Just Checking In

June 9, 2010

2010-06-10T06:48:00.001-07:00

JUST CHECKING IN ~ JUNE 9, 2010

God’s blessings to the St. Christopher School Community now and always!

RITES OF PASSAGE We congratulate our Pre-K and Kindergarten students who will celebrate moving up at their closing ceremonies tomorrow. These ceremonies are always special ones and as usual, any siblings are welcome to leave class to attend. Next Tuesday evening, the Class of 2010 will be honored at a special liturgy followed by the awarding of diplomas and honors to them. It is always a very special evening marking the end of their years in elementary school and the start of the next part of their life journey. Then on that Thursday we will celebrate our 1st to 7th Graders when we come together at Mass and honor them for their accomplishments.

NEW GRANT OPPORTUNITY FOR SCS FAMILIES We just received word from State Senator Mike Stack’s office that $1500 in EITC funds have been designated to our school through the Bravo Foundation. We will distribute this in three $500 tuition grants. Families who already had applied for the Bridge Foundation lottery but did not have their names pulled should call Mrs. Junod in the Parish Office to confirm whether or not you’d like to be included in this lottery. Families who did not enter that earlier Bridge lottery should call if you’d like to be included in this one. Unlike Bridge, qualified families who names are drawn and who accept will need to send a $21 processing check along with the application.

END OF YEAR REPORT CARDS – To receive final report cards, offertory contributions must have reached $735 by June 7, and TUITION and CARES must be paid in full by June 7. No exceptions can be made to this policy. Applications for monthly payment plan must be on file in parish office by June 30. These applications are available in both our school and parish offices.

SPECIAL REMINDER TO 8TH GRADE PARENTS Your family offertory obligation ($780) for the fiscal year 7/1/09 to 6/30/10 along with tuition must be paid in full by June 7th in order for child to participate in graduation activities

YOU CAN CHANGE THE FUTURE—BY BECOMING A FOSTER PARENT Foster families provide temporary homes to children of all ages, races, and religions whose families are in crisis. The love and commitment that Catholic Social Services foster parents provide has a lasting and positive effect on the children whose lives they touch. For more information on how you can become a foster parent, call 215-587-3960.

PEOPLE AND EVENTS Ryan will be hosting a Boys’ Basketball Camp June 28-July 2nd and July 12-16. All boys 7-14 are welcome. We have flyers in the main office or you can contact Bernie Rogers at rogersryan11@yahoo.com.
In addition to the Pre-7th and Pre-8th Summer Enrichment Camp at St. Basil Academy, they are also offering Grade School Summer Athletic Camps. Please call their Admissions Office at 215-885-6952 for brochures and information.

CRITICAL THINKING 101 Congratulations to Tyler Dackow (4-11) for having his correct entry drawn and there were tons of them Tyler will receive the final $10 Gift Card of Choice certificate for this school year. We hope that our families will continue to find opportunities over the summer to have everyone thinking critically. There are so many fun ways even while you’re driving in the car. Who can get through the alphabet first by spotting words that have the letter of the alphabet they need right then? Who can find the sum of the license number on the car in front of you? Playing family board games provides lots of time for critical thinking as people find ways to win? How about all that you can do with a deck of cards from the simple games of Memory or Solitaire?

JUST CHECKING IN is exactly what I’ll be doing from time to time to see how you all are and how your families are growing. I have been blessed to share so much with you over the years and I will look forward to checking in now and again to see how you’re doing. Thank you for making my principalship such an awesome one with all the partnership we shared. Your children are truly our future. We are blessed.

June 2, 2010

2010-06-02T11:25:00.000-07:00

JUST CHECKING IN ~ JUNE 2, 2010

“Glory be to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be world without end. Amen”

NEXT WEEK IS IT—FOR OUR WEDNESDAY ENVELOPES ANYWAY! Please note that as our year draws to a close, so does our envelope communication. However, you should continue to check your teacher’s web pages from now to the close of the year. We will likewise post information on our school website throughout the summer as well as putting information in the parish bulletin as needed. Know that you may contact us through the website or call us with any questions or concerns that you may have—or you might just want to say hello and ask how many days are left until school begins!
TITLE I SUMMER SCHOOL PROGRAM If your child is signed up for this program, please ask them for the parent information letter they received today to bring home to you.
WHAT DOES A FACULTY DO IN THE SUMMER? Some of our teachers will help with SCS Bible School, some will participate in a Summer Institute Workshop the next week at Holy Family University, some will teach in our Summer Program, some will take courses on-site and on-line, and some will relax. Knowing our faculty, you can imagine that :some” will do all of the above. That’s just the kind of faculty we have. Aren’t you glad?.
…AND WE FORGOT TO MENTION that some of them will be working to update both our faculty and parent-student handbooks. After we finish the parent-student handbook, we’ll be inviting some parents in to read it for clarity and to see if we’ve included everything that we should. For instance, we know that we’ll be including what we’ll do if a student doesn’t look like an SCS student should such as calling for the student to be picked up by a parent if a girl’s skort is too short, or if a boy’s hair is too long, just to name two examples. We’d been counting on parents helping us with this but realize that these parents probably need our input to back them up too. Look for changes.
PEOPLE AND EVENTS Today was a very special day for Madison Coyne (2-4) when she was honored at a special Philadelphia Fire Department presentation here at school. Madison was the winner of the Department’s Spring Contest and we had special guests from the Department right up to the Commissioner on hand to celebrate the day and share some fire safety tips with our Kindergarten to 4th Grade In addition to the celebration itself, Madison will also receive a savings bond from the Fire Department.
Our secretary Gina Lombardi will have a lot to share with us about what it’s like at the Henley Rowing Competition in Merry Old England. The Lombardis will be flying over this summer to watch their son Louis, a St. Joseph Prep Junior, in his role as coxswain for the V-8 boat.
Holy Ghost Prep Forensics Team Wins Two Individual National Championships - Team Named Top Five in Nation The forensics team won two individual national championships at the NCFL Grand National Tournament in Omaha, NE over Memorial Day weekend and the team was named one of the top five schools in the country.. Individual national champions were Junior Dan Marcel and Senior Joe Geoghan in duo interpretation. Junior Joe Gallagher won an individual national championship in oral interp of prose and poetry. Rory Gledhill’s debate team won 4-1 as well moving the team to the trophy. Both Joe G.’s and Rory are SCS alums and we are very proud of them. They certainly are fine role models for our own forensics team. It shows our students that the sky’s the limit.
CRITICAL THINKING 101 Congratulations to Amanda Bowman (6-17) for having her correct answer pulled for this week’s $10 Gift Card of Choice Certificate. Amanda knew that by adding the numerals from 1-9, dividing that total by 5, and then finding the square root of that answer, she’d have 3. For our final critical thinking of this school year, “If you assign a number to each letter of the alphabet, a=1, b=2, c=3, etc., what is the grand total of the entire alphabet from a to z when you add them together? Let’s hope it’s as easy as abc for you to find the answer.”

June 1, 2010

2010-06-01T10:47:00.000-07:00

Daily Announcements

Letter Day: D
Altar Servers: Rachael Foley and Amanda Jordan
Okay to wear Flyers T-Shirts over uniform tomorrow
Cheerleading Registration tonight from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. in T.H. for 4th thru 7th grades
CYO Soccor Registrastion from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in H.F.H. for grades 4 throu 7
All summer reading books are sold out...any money received will be returned
All studnts who have out a library book must return their books on Wednesday morning

May 26, 2010

2010-05-26T12:01:00.000-07:00

JUST CHECKING IN ~ MAY 26, 2010

“Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you, Blessed are you among women…”

TECHNOLOGY ISSUES AND YOUR CHILDREN We keep hearing more instances of students using technological opportunities at their disposal in negative and unmonitored ways. If you see a need for your child to have an account on Facebook, MySpace, or whatever else is out there, do you have access? Are you sure that there is only one account or are you seeing the “parent” one? Are you ultimately in control of their computer usage? If you see a need for your child to have a cell phone, do you have access to all the texting taking place? Do you collect cell phones at a certain time each evening and return them in the morning? Do you realize that high schools, colleges, and employers will have future access to what your child posts now? Would you mind if anyone saw some of the messages or photos there? What will you do if your child is accused of cyber-bullying? What would you be able to say about what has already been printed and/or saved whether or not it was later deleted by the sender?

SPECIAL LUNCH CAUTION FOR THOSE WITH PEANUT ALLERGIES We’ve recently been made aware that Chick-Fil-A, this Friday’s special lunch offering, is cooked in peanut oil. If that is an issue for your cherub and you’ve already sent in your envelope, just send a note and your money will be returned to you.

STUDENT COUNCIL 2010-2011 We are pleased to announce the results of this year’s elections. We would think that our student voters in Gr. 5-7 had a difficult time in deciding for whom to vote after hearing the candidates’ speeches. Vote they did though and here are the upcoming officers:
President—Kate Wildonger, VP—Marissa Sylvester, Secretary—Jillian Spicer, and Treasurer—Alexis Johncola.

END OF YEAR REPORT CARDS – To receive final report cards, offertory contributions must have reached $735 by June 7, and TUITION and CARES must be paid in full by June 7. No exceptions can be made to this policy. Applications for monthly payment plan must be on file in parish office by June 30. These applications are available in both our school and parish offices.
SPECIAL REMINDER TO 8TH GRADE PARENTS Your family offertory obligation ($780) for the fiscal year 7/1/09 to 6/30/10 along with tuition must be paid in full by June 7th in order for child to participate in graduation activities.

IMPORTANT MARKET DAY INFORMATION RE-VISITED If you use Market Day, please be sure to fill out the voucher request form last week’s envelope and return it to school as soon as possible. That gives the chair people time to get them ready for you to pick up at the final sale on June 3rd.

NOT ONLY JUNE BUT ALL OF NEXT YEAR Enclosed is the calendar wrapping up this school year with the tentative one for next year on the back of it. Please note that the dates are tentative in the event that we’d have to make a change for any reason. You know, however, that it’d be rare. We need to say that it can’t be written in stone though.—life often interferes with life!

PEOPLE AND EVENTS If you’ve seen Victoria Poggio (2-3) since her First Eucharist,, you’ll realize that she had her hair cut but you might not know that she donated it to Locks of Love. Victoria loves to help other boys and girls and this was a great way to carry Christ to others.
CORA is running a Summer Learning Center at their headquarters on Verree Road from June 28-July 23. To request a registration packet, call Joyce Millar at 215-01-2580.
If your son is between 8 and 16, you might want to send him to the Jack Walsh Basketball Camp from June 28 to July 2 at Archbishop Wood. You can contact Coach Walsh at home 215-489-6438, cell 215-246-2006, or bwalsh22@comcast.net for more information. We also have some flyers in our office.
La Salle HS is running a Future Stars basketball camp that also integrates safety and values along with drug and alcohol prevention. The camp is for boys and girls from 5-9 years old. We have flyers or you can contact director Marty Jackson at 215-233-2911 ext. 3072 or at Jackson@lschs.org.
Vikings Football Registration –Flyers were put in classroom mailboxes for boys in Gr. 5-8.
Quench your thirst and help fight breast cancer next Wednesday, June 2nd from 6-9 PM. You can stop by Rita’s Water Ice at Byberry and Philmont knowing that 15% of the profits will go toward Katelyn McCullough’s fundraising efforts toward the 3 Day Walk in the fall.

CRITICAL THINKING 101 This week’s $10 Gift Card of Choice certificate will go home with Corinne Hughes (4-13) who named all six states-- Minnesota, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Georgia, Connecticut, and Louisiana-- which each have four different vowels in them without counting repeats. Way to go, Corinne! For next week, add together all the numerals from 1 to 9, divide that total by 5, and then tell us the square root of that answer. Let’s be sure that this certificate finds a good home!

May 19, 2010

2010-05-19T07:21:00.001-07:00

JUST CHECKING IN ~ MAY 19, 2010

“O Mary, we crown you with blossoms today, Queen of the Angels, Queen of the May…”

OUR MAY PROCESSION Not a drop fell from the sky as first our 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 7th, and Kindergarten processed into Church followed by our 2nd Graders in their Communion garb, our 6th in their Confirmation robes, our 8th in their Graduation robes, and then our 8th Grade liturgical dancers, May Court, and May Queen. The afternoon was a beautiful one from the signing of the Hail Mary by our Kindergarten to the final Act of Consecration to Mary by all of our students after the crowning. This year’s liturgical dance was beautifully executed as the dancers echoed one another in their graceful tribute to the Blessed Mother. We thank all of our students for their reverence and the teachers who spent so much time helping our students prepare for this special occasion.

A MESSAGE FROM JOHN WESTFIELD So many of our people reached out to the Westfield family by pledges of financial support per mile for the family, friends, and neighbors who participated in the Broad St. Run in John’s name. Not only did John make about 100 copies of his beautiful thank you letter, he signed each one and brought them all to school. Since we don’t know here who all the contributors were, we have printed a copy of his letter on the back of this newsletter. The St. Christopher Community is without a doubt one that continues to carry Christ to others in so many ways and Christ comes back to our lives as evidenced here by John’s loving message.

IMPORTANT MARKET DAY INFORMATION If you use Market Day, please be sure to fill out the voucher request form found in today’s envelope and return it to school as soon as possible. That gives the chairpeople time to get them ready for you to pick up at the final sale on June 3rd.

OUR HOME AND SCHOOL IS TIRELESS! Our board and members go from one activity to another on behalf of our children. Look at the two-sided flyer about Special Lunch and Ice Cream Day as well as the one about Dorney Park Day on Friday, June 18th. In addition to events such as these and the very successful Mother’s Day Plant Sale we just had, H&S is hosting some information self-esteem and self-discipline sessions for our young people in 7th and 8th Grade next week. Stay tuned. We know how grateful parents are to the board and its committees. We sure are!

PEOPLE AND EVENTS Looking even cuter than ever is Paige Agster (K-34) after she went for her hair cut and donated her hair to Locks of Love . This organization makes wigs for children undergoing hair loss from cancer or any other disease. We are proud of you, Paige. As a school community over the years our students have been so generous to this cause. It’s another example of SCS reaching out to others.
Guess where the best high school catcher in the area went? You guessed it—SCS! How proud we were to see Greg Olenski ’06 named to this honor in the Philadelphia Inquirer on Friday, May 7th. Both his picture and his amazing baseball stats were there for all the Delaware Valley to see. We congratulate Greg and wish him the best at the University of Maryland.
Last week’s Northeast Times featured a two page spread on SCS alum Alicia Goodchild and her dad. Alicia had a kidney transplant in 2000 and her dad a heart transplant in 2008. Both are looking forward to competing in the U.S. Transplant Games this summer in Madison. They might become the only father-daughter team ever to compete in the history of this biannual event and they go with all our good wishes and prayers. What an example they set for us!
If you’d like more information about the Boyle Recreation Summer Day Camp running from July 6 to August 13, we have some flyers here at school or you can call the center at 215-685-0367 for more information.
Manor College is offering a Secret Agent Lab & Spy Academy as well as a Wonders of Magic camp. For information call them at 215-884-2218 or visit them online at www.manor.edu/coned.

CRITICAL THINKING 101 Okay all you baseball stats people, the Phillies player with the most letters in his first name is Placido Polanco. However, for last names, there are four players who all have last names with 9 letters in them. They are Contreras, Francisco, Schneider, and Victorino. This week’s $10 Gift Card of Choice certificate will be given to Nick Azzarano (1-31) for having his correct entry drawn. For next week, which state(s) has/have the most different vowels in its/their name? Count each different vowel only once in the state. For instance, you’d say that Alabama only had 1 vowel-an A-- even though it’s there three times.

May 5, 2010

2010-05-05T04:51:00.001-07:00

JUST CHECKING IN ~ MAY 5, 2010

“God’s blessings on our First Communicants as they receive Jesus for the first time!”

A MOST SPECIAL PRAYER WEEKEND This is a most special weekend on so many levels for St. Christopher people. Let us pray for all the children who will be receiving the Holy Eucharist for the first time this Saturday, for all the mothers we honor in a special way on Mother’s Day this Sunday and for all the women we know who have/had breast cancer, and for all the people who are participating in the Run for the Cure this Sunday in support and celebration of those brave women. Please be sure to find a family who is participating and support them personally or you can send a donation in to our school and we will make one united donation from SCS.

MAY STUDENTS OF THE MONTH Congratulations to the following students: Pre-K-Shannon Hughes; K-Edward Guarnaccia and McKenna Murphy; First- Patrick Dooley, Kaitlyn Bembischew, and Madison Martino; Second-Juliette Citrigno, Caitlin Geiger, and Fibianca LaSpina; Third- Matthew Fagan and Greg Sylvester; Fourth-Alyssa Marino, Regan Hoyt, and Courtney Weller; Fifth-Joseph Meehan and Grace Gervino; Sixth- Nicholas Newbert, Anna Camillo, and Natalie Rizzo; Seventh-Gerald Eck, Elizabeth Schrenk, and Marissa Sylvester; Eighth-, Stephanie Vogelman, Marikate Kidd, and Samantha DiFrancesco.

ATTENTION PLEASE! Summer Reading Books: Titles for all grades are new for this summer. Since we are awaiting delivery of some of the new titles we will accept paid orders for any and all titles and deliver as soon as we receive them. We are selling them at cost, however if you would choose to buy them elsewhere, feel free to do so. Additional order forms can be found on the school's web site under FORMS

THANK YOU, FIFTH GRADE for hosting our tree and shrub planting last Friday. You would have enjoyed being a part of this day. Our 5th Graders worked alongside so many parent and community volunteers to do some native planting out back. They took out invasive plants, put in native trees and shrubs, and prepared the space for the upcoming butterfly garden. Not only would you have enjoyed the day, you would have been so proud of our students and their good upbeat manners with our guests. It was a glorious day from the first shovelful of dirt to the hot dog picnic lunch made possible by parents, to the rain barrel demonstration at Cranaleith.

END OF YEAR REPORT CARDS – To receive final report cards, offertory contributions must have reached $735 by June 7th, and TUITION and CARES must likewise be paid in full by June 7th. No exceptions can be made to this policy.
All applications for monthly payment plan must be on file in the parish office by June 30th. These applications are available in our school and parish offices.

SPECIAL REMINDER TO 8TH GRADE PARENTS Your family offertory obligation ($780) for the fiscal year 7/1/09 to 6/30/10 along with tuition must be paid in full by June 7th in order to participate in graduation activities.

THIS IS IT! Tonight is the closing H&S meeting of this school year and it is one that you won’t want to miss. You’ll be voting for the next board and on a proposed amendment to the bylaws of the association. There’ll be a special time to socialize with other parents as well. We look forward to seeing you this evening. Hope you can make it!

PEOPLE AND EVENTS That really was our own alum John Rizzo in the Inquirer headline, “Rizzo leads way as Ryan edges LaSalle in ninth”. The April 21st article went on to say that “Ryan had John Rizzo in its back pocket for some late-game heroics in a Catholic League Red Division baseball game.” Way to go, John!

CRITICAL THINKING 101 Congratulations to Shawn Tamulis (2-4) whose correct entry was drawn for this week’s $10 Gift Card of Choice certificate. Shawn found the matching synonyms by moving letters. They are: 1.shed/barn 2. rage/blow 3. stable/even 4. spotless/pure. For next week, which Phillies’ current player has the most letters in his first name? Which one in his last name?

April 28, 2010

2010-04-30T07:47:00.000-07:00

JUST CHECKING IN ~ APRIL 28, 2010

“…No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared
for those who love Him…” ~~1 Corinthians 2:9

“IF APRIL SHOWERS BRING MAYFLOWERS, WHAT DO MAYFLOWERS BRING?” You might remember the answer to that old riddle—“Pilgrims!”, but May itself brings us close to the end of the school year. It’s a busy month both inside and outside of school and so we are all challenged in keeping everyone focused on the goal of making teaching/learning as productive as possible. Together we can do it, right? Check out the May calendar and you’ll see what we mean from just our end.

IMPORTANT AND TIME-SENSITIVE INFORMATION There is limited assistance available for families with serious financial difficulty. These families may apply for financial consideration. All applications should be in writing to our tuition review committee no later than May 1. Parents seeking assistance will be sent an application form which must be completed before a meeting is scheduled for them with the committee. Please be assured that these families will be treated with dignity, respect and in a confidential manner. Keep in mind that this applies only to families in grades K-8. Full tuition must be paid for Pre-Kindergarten. Families receiving assistance are expected to use our Gift Card (Scrip) Program to reduce their tuition and assistance is limited to families who qualify for the Special Stewardship Rate.
It is important for families to remember that assistance does not automatically roll over to the next year. If needed, it must be applied for each year.
Please note the requirements for 8TH GRADE STUDENTS to participate in school trip on Wednesday, May 12th: Tuition paid in full, Offertory at $660 level, and all fees paid in full by Monday May 3rd.

THANK YOU TO CAPTAIN McCARRICK for bringing the E-Z Identification Program here for K-1st Graders. A good number of our students were registered and so they were able to have all their information including even fingerprints put on a CD. While Captain McCarrick, and Officer Mroz were here at work with their team, some moms here for our H&S Special Lunch expressed their hopes that this grant might be extended to reach more grade levels in the future. Parents who have their CD now are reminded to put it in a place that is safe and you can easily remember where and also to include a piece of your child’s hair for DNA purposes.

SAFE ENVIRONMENT LESSONS take place twice yearly and it’s time for the spring sessions. These are the age-appropriate lessons that reinforce the importance of children being in charge of their own bodies and not letting anyone act inappropriately with them. If you prefer that your child NOT be in the classroom when the teacher presents this lesson, please contact our office for paperwork that you should sign and return advising us of that. We’d ask that you return the sheet by Friday as the lessons are next Monday and Tuesday and we’d need to let the teachers know.

DOING OUR PART AND BEING REWARDED March was a great month paper recycling-wise. We received a check for $160.55 for the month. Good work! Our students likewise reached out to help others in need right here in our Archdiocese by raising $1,087.61 for Nickels for Neighbors. Student Council Officers John Luciano and Shannon Harrington will present our check to the Bishop at Carroll HS tomorrow.
We are also rewarded when we reach out right here in our neighborhood. Please read the back of this newsletter to see how you can join others and reach out to help one of ours suffering with cancer. As the Race for the Cure approaches, we will also let you know how we can show our support for our families who are facing breast cancer. God will never be outdone in generosity to us.

PEOPLE AND EVENTS The office has flyers for Turn Two Baseball Camp at Ryan this summer. Just ask for one to be sent home to you.
B&R Family Fitness Club in Feasterville is holding a summer program for children from 3-14. You can call Jody at 215-355-2700 ext. 108 for more information.

CRITICAL THINKING 101 Congratulations to Brenna Farrell (7-22) for having her correct entry drawn for this week’s $10 Gift Card of Choice certificate. Brenna knew that A=8, B=9, C=5, D=1 when she solved the problems. For next week, try making these sets of words into synonyms by moving one letter from either word in the set to the other. For instance, boast / hip > boat / ship. Here we go: shred/ban --- rag/below--- table/seven--- potless/purse

April 16, 2010

2010-04-16T09:56:00.000-07:00

DailyAnnouncements

Letter Day: A
Altar Servers: Bryn Reilly and Anne Marie Rymal
Mass: 4
No Title One Reading today

April 15, 2010

2010-04-15T09:53:00.000-07:00

Daily Announcements

Letter Day: E
Altar Servers: Christopher Maffae and Michelle Nocitra
Gym Show practice tonight for all 6:45 to 8:00

April 14, 2010

2010-04-14T07:38:00.001-07:00

JUST CHECKING IN ~ APRIL 14, 2010

“Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful; and kindle in them the fire of your love.”

THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL TRULY BE AMONG US this afternoon as our 6th Graders are confirmed. At a 4 PM liturgy, Bishop McFadden will anoint each of them with chrism as they are sealed with the Holy Spirit. Together let us pray for them to use the gifts of the Holy Spirit that they are receiving often and in service of others.

A SPECIAL PRAYER REQUEST Our 4th Grade teacher, Mrs. Muldoon was put in the hospital last week by her obstetrician and will remain there until the birth of her baby. Mrs. Muldoon was going to be delivered on the 30th and so is waiting as patiently and restfully as possible. We’ll let you know when the baby comes and you can all celebrate their joy with us. Parents who’ve been in our school know that the Muldoon lost their first child, an eleven day old son, last February and know why we are all praying so hard for them. When you come into our main lobby, if you look to your left, you will see a beautiful St. Christopher statue there in Baby William’s memory.

SOME GRADE SPECIFIC REMINDERS Families interested in having their 6th and 7th Grade students try for the Andy Wallace family scholarship are reminded the student’s essays are due by the last Friday of this month, the 30th.
Families of 5th Graders should look for physical forms from the nurse which must be filled out by the student’s doctor for 6th Grade admission. In addition to a physical exam, three vaccines are required. They are 1 dose of Tdap, given after the 10th birthday, 2 doses of Varicella vaccine, and 1 dose of meningococcal vaccine.

NOW THAT WE’RE NOT SWEATING… Parents can be sure that their students are wearing the appropriate summer uniforms. Please remember that uniform shorts are just that—uniform shorts. Not just any khaki shorts fit the bill. Likewise, sneakers and socks should be white and socks should be well over ankles. Shirts should be tucked in as ever and belts should be worn. On cooler mornings, wearing our uniform sweater with the summer uniform makes sense. If it’s gym day, please be sure that the gym shorts are body appropriate. It looks like some students are wearing shorts that they had three or four years ago. Gym shorts should neither be tight or, sorry for the pun or whatever it is in this instance, short. You know what we mean. Please remember that summer uniforms are an option, but if this option is chosen it should be complete. For instance, sneakers with winter uniforms don’t cut it nor do black socks. As we said, you know what we mean.

DRUM ROLL, PLEASE! We are proud to announce the Connelly Scholarship winners for 2010. Congratulations go out to Isabella Brown, Hannah Cochrane, Ryan Hearn, Kevin Jurgelewicz, and Victoria Kahhan. These five 8th Graders will be receiving a third of their archdiocesan high school tuition all through high school. There is a presentation ceremony at Ryan on the evening of May 10th at which winners will be recognized and celebrated.

PEOPLE AND EVENTS Brooke Anderson (3-8) passed her Junior. Black Belt test this past Saturday by taking a grueling four hour test. She will receive her official black belt at a ceremony in June. Imagine all the hard work that got Brooke this far when she’s just in 3rd Grade!
Amanda Hearn (5-16) donated her hair to Locks of Love, the charity for children with cancer who need wigs. We know that Amanda’s curls will make some child’s life brighter and we’re proud of her.
Mary Elise Lynch, a 2002 graduate of St. Chris, was just awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to study the discordance between HIV rapid testing in Kisumu, Kenya. She will go to the Kenya Medical Research Institute in August to work on this research project for a full academic year and then begin medical school in the fall of 2011. Like us, her parents are so excited for her and this great accomplishment and proud that she began her education at St. Chris!
We’ve also been told that Jessica Sylvester SCS ’07 has not only been admitted to the National Honor Society at Nazareth Academy but also to the Spanish Honor Society and the Mathematics Honor Society. We’re honored that Jessica got her start here.
The Philadelphia Department of Recreation is offering Summer Art Camp 2010 for artistically motivated participants from 6-18 years of age. If you’d like a copy of the information brochure, let our secretary Mrs. Lombardi know and she’ll see that your child brings home a copy for you.

CRITICAL THINKING 101 Congratulations to Chris Tamulis in Pre-K who had his correct entry drawn for this week’s $10 Gift Card of Choice certificate. The answers were: 1. flight>light 2. fact>act 3. frank>rank 4. fever>ever. For next week, you’ll need to figure out the code the following. The asterisks separate the words.

20-2-10-13-19 *** 4-7-17-10-20-19-16-15-7-6-17 *** 20-4-7-16-16-11***10-20**19-7-6***1-6-20-19.

April 7, 2010

2010-04-07T06:17:00.000-07:00

JUST CHECKING IN ~ APRIL 7, 2010

“Jesus is risen! Let us sing! Praise to the ever living king! Alleluia!...”

SPRING IS REALLY HERE Having all celebrated a blessed Easter, having the Phillies ready to go, having the IRS counting down toward the 15th, having cherubs out on baseball and softball fields, all are signs that spring is really here and that we must be diligent in keeping our students tuned into a strong 3rd Trimester effort. With sunny days and longer evenings, it is a challenge, but one that won’t be daunting to those of you looking for a strong finish for your children to the school year.

NOON DISMISSAL REMINDER FOR NEXT WEDNESDAY Please be reminded the Sacrament of Confirmation will be conferred at 4 PM on the 14th and that we will be dismissing at noon. Your prayers for these students will help them on this very special day in their spiritual lives. We know how important the graces they will receive are for them.

TITLE I SERVICES When we sent home letters about summer school for Title I eligible students, some parents were surprised that their children were on eligibility lists. When our Title I teacher spoke at the first H&S meeting in the fall, she told the audience that lists were determined based on given guidelines. By the use of Terra Nova test scores in Grades 3-8, by the inclusion of as many as possible under the umbrella in 1-2, and by total inclusion in K we were able to make lists that put as many students as possible on them. Services are then provided on an as-needed basis with parent approval to a limited number of those students with the exception of summer school which is available to all the eligible students. As you can guess, some students will have no need of these services, but by being on the lists which are formalized by the third week of September, they would be immediately able to have them if the need arose during the school year. With all that this Title I program can do for our students, we want to be sure that we cover as many students as possible.

MORE BRIDGE GRANT MONEY AVAILABLE The Bridge Foundation has notified us that we will be receiving an additional $8700 in EITC funds to be shared by nine financially qualified SCS families. To be considered, please call Maryann Junod at the Parish Center by next Monday, April 12th, and your name will be put in the lottery. Drawing will take place on Thursday, April 15th, and those whose names were drawn will be notified. Those families whose names were not drawn in the earlier lottery we held for $10,000 in funding will also be included.

FINANCIAL AID FOR 2010-2011 There is limited assistance available for families with serious financial difficulty. These families may apply for financial consideration. All applications should be in writing to our tuition review committee no later than May 1. Parents seeking assistance will be sent an application form which must be completed before a meeting is scheduled for them with the committee. Please be assured that these families will be treated with dignity, respect and confidentiality. Please keep in mind that this applies only to families in grades k-8. Full tuition must be paid for Pre-kindergarten. Families receiving assistance are expected to use Gift Card (Scrip) Program to reduce their tuition. Assistance is limited to families who qualify for Special Stewardship Rate.

A TRUE EARTH DAY CELEBRATION can take place very easily at SCS if we renew our efforts to recycle and get our green and yellow bins as full as possible this month. April 22nd will mark the 40th birthday of Earth Day and we can give our Earth a great gift by being extra-aware of how much we can/should recycle.

APRIL STUDENTS OF THE MONTH Congratulations to the following students: Pre-K-Caitlin Coan; Kindergarten- Jennae Yeager and Patrick Lonergan; First- Juliette Lamb, Ethan Ramos, and Robert Fredericksdorf; Second- Ryan DiVergilis, Nicholas Schmid, and David Teesdale; Third-Kada McGovern and Casey Coan; Fourth-Katie Rogers, AJ Naylor, and Kassidy Rusden; Fifth-Joseph Comas and Brianna Geiger; Sixth-Lisa Valentino, Juliana Pascali, and Kelsey Tyrrell; Seventh-Jill Snyder, Maria Market, and Maria Schuck; Eighth-Laney Coull, Anna Ryan, Nora McWilliams, and Jenna Plunkett.

PEOPLE AND EVENTS Imagine winning a trophy almost as tall as you are! That’s just what happened last weekend for Katie Weller (1-31) at the Amerikick International held at the Philadelphia Convention Center. Katie came in 2nd Place in the 6-7 year old competition for yellow belts. Way to go, Katie!
How about these alums? Holy Ghost will be presenting their spring musical on April 15, 16, 17, 18 at 7:00 pm each evening. The show is Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat with four St. Chris alums involved in the production: Edward Spangler (Stage Crew Manager), Edrick Chow (stage crew), Emily Gaggianno (orchestra) and Conner Smith (Benjamin). We’ll post the flyer with ticket information by the main office.
CRITICAL THINKING 101 Congratulations to Michael Rocks (4-11) for having his correct entry drawn. We didn’t catch very many people. Almost everyone knew that exactly 250 dozen eggs would be needed. Michael will be receiving this week’s $10 Gift Card of Choice certificate. For next week, let’s go back to a popular kind of puzzle. See if you can take away the first letter of the word and still have a valid word. Here are the clues. It’s up to you to figure out the words. 1. A trip through the air > illumination; not heavy 2. true statement > part of a play; something done 3. straightforward; blunt > position in a hierarchy 4. high body temperature > at any time; at all times.

March 24, 2010

2010-03-24T05:15:00.000-07:00

JUST CHECKING IN ~ MARCH 24, 2010

“From the depths we cry to thee, God of sov’reign majesty! Hear our prayers and
hymns of praise; bless our Lent of forty days…” ~ Heinlein

EASTER BLESSINGS TO YOU AND YOURS! As we approach the end of our Lenten journey and the start of Holy Week on Palm Sunday, as a school community we pray that your time in Lent may have been personally fruitful for you and that you and yours can anticipate the joy and blessing of Easter and the promise of Resurrection it holds for you.
Next Wednesday our students will spend some time in retreat with appropriate prayer and activity time, celebrate Seders, and close their day in church as the 8th Grade performs the traditional Living Stations which will be repeated for the parish on Good Friday.
This will be our last envelope until April 7th, the Wednesday after Easter. The April calendar is enclosed and we remind you that school will close for Easter at our 3 PM dismissal on the 31st and re-open on Easter Monday, April 5th. Please make note that April is a full month of school with the exception of noon dismissal on Wednesday, April 14th, for Confirmation which takes place later that afternoon. In addition, optional summer uniforms may be worn starting on April 15th.

SUMMER SCHOOL AT SCS We are able to offer a Title I summer school program here this year. Students in Grades K to 7 who are Title I eligible received letters for their parents today about the program which begins June 28 and runs through July 29 four mornings a week. Commitment is time-sensitive and so a response is needed by next Monday.

THANK YOU TO OUR HOME & SCHOOL Both our Board and its different committees have been meeting, planning, and hosting the many different activities that they sponsor from Bunny Brunch for little ones to Ladies’ Bingo and Casino Night for adults to Special Lunches and Ice Cream Days for all our students. We thank these people in a special way for giving of their time to make such events possible. No matter how full our plates are, each of us should look for ways to help in some ways—big or little. That feeling of being connected is a special one.

EASY? CONFIDENTIAL? Easy? “Ten questions, ten minutes” is one of the slogans for this year’s Census. Questions are few in number and easily answered. It might not even take ten minutes to finish the questionnaire and drop it in the mail.
Confidential? By law, Census Bureau information cannot be passed on to employers, banks, law enforcement and immigration agencies or anyone else at all. It’s used to create a statistical profile of the United States. Period. Census data is sealed for 72 years so that this year’s individual information won’t be available to anyone else until the year 2082.

PEOPLE AND EVENTS We congratulate both of our cheerleader squads for each bringing home the Bronze in the competition. Once again our Varsity also won the Spirit Award. What a great season both these Varsity and JV girls had and we are very proud of them all
Parents interested in Spring or Summer SAT Workshops for their high school students or Learning Skills Programs for 6-8th Grade students can call us for a brochure or go online to www.drpaceseminars.com for more information about these programs.

CRITICAL THINKING 101 Nick Azzarano (1-31) had his correct entry drawn for this week’s $10 Gift Card of Choice certificate. The answers were 1. lose/close, 2. air/hair, 3. over/cover, 4. wish/swish, 5. hide/chide. For next time, “At the giant Easter celebration in a town, each participant was able to dye six eggs. If there were 500 participants, how many dozens of eggs needed to be purchased and how many were left over?”

March 18, 2010

2010-03-18T05:22:00.000-07:00

Daily Announcements:

Letter Day: "C"
Altar Servers: Brenden Lynch and Nicholas Newbert
Mass: Grade 7
Gym Show Practice today for K-8th grade 6:45 to 8:00 p.m.
Pretzel Money due tomorrow - $2.00 Sale which will carry you thru April 9th

March 17, 2010

2010-03-17T07:03:00.000-07:00

JUST CHECKING IN ~ MARCH 17, 2010

“Christ be with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ within me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me….Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me…” Prayer of St. Patrick

2ND TRIMESTER REPORT CARDS will be sent home tomorrow at the close of the school day. Know that we remind your children that they should first open their envelopes with you and not with their friends. Know also that it is important to recognize the strong points of the report with your children and also address how to work on the challenges you may see. Holding a good conversation works and helps your children take ownership of their learning. Students know themselves. As always, if you need to connect with a teacher, mark the box on the back of the card when you sign it and check to see if the teacher may have made the same request of you.

FINANCIAL AID FOR SCS FAMILIES There is limited assistance available for families with serious financial difficulty. These families may apply for financial consideration. All applications should be in writing to our tuition review committee no later than May 1. Parents seeking assistance will be sent an application form which must be completed before a meeting is scheduled for them with the committee. Please be assured that these families will be treated with dignity, respect and confidentiality. Please keep in mind that this applies only to families in grades k-8. Full tuition must be paid for Pre-kindergarten. Families receiving assistance are expected to use Gift Card ( Scrip) Program to reduce their tuition. Assistance is limited to families who qualify for Special Stewardship Rate.

CHILD SAFETY OPPORTUNITY FOR K AND 1ST GRADERS Thanks to a grant the Police Department has received we are able to offer parents of K and 1st Graders the opportunity to have their children’s necessary and vital information put on a CD which parents would then have in case of an emergency with their child. We will be setting up the date for the police to come to school to complete the CD’s and so those interested parents need to send in their paperwork by this Friday if they have not yet done so.

OUR VERY OWN NEUMANN SCHOLAR Congratulations to 8th Grader Fred Licsauer who has won a complete four year scholarship to an Archdiocesan high school. First having qualified and then sitting for the competitive academic test, Fred placed among the top 4% of 8th Graders across the Archdiocese in this competition sponsored by the Connelly Foundation. We all found out at the same time Monday morning when Kim Flavell from the Foundation came to school to make the announcement in front of our 6th, 7th, and 8th Grade classes. What a great way to start the week. We are very proud of Fred and know that he will do special things at Roman Catholic which is where he has chosen to go. The Connelly Foundation are very generous to our schools from technology to assemblies and trips to scholarships and grants, they recognize how prepared our students must be for the future of our region and nation and are doing their part.

WILL THERE BE A MARKET DAY NEXT YEAR? We’ve got the dates for next year but no chairpeople to replace Cheryl Sylvester and Linda Gumpper at this point in time. If two of you would like to chair this for the next two years, these ladies will be happy to train you and remain as mentors.

PEOPLE AND EVENTS We congratulate these students who placed in the IHM Math Contest at the school level: 7th Grade: 1st Place—Marikate O’Toole, 2nd Place—Nina Juntereal, 3rd Place—Marissa Picozzi. 8th Grade: 1st Place—Charlie Hoyt, 2nd Place—Anthony D’Alfonso, 3rd Place—Three-Way Tie-Shannon Harrington, Frank Duffner, and Fred Licsauer.
Once again our JV Cheerleaders did great and came in 1st Place in competition this past weekend. All the practice our girls put into preparing for these events is well worth it.

CRITICAL THINKING 101 Shannon Hughes (Pre-K) had her correct entry drawn for this week’s $10 Gift Card of Choice certificate. We needed to lose the last letter to answer the clues. We went from 1. charm to char, 2. warm to war, 3. realm to real, and 4. pine to pin. For next week, we need to do the total opposite. We need to add a letter at the start of the second clue. Here we go: 1. opposite of find / shut 2. we breathe this / grows on your head 3. finished or done / conceal 4. hope for / move back and forth especially in water 5. animal skin / scold.

March 10, 2010

2010-03-12T05:54:00.000-08:00

JUST CHECKING IN ~ March 10, 2010

“In these days of Lenten journey we have seen and we have heard the call to sow justice...”

KEEPING GREEN WITH RAIN BARRELS If you would like to attend a rain barrel demonstration, SCS and Cranaleith are having a special day on Friday, April 30th. In the morning our 5th graders will be working with parent volunteers and a host of local agencies to do some planting which will include a butterfly garden behind our school. After a picnic lunch, we will be walking over to Cranaleith where we will see a 1:00 rain barrel demonstration program to which all of you and yours are invited. Philadelphia residents need to let us know if they want to sign up for a free rain barrel for their homes. If you do, please call school and leave your name with one of the secretaries by this Friday so that we can send a number in to the Water Department. Proof of residence will be required when rain barrels are distributed. This is a great way to help yourselves and work toward keeping our planet green.

REPORT CARD REMINDER Second trimester report cards will be distributed on Thursday, March 18. We will be holding 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. There can be no exceptions to this policy. Please speak with Maryann Junod if you have questions or concerns

IF YOU LOVE MARKET DAY… please consider whether you would take on coordinating this program for us. After starting and building the program up to the success it is at present, Cheryl Sylvester now has different family commitments and her co-chair Linda Gumpper’s youngest is now in 8th Grade. We thank both of these women for making this such an attractive program all the way around. The funds raised definitely augment our school program and help participants individually by providing tuition vouchers. There is an official Market Day staff person who works with the chairs and is at each Market Day monthly pick-up. We operate this during the school year only. So, if you would like to talk about this, let us know. Both Cheryl and Linda would help two of you get started, of course.

SAVING THOSE ACME RECEIPTS? You’d better send them in before we break for Easter. H&S Chair Susy Weller sent in information from the company that they are ending this great community endeavor by April 30th and we could get one final check before it’s done. Gather them up and we’ll get them counted and mailed.

MARCH STUDENTS OF THE MONTH Congratulations go to the following students: Pre-K- Paige Ross Kindergarten- Brandon Fredericksdorf and Megan Comas; First-Haley Farmer, Kian McNicholas, and Jeffrey Hannan; Second- Emily Montague, Emily Loughery, and Emilia Tomes; Third- Zachary Dimmick, and Jack Juarez; Fourth- Grace Camillo, Kaylie Jurgelewicz, and Gianna Zornek; Fifth- Amanda Hearn, and Kristen Lichtner; Sixth- Julia Davis, Stephen Paul, and James Crown; Seventh- Nick Bianco, Jesse Lane, and Matt Ruskowski; Eighth- Michael Johncola, Shannon Harrington, Jessica Kaminski, and Raymond Rocks. We’re proud of all of you!

PEOPLE AND EVENTS Cheers to our cheerleaders! This past Sunday, both squads competed at St. Joseph’s University with great results. Our JV came in 2nd Place and our Varsity 1st Place along with wining the Spirit Award which speaks of the girls’ hearts and how they act at a competition. We’ll be holding an end-of-day pep rally for them this Friday to send them forth with even more spirit for the big competition at Ryan this Sunday.
If you can’t make our H&S Bunny Brunch on the 20th or even if you can and are in the market for another one, the Archbishop Ryan Girls’ Field Hockey Team is once again holding its Easter Egg Hunt on March 27 from 11-1 PM in the North Cafeteria. Tickets which include lunch are $7.

CRITICAL THINKING 101 Brigid Young (8-26) will be receiving this week’s $10 Gift Card of Choice certificate for having her correct entry drawn. There are 238 days in the Daylight Saving Time period so enjoy them all. For next week, it’s “No Last Letter”. We’ll give you two definitions and you provide the words. The catch is that the second word is the first but without the final letter. Here’s an example: begin / heavenly body— the right answers are start / star. Got it? Here we go. 1. bracelet decoration / burn or scorch 2. give out moderate heat / conflict between nations. 3. kingdom, domain / true, genuine. 4. type of tree / type of jewelry.

March 3, 2010

2010-03-03T05:01:00.000-08:00

JUST CHECKING IN ~ MARCH 4, 2009

“The Spirit sends us forth to serve; We go in Jesus’ name…Then let us go to serve in peace, The gospel to proclaim. God’s Spirit has empowered us; We go in Jesus’ name…”

WHEN OUR CONFIRMANDI COME FORWARD THIS AFTERNOON like the words of the song above, they are led by the Spirit as they go forward in Jesus’ name and their Confirmation names which acknowledge this commitment they make when they receive this sacrament of Confirmation. Pray for them.

BLUE THURSDAY SCS joins people from all over the Delaware Valley to show their support for police officers who are increasingly under fire from armed criminals on our streets. Parents can show your support by wearing blue, or decorating your car, home, or place of business with blue ribbons, encouraging everyone you know to do the same and showing support for police officers throughout the region on "Blue Thursday". Several Philadelphia landmarks have pledged their support by turning their lights to blue on Thursday evening including: Benjamin Franklin Bridge, Boathouse Row, Cira Center and Liberty One. Here at SCS students are invited to wear their blue ribbons from the first Blue Day or other pins or remembrances they may have along with their blue school sweaters. Classrooms and hallways too can be adorned with blue ribbons and signs showing our support for our police officers who are there for us each and every day. We know we are blessed with their presence. God bless them one and all!
THEY’RE KIDDING, RIGHT? Daylight Savings Time begins again this weekend. Doesn’t it seem unbelievable to have freezing temps, snow, and DST all in the same week? Don’t forget all the things around the house that need changing like school alarm clocks for Monday morning.

THIS LOTTERY’S ODDS ARE MUCH BETTER Please remember that we received another $10,000 in EITC grant money from Aegis Security. We pulled names for the first $10,000 monies from Enterprise and left the names not drawn in the basket. If you’d like your name added for consideration for a $1,000 SCS 2009-10 tuition grant as well, please call Maryann Junod at the parish center by Tuesday, March 10th. The drawing will take place on Thursday, the 12th. Once again, we’ll pull 10 names and 2 alternates.

PARISH CENTER INFORMATION ABOUT REPORT CARDS Second trimester report cards will be distributed on Thursday, March 12. 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 March 10. Please speak with Maryann Junod if you have questions or concerns.
To insure accurate records 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 at $1.00 or $2.00. Thank you.

PEOPLE AND EVENTS Let’s hear it for our cheerleaders! Once again they came home with trophies from the competition at Ryan. The Varsity won a 3rd Place trophy for All Around and the JV wond a 2nd Place for All Around as well as a 1st Place for Dance. The hard work these girls have put in really shows. They’ll be in top shape for their final competition on March 14th at Penn State Abington.
Our Swim Team is having a championship meet this Sunday, March 8, at 12 Noon against St. Albert’s. Go St. Chris!
We’ve told you about lots of championship games. Look on the back for the members of these teams. It’s been quite a year on the basketball court for SCS.

CRITICAL THINKING 101 Our $10 Gift Card/Scrip of Choice certificate goes to Paul Sullivan (1-31) who knew that 8,549,176,320 is the only number whose digits are arranged in alphabetical order. For next week, “An anagram link is a set of two words that link together by the last letter of one word, and the first letter of the other. Both words contain the same letters, but in different order such as team/meat. Can you find these anagram links by using the clues: 1.Link at T-one word means to consume. 2. Link at F-one word means skin. 3. Link at S-one word means to frighten.

February 24, 2010

2010-02-24T06:22:00.001-08:00

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?

February 17, 2010

2010-02-17T06:14:00.000-08:00

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.

February 3, 2010

2010-02-03T05:35:00.001-08:00

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?”

January 27, 2010

2010-01-27T05:50:00.000-08:00

JUST CHECKING IN ~ JANUARY 27, 2010

“Dear God, help us to keep the people of Haiti in our hearts.”

THIS IS WHAT WE ARE ABOUT Our children again made our mission of carrying Christ to others a real one as they realized $2,251.14 for Catholic Relief Services from their dress down day last Friday. Together with the donations collected at mass on the weekend, those funds will be a help to the desperate need of the Haitians.

WE HOPE TO SEE YOU TONIGHT AND DURING CSW This is our mid-year General H&S meeting and we look forward to seeing you there. H&S has arranged a good speaker and has another surprise in store for you. Then, please refer to your Catholic Schools Week brochure sent home last week to see how you can celebrate with us.

“HOW’S SCHOOL?”-- “FINE.” Check it out yourself when you review the progress reports being sent home tomorrow. Although you should have a good sense of how your child is doing at present, this report is a concrete reminder coming mid-way in the trimester. Either you or a teacher might be requesting a conference based on need.

2009 TAX STATEMENTS will be sent home with your child during the coming week. Please check the school bags. We are continuing to send home as much correspondence as possible through school in order to save on postage.

COMMITMENT ENVELOPES In this week’s Communication Envelope, you’ll find the green envelope for your use in committing to hold your children’s space for the upcoming school year. We ask that you do this by February 12th so that we can determine numbers of classes and the numbers of new students that we can consider for 2010-2011. There are spaces on the front of the envelope for necessary family information and your $120 fee can go inside. Please remember that you should only send in one envelope per family.

TERRA NOVA TESTING K-7 As indicated on the yearly tentative calendar, our Terra Nova testing dates are from March 5th to 12th. We cannot provide make-up testing for students across the board and so encourage you not to have students away on those days. Once again our Nutritional Development Program will provide free breakfast to our K-7 students every test morning.

PEOPLE AND EVENTS Kada McGovern (3-6) qualified for and has been chosen to compete in the All Ireland Irish Dance Competition being held next month in Killarney, Ireland. Like Kada’s family, we are so proud of her and this wonderful accomplishment. Kada, her mother, and her sister Erin (6-17) will certainly have many stories to share with everyone about their trip. Way to go, Kada!
What a weekend it was for our cheerleaders! Our Junior Varsity team came in 3rd at the competition held at Father Judge while our Varsity came in 1st along with a “Most Crowd Pleasing” award. These girls practice long and hard and we can see the results. We’re proud of both teams and their coaches.
Taking their model of their future city, Novus Genesis, to the regional Future Cities Competition at Penn’s Landing Saturday, our students brought back the Engineering Club of Philadelphia Award. Their city will be on display in school so that everyone can see it and they will also make their presentation at tonight’s meeting.
Our Swim Team will participate in the Championship Swim Meet this Saturday, January 30th at 5:45 against St. Albert the Great at the Nepsca Pool across from Ryan. As you can imagine, these are the top two teams in our district and SCS swimmers will give their all. We’ll keep you posted.
Dr. Patricia Sisca Pace holds area programs for different kinds of test prep, etc. for 7th and 8th Grade as well as high school students. If you’d like an information flier, they are available in our office.
During CSW Old Country Buffet is offering students who come with the flier or in school uniform the opportunity to dine for free when they come with paying adults. We’ll have some fliers available for interested families at tonight’s meeting.

CRITICAL THINKING 101 Allison Ross (3-8) had her correct entry drawn for this week’s $10 Gift Card of Choice. The prisoner’s visitor was his uncle. We thank Amanda Dean and Emily McCarrick in 4-11 for submitting that riddle for Critical Thinking. For next week, “Starting after 1, name the next 5 numbers that can only be divided by 1 or themselves.”

January 20, 2010

2010-01-20T06:57:00.000-08:00

JUST CHECKING IN ~ JANUARY 20, 2010

Dear God be with the Haitian people and give them strength and comfort; encourage us to live our mission of carrying Christ to others.

HELPING THE HAITIANS As they know from the news, our students know that the best way we can help the people of Haiti is by donating the money so urgently needed at present. To that end, our Student Council is coordinating a Dress Down Day for this Friday. They ask the usual $1 minimum but are hopeful that students will open their hearts and their banks to contribute more. The funds collected will be joined with those of the parish to be sent to Catholic Relief Services.

FUTURE CITIES COMPETITION takes place this Saturday at the Sheet Metal Workers Union on Delaware Avenue. As our superintendent states, he students involved are definitely engaged in a “total rigor and relevance opportunity.” SCS has named their future city, Novus Genesis which means New Beginning. We are proud of the students involved and grateful to their moderator Ms. Kelso and to the parents who have worked with the students at their evening meetings for a number of months. Stay posted for results next week.

WHAT’S UP? Our Pre-K is graphing weather as well as learning facts about dinosaurs as they do “D” for these amazing creatures. 1st Grade is looking to see how they can give their hearts to others as their joint hallway display clearly shows. Not only are 2nd Graders preparing for 1st Reconciliation in three weeks, they are busy putting their writing skills to use as their New Year’s Resolutions and “If I were a Mitten” displays clearly show. Going to the 3rd Grade means entering into Jim Henson’s world of puppets SCS-style. These cherubs have each created their own puppets and then wrote engaging stories about them which they then shared with their classmates. You can see all the different facets of learning involved. Ask any 4th Grader about the Lenni Lenape, our PA Native American tribe, and you will come away with a head full of information. However, be prepared to go international, if you venture into 5th Grade. They are engaged in their own Olympics competition as different groups of students represent different nations around the world. Who will take home the gold? With Confirmation on the horizon in March, you can be sure that our 6th Grade is hard at work learning what they need to know to have ownership of their faith. Both our 7th and 8th Grades are engaged in literature and finding how so much of their curriculum in other subject areas is related to what they read.

7th GRADE PARENTS PLEASE ASK your student for the information envelope from METC about Terra Nova test prep classes to be held here at SCS beginning in early February in readiness for Terra Nova testing which will take place in early March.

LOOKING AHEAD A reminder that as we prepare for Open Houses and accepting new parent applications, we will need to know that you are committed to SCS for the fall in each grade level. Look for information in next week’s Wednesday Envelope.

PEOPLE AND EVENTS Congratulations to 8th Grade Michael Berry who has been named a Presidential Scholar and will be receiving a $1000 four year academic to Archbishop Ryan.
For the third year in a row, families may send in their old cell phones to be configured so that our military overseas can use them to call home to their families. Please send phones in to the main office from now through the month of February. We are grateful to 8th Grader Tori Matthews for coordinating this effort for us.

CRITICAL THINKING 101 Emily Delgado (8-27) had her correct entry drawn and will receive this week’s $10 Gift Card of Choice certificate. The palindromes were Abba, radar, level, deed, and tenet. For next week, we have a riddle submitted by two of our students: “A guard comes up to a prisoner and tells him he has a visitor. The guard asks who it is. The prisoner replies, ‘Brothers and sisters I have none, but that man’s father is my grandfather’s son.’ Who is the visitor?”

January 13, 2010

2010-01-13T05:11:00.000-08:00

JUST CHECKING IN ~ JANUARY 13, 2010

“…We entrust all our priests to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
and to the Immaculate Heart of Mary…”

DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. DAY A reminder that our school will be closed on Monday in honor of this man who gave his life for the cause of racial equality in our nation. Being a Catholic community, we are proud that so many engage in an on-going way in the call to service that is asked of Americans on this day.

FORMS / DOWNLOADS aka TENTATIVE CALENDAR, ETC. As you work your way around our new website, you can find our usual tentative yearly calendar and application forms when you go to the Forms/Downloads link on the left where you go for Teachers. We are working to make this site user-friendly for both you and us so we all are in it together.

THE SOUND OF BAGPIPES will resonate at Ryan on Monday evening, February 1st, at the opening of our annual faculty-student basketball game. As we dedicate our game and its proceeds to our wounded military, John Nicklous’ music will inspire us with its haunting beauty.

2010-2011 ALREADY? That’s how we have to think here. As we enjoy the beginning of 2010 and all the school activities still to come between now and June, we also know that there will be a September. For that reason, we will be sending out our re-application envelopes to you for return during the first two weeks of February. These envelopes indicate to us that your family will continue to be part of our community in the fall. We are accepting applications from new families starting in February as well so we want to know that all of our present families are on-board.

ENOUGH!! We need help from home! No students should have any color in their hair and yet, we’ve even seen primary grade boys with highlights. Hair should be combed and not so long as to be in faces and down the neck for boys. We shouldn’t see make-up or nail polish on girls and they should wear only one small earring per ear. Boys should wear none.. Anyone wanting more piercing needs to do it in summer—“My holes will close up” doesn’t garner any sympathy. No colored shirts or camis (girls) are allowed under uniforms nor are other sweatshirts allowed. Girls with rolled up and/or too short skorts (4 inches above knee) will be given sweats to wear and then will have to go into the uniform slacks. Everyone needs what we call “school-tied” shoes and white sneakers. Following policies about appearance and uniform in place is part of the preparation for the future in a student’s life. We will issue detentions for before or after school when needed.

JANUARY STUDENTS OF THE MONTH We congratulate the first Students of the Month for 2010: PK- Kellie Clark; Kindergarten- James Roach and Natalie Gablein; First- Gabriele Celona, Richard Dean, and Sarah Luca; Second-Sophia Smagissi, Madison Coyne, and Nicole Gablein; Third- Mike Whalen and Joey Valori; Fourth- Erica Wagner, Antonio Pfleegor, and Brittany Kahhan; Fifth- Ryan Comas and Rhianna Heim; Sixth- Kristian Celona, Natalie Kolek, and Michael Berchick; Seventh- Gregory Hoch, Matt Dixon, and Brian McLaughlin; Eighth- Collin Wiercinski, Victoria Kahhan, Mathew Anthony, and Christopher Bonacci.

PEOPLE AND EVENTS Congratulations to our Swim Team for doing their best against St. Albert the Great at La Salle this past Sunday. It was the first loss, but the team will meet St. Albert again at the finals on Sunday, January 31st, and will be at their best. Go team!

CRITICAL THINKING 101 Shannon Maguire (5-15) had her correct entry pulled for this week’s $10 Gift Card of Choice certificate. The palindromes were eye, noon, pup, ma’am (madam, mam), and kayak. Here’s another set of palindromes for next week that are just a bit harder now that you’re warmed up: 1) a famous Swedish pop music group 2) a system for detecting aircraft, ships, and even speeders 3) flat 4) an action 5) doctrine

January 6, 2010

2010-01-08T10:17:00.000-08:00

JUST CHECKING IN ~ JANUARY 6, 2010

“Children, run joyfully, Jesus is born. Tell all the mountains to sing. Pray to our Father in heaven this day. Thank you, for Jesus is born…”

A BLESSED NEW YEAR TO YOU AND YOURS! Our prayers and wishes for you in 2010 are that you know God in your life, and are content in that life as you recognize the many gifts that God has given you. Some are within in you and others are around you.

TONIGHT’S TUITION REMINDER ALERT – Second tuition payment is due on Tuition Night, this evening Wednesday, January 6, 2010. Tuition will be collected between 6:30 and 7:30 pm in Main Lobby of school. If you prefer to mail or drop off your payment, please feel free to do so. Payment should be received no later than the January 6, 2010 though. If you are redeeming scrip, a Gift Card Voucher should be included as part of your payment. You can pick up a Request for Gift Card Redemption Voucher at the Gift Card Center. Please note change in location to Main Lobby.

CAR LINE DECISION—THE VOTES ARE IN As promised, we said that we’d test the curbside drop-off until we could get a good sense of it all over a period of time and then announce in today’s JCI which way we’d go. The overwhelming majority of you who chose to give us the feedback we requested about morning car line thought that the old way was better for ordinary weather and that we could use the way we’ve been piloting close by the curb for inclement weather. So, starting tomorrow morning we’re back following the arrows at the top except when the teachers on duty direct you to come down near the curb in bad weather.

WHAT TO WEAR?? When we have frigid weather in the low 20’s and below that, be reminded our students are welcome to wear white turtle necks with their regular uniforms instead of blouses and polos. They can also wear their gym uniforms—sweatpants AND sweatshirts-- to school even if it’s not a gym day for them. If they wear a turtle neck with their gym uniform, it should be white or gold. Why do we have to be so specific? You guessed it! We all should be seeing our girls in tights now and everyone in winter jackets with hats or hoods and even gloves or mittens. We can be hopeful! If we can get out a bit at lunchtime during winter, we do. So everyone needs to be dressed for the season.

www.saintchris.angelcities.com We’ve been in a transition mode with our website and our now operating it on the overall TeacherWeb site. If you usually go to a teacher’s webpage on our site, you’re already familiar with this venue. For many years, parent Debbie Geoghan managed a site that she had created for us, but with both her boys in high school, it was only fair that we manage a site ourselves. Besides, we want to keep Mrs. Geoghan on in her role as one of our forensics coaches and so we’re happy to have her in consultant status for our new website. A group is working “as we speak” to make the school and parish sites as user-friendly for everyone as possible.

JUST ASK YOUR MAIL CARRIER HOW HEAVY ALL THOSE CATALOGS WERE! Don’t forget to bring them all with your newspapers to our recycling bins and we should have a good-sized check from next time.

PEOPLE AND EVENTS A few Saturdays before Christmas, 8th Graders Laney Coull, Jessica Parker, and Ali Pottebaum participated in the 2nd Annual Holiday Party for the SEANME Foundation. They girls entertained 25 autistic children and their families. Jessica, Laney and Ali have been actively involved in the foundation for the past year and continue to volunteer their time and energy. They also had great help from Joey Parker whom some of you saw as Joseph in our 1st Grade Christmas Prayer Service for the school.
To start off the New Year right, Gabby Celona, room 1-30, decided to do away with the old and bring in the new. She got a new hairstyle and decided to donate her 10 inch ponytail to Locks of Love, a West Palm Beach Florida based organization that uses the hair to make hairpieces for children who have lost their hair to cancer. Last year Gabby and her family won a trip to Palm Beach Florida through a fundraiser at school. When she asked her family if they were going to vacation there again, they said they would have to wait for another chance at a fundraiser. Instead there came the chance to keep in touch with such a wonderful place and at the same time do a good deed through Locks of Love.
Our undefeated Swim Team will be competing this Sunday at LaSalle University at 8:30 AM. They will be swimming against St. Albert the Great and everyone is all geared up to do their best. We wish them luck and will keep you posted.

CRITICAL THINKING Palindromes are words/names like pop, solos, Ava, Bob, etc. They are spelled the same way forward or backward. For a chance to be in the drawing for the first $10 Gift Card of Choice of 2010, can you figure out what palindromes these clues stand for? 1) a part of the body 2) midday 3) a young dog 4) a word for addressing a lady 5) an Eskimo canoe.

December 16, 2009

2009-12-16T11:29:00.000-08:00

JUST CHECKING IN ~ DECEMBER 16, 2009

“People, look East. The time is near of the crowning of the year. Make your home fair as you are able, trim the hearth and set the table. People, look East, and sing today,
Love, the Guest is on the way…”

WE’LL BE BACK IN 2010! Remember way back when 2000 was such an amazing thing and now a decade is over? This is our last envelope until the new year as school closes for Christmas next Wednesday, the 23rd, at noon and then re-opens on Monday, January 4, 2010. May your days of Christmas be blessed ones with those that you love. We wish you peace, joy, and love.

LOTS OF GOOD CONVERSATIONS took place throughout Somerton last night—we hope! When report cards are opened and shared, there is much for parents and children to discuss. As we’ve said, your children should have ownership of their learning recognizing their strengths and their challenges. They should be able to talk about it all with you with the expectation that you will help them make goals for this second trimester based on how the first one went. Your job is to make sure the goals are measurable and realistic, For instance, not having a check under a certain area, going up a point or two in a certain subject, maintaining a good grade are very measurable goals. Remember, that we’re here to help you too.

THANK YOU, TEACHERS! Knowing that excitement level in your own homes as Christmas approaches, you can well imagine what it is like for our teachers to keep students engaged in learning during these weeks leading up to the 25th. Looking through student folders and hearing about the school day, you’ll see the creative ways that our teachers can make learning seasonal and fun. Most of all, teachers try to ensure that Jesus’ birth stays in the forefront of this wonderful magical season. The now familiar depiction of Santa kneeling before the Christ Child was created by a very wise and inspired artist, don’t you think?

HOW ABOUT ALL OUR HOME & SCHOOL HELPERS TOO? With a season as full as this one is, Michelle Wagner and Helen Bembischew along with a “cast of thousands” made of so many of you who gave up a work day to make our bazaar a time of wonder for our children, deserve a great big thank you. You can be sure that we have made Santa aware of the generosity of time and spirit which makes SCS parents so special. Our H&S Board works right along with everyone and continues to meet to coordinate plans for future events. There’s lots ahead in ’10, so you can look forward to a great new year SCS-style.

NO FREE SHIPPING, BUT… If you’re stuck on a gift or stocking stuffer, H&S would like to help by offering our 2009 Cookbook for consideration. Not only that, how about their end-of-the year bargain? $10 each or 3 for $25 and the cookbooks can come home in school backpacks. Contact Marion Lonergan at 215-969-5116 to order by Monday, December 21st.

FEEDBACK REQUESTED When we said we’d pilot bringing the AM car line drop-off closer to school until we dismissed for the Christmas holidays, we asked if you’d share your thoughts with us about it so that we’d have a sense of whether or not it is more effective or not. At this time, we’ve heard from some parents in conversation outside and at the Christmas Bazaar, but we welcome hearing from more of you if you wish. Just contact us in the way easiest for you. At this point in time, we’ll announce in the first newsletter of 2010 whether we’ll stay with the new pattern full-time or only use it when weather conditions warrant.

PEOPLE AND EVENTS Somerton won the U-8 soccer championship against Lighthouse Soccer Club last Tuesday. The names of our students on the team are as follows: Matthew Armitage, Colin Biles, Brandon Casey, Jayson Clark, Patrick Cunningham, Nick Giantomaso, Luke Glavin, Eric Jastrzembski, Colin Joyce, Lee Meringo, Bernie Rogers, Shawn Tamulis, and Shawn Trodden. Lighthouse had Colin O’Fee and Mathew Comas also SCS students. Congratulations boys and Coach Jastrzemski!
Last week we reported that the JV Boys’ had won the St. John of the Cross Turkey Shoot-Out Tournament, but you should know that the latest trophy you see in the main lobby is from our Varsity Boys’ Team for coming home the Varsity champions of that tournament. Congratulations to the entire team and their coaches Mr. McCusker and Mr. Glavin.
The SCS Swim Team did it yet again beating Christ the King by 18 points. After practice tonight, they will have practice again on Monday, January 4th, in preparation for their big meet against St. Albert the Great on Saturday, January 10th, at 8:30 AM at LaSalle University. Stay tuned! We have many fine swimmers on our team and working as a team, we celebrate them all and their accomplishments in their individual competitions.
Being named the Archdiocesan Catholic Athlete of the Week is quite an honor and we congratulate SCS alum Jessica Sylvester for earning it. It’s not only her athletic ability on the basketball court and on the softball field, but also her commitment to community service that led to her being so honored. …And to think she got her start right here!

CRITICAL THINKING 101 Whew! There were tons of correct entries and Emily Wright (K-35) had her correct entry pulled from them. Emily will receive the last $10 Gift Card of Choice certificate for the year 2009. The answer was 360 hours. Just for your own fun, you can try out the Christmas songs on the back with your families and see how you do. These have been around but it’s always fun to wonder how you could have forgotten how you figured them out before.

December 9, 2009

2009-12-09T11:07:00.000-08:00

“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel…”

OUR PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITY had a very productive gathering on Monday. With teachers from eight neighboring schools meeting by grade level, lots can happen for the benefit of all the students. Sharing Gold Seal lessons which target Quadrant D learning as their closing focus was part of Monday’s agenda. SCS hosted the first meeting in September, and this time we met at Maternity BVM. We worked together in the learning community in the morning with individual faculty meetings at the close of the morning session followed by staff development in the afternoon. Dr. Ellen Weidemeyer, the Director of Special Education in the Archdiocese, spoke here about curriculum modifications and accommodations in September, and Monday Nancy Caramanico, the Technology Director, demonstrated the ways teachers can communicate with one in their own schools and even around the world using blogs, Nings, Twitters, you name it. The more we can share best practices in teaching and learning, the more our students benefit.

OUR SECOND TRIMESTER HAS BEGUN! Next Tuesday, the 15th, your students will be bringing home their report cards so that you can see how much they progressed in the first trimester. We hope that you sit with them to talk about their strengths and challenges and help them take ownership of their learning and their personal growth and effort.

“TO ‘B’ OR NOT TO ‘B’, THAT WAS THE QUESTION and Monday our teachers decided that with the Children’s Bazaar Friday, having a letter day was unrealistic after all. Would you please adjust your pink December school calendars so that Monday, the 14th, is now a B Day, Tuesday, a C Day, etc. You’ve done it right if you end with Wednesday, the 23rd, being a D Day. It’s like making a change if it were to snow and we didn’t have school.

RIGHT TO THE CURB! This morning because of the torrential rain, we brought carline down to the curb. We had talked about doing that and today certainly was a time worth testing it. Between now and the close of school for the holidays, we will continue to pilot this method of morning carline. Your job is to drive right next to the curb to drop your students off, but not to drop off any students until you are by the curb. Also, no one can pull out and go around other cars for obvious safety reasons. People who park in Trainer Hall will still be walking along the stone wall by the Parish Center to reach the sidewalk but cars will be turning to go out again with enough distance between them just like up by the arrows. We’d like feedback from you about this so feel free to let us know your thoughts.

WOOD PARENTS PRESENT AND FUTURE State Representative Brendan Boyle will host a meeting with SEPTA officials on Thursday, December 10th, at 7 PM right here in Holy Family Hall. The meeting is regarding transportation to and from Archbishop Wood. Parents of students who currently attend or will be attending are encouraged to attend. Please feel free to contact Rep. Boyle’s Legislative Assistanct Mark Fabbi at 215-676-0300 or by email at mfabbi@pahouse.net with any questions.

PEOPLE AND EVENTS We were proud that 6th Grade girls Mary Kate Comas, Patrice Gantert, Katie Stack, and Amanda Jordan were selected by the Consortium of Women Scientists comprised of many professional groups to attend a mini-conference at Chestnut Hill College at the end of November. The goals were to increase girls’ interest in science and mathematics, to provide students with an opportunity to meet women working in non-traditional fields, and to foster an awareness of varied career opportunities for women.

For the second year in a row, the St. Christopher JV Boys basketball team has won the St. John of the Cross Turkey Shoot-out Tournament (Willow Grove, PA). The boys played and defeated Ancillia-Assumpta Academy, St. Timothy's and St. Aloysius-Sacred Heart (Perkasie, PA) en route to the championship on Sunday, November 29, 2009. The boys’ team is: Vince Luciano, Jim Crown, Mike Devlin, Sean Devine, Bill Eastburn, Jim Allendorf, Joe Meehan, Nick Newbert, Brendan Ruskowski, Frank Raddi, Sean Palmer and Chris Kuhar. We congratulate the boys on this accomplishment.

Our Swim Team remains undefeated having won against St. Matt’s this past Sunday. Next Sunday, the 13th, they will swim against Christ the King at noon at the Nepsca Pool.

CRITICAL THINKING 101 Congratulations to Brenna Farrell (7-22) whose correct entry was drawn for the $10 Gift Card of Choice Certificate. Like so many others, Brenna knew that the riddle was about a candle. For next week, “From 12 Midnight tonight beginning December 10th to 12 Midnight December 25 beginning Christmas, how many hours are there?”

December 2, 2009

2009-12-02T11:05:00.000-08:00

“May the light of the Advent candles be a reminder that our time of waiting is here.”

H1N1 VACCINE ROUND TWO Yesterday we sent home cover letters, information sheets, and copies of your permission forms all stapled together to parents of students nine years old and younger who had received the first dose of the nasal spray vaccine here on November 12th. The recommended second dose will be administered at St. Timothy’s on Tuesday the 8th if those parents wish to have their children receive it. Please be sure that your children give you the envelope as you need all the paperwork if you choose to follow through with this dose.

ADVENT RECONCILIATION OPPORTUNITIES Tomorrow our students in Grades 3-4-5 will be going over to church for Reconciliation, and then next Thursday Grades 6-7-8 will be doing the same. Our priests have arranged this so that our students will definitely be able to receive this sacrament during this special season. We hope that you too will find an opportunity for yourselves for this special grace.

PICTURE DAY IS TOMORROW If your student missed out on our October day or you wanted different pictures, tomorrow is the day. We have been assured that all pictures will be available for Christmas giving.

H&S IS AS BUSY AS EVER Friday they will be hosting our annual St. Nicholas Sweets Day in anticipation of his feast day on Sunday, the 6th. Then next Friday, the Children’s Bazaar will actually be here. If you have donations, you can send them in up to this Friday. If you can help set up for the bazaar Thursday after school to early evening, you can call Michelle Wagner at 215-284-7404. If students in 6-7-8 Grades can help after school on Thursday, please have them give their names to their teachers letting them know that they will be doing this. It’s a good thing to do and a fun way to earn community service hours.

A FOUR DAY WEEKEND is in store for your students. Please remember that our faculty has a Staff Development/Faculty Meeting Day on Monday and that Tuesday is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, a holy day and a holiday.

DECEMBER STUDENTS OF THE MONTH Congratulations to the following students: PK- Mia Wildonger; Kindergarten- Allison Palmer and Patrick Smith; First- Sarah Campellone, Olivia Fennell, and Timothy Skalski; Second- Evan Wilson, Kyle Brakoniecki, and Brandon Casey; Third- Riley Regan and Colleen Dean; Fourth- Michael Galdo, John Schrenk, and Deirdre Regan; Fifth- Patrick Jurgelewicz and Miranda Candidi; Sixth- Erin McGovern, Sheridan McGinley, and Christopher Maffei; Seventh- Shannon Kelly, John Hall, and Ashley Hunter; Eighth- Marykate Vogelman, Tori Matthews, Joseph Melot, and Taylor Adair. Their pictures are on display in the main lobby.

PGW IS OFFERING HELP We have paperwork from PGW about grants for families who might need help with heating during the cold months ahead. It states that thousands of families don’t take advantage of it because they don’t know about it, don’t know how to apply, or don’t think that they qualify. We have fliers that we can send home from the office with details or you can visit www.pgworks.com/liheap to print an application form.

PEOPLE AND EVENTS If you’re at the Sixers’ game on December 7th, you’ll be seeing 7th Grader Nicole Serrano performing with her dance team during the half-time show. Way to go, Nicki!

When The Jungle Book is perfomed as the Junior Vogue Play at the Thomas Holme School from December 9th to 12th at 7 PM each evening, it will be enhanced with SCS students Anne Marie Rymal, Angela Serrano, Max Serrano, and Jessica Sucharski. We’re proud of you all!

Once again our SCS Swim Team won their meet when they swam against St. Jerome’s. This Sunday they will be swimming against St. Matt’s at noon again at the Nepsca Pool. Go team!

CRITICAL THINKING 101 Congratulations to Paige Sileo (2-4) who had her correct entry drawn. Thanksgiving was declared an official holiday by President Lincoln on October 3, 1863 to remind people to thank God for the blessings of fruitful lands. Paige will receive the $10 Gift Card of Choice certificate. For next week, in keeping with the season, “I am tall when I am young. I am short when I am old. When I live I glow, but from your breath I die. What am I?”

November 18, 2009

2009-11-18T11:04:00.000-08:00

May each of us be thankful for all the gifts that our loving God bestows on us!

THE SEASONS UNFOLD BEFORE US As you celebrate Thanksgiving with all those special to you, we wish each of you a sense of the blessings that you do have in your lives. Too often we fixate on what we don’t have and overlook all that we have and take for granted.

Then, this coming Sunday is the First Sunday of Advent. There are so many beautiful traditions associated with this season of awaiting the Birth of the Child that help keep us mindful of the season. From Advent wreaths to Advent calendars to cribs and the like, we can make this a true time of waiting for the Christ Child, our Savior. Observing some of these traditions can provide a good balance to lists, shopping, etc.

H1N1 VACCINATIONS We are grateful to our school nurse, Mrs. Coleman-Wira for reviewing the consent forms sent in by parents wanting their children to receive the nasal spray last Thursday. That was a task, but then on Thursday, there were the more immediate tasks of transcribing information to Health Dept. forms and administering the vaccine. A number of parents volunteered to help in these capacities. We thank Mrs. Benz, Mrs. Biles, Mrs. Comas, Mrs. Heston, and Mrs. Zaremski along with Naomi from the Health Department for their hours of work that morning with the forms. Next in the process, we thank nurses Mrs. Branca (grandmother of John and Vincent Luciano), Mrs. Citrigno, Mr. Presutti, Mrs. Reinhart, and Mrs. Zuk for administering the spray to all of our cherubs. Overall the morning flowed very smoothly again in thanks to the good help we had. You may have heard that one of our students was taken to the hospital and, as the nurses here had thought, hospital testing confirmed that it was an anxiety reaction to the idea of the vaccine and not related to the vaccine itself. When we hear about the details for the administration of Round 2 in early December for students needing it, we will share them with you.

TUITION REMINDER For families on the monthly payment plan, a reminder that the November payment is now past due. For families at the stewardship rate of tuition, a reminder that the amount in the offertory collection should be $300 through November 15. For report cards to be issued on Tuesday, December 15th: Stewardship families must have at least $300 in the offertory collection (to be received by 12/7) and monthly payments must be paid through November. Please call Maryann Junod at the parish office with any questions or concerns.

MORNING TIME We thank everyone who observes the routine of bringing your children to school by car. If you are dropping students off, you should follow the carline as far toward the parish center as possible before stopping to let children out. If you are walking your children to a door, you should park in the Trainer Hall lot only. No one should be parking in front of the rectory, parish center, etc.

A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS How do your children look each day leaving for school and the work of getting prepared for their futures? It is wonderful to see that so many of you recognize the connection with appearances and potential. Here at school we wonder when parents let their students come to school looking the way that some of them do. Being dressed according to policy from head to foot is a life skill and is thus reflected on report cards.

PEOPLE AND EVENTS Our SCS Swim Team did it yet again. They won their meet against Calvary last week. This coming Sunday they will be competing against St. Jerome’s at noon. Go, team!

Please be reminded that if you are interested in applying for the Children’s Scholarship Fund Philadelphia, you can go to the website www.csfphiladelphia.org for the application. Although the timeframe is until March, only the first 7,000 applications received will be processed. Don’t miss this opportunity if it’s possible for you.

CRITICAL THINKING 101 What’s a char? It’s an amazing fish, that’s for sure. A char is both a salt water and fresh water fish and is related to both salmon and trout. How’s that for a pedigree? Congratulations to Lauren Hall (4-11) for having her correct answer drawn and to all of the entrants who had a mini-science lesson when they found the answer. Lauren will receive the $10 Gift Card of Choice certificate for this week. For the next drawing, answer the who, what, when, why regarding the establishment of an official Thanksgiving celebration in our nation.

November 11, 2009

2009-11-11T11:03:00.000-08:00

God bless our veterans who served so nobly and for our present military who serve so now.

H1N1 UPDATE Our absentee rate has dropped but we are still experiencing a mix of H1N1, a short but serious stomach bug, head colds, and even Fifth disease in Pre-K. Those of you with older children remember it as a fine rash that simply lets you know that your child has it and is no longer contagious.

We ask again that you not get upset about missed work, tests, and the like if your children are out sick for a long period of time. From the sounds of things, children who have the flu are too tired and weak to do anything but let their bodies recover. Teachers will work out plans with students on an individual basis to help them and so when you see information about test dates, etc. on their webpages, know that is for the students in school.

As of now, we do not have the accompanying paperwork for the administration of the nasal vaccine tomorrow and so our parent volunteers will be busy filling out those forms. If they come later today, we can start. Otherwise we’ll have a system in place before we have any students come to receive the vaccine. Please remember that Pre-K parents must be present and any other parents are welcome to be if they so choose. As described to me by our nurse, it is an easy administration—first up one nostril and then the other. Mrs. Wira has administered the vaccine at two public schools and she said that it went very smoothly and was not a bit upsetting for the children.

EVEN WITH OUR WEBSITE IN TRANSITION… you can still find what you need about school, we hope! Just click on Daily Announcements to see what’s most recent and clicking on the Tentative Calendar line shows you the year in review. We think that some people don’t realize that. As always, by going to Teachers on the sidebar, you can open any teacher’s webpage as well as Mrs. Tremper’s and mine. We are looking to have a Student Council link in the future as well. We know from many of you that you have bookmarked certain teacher webpages and made them favorites for yourselves.

WE HOPE THAT IT’S BEEN EASIER FOR YOU Having conferences spread out between progress reports and the first report card seemed like it would be easier for you to meet a teacher before or after school or in the evening depending on the arrangement. Your feedback about how we are doing conferences this year would be welcome.

REMEMBER HOW MUCH FUN YOU HAD AT THE LAST H&S LADIES BINGO? Tomorrow night’s event sounds like it will be even better. The committee has a fun evening arranged for you.

When the Board met this week, they decided to change from Lunch with Santa to a Bunny Brunch this spring and so you can look forward to that event with your young ones. They are still looking for a fun venue to replace the Halloween Party and you can be sure it will be a fun one.

RIPPED CUFFS? When we met with the representative from Flynn and O’Hara yesterday to talk about next year’s uniform specs, we told her about a concern that you have about ripped cuffs and bottom seams on their sweaters. Erin told us without flinching for anyone to be sure to return the sweater to them for a new one if you bought it in the past year. There is a school year warranty in place which they ascertain with your phone number. You don’t even need to know where your receipt is. They will replace your sweater and send the one you returned to the manufacturer so that they can see the problem.

PEOPLE AND EVENTS Congratulations to trumpeter John Birch (8-18) who will be representing SCS in the 2009-2010 Archdiocesan Honors Band. We are very proud of John who is a veteran with the Honors Band.

Our Swim Team won against St. Katherine’s at their last meet and we congratulate them for yet another win. This Sunday, the 15th, they will meet Calvary at 3 PM and we look forward to hearing those results.

Holy Redeemer Hospital is offering a Safe Sitter Course November 21 and 22 from 9-2:30 each day. It is for boys and girls 11 to 13 and registration is required. Please call 1-800-818-4747 or go to holyredeemer.com.

CRITICAL THINKING 101 Pheasant, ant, adder, rat, turtle leech, char, hare, eel, lion, newt, tiger—Ashley Sullivan (4-13) had them all when her correct entry was pulled and she will receive this week’s $10 Gift Card of Choice Certificate. For next week, it’s simple. What is a char?

November 4, 2009

2009-11-04T11:01:00.000-08:00

“…for those who are young and those who are old…” Prayer for Priests

H1N1 UPDATE At this time, we have doctors’ notes from five students stating that they have H1N1—some have culture results but others just say HiN1. It also sounds like other doctors have diagnosed some students over the phone depending on their symptoms. We also have a number of doctors’ notes of students cultured for seasonal flu and strep. And then, there’s a stomach bug!

If we continue to be proactive at school and at home, we will have a handle on all this sickness. Know that we will be administering the vaccine to medically-eligible students for whom you sent consent forms on Thursday, November 12th. At this time, we don’t know the timing of the day, but parents are welcome to be on site if you’d like. In fact, Pre-K parents must accompany their children. We have some nurse volunteers who have offered to help and then there is a paperwork process leading up to/and the day of the vaccinations. If you have time, please send me a message and we can make up a schedule. At this time, we may need help on Tuesday or Wednesday pre-filling forms if they arrive in time, but definitely on Thursday. I am sorry to be so up in the air but you know how this has unfolded so far. It’s a new and hopefully one-of-its-kind situation in our lives.

In addition to the sanitizing, handwashing, and other guidelines, that we are following, we have separated desks in classrooms and made sure that pretzels are distributed with a glove rather than just a paper towel. We appreciate the feedback we have received from some of our parents.

As an additional pre-caution, Mrs. Giammaruti has cancelled the November CYO Dance. As we said with the Halloween party, large close groups of young people are discouraged as they are places where germs are spread so easily.

IF YOU SENT IN $$ FOR THE HALLOWEEN PARTY, it is being returned to you through your child. Our H&S decided that it’d be easier just to return your checks/cash now and then start anew when we are able to host this very popular event. That way, if you can’t make the new date when it is determined, everyone is square.

MIX-IT-UP MONDAY This coming Monday, our students will have the opportunity to sit with some students that they do not normally sit with at lunch. They may be from a different homeroom in their grade. The purpose is to meet other people and learn things about them that one wouldn’t know. Two students might find that they share a common hobby, both take ballet or karate, who knows! It’s a way of reaching out to others.

SAFE ENVIRONMENT CLASS A reminder to anyone who works with our children in any capacity—volunteer, coach, etc. that you must take this class to continue doing what you do. It is a safeguard in place and is a worthwhile class in the information it presents. St. Christopher is hosting a session on Sunday evening, November 15th in HFH. The doors will open at 6 PM. Please call Anne Beebie at the Parish Center to register (215-673-5177).

REMINDER ON TUITION For families on the monthly payment plan, October payment is now past due. For families at the stewardship rate, the amount in the offertory collection should be $255 through October 31. For report cards to be issued on Tuesday, December 15: Stewardship families must have $300 in collection (to be received by 12/7), monthly payments must be paid through November, and lastly please call Maryann Junod at the parish office with any questions or concerns

CAR LINE, CAR LINE, CAR LINE! Please be reminded that our AM carline enters from the open driveway closest to the rectory and that cars go as far toward the Parish Center/Trainer Hall as possible before stopping to let children out. On leaving, it is right turn only for the flow of the line and the sake of other drivers. Faculty is on duty from 7:45-8:00 and we ask that you work with them for the safety of our children.

NOVEMBER STUDENTS OF THE MONTH Congratulations go out to the following students on this achievement: PK- Emily Ward; Kindergarten- Patrick Lichtner and Emily Wright; First- Joseph Parker, Colin Joyce, and Bianca Lopez; Second- Megan Shields, Seaona Kovatich, and Victoria Poggio; Third- Kile Higgins and Nick Kuonen; Fourth- Caitlyn Cliggett, Michael Campellone, and Allana Vanin; Fifth- Courtney Trodden and Alexis Benz; Sixth- Connor Green, Matthew Kaminski, and Samantha Young; Seventh- Justin Crudele, Kevin Brown, and Nicole Serrano; Eighth- Marco Cavallo, Kevin Jurgelewicz, Nicole Nitowski, and Clarissa Atkinson.

PEOPLE AND EVENTS This is a good place to share how students in different and the same grades are helping one another out during this time when so many students are so sick by gathering books, bringing home papers, and the like. Much of this has been good neighbor, good friend activity and has been self-motivated.

The Philadelphia Zoo is now accepting applications for the Junior Advisory Council. The application is on their website under Zoo Headlines and will be there until November 30th. 7th Grader Michelle Nocitra has been a member of the Council and finds it to be a great opportunity to meet new people and be involved in decision making.

CRITICAL THINKING 101 Congratulations to Brigid Young (8-26) who had her correct entry drawn for the Phillies’ total shirt numbers of 789. Brigid will receive this week’s $10 Gift Card of Choice Certificate. For next week, find the names of 12 animals in the following. Some of the names might overlap with the name before or after: pheasantadderaturtleechareelionewtiger

October 28, 2009

2009-10-28T10:55:00.000-07:00

“…We pray for all our priests, who announce the Word of God and celebrate the sacraments…”

REST IN PEACE, MRS. MANTONE God called her home to him shortly before 3:00 this morning and we ask that you keep Mrs. Mantone and her family in your prayers. Those of you who have been at SCS, know Mrs. Mantone as one of our teachers who was unable to return to school after last Christmas’ break for health reasons and suffered more and more since then. It is at times like this that our faith keeps us going. We will share details with you when we learn them. Remember that our counselor Eve is here if any of your children would like to speak with her.

IMPORTANT H1N1 FLU INFORMATION Right after we announced to you that you could include siblings in our vaccination process, we learned that now only SCS students can be included in the count. We are sorry that this is such an up and down situation. It seems like we get one piece of information and it gets changed a few days later. We do know though that the Archdiocese, the state, and the counties are working hard to see that as many people as possible will be vaccinated. In the meantime, we’ll go with the flow, right?

SERIOUS APOLOGIES When we launched our Auto-Reach Phone System last Sunday night, we did it through the pbone rather than the computer and learned after the fact, that using the phone is trickier than launching from the computer. We did not mean to call everyone and their brother to remind them about the vaccine consent forms being due if you wanted your child to be vaccinated. However, the phone launched every list that we have not just the home phone number list. Know that this system is a valuable communication tool and one that will quickly put you in the know so that you will be prepared so please take our mistakes with a grain of salt—and understanding. Thank you!

THERE’S BEEN LOTS GOING AROUND We’ve had a stomach bug, strep throat, and even some regular flu, but so far we’ve had no documented cases of H1N1/Swine flu at school. Again we remind you that, for the well-being of your child and others, anyone with a fever from any germ needs to be fever-free for 24 hours without benefit of fever-reducing medications. Like you, we continue to remind our cherubs that handwashing is one of the most effective ways to keep any kind of germs at bay.

PEDOMETERS ON HALLOWEEN NIGHT? Since we’ve been stressed fitness and wellness, we’ve decided that we can do our part for Halloween by not giving our cherubs even more candy than they’ll gather on Saturday night whether they wear their pedometers with their costumes or not. Instead, we’re giving a different kind of treat. Any student who chooses, may come to school in dress-down mode on Monday, November 2nd. If they forget, oh well! There’s no make-up days for this treat.

OUR HOME AND SCHOOL HAS BEEN BUSY Since you are the members, we hope that you have found a way to help with an activity or two this year. This week has the Halloween party for Pre-K to 5th Grade on Friday, the first Saturday in November is the Spaghetti dinner, then Ladies’ Bingo, the Christmas Bazaar, you get the picture. Just respond to one of their calls for help and you’ll find yourselves enjoying a great group of people.

PEOPLE AND EVENTS Our Swim Team will compete against St. Katherine’s this Sunday at 6 PM at the Nepsca Pool across from Ryan. Good luck, swimmers!
Thomas Quinn (2-5) is really the person who won one of the $100 prizes for bringing in so much for our Triathlon/Spirit Day not Kevin Quinn whose name was given to us by mistake.
Cranaleith is looking for people to help feed the poor. If you can prepare a meal two or three times a year, please call Rita Connelly 215-698-8358.

CRITICAL THINKING 101 Joey DiMascia (5-16) had his correct entry drawn for this week’s $10 Gift Card of Choice certificate. The most outs in a 9 inning game would be 54. For next week, “If you add up the numbers on the shirts of the entire Phillies’ roster of players, what would the total be?”

The St. Christopher Community…called to carry Christ to others.

October 21, 2009

2009-10-21T10:59:00.000-07:00

“…and by the power of the Holy Spirit, you provide holy priests for a holy people…”

PROGRESS REPORTS AND CONFERENCES Please be on the lookout tomorrow for your children’s progress reports and then have a good conversation with them about their strengths and challenges and how you can help. It is important, however, to let your children have ownership of their learning. As we told you, conferences are spread out between this point and report card time in December.

STUDENT COUNCIL HOMEROOM REPRESENTATIVES Speeches were made and elections in classrooms from Grades 5-8. We are pleased to announce the following students who were elected: Gr. 5—Patrick Jurgelewicz and Amanda Hearn, Gr. 6-John Wildonger, Vincent Luciano, and Billy Eastburn, Gr. 7- Kate Wildonger, Matt Ruskowski, and Jillian Spicer, and Gr. 8-Charlie Hoyt, Steve LaPergola, and Matt DeTreux. In addition to representing their own homerooms, these students will each be responsible for a homeroom in a lower grade.

TRIATHLON/ SPIRIT DAY FOLLOW-UP Now that you’ve have a chance to see this year’s great tee shirt design, we are proud to announce that it was designed by Alanna Rosado (8-18). Didn’t she do a fantastic job in displaying the theme “Catholic Schools ~ Dividends for Life”? We are also proud of Jessica Sucharski and Collin Wiercinski, 8th Graders, whose essays centering about that theme were selected to be read at Spirit Day. If you didn’t get a chance to hear the life dividends that SCS has provided them, you’ll have another chance at our Catholic School Week opening when they will read their essays at masses that weekend.
Not only does the shirt look great on the front, but it also looks great on the back as it lists all those businesses that sponsor SCS. However, the list is a line short. Missing is MACKLEY INSURANCE, the business at which school parent Eric Jastrzemski is employed.

DO YOU KNOW THAT…. if you need to call the absence line 215-671-8659, you can do it 24/7? You do not need to wait for school to open in the morning. Do you know that it is much better to wait until 8:15 for a “live” call in the morning so that you don’t have to be put on hold while we have school-wide announcements and prayer?

CAN YOU LEND A HAND—LITERALLY ! As we move into flu season, we continue to be on guard against flu germs around school. In addition to what we’re doing at this time, we could use more help in wiping stair railings and door bars and handles down to keep them sanitized. If you have a half hour one morning or afternoon that you could spend here to help in this endeavor, it would be very appreciated. Please call secretary Gina Lombardi at 215-673-5787.
$748.00 PER STUDENT? If you have a child at Archbishop Wood High School or are anticipating that your child might go there in the near future, you might want to attend a meeting which is in the planning with PA Rep. Brendan Boyle and a Septa representative to look for free transportation. Before the meeting is finalized, however, Boyle’s office would like to know that there will be worthwhile attendance. Please contact Legislative Assistant Mark Fabbi as to whether or not you’d attend. He can be reached at either 215-676-0300 or MFabbi@pahouse.com.

PEOPLE AND EVENTS Our Swim Team won their first meet last weekend when they swam against Maternity BVM, Way to go, team!
Mrs. Tremper and I found that our 3-Day Breast Cancer Walk became a 1 Day walk when officials cancelled Friday and Saturday’s walks and camp-outs for medical and safety reasons. So, as you can imagine, walking Sunday from Belmont Plateau circuitously to the Navy Yard was the proverbial piece of cake. As always, we carried your special people in our hearts.

CRITICAL THINKING 101 Congratulations to Allison Ramos (K-35) whose correct entry was drawn for the $10 Gift Card of Choice certificate. The final “cat” words were medication, vacation, copycat (replicate), catacombs, and decathlon. For next week, let’s do some baseball math. In a typical game of 9 innings, what are the most outs there could have been?

The St. Christopher Community…called to carry Christ to others.