The Messenger - April 7, 2017

THE MESSENGER April 7, 2017 staopcs.org

“Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up, as indeed you do.�

- 1 Thessalonians 5:11

MESSAGE FROM ADMINISTRATION Dear STAOPCS Families, It is just 21 days and counting until our Auction Gala, “There’s No Place Like Home!” We’re looking forward to our biggest FUNdraiser of the year. The Gala Committee this year has been made up of staff members lead by our Advancement Coordinators. They have an incredible evening planned for us. If you have not made your reservations for the event, it's not too late. There are Sign-Up Parties still available for students and parents as well. The Silent Auction opens for online bidding on April 21st so you will have chance to see the wonderful items available this year. Let's make this year's Gala the best yet!

Our Discipleship message for the week focuses on Holy Week which we look forward to next week.

Each day during Lent we begin our journey with prayer and scripture readings for the day. Through prayer and reflection, we learned about Lent’s purpose – leading us all to the Triduum. That purpose will become more focused this weekend as we celebrate Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion and enter into Holy Week. Lent will end with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday evening.

That’s when the Triduum begins. The Triduum is considered the three holiest days of the year. The Triduum consists of Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday. A highlight of our Lenten journey is our annual student retreat, which we will have on Holy Thursday before beginning our Easter break. As Disciples of Christ, let us all take advantage of the last days of Lent to bring us even closer to Jesus.

We are continuously working to improve upon our Catholic identity, academic excellence and the programs within our school and as part of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. As we plan for next year and beyond, we are asking for your input and ideas. We are launching our annual Family Survey today. It will be open through Friday, April 21st. Please take time in the next two weeks to respond providing input that can assist us in strengthening and improving our programs, relationships and the educational environment at SAOPCS. You can print a copy from the Messenger to complete and turn in through the school office. If you prefer, you can complete the survey online through Survey Monkey. We thank you in advance for taking time to complete the Family Survey and for your input.

Our IOWA© testing is complete for this year! Thank you for working with us to make sure our students were prepared and here on time during testing weeks. We look for results to be back in May. We have two Mission Matters meetings next week for parents. The first is Tuesday afternoon and the topic is Middle School Electives. The next is on Wednesday morning and the topic is Charism & Works of Mercy. We invite you to join us! We hope that Lent has been an opportunity for your family to grow closer to Christ and prepare for the celebration of His resurrection at Easter.

Reneé B. Nunez

Susan Leddy

Kendall Shamas

Principal

Assistant Principal

Assistant Principal

FOLLOW US @STAOPCS ON:

FAMILY SURVEY—APRIL 2017 Dear School Families, As a Catholic school community, we continuously work to improve upon Catholic identity, academic excellence and the programs within our school and as part of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. As we plan for next year and beyond, we are asking for your input and ideas. Please take time to respond providing input that can assist us in strengthening and improving our programs, relationships and the educational environment at SAOPCS. You can print a copy to complete. Then turn it in to the school office. If you prefer, you can complete the survey online at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SSVMM9G The survey is brief. Do not feel obligated to be lengthy in responses. Bullet points work well and are easy to read. Whatever information you provide will be appreciated and taken into consideration. We are looking for common ideas, themes and comments that can enhance the implementation of our strategic plan and school improvement goals along with improving the services for our school community. Keep in mind that is not an assessment or evaluation, but rather an opportunity to share your thoughts and ideas.

Only one completed survey per family is requested.

Sincerely in Christ,

ReneĂŠ B. Nunez

Susan Leddy

Kendall Shamas

Principal

Assistant Principal

Assistant Principal

Name: _______________________________ Number of years you have been at SAOP including this year: _______ (Optional) Check the grade level(s) of child(ren) currently enrolled: _____ PreK

_____ K-2

_____ 3-5

_____ 6-8

OVERALL SCHOOL OPERATIONS Rate your overall satisfaction with SAOPCS from 1-10 with 10 being the highest: _____ What do you like best about SAOPCS?

What suggestion(s) would you offer to improve SAOPCS for the future?

What is SAOPCS known for in the parish and local community?

Would you recommend SAOPCS to other families?

YES

NO

Why or why not?

We value your input, contributions and support. Thank you for participating in this survey.

Please complete and return by Friday, April 21, 2017.

April/May 2017 Calendar Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

10

11

12

13

14

Parent–led Rosary, 8:15 a.m.

Mission Matters: Middle School Electives Information Session, 1:30 PM

Mission Matters: “Charism & Works of Mercy”, 8:15 a.m.

Holy Thursday

Good Friday

Early Release (10:15, 2:15, 2:30)

NO SCHOOL

17

18

19

Easter Monday

Resurrection Celebrations

Parent–led Rosary (en Spirit Day at Español), 2:30 p.m.

Chick-fil-A Alden Bridge—ALL DAY Vocations Day

NO SCHOOL

GALA: Silent Auction Preview Opens

Parent–led Rosary (en Beyond the Bell closes Español), 2:30 p.m. at 2:15 p.m.

20

21 Earth Day GALA: Silent Auction bidding opens GALA: Pizza with the Principals

Career Awareness Week!

24

25

Parent–led Rosary, 8:15 a.m.

26

27

Parent–led Rosary (en Español), 2:30 p.m.

28 Early Release (10:15, 2:15, 2:30) Beyond the Bell closes at 4:30 p.m.

“There’s No Place Like Home” Gala!

1 Parent–led Rosary, 8:15 a.m.

2

3

4

5

May Crowning

Banking Day

$5 Free Dress Day

Parent–led Rosary (en Español), 2:30 p.m.

GALA: 2nd Grade Tour de Gala Bike Adventure

Parent/Staff Appreciation Luncheon Sat., May 6th: GALA: Ladies Gumbo Party GALA: 2nd Grade Make Your Own Pizza Party

Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week

ALL-SCHOOL NEWS UPCOMING SPIRIT DAYS

MISSION MATTERS: Parent Education Meeting

April 20th | All Day Chick-fil-A Alden Bridge No flyer necessary but mention that you are supporting STAOPCS!

"Charism & Works of Mercy"

May 9th | 4 p.m.—close Black Walnut Café No flyer necessary—15% of ALL sales will support STAOPCS that evening!

April 12th 8:15 a.m. | AMR VOCATIONS DAY—VOLUNTEERS NEEDED NURSE’S NOTES

No illnesses to report this week.

We are in need of a few parent volunteers for Vocations Day on Wednesday, April 19th to greet our guest speakers and help with set-up. Please use the sign-up genius to get involved!

3RD QUARTER WRITING LEADERS—MIDDLE SCHOOL 6th Grade Catherine Laher, Collin Dufrene, McKayla Toomey, Rebecca Amparan 7th Grade Hannah Bernardo, Veronica Flynn, Flora Domitrovic, Nicole Kowalchuk 8th Grade Juanita Boada, Matias Ramirez de Alva, Chloe Porras, Isabel Harwood

TONIGHT!

MIDDLE SCHOOL NEWS MISSION MATTERS: Middle School Elective Information Session for incoming or existing Middle School parents April 11th 1:30 p.m. Library

SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES Don Hoyt Memorial Middle School Scholarship 2017 Value: 1st Place - $3,000, 2nd Place - $2,000 Provided By: MGM Foundation, Inc. Don Hoyt used his God-given talents to make the world around him a better place. This scholarship is open to current 5th, 6th, or 7th grade students re-entering St. Anthony of Padua Catholic School in the fall of 2017.

Essays must be completed and turned in to the school office by April 12, 2017. More information on how to be considered for this scholarship is available in Resources in ParentsWeb.

Deacon Mike Mims Memorial Family Scholarship 2017 Value: 1st Place - $3,000, 2nd Place - $2,000 Provided By: Deacon Mike Mims Memorial Golf Tournament & St. Anthony of Padua Catholic School Deacon Mike Mims was constantly growing in his faith. His missionary spirit was seen in every aspect of his life. If only one word could describe him it would be, “go”! How does your family reflect this spirit of “go”? This scholarship is open to current families reentering K-8th at SAOPCS in the fall of 2017.

Essays must be completed and turned in to the school office by April 12, 2017. More information on how to be considered for this scholarship is available in Resources in Parentsweb.

16TH ANNUAL GALA

TEACHER EXPERIENCES: Thanks to your generosity Teacher Experiences raised over $18,000 for this year’s Gala! Thank you to all of the bidders and the teachers for offering these unique experiences to benefit our students!

TICKET & TABLE PURCHASES: Purchase your tickets or tables to gala today! We can’t wait for you to join us for the biggest celebration of the year—all in support of your child’s school! (501auctions.com/staopcs) SIGN-UP PARTIES: Sign-up Parties are winding down—but there are still some great events available!

Friday, April 21 | 2nd Grade Tour de Gala Bike Adventure—Only 1 spot left!

Saturday, May 6 | 2nd Grade Make Your Own Pizza Party Saturday, May 6 | Ladies Gumbo Party Monday, May 8 | Bites & Flights at Deacon Baldy’s Friday, May 12 | 2nd Grade Picnic with Father Tom Friday, May 13 | 5th Grade Make Your Own Pizza Party  Please visit the Gala website to reserve your spots!

AROUND OUR SCHOOL

Third Grade Kite Flying!

We are loving the weather this week!!

Final K-2 Garden Club of the Year!

AROUND OUR PARISH

Click image for the Holy Week Schedule

VBS SUMMER 2017 June 19-23, 2017 9:00am - 12:00pm | Cost: $45 Ages entering Kindergarten - 4th grade Kingdom Builders for 5th & 6th grade Priority registration and preschool VBS available for children of adult volunteers who are committed to helping all 5 days. Teens 7th grade & up can volunteer.

Priority Online Registration: April 6-18 Regular Online Registration: April 19-May 31 (or until full) More Details at: https://staoptw.org/vbs