Tiger Talk!
May 17, 2019
Dear Parents/Guardians,
As we head towards the end of another school year, our school continues to be filled with the energy of your children. Students in all grades are working hard, taking their final set of Renaissance tests, and getting ready to move up to the next grade.
Today was a perfect example of how we continue to live our mission here at St. Anthony’s. Today at Mass we celebrated this year’s Community Builders. Community Builders are nominated by our staff and they are parishioners, former teachers, parents, students, or clergy members who have played an important part of our community and parish by volunteering their time, talents, and treasures. This year, we honored 3 wonderful ladies – Mrs. Nancy Burris, former 1st Grade Teacher and parishioner; Mrs. JoAnn DiOssi – parishioner and parent; and Mrs. Bernadette O’Brien, former Middle School teacher and parishioner. These ladies are shining examples of the people we have in our community who always work to better our school and parish. We are grateful to them and to our former Community Builders, those who were able to celebrate with us today and those who weren’t. These fine people are a perfect example of the lines from our mission statement: “Our school, parish, and community work together and support each other for mutual growth. St. Anthony of Padua Grade School is dedicated to nurturing the children academically, spiritually, and emotionally, assisting them to lead enriching and fulfilling lives.” As Father Wrightson said during his homily today, 2 important things we learn are to love God and to love our neighbors, and our Community Builders are living examples of that lesson.
Re-registration Reminder – Please send in re-registration forms as soon as possible. By sending in your registration, we are able to budget for next year, including staffing. Thank you to those who have sent them in already!
Class Notes:
- PreSchool 3 finished learning their letters and had a “graduation ceremony” to celebrate! They are now reviewing their letters and learning their end of the school year songs!
- PreSchool 4 has finished learning the letters in the alphabet! They will spend the next few weeks reviewing and working on letter sounds.
- Kindergarten is learning about environments and how plants and animals can change the environment. The students are very excited about solid figures.
- 1st Grade has been learning about animal life cycles. They have been observing six caterpillars grow and make their chrysalises, and they are eager to meet the painted lady butterflies next week.
- 2nd Grade has been learning about organisms, adaptations, and habitats in Science. They will be visiting Ashland Nature Center next week to explore! In Social Studies, they are studying the three branches of government and their roles as good citizens.
- 3rd Grade has been learning about two-dimensional shapes and learned that a 10-sided polygon is called a decagon. In Social Studies, they have been studying the branches of the federal government, using a tree to help symbolize how they work together.
- 4th Grade is excited to be listening to a podcast called “Six Minutes.” A story is being told in six minute increments and many of their reading skills, such as prediction, plot, and characters, are being put to use. Whenever the class has a few free minutes, the students want to listen to the next installment!
- 5th Grade recently finished reading the novel Number the Stars by Lois Lowry, a book the whole class enjoyed reading. Students learned about World War II and the Holocaust while reading the story. They are working on completing their final project for the book, an interview with the main characters set 60 years after the book ends.
- Middle School is enjoying reading drama in Literature classes.
- 6th Grade is reading The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster.
- 7th Grade is reading The Diary of Anne Frank.
- 8th Grade is reading Our Town by Thorton Wilder
- Today in 8th Grade Math, students launched their handmade rockets and measured distance traveled by airtime. They learned that the quadratic equation can be used in real life.
- Music Classes will be singing the song “Funiculi, Finicula” in Italian. This is in anticipation of the Italian Festival starting soon where our own Antonians will be performing.
- Art Class – With the help of Mr. McMillan and Mrs. Gaspari, the 4th Grade class used the computer lab to learn and explore art, design, and technology using the program Tinkercad. Every child participated and we will continue working with this program for the next few weeks of school.
- Guidance Lessons with Mrs. Angelo are working on problem-solving, and managing strong feelings like disappointment and anger. There are four steps to follow in order to solve a problem: Say the problem, Think of solutions, Explore consequences, and Pick the best solution (S.T.E.P.). The calm-down steps are: stop, name your feeling, and calm down.
YAC/Home and School News:
- Reminder – YAC is hosting the Student Achievement Banquet this Saturday, May 18th. If you have not already responded to the evite, please do so. The banquet is followed by a dance for all 7th and 8thGrade students.
Parish News:
- Call all Parents! – The St. Anthony’s PREP (Parish Religious Education Program) needs you! Help us teach the children of the parish your faith. Classes meet at 10:00 A.M. most Sundays during the school year. For just a one-hour a week commitment on your part, you’ll be performing a valuable service for the youth of the parish. PREP teaching might even help you reconnect with and rediscover Catholicism for your own personal benefit. Are you interested now? If you are, please send Patty Roach an email at proach@stanthonynet.org and begin the conversation.
- Purple Stride Delaware/Pancreatic Cancer 5k! All are invited to join the St. Anthony’s team of walkers and runners on Saturday, June 1, 2019 at 9:00 A.M. We will participate in PURPLE STRIDE DELAWARE, a 5K event at the Wilmington riverfront.
- We are doing this for the second time to honor the memory of our former pastor, Father Nicholas Waseline. Our effort and contributions will help fund research for the cure of pancreatic cancer. To register online, go to http://supportpancan.org/site/
TR?fr_id=1770&pg=entry . - Sign up for our team “In Memory of Father Nick.”
- We are doing this for the second time to honor the memory of our former pastor, Father Nicholas Waseline. Our effort and contributions will help fund research for the cure of pancreatic cancer. To register online, go to http://supportpancan.org/site/
Festival News
- Italian Festival Diocese wide class reunions!
- Join us during St. Anthony’s Italian Festival for a week long diocese wide class reunion! Enjoy catching up with your basketball court rivals from another school, relieve the beauty of your prom, or catch up on old times and new family happenings! June 9th thru 16th at St. Anthony’s parish grounds. Check below for each day’s meeting place and time.
- June 9th – Classes of 1958-69: Meet at Nona Strada starting at 3:00 P.M. (located next to the school on 9th St.)
- June 10th – Classes of 2001-2018: Meet at Dippin’ Dots starting at 6:00 P.M. (located across from the rides on Scott St.)
- June 11th – Classes of 1970-80: Meet at Salute starting at 6:00 P.M. (located across from the rides on Scott St.)
- June 12th – Classes of 1981-90: Meet at the La Terapia Del Vino starting at 6:00 P.M. (Wine Therapy is located behind the grade school gym entrance.)
- June 13th – Classes of 1991-2000: Meet at the Tito’s Bar starting at 6:00 P.M. (located just a few feet from the corner of 10th and Scott’s St.)
- Join us during St. Anthony’s Italian Festival for a week long diocese wide class reunion! Enjoy catching up with your basketball court rivals from another school, relieve the beauty of your prom, or catch up on old times and new family happenings! June 9th thru 16th at St. Anthony’s parish grounds. Check below for each day’s meeting place and time.
Upcoming Important Dates
- Saturday, May 18th – Student Achievement Banquet – 6:00 P.M. at Padua Academy.
- Tuesday, May 21st – 1st Grade Field Trip – Philadelphia Zoo – 8:30 A.M. – 2:15 P.M.
- 2nd Grade Field Trip – Ashland Nature Center – 10:30 A.M. – 2:15 P.M.
- Thursday, May 23rd – 5th Grade trip to the Philadelphia Art Museum 8:45 A.M. – 2:15 P.M.
- Friday, May 24th – NOON DISMISSAL FOR ALL! Please arrive promptly at Noon. We have been having students left behind on noon dismissal days. This is a holiday weekend. School will close at NOON!
- Monday, May 27th – SCHOOL IS CLOSED FOR MEMORIAL DAY! We remember those who have died in active military service. They gave the greatest sacrifice, and we pray for them and for their families.
- Wednesday, May 29th – Field Day Celebration! Hopefully we will have fun in the sun!
- Friday, May 31st – 8th Grade Last Day, 8th Grade Mass and Communion Breakfast
- Monday, June 3rd – PreSchool and Kindergarten Last Day
- Kindergarten Closing Ceremony – 2:30 P.M. in the Digital Library
- Tuesday, June 4th – Students Last Full Day/Last Day of After care
- 8th Grade Graduation Mass – 7:00 P.M. in the Church
- Wednesday, June 5th – Noon Dismissal – NO AFTER CARE
- Thursday, June 6th – Students Last Day – 10:30 A.M. dismissal
- End of Year Mass – 9:30 A.M. – Church
- Sunday, June 9th – Sunday, June 16th – St. Anthony’s Italian Festival!
- Thursday, June 13th – Last Teacher Work Day
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.
Love and Warm Weather Blessings,
Mrs. White
“Love and charity, are service, helping others, serving others. There are many people who spend their lives in this way, in the service of others. … When you forget yourself and think of others, this is love!” ~Pope Francis