March 15, 2024 Volume 1 - Issue 26 |
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Dear Saint Families and Friends:
“Seek a relationship when you pray, not answers. You won’t always find answers, but you will always find Jesus.”
-Fr. Mike Schmitz
Greetings from Berks Catholic! Happy Lent! As we inch closer to Easter, I hope this time of Lenten preparation has been beneficial for you. I don’t know about you, but so many times I get into the habit of “asking” for things in prayer. When I do, I miss the real prize of prayer – the close personal relationship with Jesus. How blessed we are to even have the opportunity to share such a relationship.
I feel doubly blessed because last week I was able to spend 3½ days with our students on the Kairos Retreat. It not only allowed me to spend time getting to know our students better, but it presented plenty of time to pray, to be still, to receive the sacraments and to come closer to Jesus, our Savior. I am one lucky person to be able to do that in my job. May all of us in these last few weeks of Lent take advantage of the great gift of prayer and to deepen your relationship with the Lord Jesus. Have a blessed Lent and 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, 3/18
“Wear Your Green” Dress Down Day
Tuesday, 3/19
School Mass (9:00 a.m.)
Quiz Bowl Playoffs
Baseball Spring Training Trip Leaves
College Counseling Trip to
Moravian University & Muhlenberg College
Wednesday, 3/20
Fire Drill
Thursday, 3/21
Friday, 3/22
Lenten Penance Service
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Let Us Pray…
For Christians everywhere that they may respond to God’s call to discipleship and mission.
For the opportunities for deeper prayer and a closer connection to God for all of us during this Lent.
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SAINT OF THE WEEK
Congratulations to Senior
Nathan Orient
who was named this week's
Saint of the Week!
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Congratulations to our Student leaders for the Kairos XXIII Retreat last week: Nathan Orient ’24 (Rector), Alex Davis ’24, Juleah Dubel-Haag ’24, Xavier Gonzalez ’24, Alex Torres-Velez ’25 and Grace Witmer ’24.
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Congratulations to Track and Field Shot Putter Senior Brady Mider who finished in 8th Place at the Nike Indoor Track and Field National Championship! The following day, Brady won the “Shot Put Showcase” at the Nike Indoor Nationals. He also set a new personal record with a throw of 63’ 1.25”.
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Congratulations to the following Wrestlers who medaled in last weekend’s State 2A Wrestling Championship: Senior Brody Kline ‘24 – 2nd Place and Junior Carmine Lenzi – 6th Place. Brody ends his BC career as the Saints all-time leader in career wins with 126.
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Thank you to the 30+ Saints who attended the Engineering 101 presentation by Syracuse University last week. They received an overview of the major fields in engineering and how they apply to everyday life. The presentation also included potential majors and career pathways.
We received the following message from the staff at the Malvern Retreat Center where we recently held our Kairos Retreat. They shared: “We were impressed with your students. They were polite and respectful. Had we not known you were on campus, we would never have known given their quiet behavior.” Great job, Saints!
We also received the following email from a college admission rep who presented at the Alvernia College Fair last week and was very impressed with our Junior Saints. He writes in part, “Most students (from other high schools) asked if we have a certain major or “how good” a particular program was. Berks Catholic kids asked about internship availability, average financial aid award and research opportunities.” Great job, Junior Saints!
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What's Happening
Lenten Reflection
Does Lent seem too long for you? Bishop Schlert reminds us that Lent is a time of grace. Click on the link to read more about the Bishop’s Lenten message:
AD Times - Bishop's Lenten Message
School Mass
Our next school Mass will take place on Tuesday, March 19th at 9:00 a.m. in the Franco-Post Auditorium. Parents and guardians are welcome to join us. If you plan to attend, please sign in at the Main Office before coming to the auditorium.
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Kairos Retreat
Kairos is a Greek work that means “the right time,” or in theology, “the appointed time in the purpose of God.” Last week over 40 Senior and Junior Saints attended Kairos XXIII at the Malvern Retreat Center. They spent 3 1/2 days experiencing Jesus in very unique ways. The retreat provides students with the opportunity to grow in relationship with God, self and others. The retreat is based upon The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola. We are so proud of our students who left their comfort zone and committed to attending this very spiritual and uplifting retreat. Thank you to the adult leaders who attended: Mr. Ricco (Director), Mrs. Bobb, Miss Fromuth, Miss Giblin, Fr. Kuna, Deacon Lanciano and Mr. Petruzzelli. Next school year, the Kairos retreats will be held in November and March. Students will learn more about the retreat in their Theology class.
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Student Email Addresses
Earlier this week, you received an email from Mr. Kopp, our Educational Technology Specialist. As we continue to enhance our digital learning environment and improve communication channels, Berks Catholic will begin distributing school-issued email addresses to Freshmen, Sophomores and Juniors. This will occur during the school day over the next two weeks.
Currently, our only method of digital communication for students is through Canvas. While Canvas has been a valuable tool, we recognize the need for a more flexible communication option. All student accounts will be managed by the school, ensuring a safe and secure email environment. The use of student email addresses will allow our technology staff to provide a wider variety of digital instructional programming to students. If you should have questions regarding this update, please contact Mr. Kopp at jkopp@berkscatholic.org or 610-374-8361 ext. 256.
Dress Code Reminders
Spring has sprung! Saints are now able to wear their spring dress code. Here are just a few helpful reminders to make sure our Saints are looking their best:
- Gentlemen must be clean shaven, and their hair should not go over the eyebrow, ear, or collar.
- Ladies are to have their skirts no higher than 3-inches above the knee. If a skirt is not able to be adjusted or unrolled, ladies must wear tights for the duration of the school year.
- All students must wear the uniform school shoes unless a doctor’s note is on file in the Main Office. "Hey Dudes" shoes are not regulation.
Senior Saints Congratulations
Congratulations to our 73 Senior Saints (about half of the Class of 2024) who have reported to College Counseling that they have been accepted to over 100 colleges and universities to date. They have already garnered over $14 million in scholarship offers. As a reminder to Senior families, if you have not reported a college acceptance and/or a scholarship offer, please do so as soon as possible to the College Counseling Office. This information is extremely important.
Spring Sports
Spring sports practices began last week. It is exciting to see so many athletes out and around campus prepping for their seasons. Our first games/matches began this week. Be sure to check out the sports schedules for the various spring sports teams. We hope to see you in the stands and on the sidelines cheering on our Saints to victory. Click here to check out the spring sports schedules: Teams & Schedules - Berks Catholic High School.
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Financial Aid Reminder
Please complete your 2024-2025 STS Financial Aid Application by April 15, 2024, for maximum financial aid consideration. Applications will be reviewed in the order that the review result is VERIFIED. If a parent or guardian does not see a Review Result of VERIFIED on their application, it is not considered complete. Please check your STS application for any required documents that are still needed. To date, we have received 98 applications for 2024-2025 financial aid and 38 of them are NOT considered verified and require additional information from the parent or guardian. If you have any questions, please contact Tracy in the Financial Aid Office at tuition@berkscatholic.org or 610-374-8361 ext. 223.
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Reading Royals Hockey School Outing
Saints and their families are invited to a Reading Royals Hockey game on Saturday, April 13th at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are free but limited. Check out the attached flyer for details.
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A Night at the Races
The Berks Catholic Athletic Boosters is sponsoring their annual “Night at the Races” on Saturday, April 6th starting at 6:30 p.m. The cost is $25 (without a horse) or $35 (with a horse). There is a limited number of horses. All tickets are pre-sale. For more information, contact Danielle Fowler at dfowler@berkscatholic.org. Scan the flyer to purchase tickets.
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The Bible by the Numbers
When you want some peace and rest, check out Matthew 11: 25-30.
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Social Media
Did you see our posts last week about the Kairos Retreat? 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!
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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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