August 27, 2021
Dear Parents of St. Anthony of Padua Catholic School,

This year, we are excited to roll out a new testing platform to track the academic growth of our students. The Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston has adopted MAP Growth through NWEA for all K – 8th grade students in Archdiocesan schools. This will replace the STAR testing for those who were here in previous years. Over the next three weeks, your students will take their Beginning of Year (BOY) test to give us a starting benchmark from which to track growth in learning critical skills. This computer adaptive test will be administered again in the Middle of Year (MOY) and End of Year (EOY) allowing us to measure progress over this academic school year and across future school years in subjects which vary some by grade level. We are excited to implement this test and use its data to make sure each student is growing and being challenged to reach his/her full potential. Be on the lookout for more information from your child’s teacher as testing dates get closer. 

Only by His Grace,

Veronica Tucker
Principal
WHAT'S BREWIN' WITH MRS. TUCKER
Informal grade-level meetings with Mrs. Tucker. Meetings start at 8:15 a.m. in the Library. Bring your own coffee!
Sept. 1 | 8th Grade
Sept. 8 | 6th Grade
Sept. 15 | Pre-K4
Sept. 22 | 1st Grade
Oct. 6 | 5th Grade
Oct. 13 | 7th Grade
Oct. 20 | 2nd Grade
Nov. 3 | Kindergarten
Nov. 10 | 3rd Grade
Nov. 17 | 4th Grade
ALL-SCHOOL NEWS
DISMISSAL REMINDERS
  • CAR LINE: Please have your Car Line Number visible at all times. This helps our staff quickly navigate your students to their cars. Do not line up prior to 3:00 PM to keep our fire lanes clear. 
  • PERSONAL PICK-UP: The back gates do not open before 3:15 PM. If you must line up prior to 3:15, please utilize the middle lane of the St. Theresa Center parking lot to line up and do not block the Food Pantry or handicap parking spots.
EARLY RELEASE & DISMISSAL CHANGES
  • If you have an early release for a student after 2:30pm, please park near the Parish Life Building to avoid getting blocked in by carline traffic.
  • As always, please notify attendance@staopcs.org of any dismissal changes by noon so that we can direct your students to the appropriate pick-up area.
NURSE'S NOTES
We will continue to work closely with our local health department officials and the Catholic Schools Office to ensure the safety of our students and staff should the school experience a positive case of COVID-19. Please see the attached document regarding screening of your students and on-campus requirements should someone test positive for COVID-19.

  • Parents, please call or e-mail attendance@staopcs.org and Mrs. Pavlock (lpavlock@staopcs.org) if a child is out for illness.
  • REMINDER: Students must stay home if a household member is being tested for COVID and must remain out until results have returned.
WALKING INTO SCHOOL
Parents of Pre–K & Kindergarten students may walk students into class until September 3rd, but must check-in at the front desk prior to walking in. If your Pre–K & K student is able, please encourage them to walk to class on their own (or with older siblings) as soon as possible–our teachers and staff will happily assist them on their way.
PARENT HOMEWORK – ONLINE FORMS
All Back–to–School forms should be completed by August 31. Forms are in ParentsWeb© under School > Web Forms > 2021-2022 Back To School Forms:
  • Student TB Questionnaire
  • Family Handbook Acknowledgment
  • Student Demographic Information
  • Parent Information (please verify correct address, email & phone information)
  • Student Medical
  • Student Emergency Contacts
QUIZ BOWL INFORMATIONAL MEETING
Friday, September 10th | 4-4:30 PM
There will be a short informational meeting for all 7th & 8th graders who are interested in participating in quiz bowl. The meeting will be in room 210, but students may wait in the art room after dismissal with Mrs. Ettman until the meeting begins.  
SACRAMENTAL PREPARATION PROGRAM
Registration for this program is separate from STAOPCS enrollment. 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.
VOLUNTEERING
SAFE ENVIRONMENT TRAINING (VOLUNTEER REQUIREMENT)
All volunteers/parents must be current with safe environment training in order to participate in volunteer opportunities within our school. For more information about completing Safe Environment Training please visit: https://www.staopcs.org/safe-environment-training
VOLUNTEER CHAMPION POSITIONS OPEN
Now that all of our Room Parents have been assigned, we have some additional openings for volunteer champion positions. Ideally, we would like to fill these positions with volunteers who aren't already committed in a Room Parent or Gala Committee role.

Open positions:
  • Mother-Son Dance Champion - October 23
  • Pastries with Parents - February 4
  • Go Texan Day Champion - February 18
  • Teacher Appreciation Week - May 2-6

If you are interested in serving in any of these roles, please let advancement@staopcs.org know as soon as possible.
LIBRARY VOLUNTEERING
The library is a great place to help out around campus! Volunteer opportunities include helping with shelving or or weekly assistance and checkout with classes. All help is appreciated. In compliance with the Archdiocesan policy on volunteerism, ALL volunteers must complete Safe Environment Training. (https://ap.school/safe-environment-training). Thank you! Any questions, contact Mrs. Morgan, Library Manager, dmorgan@staopcs.org. Click the Sign-Up Genius link to sign-up!
CAR LINE VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
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 7:30AM - 8:05AM.
  • In the afternoon, volunteers will assist with lining up cars and directing traffic. Volunteers will need to be present from 2:45PM - 3:30PM. 
  • All volunteers must be in compliance and complete Safe Environment Training. More info is available at: https://ap.school/safe-environment-training
If you are able to help once or twice a week, we are extremely grateful! Thank you for being a dedicated volunteer to our school.
SUPPORT OUR SCHOOL
GIVING BY LIVING
Shop at Amazon, need school supply labels, or collect Box Tops? Through just living your life and making purchases, you can raise money for our school and students. These are a few of the simple ways you can support our school!

STAOPCS students, parents and teachers have been collecting Box Tops coupons through the BoxTop app and earning money for our school. 

Sign up for AmazonSmile and select St. Anthony of Padua Catholic School as your preferred charity at smile.amazon.com/ch/76-0652692. Remember to shop for deals at smile.amazon.com, or with AmazonSmile ON in the Amazon app, and AmazonSmile will donate to us at no cost to you.

Personalized labels are great for uniforms, water bottles & lunchboxes! Never lose your student's items again! Visit campaigns.mabelslabels.com and search for St. Anthony of Padua Catholic School to place your order and support our school!

Shop at Shutterfly or Tiny Prints and 8% of your purchase will be donated to St. Anthony! Shop here: staopcs.shutterflystorefront.com
UPCOMING DATES
9/1/2021 - What's Brewin' with Mrs. Tucker - 8th Grade, 8:15 a.m. Library
9/1/2021 - Mass, 9 am
9/1/2021 - Room Parent & General Volunteer meeting, 10:15 am, PLB 205
9/6/2021 - Labor Day - No School
9/8/2021 - Individual Fall Pictures
9/8/2021 - Mass (6-1)
9/8/2021 - What's Brewing with Mrs. Tucker (6th Grade)
9/10/2021 - Quiz Bowl Student Meeting
(281) 296-0300
7901 Bay Branch Dr.
The Woodlands, TX 77382