February 14, 2023

... and the greatest of these is LOVE

Principal's Message

Dear families,

Our school theme for this year focuses on Faith, Hope and Love, specifically the scripture quote from 1 Corinthians 13:13, “And these three remain– faith, hope and love – and the greatest of these is love.” This is our call and response every morning at assembly. Indeed, it is a call to action.

While Faith, Hope and Love are nouns, they are also verbs, actions that we remind ourselves to practice and demonstrate in our lives. Love is about action, how a person lives for the Lord and obeys Him and how a person lives for others and serves them. …Love is a way of being as a person, a way of thinking, acting, and living. It is, in fact, being Christ-like.

When we follow Christ’s example and truly love others in a way that serves them and God, we experience peace. May we use this St. Valentine’s Day to renew our commitment to being loving examples of Christ in our daily lives with our family members, our friends, and those around us.

Happy St. Valentine’s Day, St. Philip Neri Families!

Love,

Ms. Thomas

Focus on HOPE: “But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.” Romans 8:25

The SPN 4th grade class shared its love by volunteering with Kids Against Hunger last week. The organization's mission is to "..feed starving children with volunteers helping create highly nutritious meals." The 4th graders packed enough food to provide 4320 meals! These meals will be heading to refugees in Ukraine. Thank you, 4th grade!

Information and Updates

Returning Families: There are two things returning families need to do for the 2023-24 school year. 1. Fill out this Intent to Return form by next Wednesday, Feb. 22nd. 2. On March 30th each family will receive an email with a link to complete the registration for their students for next year.
Noon Dismissal this Friday: This Friday, 2/17, school is dismissed at noon. Share & Care is open.
No School on Monday: Monday, February 20th there is no school and no Share & Care in observance of Presidents day.
Burning of the Palms: Next Tuesday, 2/21, Fr. Joseph will join us for morning assembly to lead us in the Burning of the Palms.
Ash Wednesday: There will be an All School Mass on Wednesday, 2/22 to observe Ash Wednesday.
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!
Choice Lunch Volunteers Needed: Work a lunch shift and earn a free lunch for your student! 11:30a.m. - 12:30p.m. M-F slots available. See sign up sheet here and contact parent Janelle Sheets (jtpaws@hotmail.com) for details.
Looking for a past newsletter? Check out our Newsletter Archives on our website.
COVID Update: We have had 0 new Covid cases since Tuesday, February 7, 2023.

SPN 2023 Spartan Masquerade Auction - You are Invited!

Spartan Sports Section

Sand Volleyball registration is OPEN! (see flyer here)

Sand Volleyball is open to boys in Grades 5 - 8, and any girls in Grades 5 - 8 who have not played fall SPN volleyball. (EBPL rules)

VERY FUN sport for all - it's recreational rather than competitive and all games are played on Sunday afternoons.
Games are played with 4 players at a time, with players rotating during games.
Practices are here in Alameda and the games are a short drive away.
Families often carpool to the games and bring a picnic to enjoy the afternoon.
A 6-week regular season kicks off at the end of March.

Grades 5 & 6 play in a bracket together (Sundays, 12 - 2pm)

Grades 7 & 8 play together (Sundays, 2:30 - 4:30pm)

**We are still seeking a coach/es and assistant. Sand VB can be co-coached and parents can assist at practice if needed.

We would love to have your child join us for fun in the sun (and sand!)

Questions? Please reach out to Katie Sacco, 415.637.6240 (cell)

Weekly Sports Wrap-up:

SPN Boys Basketball teams concluded their season over the weekend. The 3rd grade played a great game against Corpus Christi. They played great team defense in the second half but our rally fell short of a win.

4th Grade boys picked up their 4th win in an exciting game that came down to the final 30secs. Final score was 20-16.

The 5th/6th grade team lost a closely contested game. It was a great effort and they look to continue to build for next season.

Overall it's been a fun and fulfilling season. The athletes bonded and learned new skills. All the teams will or have had their season-ending team party to celebrate an awesome season.

On the Girls Volleyball side, our 8th grade team definitely showed up for the EBPL playoff game against St. Elizabeth's. After dropping the first set, the team rallied and roared back to victory!! With the win, the team was crowned EBPL Champions and will move on to next week’s CYO Championship for all the marbles. Congratulations!

Come out this weekend to support our girls in their quest to be crowned CYO Champions. Saturday (2/18) playoff action will begin with the 8th grade team opening the day at 9am at. St. Elizabeth. Our top-seeded 7th grade team will also see action on Saturday at 2pm at St. Elizabeth. If they get wins on Saturday, Sunday will see our 8th grade team at St. Elizabeth's at 2:30pm and the 7th grade team will play at St. Theresa's at 3:30pm. For your planning purposes, if our teams win, the finals will be at St. Bede in Hayward on Tuesday evening. 7th grade will play at 6:30 and 8th grade will play at 7:30. So clear your calendars and prepare to come cheer on our Spartans!