SJRS Monthly Newsletter -October 2023

Saint Jerome Regional School

"Living Fearlessly Through Faith..."

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Message From the Principal



Dear St. Jerome Regional School Family,

The 2023- 2024 school year is off to a great start! Thank you for your continued prayers, support and dedication to SJRS. Some of the highlights during the months of August and September are listed below:


  • We had a great turn out at our Meet the Teacher Event. Special thanks to our Home and School Officers and parent volunteers for helping. 


  • Michael St. Pierre, Ed.D., Superintendent of Catholic Education in the Diocese of Allentown visited SJRS on August 24th! We all look forward to working with him this year!


  • The Scholastic Book Fair was a big hit with the students! Thank you for supporting our school. There will be another book fair during Catholic Schools Week. We will send the details home before the next event.


  • PSP was here for school pictures and the kids all looked great. We love to see their beautiful smiles! We will send home more information about PSP Christmas Pictures/Retakes and Spring Pictures at that time.  


  • Our students participated in a special day of prayer on September 7th to honor the Blessed Mother whose birthday was September 8th. Father Minner led each class in prayer in our Chapel in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament.


  • SJRS students prayed together at our opening Mass. It was a beautiful celebration. Special thanks to Father Finlan, Father Minner and Msgr. Baker and Mrs. Miller for preparing this prayerful time for us.


  • Special Subject classes have started! The students are enjoying Music, Art, Physical Education, STEM and Religion Enrichment Classes. 


  • We began conducting emergency drills in all grades and the kids are doing a great job.


  • Artist Victor Stabin started his artist residency at SJRS. Mr. Stabin met with 8th and 7th grade students. He showed examples of his artwork and spoke about his life as a professional artist. Welcome Mr.Stabin!


  • Student Council week (Sept 25th-29th) for grades 5,6,7 and 8 is off to a great start!
  • Monday 9/25: candidates' posters were displayed and viewed
  • Tuesday 9/26: candidates gave speeches
  • Wednesday 9/27: students in grades 5th-8th voted. (See below for list/pictures)
  • Friday 9/29 is Student Council installation and we will celebrate The Feast of Saint Jerome.


  • Prayer Partners were introduced to each other in the different grade levels. Fun projects have already started!


  • Parents and Guardians, please be sure to look over the save the date flyers that are in the newsletter about Early Re-Registration for the 24-25 school year.


God bless you and your families, 

Mrs. Amy M. Hannis-Miskar, Principal

  • Congratulations to our 2023-2024 Student Council members. Thank you to all of the student candidates who took the initiative to be involved in school leadership.  


Congratulations to our 2023-2024 Student Council!


PRESIDENT -Andrew Reaman

VICE PRESIDENT -Carly Green

SECRETARY -Grace Shamany

TREASURER -Andrew Mummey

5th GRADE REP -Aiden Barrett

6th GRADE REP -Lillian Gallagher

7th GRADE REP -Gia DeCosmo

8th GRADE REP -Adalyn Marek


Student Council Advisor- Mr. Cressley

SJRS Mission Representatives


The following Eighth Graders volunteered to be the school Mission Representatives for the year. They will help encourage our mission work of donations to the local food banks and for the Mission Childhood Association. They will collect and organize donations from all the classrooms. We thank them for volunteering their time and energy to help others in need. Amelia Degler, Joseph Lashock, John LeClair, Isabella Martinez, Noah McGinley, Nicholas Polakovic, Zoey Quintinsky, Andrew Reaman, and Cara Rehnert. Also pictured are Missions Coordinator Mrs. Jean Dando and Principal Hannis-Miskar.


Thank you to everyone who donated items to the mission project this month! We collected an amazing 735 items! What a difference your generous donations will make for local families! The class with the highest percentage of donations is Grade 1 Blue- Mrs. Green's class with over 8 items per students donated. 1-Blue wins the dress down pass!


SJRS Newspaper Correspondents for the Standard Speaker



John LeClair, Camden Gilbert and Zoey Quintinsky will be our school's Newspaper Correspondents for the Standard Speaker.  School news is published every week under "School Times. Please be sure to watch for it!  Congratulations and thank you!


Please Help Saint Jerome Regional School Keep Tuition Cost Affordable

Throughout the year you will be receiving information about the various fundraisers through the school and the Home and School Association. The reason we have fundraisers is to keep tuition costs down. The actual cost of education of each child in our school is over $6500.00. As you know, tuition is much less than this. The fundraisers help us make Catholic Education available to more children. 

We do not have mandatory fundraising at Saint Jerome Regional School because it is our hope that every family will do everything possible to support our efforts, not because they must, but because they want to participate and because they care about the future of this school. Thanks for joining the effort for the sake of our children!  


Gift Certificates and Scrip Certificates           

These are great ways to help with tuition costs. If you have any questions, please call the office. Many people are saving hundreds of dollars in tuition by purchasing certificates. Certificates are sold from the school office daily during school hours and scrip orders are taken on Tuesdays.


Tuition Chance

This year we will again sell tuition chances to help you win money toward your tuition bill. The chances are $1 each, and paper slips are in the family envelope. If you want to purchase the chance, fill out the slip and enclose money in an envelope marked tuition chance. This is not a fundraiser. All money collected will be awarded to the winning student’s tuition account. If your tuition is fully paid, credit will be applied to next year’s bill. The winner for September is Janelle Timcho-Fox in Kindergarten. The amount of tuition credit is $233. Thank you to all who took chances. Slips are enclosed for next month’s drawing which will be on October 23rd.


School Spirit Dress Down Days

Students are permitted to wear school colors (navy blue, cardinal or gold) on days that are designated as School Spirit Dress Down Days. Other items that are permitted are: school spirit wear, gym clothing or CYO spirit wear. 


Dress Down Days

Students are permitted to wear clothing of their choice that is considered appropriate. They do not have to be school colors. Dress Down Day Passes are not permitted to be used on Mass days.


Red Ribbon Week

The week of October 23rd is Red Ribbon Week. Informative posters will be displayed to help spread the news of the danger of drugs. The theme is " Be Kind to Your Mind- Live Drug Free!"


Absences

Please call us if your child is going to be absent/tardy from school. This will ensure that we know where he/she is and that nothing has happened to him/her on the way to school. If your child is going to be absent or arrive late at school, you are required to call the school by 8:00 AM. Please leave a message if necessary. The number to call to report absences or lateness is 570-668-2757. Your call to let us know your child is not going to be in school does not take the place of an excuse note.  PA State requirements and those of the Diocese of Allentown require that for the student’s return to school, the student must be accompanied by a written note stating the particular reason for the absence and the specific date(s) of the absence(s). This note must be signed by the parent/guardian which will become an official document to be placed into the attendance files. A written excuse must be returned within three days to the student’s homeroom teacher when the child returns to school. If your child’s name appears on an attendance report from the homeroom teacher and you have not phoned to inform the school, please expect a call from the school personnel to verify the absence or check on your child’s whereabouts. Your child’s safety and welfare are of prime importance to us.  


- October Missions –

Monthly Mission Focus: The mission focus for this month is on the Missionary Childhood Association (MCA), whose goal is to encourage children to share with other children in developing countries through prayers, personal sacrifice and financial offerings. The class with the highest percentage of financial offerings will win a Dress Down Pass. Thank you for your generosity to those most in need.



Parent-Teacher conferences will be held on October 12th and 13th.  A letter was sent home regarding in-person and by-phone conferences. Please complete and return that form to your child's teacher as soon as possible. Progress Reports will be sent home on October 11th, and parents will have an opportunity to discuss their child/ children’s progress with the teachers after reviewing the progress reports.               



Home and School News


K-3 Halloween Dance Form will be sent home on September 27th.

Each ticket costs $10 and includes a slice of cheese pizza and a drink.  You must sign your child in and out of the dance. Please return the dance form and the money by October 20th. 

We are taking donations for individually wrapped items for treats. We are looking forward to a great night. (No peanut or treenuts please). (see flyer below)

Thank you,

SJRS HSA


We encourage all parents to get involved with Home and School. We will need much help, especially this year with our fundraising efforts. We encourage everyone to share ideas with HSA.


2023-2024 Home and School Officers 


President- Kathy Reaman

Vice-President- Kelly Kisenwether

Secretary- Megan DeAngelo

Treasurer- Billie Jo Wetterau

Coordinator of Fundraising Activities- Karen Weicker

Coordinator of Outreach- Maria McGinley


Email: [email protected]

   

 

Supplies Needed  


Every year we receive donations of items such as Clorox wipes, hand soap, paper towels, Band-Aids and trash bags. If you can donate any of these products or know of a company who would donate these products, it would be greatly appreciated. 

 

 

REMINDERS 


-Please check the October calendar for all important dates. 

 

Here are some of the important dates to look forward to in our very busy month of October:

No school October 9th

The Hometown Fire Company plan to be here on October 10th for a Fire Safety Program.

Early Re-Registration begins October 9th 

Progress Reports are issued October 11th

Parent-Teacher Conferences are Oct 12th and 13th

Circle of Grace Child Protection Catechesis Classes October 20th for all grades

We celebrate Red Ribbon Week- Be Kind to Your Mind. Live Drug Free Oct 23-27

Basket Bonanza Donations are due by October 27th- Thank you!

Halloween Parade, Parties and K-3 Halloween Dance on October 27th


The Halloween Parade for grades K-8 is scheduled for October 27th at 10:00am and will take place in the large bus loop. Parents may park in the parking lot and stand on the sidewalk of the school to view the parade. (If it is raining, or there is inclement weather, the parade will be cancelled- and an Optionc message will be sent out). Classroom parties will take place in the afternoon. Students may wear their Halloween costumes that day, or they can dress in Black and Orange Dress Down Clothing. No weapons of any kind are permitted. Please be sure that the costumes are appropriate.  




The faculty, staff and administration ask for your continued prayers, support, cooperation and dedication to Catholic education. If you have any questions or concerns, you can call the school office at 570-668-2757. We will be happy to help you! Thank you for being part of the SJRS Family! Thank you for all the sacrifices you make to send your child to this school! In order to save time and money, we will continue to use email to communicate with you. If you have an email address, please check it and look for our messages. If you are not receiving our e-newsletters, please send a note to the office to be added to the email list. 




Let Us Pray

Lord Jesus, we ask for Your help as we begin this new school year. Allow us to experience Your presence in the many blessings You put before us. Open our eyes to the new challenges and exciting opportunities that this new school year brings. Open our heart and mind to new friends, new teachers and new staff members. Give us a generous spirit to be enthusiastic with our studies and courage to accept new opportunities. Help us to be attentive to one another and let us experience Your presence in our new friends. Jesus, inspire us to do our best this year! Amen


Let us pray for:

 

Our school family


a Special Intention


Your continued prayers, support, cooperation and dedication to Catholic education.


Your continued kind words toward each other.


Sr. Susan Porvaznik

 

 

Email your prayer requests to [email protected] or send a note to the office.

We will list the names that you would like us to pray for in our monthly newsletters.


Halloween Dance for students in Grades Kindergarten-3rd Grade

Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram for more pictures and happenings in our school!

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Your Tax Dollars can help SJRS 


Everyone has to pay taxes and typically your tax dollar’s fall into four main buckets; Welfare, Infrastructure (roads), Prison Systems, or Public Schools. The great thing about joining our program is it allows you to direct your tax dollars to St. Jerome Regional School. Donors are able to make a direct impact to their community through their tax dollars; they can come into your school any day and see the people they are impacting.

For additional help, please contact your school principal- Amy Hannis-Miskar, who will be able to put you in touch with the Program Manager for Scholarships in the Diocese of Allentown.  

Christmas Show Save the Date


The Christmas Program is the same program for each date.

If you have children in multiple grades, you can choose one of the dates to attend.

Children should dress in (dress-up or holiday clothes or dress uniform) for the program that their parents are attending. They can dress up for each program or choose to wear the regular or dress school uniform for the other two shows.