna Ortiz for hosting a beautiful reception in the Ballad Room. There was a delicious buffet of breakfast treats, pumpkin spiced latte, and an adorable photo opportunity. I shared with the grandparents all of the great things happening here at our school. They were excited to hear that our school is thriving, our library was being transformed, we are 22 students above budget, and we have a growing staff.
- To see more pictures from Grandparents’ Day and all upcoming events, please follow us on Facebook. You can find us as Anthony of Padua Grade School Families, Alumni & Friends.
Priesthood Sunday – Today we visited the rectory to drop off Spiritual Bouquets for our priests. Each student made a card for one of our priests to thank them for their dedicated service. Students did a very nice job decorating the cards, saying Rosaries for our priests, and sharing notes of support and gratitude. We are blessed to have such wonderful role models for our youth. This Sunday is Priesthood Sunday. Please take a minute to thank our priests for all they do for us. We really are fortunate to have these gentlemen in our midst.
Congratulations to our Varsity Girls Volleyball Team! We are pleased to announce that our Varsity Girls team has such a fantastic record this year (first place in their division) that they have advanced all the way to the semi-final game on their way to a Championship. The girls will play in the semi-final game on November 4th at 10:00 A.M. at the Sanford School. When the girls win that game, they will advance to the championship game on Sunday, November 5th at 1:15 also at the St. E’s Center at St. Elizabeth’s.
Pick-up Safety/Parking reminders – This week, we witnessed two children almost get hit by a car because people were in such a hurry. Please slow down! Please do not park on the city sidewalks when waiting to pick up your children. Use the parking lot and the four city blocks that surround our campus. Across the street is a city bus zone. Please do not park in it. It is a parking violation, and you can be ticketed. Also, remember in the morning to please pull forward as far as possible when dropping off a child. Do not park your car in front of school if you plan to exit the car, even if simply walking your child into school. This creates a traffic jam and safety issue. If you will be exiting your car, please park it somewhere other than our drop-off zone in the front of the school.
Halloween party tonight! – I hope to see everyone there tonight from 6:30-8:30 P.M. This is always a very well attended event. I just want to remind parents that our Haunted House is “haunted.” Our 8th Grade students have worked very hard to create a scary and fun activity that is intended for the older students. There will be a clown inside of the house. Please use your discretion when letting small children enter. The rest of the event is geared to the younger students.
Halloween Dress-Up – On Tuesday, October 31st, students are allowed to dress-up in their Halloween costumes with a minimum donation of $1.00. All donations will be going to support Mateo Ahumada and his family. A few reminders:
- Students must wear sneakers only. (Tuesday is a Gym Day.)
- Face paint and TEMPORARY hair dye is allowed.
- No masks, blood, weapons, or gore is allowed.
Any student not following these rules will be calling home to have their uniform brought to them.
Join the Bishop’s 5K Run/Walk – On Saturday, November 18th, Catholic Charities and the Diocese of Wilmington will be holding a 5K Run/Walk in Bellevue Park with a start time of 10:00 A.M. Visit https://www.bishops5k.com for more information or to register.
Parish News
Altar Servers – The parish is looking for more altar servers. Altar servers must be in grades 5 and up. If your child is interested, please be sure to have them notify their homeroom teacher. All altar servers, new and old, will be going through some training classes in the upcoming months. More information will be available soon.
November Parish Monthly Socials – Please join us for the November monthly parish socials to be held on Sunday, November 5th after the 9:00 A.M. and 11:00 A.M. Masses in the Ballad Room of the grade school. Enjoy a variety of great food, including tomato pie and donuts from Serpe’s Bakery, breakfast pizza from Degnars Greenhill Deli, and other delicious food selections including mini-bagels and fresh fruit while catching up with fellow parishioners and friends. Hope to see you there!
Upcoming Events
- Sunday, October 28th – Open House at St. Mark’s – 12:30 P.M.
- Open House at Archmere Academy – 12:30 P.M.
- Tuesday, October 31st – Halloween Dress-Up Day (Please see above for info.)
- Math League Practice – Middle School – 3:00-4:00 P.M.
- Girls on the Run – 3:00 – 4:15 P.M.
- Wednesday, November 1st – All Saints Day Mass – 8:00 A.M.
- Thursday, November 2nd – Girls on the Run – 3:00 – 4:15 P.M.
- Math League Practice – Middle School – 3:00-4:00 P.M.
- Saturday, November 4th –
- Varsity Girls Volleyball Semi-Final Game – Sanford School – 10:00 A.M.
- Sunday, November 5th – Open House at Salesianum – 12:30 P.M.
- Open House at Sts. Peter and Paul High School – 1:00 P.M.
- Monthly Parish Social – Ballad Room – After 9:00 A.M. and 11:00 A.M. Mass
- Varsity Girls Volleyball Championship Game– St. E’s Center at St. Elizabeth’s – 1:15 P.M.
- Monday, November 6th – Student Council Meeting – PreSchool – 3:00 – 3:30 P.M.
- Tuesday, November 7th – Math League Practice – Middle School – 3:00- 4:00 P.M.
- Girls on the Run – 3:00 – 4:15 P.M.
- Wednesday, November 8th – Grotto’s Pizza Night – Pennsylvania Ave. – 4:00-9:00 P.M.
- Thursday, November 9th – 5th Grade Field Trip – Franklin Institute – 8:30 A.M.-2:30 P.M.
- Girls on the Run – 3:00 – 4:15 P.M.
- Friday, November 10th – Noon Dismissal – No AfterCare – Professional Development
- Home and School Designer Bag Bingo – Gym – 7:00 P.M.
- Sunday, November 12th – Open House at St. Thomas Moore – 12:00 P.M.
- Monday, November 13th – 8th Grade Confirmation Meeting – Ballad Room – 6:15 P.M.
- Tuesday, November 14th – Girls on the Run – 3:00 – 4:15 P.M.
- Spirit Night –Chipotle on Kirkwood Highway – 4:00-8:00 P.M.
- Wednesday, November 15th – First Reconciliation
- Thursday, November 16th – Girls on the Run – 3:00 – 4:15 P.M.
- Saturday, November 18th and Sunday, November 19th
- Entrance Exam – Salesianum School
- Admissions/Scholarship Test – Ursuline Academy
- Monday, November 20th – Student Council Meeting – PreSchool – 3:00 – 3:30 P.M.
- Tuesday, November 21st – Home and School Thanksgiving Lunch
- Wednesday, November 22nd – Noon Dismissal – NO AfterCare
Peaceful Autumn Blessings,
Mrs. White
“Although the life of a person is in a land full of thorns and weeds, there is always a space in which the good seed can grow. You have to trust God.”~ Pope Francis