Dear Students, Parents/Guardians,
Happy Labor Day and Happy birthday to Mrs. Sarah Ray! We hope you are enjoying the 3-day weekend with your families. School will resume tomorrow, 9/3. Our chocolate sale begins on 9/4, and we will be passing out chocolate boxes starting Tuesday, 9/3 from 7:30am-6pm, and again on 9/4 from 7:30am-4pm in the Hall near 163rd St. Please stop by to pick up your chocolates this week. After you have sold your first 4 mandatory boxes, any boxes you sell over 4, your child will qualify for a raffle ticket in our two Trojan Drawings! The students are excited to have two Trojan Drawings held on 9/12 and 9/26 at 1pm. If you opted out and paid the fee upfront, all you need to do is sell 1 (or more) boxes to qualify for Trojan Drawings, and to allow your child to see the BMX Show. To qualify for Trojan Drawing #1 monies are due by Monday, 9/9.
Tomorrow, 9/3 is the first full day of school for our Kindergarten students. Dismissal is at 3pm every day and at 1:30pm on Wednesdays. Please park in the big parking lot behind the cones and walk over to the Kindergarten classroom to pick up your child using the designated crosswalks. More info will come from your child’s teacher.
Wednesday, 9/4, is BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT at 6:30pm in the Hall for all parents/guardians. CHILDCARE IS NOT AVAILABLE during the meeting, so please plan to keep your children at home, or they must stay with you at all times. Vicki Marsha Uniform will be on campus that night in Rm 5 from 4:30-6pm. We will have two sessions of information in the classrooms to accommodate those with multiple children: 7pm–7:25 pm and 7:30pm-7:55pm. The meeting ends promptly at 8pm. Junior high will be meeting twice as a collective unit in the Hall. 6th-8th grade parents may visit classrooms in junior high, but they will not do individual presentations in their class. Please be sure to not conference with the teachers too much afterwards so they can go home and get rest for the next day of teaching. The school will close at 8pm sharp. Parents with multiple children, please coordinate with your teachers to get presentation packets so you get all information. Non-participation will result in a $50 fine so please send at least one parent to attend this meeting.
Fall Picture Day is on 9/19. Full Mass uniform with white shirts/blouses, ties, vests, cardigans are required for the yearbook photos. Please do not send your child in a PE sweater, Student Government sweater, or any other hoodies or jackets for these photos. We are hoping for a uniform look for the yearbook and student ID photos. Vicki Marsha will be on campus to assist. Thank you in advance to all our parent volunteers!
Dress code expectations have been met these past few weeks. Keep up the great work! Thank you to all who have read the handbook for uniform guidelines. Our uniform policy: St. Anthony of Padua Elementary School Uniform Policy is clearly stated in the handbook at this link. Teachers will check uniforms each day. Thanks for your cooperation!
Finally, please keep my father in your prayers. He is living in the Philippines and was extremely sick in June, literally on his deathbed. Miraculously, he was healed, and he was taken to the hospital in time to be treated for an infection. He is 82 years old, and has just undergone his first surgery, and he is barely walking now. My siblings and I (I’m #8 of 10 kids) are taking turns visiting him while he recovers. We pray that he is granted more time with us. Please pray for me as I visit him from 9/7-9/17. In my absence, Mr. Aguilar will be in charge, then Ms. Gomez and Ms. Genesis Garcia.
Thank you and God bless,
Angela Grey, Principal
SCHOOL CALENDAR 2024-2025
(Be sure to always check www.stanthonygardena.org , your child’s teacher’s blog, and the Parish website at www.saintanthonygardena.org/parish-bulletin/ for the most current information.)
- August 5-September 17 – STAR Window 1 Please be sure your child gets a good night’s sleep and eats a healthy breakfast each day.
- Sept 3-6 – Full Uniform moving forward for all grades K-8. FIRST FULL WEEK OF SCHOOL for Kindergarten
- Sept 3-October 11– Fall Chocolate Fundraiser
- Sept 2 – Labor Day Holiday, NO SCHOOL! Happy bday, Mrs. Ray!
- Sept 3 – Chocolates delivered to school at 6am. Pick up your candies early and start selling them today!
- Sept 4 – Back to School Night, K-8, 6:30 pm-8pm in the Hall. Come early to sign in for credit and pick up your chocolates in the Hall. This is the first of three mandatory parent meetings throughout the year. Non-participation will result in a $50 fine every time, per the tuition contract you each signed. Raffle drawing for $100 gas card at 6:30pm if you picked up candies early
- Sept 4 – Vicki Marsha Uniform on Campus in Rm 5 from 4-6:30pm
- Sept 5 – Deadline to Register for Keep Gardena Beautiful Day on 9/21
- Sept 7-17 – Mrs. Grey travels to Philippines to visit her sick father (prayers, please) Mr. Aguilar in charge
- Sept 7 and Sept 28 – Interior Maintenance at school 12:30-3:30pm (PLC leads: Claudia Guzman and Veronica Ramos)
- Sept 9 – Fall Chocolate monies due if you want to qualify for Trojan Drawing #1 on 9/12
- Sept 12 – Trojan Drawing #1 outside by St. Jude statue at 1pm
- Sept 15 – Catechetical Sunday, all families welcome! 11am Mass, First Mandatory Bake Sale
- Sept 19 – FALL School Picture Day 8:30-10:30! ☺ (Wear your complete Formal Mass Uniforms with white blouses and Oxford shirts, cardigans, vests, and ties for Yearbook photos)
- Sept 21 –Keep Gardena Beautiful Day Service project 8am-12 noon, all families welcome to help, register online! 8am-Noon http://KeepGardenaBeautifulDay2024.eventbrite.com
- Sept 26 – Trojan Drawing #2 outside by St. Jude statue at 1pm
- Sept 30 – Let teachers know if your child is Catholic or non-Catholic and if you wish for them to receive sacraments this year (due today)
LUNCH DUTY VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
About 4-5 adults are needed daily for Lunch duty from 11:50am-1:05pm. Requirements: Current Virtus Certificate and proof of ADLA fingerprinting for clearance to volunteer. Please email Sarah Ray at sray1@stanthonygardena.org if you are interested in volunteering.
ALVARADO CATERING ($8.00 per lunch)
Alvarado Catering is our food vendor on campus. Before each month, all forms must be turned in completed with student’s name, grade, and # of lunch choice circled on the top and bottom by the due date. Make checks payable to Alvarado Catering. You can also pay through Zelle App (Elizabeth Alvarado, 323-477-9562). Price per meal is $8.00. Each meal is served with a drink, fruit, fresh vegetables, and salad. Any questions: call Elizabeth or email her at elizabethalvarado660@gmail.com.
ALLERGIES/EMERGENCY CARDS/COURT ORDERS
If your child has any allergies or serious medical concerns, please be sure to notify our office as well as your child’s classroom teacher as soon as possible. Emergency cards and contact info must be current and updated in the office as needed. IF THERE ARE ANY CHANGES, WE NEED THE EMERGENCY CARDS UPDATED IN THE OFFICE…This is extremely important in order to make sure we have accurate and updated records for your child. If your child has a medical condition or has allergies, we need to know this up front and have an action plan, in case of an emergency. Any medication must be self-administered by the child or by you, and permission for us to administer medicine must be in writing. Any new or updated court orders or custody papers must be given to the office and updated as things change.
FORMAL FRIDAYS/SACRAMENTS
As a reminder – each Friday (unless otherwise noted) we have a Student Body Mass where the students dress in FORMAL MASS UNIFORM attire. Some students will be attending daily Mass but the formal Mass uniform is only required on Fridays. Students in Kinder do not need to wear Mass uniforms unless they are attending the all school weekly Mass. Kinder doesn’t start until October. All those who are not baptized and wish to receive the sacraments this year, please notify your child’s teacher by 9/30. Thank you!
PLC SERVICE HOURS (30 hours per family/year: 10 per trimester)
As a reminder, every family is asked to sign up for up to 4 Parent Leadership Committees so you have multiple chances to fulfill your 30 family service hours, valued at $17/hour or you will be charged. If you have questions, please email the office.
VOLUNTEERS
All visitors on campus must check in and out of the office at all times and wear a VISITOR badge. All Volunteers must be Fingerprinted through the ADLA and cleared, and have a current Virtus Training Certificate. AM and PM carline and lunch yard duty volunteers (from 12-1 daily) are needed. Please email me at agrey@stanthonygardena.org if you are interested. For safety reasons, please call before you come to the office and buzz yourself in. Do not prop the door open for anyone, especially strangers. All parents are welcome to join the SAFETY PLC to increase security on our campus.
GIRLS’ VOLLEYBALL NEWS
Coach Anthony will post a list this week of those who made the team. When practices start, please pick up your child at the pedestrian gate near Berendo after practice ends at 5:30pm. The 163rd St. gate is only for daycare families being buzzed in. We ask that you DO NOT hold the door open for anyone. All guests must be buzzed in (if picking up a child at Daycare in Rm 7). Thank you for your cooperation.
St. Anthony of Padua – Pray for us
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