SJRS Monthly Newsletter February 2017

Saint Jerome Regional School

"Living Fearlessly Through Faith..."

A Message From The Principal

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Just like us, schools all over the United States are preparing for a celebration for Catholic Schools Week.  During CSW week, the students, staff, parents, grandparents, family members, board members and the people of the parishes will show in different ways that they are proud of their Catholic schools. It is good to celebrate who we are and what we do.   The theme of Catholic Schools Week this year is Catholic Schools: Communities of Faith, Knowledge, and Service. There is love, kindness, joy, truth and justice in every school, but we are also a faith community, a Catholic school.  We are a school where faith is part of everything we do.  It is part of how we learn, how we play, how we treat each other, and who we are.  We give thanks that our school is a place where our many different kinds of learning are all influenced by our faith in a God who loves us very much.

Blessings,
Mrs. Amy M. Hannis-Miskar, Principal 
  REMINDERS:  
  • Please check the February calendar for all important dates.  

              *****Re-Registration for 2017-2018 School Year*****

               Our open Enrollment period will be going on until the end of Catholic Schools Week.   We are                    discounting the nonrefundable registration fee to $75 per student until Feb. 4 . After that date, the            registration fee will return to $100 per student. 
     
                *Please Note: In order to be officially registered for the 2017-2018 school year, the registration                  fee must be handed in along with the re-registration form. If you have any questions please
                contact our Advancement Director, Ms. Smarr. 


    Some of the highlights during the month of January are listed below:
    • This month we sold snowflakes for a donation of 50 cents.  The money collected was sent to the St. Vincent DePaul Society to aid needy families. The snowflakes are displayed throughout the school.  Thank you for your generosity!

    • Our student ambassadors had their first meeting this month and are excited to be a part of Catholic Schools Week as they represent SJRS. 

    • Marian High School Rock Music Ministry performed for our students and staff at Mass on January 13th.  They did a fantastic job!

    • Progress Reports were sent home Friday, January 27th to all students in grades K-8.  Please be sure to sign and return them to school. This is only the mid-point in the second trimester.  There is still a lot of time left in the trimester to work on improving the grades.  If there are any parents who would like to have a conference with the teacher, please send in a note or email the teacher letting them know. 


           
          Christian of the Month 

          The Christian of the Month Award recognizes students who display good character on a consistent basis and serve as student role models throughout the month. Students are nominated by their teachers based on the six pillars of character: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship. Students chosen to receive this award will be acknowledged for their accomplishment in the monthly newsletter.  Students will also receive a Christian of The Month Certificate, an A is for Applebee's Certificate, and a Dress Down Pass.  Listed below are the students that have been chosen as Christian of the Month for January in each homeroom.
          CONGRATULATIONS!

          The Christian of The Month in Kindergarten Gold is Mikaela Mauna.  Mikaela is a very caring, hardworking, helpful student. Mikaela is always there to lend a hand for her fellow classmates. She is a very motivated student who strives to do her best. Mikaela is very loving, spontaneous, and cheerful. Mikaela likes to sing and swim. She is also taking dance/ gymnastic classes at Faberge Follies studio.

          Nina Thorpe has been selected as Christian of the Month for Kindergarten Blue. Nina is a very conscientious student, always doing her best. She is cooperative, very helpful and eager to learn and participate in all class activities. At home, Nina is a big help to her family and a great sister to her brothers. Nina has overcome many health issues. She has the special distinction of being a part of the “Zipper Club” having had open heart surgery at 3 months. Outside of school, Nina has participated in Panther Valley Youth Soccer and the TNT Dance Studio for the past 2 years. In her first year in Karate she received her Power Stripe. Nina is also a member of the Choir at St. Joseph Catholic Church. Congratulations Nina!

          Lewis Wetterau, Grade 1, has earned the Christian of the Month Award.  Lewis is a hard worker in school.  Lewis takes his schoolwork very seriously.  He stays with activities until he has them completed.  He always does his very best.  Lewis is very thoughtful and always willing to help someone in need.  Lewis loves the outdoors.  He loves fishing, bike riding, going for quad rides, camping, boating, swimming and going to the beach.  During the winter Lewis loves snow tubing, building snow forts and having snowball battles with his brother.  He is a good sport on family game nights and loves to collect Pokemon cards, rocks and crystals.  Lewis leads his family in Grace before Meals and helps clean up after dinner.   He feels that spending time with family is very important and believes with God all things are possible.

          James Gelatko has been chosen as The Christian of the Month in second grade.  James is respectful toward his teachers and the students in his class.  James puts a lot of effort into his work and is always willing to help other students in the classroom.  He exhibits a positive attitude and has a pleasant personality. James has played soccer with TAYSA since age 4. He presently is participating in Tamaqua Area Jr Basketball. He enjoys art, swimming in his pool and learning to cook. He got a keyboard for Christmas and is excited to learn to play. He loves animals especially his 2 chocolate labs and his aunt's farm animals. He willingly gives to others and brings joy to many especially his family. 

          James Gomez, Grade 3, has been awarded Christian of the Month for his caring nature and willingness to help others. James is kind and compassionate towards everyone he meets. He is in the process of becoming an altar server at his church.  He enjoys running, playing video games, dribbling a basketball and playing with his friends!

          January's Christian of the Month in fourth grade is Jayden Ladlee. Jayden is a very hard worker. She always tries her best. Jayden is very kind to both classmates and the other students at SJRS. She will always help anyone whenever she is needed. Jayden also is very respectful of the teachers and other adults at school. When Jayden is not in school, she enjoys playing the piano. She has been taking lessons for one year.  

          Brady Bobrowski was chosen for January's Christian of The Month in fifth grade. Brady is a member and altar server at St. John XXIII. In his spare time he enjoys volunteering at a parish near his home, traveling, swimming and hiking. Brady is a fan of Harry Potter, Star Wars and music. He is always kind, helpful and respectful. Brady is a distinguished honor student, in both 3rd and 4th grade he received the "Highest Average Award." This year he received distinguished honors for the first trimester and was one of the fifth grade representatives for the Geography Bee. Congratulations Brady!

          The Christian of the Month for 6th grade is Hunter Gallagher.  Hunter is an honor roll student who is kind and respectful to his friends and peers. He buys and donates toys and clothes to the needy during the holidays. He is an altar server for the Church of All Saints.  Hunter has been a part of the Hazy Barracuda Swim Team for 4 years, where he received the team spirit award at the banquet last year. He is a member of the Tri County Little League for 5 years. Hunter plays the drums and during his free time he likes BMX biking, 4 wheel quading, roller skating, and doing magic tricks.

          Paris Sevinsky has been selected as the 7th grade Christian of The Month.  Paris shows respect for her teachers and peers and faithfully performs classroom tasks.  She displays a positive attitude.  Paris is a member of the St. John XXIII CYO volleyball team.  Her interests outside of school include crafting and sewing.  Great job, Paris!

          Sara Collevechio has been chosen as the 8th grade Christian of The Month.  Sara shows respect for all authority and is always willing to lend a helping hand to her classmates.  A self-motivated learner, Sara works very hard and consistently achieves honors.  She recently received an honorable mention for her "Stand up for Life " essay.  Sara's school activities include: mission representative, academic bowl, and math counts.  An avid reader, Sara enjoys mystery and mythology stories; currently her favorite read is the Percy Jackson book series.  Her other passions include writing original stories on the computer and drawing.  Sara drew the Grinch for the 8th grade door decorating contest and it was awesome!  In high school Sara plans to be involved in the yearbook and newspaper.  Great job, Sara!

          Congratulations!

          Stand Up For Life Essay Contest Winners

          Two of our 8th grade students, Christina Walko and Sarah Collevechio were chosen as finalists from the Schuylkill Deanery, Junior Division in this year's Diocesan Stand Up For Life Essay contest.

          Attending this brunch at St. Joseph the Worker Parish Center in Orefield were over one hundred guests, which included both girls, their family members, 8th grade teacher, Mrs. Confer and Principal, Mrs. Miskar. At this brunch, Sarah was awarded with an honorable mention award and Christina was awarded with 2nd place! GREAT JOB girls! Congratulations!


          National Geographic Bee Competition

          On Friday, January 13th, SJRS held the "National Geographic Geography Bee" final competition. The students listed below were the participants, as they were the winners of the class bees held in December. 

          Connor Rehnert Gr.4

          Carlie Ankiewicz Gr. 4

          Brady Bobrowski Gr.5

          Julia Meiss Gr. 5

          Trinity Hoover Gr. 6

          Joshua Shelton Gr.6

          Daniel Stein Gr. 7

          Stephen Puza Gr. 8

          Christina Walko Gr. 8. 

          Christina Walko won the final competition and was declared the school champion. Christina was also last year's champion. She will take the state qualifying test later this month. Great job by all students and good luck to Christina! We are so proud of our students!
          HW Hotline Info

          Penn State Schuylkill has launched the Penn State Homework Hotline, a free tutoring service to students in participating local school districts. Saint Jerome Regional School has elected to participate in the program.  The community program is based on the very successful Homework Hotline program at the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (RHIT) in Terra Haute, Indiana.  Students in grades 6 to 12 with questions about math homework or concepts can call and speak to a college student who is trained to tutor math and has acquired all of the required clearances to work with children. The hotline is open Sunday through Thursday evenings throughout the school year from 6 to 9 p.m. Tutors are available to assist with general math, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, pre-calculus, calculus and statistics. The tutors will guide the students through the process of solving the problem, so that the students will learn how to complete similar problems on their own. The Homework Hotline phone number is 570-385-6500. 
                                                                     
          Tuition            

          ***Please read the new registration packet located on our website and also sent home in the communication envelope today****

          Monthly tuition payments are essential to pay the operating costs of SJRS. The school has monthly bills that must be paid and overdue tuition payments create a hardship on the school budget. Please keep up- to-date with tuition payments using the FACTS tuition management system. Thank you for understanding the importance of your tuition commitment and up-to-date payments.

          SJRS Tuition Rates A nnounced
          (Tuition was increased by $7.50 per month/student for the 17/18 school year)


          Description                                           Tuition 2017-2018
          Regular Tuition 1st Child                                $3085
          Regular Tuition 2nd Child                               $1990
          Regular Tuition 3rd Child                                $1640
          Regular Tuition 4th Child                                  Free                                   

           
          Tuition Chance
                       
          We will continue to sell tuition chances to help you win money toward your tuition bill.  The chances are $1 each and paper slips are in the family envelope. If you want to purchase the chance, fill out the slip and enclose money in an envelope marked tuition chance. This is not a fundraiser. All money collected will be awarded to the winning student’s tuition account. If your tuition is fully paid, credit will be applied to next year’s bill. 

          The winner for January is Daniel Stein in grade 7.   The amount of tuition credit is $114.00 . Thank you to all who took chances. Slips are enclosed for next month’s drawing which will be on February 24th.

           


          Annual Appeal


                     We are half way to our goal!   

                    For more information please visit our website: 




           
          Diocese of Allentown Mandated Reporter LIVE Training

          As a follow-up to the Mandated Reporter Training Policy, for those individuals at our location who do not have access to a computer to complete the course, the Diocese of Allentown will be hosting training sessions that the individuals may attend. The Diocese’s in-person training sessions are the Pennsylvania Family Support Alliance Trainings approved by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

          The Live 3-Hour long training session will be held at the location and time stated below:

          January 30, 2017- St. Jane Frances de Chantal Parish Easton – 5:30 – 8:30pm Training will be held in the Msgr. Gobitas Room Register by January 26th.

          There is a fee of $5.00 for each person attending the live training listed above and the fee will cover the materials. To register, please contact Ruth Davis at 610.332.0442 (x16), once you leave a message, please consider yourself registered, or [email protected] by the deadline listed above. Please mail your $5.00 check or money order payable to the Diocese of Allentown to:   Office of Safe Environment 2145 Madison Ave. Bethlehem, PA 18017   Please check the Diocese’s website at www.allentowndiocese.org  for the up-to-date list of trainings.

          There are also (2) new Protecting God's Children Workshops that are not posted on the website:

          St Catherine of Siena, Reading-March 19th at 10:30am

          St Michael the Archangel, Colesville-April 20th at 9:00am
          Catholic Schools Week 

          Catholic Schools Week is almost here! Here's a look at how our school will be celebrating!  

          If you have any questions, please call the main office 570-668-2757.  Thank you!

          Catholic Schools Week Prayer

          Almighty Father, You sent forth your Son, Jesus, as a beacon of hope for all people.

          As Teacher, he has given us the prime example of the importance of education.

          As disciples, we look to him for inspiration and strength.

          Thank you for the many men and women who have dedicated their lives in service to our Catholic schools.

          Thank you for the teachers and administrators who lead our schools today.

          Thank you for the parents who have given support and witness to the importance of Catholic education in their daily lives.

          Thank you for the students who work hard to further their education.

          Bless our school and all the schools in the Diocese of Allentown.

          Bless the many people who advance the mission of Catholic Education.

          May our schools be homes for those who seek to grow in faith, knowledge, and service of others.

          May our faith communities always support one another and show a warm welcome to new members.

          Loving God, fill our minds with knowledge and wisdom.

          May our understanding of the world help us to grow in appreciation for it.

          Fill our hearts with gladness.

          May we always turn to you in times of need.

          Fill our hands with the tools we need to serve others.

          May we show them your unceasing love through our actions.

          We ask this in the name of your Son, Jesus, Who is Lord forever and ever.

          AMEN.      


          Let Us Pray For

          Your continued prayers, support, cooperation and dedication to Catholic education.

          Your continued kind words toward each other.

          Our Home & School Association officers and members, our lunch aides, library aides, those who work at our fundraisers, the cooks and bakers and those who support our school in any way. Your dedication and sacrifices, commitment and sharing of your time, talent and resources is a source of inspiration to us. We thank God for the gift of each one of you and we ask Him to continue to bless you and your efforts as you help to make SJRS – simply the best. This is a special place because you are special people. 

          Someone who is sick and in the hospital. 

          Someone who is recovering from surgery.

          Email your prayer requests to [email protected] or send a note to the office.
          We will list the names that you would like us to pray for in our monthly newsletters.