The Black & Gold Report

August 15, 2025 Volume 3 - Issue 01

Dear Saint Families and Friends:

“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.”

-Mark Twain

Greetings from Berks Catholic! Happy New School Year! It just seems like last week when I was saying have a good summer to everyone. I am so excited to be welcoming you all back for another great school year. It was like old times the last two weeks seeing so many of our Saints on campus for sports and activities. The energy, excitement and laughs just make this place come alive. There’s nothing like it. And when all our Saints are in the building it is amazing! I hope you are as anxious as I am to "experience" that amazing feeling again. See you soon.

It’s a great day to be a Saint!

John Petruzzelli

Principal

610-374-8361 ext. 253

Email: jpetruzzelli@berkscatholic.org

Twitter: jpetrobcsaints

Instagram: john.petruzzelli.9

Monday, 8/18

Tuesday, 8/19

Teacher & Staff Retreat Day

Fall Sports Media Night (5:00 p.m.)

Wednesday, 8/20

Teacher In-Service Day

Incoming New Student Prayer Service (6:00 p.m.)

New Student iPad Distribution (7:00 p.m.)

Thursday, 8/21

Teacher In-Service Day

College Counseling Parent Night (6:00 p.m.)

Friday, 8/22

Teacher Orientation Day

For our teachers that God inspires them to teach with zeal and boldness during this new school year.

For all our fall athletes that they remain healthy and participate with sportsmanship during their sports season.

Kudos

Welcome to our new BC staff members who join the Saints family this year: Mary Ann Conway (Advancement Office), Joshua Ford (History), Aubrey Kounelis (Art), Tricia Reber (English) and Maria Rodriguez (Spanish).

Familiar faces in new places: Former Central Catholic and BC Religion Teacher Bill Davis, returns as a long-term sub for the 1st Quarter filling in for Mrs. Durkee who is out on maternity leave; Mrs. Kimberly Staub returns to BC part-time after her maternity leave last year. Mrs. Staub will be working two days a week in the Saints Learning Center; and Mr. Tim Stover who moderates the DECA Business Club will teach an Intro to Business Class this school year.

Many thanks to our dedicated Facilities Staff led by Mr. Ressler and Mr. Smith. They, along with our tremendous summer Saint workers (Caitlyn Bailey ’24, Jakob Dempster ’27, Braylon D’Achille '27 and Anderson Smith ’28) diligently worked to get our school building pristine and ready for the new school year.

Thank you to our Saint Football Moms who participated in the third annual BC Mothers’ Football Clinic last week, learning side-by-side with your sons.

Thank you to all our families who joined us for the Used Uniform Sale on Monday evening. It was great to see so many Saints at the sale.

What's Happening

Happy New Year

Welcome back! We hope you are excited to begin the 2025-2026 school year. We look forward to seeing our new Freshmen Saints next Wednesday evening, August 20th at the Freshman Prayer Service and iPad Distribution and then again for their first day of school on Monday, August 25th. We look forward to welcoming our Saint Upperclassmen on Tuesday, August 26th. Please know we are here for you and your children. If there is something we can do to help your family, please let us know.

The Black and Gold Report Newsletter

Each Friday of the school year (starting today), families will be sent by email The Black and Gold Report, the Principal’s newsletter. It will include important school news, dates of upcoming events, student congratulations and more. Be sure to look for it each Friday morning at 8:00 a.m.

Opening of School

School opens on Monday, August 25th when we welcome our Freshmen for an Orientation Day. We will begin at 7:50 a.m. and dismissal will be at 11:30 a.m. On Tuesday, August 26th all students report to school at regular time with a 2:30 p.m. dismissal. School pictures will take place that day. Students, please be sure to know your bus name and number.

Canvas Reminder for Saints

All saint Canvas users must log into Canvas with their school email address moving forward. If saints have forgotten their email password, they should enter a support ticket at support@berkscatholic.freshdesk.com.

Dress Code

Please help us with dress code at home. Families are reminded that the dress code is in effect on Day 1 of the school year. Please make sure your Saints are ready and looking good. You can refer to the letter sent home this summer by Mr. Jones, Dean of Students. Hair, piercings, etc. should be in accord with dress code regulations on the first day. We don’t want this to be a distraction or struggle as we start the new school year. Thank you for your assistance with this matter.

Bus Transportation

According to Pennsylvania law, non-public school students are entitled to transportation to non-public schools by their public school district. ACT 372 forms were mailed home to all BC families in April. Bus forms that have been submitted were forwarded to the public school district in which your student resides. Your public school district will be sending you your students’ busing information (if they haven’t already). If you do not receive your busing information by next week, please contact your public school Transportation Department. A list of school Transportation Departments is available on the BC website under Campus Info. Click on the Forms tab and scroll down to Transportation. To date, if your student’s ACT 372 form has NOT been returned to BC, the public school district cannot guarantee transportation for the first week of school. If you have not returned your ACT 372 form and require transportation for your student, please contact your public school district immediately for assistance. If you have any questions, please contact Transportation Coordinator, Stephanie Jones, at sjones@berkscatholic.org.

BC By the Numbers

20: Different colleges and universities that the BC College Counselors visited this summer in Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Texas.

RSVP to Prayer Service

Meet the Teacher Night

Parents and guardians are invited to our annual “Meet the Teacher” Night on Wednesday, August 27th. This is a fantastic opportunity to come meet the teachers and administrators and find out about your Saint’s classes. The evening will begin in the Franco-Post Auditorium at 6:00 p.m. with the Administrative Team, followed by a mini-schedule for you to walk in your child’s footsteps and experience their school day. The Saints Locker will also be open. Meet and talk with the Administrative Team during your lunch periods in the cafeteria. We hope to see you there.

PTO Meet and Greet

Join the PTO on Wednesday, September 3rd at 6:00 p.m. in the McGlinn Commons. Come learn how parents and guardians can get involved at Berks Catholic!

RSVP HERE

School Store Open 8/20/25 6-8 p.m. 8/27/25 6-8 p.m.

ONLINE SPIRIT WEAR STORE

Click here to order Spirit wear

Did you miss the Used Uniform Sale? Last Chance for 2025-2026 TODAY @ 11am-12pm

A special thank you to everyone who generously donated gently used uniforms. Your kindness is greatly appreciated.

Saint Ambassador Sign-Up

Current Seniors, Juniors and Sophomores may sign up to be a Saint Ambassador and represent BC at various school events. Saints can use the QR Code to sign up.

Student Ambassador Sign-Up

Chicken BBQ Order

Scrip Gift Cards

Don’t miss out on a great way to reduce your tuition. Do you know some families save several hundreds of dollars on tuition each year by participating in the Scrip Gift Card Program? See the flyer for more details.

"Say What Sunday"

“Say What Sunday” is a weekly feature in our social media postings. Check it out each Sunday and see what people are saying about Berks Catholic. We’d love to hear what you have to say as well. Please go to: https://forms.gle/hpF8HWXaJCiL86ga8 to leave your message about BC!

The Bible by the Numbers

When you are feeling sad, check out Isaiah 41:10.

Social Media

Did you see our posts this week about the start of fall sports? Keep up with all the happenings at the school on our social media channels. Check out what our students are doing day-to-day in class; important news articles; sports and activities; and more! Be sure to follow the school on social media for all the latest updates, pictures and school information. Facebook: Berks Catholic; Twitter: @BerksCatholic; and Instagram: berkscatholic.

It's a great day to be a Saint!

Our Mission

Berks Catholic High School is centered on the four pillars of God, Family, Academics and Fun. As a vibrant Christ-centered community, the Administration, Faculty and Staff are dedicated to providing a challenging academic environment for a diverse population of young men and women. Through Christian principles rooted in the Catholic tradition, we strive to positively impact our students spiritually, intellectually, socially, physically and emotionally, so they can live productive lives of service in this world and attain eternal life.

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