Dear Parents/Guardians,
Tiger Talk is late due to our event planning last week to celebrate Father Rinaldi. For those of you who are new to us, Father Frank Rinaldi (aka Francesco Rinaldi) has been an Oblate of St. Francis de Sales for 50 years. We celebrated him with a party yesterday in our school cafeteria. Father came to me with the idea to have a school fundraiser instead of a party to celebrate his 50 years of faithful service. He told me that several people had asked him what he wanted and he knew they would give him monetary gifts and cards. He told me that he really needed nothing and wanted to somehow ask that all gifts to him could be replaced with donations to the school. “I want our children to have everything. I love this school, and we have great kids here.” He went on to say that he wanted to be sure to receive no presents at all. He told me to plan a party and contact parishioner Ray Banker, because he “knows how to throw a good party.” Fr. Rinaldi told me to include Parish Trustee, Anthony Albence, and business manager, Bob Shields, because they know everyone. He went so far as to say who he liked for catering, parishioner Cathy Onesi, owner of Creations by Catherine. Finally, he mentioned his love of sweets and his appreciation of Serpe’s Bakery. The Serpes donated the cakes and desserts. So, this was a very easy party for me to throw. After a few phone calls, our planning was complete. Your students created all of the decorations and table centerpieces. They made cards and posters to decorate the entire divider in the cafeteria. Father loved his party, and we were so happy to be a part of this happy celebration. One of Father’s most common endings to his homilies are to repeat the phrase, “Love one another. God is love, and we are all love.” I want to thank everyone who came out yesterday to honor Father and for the “gifts” made to our school to celebrate his faithful service. We received very generous donations to offset the cost of catering, and the party was covered by our own Pastor, Father Mark Wrightson, The Knights of Columbus, The Blessed Virgin Mary Sodality, the Christopher Columbus Monument Committee, and a few personal sponsors. Thank you all!!! Thanks especially to Ray Banker for the beautiful set up in the cafeteria, the bar set up, and the lighting and music to make the event so special. I truly love this parish and consider myself fortunate to work here. Thanks to my teachers who came out to support Father. It meant a lot to him.
Onto school business! We have had a very busy month. September has been great here at St. Anthony’s. We continue to live and grow our mission daily. This weekend’s event was proof that “Our school, parish, and community work together and support each other for mutual growth.”
Brother Mike – This week we lost a parish legend; a man who was larger than life. A funny, sarcastic, hard-working man of so many talents and trades, Brother Michael Rosenello, O.S.F.S., passed away this week. This is a loss to our parish, but Heaven truly gained a fun-loving angel this week. I personally was blessed to have roamed these halls and the halls of Padua Academy with Brother Mike, 30 years after my mother did in the ‘50s. Brother was instrumental in building both of our schools! I was additionally blessed to have worked with Brother Mike in my adult years. Brother Mike was recently described very well in a Facebook post by Padua Academy as “master builder, custodian, dog lover, grilled cheese maker, lunchtime prayer leader, coach, fan, referee, train conductor, Santa, bingo number caller, mentor, friend, and Brother.” Brother served our two parish schools for 65 years. Our gym floor in Fournier Hall is named after him. Brother Mike’s services will be held here at St. Anthony’s Church this Saturday. Visitation begins at 8:30 A.M. and his Funeral mass will start at 10:45 A.M. Interment will take place following the Mass at the Oblate Cemetery at 1100 Blue Ball Road in Childs, Maryland.
Class Notes:
- PreSchool 3 is learning their alphabet and just finished learning the letter B. They are getting ready to celebrate the first day of fall with a nature walk today!
- PreSchool 4 is working on the letter A and the number 1. They enjoyed practice writing the number 1 on the smartboard. They also really liked learning about alligators. The class took advantage of the nice weather and played on the playground this week
- Kindergarten has been working on the letters of the alphabet. They have learned all the letters of the alphabet. They learned the first sound (Mm). They have read three Easy readers. In Math class, they are learning 1 & 2 more as well as 1 & 2 fewer. The students are preparing for the Renaissance Star Test next week. Last week, Mrs. White, Mrs. Angelo, and Mrs. Russell visited the students and discussed what important jobs they have in our school.
- 1st Grade has been learning to add and subtract and have been reviewing short vowel sounds. They have been enjoying centers, reading and math songs, and movement breaks.
- 2nd Grade is working on two-letter blends, writing friendly letters, and addition strategies. This week, 2nd graders will be interviewing a family member from a different generation to compare and contrast life in the past and life today.
- 3rd Grade is learning about patterns in motion. They have looked at videos of playground equipment to see how each piece moved. Students are also excited to know they can check out the equipment on the playground across from school.
- 4th Grade has been listening to a podcast called “Six Minutes.” It’s telling a story in six minute increments, and the students love it! They are always asking when they can listen to the next installment. Before and after listening, we practice reading skills such as recall, prediction, and character traits.
- 5th Grade has been very excited to use their iPads in class. Students are learning how to use different apps and programs, such as Epic!, Prodigy, Kahoot, and Quizizz. They are enjoying some of the freedoms allowed with using their iPads, including being able to access online resources for their textbooks.
- Middle School:
- Attended National Constitution Day in Philadelphia on September 17th. Some 8th graders enjoyed dressing up in colonial clothing. 7th Grade visited the grave of Benjamin Rush and Washington Square Park. Both of these locations were important in their summer reading book Fever 1793.
- All Middle School students enjoyed doing an art project in religion class to congratulate and thank Fr. Rinaldi on his 50th anniversary of being a priest.
- 8th Grade students are preparing to make their Confirmation and they are learning about the Gifts of the Holy Spirit and how these gifts are relevant in their lives.
- In Literature, Middle School has delved deeply into Mary Shelley’s life that influenced Frankenstein. Students were awed to learn that the monster’s name is not Frankenstein, but that is the doctor’s name. Students seem to be really enjoying the Dover Children’s Thrift Edition, a shortened version of Frankenstein from that of the original adult version.
- Art Class – 4th – 8th Grade are enthusiastically working on Halloween Decorations using their creativity in Art class for the upcoming Halloween Party.
- Physical Education Class – Younger classes are busy with throwing and catching as well as learning new games and dances. The older classes have been using their skills and game knowledge to play variations of football and flag football.
- Mrs. Angelo has been meeting with new students in small groups to welcome them to the school. Introductory lessons are underway and class social/emotional lessons will begin on September 30th. Please feel free to visit Mrs. Angelo’s website for helpful information. We are off to a great start this year!
Y.A.C. News:
- St. Anthony’s Grade School 2019-2020 Sports Registration is now open! – It’s a busy world! In an effort to help make things easier we have opened our Sports Registration across all seasons covering Winter 2019, as well as Spring and Fall 2020. Register your athletes for the seasons of their choice. You will NOT be charged the registration fee for each season until it is upon us. Only winter/basketball registration fees will be due at this time. Basketball signups will close on October 18th. Go to https://www.hometeamsonline.
com/teams/?u=STANTHONYYAC&s= org today to learn more.
Parish News:
- October Parish Monthly Social – The first parish social of the fall will be held on Sunday, October 6th, 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 socializing with fellow parishioners and friends. The social, as always, will feature a variety of great donuts and tomato pie from Serpe’s Bakery, delicious breakfast pizzas from Degnars’ Greenhill Deli, and more! Hope you can join us!
From Mrs. Russell, our school nurse:
Hearing/vision (Grades K, 2, 4, 7) and postural/gait (Grades 5-8) screenings will be conducted by school nurses to students, as required by Delaware state regulations. Hearing/vision & postural/gait screening is usually performed in October/November/December.
Why is screening important?
- Hearing – The ability to communicate effectively impacts the well-being of a child, in terms of education, physical and social development. Early identification and intervention of hearing loss is critical in supporting speech/language development and full participation in the learning process. Even mild hearing losses may be educationally and medically significant.
- Vision – Vision problems are common amongst school aged children and adolescents. If vision problems are not detected and treated early, they can lead to permanent vision loss and learning difficulties. When a child has an undiagnosed vision problem, it makes it much harder for them to succeed in school, sports, social situations, and in life.
- Postural & Gait- For more than 30 years, Delaware students in grades 5 through 9 have been screened annually to detect orthopedic problems such as scoliosis. Scoliosis is a curvature of the spine. This thirty-second screening may result in early detection and treatment, consequently avoiding surgical correction.
How will the results be shared?
- If your child passes the screening, you will not be notified by your school nurse. You are welcome to contact the nurse to learn the screening findings.
- If your child does not pass the screening, the school nurse will contact you to share the results and may make a recommendation for further evaluation by a specialist.
**PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU DO NOT WANT YOUR CHILD SCREENED**
Thank you,
AnneMarie Russell BSN, RN, CPN
Skate Night this Wednesday! Join our Home and School Board and their families this Wednesday, September 25th at Christiana Skating Center in Newark from 6:30-8:30 P.M.
Picture Retake Day is this Thursday, September 26th! The photographer will be here first thing in the morning.
Family Surveys are due! Please be sure to return your family surveys if you have not already done so. Be sure to fill out both sides completely. They ensure that we are able to get the best Title One Services for our students. Each paper returned helps us receive Reading and Math tutoring slots through Title One. This is one of the few (if not only) cases where Catholic schools receive money from the federal government. Help us accomplish this goal!
Blessing of the Animals – Mark your calendars for Wednesday, October 2nd. Join us in the field at 2:30 P.M. In recognition of one of our patron saints, St. Francis of Assisi, every year we bring our family pets to the field for a very brief blessing. All people-friendly and properly restrained/contained animals are welcome! If you do not wish to bring the family pet, you may send in a picture of your beloved pet to be blessed. Students may also draw pictures to bring to school. Please arrive early to the field. The blessing will begin promptly at 2:30 P.M.
Our Lady Queen of Peace Pilgrimage – On Monday October 7th, our 8th Grade will travel to Holy Spirit Parish to pray the Rosary with Bishop Malooly, our Superintendent, Dr. Lou DeAngelo, diocesan office staff, and several other schools in our Diocese. This is always a very beautiful and reverent event.
Grandparents Day/Parent Teacher Conferences – Thursday, October 10th we will celebrate Grandparent’s Day. This is a NOON Dismissal. Please read the details in this section and be sure to let grandparents know the schedule for the day.
- Arrival is 8:00-8:45 A.M. in the cafeteria. Refreshments will be served from 8am until 8:45am.
- Grandparent visits to your child’s classroom will take place from 9:00-11:30 A.M.
- Our photographer will be here that day to take photos of children with their grandparents. Each group will be called to the gym one classroom at a time.
- The Scholastic Book Fair will take place in the Ballad Room, and classrooms will be called to shop in smaller groups. In the past, this has been overcrowded, so we will call by classroom for shopping as well.
- Classroom visit will end at 11:30 A.M., and there will be an additional half-hour for shopping and photography for any late arrivals.
- Dismissal is at NOON on this day for Parent Teacher Conferences. Please remind grandparents that they can wait in the cafeteria, see the photographer, or exit the building at 11:30 A.M. Teaching will resume at 11:30 A.M., and students will be dismissed as usual at Noon.
- This is a busy day. We will not do early dismissals (prior to noon), so please let grandparents know. This has become an issue in the past. We have lines of grandparents in the hallway, and they want their grandchildren called out of class. For safety reasons, this will not occur.
- We will be holding parent teacher conferences a little differently this year. More information will follow this week. Parents will sign up online using Sign-Up Genius for their preferred time slot. Teachers will have additional slots to choose from and may not all take place on this one particular day. This allows for more parent flexibility and more time slots for conferences.
Please join us for Mass this Friday and every Friday at 8:00 A.M. Your children are wonderful and reverent, and the Antonians sing beautifully!
Please be sure to follow us on Facebook! If you haven’t followed us yet, look for St. Anthony of Padua Grade School Families, Alumni & Friends. There are regular posts with information, events, and pictures of what your children are doing in school.
School is closed on Monday October 14th! School will be closed for Columbus Day. Enjoy the long weekend!
Fall Blessings,
Mrs. White
“While you are proclaiming peace with your lips, be careful to have it even more fully in your heart.” ~St. Francis of Assisi