Joy

Joy in the eyes of a child - Happiness; a pervasive sense of well-being that comes from knowing God is good, just and loves you.

We hope you all had a great time at the festival this year. Please click here for some amazing photos. Thank you to everyone that made this event possible and the great CTK event that it is!

Each Faith Family will present a skit for their virtue during Tuesday Morning Assemblies. Click here for the virtue calendar. Click here to find your child's Faith Family number.

Please note: Skit dates are subject to change based on weather and school activities. We recommend checking the schedule periodically to find the latest updates.

Hello, Families!

We are busily preparing for this year's Christmas Program, "Finding Joy." Our first performance will take place on Tuesday, December 15 at 1:25 PM. This uncrowded performance is especially wonderful for anyone who needs a little more time or space, such as our elderly or grandparents. Doors will open at 1:10. 

The second performance will be Wednesday, December 16 at 6:30 PM. Doors will open about 20 minutes before the show starts. Our Mass choir will be singing Christmas carols, and a special photo backdrop area will be available on the patio outside the church while you wait.

Please plan ahead for what your child may wear to the program:

**Special note for Kindergarten: each child will be provided a hat or headband for the program as part of the performance, so please avoid hairstyles that would be incompatible.

1. All students must wear dress-code approved clothing. 

2. Joyful holiday colors such as bright red, green, pink, purple, turquoise, or blue are all appropriate. 

3. Boys, please wear a shirt with a collar, pants, and ideally a belt.

4. Girls must have their skirts or dresses be long enough so that they are no shorter than 2" above the knee. If you are reusing a dress or skirt, please have the child try it on ahead of time to be sure it is still long enough.

5. If leggings are worn, tops must be dress code length. (Leggings do not equal pants.)

6. Please no accessories with light-up components. 

7. I do not recommend sweaters or anything too warm. 

I do not want you to have stress about purchasing elaborate outfits. I often remind your children the main purpose of our program: we are celebrating the Joy of Jesus, our Savior, coming to be among us! Fancy is fine, but so is simple and bright and comfortable. If you have any doubts or questions about what your child may wear, feel free to email me at vhalstead@ctkschool.org. 

Thank you all, and I look forward to seeing you at our program.

Peace,

Mrs. H.

CTK Welcome Crew!



Spiritual Council is excited to present the CTK Welcome Crew! Spiritual Council members will arrive at 7:45am each Wednesday, to kick the day off with positive, fun and welcoming energy. If you see the Welcome Crew at work, please give them a smile (or even better, a kind word back)!

Thank you Spiritual Council!

A great premiere starts behind the scenes!

Join us for our next auction meeting tomorrow, Tuesday, November 3, at 7 PM in the school Media Center as we help bring Lights. Camera. Legacy: CTK’s Night at the Premiere to life. Bring your ideas, meet fellow parents, and find a way to get involved…no audition required!

Please make sure you have completed the Virtus training and are up to date on all vounteer requirements before you volunteer on campus.

We are so happy to have volunteers on campus! We want to thank everyone for giving their time to help our school year be the best that it can be. Please remember all volunteers must have the following on file in the school office prior to volunteering on campus:

• Complete the Virtus Training (must be completed each year), and submit the certificate
• Submit proof of a negative TB test or TB Risk Assessment questionnaire completed and signed by licensed health care provider
• Have a completed Volunteer Application Form on file in the office
• Livescan Fingerprinting

If you are unsure if you are up to date, please email Mrs. Rubino here to check.

We understand that all of our parents are busy and are pulled in different directions. Thank you to those that have already completed the new mandated Virtus training. This training must be completed each year. For this school year everyone needs to complete the training by October 31st. Anyone who does not comply will be suspended from Virtus and unable to be on campus. If parents try to volunteer without the virtus training our school faces significant civil liability issues and can be sued for negligent supervision.

Thank you for understanding that we are all doing our best to keep our students safe and our parents volunteering. We are all on the same team working with the Diocese to move forward.

The season of giving is almost here, and we have TWO wonderful opportunities to kick off your holiday shopping while supporting Christ the King Catholic School!

Two local businesses are spreading some holiday cheer and giving back to our CTK community this November!

Five Little Monkeys – Lafayette | November 1–15

Get a head start on shopping for the little ones on your list! Shop in-store or online at www.5littlemonkeys.com and use promo code CTK2026 at checkout. Five Little Monkeys will donate 15% of your pre-tax purchase back to CTK!

Oaks Jewelers – Berkeley | November 3–7

Looking for something that sparkles this holiday season? Our very own CTK family-owned Oaks Jewelers is making holiday shopping extra special! CTK families will receive 10% OFF their purchase, and Oaks Jewelers will generously donate an additional 10% back to our school!

1783 Solano Avenue, Berkeley

www.oaksjewelers.com

Shop local. Support our community. Give back to CTK!



Whether you're checking off your holiday gift list or treating someone special, every purchase is an opportunity to make a difference for our school.

A big THANK YOU to Five Little Monkeys and the Macchi family behind Oaks Jewelers for their generosity and support!

Mark your calendars for these upcoming events. More details to come

• November 1-15th: Five Little Monkeys Lafayette - Shop and Give
• November 17th: Shake Shack Dine and Donate
• December 6th: Tree lighting event
• December 10th: Evereve and Kendra Scott - Shop and Give

If you would like to get involved or help with any of the above events, please reach out to your PTG Co-Presidents at ptgpresident@ctkschool.org. 

Thank you everyone.

St. Vincent de Paul Dinner Baskets: This Thanksgiving, we continue the longstanding CTK school tradition of collecting food for the parish St. Vincent de Paul food program. 

For many years students have gathered food, then helped assemble dinner baskets, for 36 local families less fortunate than ourselves.  Each class participates, and every student gets to personally place items in the boxes. Students learn the virtue of generosity through service, and experience the abundant joy received by helping others.

Please consult the list below for the items you are asked to send to school with your child/children.  You are welcome to send extra items if you wish.  Students should bring items to their classroom by Thursday, November 12th.

Items needed per student per grade: 

Kindergarten: 3 (6 oz.) packages stove top stuffing mix  

1st Grade: 2 (13.75 oz.) boxes/packages mashed potato mix and 4 (~.87 oz) packets gravy mix

2nd Grade: 1 (40 oz. box ) Bisquick Pancake & Baking Mix

3rd Grade: 2 (18+ oz.) packages brownie or cookie mix  

4th Grade:  3 (14+ oz) cans of beans (for example Bush's Baked Beans or black beans)

5th Grade:  2 (14-16 oz.) cans of corn and 2 (14-16 oz.) cans of cranberry sauce

6th Grade: 1 (32 oz.) bag of long grain white rice 

7th Grade: 1 (12-16 oz.) package of pasta and 1 (24 oz.) jar of marinara sauce

8th Grade: 4 (18-19 oz.) cans of soup (Campbell’s Chunk Style or Progresso)

Thank you to everyone that made our Halloween parties such a success. We could not do it without the help of our parents and volunteers. Please keep the class treats nut free for those that have allergies. If you have any questions please refer to the CTK Handbook (page 40)

The Christ the King School Advisory Council (SAC) is a group of parents who work to support the Pastor and the Principal in order to carry out the mission of Christ the King Catholic School. We meet as a council every other month with our principal and pastor and in between our meetings, we work with our committees to accomplish the goals of the school. Accomplishments since being established in 2018 include advising on all capital improvement projects such as the playground and repaving, establishing & publishing "The CTK Ray", updating the garden, Promethean boards for the classrooms, spirit wear, fundraising, creating an alumni database, recruiting, and guiding CTK through our accreditation process.  

SAC is seeking a Marketing & Communications Chair who will be responsible for coordinating & publishing the school's newsletter (The CTK Ray), leading school marketing drives, advising on recruitment strategy, etc. We are looking for a parent with a background in this space.

If you are interested in this chair position, please send SAC Chair Nick Andrade (nicholas.andrade@wellsfargo.com) and Mr. Silveira (jsilveira@ctkschool.org) a letter with your interest in the position and background by November 20th.  If you have any questions, please either reach out to Nick Andrade or Dr. Silveira. 

Calling all talented Communication, and Marketing superstars—We need your help on the CTK Ray! 

This yearly publication features the best of our school community, and it’s the only one of its kind in the diocese!!

Your time counts towards your CTK Personal Choice hours! This volunteer role is flexible!! Work at home, on your own time and contribute to the amazing publication!

First planning meeting will be in early December 2026. Please contact Arlene Santos arlenejoygsantos@gmail.com or Elissa Accardo eaccardo@ctkschool.org for more information. 

LOG AS YOU GO!

Thank you to everyone that has signed up to help our teachers and school! Your time and commitments help us to have the best school year possible. 

When you are finished with your volunteer service, remember to fill out the google form that records your Family Service Hours. You can find the form here. This form can be completed after each volunteer opportunity or your earliest convenience so that your hours are recorded and not forgotten! 

As a reminder, each family is responsible for 17 volunteer hours during the school year in the following categories: 

Fundraising - 5 hours

Festival - 4 hours

Personal Choice - 8 hours 

Scrip / RaiseRight

Every purchase can help Christ the King School. With Scrip, you buy gift cards for the places you already shop (groceries, gas, dining, and more) and the school earns a percentage of every purchase at no extra cost to you. Rates run from 1.5% to 8% by brand, and can be higher during special promotions. Anyone can join through RaiseRight.com/Enroll or the RaiseRight app using our enrollment code, L54D412C9999. 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/16GrNq3m2HfHO_reyqaw3ILix2QAyQ73y/view?usp=sharing

Growing Up Green at Sloat Garden Center



Turn your plant shopping into a donation for Christ the King School. Shop at any Sloat Garden Center during a Growing Up Green session, including the Pleasant Hill location, and mention our school at checkout. Sloat gives back 10% of your pre-tax purchase to the school as a gift card, at no extra cost to you. The next session runs Oct 16–25, and the funds go to school gardens, hands-on science, and community events. 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_JiLONuAoPfCKGVbWlM5JPyulwr-yxnK/view?usp=sharing

CTK is excited to announce our second grade basketball skills sessions will be returning for the 2026 season for all second graders currently enrolled at CTK school.

The training sessions will focus on skills development to prepare our second graders to compete at the CYO level.

Sessions will be held Wednesdays 2:30 - 3:30pm beginning on November 4th and ending in late January - with breaks for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

The cost is $125/student and all participants will receive a t-shirt.

Please note that an adult must check your player in at the start of each session and cannot just walk themselves directly over from school - the gym will not be open until coaches have arrived. 

Click here to register 

Looking foward to seeing the kids out on the court!

Any questions, please email cyo@ctkph.org.

Double Your Impact: Corporate Matching

Many employers will match donations you make to CTK often dollar for dollar, sometimes more. That means a $250 gift can arrive at the school as $500 or more, at no additional cost to you.

Matched gifts count toward your commitments. Your contributions are credited toward your School Fund Assessment contribution. You can also designate your donation to go towards a particular fund/fundraiser of your choice.

Please note that corporate matching gifts ( your's plus your company's contribution ) are not eligible for tuition credits, a change that took effect in the 2025–26 school year and is noted in the handbook this year as well.

How to check: Ask your HR department whether your employer offers a matching gift program, or search your company's giving portal. Many run through Benevity or YourCause. Our EIN is 94-2243147 and we are registered as Christ the King Catholic School, Pleasant Hill, CA 94523.

Questions? Contact Niro Perera - nperera@ctkschool.org