SJRS Monthly Newsletter October 2016

Saint Jerome Regional School

"Living Fearlessly Through Faith..."

A Message From The Principal

Dear Parents/Guardians,

The 2016- 2017 school year is off to a great start! Thank you for your continued prayers, support and dedication to SJRS.  Some of the highlights during the month of September are listed below:

  • We had a great turn out at both of our Back to School Night Events. Special thanks to our Home and School Officers and parent volunteers for helping on both nights.  The Scholastic Book Fair was a big hit with the students!  Thank you for supporting our school.
  • SJRS students were joined by our families, parishioners and friends as we prayed at our opening mass.  It was a beautiful celebration.  Special thanks to Msgr. Baker, Mrs. Miller and Mrs. Confer for preparing the prayerful time for us.  We also thank Kathy Crampsie,Tom Cara and our student musicians who played at the mass, as well as the members of the choir.  After the mass, class photos were taken in the church, which was something new this year!
  • Special Subject classes have started!  The students are enjoying Music, Art, Physical Education and Computer Class. 
  • Both the LuLaRoe and Skipper Dipper Fundraisers, held by the Home and School Association, were a success!  Thank you for supporting our school!
  • We said Thank You to our Tamaqua Police Officers. 3rd and 4th Grade made cards for the officers.  
  • The Chancellor for Education in the Allentown Diocese, Mr. John Bakey, visited our school and greeted many of our students and staff.
  • We began conducting emergency drills in both buildings.
  • Student Council week (Sept 26th-30th) is off to a great start for grades 5,6,7 and 8
    Monday 9/26: candidates' posters were displayed
    Tuesday 9/27: candidates gave speeches
    Wednesday 9/28: election day
    Thursday 9/29:  School Spirit Dress Down Day (Wear your school colors, spirit wear, gym clothes, CYO uniforms)
    Friday 9/30:  Student Council installation: Mass at 9:30 AM St. John XXIII Church
    The Feast of Saint Jerome
    There is an early dismissal at 1 PM

 
New This Year- 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.  Listed below are the students that have been chosen as Christian of the Month for September in each homeroom.

Kindergarten Blue
Abby Whittaker was chosen as Christian of the month.  Abby is a very responsible, conscientious student who displays caring and respect for her Teachers and friends in school. She consistently follows directions and classroom rules. Abby was a Cheerleader for the Divas Cheerleading Squad. She is an All-Star Cheerleader and participates in gymnastics. At home, Abby is a very caring sister, always looking out for her big sister.

Kindergarten Gold
Viktoriya Chepelska was chosen for the Christian of the month because she is very kind to others. Viktoriya is very much involved in her church. She enjoys helping her family with community service projects. She also enjoys the children activities in her church. She is a very conscientious student who pays very close attention to details. She loves to color and sing. Viktoriya also loves to be outdoors. She enjoys traveling, hiking, boating, and biking.

1st Grade
Cara Rehnert , has earned the Christian of the Month Award.  Cara displays respect for teachers and fellow classmates.  She models being a good citizen in the classroom by always listening, following directions and working quietly.  Cara’s outside activities include scouts, swimming and Irish Dancing. Cara has received the Daisy Badge and My Promise, My Faith Religion Award in Girl Scouts.  Sports include Tamaqua Blue Raiders and Anthracite Little League.  Cara participates in Irish Dancing with the McGough Academy of Irish Dance.

2nd Grade
The second grade Christian of the Month is Roslyn Burke .  Roslyn is kind to her classmates, respectful to her teachers, and puts a lot of effort into her classwork.  Roslyn is a member of the Daisy Scout Petals and attends Dance Explosion where she is enrolled in the gymnastic class.  Roslyn has been student of the month each year since she was in preschool.  In 2015, she received a third place art award for sewing art.  Roslyn is the best big sister to her siblings!

3rd Grade
The third grade Christian of the Month is awarded to Caroline Breslin for her displays of good character, responsibility and respectfulness towards others. Caroline plays volleyball for 209 Fusion volleyball team, on which she plays all positions. She also takes dance and gymnastic lessons at Tumble with Denise Studios. She has served her community and church by volunteering at the St. Joseph Parish Festival.  One of her biggest accomplishments is being a fantastic big sister to her sister Kathryn!

4th Grade
Lacey Gallagher is Christian of the Month for September. She is in fourth grade. In school, Lacey is a hard worker and tries her best. She likes to participate in many extracurricular activities. Lacey plays volleyball for CYO and also has been playing the violin for a year. She likes to roller-skate and ride her bike and also won a bowling award in 2016 from the Greek Catholic Union. She is respectful to both adults and peers not only in her class, but also in the school. Lacey is a very kind student and will help with anything that is asked of her. She shows concern for others and is a very caring person.

5th Grade
Fifth grade Christian of the Month for September is Aleck Jewells. Aleck is a great asset to our fifth grade class, he is a respectful and helpful student. Aleck received the Effort Award from grades K to 4 while attending OLOAA. He puts forth great effort in his school work. AJ plays 2nd base on the Anthracite Little League, 3 time All Star, and 2016 Section 6 Finalist. He also participates in Panther Valley Youth Basketball as a shooting guard and the All Star Team. Congratulations Aleck!

6th Grade
Trinity Hoover has been chosen for the Christian of the Month for sixth grade. She has adapted to the routine and her new classmates very well and is an asset to the class. Trinity genuinely cares about others and shows empathy and compassion towards her classmates and her friends.  Trinity also helped with CCD activities at her church. She works hard and is an excellent student.

7th Grade
Chloe Hiles has been selected as 7th Grade Christian of the Month. She is always courteous to everyone she meets. Chloe exhibits cheerfulness everyday and is very helpful even when not asked. At St. Joseph Parish in Summit Hill, Chloe is part of the Greeting Ministry. As an athlete, she has played CYO basketball and has been a member of the track team. She had entries in the CYO Arts and Crafts Contest and won 1st Place in last year’s District 5 Spelling Bee. Chloe will be a participant in this year’s Spelling Bee to be held October 2. Outside of school, she has played Panther Valley Youth Soccer since 2011. Great job, Chloe!        

8th Grade
Rebecca Dzuranin has been selected as the 8th grade Christian of the Month.  Rebecca always shows respect for her teachers and peers and is thoughtful in her interactions with others.  She holds many varied interests.  Rebecca is an altar server at All Saints Church, plays the flute, and is a member of the CYO volleyball team and a member of the Tumble Stars, a dance and gymnastics studio.  Volunteering and helping others is important to Rebecca.  She sends care packages to our military troops and she currently took on being Larry the Lobster, helping a relative’s son adjust to kindergarten.  She has sent him a letter and care package and will continue to be his guardian for the school year.  Great job, Rebecca!    
  
Arrival in the Morning

The building will open for students at 8:15AM. For safety reasons, no student may be dropped off before 8:15AM.   Thank you.







 
Safety at Dismissal

Parents are reminded to meet the car riders and walkers in the school parking lot, unless you are parked on Broad St. on the same side as the school. The front of the school needs to be clear at dismissal for the designated spots for bus riders. In the past, we have had some students running out of their lines to meet their parents. Some parents and students have crossed in the middle of Broad Street. Both of these create unsafe situations. Please go to the corner so the crossing guard can safely cross the children. Thank you for your cooperation.
 
Please Help Saint Jerome Regional School Keep Tuition Cost Affordable!

Throughout the year you will be receiving information about the various fundraisers through the school and the Home and School Association.  The reason we have fundraisers is to keep tuition costs down.  The actual cost of education of each child in our school is over $5000.00.  As you know, tuition is much less than this.  The fundraisers help us make Catholic Education available to more children. 

We do not have mandatory fundraising at Saint Jerome Regional School because it is our hope that every family will do everything possible to support our efforts, not because they must, but because they want to participate and because they care about the future of this school.  Thanks for joining the effort for the sake of our children!   
 
Home and School Events/Fundraisers
 
September 14-Fall Spirit Wear Sale Began
September 16- SJRS Day at Skipper Dippers/Station Creamery
September 22- Home and School Meeting 6:30PM
September 28- Basket Bonanza Tickets Sent Home
September 30- Fall Spirit Wear Sale Ends
October 9- Heritage Festival Downtown Tamaqua 10AM-5PM (Basket Bonanza tickets will be sold)
October 12- Usborne Card Sale begins
October 22- Basket Bonanza Preview 5PM-7PM
October 23- Basket Bonanza Doors open at Noon
October 26- Fall Gertrude Hawk Sale begins
October 27- Home and School Meeting 6:30 PM
October 28- Usborne Card Sale Ends
October 31- Halloween Event at School (details to follow)
November 9- Winter Spirit Wear Sale Begins
November 18-Designer Bag Bingo (6:30PM) Vendor Shopping Event at 4:30PM
November 21- Winter Spirit Wear Orders Due
November 22- Lottery Calendar Ticket Sale begins/tickets go home with students
December 5- Santa Shop and Santa Pictures
 

A message from the SJRS Home and School Association

Parents please submit your email address to the Home and School email (SJRS.hsa@gmail.com) so that we can include you on the invitation list for Signup Genius. Signup Genius will be used to obtain food/supply donation for upcoming fundraising events.

We will be sending the list for the upcoming Basket Bonanza in early October. Thank you! 

September 30 is the last day to order Fall Spirit Wear. Orders cannot be accepted for Fall Spirit Wear after this date.

 
Save, Save, Save
           
This year we will continue to save the following items:
  • Box tops for education – General Mills products
  • Redner receipts – ( must say Save – A – Tape )
  • Turkey Hill milk caps 
  • Capri Sun Drink pouches
  • Coke Rewards
Saving these items helps us to obtain educational materials or cash- back for our school. Just send any of the items to school with your child.      

Boyer's Key Cards

We receive money for using Boyer’s key card when shopping at Boyer’s. Boyer’s donates 1% of purchases made using the key card. We received a check for $517 from Boyer’s Caring and Sharing rebate program last year. If you need a key card, please contact the school office.  


Gift Certificates and Scrip Certificates

These are great ways to help with tuition costs. If you have any questions please call the office. Many people are saving hundreds of dollars in tuition by purchasing certificates. Certificates are sold from the school office daily during school hours and scrip orders are taken on Tuesdays. Redner's gift cards will again be available starting the week of October 3rd.  Denominations are $25 and $100 with a 3% tuition credit.  
 
Tuition Chance
             
This year we will again 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  September is Jacob Buzinski .  The amount of tuition credit is $169 . Thank you to all who took chances. Slips are enclosed for next month’s drawing which will be on October 21st.
 
Supplies Needed     
       
Every year we receive paper donated by various companies or organizations. If you know of anyone who would like to donate computer paper, copier paper, poster board or any other paper products, please call the office. Any donation is truly appreciated. Other items that we could also use are:  Clorox wipes, 60 gallon trash bags, 13 gallon trash bags, dawn dishwashing liquid, hand soap that does not contain any nuts (ie almond extract…), aluminum foil, saran wrap, paper towels, tissues and band aids. If you can donate any of these products or know of a company who would donate these products, it would be greatly appreciated.  
 
Option C 

Please be sure to read the information that is being sent home about OptionC.  It is very important that you login and update your own contact information.  Teachers will report attendance and record grades on this online system. Report Cards will also be generated by Option C. We will also use this to send you important emails, texts and phone calls for emergency weather situations and school announcements. Please be patient with us as we transition to this new student information system. 
 
School Pictures
           
Professional School Photography will take individual student pictures on Friday, October 21 and students will be permitted to wear dress down clothes on this day.  More information on individual pictures will be sent home later.
    
School Spirit Dress Down Days
 
Students are permitted to wear school colors (navy blue, cardinal or gold) on days that are designated as School Spirit Dress Down Days.  Other items that are permitted are:  CYO uniforms, school shirts or gym clothing.

Dress Down Days
 
Students are permitted to wear clothing of their choice that are considered appropriate.  They do not have to be school colors.  Dress Down Day Passes are not permitted to be used on Dress Uniform Days.

Pep Rally – Blue & Gold Dress Down Day

Marian High School students will visit SJRS on Wednesday, October 26th for a pep rally. Students are asked to wear their gym pants, a blue or gold shirt or sweatshirt and sneakers. 

 
Diocese of Allentown Mandated Reporter LIVE Training

As a follow-up to the Mandated Reporter Training Policy, for those individuals at your 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:

October 3, 2016 – St Michael the Archangel- Minersville, PA 5:30PM-8:30 PM Register by September 29
 
October 12, 2016 – La Salle Academy, Fr. Lyons Hall Shillington, PA 1:00-4:00pm Register by October 7th

October 24th, 2016- St. Elizabeth- Pen Argyl, 5:30PM-8:30PM Register by October 20th.

January 9, 2017- Saint Jerome Regional School, Tamaqua PA 5:30-8:30 PM - Register by January 3rd

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 rdavis@allentowndiocese.org 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.
Protecting God's Children

A session of Protecting God's Children on November 29 from 6:00-9:00 0 pm at St. Jerome Regional School in Tamaqua.  Anyone interested should register by calling St. Jerome Regional School at 570-668-2757 and ask for Deb Smarr, School Secretary.

Living Rosary

During October we honor our Blessed Mother under the title of Queen of the Holy Rosary. As a school community we will pray the Living Rosary on Thursday, October 28th at 2:30PM in Saint John XXIII Church. Please join us for this prayerful celebration to our Blessed Mother. No dress down cards can be used on this day.

Red Ribbon Week

The week of October 23rd is Red Ribbon Week. Students will receive ribbons, badges, and information cards to help spread the news of the danger of drugs. The theme is YOLO- Be Drug Free!  

Student Council

Congratulations to our 2016-2017 Student Council members. Thank you to all of the student candidates who took the initiative to be involved in school leadership.                 

President –  Corey Rehnert            

Vice-President –  Rebecca Dzuranin

Treasurer –  Blake Bianco                

Secretary – Charizma Hiles

Homeroom Representatives

Gr. 8 – Dylan Blashock

Gr. 7 –  Anthony Soberick                                       

Gr. 6 –  Hunter Gallagher

Gr. 5 –  Julia Meiss

The TASD nurse will conduct health screenings for weight, height, vision and hearing in Oct. and Nov. You will be notified by the nurse if there is a vision or hearing concern with your child.

Addendum to the SJRS Student-Parent Handbook 9-28-16

The handbook states that it may be amended by the principal as deemed necessary.  Policies and practices are subject to change at any time.  Written notification of amendments will be sent to families as soon as possible.

School Problems

It is most important for parents/guardians to withhold judgment on what appears to be a grievance until all facts have been gathered.  The following procedures must be followed:  

1. Contact the teacher first.

2. Discuss the problem with the teacher involved as soon as possible.

3. If necessary, contact the principal.             

Education is a partnership between school and parents.  If this relationship is irreparably damaged, the school reserves the right to ask the parent to withdraw the student.  The principal is the final recourse in all disputes.

 
REMINDERS: 

There is a 1:00 dismissal on Friday, September 30th.    

Please check the October calendar for all important dates.    

Parent-Teacher conferences will be held on October 17th and 18th. A letter was sent home regarding conferences.  Please complete and return that form to your child's teacher as soon as possible.  Progress Reports will be sent home on October 14th and parents will have an opportunity to discuss their child/ children’s progress with the teachers after reviewing the progress reports.                          

The faculty, staff and administration ask for your continued prayers, support, cooperation and dedication to Catholic education.  If you have any questions or concerns, you can call the school office at 570-668-2757. We will be happy to help you!  Thank you for being part of the SJRS Family! Thank you for all the sacrifices you make to send your child to this school!  In order to save time and money, we will continue to use email to communicate with you.  If you have an email address, please check it and look for our messages. If you are not receiving our e-newsletters, please send a note to the office to be added to the email list.  

God bless you and your families,

Mrs. Amy M. Hannis-Miskar, Principal
 

Let Us Pray

Almighty God,

We give you our school.

We give you all the teachers and staff who work here.

We give you all the children who study here.

We pray our school would be a place of great discovery, adventure and creativity.

May it be a place where we love to learn and where we learn to love.

A place where everyone is respected and all are deeply valued.

We ask this through Jesus Christ Our Lord.

                               Amen                                   


Email your prayer requests to altssj@ptd.net or send a note to the office.
We will list the names that you would like us to pray for in our monthly newsletters.