Dear SEA Families,

Blessed Basil Moreau wrote of intentionality in one’s daily life, “the spirit of prayer is … the loving practice of the presence of God, and by the regular renewal of right intentions in all one’s behavior.” Blessed Father Basil Moreau left us with many teachings about the mission, educational charism, and spirituality of Holy Cross. This gift from the Holy Spirit has been passed down through the generations and continues to inspire and guide us today. It was in this vein that we created the school’s new prayer, which is said as we begin each class, activity, and event with the intentionality Moreau speaks of and in the presence of God. After speaking with a parent of a student in the lower form who wanted to practice this prayer daily with her son, I am pleased to share with you the Prayer to Saint André.

Prayer to Saint André

Lord Jesus, I give You this action.

Give me the strength to do Your will,

The wisdom to do what is right,

And the grace to bring 

Your love and kindness to others.

St. André, pray for us.

St. Joseph, pray for us.

Our Lady of Holy Cross, pray for us.

As we head toward the closure of our first month of school, I am confident that students have settled into their Fall routines and have embraced the call to take pride in doing ordinary things extraordinarily well. Last week, I had the pleasure of attending my first ever(!) cross-country meet and seeing so many of you at the Knight in the Courtyard. Domenic and I are excited by the support and optimism you share for the school. We look forward to many more exciting events and activities to continue to come together as a community.

Sincerely,

Dr. Michael C. Reichert '98

Principal

"Don't tell me the sky's the limit when there are footprints on the moon."

-Paul Brandt

OPEN HOUSE- OCTOBER 18th

Our Fall Open House will be held on Tuesday, October 18th from 9:00am-11:00am. We are looking forward to showing off the amazing things we do everyday! If you know of anyone interested, please encourage them to attend. If the 18th doesn't work, private tours are available as well.  Contact Juliana for more information.  Open House Attendees are asked to please register here.

COMMISSIONING MASS

On Friday, October 7th students, staff, and faculty will be celebrating the Commissioning Mass to install, Domenic J. Maiorano '97, as the 11th Head of School at Saint Edmond's Academy. Parents and Grandparents are welcome to join in the celebration.

Mass will begin promptly at 9:00 am in the Rollins Center for the Performing Arts. Due to limited space, guests are asked to please RSVP here by this Wednesday (9/26).

STOCK THE PANTRY- NEXT WEEK

The Ronald McDonald House needs our help. Their food pantry is almost empty! Can you help fill their pantry with snacks and lunch items for families to enjoy? For the week of September 26-30, students are challenged to bring in snack items to their homeroom. On Friday, Sep. 30, SEA will donate these items to Ronald McDonald House in hopes of stocking their pantry. If the school exceeds 75% participation for this drive, students will earn a free dress down day the following week. Click here to view the RMH wishlist on Amazon Smile.

SMS/TEXTING UPDATE

SMS/ Text Message sent to families will no longer be received from shortcode 99538. Our permanent account will list the sender of any Academy SMS/Text messages as+1 (302) 407-0221.

MAINTAINING A HEALTHY COMMUNITY

We are grateful that we are able to begin the school year with the benefit of gained knowledge about best practices to mitigate Covid-19, and clear guidelines (here) for how to proceed should we have positive cases, something we as a worldwide community could not say just two years ago! 

· Vaccines remain the most important defense against severe illness.

· Routine asymptomatic testing is no longer recommended.

· If Covid-positive, please remain in isolation for 5 days then return masked for the next 5 days. 

· Please inform Nurse Kaddy Turner of all positive cases.

· Quarantine is no longer recommended for those exposed to COVID. Masks are recommended after an exposure, with testing on the 5th day after exposure. · Remember, testing is available to students at any time.

· Masking is optional for students and staff.

· Hand hygiene remains our best defense against the spread of germs.

· If sick in any way, please stay home. 

Students who have been absent from school or have been feeling unwell should stay home. Students should be fever-free for 24hrs with improving symptoms before returning to school. As a reminder, if your son has any COVID symptoms (cough, congestion, sore throat, fatigue, headache, fever, nausea, vomiting, etc.), he should remain at home and obtain a COVID test. In addition to a few COVID cases, there has been an upper respiratory infection going around school in the past week affecting many students. Please remind and encourage your son to cover coughs, wash hands frequently, dispose of tissues properly, and avoid sharing drinks with others. 

BIRTHDAY TREATS AVAILABLE

The Lancer Lunchroom is pleased to announce families can purchase birthday treats for their son’s class through It’s Dinner Time. Families can pre-order vanilla cupcakes or rice krispies treats to be distributed on your son’s birthday. To order, simply email by the first of each month to reserve your treats that month. 

LUNCH ORDERS DUE

Parents can now place orders for the weeks of 9/26, 10/3 and 10/10. Ordering will close on the 27th, please be mindful of this date. Please copy Pam Owens on any emails concerning orders, food or anything café related.

Snacks are now available to purchase (cash only! $1,$2,$3) in the Café. Next Friday Milkshake Madness is Friday, 9/30. Chocolate, Vanilla and Strawberry milkshakes will be available to purchase for $5 (cash only) during lunch!

CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOLS INFO

For information regarding all the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington High School Open House dates this October, please click here. 

PRO SOCIAL SKILL SUPPORT

It can be hard to make new friends. School Counselor Eric Jablonski and Counseling Association of Delaware invite your son to join their Fall support classes. Click here for more information.

CALLING ALL SEA WALKERS + RUNNERS!

On Saturday, November 19th, the Bishop’s 5K to benefit Catholic Charities will take place at St. Mark’s High School. The Catholic schools with the highest number of participants will earn cash rewards for the school. Please join together and support SEA and a great cause by registering to run or walk on November 19th. 

RECRUITING STAGE CREW

We are looking for a few good men to help with the technical aspect of performances in the Rollins Center. If your son is in 7th or 8th grade and is interested in serving on the Stage Crew, please fill out the registration/permission form and return to Ms. DeHart.

UPCOMING FUN FALL EVENTS

Parents’ Association Meeting- Please join us to meet new friends, share ideas and join in on planning events and fundraisers - together we all can make the SEA community thrive! Mark your calendars for this Monday @ 7pm. Cocktails & light bites will kick off the night. RSVP by email to Lisa McLafferty by tomorrow (9/24).

Fall & Flannel Ladies Night- Join us on Thursday night 10/6 @ 7pm for a fun night open to all of our favorite SEA ladies. Meet some new friends, catch up with old friends and mostly celebrate pumpkin spice and everything nice. RSVP by email to Diane. Also please feel free to bring a non-SEA friend who may be interested in checking us out. 

Fall Festival & Trunk or Treat- Saturday, October 22nd 2-6pm. Join us for Fall fun with inflatables, craft vendors, face painting, food trucks, and of course trunk or treating. Volunteers are still needed - we love our volunteers and could even use our alumni who need service hours - please sign up here. We are also looking for families to host a fun trunk, please sign up here and compete for the first ever SEA trunk or treat trophy. 

LUNCHROOM HELPERS

Lunch volunteers are so important! All families & Grandparents are encouraged to volunteer for lunch duty as their schedule allows. The boys love to see your smiling faces! Hours are from 10:30 AM-1:00 PM.  Please sign up here or message Diane. Siblings may come with a parent. Please be mindful of all safety measures

DINE FOR SEA

Mark your calendars for Thursday, October 27th (10AM-9pm).  10% of all sales placed by SEA friends and families at Claymont Steak Shop (720 Concord Pike) will benefit SEA. Don't forget to mention St. Edmond's Academy when you order.