SJRS Monthly Newsletter -December 2018
Saint Jerome Regional School
"Living Fearlessly Through Faith..."
Message From The Principal
Dear St. Jerome Family,
It is hard to believe that the first Sunday of Advent is just around the corner. Advent is such a beautiful season.  Every week during the season of Advent, we come together as a school community in the hallways to light our Advent wreaths and pray as we eagerly await the birth of our Savior. The Christian custom of lighting the Advent wreath began in Germany in the 1600s. Today it is celebrated in churches and homes all over the world. The circular shape of the wreath reminds us that the love of God is without beginning or end. The evergreens represent the hope of everlasting happiness. The candles remind us that Jesus, the light of the world, came to earth to overcome the darkness of sin and selfishness. The purple candles represent our need to prepare for the coming of our Savior, and the pink, which is lit on the third week, reminds us to be joyful for the coming of the Lord is near. As we prepare to celebrate the great feast of Christmas – let us take this Advent Season as time to look deep into our hearts and truly prepare for the Lord.
Christian of the Month
 
The Christian of the Month Award recognizes students who display good character on a consistent basis and serve as student role models throughout the month. Students are nominated by their teachers based on the six pillars of character: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship. Students chosen to receive this award will be acknowledged for their accomplishment in the monthly newsletter. Listed below are the students that have been chosen as Christian of the Month for November in each homeroom. 
Students will receive a dress down pass, Christian of the Month Certificate and an Applebees Certificate.
T he students will be recognized at the first Mass of each month.


Ryan Duncan has been chosen Christian of the Month for Kindergarten Blue. Ryan is a very responsible, hard working student. He is respectful to all his teachers and the other students in the class. He is very attentive and always follows directions. Ryan is enthusiastic about learning and eagerly participates in all class activities. He enjoys drawing pictures and he is very creative when writing stories. At home, Ryan is very helpful to his family. He helps with household chores such as folding the laundry and washing the dishes. He is very helpful, kind and supportive of his little brother. Ryan also enjoys Chess, a game he has just recently learned to play. Congratulations, Ryan!

The Christian of the Month in Kindergarten Gold is Gavin Lutz . Gavin is a very creative student. He is very good at drawing and coloring. Gavin is always there to lend a helping hand. He is a good listener. Gavin is also a good assistant to mom during photo sessions. Outside of school, Gavin enjoys playing soccer, T-ball, and basketball. He also participated in the Relay for life. Gavin is always kind and thoughtful. Congratulations Gavin!

Addison Engleman , Grade 1, has earned the Christian of the Month Award. Addison works hard and is very kind and caring. Addison always strives to do her very best. Addison is a member of CYO Cross Country and T.A.Y.S.A Soccer. Addison attends Artist in Motion Studio. She studies Combo Class, Ballet, Jazz and also Beginner Acro and Broadway Babies. Addison attends Jerusalem Evangelical Lutheran Church. Addison is a happy, outgoing girl. When faced with challenges she always has a positive outlook. She loves school and spending time with her family and friends.

2-Blue's Christian of the Month is James Babbish . James is always respectful and kind to his teachers and classmates. He has a pleasant personality which he exhibits every day in the classroom. James' passion outside of school is motorcycles. Last year he was racing track champion for his age group at two different race tracks. He shows great sportsmanship for his fellow competitors. He is absolutely silly happy that he was interviewed by one of his favorite professional motocross riders, and the video was posted on their You Tube channel. He also likes fishing, camping, hiking, riding his bicycle and scooter and basically anything that involves the outdoors and requires him to get dirty and muddy. His best friend and best play buddy is his younger brother, Robert. He completes his chores daily without having to be redirected to do so. He also enjoys spending time with his grandparents and family. 

2-Gold’s Christian of the Month for November is Connor Montgomery . Connor is always helpful and mannerly in class and puts great effort into his schoolwork. His extracurricular activities are TAYSA Soccer, CYO basketball and cross country, and he has also achieved a Blue Belt in Karate. Connor takes guitar lessons and loves Math! He has a talent for building Legos. Connor loves his little sister Caroline, and to hang out with his best friend, AJ. He makes his parents proud every day. Connor loves all animals, and going to hockey games with his Dad. Great Job Connor!

Third grade Christian of the Month is Amelia Degler . Amelia is a responsible and caring student who likes to help out in the classroom. She recently joined CYO basketball. She is also a catcher for Anthracite Softball. She does Hip-Hop dancing at Dance Factory. She is also a member of St. Joseph’s children choir. Amelia loves to bake and cook. She is very helpful at home especially with her little brother.  

November’s Christian of the Month in 4th grade is Gabrielle Osenbach . Gabrielle is a conscientious student and always tries her best. She willingly helps the teacher and other classmates whenever the need arises. Gabrielle is kind and respectful to any student or adult she interacts with at school. When Gabrielle is not in school, she participates in gymnastics with Tumble with Denise. She also ran in CYO Cross Country and participated in running the Marian 5K last summer. Gabrielle is a member of St. John XXIII Parish where she helps with the kids’ programs. She also participates in kids’ small groups at St. John XXIII Parish.

Derek Schlosser has been chosen to receive Christian of the Month for fifth grade. Derek enjoys spending time with his family and playing with his cousins. He loves to swim, take care of his dogs and play on his PlayStation. He enjoys watching and playing sports; his favorite team is the Philadelphia Eagles. Derek is kind, compassionate and interested in furthering his studies. He has been a student in the Catholic Education system since Kindergarten. His favorite subjects are math, science and social studies. Derek is an avid learner, he enjoys the challenge of learning and excels in problem solving. He takes his school work very seriously and puts in extra effort everyday. It has been a pleasure to have him in our class. Congratulations Derek!

Caitlyn Kovatch has been chosen as the Christian of the Month for 6th Grade. Caitlyn is kind, considerate, and always willing to help others. She actively participates in the Coal Youth Ministry and the American Legion of Tamaqua as part of the Junior Auxiliary. Caitlyn is an altar server at St. Joseph Parish of the Panther Valley. She has done 7 years of gymnastics as a competition student in Tumble with Denise. Congratulations Caitlyn! 

Jakob Mummey is the 7th Grade Christian of the Month. Jakob is extremely polite and courteous to all he encounters. He is a very conscientious student, always completeing his work in a timely manner. Jakob is a member of our school choir. He is in his third year of participation in St. Jerome CYO Basketball. Outside of school, Jakob helps with the Knights of Columbus dinners. He has also achieved a Black Belt in Karate. Congratulations, Jakob!

Ethan Risteter has been selected as the 8th grade Christian of the Month.  Ethan is kind, helpful and considerate to his classmates and he gives 100 percent effort in his school work.  He enjoys camping and is an avid reader. Ethan also likes to read at school Masses, and he served as a Student Ambassador last year. He is looking forward to attending Marian High School next year.  Congratulations, Ethan!
Contest Winners


 CYO SPELLING BEE WINNERS

Congratulations to Anthony Odorizzi on placing 3rd in the Diocesan Spelling Bee held at St. Peter and Paul Church in Lehighton.

Congratulations to the District 5 CYO Spelling Bee Winners!
Grade 6
1st Owen Rakos
2nd Giovanni Rojas 

Grade 7
1st Anthony Odorizzi
2nd Albin Petschauer
3rd Jakob Mummey

Grade 8
1st Jenna Goff
2nd Blaise Mullen


SJRS student council sponsored a Halloween guessing contest and a coloring contest. Congratulations to the winners!

Coloring Contest Winners:
Janna Varner 
Rebecca Wippel
Kendall Peiser
Kellan Krajcirik
Sofie DeAngelo
Viktoriya Chepelska
Grady Shellhammer
Katie Purin
Maggie Homyak
Caitlyn Kovatch
Emma Ashfield
Hailey Watkins

Guessing contest winners:
Sam Homyak
Anthony Odorizzi

Peace Poster Contest

Sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students recently participated in the McAdoo Lions Club Peace Poster Contest. The theme this year was: "Kindness Matters." Congratulations to the winners!

First Place - Alex Porambo , 7th Grade
Second Place - Alyssa Porambo , 6th Grade
Honorable Mention - Isabella Boyer, 7th Grade
Geography Bee
SJRS will participate in the National Geographic Bee. The contest is designed to motivate students to learn about the world and how it works. Students in grades four through eight are eligible for this challenging competition. The preliminary competition was held in individual classr ooms in November. The final competition to determine a school champion will be held on November 30th. Good luck to all our students! 
Healey Education Foundation Award

We’re happy to announce that we were awarded the highest percentage growth in enrollment this year out of 6 different dioceses from the Healey Eduction Foundation! The award was given to SJRS along with $5,000 for the school!!







SAVE THE DATE!

This year we will be launching a day of online giving on December 17th! More information to follow!
















Register for the 2019-2020 School Year
 
Re-Registration began October 10th. Information and forms were sent home in the communication envelopes, and they can also be found at this link HERE The following discounts will be offered to our current families only:


Enroll by February 1 st (End of CSW): $75.00 per child
Enroll after February 1 st : $100.00 per child 

Registration Fees must be paid in order to officially register for the 2019-2020 school year.

***Our priority remains to our current families, and to reward your dedication to St. Jerome Regional School, we are happy to offer you a discounted enrollment fee again this year. We will be operating on a first come, first serve basis and we strongly encourage our current families to take advantage of the early enrollment period, as we expect waitlists for several grades next year. ***

Thank you to all the families who registered already! We currently have 222 Students registered
for 2019-2020!


A Message from the Home and School Association

REMINDER: Thank you for all of your generous donations, creative baskets, home-made tasty treats and all of your support at our Basket Bonanza! It was a huge success because of all of our help! We raised over $18,000.
Please email sjrs.hsa@gmail.com with any questions regarding HSA.
Also, please return any unsold 50/50 tickets that you may have. We have had an enormous request for more tickets.

HSA Board: Karissa Montgomery, Karen Weicker, Amanda Ogozalek and Megan DeAngelo


Home and School Fall/Early Winter Event Schedule 2018
(All Dates are subject to change)

December 7-             5 th -8 th grade Christmas Dance (6-8p.m.) must purchase
tickets in advance

December 10 & 11-  Santa's Shop

December 14-            Winter Spirit Wear pickup
                                   Blue Mountain Candle pickup (1-3 P.M.)

December 19-      50/50 Drawing



Gift Certificates and Scrip Certificates
These are great ways to help with tuition costs. If you have any questions please call the office. Many people are saving hundreds of dollars in tuition by purchasing certificates. Certificates are sold from the school office daily during school hours and scrip orders are taken on Tuesdays. Gift cards make great Christmas presents! Last order before the holiday is December 11th.


Tuition Chance
This year we will again sell tuition chances to help you win money toward your tuition bill. The chances are $1 each, and paper slips are in the family envelope. If you want to purchase the chance, fill out the slip and enclose money in an envelope marked tuition chance. This is not a fundraiser. All money collected will be awarded to the winning student’s tuition account. If your tuition is fully paid, credit will be applied to next year’s bill. 
 
The winner for  October is Kory Gilbert 7th Grade . The amount of tuition credit is $167 . Thank you to all who took chances. Slips are enclosed for next month’s drawing which will be on November 21st


AmazonSmile

SJRS is registered with AmazonSmile. Amazon shoppers can now designate SJRS as their organization under Amazon smile and eligible purchases entitle SJRS to a percentage of all purchases. The SJRS charity link is: https://smile.amazon.com/ch/46-5472464 . This link takes you to smile.amazon.com and are automatically asked if they want to support St Jerome Regional School. The link is also located on our school website. The direct link to the resources page is http://www.sjrschool.com/resources.html


Protecting God's Children and Mandated Reporter Trainings
 
An updated list of Protecting God's Children and Mandated Reporter Training sessions are listed on the Diocese of Allentown Website at http://www.allentowndiocese.org/youth-protection . Details are also listed for each location.  


Preschool news
December
12/3/18: School Advent Wreath Lighting
12/12/18- Preschool 4s Christmas Program. 9:15am in the gym. (12/17/18, snow day)
12/17/18: PK 3s Christmas Movie & PJs Day
12/14/18: Mass & Christmas party with 5th grade prayer partners
12/17/18: PK4 Christmas Movie & PJs Day
12/18/18: 3s Christmas Program Day with Parents
12/20/18: 3s Class Christmas Party
12/21/18: 4s Class Christmas Party, 11:30am dismissal for all students


REMINDERS :

- Please check the December calendar for important dates.   
 
·   The 1st Trimester ends, November 27th. Report Cards will be sent home on December 5th. 
 
·   Christmas Program- The SJRS Christmas Program entitled "The Promise of Light" will be held on December 19th at 9:30am in our gymnasium We invite you to join us as we celebrate the miracle of Christmas. All students in grades K-8 will participate in the program.

· Santa’s Secret Shop
        Students in grades PreK, K, 1 and 2 can shop on Monday, December 10th.
       Students in grades PreK, 3, 4, 5,6, 7 and 8 can shop on Tuesday, December 11th. 
Information was sent home with more details. Students should have money in an  envelope. Please indicate how much they can spend for each family member. Parents who would like to volunteer at the Santa's Secret Shop, please email HSA prior to December 10th. In order to volunteer, you must have all of your clearances on file in the office.
 
·   Due to Santa’s Secret Shop, students will be permitted to wear Christmas Clothing or Red/Green dress down clothing on both days. 

· PSP will also be at school for pictures with Santa on December 11th from 9:30AM-11:30AM.
 
· Picture re-take day is also on December 11th. Students who are having their pictures taken are permitted to dress down. Picture retakes are 8:45AM-9:30AM
 
·   Early dismissal: December 21st at 12:00pm – There will be no lunch on this day .
 
·   Christmas vacation – December 22nd- January 1st. School reopens January 2nd. 


- November/December Missions –

Our mission project for the months of November & December will be two-fold and support our local community. 
 
Students in grades Kindergarten through 4 are asked to bring in items for the “Birth Rite “Tree sponsored by the St. Vincent DePaul Society. 
 
Items needed include: Newborn to 4T clothing for girls and boys, crib sheets, sleepers, blankets, onsies, disposable diapers, diaper bags, socks/booties, baby towels and wash cloths, baby wipes, shampoo & soap, pacifiers, bibs and bottles.
 
Items will be accepted until December 14 then given to the Schuylkill County Birth Rite for distribution to clients throughout the year.  
 
Students in Grades 5-8 will once again participate in the Marine Corps Toys for Tots Program. 
 
New, unwrapped toys will be accepted until December 7.
 
May God bless you for your generosity during this Christmas Season.
 
We will also have a dress down day for all students on December 6th. A $1.00 donation or more is appreciated to help an SJRS family in need. 


The faculty, staff and administration ask for your continued prayers, support, cooperation and dedication to Catholic education. If you have any questions or concerns, you can call the school office at 570-668-2757. We will be happy to help you! Thank you for being part of the SJRS Family! Thank you for all the sacrifices you make to send your child to this school! In order to save time and money, we will continue to use email to communicate with you. If you have an email address, please check it and look for our messages. If you are not receiving our e-newsletters, please send a note to the office to be added to the email list. 
 
God bless you and your families,
 
Mrs. Amy M. Hannis-Miskar, Principal
Let Us Pray
Loving and gracious God, your blessings are countless and your love is never-ending.
As we celebrate this Thanksgiving, we pray that you will open our hearts to you and to one another, that we may share the gifts you have given us in loving service to all people.
Lord, our God, you have done wondrous things on earth;
guide us as we care for and protect all of creation.
Grant us joy of heart, and may peace dwell with us.
We pray in your Holy Name.
Amen.           

Let us pray for:
 
Your continued prayers, support, cooperation and dedication to Catholic education.
Your continued kind words toward each other.
             Someone who is sick and in the hospital.
 A special intention.
Our school family.
 
Email your prayer requests to altssj@ptd.net or send a note to the office.
We will list the names that you would like us to pray for in our monthly newsletters. 
  • Visit our Instagram by clicking above!
Check us out on Facebook by clicking above!