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October 8, 2024 ~ Newsletter
One Community One Family
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Dear Christ the King Catholic School Community,
Yesterday, October 7th, was the Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary in celebrating Mary’s month of the holy rosary. This month we have been honoring Mary each morning in prayer and within our school masses as well. In 1214, St. Dominic had a vision of Mary. She presented him with the rosary, both the beads and the prayers to be prayed. Dominic had a tremendous devotion to Mary and the rosary, which he promoted wherever he traveled to preach. He encouraged Catholics to gather in small groups to pray – what was an early form of the rosary together. These were quite possibly the first expressions of the prayer groups and small group communities that are still having a powerful impact today.
The earliest form of the rosary developed when Pope Gregory the Great (590-604) popularized an earlier version of the Hail Mary prayer by asking it to be prayed on the fourth Sunday of Advent. Many individuals began praying the Hail Mary in a repetitive fashion using a string of beads to keep track of the prayers. After the full development of the Hail Mary prayer, the term “rosary” was finally given in 1597.
A special thank you to Father Paulson, Father Lee, Heidi Nuti, Pam Nuti, executive/student council, and our faculty/staff/community for the Saint Francis Blessing of the Animals Prayer Service on October 4th. This event was amazing as were the animals and all members of our community.
This past week our mathematics teachers/support staff received professional development from members of our new mathematics publisher (Savvas Mathematics). In addition, this week our faculty and staff will receive professional training from our new school-wide art programming adoption; named Art in Action. Mrs. Halstead and our faculty and staff will incorporate such programming. Further, Mrs. Sawyer will help solidify parent classroom volunteers, for Art in Action, when necessary.
In closing, Carondelet and De La Salle High Schools visited our 7th and 8th grade students yesterday with their admission presentation(s). I was really impressed with the engagement, attentiveness, and respectful nature of our students during this session. Further, it was awesome to see our graduates return to CTK and witness their growth/accomplishments/presentation skills firsthand.
We met, per our faculty meeting structure, to elicit reminders and preparations to our teachers pertaining to parent/teacher conferences – Such an important process and perfect timing for a year filled with immense opportunities for continued learning/discovery/growth. Below are some helpful suggestions for our parents as well:
- Talk to your child: Ask your child if there is anything that she/he would like you to discuss with their teacher.
- Be prepared: Write down topics and areas of success and growth that you would like to discuss at the conference.
- Be on time; and respectful of the teacher's schedule. Arrive promptly, or a few minutes early, to maximize the full scheduled time allotment.
- Be open-minded; Be open to suggestions and input and please share your insights and questions, too. We are all working toward a common goal of educating and supporting our children. Please take the time to process and share positives/areas of growth with your child from your scheduled conference.
A powerful quote from Padre Pio reveals the beauty and immense love of our holy mother Mary, “May the mother of Jesus and our mother, always smile on your spirit, obtaining for it, from her most Holy Son, every heavenly blessing.”
Blessings for great parent/teacher conferences, and a peaceful and restful Columbus day weekend,
Mr. Joseph M. Silveira
Principal
Christ the King Catholic School
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Dear Heavenly Father, guide us in Your light. Let us remember to count our blessings and be thankful for all that You have provided for us. It is easy to get caught up in our every day lives and forget just how blessed we are. Let us take a moment and slow down and truly appreciate Your love and support. Please hear the intentions in our hearts for our CTK community. We pray for those around the world affected by war and severe weather.
If you have special intentions please email Mrs. Meran here so we can include them in our next newsletter.
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Wednesday, October 9 - CTK Spirit Wear, Ice Cream Sales Grades 1 - 8, 2:15pm Dismissal
Thursday, October 10 - Parent Teacher Conferences, No School
Friday, October 11- Parent Teacher Conferences, No School
Monday, October 14 - Indigenous Peoples' Day, School Holiday
Wednesday, October 16 - CTK Spirit Wear, Ice Cream Sales Grades 1 - 8, 2:15pm Dismissal
Thursday, October 17 - Pink Out with a $1 Donation, HL - Lumpia and Noodles
Friday, October 18 - 8:00am Liturgy Grades K - 8, Dress Uniform, Monsignor Wade Golf Tournament, 7th Grade Dance St. Francis
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Dear Parents/Guardians
There have been notifications regarding head lice cases among our elementary school students. We are doing our best to eliminate this concern by raising awareness and notifying families accordingly. We have contacted our custodial crew and requested that all classrooms be disinfected properly by following the protocol set forth by Contra Costa Health Services. Our faculty are also working hard on removing classroom items that may increase the spread of head lice. However, the main responsibility is on the parent guardian to screen their children daily at home. We kindly ask that you reach out to local head lice clinics, available in our area, to screen your child if you feel it is necessary. Please see the link below for more helpful information:
Click here.
https://www.cchealth.org/home/showpublisheddocument/30735/638612185493200000
Please click here for more suggestions for cold and flu season
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Beginning October 1st, 2024, Christ the King School will utilize a communication system, called School Messenger, to quickly broadcast information via text message in the event of an emergency or unplanned situation, such as a power outage.
School Messenger enables us to send an automated text message within minutes, providing you with real time updates when they are most needed. School Messenger utilizes the family information stored on file using PowerSchool (our student information system) to send automated SMS text messages. As a parent/guardian, you are already set up to receive messages by phone.
CTK will continue to use Constant Contact for more detailed email communication since the School Messenger text message will be brief.
If you need to update your contact information within our database, please contact the jmeran@ctkschool.org, or call 925-685-1109.
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Look for a School Messenger text message on Wednesday October 9th. This will be a test and the message will be a reminder about Parent/Teacher conferences. Once you receive the text, you can create it as a new contact. If you are a parent/guardian of a student at CTK and you do NOT receive this text message, please contact jmeran@ctkschool.org, or call 925-685-1109.
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We will not be having choir practice this Wednesday, October 9th or mass on Friday, October 11th due to Parent Teacher Conferences. We look forward to our next choir practice on Wednesday, October 16th.
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Did you miss out on ordering Spirit Wear this year? Well now is your chance to show off your CTK pride! The online store is open again until October 23rd. Please click here to check out all our CTK Swag! Allow 3-4 weeks for delivery after the online store closes. Items will be delivered to the class rooms.
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Pink Out Day
On Thursday, October 17th, we will be having a “Pink Out” for the CTK students. We encourage the students to wear pink during the school day to raise money for breast cancer awareness. Please bring a $1 (no coins please) donation on the Pink Out Day. All raised funds will be donated to a breast cancer awareness fund. Thank you!
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Our Festival was a great success and we are so thankful for everyone's involvement. Please take a moment and enjoy all the memories made. CTK really knows how to come together and have a good time!
Click here for photos
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Halloween is coming up soon! We will be celebrating with the annual Halloween parade after the morning assembly on Thursday, October 31st. Parents are invited to stay and watch! As students prepare their costumes, please review the guidelines below:
Halloween Costume Guidelines
- Costumes that depict alcohol, drugs, violence, or violent characters are not permitted. Fake weapons are not allowed.
- Costumes that could be offensive or perpetuate a stereotype of someone’s culture or heritage are not permitted.
- Costumes should not hinder students’ ability to participate in classes, including PE.
- School rules regarding dress code must be followed: No short skirts/shorts, no bare midriffs, no bare shoulders, or low necklines.
- Students or parents who have questions about the acceptability of their costumes should check with their homeroom teacher prior to wearing the costumes to school.
- Students wearing inappropriate costumes will need to call home to have a change of clothes brought to them.
Thank you all for supporting appropriate, distraction-free learning environments for students by adhering to these guidelines. We’re looking forward to all the fun Halloween festivities!
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Double Your Impact with Corporate Matching!
Did you know that many companies offer a corporate matching gift program? This means your donation to CTK Auction 2025 could be doubled (or even tripled) at no additional cost to you. By simply filling out a request with your employer, you can help us maximize the impact of your generosity.
Please take a moment to complete our Corporate Match Request Form CTK Auction 2025 Corporate Match Donation if your company will match your donation. Your support makes a big difference, and together we can do even more for CTK School!
All Corporate Match Donations over $500 will qualify the corresponding CTK Auction Sponsorship benefits.
Thank you for your continued support!
Click here for a list of Bay Area companies offering corporate match.
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PTG Meeting & Open Roles
Thanks to all who were able to join us at last night's PTG meeting. The meeting minutes will be posted on the website in the coming weeks. As mentioned at the meeting, we have the following open roles on PTG.
Interest Form: At-Large Member (2 positions)
Please fill out the interest form by Monday, October 21st if you are interested in the position. Interest forms will be reviewed by the PTG Executive Board and recommendations will be made to Mr. Silveira and Fr. Paulson.
Thanks to everyone who supported the Dine and Donate at Jack's. We raised $350 for PTG events and activities. Don't forget to join us at our next Dine and Donate at Chipotle on Wednesday, October 23rd.
For any questions, please reach out to Carolyn Della Maggiore at ptgpresident@ctkschool.org.
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Our school submits orders by 8:00am on Monday mornings and the cards are delivered the following week. If you would like your Scrip order delivered in your Tuesday Family Envelope, please click on the link here to sign the Scrip Waiver form.
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Courtesy
Courtesy in the eyes of a child - polite behavior or respectful acts
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Please complete the form here if you are requesting reimbursement for school activities (for example, PTG events). After requests are reviewed and approved, your reimbursement will be ready within 7-10 business days. | |
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Thank you to everyone that has signed up to help our teachers and school! Your time and commitments help us to have the best school year possible.
When you are finished with your volunteer service, remember to fill out the google form that records your Family Service Hours. You can find the form here. This form can be completed after each volunteer opportunity or your earliest convenience so that your hours are recorded and not forgotten!
As a reminder, each family is responsible for 17 volunteer hours during the school year in the following categories:
Fundraising - 5 hours
Festival - 4 hours
Personal Choice - 8 hours
All hours must be logged and recorded by May 31, 2025. If you have any questions regarding totals or accumulations please reach out to Kim Anderson at kanderson@ctkschool.org
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You’re Invited to our CTK-St. Stephen
Parish Picnic
For the Entire Family!
Sunday, October 20 - 12pm to 2pm
The picnic will be on the Large Lawn at CTK
BBQ Food, Fun, and Yard Games!
The cost is Free! Please rsvp here
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Children's Mass
Sunday, October 27th
We are inviting all children to a
special Sunday mass with a
Halloween Celebration
9:00 AM in the Parish Hall at CTK
All children are invited to wear their Halloween costumes to mass. We will gather in the Parish Hall at 8:45 AM, then we’ll enter the church through the sacristy door. Students will then process through the church and back to the Parish Hall where our children’s mass will begin.
We look forward to seeing everyone in their best costumes for this special event.
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CONSIDERING BECOMING CATHOLIC? INVESTIGATE RCIA
Have you considered becoming Catholic but are not sure how to proceed? Possibly married to a Catholic or have children in Christ the King School – and interested in sharing their faith? Or possibly just looking to clarify your own faith journey?
Investigate our RCIA program, which facilitates your consideration of baptism or conversion. Learn more by emailing Tom Bobich at RCIA@CTKPH.org.
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CTK Parish Newsletter: Please click here for the October 2nd Parish Newsletter | | | | |
