November 8, 2022



RAIN TODAY!

It’s Always a Good Time to Do the Right Thing

Our SPN community enjoyed two special events on Saturday, November 5th: the Family Mass at 5:15 p.m. and the 8th Grade Bingo Fundraiser from 6:00-9:00 p.m. Many thanks to those students and their families who attended and hosted Family Mass. We have an ever growing children’s choir which adds so much to the Eucharistic celebration, and our readers and altar servers enhance the liturgical experience for everyone. Thank you to our Catholic Identity committee on the School Board, Hailey Castelaz, Ruby Joseph and others, for helping to organize our Family Masses.

The 8th Grade Bingo Fundraiser was a great community event, especially as it was the first event of its kind since the pandemic: dinner and games in-person with friends and family! O’Brien Hall was full of fun and celebration and all for a good cause, to help our 8th graders with their graduation dinner dance and activities. Many compliments to all of the 8th grade families for their support of the event under the leadership of Gemma Holmes and Helen Bouras. Good clean fun is back, and SPN is ready to rock!

We hope you will join us for another in-person event tonight at Math Night in O’Brien Hall from 5:00-7:00 p.m. Enjoy hands-on Math activities for all families to enjoy! See the flyer below for details.

Yesterday at morning assembly I took a moment to remind students in grades 1-8 that we must be sure to provide a safe place for everyone here at SPN. Physical and emotional safety are vital in order for learning to take place. Recently I have received reports of not-so-safe nor respectful language and behaviors going on at school among students. These behaviors often take the form of “teasing,” yet unintentional damage can result from these incidents. We are being very clear with students that if they feel disrespected or harmed by someone, or if they witness harm or disrespect happening to another person at school, they must report it to a teacher. We can only address the behaviors we know about, so reporting is essential to maintaining a positive, safe school environment for all. In words and actions we need to be respectful, responsible, and reverent, and when we are not, we need to be lifelong learners, being accountable for our actions and correcting behaviors that harm using Restorative Justice practices.

As partners in education, please speak with your children about the importance of being mindful of thoughts, words, and actions, and encourage students to report (or report through you) any words or behaviors that are disrespectful or harmful. Together, we can keep SPN a safe, nurturing environment where all students can thrive.

Warmly,

Ms. Thomas

Focus on FAITH: “For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” Romans 10:10

• Tonight! Math and Game Night in Candyland!: Come to O'Brien Hall between 5 and 7 p.m. tonight to play with numbers and win prizes! Open to preschool - 8th grade. See flyer below for details. Hope to see you there!
• The SPN Drama Class Presents - "Snew White": This Thursday, November 10th at 1:45p.m. the drama class will perform their fall play in O'Brien Hall. Parents are welcome to attend. 
• Admissions Event this Thursday - Information Night November 10th: Please invite any families interested in applying for the 2023-24 school year to attend one of our Information Nights to hear more about our school. The first is this Thursday, November 10th at 7p.m. Register at spnalameda.org. The second will take place on January 11th.
• Volunteer Opportunity: The Athletic Board is looking for volunteers to assist in our upcoming Alameda Point Hosting date on Nov 19th. Please use this link to sign up . Middle schoolers can also sign up for credit towards service hours. For those who are interested in volunteering as a volleyball scorer, please sign up here for scoring training (Online) that is scheduled for Nov 16th. 
• Looking for a past newsletter? Check out our Newsletter Archives on our website.
• Volunteering at SPN: Interested in volunteering? Need to log your hours? Here's what you'll need for the 2022-23 school year. View the SPN Volunteer Requirements here. After volunteering, log your hours using the Volunteer Hours Log Sheet. Thanks for your time!
• COVID Update: There has been 1 new COVID case at SPN since Tuesday, November 1, 2022!

Book Fair Coming Soon!

SPN's annual Book Fair “Bolder. Prouder. Stronger Reader.” is coming soon! Visit the Book Fair to find wonderful books and gifts for your child(ren), friends, and family. There is something for everyone. Also, help build your child(ren)'s classroom library by purchasing books from their classroom wish list.

Book Fair Dates & Hours (located in O'Brien Hall):

●     Monday, Nov. 14 – 2:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

●     Tuesday, Nov. 15 – 2:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

●     Wednesday, Nov. 16 – 2:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

●     Thursday, Nov. 17 – 2:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

●     Friday, Nov. 18 – 2:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Did you know eWallet is the perfect present? This digital payment account allows you

to fund your child's purchases in advance. Best of all? Family and friends can also contribute to eWallet. The more, the merrier! Find additional information at https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/content/fairs/articles/ewallet.html or check out the video.

If you are unable to attend the Fair in person, we invite you to visit our online Book Fair from Nov. 14 - Nov. 27.

It’s opening weekend for Boys Basketball and Girls Volleyball!

Basketball:

The 7th Grade team played against Corpus Christi and St. John over the weekend. The team competed from tip off to the final buzzer. The entire team showed hustle and good attitude despite the losses. Shaking off the rust, the team is looking to rebound and continue to improve over the season

The 6th Grade team also played St. John First on opening weekend. The team was down 18-2 at the half but made adjustments and held St. John scoreless in the 3rd. Ultimately, the team couldn’t overcome the first half jitters and lost 8-27.  Overall, the team got better as the game went on. After the game, part of the team went to Roundtable as a team building event to bond as a team and look forward to a great season.

The 4th Grade team played against St. Leo and had a rough start to the season. Despite the loss, The team had many positives as they are starting to communicate as a team and talking up one another in a positive way. After two years of absence due to Covid, practice makes perfect and team will continue to develop as basketball players and have a successful season

The 3rd Grade Boys Basketball won their season opener against School of Madeleine in a fun fast-paced game. Uly Costy led all scorers while the boys played great defense and worked together as a team. The final Score was 10 -7 (Although officially score is not kept by the league)

Volleyball:

The 7th grade GVB team won their first game today against St. Joseph of Pinole in 2 sets (25-15 and 25-21). The team was a little nervous when they started the game, but quickly found their rhythm in the first set and went on a winning streak. The team had a strong start in the second set but with a few passing errors, St. Joseph caught up and kept us on our toes. But, the SPN team did not give up and worked hard to finish the second set and win today's match.

The 5th Grade GVB also played against St. Joseph Pinole and wood in 2 sets. Despite having only 6 players available for the game, the team played tremendously and won their season opening.

Many of our teams will play again this weekend, Come out and support your friends, student athletes and root for our teams! Below is the weekend schedule:

Basketball:

11/12 - Saturday - 11:00AM 8th Grade team against St. Leo @ St. Leo gym

Volleyball:

11/11 Friday - 6pm 5th Grade White team against St. Joseph Alameda @ St. Theresa

11/13 Sunday - 2pm 5th Grade White team against School of the Madeleine @ St. Joseph Alameda

Bingo Night in O'Brien Hall!

"The 8th Grade wants to thank the St.Philip Neri School and Parish, the Parent Volunteers, Bingo Extraordinaire Alum Peter Ohno, Everyone who attended, the 8th Grade Childcare providers and all of our Sponsors who made the night super successful!"

1st and 2nd graders enjoying recess.

Preschoolers learn about mail carriers!

Get your spirit wear! The Saint Philip Neri School Sideline Store is officially

up and running. Check out the SPN swag for a new, off-campus look!

To celebrate, we're offering fans an epic, month-long promotion--

25% OFF site-wide when you use code SPIRIT.

Have you joined SPN on social media? 

We would love to have you as a part of our social media community.

It only takes a few seconds to join.

Check us out on Instagram at “spnalameda”.

Volunteers Needed 

The Autumn Harvest Sale is November 11, 12, & 13, 2022 at St. Albert’s Hall.

Outreach Ministry is in need of adult volunteers to help during the sale, with clean up, or to contribute baked items for the bake sale. You earn volunteer hour credits for your work with the sale.

All adult volunteers must be fully vaccinated to participate in the sale.

Sale Days

Friday, Nov 11;  7:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Saturday, Nov 12; 7:30 a.m.- 2:30 p.m.

After Mass 4:45 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Sunday, Nov 13; After Mass

Sale -8:45 am- 9:45 a.m.

Sale -11:15 am- 12:30 p.m.

Clean up - 12:30 p.m. until completed

Please package donated baked items as a 2, 4 or 6 serving portion. You can bring donated baked goods to the SPN parish office on Thursday, Nov. 10th or to St Albert’s Hall on Thursday, Nov. 10 or Friday, November 11 between 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Please contact Kelly (510) 917-8049 to sign up to help.

Outreach Ministry appreciates your help!

November 2022

Nov 8 - Family Math and Game Night Candyland 5-7pm

Nov 10 - Drama Play

Nov 10 - End of Trimester 1; Information Night 7pm

Nov 11 - No School, No Share & Care - Veteran's Day

Nov 14 - 18 - Scholastic Book Fair

Nov 14 - School Board Meeting

Nov 15 - Free dress for November Bdays

Nov 18 - Report Card Day

Nov 21-25 - Thanksgiving Break