Dear Parents and Guardians,
This past weekend we celebrated the beautiful life of our Beloved Director of Religious Ed, Madonna Castro. We continue to pray for the repose of her soul, and for her family, as we all try to move forward without her physical presence in our lives. We honor Madonna for her leadership, perseverance, and service to our school and church community. We will always be grateful to her, and she will never be forgotten.
As we close out the month of January, we are happy to see our COVID numbers on the decline. We are excited to have the majority of our staff and students return to school in person.
Today, 1/24, and this Friday, 1/28, Pacific Toxicology will be back on campus for COVID-testing. All students and staff are required to turn in their negative test results before coming back to campus this week. All staff and students are still required to test weekly, regardless of vaccination status in the month of January.
We continue to limit in-person activities after school, including sports, Folkorico, piano, choir, theater, and any prospective family school tours. Daycare services are suspended till further notice. When we reopen Daycare, we will limit the amount of kids who can be in daycare. We will give priority to those who have NO alternative daycare options and those who need 4-5 days of childcare each week. Our rates are still $12/day per child, but next year the rate will go up to $15/day, to keep up with the rising costs and the minimum wage increase Daycare Coordinator, Mrs. Pattie Padilla, will reach out first to those families who are “regulars” in after school care, needing 4-5 days a week of care. Likely, we will limit daycare to 12 children per adult, and we will try our best to keep families and grade levels together to avoid commingling. Those parents in the Daycare PLC, please sign up if you can volunteer in daycare. Amy Lucas Palanca is our Parent Leadership Committee Chair for Daycare. This is a great way to earn your 10 service hours per trimester per family.
Catholic Schools’ Week is coming up next week. and our Family Mass is at 11am in the Church on Sunday, January 30. Due to the January surge, we will have a Virtual Open House this year (videos will be posted from each teacher on the blog by 1/30). We still look forward to seeing you all at our Family Mass. Students should wear their Mass Uniforms.
Although Open House will be virtual this year, we still appreciate you referring your friends and family to our school! Teachers will be making short video tours of their classrooms. If someone you know would like to schedule a tour on campus or have an informational Zoom session with me, please contact me at agrey@stanthonygardena.org. We are excited to have Special Person’s Day next Friday, 2/4! We will have our All-School Mass that day and ALL students can invite somebody they consider “special” to them, an adult 18 or older. We will celebrate Mass together honoring that Special Person. You may choose to have lunch off campus after Mass. That day is a Noon Dismissal. Student Government will send out announcements about Dress up days for next week and more information is to come.
For Pacific Toxicology, those who want to be cleared to come to school on Monday, 1/31, should test this Friday 1/28. You must sign up on the Sign up Genius by Wednesday 1/26 for testing on Friday 1/28. Those who do not test on campus should test off campus or take a home test and send results to their child’s teacher. Do not just sign up on the Sign up Genius if you haven’t registered before with Pacific Toxicology. You have to register on the Pac Tox link prior to signing up on the Sign up Genius. Any questions please ask. If you miss the deadline to sign up, your child’s name will not be on the list and you will have to find other alternatives to get tested.
Our 2nd STAR testing window will be extended through 2/8. We will have one more STAR testing window at the end of the year to measure student progress. Progress reports went home last Friday, 1/21. Please sign your child’s progress report and return it to your teacher ASAP. We are halfway through the 2nd trimester!
C3 Ignite will be donating new school-owned iPads to us in the next 2 weeks. All families who borrowed a school iPad are asked to return them today, 1/24 to the school. If you have any info on the ipad that should be backed up, please do so ASAP as the ipads will be “wiped” when donated back. For every old school Ipad we return, C3 Ignite will give us a new Generation 9 iPad and case. These new iPads will stay on campus. Students are welcome to use them only while on campus if needed so we can monitor use. As part of our supply list, K-8 parents have been asked to have an iPad for their child. If you still need to have your child borrow an iPad while on campus, please let your teacher know, and you will have to sign some forms (AUP and liability forms) to have your child use the new devices on campus. You will also need to have a device for your child to use while at home. A laptop, an older version of ipad or a tablet, or phone should suffice to complete most school activities at home, as everything requires a browser except for the Raz-Kids app (grades 1 and 2 only).
Mrs. Grey, Principal
SCHOOL CALENDAR 2021-2022
(Be sure to always check www.stanthonygardena.org and your child’s teacher’s blog, along with our SAP School app for the most current information.)
- January 24 – February 8: STAR Window 2
- January 24: Culture Project The Social Media Talk for Junior High (Virtual) 10am
- January 26: Sign up for Pacific Toxicology Testing for 1/28 on Sign up Genius link https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D4FA4AE22A5F5CE9-covid19
- Sunday, January 30: Catholic Schools’ Week begins Family Mass at 11am, Open House (virtual)
- February 4: Special Persons’ Day Mass
- First week of February (dates TBD by Mrs. Garcia): Musical Auditions for Frozen, Jr. 3:15-5pm (students will likely have to wear face shields/masks and follow all social distancing protocols)
- February 9: 2nd Mandatory General Parent Meeting on Zoom 6:30pm ($50 fine for non-attendance)
- February 12: Kindergarten Round-Up (8-4pm Interviews and ESGI testing with Ms. Strohm and Mrs. Grey)
- February 12: 2nd Grade retreat rescheduled in the Hall (tentative)
- February 14: Valentine’s Day observed, wear pink and red shirts
- February 15: Teaching Touching Safety (TTS) lessons completed
- February 21: No School Presidents’ Day Holiday
- February, 22-25: Re-Registration Week for returning students (all online) $150 per student, after this week $175 re-registration fee
- February 26: Yearbook Pre-Sale Ends
- March 2: Ash Wednesday (Beginning of Lent)
- March 10: Talent Show for K-8
SCHOOL DONATIONS AND SERVICE HOURS
For families looking to pay off their service hour commitment, our school gives the option to buy Scrip/gift cards and donate them to SAP. We buy a lot of materials and supplies from Office Depot, Walmart/Sam’s Club, and Target for much needed supplies, so if you buy Scrip valued at $10/hour and donate it to the school to offset costs, we will credit your service hour account. (Next year our service hours will be worth $15/hr. to keep up with the minimum wage.) Parents who volunteer on Saturdays (every 2-3 weeks) can earn service hours cleaning our school with the Interior Maintenance PLC. Please join the group. Thanks in advance!
YEARBOOK PRE SALE $30 THROUGH 2/25
Yearbook pre-sales are here NOW through February 25 for $30! Beginning 2/26 the price will be $40. Reserve your hardcover Yearbook now by sending a check made payable to St. Anthony of Padua School with an order form
OPEN HOUSE/ON-CAMPUS PRIVATE TOURS AVAILABLE
Due to the surge in COVID cases, we will not have our in-person Open House this year. Teachers will be making short video tours of their classrooms. I will be conducting private tours and scheduling Zoom meetings with prospective families. If someone you know would like to schedule a tour on campus or have an informational Zoom session with me, please contact me at agrey@stanthonygardena.org. Don’t forget our referral incentives!
IMPORTANT EARLY REGISTRATION and RE-REGISTRATION INFO for RETURNING FAMILIES
Mark your calendars for Feb 22-25: Re-Registration for current students will take place that week. All registration forms can be filled out and uploaded online! Stay tuned for more information from Mr. Aguilar. New Kindergarten Registration is now happening for preschool students and siblings of current students. Congratulations to all our new students who have been accepted to our school for the 2022-2023 school year!
St. Anthony of Padua – Pray for us
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