November 2, 2011
Dear Parents,
As some of you may know, an alumna of the school and mother of a current kindergarten student, Falon DelleDonne, was killed in a tragic automobile accident last weekend. Visitation will be held at St. Anthony of Padua Church this evening from 5-8 pm. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at the church on Thursday, November 3 at 12 PM. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Giovanna and Vincenzo DelleDonne Education Fund, c/o Community Powered Federal Credit Union, 3670 Kirkwood Hwy, Wilmington, DE 19808. We are saddened by this loss and extend our sincere condolence to the DelleDonne family.
Congratulations to our October Students of the Month: Aubrey Messina, PreK3; Ava Emrich, PreK4; Ava Martino, Kindergarten; Joshua Nebrao, 1st grade; Nicholas Timko, 2nd grade; Jaidon Godlewski, 3rd grade; Alex Wilson, 4th grade; Nicolas DeLuca, 5th grade; Nathan Thomas, 6th grade; Andrew Mazalewski, 7th grade; and Michael Harris, 8th grade. Students who consistently display one or more of the following characteristics are eligible for this honor: Leadership, Citizenship, Responsibility, Compassion/Kindness/Respect, Most improved student, Student who has accomplished/overcome an obstacle or achieved a goal. These students will receive an out-of-uniform pass for today.
Kudos also goes out to the many students who Make God Smile at St. Anthony of Padua through their kind acts. We have chosen 3 students from the “smile basket”:Delaney Schultz -2nd grade-- for solving a classroom problem, Moira Wiltbank - 3rd grade-- for her kindness, Taylor Oden-Randolph -6th grade--for being an excellent volunteer helper at the 6th grade retreat. These students have also earned an out-of-uniform pass.
All school families are welcome to join fellow school families and parishioners at the next monthly parish social, to be held Sunday, November 6th, immediately after the 11AM Mass in the Ballad Room of the Grade School. Enjoy a variety of tasty treats and spend some time with other members of the parish family.
Please remember to attend the Home & School General Meeting next Wednesday, November 9th, at 7PM in the Ballad Room. Don’t forget to sign in on your child’s class list so that they may earn NUT pass (No Uniform Pass) for November 17th.
Parents of Kindergarten and 5th grade students may Meet Your Student for Lunch next Thursday, November 10th. Please come at your child’s regular lunchtime (11:50AM for Kindergarten; 12:37PM for 5th grade) and enter through the Ballad Room door on 10th Street.
On Friday, November 11th, Msgr. Braschi will concelebrate at the students’ weekly Mass. He is the Rector of the St. Philomena Shrine in Mugnano del Cardinale, Italy. He will speak to the students about St. Philomena. It will be interesting for the children to learn about this saint during the month when we celebrate the saints, November.
Student Council will be sponsoring the annual Mashed Potato Drive for Basket Brigade of Delaware. A flyer will be going home with students today for the drive that will be held next week, November 7th-11th. Student Council will provide lunch to the class with the highest participation. Thank you in advance for your donations of instant mashed potatoes.
Sunday, November 13th, from 12-3PM and Wednesday, November 16th, from 9AM-1PM, St. Anthony of Padua Grade School will host an Open House. Please tell anyone that may be interested to stop by. Thank you so much for promoting all of the good things that we have to offer here.
Mrs. Manning, our school nurse, would like to inform parents that there are more New Castle County Free Flu Clinics in 2011. They are: Friday, November 4th, 2-6PM at the New Castle Farmers’ Market on N. DuPont Highway; Thursday, November 10th, from 8-11:30AM at the DMV on Hessler Blvd; and Thursday, December 1st from 5:30-8PM at “Each One, Teach One” in the Rosehill Community Center on Lambson Lane. For more information please go to
Please save the date for Barnes and Noble Night. St. Anthony's shopping day will be Tuesday November 8, 2011 from 4pm until 8pm at the Barnes and Noble on Rt. 202, next to the Concord Mall. Come and do some early holiday shopping. See your child's teachers. Earn a "No Homework Pass" for your child. Have your gifts wrapped early by St. Anthony's faculty and staff. Please come out and support our school. Last year, we earned over $400.00 and were able to purchase new materials for our library. Thanks for your support last year. We hope we can count on you again this year.
Why not earn double for the school by purchasing a gift card for Barnes & Noble? Remember that a percentage of your gift card purchases goes to support St. Anthony’s and a percentage is deducted from your tuition! Gift cards are sold every Friday in the school lobby or online. For details of the program, go to our website and click on Gift Card Program on the right hand side. Your child will be bringing home a gift card order form with more information today for your convenience.
Get your tickets now for Italian Night on November 12th! They are going fast! Tickets for the annual St. Anthony’s Grade School Italian Night Fundraiser sponsored by St. Anthony’s Home and School and our Youth Activity Council on Saturday, November 12 are now on sale and they are going fast! All proceeds go directly to benefit the children of St. Anthony of Padua Grade School. Doors open at 6:30 at the Ballad Room. Enjoy an evening of dancing to DJ Brian Lee, eating delicious Italian Food and chatting with friends. Tickets are $30 and include dinner, dessert, wine, beer, soda and coffee.
We would like to have a raffle the night of the event. Please, we need donations!!! If you have any new items you wish to donate or if you would like to solicit any items including gift certificates to restaurants, salons, boutiques or anywhere else, it would be greatly appreciated. Please contact Teri DiSimplico with any items. This is a great fundraiser and it’s a lot of fun pulling the tickets the night of the event! You could very well be a winner! If you are interested in purchasing tickets, please send your ticket money into school in an envelope marked “Italian Night Tickets” and the names of the ticketholders. Once we receive payment your name will be placed on a list and the master list will be at the door the night of the event. Don’t miss a fabulous night out before the busy holiday season begins! If you have any questions, need more information or are interested in volunteering for the event contact Teri DiSimplico at 235-2766 or .
Thank you to parents who came out last Thursday evening for the Principal’s Coffee at 6PM. In response to parent concerns expressed, there are some changes to the World Language Program. World Language will receive a specials grade this year. You may find the followingchanges in the Family Handbook on p. 14:
FOREIGN LANGUAGE
Spanish is taught in grades Pre-K through4 once per week, in grades5 and 6 twice per week, and grades 7 and 8 three times per week. Students are also introduced briefly to Italian culture and language in grades 7 and 8 during the World Language class.
I would like to thank parents for their support of St. Anthony of Padua Grade School and the staff here. Please note that parents can reach me at any time through e-mail, by phone, or by setting up an appointment. I will make every effort to be available to the families at St. Anthony.
Parents had questions also concerning the referral process. A referral is a means of communication to parents about student behavior. According to the Discipline Policy in the handbook, students receive consequences only after 5 Level A or 2 Level B referrals. We ask that you support the Discipline policy so that students may meet with success not only with behavior but with academics. If there is a question about a referral, please e-mail or see the teacher privately.
I hope that you all have a wonderful weekend. Our Varsity Girls Soccer team will be in the playoffs this weekend. (Hopefully there will be no surprise snowstorms!) You will be sent a School Reach message when the details of the game are available so that you can go out to support the team. Go Tigers!
Peace,
Mrs. Bahr
The lives of the saints are nothing but the Gospel put into practice. St. Francis de Sales
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