School Newsletter
01.06.22
Mission:
St. Anthony of Padua School Community
engages students in academic excellence
while guiding them to live as a reflection of Jesus.
COVID UPDATES


**All documents and recommendations remain the same.
School Calendar:

All upcoming dates can be found on the school website or app.  


Google Calendar Subscription (click the + at the bottom right to subscribe)
From Mrs. Pudelko:

What a nice surprise to have a couple of snow days! I was out of the building on Tuesday for a principal's meeting and heard about the 8th graders singing the snow day song. It worked! I hope you all stayed safe and warm at home. I know (most) kids enjoy that back-to-bed report in the morning. We missed our spirit day on Wednesday. Students can wear St. Anthony shirts next Wednesday with uniform bottoms to make up for it!

Thank you to everyone who donated items before Christmas break - we were able to bless several St. Anthony families and they were so very grateful for your generosity. This community is amazing!

The Kent County Health Department has not made any changes to their recommendations for quarantine for close contacts/positive COVID cases. We will continue to follow their recommendations and look at each case individually, working to decrease the spread as much as possible. As I stated in my letter last week, masks continue to be encouraged, but we respect the decision of each family. If you want your child's teacher to help give reminders for masking for your child, please reach out to him/her.

January is School Board Appreciation Month. We will be highlighting the members of our School Board on social media this month. Follow our school Facebook page to see these updates. We have full biographies of our board members on our school website. We appreciate the work and time these individuals give to support our school.

The Spelling Bee originally scheduled for January 7 needed to be postponed until January 14. We will NOT have an all-school Mass on Friday, January 14, but instead will have a speaker from Right to Life, followed by a short prayer service and the Spelling Bee. Please feel free to join us! There will be space available near the choir area for parents/visitors.

Our students are exposed to so much technology on a regular basis. It is important for all of us to continue to educate ourselves to keep up with what children may be exposed to when using technology. I encourage you to read this article from Protect Young Eyes: "5 Digital Trends that Threaten Children in 2022." This article explains how we can protect the safety of all children as technology and the internet becomes more advanced with new trends.

Stay warm - see you on Friday!

Jenny
Noteworthy News:
  • HOUSE CHALLENGE: The Middle School Houses will be having a coin/penny collection. All money collected will be sent to Grand Rapids Right to Life. The collection will start January 10 and finish January 14. 

Notes from last week:
  • FREE THROW CONTEST: On Saturday, January 15, St. Anthony will host a free throw contest for girls and boys ages 9-14. The contest starts at 2:00 PM. Please contact Mr. Wieber (cwieber@saparish.com) for sign-ups - this form requires a parent signature in order to compete.

  • GIRLS ON THE RUN COACHES NEEDED: St. Anthony is currently signed up to host a Girls on the Run team this spring. Coaches are needed to continue this program for 3rd to 5th grade students this year. Please contact Lisa Barnum (lbarnum@saparish.com) by January 3rd if you are interested in volunteering. Registration is opening soon and coaching must be in place to activate our school registration. What is Girls on the Run?

  • InPACT AT HOME PROGRAM: InPACT at Home is a home-based physical activity program designed to motivate students and entire families to get moving for 60 minutes a day. Click HERE to read the highlights of the importance of Managing Emotions and Stress. This module describes how physical activity provides an opportunity for children to practice and build important life skills.
January Hot Lunch Menu:

Click image to bring up interactive live calendar. Please note we will not be continually sending separate blasts with last-minute changes due to continued shortages in the supply chain. This link along with the app will be updated automatically as soon as changes occur. (click on the calendar)
AmazonSmile:
Amazon shoppers, this is for you!

AmazonSmile is a great opportunity to raise money for St. Anthony School. If you are planning to make any purchases on Amazon, please look at using AmazonSmile when making your purchases, as St. Anthony will receive .05% for each purchase when using AmazonSmile at no cost for you!

How it works:
  • Go to https://smile.amazon.com/, and then log in to your Amazon account.
  • Click the "Get Started" button.
  • When looking for the charity name, type in "St. Anthony of Padua Church" - please make sure the location is listed as Grand Rapids, MI.
  • Begin shopping!

**Please note that each time you are making a purchase on Amazon, be sure to always start at https://smile.amazon.com. We suggest creating a bookmark directly to your smartphone screen.**
Athletic News: 

  • ATHLETIC COMMUNICATION and CALENDAR: The athletic calendar will be updated regularly with practices times, game times and deadlines. Please use the athletic calendar as a reference point for planning. It can be found on the school website and St. Anthony app. All athletic communication should be sent to athletics@saparish.com. **Please note all last minute changes and cancellations will be found on TeamSnap App Notifcations and Chats screen from GRACEAC, coaches, and athletic directors**

  • WINTER II SEASON: Please remind your students of their grade responsibility for eligibility. Activity eligibility is reviewed weekly by teachers. Please see the Athletic Handbook on the school website for specific details. If you have any questions, please contact Lisa Barnum, Interim Athletic Director or Chad Wieber, Dean of Students.

  • SPORTS PHYSICALS: All students grades 3rd through 8th are required to have a physical dated after 4.15.2021 on file with the school office before the first day of scheduled practice. Forms can be found here and emailed to athletics@saparish.com or dropped off to the school office.

West Catholic HS Athletics News:

  • WEST CATHOLIC ESPORTS LEAGUE: Calling all middle schoolers interested in E-Sports! Participate in 1-2 hour practices each week with one-hour matches against other middle schools in the state of Michigan. Sign up HERE!

  • STRENGTH & CONDITIONING: This is open to all 7th and 8th grade students from January 3 - January 28. 8th graders who have already applied to WC get a 50% off discount code! Learn more and find all of the details HERE.
Home & School Association Updates:

  • CHUCK E. CHEESE FUNDRAISER NIGHT: Join us for a fundraiser night at Chuck E. Cheese (Alpine) on January 13, starting at 3:00 PM. Chuck E. Cheese will donate up to 20% of all sales to St. Anthony! See the attached flyer HERE. You must bring the flyer with you that night.

  • JANUARY MEETING: Join Home & School for the January meeting. January 19 at 6:00 PM. Come hear about upcoming events, meet new people, share your ideas, and more!
SCRIP Office News:

Cash and Carry and Order Pick Up Schedule:
Friday 8am-8:30am and following school Mass until 9:30 am, as well as following 9am Sunday Mass.

**Orders are due on Monday’s by 8:30am

Have you downloaded the RaiseRight app? This app pairs with our ShopwithScrip and allows you to check out daily deals and easily purchase gift cards on the go!
St. Anthony of Padua App:

Please search "St. Anthony of Padua School" in the App Store or follow one of these links to download it. From here, all school information will be at your fingertips! The push notifications will allow you to stay connected to all important information, quick calendar access, staff contacts, and much more!
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St. Anthony of Padua School | 616-453-8229 x200
schooloffice@saparish.com | www.saparish.com