Tiger Talk! October 28, 2016

Tiger Talk!

October 28, 2016

Dear Parents/Guardians,

For the month of November, our fruit of the Holy Spirit will be “peace.” We are reminded of these beautiful and comforting words. “Peace I leave you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.” from the Gospel of John (14:27). When reflecting on this message, I cannot help but think of Nick Mercantini. Our hearts and minds have been troubled over the past month, wondering why and trying to understand how a bright, enthusiastic, kind, and energetic young man can now be in his current situation.  We are afraid, not knowing what the outcome will be for Nick. Today at Mass, Father Nick gave a great homily to our students. I am certain he had Nicholas in mind as well. Father and I have had the privilege of spending a lot of time with Nick’s faith-filled grandmother, Lou, and we have had many conversations about Nick’s condition. Father shared his happy experience today of being at the Grand Reopening of Serpes Bakery. He told of the tragedy that struck their business last year, a fire leaving their business completely destroyed. He talked about the community that rallied around the Serpe family and today came out to celebrate with them. He reminded all of us that when bad things happen, people come together and “rebuild” in the best way they know how to do so. Father said that when bad things do happen, Jesus will take care of us “in one way or another.” Like the apostles we celebrate today, Simon and Jude, we must continue to have faith, trust in Jesus, do what pleases Him, and have hope that things will work out “in one way or another.” I ask that you please continue to hold Nick and his family in your prayers as he remains in critical condition in the pediatric intensive care unit. We pray this month for peace in our school, peace in our families, peace in our communities, and peace in our homes, and peace in our world.

Safety Reminder – Please remember that the children’s safety is of utmost importance, particularly in the mornings at drop-off. Their safe and orderly drop-off takes priority over your timeliness getting to work or wherever you may be going. Over 230 students must arrive in a 20-minute time frame. Please adhere to traffic laws, crossing guard direction, and be extremely careful. I have several young children learning to walk independently into school. There have been a few near misses, and they are always due to the adult’s carelessness. The students follow the rules diligently.  All of our students are reminded to use the crosswalk when crossing the street both at drop-off and dismissal. Please set a good example for your children, have patience, and help me to keep each and every one of them safe.

School News

Thank you to our fabulous Home and School Association and our very generous Columbus Day Committee for their commitment to improving our technology integration in all classrooms!

Congratulations to our Fire Safety poster and essay contest winners! These students will now move to the county level for further judging.  In the poster contest, our winners are Celeste Scarpato – Kindergarten and Sean McGuigan – 3^rd Grade.  In the essay contest, our winners are Dylan Farrell -5^th Grade, Korina Aguilar – 6^th Grade, Hannah Fagioli – 7^th Grade, and Tori Alberti – 8^th Grade. Great job!

Principal for the Day- Mr. Andrew Rankin from The Byrn Mawr Trust Company of Delaware spent the entire school day shadowing me yesterday. He spent time in every classroom, substituted with me in Preschool, stopped down to see the cafeteria during last lunch, and even participated in Mr. Limmina’s Social Studies class. He complimented and praised our students constantly. He did not want to leave at lunch time and decided to stay. He had many nice things to say about our entire school family. He was most impressed with the “peaceful” atmosphere throughout the building and the way the teachers talked to the students. He said it was obvious the teachers wanted to be here and genuinely cared about the students and the lessons they were trying to teach. He personally had never experienced such a “loving” school environment. He liked the artwork throughout the building and the overall cleanliness of the school. He was shocked by how friendly and welcoming the students were. They all greeted him and made eye contact, something that is often missing in the world outside of these walls. He thought it was awesome that we could pray and say the Pledge of Allegiance over our PA system. His experience here was far different than his experience in the banking and wealth management world. He enjoyed the break from the business world and his chance to be in a classroom again.

Congratulations to our 8^th Grade class.  They sold 312 green shirts from the fundraiser for Nick Mercantini and his family.  This idea was completely theirs. They designed the shirt and sorted them for delivery to our students.  The class raised a total of $1,988 from the shirts alone, and then among themselves, contributed an additional $12 for a grand total of $2,000 for the Mercantini family.  We could not be more proud of the faith, kindness, and love this class has shown for their classmate.

Halloween Party – I look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow night at our Halloween Party. Our Home and School Board members have been working hard to prepare. I have seen some very pretty and some scary skeletons coming and going from the building at the end of the day. I cannot wait to see how all of the student decorations are used. A special thank you to Mrs. Juanita Gaspari for her lovely art work! See you tomorrow night!

8th Grade Parents – You should have received an email from Patty Roach rescheduling the October Confirmation meeting. It will now be held on Monday, November 7^th. Her email contained specific details. Contact her at proach@stanthonynet.org if you have any questions. Please remember this meeting is the mandatory meeting that we canceled for our students at the parent’s request and with Father Nick’s permission after our morning parent meeting in the library.

Our Lady of Peace Pilgrimage – Thank you to the 600+ students, clergy, administrators, faculty, and staff who participated in the annual pilgrimage on October 7^th.  What a wonderful tribute to our Blessed Mother and a means of intercession to her Son!  Photos may be accessed at http://photos.cdowschools.org

Access 2016 Pilgrimage Gallery and the password is 16Pilg

Ellis Island Field Trip – The sixth-grade class enjoyed a beautiful, sunny day on Ellis Island and Liberty Island on Wednesday, October 26^th. They enjoyed the ferry ride, the museum, and the statue’s pedestal. A number of compliments made by employees and other visitors were received about their courteous behavior. The trip was made possible by the generous grant from the Societa da Vinci. Thank you!

Thank you for Red Robin Night – Thank you to all of our friends and families who came out on a cold and rainy night yesterday to enjoy dinner at Red Robin. We appreciate your support!

Class Notes

• Preschool 3 has been talking a lot about pumpkins to prepare us for not only Halloween but our upcoming field trip to the pumpkin patch! The class was able to decorate their own pumpkin that was given to them by Mrs. Kunkle’s dad!

• Preschool 4 is working on sight words and is reading their first sight word book “My Toys.” They also enjoying working on the iPads!

• Kindergarten dressed up as their favorite book character and explained to the class what their book was about.

• 1^st Grade recently completed a unit on the Five Senses in Science. In their last lab, the children explored the sense of Taste.  The boys and girls enjoyed tasting salty, sweet, sour, and bitter foods. In the next unit the children will be learning about Safety.
• 2^nd Grade is working on subtraction facts to 20 in Math, and in Social Studies, the class is exploring the concept of “culture.”  They are also preparing to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation and learning the Act of Contrition.
• 3^rd Grade visited the Delaware State Fire School on Thursday, October 20^th. Students reviewed fire safety rules, discussed having a meeting place in case of a fire, learned about the Fire Triangle, and got to spray a fire hose.
• 4^th Grade has answered 10,000 math questions on iXL! They have also said 2 complete rosaries covering the Joyful Mysteries and the Luminous Mysteries.
• 5^th Grade has been working hard on writing personal narratives.  The students have been presenting them as speeches to the class.  Many of the students were nervous, but they did a great job!
• 6^th Grade has been studying mass and volume in Science and enjoying completing their experiments in the Science lab.

• 7^th Grade sailed on the Kalmar Nyckel on Friday, October 21^st.  The Kalmar Nyckel is a re-creation of the Swedish ship that arrived in America in 1638 to establish the colony of New Sweden, present-day Wilmington.  After our sailing adventure, the class enjoyed a wonderful lunch together at Mrs. Robino’s Restaurant.

• 8^th Grade had their monthly Guidance lesson this week.  This month’s focus was on teamwork.  8^th Grade learned why teamwork skills are so important in school and in their future careers. To demonstrate this, the students worked in groups to complete a task.

• Kindergarten through 8^th Grade used their creativity in the Art room to design decorations for the Halloween Party being held by the Home and School Association this Saturday.

Parish News

Parish Monthly Social – Our next parish social will be held on Sunday, November 6^th, in the Ballad Room of the Grade School following the 9:00 A.M. and 11:00 A.M. Masses.  Stop by for food, fun, and fellowship with parishioners and friends.  Enter via the Ballad Room doors on 10^th St. near Scott St.  Hope you can make it!

Music Ministry Sponsors Concert – Please see the attached flyer for an upcoming concert featuring our parish Music Ministry on Sunday, November 6^th.  This concert will also serve as a fundraiser for this parish ministry.  Thank you for your support of this part of the parish community.

Important Dates

• Saturday, October 29^th – Home and School Halloween Party – Gym – 6:30 – 8:30 P.M.
• Monday, October 31^st – Halloween Dress-up Day
  • No Student Council Meeting
• Tuesday, November 1^st – All Saints Day Mass – Church – 8:00 A.M.
• Thursday, November 3^rd – Preschool Field Trip – Milburn Orchards – 8:30 – 11:30 A.M.
  • Skating Night – Christiana Skating Rink – 6:30 – 8:30 P.M.
• Friday, November 4^th – NO SCHOOL – Professional Development

• Monday, November 7th-Confirmation Meeting (makeup date) from
  October 3rd in Ballad Room/6:15pm sign in 6:30pm start/
  Candidates, Parent & Sponsor/Theology of Confirmation
  Speaker:  Mrs. Dolores Ballintyn
• Wednesday, November 9^th – Grotto’s Night – Pennsylvania Ave. – 4:00 – 9:00 P.M.
• Friday, November 11^th – Fall Picture Retakes – Gym
• Sunday, November 13^th – Home and School Designer Bag Bingo – Gym – 2:00 P.M.
• Monday, November 14^th – Confirmation Meeting –Confirmation Candidates/General Life 6:15pm sign in Ballad Room.
  
• Wednesday, November 16^th – Noon Dismissal – Professional Development
  • First Reconciliation – Church – 6:30 P.M.
• Friday, November 18^th – First Trimester Ends
• Saturday, November 19^th – Confirmation Retreat – Ballad Room – 9:15 A.M.-After 5:30 Mass
• Saturday, November 19^th – Sunday, November 20^th – Salesianum Entrance Exam
• Monday, November 21^st – 1^st Grade Field Trip – Hagley– 9:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M.
• Tuesday, November 22^nd – Home and School Turkey Luncheon – All students
• November 23^rd-25^th – No School – Thanksgiving Break

 

Peaceful Blessings,

Mrs. White and Mr. Shields

“If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten we belong to each other.”

~Mother Teresa