JUST CHECKING IN ~ FEBRUARY 24, 2010
Dear Lord, please let me walk with you these forty days of Lent.
“GOOD MORNING BISHOP!” was the greeting heard in the classrooms in which Bishop McFadden could stop by yesterday before leaving for a day full of appointments. Although he had a full schedule, after our meeting the Bishop couldn’t make himself leave without visiting at least a few classrooms. How proud we were of our students and how proud of our school!
SNOW AND MORE SNOW means that we have to do some re-scheduling to adjust our school year. We will do this in a way that is, we hope, the least inconvenient for you. There are some dates on the calendar which can’t be changed though. The end of this week sounds like another snow question mark, doesn’t it? Because of that, we’ll hold off the March calendar until next Wednesday. There is a trip for K-1-2 on Monday, the 1st, as a reminder to those parents and no school on Thursday, the 4th.
Snow brought a change of date for our H&S Casino Night and so we’ll get to enjoy it this Saturday the 27th. The committee has done even more to make this a special evening of fun.
Although the last H&S/CYO Children’s Bingo was cancelled due to you-know-what, there is another one scheduled for Wednesday, March 3rd, as it is the night before the teachers’ Archdiocesan Inservice.
REPORT CARD REMINDER - Second trimester report cards will be distributed on Thursday, March 18. We will be holding report cards if offertory contributions for stewardship families are at a very low level, if monthly tuition is not paid through February or if there is an open balance on any other payment plan. These payments must reach the parish office no later than Monday, March 15. Please speak with Maryann Junod if you have questions or concerns.
To insure an accurate record of your Sunday offertory contributions
always use the Sunday collection envelopes provided and clearly mark the amount enclosed; i.e. $100.00 or $200.00 so the amount is not recorded as $1.00 or $2.00 .
For the purpose of recording church attendance, only one envelope per week is posted and all amounts totaled as one unless envelope has notation indicating church attendance elsewhere.
PEOPLE AND EVENTS Our Basketball Teams have been on a roll. Our Girls Varsity B Team won the Region 1 Championships last weekend, our Boys JV won their Region Championship and Boys Varsity B were runners-up in their championships. Going into the Archdiocesan-wide Championships as 2nd Seeds, our Girls Varsity A has already advanced to the Elite Eight. They will be playing in the Quarterfinals they Saturday at Archbishop Carroll in Radnor at 2:30 PM. Tickets are $3 for students and $5 for adults. If your day is open, come and cheer them on Saturday and hopefully on Sunday again same time/same place in the Semifinals. Knowing how much our end-of-day pep rallies spark our teams on, we will be holding one for the girls this Thursday (safety net).
Speaking of basketball, for the second year in a row Jessica Sylvester, SCS ’07, has been named to the AACA Team for the High School Catholic League. Jessica is now a junior at Nazareth Academy and you might also remember reading about her in the Catholic Standard in the fall as Athlete of the Week.
Jared Celona, SCS ‘08, was recently awarded All Catholic honors for Concert Band and for Orchestra. Although he is only a sophomore, who attends Archbishop Ryan High School he ranked 3rd out of all archdiocesan percussionists who competed. He will perform along with the Archdiocesan All Catholic Concert Band in a concert scheduled for 2/6 and is joined by one other student from AR that will perform in the Archdiocesan All Catholic Orchestra performance the following month. In his free time he also plays in AR’s Jazz Band, in AR’s Concert Band and for AR’s plays, open houses and other special school events.
CRITICAL THINKING 101 Congratulations to Nicholas Azzarano (1-31) for having his correct entry drawn. Nick knew that the five Olympic rings represent the following regions: Africa, America, Asia, Europe, and Oceania and he will receive this week’s $10 Gift Card of Choice certificate. A few students anticipated our question for this week and so I’ve kept their entries. Why are the colors of the Olympic rings what they are?
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
February 17, 2010
JUST CHECKING IN ~ FEBRUARY 17, 2010
“May we walk a Lenten journey with the strength that each of us has within us.”
WE’RE BACK! Undaunted, everyone moves on. We left off on a moved up C Day and returned to a moved up D Day so today is E Day and Ash Wednesday. If you re-mark your February calendars, the month should end on a B Day now. Notice we said “should end”. Our Book Fair will resume with the adjusted letter days and we will hold our evening fair tomorrow, the 18th, from 6:30 to 8:30 in the library. Even though it was a long time since we had school and you had no written notice, our H&S Mardi Gras Sweets Day went well yesterday.
A PART OF PHILADELPHIA HISTORY How does it feel being a part of weather history? Your children will be telling theirs about the Blizzard of 2010 and the records made that winter. Have they been finalized yet, do you think or is there more to come?
OUR LENTEN JOURNEY begins today and our students in Grades 4-8 have been to mass and received ashes there, students in Grades 1-3 went to an afternoon prayer service and received their ashes, and our Pre-K and K students received ashes in their classrooms.
Just as your family makes Lenten commitments at home, so do we in our classrooms. This is a most special part of our liturgical year as we move to the crux of our faith—Christ’s Resurrection after his dying for our sins. The promise of our own resurrection is the support we all need when we are confronted by dying and death in our families. What an eternal blessing that promise holds and what a comfort it is!
THE BISHOP’S VISIT Along with Bishop McFadden’s official visit to the parish and to you at each of this weekend’s masses, he will also be visiting our school. On Tuesday morning, he will be here to see some of the school and meet with administration. We know that, as ever, our company manners will shine.
TUITION RATES FOR 2010-2011 Can you believe that we’re looking at calendar years like those? We are though, and, as ever, our parish finance committee worked carefully with our finance manager to keep the necessary increases as low as possible. The budget and projections are looked at from every angle for you. After reviewing both sides, please keep this information sheet tucked away with your other paperwork for future reference.
STEWARDSHIP VS GENERAL TUITION RATE – We are reaching the time of year when we review our school families’ records to determine which tuition rate they can expect to receive for the next school year. The special stewardship rate is the lesser rate. Our criteria for determination of the Stewardship rate are regularity of participation at Mass as well as fulfillment of the minimum expected financial contribution. Please review your records and make sure you have made us aware of all your church attendance whether at St. Christopher Church or elsewhere. If you have any questions, please feel free to call Maryann Junod at the parish office.
BLOCS AND TAPS APPLICATIONS will be posted on the Archdiocesan website for families to download to review the steps for tuition assistance for grade school and/or high school. Our Bridge lottery will also be opening soon.
PEOPLE AND EVENTS Calista Wagner (4-14) was not just playing in the snow while we were off. Calista donated 10 inches of her hair to Locks of Love to help children who lose hair during illnesses.
Stay tune for news of some SCS alums and their achievements.
CRITICAL THINKING 101 This week’s $10 Gift Card of Choice Certificate goes to Paul Sullivan (2-5) for knowing that seven months separate Alaska and Hawaii’s entries into the Union. For this week, as great Olympian fans, tell us specifically by name what each of the Olympic rings represent.
“May we walk a Lenten journey with the strength that each of us has within us.”
WE’RE BACK! Undaunted, everyone moves on. We left off on a moved up C Day and returned to a moved up D Day so today is E Day and Ash Wednesday. If you re-mark your February calendars, the month should end on a B Day now. Notice we said “should end”. Our Book Fair will resume with the adjusted letter days and we will hold our evening fair tomorrow, the 18th, from 6:30 to 8:30 in the library. Even though it was a long time since we had school and you had no written notice, our H&S Mardi Gras Sweets Day went well yesterday.
A PART OF PHILADELPHIA HISTORY How does it feel being a part of weather history? Your children will be telling theirs about the Blizzard of 2010 and the records made that winter. Have they been finalized yet, do you think or is there more to come?
OUR LENTEN JOURNEY begins today and our students in Grades 4-8 have been to mass and received ashes there, students in Grades 1-3 went to an afternoon prayer service and received their ashes, and our Pre-K and K students received ashes in their classrooms.
Just as your family makes Lenten commitments at home, so do we in our classrooms. This is a most special part of our liturgical year as we move to the crux of our faith—Christ’s Resurrection after his dying for our sins. The promise of our own resurrection is the support we all need when we are confronted by dying and death in our families. What an eternal blessing that promise holds and what a comfort it is!
THE BISHOP’S VISIT Along with Bishop McFadden’s official visit to the parish and to you at each of this weekend’s masses, he will also be visiting our school. On Tuesday morning, he will be here to see some of the school and meet with administration. We know that, as ever, our company manners will shine.
TUITION RATES FOR 2010-2011 Can you believe that we’re looking at calendar years like those? We are though, and, as ever, our parish finance committee worked carefully with our finance manager to keep the necessary increases as low as possible. The budget and projections are looked at from every angle for you. After reviewing both sides, please keep this information sheet tucked away with your other paperwork for future reference.
STEWARDSHIP VS GENERAL TUITION RATE – We are reaching the time of year when we review our school families’ records to determine which tuition rate they can expect to receive for the next school year. The special stewardship rate is the lesser rate. Our criteria for determination of the Stewardship rate are regularity of participation at Mass as well as fulfillment of the minimum expected financial contribution. Please review your records and make sure you have made us aware of all your church attendance whether at St. Christopher Church or elsewhere. If you have any questions, please feel free to call Maryann Junod at the parish office.
BLOCS AND TAPS APPLICATIONS will be posted on the Archdiocesan website for families to download to review the steps for tuition assistance for grade school and/or high school. Our Bridge lottery will also be opening soon.
PEOPLE AND EVENTS Calista Wagner (4-14) was not just playing in the snow while we were off. Calista donated 10 inches of her hair to Locks of Love to help children who lose hair during illnesses.
Stay tune for news of some SCS alums and their achievements.
CRITICAL THINKING 101 This week’s $10 Gift Card of Choice Certificate goes to Paul Sullivan (2-5) for knowing that seven months separate Alaska and Hawaii’s entries into the Union. For this week, as great Olympian fans, tell us specifically by name what each of the Olympic rings represent.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
February 3, 2010
JUST CHECKING IN ~ FEBRUARY 3, 2010
“Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, ‘Before I formed you in the womb
I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you’…” Jeremiah 1:4-5
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK 2010 is underway and what a week it is! Many of you and your families were able to join us at Sunday as we opened the week at noon mass. A tradition at this mass is that the two students whose essays of what being an SCS student means to them were selected, read those essays at mass. This year we heard from Jessica Sucharski and Claire Cochrane reading Collin Wiercinski’s. Jessica and Collin shared their essays at some of the earlier masses as well. Representatives of each grade level were asked to carry their class flags in the procession as well. These students are K-Patrick Lonergan, 1st-Joseph Parker, 2nd-Emilia Tomes, 3-Erin Dunphy, 4-Lucas Spicer, 5th-Jettaka McWilliams, 6th-Connor Green, 7th-Ashley Hunter, and 8th Sabatino Caranci.
In addition to all the planning that our faculty does to make this week so special, our H&S is as busy with all that they do from the traditional pancake breakfast to the free hot dog student lunch to the Teacher Luncheon to the special parent Casino Night this Saturday evening, they work hard all week long. You should be very proud to be a member of the H&S. Our Catholic Schools are family affairs and there’s no greater family than the SCS family.
With not one but two spelling bees on Monday, we had not two but four winners. Timothy Lamb was the winner of the 4-5-6 bee with Samantha D’Alfonso the runner-up, and Marikate Kidd was the winner of the 7-8 bee with Jorel Aramburo the runner-up. Tim will represent us at the Archdiocesan Bee and Marikate at the Philadelphia Tribune Bee. Look for the names of all the participants of the bees and the “Smarter Than an SCS Student” competition on the back of next week’s JCI>
When families came to watch our faculty and students “sweat for sweats” on Monday evening, you gave donations to the cause at the door and at the snack table. We’re proud to say that we’ll be able to purchase $1,063.50 worth of sweats for our injured military as they undergo treatment and therapy.
FEBRUARY STUDENTS OF THE MONTH Like their families, we are very proud of these students and congratulate them: PK- Michael McCusker; Kindergarten-Riley Bowes and Julianna Deluisi; First- Gianni Galdo, Katelyn Weller and Kathleen Walsh; Second- Partick Cunningham, Marco Rossillo and Justin Kraft; Third- Barbara Walsh and Catherine Ferry; Fourth- Christopher Bowman, Julia Wilson andChristian Vanore; Fifth- Brendan Ruskowski and Chris Kuhar; Sixth- Alyssa O’Mara, Claudia Candidi and Bailey Warner; Seventh- Michelle Nocitra, Nina Juntereal and Jillian McNamee; Eighth- Bill Wilkinson, Rachel Shaw, Caitlin Logue and Erika Jesberger.
THOSE KINDERGARTEN CLASSROOMS OF OURS are so busy every day whether it’s conducting science experiments, increasing their reading readiness or proficiency, learning about what a great gift diversity is, or going about the day-to-day adventures of being kindergartners, we can tell you that they are right there. With the guidance of Mrs. DiCicco and Mrs. Whalen, these cherubs are thriving.
YOU’RE OUR BEST ADVERTISING, BUT see what you think of the ads’ we’re putting in the NE Times. Last week was the first one and they’ll continue for a number of weeks to come.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE IS NO AUTOMATED PHONE PROGRAM for now. We had begun School Reach in February and that’s when the annual bill is due. Since we are looking to upgrade our database software, many of the new programs also include an automated phone calling program. Rather than having to lay out the full year price for our present system, it made financial sense to be on hold for a few months. We would rely on our homeroom parents to help in contacting parents if we had a non-weather emergency that involved closing school.
PEOPLE AND EVENTS We received word from State Senator Michael Stack’s office yesterday that Samantha D’Alfonso (6-20) was a winner in the Presidential Idol contest that his office sponsored. Sam will attend a reception breakfast where she will be recognized and also be presented with a $100 US bond. Congratulations from all of us, Sam. You did a great job depicting Thomas Jefferson.
Collin Wiercinski (8-25) and Frank Vanore (7-22) were chosen to represent the Archbishop Ryan Middle School Ice Hockey team in the Lower Bucks County Scholastic Hockey League (LBCSHL) All Star Game. The boys played well and contributed to the team winning 5-1. Funds raised at The All-Star Game will be donated to The Special Olympics. We congratulate Collin and Frank. Our hats are off to our Swim Team! Once again, they made it all the way to the District Championships as they were again up against their traditional rival, St. Albert the Great. With St. Albert’s winning, you know that our swimmers already have their goal in place for next year. We thank them, their parents and coaches for representing SCS.
CRITICAL THINKING 101 Mathew Anthony (8-27) had his correct entry drawn to win this week’s $10 Gift Card of Choice certificate. The next five numbers after 1 divisible only by themselves or 0,1 are 2, 3, 5, 7, 11. For next week, “To the month, how much longer has Alaska been a state than Hawaii?”
“Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, ‘Before I formed you in the womb
I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you’…” Jeremiah 1:4-5
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK 2010 is underway and what a week it is! Many of you and your families were able to join us at Sunday as we opened the week at noon mass. A tradition at this mass is that the two students whose essays of what being an SCS student means to them were selected, read those essays at mass. This year we heard from Jessica Sucharski and Claire Cochrane reading Collin Wiercinski’s. Jessica and Collin shared their essays at some of the earlier masses as well. Representatives of each grade level were asked to carry their class flags in the procession as well. These students are K-Patrick Lonergan, 1st-Joseph Parker, 2nd-Emilia Tomes, 3-Erin Dunphy, 4-Lucas Spicer, 5th-Jettaka McWilliams, 6th-Connor Green, 7th-Ashley Hunter, and 8th Sabatino Caranci.
In addition to all the planning that our faculty does to make this week so special, our H&S is as busy with all that they do from the traditional pancake breakfast to the free hot dog student lunch to the Teacher Luncheon to the special parent Casino Night this Saturday evening, they work hard all week long. You should be very proud to be a member of the H&S. Our Catholic Schools are family affairs and there’s no greater family than the SCS family.
With not one but two spelling bees on Monday, we had not two but four winners. Timothy Lamb was the winner of the 4-5-6 bee with Samantha D’Alfonso the runner-up, and Marikate Kidd was the winner of the 7-8 bee with Jorel Aramburo the runner-up. Tim will represent us at the Archdiocesan Bee and Marikate at the Philadelphia Tribune Bee. Look for the names of all the participants of the bees and the “Smarter Than an SCS Student” competition on the back of next week’s JCI>
When families came to watch our faculty and students “sweat for sweats” on Monday evening, you gave donations to the cause at the door and at the snack table. We’re proud to say that we’ll be able to purchase $1,063.50 worth of sweats for our injured military as they undergo treatment and therapy.
FEBRUARY STUDENTS OF THE MONTH Like their families, we are very proud of these students and congratulate them: PK- Michael McCusker; Kindergarten-Riley Bowes and Julianna Deluisi; First- Gianni Galdo, Katelyn Weller and Kathleen Walsh; Second- Partick Cunningham, Marco Rossillo and Justin Kraft; Third- Barbara Walsh and Catherine Ferry; Fourth- Christopher Bowman, Julia Wilson andChristian Vanore; Fifth- Brendan Ruskowski and Chris Kuhar; Sixth- Alyssa O’Mara, Claudia Candidi and Bailey Warner; Seventh- Michelle Nocitra, Nina Juntereal and Jillian McNamee; Eighth- Bill Wilkinson, Rachel Shaw, Caitlin Logue and Erika Jesberger.
THOSE KINDERGARTEN CLASSROOMS OF OURS are so busy every day whether it’s conducting science experiments, increasing their reading readiness or proficiency, learning about what a great gift diversity is, or going about the day-to-day adventures of being kindergartners, we can tell you that they are right there. With the guidance of Mrs. DiCicco and Mrs. Whalen, these cherubs are thriving.
YOU’RE OUR BEST ADVERTISING, BUT see what you think of the ads’ we’re putting in the NE Times. Last week was the first one and they’ll continue for a number of weeks to come.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE IS NO AUTOMATED PHONE PROGRAM for now. We had begun School Reach in February and that’s when the annual bill is due. Since we are looking to upgrade our database software, many of the new programs also include an automated phone calling program. Rather than having to lay out the full year price for our present system, it made financial sense to be on hold for a few months. We would rely on our homeroom parents to help in contacting parents if we had a non-weather emergency that involved closing school.
PEOPLE AND EVENTS We received word from State Senator Michael Stack’s office yesterday that Samantha D’Alfonso (6-20) was a winner in the Presidential Idol contest that his office sponsored. Sam will attend a reception breakfast where she will be recognized and also be presented with a $100 US bond. Congratulations from all of us, Sam. You did a great job depicting Thomas Jefferson.
Collin Wiercinski (8-25) and Frank Vanore (7-22) were chosen to represent the Archbishop Ryan Middle School Ice Hockey team in the Lower Bucks County Scholastic Hockey League (LBCSHL) All Star Game. The boys played well and contributed to the team winning 5-1. Funds raised at The All-Star Game will be donated to The Special Olympics. We congratulate Collin and Frank. Our hats are off to our Swim Team! Once again, they made it all the way to the District Championships as they were again up against their traditional rival, St. Albert the Great. With St. Albert’s winning, you know that our swimmers already have their goal in place for next year. We thank them, their parents and coaches for representing SCS.
CRITICAL THINKING 101 Mathew Anthony (8-27) had his correct entry drawn to win this week’s $10 Gift Card of Choice certificate. The next five numbers after 1 divisible only by themselves or 0,1 are 2, 3, 5, 7, 11. For next week, “To the month, how much longer has Alaska been a state than Hawaii?”
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