Logo #2
Where Tradition Meets Innovation
Transitional Kindergarten through 8th Grade
2017-2018 School Year | November 14, 2017
Principal's Message
Remember the past with gratitude. Love the present with enthusiasm.
Look forward to the future with confidence.” -St. JohnPaul II

Dear Families,

I am excited so many of you have committed to attend the Parent Ed Night on Reclaiming Childhood in a Digital Age. Your children are growing up in a very different environment today. Children go from one structured activity after another, have little opportunity for free play, are surrounded by technology, have less opportunities for social and emotional learning, compete intensely in sports at a young age and face increasing pressure to succeed. Thank you in your partnership to support the growth of all our students. There will be childcare provided in the 2nd grade classroom. Please let Mrs. Keast know if you will be needing this service. Learn about our guest speaker and the event here.

Come Play in TK and K: Last chance to invite someone you know to our interactive open house for TK and K! . View the event flier here.

Report Cards: The end of the first trimester is this Friday. Report Cards will go home on Tuesday, November 21 st. Students in grades K-5 will have a standards based report card. As mentioned at Back to School Night and the Parent/Teacher conferences, this is a new report card for grades 3-5. The following link will explain a standard based report Read more...
Faith Families: Today, we met in Faith Families. A Faith Family has one student per grade and is led by an 8 th grader. This is how we build community within our own school. Today, each family created a gratitude pumpkin, which we will use to decorate our school.
Father Robert and Mass in the Classrooms: To make Mass more meaningful for the students and to provide a deeper connection with their faith, Father Robert has begun to celebrate Mass with classes 4 th-8 th, individually, in their classrooms.
Volunteers Needed: Volunteers are needed for Hearing Test on Monday, November 20 from 9:00 am-Noon. We need two to three volunteers. Students in grades K, 2, 5, 8 and all new students will be tested. Please email our school nurse, Reena Palacio, to volunteer.

Scouts Flag Ceremony: Tomorrow morning (Wednesday, November 15) the scouts will be leading the flag ceremony. Please come to school in your scout uniform.

Spirit Day: This Friday is our first Spirit Day: Pajama Day! Students may come to school in their pj’s. Students should not come to school in leggings, basketball shorts, crop tops or spaghetti straps.

Family Mass: Please come join us for Family Mass this Sunday at 9:00am, which will be led by the 3 rd and 4 th graders.

Drama Play: The middle school drama students will present their play, Brother’s Grimm, on Thursday at 2:00. All are welcome!

Have a blessed week!

Jessica Murray
Book Fair Coming Soon!
SPN's annual Book Fair is coming soon! Visit the Book Fair to find wonderful books and gifts for your child(ren), friends, and family. There is something for everyone. Also, help build your child(ren)'s classroom library by purchasing books from their classroom wish list. 

We will also have a variety of activities that students can participate at the Book Fair to win prizes. Plus, the class with the most attendance at the Book Fair will win the Principal's Challenge, which is Free Dress for the whole class.

Book Fair Dates & Hours:
  • Nov. 27, 28, 30, & Dec. 1 – 2:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
  • Nov. 29 – 2:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
If you are unable to attend the Fair in person, we invite you to visit our  online Book Fair from Nov. 18 - Dec. 8 at  http://www.scholastic.com/bf/spnalameda.

Before you visit the Book Fair, be sure to download the  Book Fairs app to help you find the right books for your child. For more information, go to:  scholastic.com/bookfairs/app.
CALENDAR

November
15 - Come Play in TK & K/For prospective families
15 - Parent Ed Night/7pm, Hall
16 - Middle School Drama Elective Play/Hall
17 - End of 1st Trimester
17 - Spirit Day/Pajama Day
20 - Hearing Test
27 - November Birthdays Free Dress

Thanksgiving Break
November 22-24
Spartan News
Sand Volleyball Calling!
 
Attention Spartan Boys and Girls Grades 5 through 8
Registration for Sand Volleyball is now Open until mid-January
Sand   Volleyball is a great way to stay active in the Spring and enjoy the sunshine!
 
All boys in Grades 5 to 8 are encouraged to sign up.Girls who do not play regular volleyball can also play Sand volleyball.
 
The season begins in March and runs through May. Games are held during the weekend.
Sign Up Today!
 
Sand Volleyball Coordinator: Jennifer Hankerson
 
Register your player here:
 
Sand Volleyball
Parish/Community News
Parish Mass
Thanksgiving Day is November 23. Our mass schedule for Thanksgiving day will follow our regular morning mass schedule: St. Albert the Great - 7:30 am St. Philip Neri - 8:30 am We welcome you to bring your bread and wine to be blessed for your family meal. 

Giving Tree
The Holidays are just around the corner and we, at St. Philip Neri -St. Albert the Great, will continue with our tradition of helping our least fortunate brothers and sisters in our community. This year, St. Philip Neri is honored to sponsor our former pastors’ parishes… Fr. Jojo’s parish, St. Leo the Great in Sonoma and Fr. Aaron’s parish, St. Anthony de Padua in Willits. Their communities have been affected by the recent wildfires. We hope to make Christmas a little bit more comfortable for the families who suffered such great loss. Our Giving Tree for St. Philip Neri will be up by Thanksgiving day. The Giving Tree for St. Albert the Great will be up Thanksgiving weekend and will benefit the St. Vincent de Paul conference. Thank you for your generosity! 

The Divine Mercy Chaplet
For Middle School Families

Would you like to pray for your kid/s using the Divine Mercy Chaplet? There is an opportunity to pray for your child and their classmates with the prayers that our dear Lord gave it to Saint Faustina.

How we will do this? The Divine Mercy Chaplet is prayer using a regular Rosary, but instead of praying Our Father and the Hail Mary there are prayers in witch there will be added the name of every child. For example: ... "For the sake of His sorrowful Passion", Have mercy on (name of the child) on us and on the whole world (10 times the same prayer).

Here is the schedule of the days we will be praying this Chaplet and the classrooms that it would be offered:

6th grade  FRIDAY NOV 17TH AT 9:15 am in Saint Philip Neri Church
7th grade  FRIDAY DEC 01 AT 9:15 am in the "crying room" next to the altar in Saint Philip Neri Church
8th grade  FRIDAY DEC 15 AT 9:15 am in Saint Philip Neri Church

SJND - Reindeer Run
5K Run (3.1 Miles) @ Crab Cove
Sunday, December 2, 7:00am

San Francisco Boys Chorus
East Bay Auditions
January 13, 2018
For boys ages 5-12
Or call 415-861-7464
Stock up on Stocking Stuffers
It's never too early to start Christmas shopping. Order your gift cards either online scripzone.com or download the order form here. If ordering online, please note that online payments are not accepted at this time Please pay Mr. Carter to complete your order. Our school ID # is 510521SPN.
Quick Links
Saint Philip Neri Catholic School | 510-521-0787 |1335 High Street, Alameda, CA 94501