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Dear Families of St. Anthony of Padua Catholic School,
Happy Summer! I pray you have had wonderful time this summer taking some much-deserved time off to relax and recharge as we gear up to welcome the 2024-2025 academic year in a little less than a month.
This year we are embracing a new theme: “One”. This theme has many layers. As we enter the third and final year of our church’s Eucharistic Revival, we remember and celebrate our unity in the sacrament of the Eucharist. We also are reminded that we are “one” church as St. Paul reminds us in his letter to the Romans: “So we, being many, are one Body in Christ”. Finally, we are united as “one” school family always working to support and encourage each other.
I have some exciting faculty and staff changes to share for our upcoming year!
New Members of the St. Anthony of Padua Catholic School Staff:
- Ms. Maria Barreto – Pre-K4 Classroom Assistant
- Mrs. Hailey Beale – Learning Support Teacher
- Mrs. Marissa Kaercher – Learning Support Teacher
- Mrs. Clarissa Montgomery – Middle School ELA Teacher
- Mrs. Leigh Moorman - Administrative and Advancement Assistant
- Mrs. Brooke Reyes – Learning Support Teacher
- Mr. Joey Scale – Elementary Technology and Middle School Electives Teacher
- Mrs. Esdely Velazco – Pre-K3 Classroom Assistant
Additional Staffing Changes:
- Ms. Terri Burnette will move from Learning Support Teacher in the PACE Department to 5th grade ELA and Social Studies.
- Mrs. Emily de Aragao will move from Learning Support Teacher in the PACE Department to the 4th Grade ELA and Social Studies classroom.
- Mrs. Becky Fagan will move from the 5th grade classroom to 4th Grade Math, Science and Religion.
- Mrs. Mikayla Gambertoglio will move from 4th grade Math to Middle School Math.
Academic Updates:
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New Science Textbook Adoption–St. Anthony of Padua Catholic School has adopted a new Science textbook for 1st – 8th grades: McGraw Hill. We are excited to have this robust curriculum as an added resource for our teachers and students as they master the TEKS and grow in the academic area of science.
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New Middle School Electives–We are thrilled to add some new middle school electives this year. 6th grade Visual Art, 6th grade Spanish, 6th grade Theater, The Art of Worship: Contemporary Catholic Songwriting, Coding, and Design Fusion: Exploring Digital Design & Print Media. We love giving our middle school students the chance to explore new areas of interest in these electives. To learn more about our middle school electives, please visit our website.
Campus Improvements:
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Perimeter Fence–Thanks to the generosity of our families through Raise the Paddle at the 2024 Glitz, Glam and Gatsby Gala, our perimeter fence was installed at the back of campus this summer. This fence tightens campus on security. There will be some updates to arrival and dismissal procedures with this campus upgrade. More information to come.
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Improved Greenspace–This summer, many loads of dirt were spread throughout our greenspace within the fence area. This will flatten the field to make it more usable for recess, social time and school athletics. Additionally, turf was placed in the Gaga pits to make them more usable even after rain.
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Cubbies in the Gym Hallway–Hallway cubbies outside the gym will help to clear the hallways and give students the opportunity to keep their items organized and the hallway clear and safe as students and teachers travel the hallway when the gymnasium is full.
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New Roof –The entire campus is getting new roofs this year! The school building, gym, and Fellowship Hall will be first for this upgrade. We are grateful for the parish’s commitment to keeping our building in good shape and prepared for the unpredictable weather of The Woodlands. This will have a minimal impact on carline during the first semester. Be looking for more information as we get closer to our first day of school.
This is also our first year with our new uniform provider, Flynn O’Hara Uniforms. For more information on our uniforms, please visit: https://ap.school/uniforms. This includes information regarding our uniform transition plan.
I am also thrilled to share that St. Anthony of Padua is partnering with many other schools around the Archdiocese by adopting the SMART Families program: https://www.smart-families.org/. This initiative has as its mission to “help communities create a happier, healthier and more intentional lifestyle for families that engage with technology in a manner that is respectful of our innate human dignity.” We will have events throughout this year and the next two years so be on the lookout for more information.
Please mark your calendars for Meet the Teacher on Thursday, August 8th from 4:00 – 6:00 PM. At Meet the Teacher you can learn your student's classroom assignments, pick-up yearbooks, purchase & take home Spirit Shirts, purchase Middle School P.E. uniforms, and more! Our first day of school (half-day) on August 12th!
Only by His Grace,
Veronica D. Tucker
Principal
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