Parent/Student Newsletter

#GoMakeADifference

November 2023

God of all creation,

You give us the gift of seasons to mark our journey through time.

The season of autumn, with its change of colors and falling leaves,

reminds us that sometimes things must die and fall away for a new life to arise.

Such is the message of the cross ---

That through death to self we find life in all its richness.

Help us to trust in you and in your presence of new life.

                                                           Peter Jarret, C.S.C.

Peace and Greetings:

Seasons give our lives rhythm. November marks autumn’s end approaching and how simply the trees let go of the riches of a season. In addition to nature’s seasons, the Catholic Church also celebrates liturgical seasons. All Saints and All Souls Days usher in November and remind us to reflect upon those great men and women of the Church who have gone before us as well as our family and friends who have touched our lives before entering eternal life themselves. Appropriately, Thanksgiving Day will arrive soon, a time to pause and gives thanks for all God has bestowed on each of us.

At St. Paul, the seasons are changing, as well. The first marking period has come to an end, the fall athletic season is winding down, we celebrated a beautiful Remembrance Mass for our deceased alumni and former faculty last Wednesday, and give thanks every day for all the people God has brought together to make this faith community a truly special place.

This weekend is our fall drama production of C.S. Lewis’, “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.” Performances are Friday, November 10^th and Saturday, November 11^th at 7:00 pm and Sunday, November 12^th at 2:00 pm. It will be another spectacular show by our Performing Arts cast and crew. Tickets can be purchased online or at the door.

Grandparents/Special Person are invited for a memorable program/prayer service and reception in their honor on Friday, November 17^th. They are a source of love and wisdom in our families and in our St. Paul community. We look forward to welcoming them on campus next week. See more information in this newsletter.

Our annual Mass of Thanksgiving will be celebrated at St. Gregory the Great Church on Tuesday, November 21^st at 10:15 am followed by our Thanksgiving Candlelight Luncheon in the Dining Hall. Wednesday, November 22^nd will be a noon dismissal with buses available. No school on Thursday, November 23^rd and Friday, November 24^th in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday.

St. Paul Catholic High School is an officially accredited high school by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). Every ten years, an accredited school must undertake a rigorous self-study process in order to continue its accreditation. The St. Paul School board, administration, faculty and staff have already begun this comprehensive process. We are scheduling a dedicated morning, Thursday, December 7^th for these constituencies to meet again. As such, we will have a two-hour delay (90-minute out-of-town bus schedule) to meet our needs as well as give students a little extra rest.

Once the self-study process is complete, St. Paul will send its completed report to NEASC for review. A visiting committee made up of administrators, teachers and staff from other accredited high schools in New England will then make two on-site visits to St. Paul to verify for themselves the self-study process St. Paul undertook. The first visit will be this April, with a secondary follow-up visit in October 2024.

As part of the self-study process, the school is required to collect quite a bit of data to be included in the report. Part of that data includes survey results from different stakeholder groups in the school community including students, teachers, parents and alumni. Having successful participation from all four stakeholder groups is important to the data collection process and allows for a more detailed and authenticate self-study process. You will receive an email in the next few days asking you to complete the survey. It is an online survey and should take no more than 10-15 minutes to complete. Everyone’s input in the self-study process is valuable and we thank you in advance for your participation.

Finally, there is no school this Friday, November 10^th in observance of Veterans Day. The day is intended to honor and pay tribute to all of America’s heroes who served in the United States Armed Forces. A sincere, “thank you for your service” to all the Veterans in our St. Paul Catholic High School community.

In the Spirit of St. Paul,

Cary M. Dupont ‘72

President/Chief Administrator

The performing arts cast and crew are ready to perform this amazing production starting this week! Join us for the St. Paul Performing Arts product of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe on November 10, 11 & 12!

Students can purchase their tickets for $10 this Wednesday and Thursday at each lunch wave!

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

Our canned food drive last week was a HUGE success. These items will be donated to the United Way of West Central CT and the Little Sisters of the Poor. Thank you again for all the donations! #GoMakeADifference

St. Paul juniors are recognized for taking their place as upperclassmen at St. Paul.

Junior families, you are cordially invited to share in the celebration of this event on Tuesday, November 14 at 7:00pm. Juniors need to be present in the dining hall by 6:30 p.m.

Please email your RSVP to Dr. Gnoza at jgnoza@spchs.com. Please include the number of people who will be attending with your son or daughter.

Tuition Assistance Information

St Paul Catholic High School uses an independent consultant, FACTS Grant & Aid, to evaluate financial need. Anyone who wishes to be considered for tuition assistance must submit an application to FACTS Grant & Aid. The application fee is $40.

Click HERE to access the online application.

Application deadline date for incoming students is 1/22/2024.

Application deadline date for returning students is 2/12/2024.

Tuition Assistance FAQs

Please contact the Finance Office at 860-584-0911, ext 428, if you have further questions about Tuition Assistance. *** Award announcements will be mailed out at the end of February for families with incoming freshmen, and mid-March for all other students.***

Christmas Wreath Pre-Order Form

From November 1 – November 17

It’s not too early to pre-order your Christmas Wreath decorations. Decorate your home for the season with these beautiful, fresh, 22″ wreaths with a red bow from Gozzi Tree and Wreath Farm. Proceeds help to fund St. Paul Scholarships.

Wreath pick up will be at St. Paul on Friday, December 1 from 2:30PM – 5:00PM or Saturday, December 2 from 8:00am-11:00am

Visit spchs.com/wreaths to pre-order.

Forever Falcons Gala Committee

The Advancement Office is looking for current parents, past parents, alum and friends of St. Paul to join our Gala committee.

The Forever Falcons Gala is our largest fundraiser event of the year and is scheduled for Saturday, March 9th at The AquaTurf. The committee meets every month from October to March to help plan this fun event that includes dinner, dancing, raffles & live & silent auctions all to benefit St. Paul's advancement efforts. 

We hope you will consider joining us on Monday evening November 13th at 6:00pm for our next committee meeting in the first floor conference room across from the main office. Please email our special events coordinator - Michele, mconfessore@spchs.com with any questions you may have.

Grandparent's/Special Person's Day

We will welcome all of our beloved Grandparents/Special Persons to celebrate at St. Paul on Friday, November 17. 

We will welcome guests at 3 different times starting at 8:00am through 10:30am according to student's last names. Please have grandparents check their invitation for arrival time or see the image here.

We are also looking for many parent volunteers to help that morning, if you are able to come in for a couple of hours and help with this event, please add your name on the list of volunteers HERE.

In addition to volunteers, we would also like to ask for donations of baked goods, etc. to help provide breakfast for our special guests. Sign up to donate HERE.

Know someone who has an 8th grader or a transfer student looking for a great high school next year? Share the dates of our Open House on November 18th and our Placement Exam on December 2nd. We thank you in advance for sharing.

Have them visit spchs.com/openhouse to register for a tour of our campus! 

They can register to take the Placement Exam by visiting spchs.com/placementexam

There's something greater here!

After Grad Attendance Form - Only half of the Senior Class has handed in attendance forms for the Quassy After Grad Party. CLICK HERE to download the form and ask that anyone who has not returned this do so no later than November 15, 2023. It is important for us to have an accurate count of the students attending the 2024 After-Grad event at Quassy and collect the $25.00 deposits. All Forms and check or cash payments can be returned to the school office with After-Grad noted on the envelope.

December Calendar Raffle - Selling begins November 20 and ends November 30. Raffle prizes will be drawn, one per day in the entire month of December. There are 31 chances to win!

Chick-Fil-A Eat Out Night for After Grad – Thursday, November 30 from 5:00-8:00pm, Queen Street, Southington location.

The next After Grad meeting will be held on November 13 @ 6:00pm in the St. Paul Dining Hall. Please reach out to the committee chairs at spchsclassof2024aftergrad@gmail.com with any questions you might have.

Sophomore Class Fundraiser is in full swing and will end this Friday, November 10. Sophomore class, make sure to check your emails for signing up for the fundraiser if you haven't already.

Girls and Boys Basketball Pasta Dinner - THIS Friday, November 10, from 5-7pm in the St. Paul Dining Hall. Tickets will be sold at the door $12 ea. or email cmone@spchs.com. Raffle tickets will be sold as well!

Performing Arts Mama Luke's Fundraiser - Wednesday 11/15 from 11:30am - 9:00pm come have dinner at Mama Luke's and 10% will be donated back to our Performing Arts program. No flyer needed!

United Way Youth Board - Backpack Supply Collection - This collection will run from Monday, 11/13 - Wednesday, 11/22. Items include socks, snacks (small bags), little packages of tissues, pens & pads, small flashlights, hand sanitizers and small blankets. Items can be placed in the Blue Bin outside the main office.

Junior Class Lyman Pie Fundraiser Pie orders should be picked up on Monday, November 20 in the Alumni Lounge in the Dining Hall.

Procedures have been put into place for Class, Team and Club fundraising through St. Paul. These procedures help to ensure that your event is not duplicated and receives the support it requires in terms of building space, publicity and participation. These procedures can be found HERE. 

Please feel free to call the Advancement Office (860) 584-0911 x421 with any questions you may have.

To view the most current fundraisers going on right now please visit www.spchs.com/fundraising