Message From the Principal

Dear Saint Jerome Regional School Family,

Welcome to the New School Year! Whether you’re returning or joining us for the first time, we are blessed to have you as part of our school community. We have been busy preparing for your return and are eager to start the new school year! As of today, we are excited to welcome 60 new students to SJRS, bringing our total enrollment to over 300 students from PreK through 8th grade!

We have all worked diligently to share the wonderful aspects of Saint Jerome Regional School, and a strong enrollment helps secure our future. There are many exciting additions and changes to our staff and school for the 2024-2025 school year, and we can’t wait to embark on this journey with you. This newsletter is packed with important information, so please keep it handy for reference.

NEW STAFF: We have a few new staff members to introduce to everyone this year. 

• Mrs. Fitzpatrick is our new 8th grade Homeroom Teacher.
• Mrs. Gulla is our new 3rd grade Homeroom Teacher (second section of 3rd grade).

 Homeroom Teacher and Specials Teacher Announcements:

• Preschool-Mrs. Mohammed
• Kindergarten has two sections (Mrs. Kopp and Mrs. Cressley)
• 1st grade has two sections (Mrs. Metters and Mrs. Green)
• 2nd Grade has two sections (Mrs. Roberts and Mrs. Dando)
• 3rd Grade has two sections- (Mrs. Krajcirik and Mrs. Gulla)
• 4th Grade- Ms. Bachert
• 5th Grade has two homerooms- (Mrs. Purin and Mrs Giannelli)
• 6th Grade homeroom- Mrs. Williams
• 7th Grade homeroom- Mrs. Miller
• 8th Grade homeroom- Mrs. Fitzpatrick
• Physical Education- Mr. Campomizzi
• STEM- Ms. Daukshus
• Art- Mrs. Odorizzi
• Music- Mr. Cressley

 OUR SUPPORTING PARISHES AND PASTORS:

• St. Joseph of Panther Valley Parish- Father Bob George
• All Saints Parish, McAdoo- Father Barnabas
• St. John XXIII Parish, Tamaqua and St. Richard's Parish, Barnesville- Father Robert Finlan
• SS. Peter & Paul Parish, Lehighton- Father Christopher Zelonis
• St. Peter the Fisherman Parish, Lake Harmony- Monsignor John Chizmar
• The Immaculate Conception Parish Jim Thorpe, Churches of Immaculate Conception and St. Joseph- Father Ron Minner

EDUCATIONAL ANNOUNCEMENTS:

• We are happy to announce that instrumental lessons will be offered again this year to students in grades 4th-8th! Grades 4-8 will be given the opportunity to learn band instruments. From flutes to drums and trombones to clarinets there is certainly an instrument for everyone. More information on obtaining an instrument and the program itself will follow at the beginning of the new school year.

• Our STEM teacher, Ms. Daukshus spent many hours this summer setting up school issued Google accounts for each of our students in K-8 and all of our teachers. She also created helpful family info sheets for each of our families with their information for every program that includes login and passwords for easy reference. Thank you Ms. D!

• The school website was updated, as well as the 24-25 Family Handbook. Be sure to check the family resources page for helpful information. Also, the supply lists are located on our webpage. If you go to our website, click on student lift and you will find the supply list for each class under that tab. Class lists will be posted at Meet the Teacher Night- but supply lists are the same for each section in each grade of double sections.

• Our staff trainings this summer include some very important topics such as: Pediatric CPR, fire safety, training on the new K-8 Reading series (Wonders) and training on the new 6th-8th Grade Science series (Open Sci Ed).

FIRST DAY ARRIVAL PROCEDURES: 

• Please be sure that your child arrives between 7:45-8:00 AM on the first day of school. Homeroom starts at 8:00 AM. Children should not be dropped off before 7:45 AM during the school year, unless they are registered for ECP. ECP will start September 3rd. The main doors will not be unlocked until 7:45 am.

• All children in grades K-8 should be dropped off and enter the main entrance of the school building. Please do not park in front of the main doors. The large loop is for drop off only. Buses and cars will be arriving and leaving at that time. Parents should use the small loop in front of the main entrance if you are parking your car to come into the school for school business. We ask that all parents take their final pictures and say good-bye to their children before their children enter the building. Parents will not be walking their children into the building. Teachers and Staff will be outside directing and helping the students. 

• Students should wear the DRESS UNIFORM on the first day of school. Please also see the Dress Code for 24-25. The dress code will be strictly enforced by faculty and staff. Please make sure to read it thoroughly.

DISMISSAL PROCEDURES: 

• On the first two days of school, we will dismiss students in two groups. Please be patient the first few weeks of school, as the students will be learning new procedures and dismissal may take longer than expected. Parents who are picking up their children should follow the normal dismissal routines that were established last school year. For our new families, there is also a diagram that explains the arrival and dismissal routines. Buses will be using the large loop to pick up, and the buses will be loaded and dismissed first. Parent pick up will follow the buses. 

• Group 1 – Kindergarten students will be dismissed at 12:00 PM at the main entrance of the school. Busing is not provided for kindergarten students on these two days.
• Group 2 – All students in grades 1-8 will be dismissed at 2:45 PM. Buses will dismiss from the main entrance and car riders/walkers will be dismissed from main entrance.

• Be sure that your child knows how he or she is going home from school—by bus, car, etc.   It is a good idea for kindergarten and grade one students to write the mode of transportation on a card and pin it like a nametag to your child. Your child’s safety is our greatest concern. We also want each child to feel secure and confident on the first days of school. Please plan transportation ahead of time. Last minute calls to the school office are stressful for the children and the staff. Only call in the case of an emergency change.

• Parents/Guardians picking up, please remain in your cars patiently. There may be more cars in line this year, and because of this, we may have to allow the first set of cars to move and then pull a second round of cars in to walk the kids through the line a second time. Please be patient, especially in the first few weeks while we work this out. The plan may need to be altered as we troubleshoot and work through these new procedures. If we need to adjust the plan, we will make you all aware. Thank you.

BUS TRANSPORTATION:

• Bus schedules vary from district to district. In the past, some districts sent information directly to the parents. Others posted stops on the district website. If the schedules are sent to us, we will forward them to you as soon as they are received. Questions concerning busing must be directed to the school district. If you are having difficulty with any busing issues and you need our assistance, we will help you as best we can.  Please be sure to complete any transportation forms as soon as possible if you haven’t done so already. To download the busing forms please visit our resource page on our website. 

 OTHER Announcements: 

• Important Documents: Students will return home from the first few days of school with many important documents if you did not already pick them up at the Meet the Teacher Event. Most of these documents will need to be filled out and returned to school as soon as possible. Please remind your child to bring the documents home and to return them to their homeroom teacher completed and signed. 

• SCHOOL LUNCHES: School lunches will be available starting September 3rd. Please be sure to send your child to school with a lunch, drink and a snack until that time. 

• WEBSITE: www.sjrschool.com. Please go to our website frequently to find important information on calendars, dress code, supply lists, extended care program information, etc. 

• Please be sure to set up your STS account if you are new to our school and haven't done so already.

• Spirit Wear Clothing Sales–

We invite you to check out the SJRS Spirit Wear sale link at

https://vas.chipply.com/sjrs/ The sale closes on July 29th at 11:59pm.

Or

You can visit the 1st Place Spiritwear store link at

https://1stplace.sale/78843

Sale Dates: August 20th - September 24th

30% off all merchandise

Free shipping on orders over $75

$5 shipping on orders under $75

No code is needed!

IMPORTANT DATES: 

• August 22nd, 2024 from 5:00-7:00 PM – Meet the Teacher Event. (Preschool only is August 22nd from 4:00-5:00) The doors to the school will be open to all of our families who have students that are registered for the start of the new school year. Teachers will be available in their classrooms from 5:00-7:00 PM. They will distribute information about their individual classes and other information about the school. School administration will also be available to answer questions and point people in the right direction. The office will be open if you need to hand in any paperwork or request new paperwork.  Homeroom lists for Kindergarten, 1^st grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd and 5th grade will be posted at this event.



• I would also like to thank our Home and School Association for all of their work throughout last school year and for their continued efforts and commitment to help our school and our students. I encourage all parents to get involved with Home and School. Information will be available at the Meet the Teacher Event.  The uniform swap will also be taking place at this event. If you would like to volunteer with HSA or at our events, you will have to complete a Diocesan Protecting God’s Children Workshop. All volunteers/chaperones are required to complete this workshop. There are also other requirements for all volunteers. You can find the requirements for K-8 volunteers by clicking on this link. Here is the link for the HSA page.

Thank you for being a part of the SJRS Family and thank you for all the sacrifices you make to send your child to this school. We wholeheartedly believe that, as our mission statement reflects: Our base is family, our mission is faith, and our future rests in the courage to leave behind a legacy. It is truly a privilege to be part of a community where parents, teachers, and students care for each other and help each other to live fearlessly through faith. Enjoy the rest of your summer, and we will see you on August 26th. Let’s make it a great year at SJRS! If you have any questions about anything, do not hesitate to call our school office. We will be happy to help you!  

God bless you and your families!

Mrs. Amy M. Hannis-Miskar, Principal