Dear School Families,
Wow! It seems impossible that we have completed two full months of school already! As we enter the month of November we will be teaching the students the Parable of the Lost Sheep (Luke 15:1-7). I love this story because it talks about Jesus as a gentle man who was tolerant and welcoming of all people. He was criticized for treating sinners as friends. Religious leaders were not pleased with this fact. I appreciate that Jesus loves each one of us so much as individuals that He would consider going out in search of us if we were lost; physically or spiritually. He would draw His attention away from His enormous flock just to look for me or you. He never gives up on us. He accepts us with all of our flaws. Not only would He try to bring us back to Him (literally and figuratively), but He would celebrate our return joyfully. Luke uses Jesus’s words “rejoicing” and “celebrate” to describe the feeling of pride Jesus has in all of us as His children. I like to think of Jesus as fatherly in this role. And He learned from the best human father role model. St. Joseph was the picture perfect example of unconditional love and acceptance. We remembered St. Joseph in prayer this past month, along with our Blessed Mother. Here is our simple prayer to St. Joseph:
Dearest St. Joseph,
at the word of an angel,
you lovingly took Mary into your home.
As God’s humble servant, you guided
the Holy Family on the road to Bethlehem,
welcomed Jesus as your own son
in the shelter of a manger,
and fled far from your homeland
for the safety of both Mother and Child.
We praise God that as their faithful protector,
you never hesitated to sacrifice
for those entrusted to you.
May your example inspire us also
to welcome, cherish, and safeguard
God’s most precious gift of life.
Help us to faithfully commit ourselves
to the service and defense of human life
-especially where it is
vulnerable or threatened.
Obtain for us the grace
to do the will of God in all things. Amen.
Congratulations to our 2021-2022 In-Class Spelling Bee Winners!
1st Grade = Chamiah Collins
2nd Grade = Greta Vorhauer
3rd Grade = Lea Santiago
4th Grade = Dominic Arters
5th Grade = Celeste Scarpato
6th Grade = Tristen Clinton
7th Grade = Faith Jah
8th Grade = Evelina (Lena) Padovani
- Students in grades 4-8 will compete on November 30th to be our school representative in the state Spelling Bee. Good luck to all!
Congratulations October Students of the Month! The virtue for the month of October was encouragement. We were looking for students who encouraged others to be and do their best. Congratulations to Mina Schweiger (PK3), Amelia Burdett (PK4), Austyn Olivance (K), Chamiah Collins (1st), Liam Teasdale (2nd), Sky Livingston (3rd), Noel Pulliam (4th), Michael Henry (5th), NuNu Chen (6th), Natalie Krevchuck (7th), and Rosie Davidson (8th). Way to go! Keep up the good work!
ATTN: 8th Grade Parents: Salesianum High School and Archmere Academy admissions tests will be held on November 6th and 7th. All Parish and Diocesan high schools will test the following weekend, November 13th and 14th.
Personal Information Safety: Please be sure your children know their home address and phone number. Several middle school students come to the office and most do not know their phone numbers or how to reach mom, dad, grandparent, or guardian in the event of an emergency. We almost always have to log into Powerschool and give them the number to call. It is an important life skill and something that I notice we no longer teach. We assume students know this information, and it is very evident they do not. Please review this information with them. Consider making them a little index card with their address and one parent contact number (for when they are not with us here at school). With technology and iPhones, everyone counts on the technology to remember our numbers. I only know my immediate family members’ numbers.
Dismissal Safety Reminders –
- Please do not park on the side of the street opposite from school. We have had many close calls with city and school buses trying to get through at that time. That side of the street is a bus zone. Please pull into our school parking lot. There is plenty of space.
- If your child will be getting in on the passenger side of the car, please park in the parking lot. I have seen children run into the street in order to get in the car.
- Please use the crosswalks. Every adult here has students cross using the crosswalks and crossing guard. Please show your children how important it is to follow this simple safety rule.
Water Bottles with Yay Lunch – Since the start of the school year we have been offering water at no charge for families who have ordered lunch through YayLunch. We appreciate your support of YayLunch and our move from an internal lunch program to the outsourced method of delivery. Due to the increase in cost of water and the amount of water that is being wasted by students, we will be ending the free water program at the end of this week (10/29). Water bottles will still be available for .50 each, with additional snacks and drinks available for $1.
School Dress Code – Please be sure your child is bringing some type of outerwear as the days get colder and windier. Classes go outside every day for recess unless it is raining or the temperature is below freezing. Your child will go outside with their class in whatever outerwear they have. We do not have any place for students to wait who do not bring jackets to stay during recess.
Trunk-or-Treat has been canceled – As you are aware, we decided to cancel Trunk-or-Treat due to the poor weather that is forecasted for that night. I hope you and your families are still able to enjoy your Halloween weekend! Have fun and please be safe!
Thank you Home and School for the soft pretzel treat today! We all enjoyed that special Halloween snack.
Save the Date for December 23rd! Christmas Program – I know it is soon, but I always look forward to our Christmas program and have missed it terribly the past school year. I am tentatively planning to have a brief Christmas program on Thursday, December 23rd at 10:30am. We will most likely showcase our younger students (grades Prek – 4th Grade) with our traditional singing. Hopefully we can coordinate a band performance as well. We have no specific plans at this time. Our dismissal will be at noon that day. We plan to use our church as it is a large gathering space where we can safely distance. I am hopeful that Covid will not be a concern, but I am realistic in knowing that we will still likely have to scale things down and simplify this event. More details will follow.
Upcoming Important Dates
- Monday, 11/1 – All Saints Day
- Tuesday, 11/2 – All Souls Day
- Monday, 11/8 – Confirmation Meeting for Students Only; 6:15 pm in Ballad Room
- Wednesday, 11/10 – Vocations Awareness Day. Please pray for a greater calling to religious life.
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- Wednesday, 11/17 6:15 pm – First Penance in our church – Second Grade and PREP students.
- Cafe Napoli Spirit Night
- Tuesday, 11/23 – Trimester One ends
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- NO AFTER CARE TODAY!
- Wednesday- Friday, 11/24-11/26 – SCHOOL CLOSED FOR THANKSGIVING BREAK
- Sunday, 11/28 – First Sunday of Advent
- Tuesday, 11/30 – School Spelling Bee
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- Friday, 12/3 – SCHOOL CLOSED for STUDENTS/Staff Reports to work on Middle States
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- Confirmation Rehearsal – Church – 5:45 pm
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- Saturday, 12/4 – Confirmation – Church – 1:00 pm
- Thursday, 12/9 – Wednesday, 12/15 – Five Below Spirit Week – More information will be coming home.
- Thursday, 12/23 – Noon Dismissal; NO AFTERCARE
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- Christmas Program – Church – 10:30
- Friday – Friday, 12/24-12/31 – SCHOOL CLOSED FOR CHRISTMAS BREAK
Fall Blessings,
Mrs. White, Principal
“Don’t be afraid to ask God for forgiveness. He never tires of forgiving us. God is pure mercy.” ~ Pope Francis