🙏 The Messenger - Jan. 11, 2019 🙏

January 11, 2019

Dear Parents of St. Anthony of Padua Catholic School,

Happy New Year! I hope that everyone enjoyed the extended break with family --- away from homework, packing lunches and early morning alarms. And I hope you, like me, were ready to return to the routines and structure of school. It felt so good to have your students return on Tuesday and put their energy and enthusiasm back into the hallways and classrooms. God is good!

Over the next several Messengers , I would like to highlight the results from the Fall Parent Survey. Thank you to the 125 families who responded. Families responded with students from all grade levels. First-year families responded as well as long-time veteran families. This letter will focus on the first three questions.

The first question stated: “We believe in our school’s mission”. 94% of you agreed or strongly agreed with this statement. Thank you, for your support of our mission.
The second question stated: “Our school creates a friendly and welcoming environment”. 90% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed with this statement.
The third question stated: “We would recommend our school to parents seeking a school for their children”. 90% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed with this statement.

Some comments related to this question included wanting more opportunities to get involved as well as a more welcoming program for new families transitioning into the school. Others appreciated the friendly and welcoming carline at both the start and end of the days. These comments are being studied by administration and teachers. We had already started discussing our mentor family / student program and potential improvements. I also appreciate the idea of making the mission statement more of a focus. The entire student body recites the mission statement every Friday, but “digging deeper” into what this means in practice in a school is a great idea! As a faculty/staff, we will look for ways to implement this that are appropriate for each grade level.

Only by His Grace,

Veronica Tucker

ALL-SCHOOL NEWS

NURSE'S NOTES

We do not have any official reports for this week. I do have one report for over the break that I would like for parents to be aware:

12/31/18 | 5B | Reported case of Mononucleosis over the Christmas break

**Speech Screening forms were due before the Christmas break – If you have a child you really did want to have screened and you just forgot to turn in the paperwork before the break, please turn it in by Monday, January 14th and we will get them in**

SAFETY CONCERN

Parents, please remember to follow the rule in the Family Handbook that states “once students are picked up through Personal Pickup they need to be directly supervised by a parent or adult.” Our priority is to keep all of our students safe while they are on our campus. Thank you for your cooperation.

SPRING SPORTS SIGN-UP

The STAOPCS Spring Sports season is just around the corner. It is time to find out who is willing to make the commitment to St. Anthony’s Baseball, Softball or Track program. Please complete the attached form and send in to Mr. Quickel by Jan. 18th.

SPRING SPORTS COMMITMENT FORM

COUNSELOR'S CORNER by Janay O'Connor

Happy New Year! Wishing everyone a very blessed 2019! The character trait for January is Personal Best (Maturity & Initiative) . The social skills for January are “How to actively listen,” “How to apologize" and “How to accept decisions, corrections and consequences from authority and how to disagree appropriately.”

Important Upcoming Dates

The Entrance Exam for all Catholic High Schools is scheduled for Saturday, January 12, 2019, with the exception of Duchesne and St. Agnes.
Catholic Schools Week is Jan. 27 through Feb. 2.
St. Anthony of Padua Quiz Bowl Team will be participating in the St. Pius Middle School Rally on Saturday, Feb. 9.
Internet Safety Week is scheduled for February 18 - 22. On Tuesday, February 19 we will be hosting a viewing of "Screenagers". "Screenagers" is “an award-winning film that probes into the vulnerable corners of family life and depicts messy struggles over social media, video games and academics. The film offers solutions on how we can help our kids navigate the digital world.” The film is appropriate for fourth grade and up. More details to follow in The Messenger.

Thank you to Gaby Navarro for designing this year's team shirt! All St. Anthony Team Members will receive this shirt in addition to the official Steps for Students t-shirt. Thank you to Doucet Safety Analysis, LLC for sponsoring our Steps for Students Team!

We kicked off Steps for Students registration today with a school-wide assembly and announced some fun incentives for our students to participate in this year's event!

The top fundraiser in each classroom or homeroom will get to pick a Mystery Bag filled with a gift card and fun prizes. Want to know what is inside? Become the top fundraiser in your class to find out!
The top fundraiser for the whole school will win an iPad!
The grade with the MOST Steps for Students participants will win a Cookie Cake!
And Mrs. Tucker has a special incentive for student racers - If you complete the timed race that morning and can beat her time you will earn a Homework pass!

To register for Steps and set-up your student's fundraising page visit: Steps for Students Registration

MARDI GRAS BALL SPONSORS & UNDERWRITING

Proceeds from Gala help St. Anthony of Padua Catholic School meet its annual operating budget and provide financial aid resources for students needing assistance.

Sponsors are a vital part of the success of the Gala. As a sponsor, you will be our special guest at the event. Sponsorships are available at a variety of levels. A portion of your sponsorship may be tax deductible.

Underwriting is another way you can support the Gala. As an underwriter, you will cover a specific Gala expense, which will increase the event's proceeds that benefit our students. There are a number of underwriting levels to choose from. Underwriting donations may be 100% tax deductible.

Learn more about Sponsorships or Underwriting

AUCTION DONATIONS

Our Gala Committee is hard at work looking for the most desirable items out there, and we would love your help!

DONATE AN ITEM OR SERVICE: Here is a fantastic list of suggested items !

GIFT REGISTRY: Our Gala Committee has picked out some "Wish List" items. Click here to visit our Amazon Registry and start shopping! Items purchased through the Registry can be sent directly to the school for your convenience.

GALA RAFFLE TICKET SALES

January & February Fellowship Sundays

We will be selling Gala Raffle tickets at the January and February Fellowship Sunday events after weekend Mass. Please consider volunteering to assist our Gala committee with these sales to earn Paduan Points! And any tickets you sell can count towards your family's sales ! Sign-up Genius .