SPN Weekly Newsletter #19

January 19, 2022

“We must accept finite disappointment,

But never lose infinite hope.”

– Martin Luther King, Jr.

Principal's Message

Dear families,

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday commemorating his birthday occurs at such a good time. Yes, it’s just a couple of weeks after New Year’s, marking the end of the Christmas holidays. Some years we might be feeling a little winter doldrums at this time, or we might be grateful that we have a break from spreading flus or colds. Whatever our present circumstances or perspectives, the MLK Holiday offers us time to pause and reflect and hopefully get inspired to support causes that serve the common good, that bring people together, that advocate for nonviolence and justice, and that reflect our Gospel values.

As I mentioned to the student body last week, Martin Luther King, Jr. was a model for us of how to serve the needs of others. Here at Saint Philip Neri Catholic School, we host many opportunities for our community to come together to help others. We have two donation drives beginning this week and continuing for the next 3 weeks. The 8th grade Girls Volleyball team is sponsoring a collection for St. Mary’s Center in Oakland from January 18 - February 3, and alumnae, Oliver Suer, and fellow Scout, Tyler Fong, are sponsoring a collection from January 18 - February 10. Please see the details on each event flyer below. We encourage you to support these donations. The supplies will be going to adults and youth in need in our local communities.

Warmly,

Julie Thomas

Interim Principal

Updates and Information

COVID update: We continue to receive new CDC guidelines and protocols each week. From January 11-18, we had 5 positive cases in our school. This represents less than 2% of our school population. Alameda County overall infections are currently at 20%. Thank you for your continued vigilance, as our efforts are clearly making a difference. We ask that you continue to follow the Daily Health Screening DHS and contact the office to report symptoms and/or exposure outside of school.
Free COVID tests: Follow this link from USPS to order 4 free COVID tests for your household.
CYO: All sports practices and competitions have been paused for at least another week.
Urgent Volunteer Need: Keep our hot lunches coming! We are in dire, immediate need of hot lunch servers. M-F 11:20am - 12:30pm. One-time or ongoing slots available. Sign up here (2nd tab). Be sure your volunteer paperwork is on file. Contact Janelle Sheets for further details/questions: jtpaws@hotmail.com.
Sports Volunteers Needed for Feb. 5th at the Alameda Point Gym, as it is SPN’s hosting day. Here’s the link to the sign up.
SLC Spirit day - Whacky Wednesday! Come dressed whacky next Wednesday, January 26th. Free dress rules apply.
Donation Drives: Please see information below about three important ways to make a difference in our community. Collection boxes are set up in the school office.
Catholic Schools Week and Open House: There will be a virtual Open House to kick off Catholic Schools Week on Sunday, January 30th. Details soon.

School Happenings

Three great opportunities to give:

The SPN School Advisory Board's Belonging and Inclusion Committee, in collaboration with the Catholic Identity Committee, is excited to announce a Belonging and Inclusion Book Drive to promote diversity within our library's book collection. It is important for our children to be exposed to different characters and cultures, as well as get access to resources that will help them explore the many dimensions of diversity. It is also important for our children to see themselves in stories, and see characters overcome obstacles and change the world for the better.