Dear Families of St. Anthony of Padua Catholic School,

Many thanks to all the Early Childhood and Elementary School Parents who attended our Parent Info Night last night! It was so great to see you on campus. And this upcoming Thursday, I look forward to watching the middle school parents try to beat the bell and make it to their classes on time as they work through their students’ schedules. 😊 This week, we also start our annual What’s Brewin’ meetings. For those new to St. Anthony of Padua, these meetings are chances for parents to meet by grade-level with myself and the Assistant Principal (Susan Leddy for PK-5th and Ken Wetzel for 6th – 8th). Please see schedule below for specific grade levels. Our counselor, Rachael Garfield, also join these sessions. These informal meetings allow administration to share highlights of things happening this year. The primary focus is to give parents the opportunity to ask questions they may have and connect with other parents. So, please bring a coffee and meet us in the library on the following dates. I hope to see you there!

Only by His Grace,

Veronica Tucker

Principal 

MIDDLE SCHOOL PARENT INFO NIGHT

Thursday, Sept 1 | 6:00 - 8:00 PM

Join us for Middle School Parent Info night to experience a day in the life of your Middle School student - parents will follow their student's Wednesday schedule. Electives Teachers will also be available. Parent Information Night is designed for parents only.

• 6:00-6:15 PM | "State of the School" with Mrs. Tucker | Fellowship Hall
• 6:15-6:45 PM | Middle School Parent Meeting | Fellowship Hall
• 6:52-7:00 PM | 1st Period
• 7:03-7:11 PM | 2nd Period
• 7:14-7:22 PM | 3rd Period
• 7:25-7:33 PM | 4th Period
• 7:36-7:44 PM | 5th Period
• 7:47-7:55 PM | 6th Period
• 7:55 PM | Closing Announcements

WHAT'S BREWIN' WITH MRS. TUCKER

Informal grade-level meetings with Mrs. Tucker. Meetings start at 8:15 AM in the Library. Bring your own coffee!

Aug. 31 | 8th Grade

Sept. 7 | Pre-K3

Sept. 21 | Pre-K4

Sept. 28 | 6th Grade

Oct. 5 | 7th Grade

Oct. 12 | Kindergarten

Oct. 19 | 5th Grade

Oct. 26 | 1st Grade

Nov. 2 | 4th Grade

Nov. 9 | 2nd Grade

Nov. 16 | 3rd Grade

ARRIVAL REMINDERS

• If you are walking students in, please note that the rear gates close at 8 AM to keep our campus secure.
• If you are arriving after 7:55 AM the front car line is the best place to drop off students.

DISMISSAL REMINDERS

• CAR LINE: Please have your Car Line Number visible at all times.
• PERSONAL PICK-UP: You must have your blue car line sign or blue key tag to show the door attendant. If you do not have a current year tag, you will be directed to the front office for ID verification.

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 31 - PICTURE DAY

Please wear Official Mass Uniforms. We are delighted to partner with TopScore Photography for school photos this year! Please see the flyer that went home in Green folders for more details. 

FRIDAY, SEPT. 2 - RAISE YOUR COLLEGE FLAG DAY!

In honor of raising the Louisiana State University flag (auction item from our 2022 Gala), students may wear LSU shirts or colors to celebrate raising the LSU Flag! Student attire must follow "Free Dress" Guidelines. Visitors are welcome to join us at the flagpole 8:15 AM to witness the flag raise.

Thank you to the Laborde, Sabatini, Cooper, Brignac, Carson, Landry, Brennan, Martin, Walters, Burns, Kuna, Castillo, Velardo, and Daigle families!

SPIRIT SHIRTS

Spirit Shirt orders have been placed and should arrive this upcoming week. If you were unable to place an order on time, please contact Mrs. Bierbaum at cbierbaum@ap.school.

SACRAMENTAL PREPARATION PROGRAM

Preparation for First Reconciliation and First Communion

Registration for this program is separate from school enrollment. Sac Prep enrollment must be completed by August 31 - there is no late registration! Please visit the Parish Website at: https://ap.church/sacraments/sacprep/. Have questions? Contact: Shannon Gormley, sgormley@ap.church or Jennifer Rush, jrush@ap.church.

BIRTHDAY BOOK CLUB - $20

Help put new books on the shelves of the St. Anthony of Padua School Library and honor your student’s birthday at the same time.

• During his/her birthday week, your student will come to the Library to choose one newly purchased book to add to the school library.
• A book plate will be placed in the front cover of the book and will honor your student in our school library.
• Your student will be the first person allowed to check-out the book from the St. Anthony of Padua Library. Students then return the new book to the library for others to enjoy.
• Forms were sent home in Green Folders. Questions? Please contact Mrs. Morgan at dmorgan@ap.school.

MIDDLE SCHOOL BASKETBALL CLINIC

Saturday, September 10 | St. Anthony Gym

7th & 8th Grade | 8:30-10 AM

6th Grade: 10-11:30 AM

There will be a short meeting for ALL 6th-8th grade parents between sessions at 10:00 a.m. All Skill Levels! All players that are interested in playing basketball at SAOP are encouraged to attend! Cost is free, but students must turn in registration forms by September 6th. Middle School Basketball Clinic Form

ELEMENTARY BASKETBALL CLINIC

Saturday, September 17 | St. Anthony Gym

3rd & 4th Grade | 9-10 AM

5th Grade: 10-11 AM

All Skill Levels! Whether you have played a lot, or even if you have never played before, this is a chance to have fun with your classmates! Cost is free, but students must turn in registration forms by Sept. 12. Elementary Basketball Clinic Form

ANGELS CHEER CLINIC

Come dance and cheer at the Angels Cheer Clinic on September 28, from 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM in the Gym! All St. Anthony of Padua Kindergarten through 5th graders are invited to participate.

• Participants will learn two cheers, a chant and a dance to perform with the Angels at the school Pep Rally & the Homecoming game on Oct. 5.
• Participants will receive a Homecoming T-shirt and a matching bow.
• Fee is $50 if you register by Friday, Sept. 9; After Sept. 9 fee is $60. No registrations accepted after Sept. 16.
• Forms went home in Green Folders to sign-up, or you can print & return.

HOMECOMING T-SHIRTS

We are selling Homecoming Week T-shirts to benefit our Athletics Department!

• NOTE: All participants in the Angels Cheer Clinic will receive a t-shirt included with their registration fee.

All Homecoming shirts must be ordered by Sept. 16.

STUDENT ACTIVITES

AWAKENING! BIBLE STUDY

Tuesdays | 7:15 AM in the Paduan Center (formerly the AMR)

Open to 6th, 7th, 8th graders

Starting Sept. 13! This is an optional and non-commitment Bible Study that will occur every Tuesday morning at 7:15 AM in the Paduan Center. Students who want to attend are asked to meet outside the AMR doors with their Bible and a notebook. If you have any further questions please email Mrs. Martin at kmartin@staopcs.org.

CHESS CLUB

Mondays | 3:45-4:45 PM | Library

Open to 3rd grade and above.

Starting Monday, Sept. 12. All 3rd graders and up are invited to join Chess Club with Mr. Scale. Cost is $20. If students have their own chess boards, and can bring them, that would be great! CHESS CLUB REGISTRATION FORM Questions? Contact Mr. Scale.

MASS CHOIR

Wednesdays | 6:50 AM | meet in Fellowship Hall

Open to 3rd grade and above.

Meet every Wednesday in the Fellowship Hall at 6:50 AM, rehearse in the church before school, and sing during Mass. The commitment continues through the academic year. If your child would like to participate, please fill out the online form. Questions? Contact Mr. Scale.

SACRED SOLES RUN CLUB

Wednesdays | 4-4:30 PM | Sports Fields

Open to all students. Starting September 29!

• FUN. A simple and effective program that gets kids moving.
• GOALS. Opportunities for kids to learn effective goal setting.
• EXCITEMENT. Fueling kids so they’ll be active in other areas of life.
• CERTIFICATES. For completing a ½ marathon and a full marathon.

Cost is $15. RUN CLUB REGISTRATION FORM. Any questions, contact Mrs. Koett.

STUDENT ROSARY GROUP

Wednesdays | 7:15 AM in Fellowship Hall

Open to 2nd through 8th Graders.

Beginning on August 31st, we will be offering a great way for your student to start their school day! This will be a wonderful opportunity for our school family to pray the rosary together. No need to register, just show up!

QUIZ BOWL

Friday, Sept. 9 | After school until 5:00 PM

Open to 7th & 8th Graders

Sponsored by Mrs. Sturgeon & Mrs. Blakesley, Quiz Bowl will take part in academic competitions throughout the year. Come learn more at the first meeting!

PADUAN PARENT CHAMPION POSITIONS

Our Room Parents have been notified of their assignments. We have many openings for volunteer champion positions! Ideally, we aim to fill these positions with volunteers who are not already committed in a Room Parent or Gala Committee role.

Available positions:

• Mother-Son Dance - October 15
• Pastries with Parents - February 3
• Catholic Schools Week - Jan. 29-Feb. 4
• Steps for Students - Co-Champion - February 11
• Fish Fry Champion - Date TBD
• Earth Day - April 28
• Teacher Appreciation Week - May 1-5
• Career Day - May 12

Please consider joining us for our Room Parent & Volunteer Orientation on August 31 at 10:15 AM in PLB 205 to learn more about these opportunities! If you are interested in serving in any of these roles, please let advancement@ap.school know as soon as possible.

CAR LINE VOLUNTEERS

We are still seeking volunteers to assist on a regular basis with morning and afternoon car line.

• In the mornings, volunteers will help with directing traffic and assisting students safely out of their cars. Volunteers will need to be present from 7:40 AM - 8:00 AM.
• In the afternoon, volunteers will assist with lining up cars and directing traffic. Volunteers will need to be present from 3:00 PM - 3:30 PM. 
• All volunteers must be in compliance and complete Safe Environment Training. More info is available at: https://ap.school/safe-environment-training

Contact Mrs. Bierbaum at cbierbaum@ap.school if you are interested in helping with car line.

2022-2023 PADUAN PARENTS GROUPME

The goal for the Paduan Parents GroupMe is to communicate volunteer opportunities or school needs quickly to a large audience. GroupMe will not take the place of The Messenger, Sign-up genius links, or other ways we communicate with parents.

Rules of Engagement for Participation in St. Anthony of Padua Catholic School’s GroupMe chats:

• We encourage your participation in our GroupMe chats. We ask that you exercise civility and goodwill in your communication. Any user that posts comments that are intentionally rude or deride the opinions of others will be removed from the chat.
• Feel free to ask questions about school activities or functions, or information distributed to inform parents.
• Please refrain from asking grade-level or class-specific questions.
• No profanity or vulgar comments
• No accusations or accusatory language toward an individual or group of individuals.
• No negative comments about teachers, staff or students
• No comments not related to school activities or functions
• GroupMe chat members with a question not school-related should contact their Paduan Parent Coordinators for their grade-level in person, by phone or by email.
• Please do not add anyone who is not an enrolled parent at St. Anthony

What Is GroupMe?

• GroupMe is a free group messaging app
• People wanting to join can be added by a current GroupMe member
• GroupMe has direct message features – a member can direct message another member in the same group
• Phone numbers are hidden in the GroupMe app

Click button to join!

8/31/2022 - Individual Fall Pictures (Official School Uniforms)

8/31/2022 - What's Brewing with Mrs. Tucker - 8th Grade, 8:15 AM, Library

8/31/2022 - Mass (7A), 9 AM

8/31/2022 - Room Parent & Volunteer Training, 10:15 AM, PLB 205

9/1/2022 - Middle School Parent Info Night, 6 - 8 PM

9/2/2022 - RAISE YOUR COLLEGE FLAG DAY! In honor of raising the LSU flag (auction item from our 2022 Gala), students may wear LSU shirts or colors. Student attire must follow "Free Dress" Guidelines.

9/5/2022 - Labor Day - No School

9/7/2022 - Mass (7-2), 9 AM, Church

9/7/2022 - What's Brewing? with Mrs. Tucker (PreK-3), 8:15 AM, Library

9/10/2022 - Basket Ball Clinic 6th-8th (7th & 8th Grade: 8:30-10 AM), (6th Grade: 10-11:30 AM)

Full Calendar available in FACTS! Calendar is available on the App!