August 29, 2025 Volume 3 - Issue 03



On this Labor Day weekend, may God bless all the workers who toil earnestly and with dedication for their families.

For those who are currently unemployed, may they find work that is satisfying and fulfilling.

What's Happening

School Theme – A Time to be BOLD!

Each year that I have been a Principal, I have announced a school theme for the community. I am so grateful to our school community for embracing the themes from the last two years.

For this school year, I have selected “A Time to be BOLD!” as our theme. As I reflect on the last two years, I’m incredibly proud of the work we have done and the achievements we have accomplished. These two years for me were really “getting to know you” years. Learn about the community. Start building relationships. Observe how things are done. And, my favorite, start to build culture.

I feel strongly that we are at a point where the time is right to do more, engage more, to be Bold in our actions, in our language, and in our decisions. Boldness is a trait that many admire, and it is often inspired by deep faith and trust in God. I didn’t realize that throughout the Bible, one can find a number of passages where boldness is exhibited. In Proverbs 28:1 we hear that “The wicked run away when no one is chasing them, but the godly are as bold as lions.” This boldness was not just for people like Jesus. Boldness was, in fact, attributed to ordinary people in the Bible like you and me. In Acts 4:13, we learn that “the members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures.”

This Berks Catholic community (all of us) can act, speak, make decisions, engage others in bold ways. Think about what we can accomplish and learn by taking bold, decisive actions this year. Think of the positive changes that can occur when we act with courage and boldness. How might we help someone or make our community better by making bold decisions? How might academics and athletics improve? With bold action, we can inspire each other; try new things; and bring about success in areas where we have not achieved before. We can tackle problems that scared us in the past. We can also work in areas where we struggled or didn’t have the confidence to try.

I have said this for two years now. We have an incredible opportunity to make a good school even better. To make our students better people who care about others. To make ourselves better teachers and administrators who push and support our students every day. To enjoy our successes BUT still strive for more. We can do this and surely set us apart from other schools. Imagine becoming the school of choice in Berks County. That’s Bold!

Welcome to the Class of 2029

On Monday, we welcomed the Class of 2029, 144 young men and women who we now proudly call Saints! Our Freshman class come from all eight of our partner schools and 18 public, private, international and home schools.

Meet our Diocesan Education Leaders

Get to know our Education Leaders in the Diocese of Allentown, led by Superintendent Dr. Michael St. Pierre. Read about their vision and the staff here:

Introducing ‘Saints & Scholars’ (First Edition) – Meet the Leadership Behind the Mission- AD Today

Labor Day Holiday

Saint families are reminded that school is closed on Monday, September 1st for the Labor Day holiday. School resumes on Tuesday, September 2nd.

Saint of the Week Program

The Principal’s Office proudly sponsors a Saint of the Week Program. Over the past 2 years almost 100 Saints have been recognized by this program. Each week, starting on September 2nd, we will recognize one Saint with this honor. Students may be nominated by staff, fellow students, parents or community members. Past Saints have been nominated for some outstanding achievement, active participation in clubs and activities, wholesome or Christian attitude, or service to others, among other things. Click on the link for more details and nomination forms.

Back to School Forms

Families are reminded to send in the Family Survey Form (light gray form), Language Survey Form (purple form) and the Nurse Forms (tan form) to the Main Office as soon as possible. These are extremely important because Berks Catholic receives federal dollars based on information provided from these important forms.

Saints Learning Center

The Saints Learning Center will open next Tuesday, September 2nd. Welcome back to Mrs. Kimberly Staub who returns from maternity leave. Mrs. Staub taught Theology in the past at BC and will cover the center on Mondays and Wednesday. Back for her second year is Mrs. Heather Schaeffer who will again cover the center on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

Attendance Notification

Absences: All student illnesses and absences from Berks Catholic High School require a phone call from the parent/guardian. This phone call should be received on the Attendance Line no later than 9:00 a.m. the day of the absence at the following number: 610-374-8361 ext. 400. 

Early Dismissal from School

Students who must leave school before the end of the day are required to bring a written excuse with the time and reason, signed by the parent or guardian, to the Main Office. The request must be made in writing, not via the telephone. All written excuses for early dismissal must be handed into the main office before homeroom. The students will be issued a pass to leave class at the designated time.

Thank you for helping us with these important daily attendance tasks.

Drop-Off Item Policy

Responsibility is a very important skill for high school students to accept and practice. To help our students learn responsibility we strongly encourage parents to keep drop-offs to a minimum. A parent must log the dropped-off item and the student must sign when they pick up the item. Please ensure that your child’s name is listed on the item. It is the student’s responsibility to check and sign for their dropped off items.  The main office will not deliver or send for a student to pick up an item. This will help keep interruptions in the classroom to a minimum. Please keep in mind when a classroom is interrupted it not only takes your child off task but all classmates as well. Berks Catholic is not responsible for missing items.

If a student forgets his/her lunch, our cafeteria will always allow the student to eat a standard lunch. The student may reimburse the cafeteria the following day. No student will be refused a meal. 

We very much appreciate your support on this policy.

Friendly Reminders

At our back-to-school assemblies this week, Mr. Jones, Dean of Students, reminded students about everyday items such as dress code, cell phone usage, wearing ID tags and getting to school on time. We understand that these are issues at many schools. We want our Saints to strive to do their best in these areas. You can be sure we will continue to encourage them to fulfill these obligations. As our partners in education, we appreciate your help at home reinforcing this message with your Saint.

Parking Lot Drop Off / Pick-Up

Parents and guardians are reminded when dropping off and picking up your Saints in front of school you should do so in the outer drive. Please do not use the inner drive that is closest to the school as it is reserved for the school buses. Also, you are reminded not to turn illegally into the parking lot from Parkside Drive across from the Greek Church. Those exits are one-way going out. Thank you for helping to keep our Saints safe.

College Visits Next Week

No visits will take place next week. Visits will start on Monday, September 15th.

News from the Tuition Office

Please access and refer to your STS account for detailed tuition, fee, and financial aid information at https://simpletuitionsolutions.org/parents/. If you have difficulty logging in, please contact STS Customer Support at support@simpletuitionsolutions.org. Please ensure your email address is correct on your STS account. Email is the primary means of communication from STS. Please contact the Tuition Office if you have any questions at tuition@berkscatholic.org. We look forward to working with you this year!

Athletic Competitions

Our fall sports season is underway with over 300 fall athletes participating. Come out and support our Saints in their many falls athletic sports. Be sure to view the online calendar to find games and times for each team. Access to the calendar is here: Teams & Schedules - Berks Catholic High School

Athletic Hall of Fame

Congratulations to our newest inductees into the Berks Catholic High School Hall of Fame!

Join us on Friday, September 5, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. in the Franco-Post Auditorium for the induction ceremony. Please RSVP to Sarah Hess shess@berkscatholic.org.

Grace and Hope in Parenthood Presentation

Saint parents and guardians are invited to a presentation called "Grace and Hope in Parenthood," an evening of fellowship, inspiration and prayer designed to strengthen parents in guiding their children in the faith and helping them grow closer to Jesus. The Diocese is honored to welcome John Beaulieu, from the Apostolate Romans 5:5, who will share practical insights to encourage parents in the joys and challenges of raising children in faith with renewed hope.

Date & Time: Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025, 7:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m.

Location: Notre Dame, High School Auditorium, 3417 Church Rd., Easton, PA 18045

Registration: allentowndiocese.flock

Yearbook Sales

It might only be the first weeks of school, but we are already working on the 2025-26 yearbook. Don’t miss out on the year’s highlights and memories. Purchase a yearbook for your Saint!

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.

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.

BC By the Numbers

144: Freshman enrollment of the Class of 2029 on the first day of class.

"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 want to be bold, check out Proverbs 28:1