Dear Families of St. Anthony of Padua Catholic School,

Happy Second Week of School! I pray that your students (and you! 😊) are getting into the routine of being back in school. If your house is like mine, it takes a little time to get those bedtime and morning routines set, packing lunches and organizing homework. But we can do this! 😊

As I am mentioning at the State of the School Updates at the Parent Information Nights, we are excited to bring Smart Families to our school. Smart Families’ mission aligns with our mission to support our children’s God-given dignity and foster an environment where they can thrive. This program encourages families to take a stand against the pressures of modern technology and focus on building strong, authentic relationships. By doing so, we can help our students stay connected to their faith and community, reinforcing the values we hold dear. Part of this program also involves access to phones. We know the negative impacts which smartphones and social media have on the wellbeing of our students and family life. We can work together to establish new norms in our community that align with our Catholic beliefs.  

Smart Families will be hosting a number of educational events for families and the children in our community during the school year. This is a priority for our school and we hope all families are able to participate. To learn more about Smart Families, please visit www.smart-families.org and please plan to attend our first family event with presenter Dr. Crystal Collier on September 12th at 8:30 AM or 6:30 PM.

Only by His Grace,

Veronica Tucker

Principal

MIDDLE SCHOOL PARENT INFO NIGHT

Thursday, August | 6:00 - 8:00 PM

Join us for Middle School Parent Info night to experience a day in the life of your Middle School student - parents will follow their student's Wednesday schedule. Electives Teachers will also be available. Parent Information Night is designed for parents only.

• 6:00-6:15 PM | "State of the School" with Mrs. Tucker | GYM
• 6:15-6:30 PM | Middle School Parent Meeting | GYM
• 6:35-6:45 PM | 1st Period
• 6:48-6:58 PM | 2nd Period
• 7:01-7:11 PM | 3rd Period
• 7:14-7:24 PM | Electives or Auxiliaries
• 7:27-7:37 PM | 4th Period
• 7:40-7:50 PM | 5th Period
• 7:53-8:03 PM | 6th Period
• 8:05 PM | Closing Announcements

KNOW OUR PACE & AUXILIARY TEAM

Our P.A.C.E. and Auxiliary teachers have put together an overview of their programs!

WHAT'S BREWING WITH MRS. TUCKER

Informal grade-level meetings with Mrs. Tucker. Meetings start at 8:30 AM in the Paduan Center/AMR (unless otherwise noted). Bring your own coffee!

FRIDAY, AUG. 30 - RAISE YOUR COLLEGE FLAG DAY!

In honor of raising the LSU flag (auction item from our 2024 Gala), students may wear any LSU shirts or LSU colors with jeans or uniform bottoms to celebrate!

Thank you to the Brennan, Brignac, Burns, Carson, Castillo, Cooper, Cooper, Daigle, Dozar, Fulton, Kuna, Laborde, Landry, Martin, Sabatini, Velardo, and Walters families for supporting our gala auction!

ARRIVAL REMINDERS

• For drop-offs at the front of the school, you must use the CAR LINE. Stay in your vehicle, and ensure students exit on the RIGHT side for safety.
• If you prefer to walk your child to the school door, you must park in the rear near the playground and use the rear entrance, accessed via the St. Theresa Center driveway.
• Please do not drop off your students at the front of the school before 7:40 am. If you need an earlier drop-off, you can register for Beyond the Bell, which opens at 6:30 am in the Fellowship Hall. Safety is our top priority, so please don't leave your students unsupervised.
• Please review the Arrival & Dismissal Instructions & Diagrams so you are prepared for a safe drop-off or pick-up. Share instructions with babysitters, grandparents and relatives who assist with arrival or dismissal.

With the cooler forecast for next week, we plan to start our regular dismissal procedures. Please continue to check your email/texts for any changes!

DISMISSAL REMINDERS

Car line (students loaded into cars)

• Please have your car line number visible at all times. This helps our staff quickly navigate your students to their cars.
• If you do not have the current year’s tag or do not have a tag at all, staff will direct you to the front office for ID verification. Homemade signs or photographs of key tags are not permitted. Additional carpool signs are available from the front desk: attendance@ap.school.
• If you need to buckle children into car seats, please pull forward into the Parish Life Building parking lot. Do not exit your vehicle when in car line.

Personal pick-up (students picked up from the gym)

• Gates for Personal Pick-up will not open until 3:15 PM.
• Please have your car line sign or purple key tag to show the door attendant.
• If you do not have the current year’s tag or do not have a tag at all, staff will direct you to the front office for ID verification. Homemade signs or photographs of key tags are not permitted. Additional carpool signs are available from the front desk (attendance@ap.school).
• Please review the Arrival & Dismissal Instructions & Diagrams so you are prepared for a safe drop-off or pick-up. Share instructions with babysitters, grandparents and relatives who assist with arrival or dismissal.

ROOF PROJECT - ARRIVAL & DISMISSAL IMPACTS

Arrival – Personal Park & Walk Up (Back of School):

• Traffic can still enter from Bay Branch via the St. Teresa Center but must exit the back parking lot behind the school, coming out by the chapel onto Kuykendahl.
• Exiting onto Bay Branch will only be accessible through the St. Teresa Center on MONDAYS, WEDNESDAYS and FRIDAYS due to Food Pantry pick-ups. 
• Exit to Bay Branch through staff parking lot will be closed.

Dismissal - Personal Pick-up:

• Traffic can still enter and exit via the St. Teresa Center onto Bay Branch. 
• Cars will also be able to exit the back parking lot behind the school, coming out by the chapel onto Kuykendahl.
• Exit to Bay Branch through staff parking lot will be closed.

FACTS FAMILY APP

• Make sure you download the FACTS Family App! Available for both iOS and Android, the app is a great way to have quick access to important information that you would normally find in the FACTS Family Portal—grades, billing, school calendars, and more. Search for St. Anthony of Padua TX in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store or use the button below. Be sure to allow notifications! More features will be added throughout the school year!
• When you click on an item in the app that will access FACTS information (grades, directory, financial, etc.), you will be prompted to log in with your FACTS Family Portal credentials. You will also need to use our district code: SATY-TX. The app will keep you logged in for 30 days, after which you will need to log in again for security purposes. 
• If Family Portal users have not updated their Family Portal passwords in a while, you should do so on a browser prior to logging in to the app’s Family Portal features the first time.

SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS

St. Anthony of Padua Catholic School is currently seeking applicants for Substitutes – Classroom (PreK-3 through 8th Grade). If you would like to be considered, please contact Veronica Tucker, Principal, at vtucker@ap.school.

We are very excited to partner with Smart Families this school year! Check out their August & September Newsletters! Also make note of our upcoming Parent Education session in September!

SAVE THE DATE

Parent Education session with Dr. Crystal Collier

Thursday, September 12 | 8:10 AM or 6:30 PM

FROM MRS. CAYANAN - Here is our Friendzy newsletter and theme for the month! We hope that this newsletter will encourage fruitful and thought provoking conversations in your homes as we all work towards being united as ONE.

 SEPTEMBER NEWSLETTER

NURSE NOTES

For 8/19/24-8/23/24

3rd Grade: Reported case of Strep and 2 reported cases of Covid

The back-to-school germs are in full effect along with environmental allergies. We have several runny nose/congestion/earaches/sore throat already.   

Please make sure you report any absences to Attendance (attendance@ap.school). If your child has a reportable illness please let attendance or Nurse Pavlock know (i.e. COVID, Strep throat, Flu, Staph infection). REMINDER: A child must be fever free for 24 hours without fever reducing medication before they return to school.  

ART CLUB

Wednesdays | 4:00-5:00 PM | Art Room

Open to 4th & 5th Grade

Starting Sept. 4. 4th & 5th Grade students are invited to join Art Club! Fee is $50 and will include a t-shirt. Due to overwhelming interest this club is limited to 12 students per semester and students may only sign-up for 1 semester. Possible projects include: batik, tie-dye, acrylic pour painting, marbled paper, book making and basketry. ART CLUB REGISTRATION

CHESS CLUB - FACILITATED BY USA CHESS

Mondays | 3:45-4:30 PM | Library

Open to 2nd-8th Grade

Starting Monday, Sept. 9. Deadline to register is Aug. 30. All 1st graders and up are invited to join Chess Club with USA Chess. Cost is $140 per semester. All skill levels. Learn tactics and strategies. Rank up and earn prizes! CHESS CLUB REGISTRATION Questions? Contact info@usachess.com

MASS CHOIR

Wednesdays | 6:45 AM | Meet in Fellowship Hall

Open to 3rd-8th Grade

Meet every Wednesday in the Fellowship Hall at 6:45-6:50 AM, rehearse in the church before school, and sing during Mass. The commitment continues through the academic year. If your child would like to participate, please fill out the online form. Questions? Contact Mrs. Lienhard at jlienhard@ap.school.

Important Dates

December 14th: Lessons and Carols at Frassati Catholic High School, 2 PM

SACRED SOLES RUN CLUB

Wednesdays | 4-4:30 PM | Sports Fields

Open to all students. 

Starting September 18 (dependent on weather).

• FUN. A simple and effective program that gets kids moving.
• GOALS. Opportunities for kids to learn effective goal setting.
• EXCITEMENT. Fueling kids so they’ll be active in other areas of life.
• CERTIFICATES. For completing a ½ marathon and a full marathon.

Cost is $25. RUN CLUB REGISTRATION FORM. If you'd like to volunteer for Run Club contact Mrs. Koett.

STUDENT ROSARY GROUP

Tuesdays | 7:15 AM in Paduan Center

Open to 2nd-8th Grade

Starting Sept. 12. We are offering a great way for your student to start their school day! This will be a wonderful opportunity for our school family to pray the rosary together. No need to register, just show up!

SPANISH CULTURE CLUB

Mondays | 3:45-4:30 PM

Open to 5th & 6th Grade

Starting Sept. 9. The Spanish Culture Club is open to 5th and 6th grade students and will explore and celebrate the language, customs, and traditions of Spain and Latin America. Join Señora Johnson as we explore Spanish culture through food, arts and crafts, and entertainment. Throughout the year, we will create crafts like papel picado, piñatas, ojo de Díos, alebrijes, cempasúchil paper flowers and sidewalk alfombras for religious holidays such as Día de la Virgen de Guadalupe, Día de los Muertos, Las Posadas and Semana Santa. We’ll also make and sample tasty treats to celebrate different customs and traditions in Spanish-speaking countries. Club will meet on Mondays from 3:45-4:30 pm, beginning September 9th. Club is limited to 12 members. Fee of $25/year will be charged to FACTS account. SPANISH CULTURE CLUB REGISTRATION

VIOLIN CLUB

Mondays | 3:45-4:30 PM

Open to 3rd-8th Grade

Starting Sept. 16. Calling all beginning violinists and experienced musicians who play violin! St. Anthony of Padua Catholic School violin club will be meeting on Mondays from 3:45-4:30 PM. Join Mrs. Verspieren (11:00 AM Mass violinist and Frassati Catholic High School Teacher) and Mrs. Lienhard to learn and make music together. Instrument rental information will be available at the first meeting. Cost is $75 for the year. Questions? Email Mrs. Lienhard at: jlienhard@ap.school. VIOLIN CLUB REGISTRATION

PADUAN PARENT CHAMPION POSITIONS

Our Room Parents have been notified of their assignments. We still have many openings for volunteer champion positions! Ideally, we aim to fill these positions with volunteers who are not already committed in a Room Parent or Gala Committee role.

Open Positions:

• Conferences Day Lunch - Sept. 20
• Halloween Science Day - Oct. 31
• Catholic Schools Week - Jan. 26-Feb. 1
• Steps for Students - Feb. 8
• Go Texan Day - Feb. 28
• Fish Fry Champion - March 28
• Fun Field Day - May 21
• Mrs. Ettman - Art - Room Parent
• Mrs. McDowell - Theater - Room Parent

If you are interested in serving in any of these roles, please let advancement@ap.school know as soon as possible.

CAR LINE VOLUNTEERS 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.

WISH LIST - 2024-2025

Are you interested in making an immediate impact for our students? We have created a list of classroom or school-wide items that we need! 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 (more on the Fund for St. Anthony to come)!

MONDAYS - Chess Club, 3:45-4:30 PM. Starting Sept. 9

MONDAYS - Spanish Culture Club, 3:45-4:30 PM. Starting Sept. 9.

MONDAYS - Violin Club, 3:45-4:30 PM. Starting Sept. 16.

TUESDAYS - Student Rosary Group, 7:15 AM in Paduan Center. Starting Aug. 27.

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

WEDNESDAYS - Mass Choir, 6:45 AM, Sheltz Hall. New Members start Aug. 28. 

WEDNESDAYS - Art Club, 3:45-5:00 PM, Art Room. Starting Sept. 6.

WEDNESDAYS - Run Club, 3:45-4:30 PM, Sports Fields. Starting Sept. 18.

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. More clubs to be added soon!

8/26/2024: GALA Committee Meeting | The One Gala, 8:15AM, PLB Room 202

8/28/2024: School Pictures - Wear Mass Uniform

8/28/2024: MASS: Memorial St. Augustine (8-B), 8:30AM, Church

8/28/2024: Room Parent Orientation, 9:00AM, PLB Room 205

8/29/2024: Middle School Parent Info Night, 6:00PM

8/30/2024: Raise the College Flag - LSU Dress Day, students may wear LSU t-shirts, jerseys!

8/30/2024: What's Brewing w/Mrs. Tucker | Pre-K4, 8:30AM, Paduan Center

9/2/2024: LABOR DAY, NO SCHOOL

9/04/2024: MASS: Wednesday of the 22nd Week in Ordinary Time (7-A), 8:30 AM, Church

9/05/2024: PADUAN PODS

9/05/2024: What's Brewing w/Mrs. Tucker | Pre-K3, 8:30 AM, Paduan Center

9/06/2024: What's Brewing w/Mrs. Tucker | 7th Grade, 8:30 AM, Paduan Center

Full Calendar available in FACTS! To subscribe to our FACTS school calendar copy and paste this URL into your calendar app:

https://saty-tx.client.renweb.com/pwr/school/ical.cfm?u=11371&h=2D672FF8548A&s=&ut=STAFF&f2=0&sc=SAPCS&t=s

MATT MAHER CONCERT Join us for an unforgettable evening with Matt Maher at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church! Don't miss out on this opportunity to be part of an amazing concert. Mark your calendars and invite your friends for a night of inspiration and joy! The doors will open at 6 PM. The concert will start at 7 PM. Seating is first come - first serve in each section.

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Monday, September 30, 2024 at 7:00 pm in the Gym.

More info: https://ap.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/1616100