Dear Families of St. Anthony of Padua Catholic School,

This weekend, we say “good-bye” to September and “hello” to October. We look forward to cooler temperatures, wrapping up the first quarter of the school year and celebrating Halloween at the end of the month. On campus, we also look forward to celebrating Mary in this month dedicated to The Holy Rosary. Each morning, we pray a decade of the rosary as an entire school so that by the close of the month, we have prayed the Glorious, Joyful, and Sorrowful Mysteries together. I love the Rosary. The beauty and simplicity of these repeated prayers is so powerful. There was a time in my life where I struggled with this method of prayer. I felt that the repetition of the same prayers often left my mind wandering as I recited these prayers memorized since childhood. Things changed in my young adult life when my father suffered a massive stroke at the age of 51. When in the hospital not remembering the names of my brother, my mother or myself, he recited the prayers of the Rosary over and over. When he must have been so afraid that his mind was failing him, he found some comfort in reciting these prayers. This was a turning point for me. The prayer is powerful even if it is simply the power of repetition. For almost five years now, my family has prayed the Rosary together every Sunday. We look forward to it each week when we share our worries, our thanksgivings and our petitions. What could be more natural for our children than this prayer in which we ask our Mother for something over and over again? (Much like our children repeatedly ask us the same questions or make the same requests over and over. 😊) Please join our school family in praying the rosary this month. 

Mary, Our Lady of the Rosary, Pray for Us.

Only by His Grace,

Veronica Tucker

Principal

Grab your cowboy boots, bring your partner, and join us for dancing and fun at the St. Anthony of Padua Catholic School Mother-Son Dance! There is no cost to attend and light refreshments will be served. Due to space constraints, this event is for enrolled students and mothers only. Thank you kindly for letting us know if you plan to attend!

OCTOBER FAMILY ROSARY

The month of October is dedicated to the Rosary, and after the Mass, the Rosary is the most powerful prayer at our disposal. Please sign up for a day that your family will pray the Rosary together. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0F45A8AF29A6FC1-44641712-october

WHAT'S BREWING WITH MRS. TUCKER

Informal grade-level meetings with Mrs. Tucker. Meetings start at 8:15 AM in the Paduan Center/AMR (unless otherwise noted). Bring your own coffee!

NURSE NOTES

For 9/25/23-9/29/23:

• 5th Grade: One report of strep throat (from over the weekend)

If your child has a doctor’s appointment for a well check and receives immunizations, please remember to turn in an official (signed/stamped) copy to the school/clinic.  

2023-2024 YEARBOOKS

Order your '23-'24 Yearbooks now! Yearbooks are $45 and will be delivered at the start of next school year.

You may also create your own page! Commemorate your student's school year!

• Full page ad - $150
• 1/2 page ad - $75
• 1/4 page ad - $50

All orders will be placed online using this link:

https://www.balfour.com/texas/the-woodlands/st-anthony-of-padua-catholic-school

2023-2024 BASKETBALL COMMITMENT - 6th, 7th, & 8th Grades

St. Anthony needs to know how many student-athletes are interested in participating in Boys & Girls Basketball - 6th, 7th & 8th grades.

• Practices will start the week of October 23 for players not involved with fall athletics.
• The games will start mid-November and the season will run thru January.
• Due to the anticipated number of teams – teams may be scheduled to practice in the evenings and possibly some Saturday mornings.

St. Anthony would like to have a Varsity, JV & C-Team team for both Boys & Girls Basketball. Parents, it is important for you and your student-athlete to review the commitment details, the SAOPCS Athletic Handbook, and decide if it is something that you can choose to commit to by Friday, Oct. 13, 2023. At that time, we can see where we are numbers-wise and determine how teams St. Anthony will have.

All players MUST have a current Physical Exam on file BEFORE they will be able to participate. An athletics fee of $150.00 will be charged to your FACTS account.

DOLPHIN ATHLETICS UPDATE

9/23/23: SAOPCS Cross Country at the Woodlands Christian CC Meet #3

• The Dolphins had 7 runners medal!
• Men’s 3200 Meters – Caleb Piefer, 4th place; Alan Aertker, 5th place; Jacob Fedoruk, 10th place
• Women’s 3200 Meters – Fernanda Yepiz, 13th place
• Men’s 2400 meters – Giovanni Carrone, 12th place
• Women’s 2400 meters- Ana Lucia Yepiz, 4th place; Johanna Cabriana, 9th place

9/23/23: Football: St. Mark Lutheran School-14, St. Anthony-60.

9/25/23: Volleyball at St. Anthony vs. St. Martha - Varsity B, Lost 0-3; Varsity A, Won 2-1.

9/25/23: Volleyball at Woodlands Christian - C-Team; Lost 0-2.

9/26/23: Volleyball at Christ the Redeemer - C-Team; 4:30 PM.

9/26/23: Soccer at St. Anthony vs. St. Theresa - Varsity-Won 3-0.

9/26/23: Soccer at St. Anthony vs. Regis - JV-Lost 1-3.

9/27/23: Football at St. Theresa, Dolphins-53, Vikings-6.

9/28/23: Soccer at St. Anthony vs. Epiphany. JV-Lost 1-3; Varsity-Won 7-2.

9/28/23: Volleyball at St. Anne Tomball, Varsity B-Won 2-0, Varsity A-Won 2-1.

DOLPHIN SPORTS NEXT WEEK:

9/30/23: C-Team Volleyball are playing in the Salem Lutheran School C-Team Volleyball tournament – 10:30 AM vs St. Mark Lutheran

9/30/23: Cross Country will run in the Covenant Christian Cross Country Meet - TBA

10/3/23: Volleyball at St. Anthony vs Epiphany - C-Team, 4:30 PM; Varsity B, 5:15 PM; Varsity A, 6:00 PM

10/4/23: Volleyball at St. Anthony vs. St Theresa - Varsity B, 4:30 PM, Varsity A, 5:15 PM

10/4/23: Volleyball at John Cooper - C-team, 6:00 PM

10/4/23: Football vs St Ambrose at St Pius HS at 7:00 PM

SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS

We are currently seeking applicants for Substitutes – Classroom (PreK-3 through 8th Grade). If you are interested and would like to be considered for a substitute position, please contact Veronica Tucker, Principal, at vtucker@ap.school.

DNN - 9/29/23

Weekly broadcast of Dolphin News Network!

CONFERENCES DAY DESSERTS & SNACK BAR FOR TEACHERS

Help keep our faculty fueled for their long day of conferences! Paduan Parents will be providing a catered lunch, but we could use parent help providing desserts and stocking the snack bar. Click the button to sign-up!

• Consider donating desserts, snacks or beverages for our Faculty and Staff on Conferences Day.
• Items may be dropped off on Wednesday, Oct. 4th. 
• Carts will be available for drop-off during arrivals and dismissals.

CAR LINE VOLUNTEERS STILL NEEDED!

We are still seeking volunteers to assist on a regular basis with morning and afternoon car line.

• In the mornings, volunteers will help with directing traffic and assisting students safely out of their cars. Volunteers will need to be present from 7:30AM - 8:05AM.
• In the afternoon, volunteers will assist with lining up cars and directing traffic. Volunteers will need to be present from 2:45PM - 3:30PM. 
• All volunteers must be in compliance and complete Safe Environment Training. More info is available at: https://ap.school/safe-environment-training

If you are able to help once or twice a week, we are extremely grateful! Thank you for being a dedicated volunteer to our school.

St. Anthony of Padua Catholic School relies on annual, tax-deductible gifts, in addition to tuition, to balance the budget each year and continue to provide greater opportunities and facilities for our children. The Fund for St. Anthony provides our school with the financial flexibility to make investments that would not be possible through tuition revenue alone. Last year the Fund for St. Anthony allowed us to update our social emotion learning program, purchase new furniture in the Science Lab and Early Childhood classrooms, upgrade doors throughout campus for better security and more! This year, we need your help to continue providing faculty development, offer current technology and resources, and add additional security (a full-time dedicated deputy)! Please consider increasing your gift in 2023-2024 to support this critical need. Thank you for your prayers and support of this effort!

PARTICIPATION UPDATE

Thank you to our early supporters to the Fund for St. Anthony - as of today we are at 8% family participation. Once we reach 90% participation, the whole school will earn an added day off on Friday, March 8th (the day before spring break)!

2023-2024 WISH LIST

If you are interested in making an immediate impact, consider purchasing an item off of our Wish List! As a school we will be working to fund these items through the Fund for St. Anthony but if you would like to give to specific items, you may give online at the link below. A gift through our Wish List also counts as Fund for St. Anthony participation!

• Thank you to the Aertker family for purchasing the 3D Printer for our tech lab!

MATCHING GIFTS

Does your employer (or your spouse's employer) have a matching gift program? If so, you can ask your company to match your support for St. Anthony of Padua Catholic School. You can double or even triple the value of your donation simply by notifying your employer of your gift.  Please contact your employer’s personnel office for eligibility requirements and to obtain a matching gift form. If you have any questions or need assistance, please reach out to Katie Tressel, ktressel@ap.school.

PADUAN POINTS: Families earn 5 Paduan Points when you contribute to the Fund for St. Anthony!

SHOULD I WAIT TO MAKE MY DONATION ON DOLPHIN DONOR DAY? Dolphin Donor Day (November 15, 2023) is a 24-hr fundraising event designed to encourage all alumni, faculty, parents, and friends to support the Fund for St. Anthony. Many families wait to make their gifts on Dolphin Donor Day because of matching opportunities available, but you are free to give when it's convenient for you!

MONDAYS - Chess Club, 3:45-4:45 PM, Library. 

MONDAYS - Strings Club, 3:45-4:30 PM, Band Hall.

MONDAYS - ZUMBA® Kids Jr. Club, 3:45-4:30 PM, Spanish classroom.

TUESDAYS - Student Rosary Group, 7:15 AM in Paduan Center.

TUESDAYS - Parent Rosary Group (English) 8:15 AM, PLB Room 204. 

TUESDAYS - Awakening! Bible Study, 7:15 AM, enter through Fellowship Hall

WEDNESDAYS - Mass Choir, 6:45 AM, Sheltz Hall. 

WEDNESDAYS - Sacred Soles Run Club, 3:30 PM, Sports Fields.

WEDNESDAYS - Art Club, 3:45-5:00 PM, Art Room.

THURSDAYS - Parent Rosary Group (Spanish) 8:15 AM, PLB Room 204.

Please check the calendar and/or communications from club advisors regarding cancellations or changes. 

10/03/2023 - Living Rosary, 8:15 AM, Church

10/04/2023 - Mass (5A), 9:00 AM, Church

10/05/2023 - School Conferences | NO SCHOOL

10/06/2023 - Staff Development | NO SCHOOL

10/09/2023 - SCHOOL HOLIDAY

10/11/2023 - Mass (5B), 9:00 AM, Church

10/11/2023 - What's Brewing with Mrs. Tucker-2nd Grade, 8:15 AM, Paduan Center

10/12/2023 - Paduan Pods

10/12/2023 - Talks with Father Jesse, 8:15 AM, Library - An open dialog with our pastor, Father Jesse.

10/12/2023 - Frassati Catholic High School Q&A, 7 PM, Library. Join us for a info session with students, parents and faculty to learn more about Frassati!

10/13/2023 - $5 Free Dress to benefit 8th Grade Class Gift

Full Calendar available in ParentsWeb!

Frassati Catholic Applications Open for 2024-25

Applications are open for the 2024-25 academic year at Frassati Catholic High School! For current 8th grade students or those interested in transferring, this is the first step to becoming a Frassati Falcon - and families can get started today. Simply log in to the SchoolAdmin admissions portal, click "begin admissions process" and you'll be on your way! Following the completion of the application, applicants will have access to the applicant checklist, providing the ability to upload documents, see their application progress, and even schedule a shadow visit on campus this fall.

Middle School Football Night - October 13

Friday, October 13, is Frassati Catholic High School's Middle School Football Night. All middle school (and elementary) students get in free as Falcons Football takes on All Saints Episcopal. We'll invite athletes, cheerleaders, band and choir members to join us at points throughout the game. Gates open at 6pm, with the National Anthem at 6:50pm, and kickoff at 7pm. Tickets for adult family members on sale HERE on the Athletics page of the Frassati Catholic website. See you there! Located at St. Michael the Archangel Field at Frassati Catholic High School.

Frassati Catholic Open House - Nov. 8

The Frassati Catholic Open House is the perfect event for 6th-8th grade students and families interested in becoming Frassati Falcons. On Wednesday, November 8, from 6-8pm you're invited to the Frassati Catholic Open House for an info session and tours of campus. Learn more about Frassati Catholic, meet current students and faculty, and take the opportunity to see what life is like at a Frassati Falcon. RSVP at https://www.frassaticatholic.org/openhouse.  

PRIEST MEALS

A Meal Train has been created to help feed our priests at the rectory weekly. If you would like to sign-up to provide a meal, please click the link, review the instructions and pick a date to sign-up! https://mealtrain.com/e17zoe



EUCHARISTIC MIRACLES EXHIBIT

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 7, 6 PM - 8 PM & SUNDAY, OCTOBER 8, 8 AM - 8 PM

• English & Spanish Exhibits will be in the Gym

With these few words, Carlo Acutis, the boy who died of leukemia, outlines the distinguishing feature of his brief existence: to live with Jesus, of Jesus, and in Jesus. This international exhibition was created and designed by Blessed Carlo Acutis in 2002. More info at: https://ap.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/1782640

CATHOLIC DAUGHTERS OF AMERICA CHILI FEST

Catholic Daughters of America is holding their annual Chili Fest here at St. Anthony of Padua on Saturday Oct. 14 at 6 PM. If you are interested in putting together a chili team, it only costs $25 to enter. More info at: https://ap.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/1906279

GEN VERDE IN CONCERT

Join us for an evening with music from the International Performing Arts Group “Gen Verde” on Saturday, October 21! Doors open at 6:30 PM, Concert starts at 7 PM in the Gym. More info at: https://ap.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/1906625