Dear Families of St. Anthony of Padua Catholic School,
Happy Halloween Science Day! This has been such a fun day watching our students enjoy hands-on STREAM (Science. Technology. Religion. Engineering. Arts. Mathematics.) activities with a Halloween twist! With tomorrow being All Hallow’s Eve we remember the importance of this date in our Catholic tradition as we prepare for All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day as we honor those holy people who went before us modeling the life of holiness we all aspire for.
I wanted to take an opportunity to share with you an update on our enrollment numbers. We are thrilled to currently have 461 students as part of our school family! A special thank you to each of you for entrusting your students to St. Anthony of Padua and making the financial sacrifice to partner with us to educate and form your students. It is kind of hard to believe but we are approaching that time of year when we are preparing to plan for next year’s registration events. On Thursday, November 12th, we will host our first Virtual Open House for prospective families. If you know families interested in a Catholic education for their children, please encourage them to reach out to Mrs. Cathy Russell (crussell@staopcs.org) for our upcoming admissions events. While we have limited openings, we look forward to getting to know future Dolphin families and welcoming them into our school.
Only by His Grace,
Veronica Tucker
Principal
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SAFE HALLOWEEN
The CDC has provided information on how to be safe during Halloween trick or treating.
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HOLIDAY TRAVEL NOTES
With Thanksgiving and Christmas around the corner, we know you are making plans for holiday travel. At this time, we are not being told of any travel restrictions or required restrictions after travel. As cases increase in our area and around the world, we will be closely monitoring this and will share any changes. Please consider giving yourself a few days at home to be sure all are feeling well before returning to school.
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STARTING NOVEMBER 1ST
STAOPCS WILL USE SCHOOLMESSENGER™ FOR PARENT TEXT ALERTS. You must opt-in to receive our text messages!
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WHY SHOULD I OPT IN?
Text alerts are the fastest and most convenient way to communicate important reminders or information to our families. Some of the most common uses for text alerts:
- Urgent notifications
- School closures
- Changes to arrival or dismissal procedures
- Event reminders
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HOW DO I OPT IN?
1) Open a new text message
2) Dial our short code number, 67587
3) Text “Y” or “Yes”
4) Hit “Send”
OR
1) Open your phone’s camera
2) Aim it at the QR code below
3) Follow the prompts on the screen.
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OCTOBER WRITING LEADERS - CONGRATULATIONS!
1ST GRADE - Miles McKinney, Jackson McAlister, Gabriella Carrone
4TH GRADE - Elisa Mora, Nicole Ritchey
5TH GRADE - Sarah Tovar, Adriana Boles, Johanna Cabriana, Fernanda Yepiz
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Congratulations to our Red Ribbon Week Poster Contest Winners! |
Elementary Alcohol Awareness Winner
- Landri Brignac - 3rd grade
Elementary Drug Awareness Winner
Middle School Drug Awareness Winners
- Maddie Anderson - 7th grade
- Joshelle Cabriana - 7th grade
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GRANDPARENTS DAY - NOVEMBER 20TH
While we will miss seeing our grandparents this year, grandparents can still signup for this special virtual event. A special email from St. Anthony of Padua Catholic School with links to a video message will be sent on Friday, November 20th. Grandparents who register will also receive a personalized card and greeting from their grandchild(ren). We encourage families to send in pictures of their Grandparents to add to our Grandparents Wall of Honor in our hallway. Please encourage your grandparents to register and send in pictures by November 13th. Students will participate in a variety of Grandparents Day enrichment activities in their classrooms and be treated to traditional Grandparents Day donuts! Special thank you to JK Dentistry for sponsoring Grandparents Day this year!
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YEARBOOK ADS
Applaud your student’s achievements with a tribute in the yearbook. Celebrate with words of congratulation, encouragement and praise. It's easy to purchase and create your ad online! Click the button for more information and instructions! Ads must be purchased by March 1, 2021.
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SCHOOL-WIDE STEWARDSHIP PROJECT
THANKSGIVING FOOD DRIVE
Help us make a family’s Thanksgiving Day celebration special! Each year St. Anthony’s Bread Food Pantry offers a Thanksgiving Box to families in need of assistance in the Montgomery County Area. We want everyone to have a healthy Thanksgiving meal on the table.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Take home a box (or 2 or 10) and fill it with the list of items found here and return it to us for distribution to area families in need. The St. Anthony’s Bread Food Pantry will provide the Turkey when distributing to the family, giving them everything they need to celebrate a day of Thanksgiving. Depending on where you shop, it costs an estimated $35 to $45 to fill a box.
INSTRUCTIONS:
Place canned (heavy) items at the bottom of the box and tape the top of the box closed.
After weekend Masses, find volunteers collecting boxes at the St. Teresa Center.
At all other times, drop off filled and taped boxes on the pallets at the St. Teresa Center. The St. Teresa Center is located at 7985 Bay Branch Dr.
PICK UP EMPTY BOXES
During Morning Arrivals from Oct. 27 - Nov. 6th.
RETURN FULL BOXES
October 31 through November 15 at the St. Teresa Center. Volunteers will be available before all weekend Masses to assist with unloading packed boxes.
Help us reach our parish goal of providing 2000 Families with a full Thanksgiving Meal!
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DOLPHIN NETWORK NEWS (DNN) - October 30, 2020 |
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SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS
We are currently seeking applicants for Substitutes – Classroom (PreK-3-8). If you are interested and would like to be considered for available positions, apply directly through the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston employment application portal: https://www.applitrack.com/archgh/onlineapp/ and apply for Job 1728.
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WHAT'S BREWIN' WITH MRS. TUCKER
This year our informal conversations with administration will be held virtually via GoogleMeet. Please mark your calendar for the What's Brewin' that corresponds to the current grade levels of your student(s).
- Wednesday, November 4th, 8:15 a.m. – 4th Grade
- Wednesday, November 11th, 8:15 a.m. – 2nd Grade
- Wednesday, November 18th, 8:15 a.m. – 3rd Grade
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NURSE'S NOTES & COVID-19 REMINDERS |
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NURSE NOTES
Parents please continue to be mindful of gatherings outside of school. We’ve had a recent rise in cases in the Montgomery county area.
We have had two positive cases in the last couple of weeks. We are certain these cases are isolated and are not related to one another. With the most recent case the student was last in school on Friday, October 23th and their symptoms did not start until late Monday, October 26th, so we feel reasonably confident that they were not in a contagious period while at school on Friday. Even though it is another case we hope that this bit of information eases your mind and concern. Our teachers continue to do a stellar job at cleaning and disinfecting their rooms and we continue to have the weekly fogging throughout the school. We are thankful that both cases in our school were mild and the students recovered quickly. We continue to pray for all those affected by COVID-19, especially those that are most vulnerable.
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SCREENING AND ON-CAMPUS REQUIREMENTS
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 documents regarding screening of your students and on-campus requirements should someone test positive for COVID-19.
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VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY - AFTERNOON CAR LINE COORDINATOR
If you are have great organizational skills and like managing volunteers, this is the position for you! Help us manage our volunteer car line schedule and changes. Contact Mrs. Tressel at ktressel@staopcs.org to learn more! If you are interested in helping volunteer during afternoon car line, please also reach out! We can always use more assistance.
SHOUT-OUTS!
- Special thank you to Paduan Parent, Mrs. Rosa Garza for organizing our Fall Conferences Snack Bar and Luncheon for our faculty!
- ANOTHER Shout-out to our car line volunteers! They are awesome and we are so grateful for their help. Please show kindness to all of our car line volunteers for giving their time to make sure we have a smooth car line process.
- Thank you to all who voted in our Staff Costume Contest today! We had a lot of fun!
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FUND FOR ST. ANTHONY - Every One. Every Year.
Every year, St. Anthony of Padua Catholic School depends on the Fund for St. Anthony for revenue beyond tuition to support an outstanding learning environment for students and teachers. Those same needs remain in 2020-2021, but now the school also faces extraordinary costs to provide a safe and flexible learning environment during the pandemic. Gifts to the Fund for St. Anthony last school year allowed our school to pivot during challenging times and continue to provide a high-quality Catholic education to our students. Please prayerfully consider how you can support the Fund for St. Anthony this school year!
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NOVEMBER 18: DOLPHIN DONOR DAY
What is Dolphin Donor Day?
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DOLPHIN DONOR DAY is a 24-hr. fundraising event designed to encourage all alumni, faculty, parents, and friends to support the Fund for St. Anthony!
- On Dolphin Donor Day, generous benefactors will match all gifts up to $17,000 - DOUBLING your donation. If your company matches your gift you can even triple your donation! See a list of employers that will match your donation.
- When you give on Dolphin Donor Day, students benefit too!
- 1st Classroom/Homeroom to reach 100% Family Participation in the Fund for St. Anthony will receive a Chick-fil-A Lunch, Free Dress and an in-class Karaoke Party
- All additional classes that reach 100% Family Participation will receive a Chick-fil-A Lunch and Free Dress.
- Don't want to forget? Make a gift today at: https://staopcs.org/fundforstanthony
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Classroom/Homeroom Participation - updated Oct. 29. |
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WISHLIST - New Items Added!
Are you interested in making an immediate impact for our students? We have created a list of classroom or school-wide items that we would like to purchase! As a school we will be working to fund these items through the Fund for St. Anthony but if you would like to give to specific items, you may give online at the link below. A purchase off the wishlist counts for participation in the Fund for St. Anthony!
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11/02/2020 - Rosary Group – 2:30 PM, Church
11/03/2020 - Election Day – Students May wear Red, White & Blue Tops with Uniform Bottoms. No political shirts please.
11/03/2020 - 3rd Grade Saints Gallery
11/04/2020 - Mass (4th & 5th Grade Attending), 9 AM
11/04/2020 - SJ23 Virtual Tour with 8th Grade
11/04/2020 - What's Brewing (VIRTUAL) - 4th Grade, 8:15 AM
11/05/2020 - Spanish Rosary Group, 10 AM, Church
11/06/2020 – Student Vote Dress Day – Winning theme to be announced Tuesday, Nov. 4th.
11/09/2020 - Rosary Group – 2:30 PM, Church
11/11/2020 - Mass (2nd & 3rd Grade Attending), 9 AM
11/11/2020 - What's Brewing (VIRTUAL) - 2nd Grade, 8:15 AM
11/12/2020 - Fall Open House (VIRTUAL), 10 AM
11/12/2020 - Saints Trivia Bee
11/12/2020 - Spanish Rosary Group, 2:30 PM, Church
11/13/2020 - Spirit Shirt & Jeans Day
11/13/2020 - Grandparents Day Registration & Pictures Due
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There's still time to enroll in the optional Waldo photo delivery service where you'll get all YOUR student's photos texted to your phone!

How to enroll:
Click here or text STAOPCS21 to 735-343 and follow the prompts.
You can also scroll through and view all the photos on our Waldo Photos free web gallery here: https://waldo.photos/galleries. Enter the join code: STAOPCS21
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(281) 296-0300
7901 Bay Branch Dr.
The Woodlands, TX 77382
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