February 2, 2024 Volume 1 - Issue 20 |
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Dear Saint Families and Friends:
“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.”
-Harriet Tubman
Greetings from Berks Catholic! As we close out an exciting and successful Catholic Schools Week, it’s hard not to think of the many people, in not just the first 13 years of Berks Catholic but in our school’s rich history, who have laid the foundation to get us to where we are today. Those individuals did much to make sure a quality Catholic education was being offered in Berks County.
We continue with that work now as we dedicate our lives to making sure Berks Catholic is a great place to grow, learn and blossom for many more years. Undoubtedly, we have tomorrow’s dreamers right in our presence at BC. Surely, there are young Saints walking our hallways right now who will be back at BC in roles that will continue the many traditions we have in place. Future teachers, coaches, benefactors, parents and my future successors are in our midst. My hope is that we all channel our strength, patience and passion for the good of Berks Catholic. In twenty years from now, when I’m long retired, I look forward to reading the Black and Gold Report written by one of our current students. Have a great weekend.
It’s a great day to be a Saint! Together, we rise!
John Petruzzelli
Principal
610-374-8361 ext. 253
Email: jpetruzzelli@berkscatholic.org
Twitter: jpetrobcsaints
Instagram: john.petruzzelli.9
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The Week Ahead
Monday, 2/5
Course Selection begins
Dress Down Day for Open House volunteers
Tuesday, 2/6
Wednesday, 2/7
Fire Drill
Thursday, 2/8
Vocations Day (Speakers in Religion classes)
School Mass (9:00 a.m.)
Friday, 2/9
Super Bowl Dress Down Day
Wear your favorite football team apparel
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Let Us Pray…
For those who suffer from illness and ailment that God’s healing power bring them comfort.
For Mrs. Altimar, Mr. Ditsky, Mr. Piersol and Mrs. Vilardo, our school counselors, that God may bless them abundantly, as we remember them during Counselor Appreciation Week, for the good work they do assisting and mentoring our students.
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SAINT OF THE WEEK
Congratulations to Freshman
Faith Zudie
who was named this week's
Saint of the Week!
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Congratulations to Freshman Niyah Morales who was elected Freshman Class president for the Class of 2027!
Congratulations to the following students/families who won a CSW $500 tuition voucher courtesy of the PTO on Parent Appreciation Day: Sarah Hauser ’27, Coryn Kreska ’27, Nathaniel Holland ’26, Ryan Sobota ’26, Lucas Bauer ’25, Angelina Shumaker ’25, Alexis Eisenbrown'24 and Morgan Nguyen ’24. We are so grateful to our amazing PTO for these generous gifts.
Congratulations to the Junior Class who won the Great Saints Trivia Challenge on Tuesday. They defeated the Freshmen and the Sophomore classes and lost a tough match to our Faculty team by the score of 330-320. The members of the Junior team were: Giana Mirenda, Liam Ottinger, Sasha Shaeffer and Ronald Van. The team won Wawa gift cards and a class dress down day for the Juniors.
Congratulations to the following students who won a Wawa gift card on Tuesday during our gift card giveaway for Student Appreciation Day: Benjamin Bansner ’27, Aydia Brown ’26, Nikola DeLeon Rivera ’26, Daniel Flores ’27, Devin Garcia ’24, Aloyska Gonzalez ’25, Parker Krajsa ’26, Yoniel Moronta ’25 and Matthew Sauselen ’27.
Thank you to the following students who spoke at Mass the past two Sundays at our partner parishes for CSW: Samantha Holland ’24, Sara Holland ’24, Nathaniel Holland ’27 and Regan Prechtl ’24 at Holy Guardian Angels; Jakob Dempster ‘27, Jacob McCue ’27 and Meghan Munter ’24 at St. Catharine’s; and Matt Sauselen ’27, Faith Zudie ’27 and Noah Newswanger ’25 at St. Ignatius.
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Thank you to the following students who assisted with “Donuts at the Car Door” on a very chilly and breezy Monday morning handing out sweet treats to our parents and guardians: Mikey Fidler ’25, Celia Hess ’24, Jack Krajsa ’25, Paisley Lutz ’24, Molly McFadden ’25, Joshua McKoy ’24, Parker Nein ’24, Noah Newswanger ’25, Peyton Newswanger ’27, Denny Rodriguez ’25, Abby Tomsho ’27 and Ben Tomsho ’25.
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Thank you to our Cardinal, Blue Jay and Saint alumni who joined us for our first annual CSW Alumni Prayer Service on Wednesday evening.
Thank you to the 56 families who joined us on Tuesday evening visiting our Open House. We look forward to welcoming them very soon as our newest Saints!
Thank you to our Sophomore parents who made a donation to this quarter’s PTO Faculty Breakfast. Everything was delicious! We appreciate your kindness.
Thank you to everyone who helped and participated in any way, making CSW such a great week for our Saints!
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Congratulations to Senior Basketball player Joshua McKoy who scored his 1000th career point on Monday night against Conrad Weiser in the team’s 53-42 win. Way to go, Josh! | | |
Congratulations to Junior wrestler Brayden Hartranft who earned his 100th career wrestling victory on Wednesday evening in a match against Biglersville. Way to go, Brayden! | | |
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What’s Happening
School Mass
Our next school Mass will be on Thursday, February 8th at 9:00 a.m. Parents and guardians are welcome to join us for Mass. If you plan to attend, please sign in at the Main Office before coming to the Franco-Post Auditorium.
Service Hours
IMPORTANT SERVICE HOURS REMINDER! To be eligible to attend the Prom, service hours MUST be turned in by March 15th on X2VOL. If students are having trouble logging service hours, still need service hours or have questions about how many service hours they have been credited, they should see Deacon Lanciano personally or contact him by email at rlanciano@berkscatholic.org.
Course Selection
Course selection will begin next Monday, February 5th for students in grades 9 through 11. Students will receive course selection information early next week. Mrs. Vilardo will meet with each grade to discuss the following: appropriate placements, qualifications for classes, Career and Technology, Virtual High School and Dual Credit opportunities. Teachers will work directly with students to help guide them through class selections. Students are encouraged to schedule meetings with Mr. Ditsky and Mr. Piersol through their calendly links to assist with appropriate class selection.
*Please be aware that payment for course selection will now be invoiced through Simple Tuition Solutions (STS). Payment must be made by March 31st. If payment is not received, this may delay scheduling of classes for your student.
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Broadway Supper Serenade
SAVE THE DATE!
Broadway Supper Serenade
Friday, Friday, February 23rd
5:00 – 7:00 P.M.
BCHS Cafeteria.
An enjoyable evening of fun features performances from
Berks Catholic’s Theater & Music Programs,
all while enjoying a delicious pasta dinner, dessert, raffles and more!
Broadway Supper Serenade Flyer
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Pianos Available
The Sacred Heart Sisters are closing one of their convents in Berks County. They have 9 pianos they are trying to get rid of. If you are interested in taking one of them off their hands, you can call Sr. Joanne at 610-780-4820 for more details.
Voter Registration
The BCIU is supporting efforts to get Berk’s County’s eligible Voter Registration high school students registered to vote! All students that were born on or before April 23, 2006, and are currently US citizens, will be eligible to vote in the April 23rd primary. Interested students can get more information and register to vote online at: payouth.vote/register.
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The Bible by the Numbers
When you are feeling bitter or critical, check out 1 Corinthians 13.
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Social Media
Social Media
Did you see our posts this week about our spirited Catholic Schools Week activities? Keep up with all the happenings at the school on our social media channels. Check out what our students are doing day-to-day in class; important news articles; sports and activities; and more! Be sure to follow the school on social media for all the latest updates, pictures and school information. Facebook: Berks Catholic; Twitter: @BerksCatholic; and Instagram: berkscatholic.
It's a great day to be a Saint!
| It's a great day to be a Saint! | | |
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Our Mission
Berks Catholic High School is centered on the four pillars of God, Family, Academics and Fun. As a vibrant Christ-centered community, the Administration, Faculty and Staff are dedicated to providing a challenging academic environment for a diverse population of young men and women. Through Christian principles rooted in the Catholic tradition, we strive to positively impact our students spiritually, intellectually, socially, physically and emotionally, so they can live productive lives of service in this world and attain eternal life.
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