Newsletter January 5, 2023

January 5, 2023

Dear Parent(s) and Guardians,

Happy New Year to everyone! I hope you and your families will be blessed with much love, joy, health, and peace during 2023. 

CALENDAR REMINDERS - IMPORTANT DATES:

1-6-23 Spirit Wear Day

1-16-23  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Observance – No School – Please let Miss Leanne know, as soon as possible, if you would like Extended Day OPEN.

1-20-23 Out-of-Uniform Day for Charity 

1-25-23  NO EARLY DISMISSAL – EARLY DISMISSAL DAY WILL BE RESCHEDULED FOR 2-03-23 - TODAY will be a regular dismissal day - 2:30 pm

1-29-23  Catholic Schools Week  9:30 am Mass and SCHOOL OPEN HOUSE 10:30 am - 1:00 pm

1-29-23 – 2-3-23 Catholic Schools Week – see below.

2-03-23 (NEW) EARLY DISMISSAL DAY 1:30 pm and Spirit Wear Day

2-14-23 8th Grade Graduation Pictures

2-17-23 Out-of-Uniform Day for Charity

2-20-23 Presidents Day – No School

2-22-23 Early Dismissal Day 1:30 pm Dismissal

HSA: A big thank you to the Holy Name Society for remodeling our bathrooms. What a great improvement! They look fantastic!!!!

LIBRARY:  We would like to thank the Class of 72 for the remodeling in the Library.  We love all the new additions, especially the new furniture, books, decorations, and the bright colored walls! Your time, effort, and contributions are very much appreciated!!!

HSA: Thank you to the HSA for all you have done for our students, faculty, and staff.  The faculty and staff would especially like to thank you for all the wonderful items you have purchased for our classrooms.  We are also very appreciative to the HSA and parents for their very thoughtful and generous Christmas gifts.

MORNING DROP-OFF: Just a reminder concerning morning drop-off procedures. Our number one priority is to keep our students safe! All parents MUST park in the Church parking lot and students will walk to their arrival door. Please DO NOT drive around the school and drop your child/children off at any door or in front of the school. It is especially dangerous when a student exits the car from the traffic side of the street. Please do not block any crosswalks or the entry to the church parking lot. This is causing back-ups. Traffic must not stop and should continuously flow around the school for the safety of your children. We do not want any of our students hurt. We are truly sorry for any inconvenience this has created, but the good news is, this is only temporary. We need everyone’s help keeping our students safe. Thank you, 

CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK:

CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK SNEAK PEEK!

Sunday, January 29th-Celebrate our Parish.

Pack the Pews!

Come celebrate and kick off Catholic Schools Week and join us starting with Mass @ 9:30am followed by Open House 10:30 am - 1:00 pm! All are welcome! Students-please wear your regular school uniform. All students attending Mass & Open House and are in uniform will receive an out of uniform pass from their teachers.

Monday, January 30th- Celebrating our community.

Holiday Dress Up Day!

What is your favorite holiday? Wear your Christmas sweater or favorite St. Patrick’s Day shirt. Please no costumes! We will be collecting items for a local nursing home. We will send an itemized list after Christmas!

Tuesday, January 31st-Celebrating Vocations

$1.00 out of uniform

We will be making a special purchase for our Carmelite Sisters. We will also be making cards to thank Fr. Robert & Fr. Stan for everything they do for us!

Wednesday, February 1st-Celebrating our students.

PJ’s & Pancakes

St. Gerald would not be St. Gerald if it wasn’t for our wonderful students! Today, we celebrate you! Roll out of bed & grab a lunch ticket…pancakes are on the menu!

The fun continues with afternoon board games & NO HOMEWORK!

Thursday, February 2nd-Celebrating our faculty.

Disney Day!

Dress like your favorite Disney character or wear your favorite Disney shirt! Today, we celebrate our amazing teachers & staff! While teachers are treated to a wonderful lunch…students will be watching a Disney movie! Students…please don’t forget to say THANK YOU to your teachers today!

Friday, February 3rd-Celebrating our School.

Spirit Wear Day!

We will end Catholic Schools Week with an in-school field trip sponsored by our Home School Association. Please look for more information!

All students will be dismissed at 1:30pm

NJHS: The Pilgrim Faith Food Pantry has expressed their gratitude to Our NJHS and to all of our families who participated in filling their local food pantry.  "We greatly appreciate your enormous food drive donation.  It is donations like this that enable us to continue feeding the hungry." Thanks to everyone for your efforts and donations. It really made a difference as this season the pantry shelves were low.  

*Also, NJHS spring service logs will be due on or before April 1st.  Once 10 hours are complete, please place the signed logs in Mrs. Madonia's mailbox.

I-READY:  Parents, we will begin our winter diagnostic testing the week of January 9, 2023. Please help us to increase our I-Ready scores by encouraging your child(ren) to focus, not rush, and try their absolute best! When working on I-Ready Math, students should have a pencil and paper with them. It is also especially important to use earphones.

AFTER SCHOOL CLUBS: Please click on the link for information for the STEAM AND CHESS afterschool enrichment programs starting later in January. Please click on the links.  CHESS CLUB   STEAM CLUB

LUNCH AND RECESS VOLUNTEERS: If you are Virtus trained and are able to volunteer for recess/lunch duty a day, two days, or a week, please contact Mrs. Morrison at [email protected]. Each time you work, you will receive a $20 tuition credit.

CHROMEBOOK AND POWERSCHOOL: Please contact Ms. Kennedy for any Chromebook or PowerSchool concerns/issues. [email protected]  CHROMEBOOKS:  All students are required to keep their Chromebooks in the protective cases the school has provided to prevent damage.

COLD AND INCLEMENT WEATHER:  As we enter the winter months, please make sure that students come to school prepared to go outside for recess in wintry weather. We try to get students outside if the temperature/wind-chill is above freezing. Students need a heavy coat, hat, and gloves to stay warm outside.

If we experience inclement weather and must close, we will send a text and email from our automated system. If you have moved, changed phone numbers, or email addresses, please make sure to let Mrs. Slifka know ([email protected]) so that your information can be updated. Otherwise, you may miss a call about closing for the day. Please continue to reach out to your child(ren)’s teachers for any questions you may have! As always, please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. Thank you for your continued support and prayers. God bless you and your families.

Warm regards,  

Mrs. Theresa Fiscella

Interim Principal