March 14, 2023

May good luck be with you

Wherever you go, and your blessings outnumber the shamrocks that grow.

May your days be many and your troubles be few,

May all God's blessings descend upon you,

May peace be within you,

May your heart be strong,

May you find what you're seeking wherever you roam.

HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY

Principal's Message

Moving Along on the Lenten Journey

Dear SPN Families,

A huge THANK YOU to our Auction Co-Chairs, Monica Burneikis and Zane Howard, our V.I.P. (Very Important Parent) volunteers, and all contributors and attendees for making this year’s event a huge success! The Academy Awards were Sunday in Los Angeles, but Saturday night at the Alameda Elk's Lodge rivaled the star-studded Oscar celebrations! The auction was a big success and we will share more details as we get those final numbers! Thank you everyone for your spirited participation!

Yesterday began Trimester 3, the final 12 weeks of the school year. Students will receive their report cards this Friday, March 17th. Please review the report cards and comments with your children, celebrating their achievements and positive growth as well as making a plan for finishing the school year successfully in areas that need attention. This is a private mode of communication between you, your children, and their teachers. If you have any concerns or questions about the report cards, please contact the teacher for clarification or for an appointment.

Tomorrow marks the beginning of the fourth week of Lent, a half-way point on our journey towards Easter Sunday. It’s a good time for us to reflect; how are we doing with our Lenten promises? Have we been intentional with our prayer, fasting/sacrifice and almsgiving/charity? How can we do better?

Our second grade students will have their first opportunity to receive the sacrament of Reconciliation tonight at 6:30p.m. Our third through eighth grade students will have the opportunity to receive the sacrament on Friday morning. Remembering that sin is anything that keeps us apart from God’s love, the sacrament of Reconciliation is a beautiful and profound way to reconnect us with His Divine love and mercy.

May we continue our Lenten journey to Easter by remembering the sacrifices Jesus made for our salvation, and may our remembrances provide us with strength and perseverance to fulfill our Lenten promises and nurture our relationship with God.

Peace,

Ms. Thomas

Focus on LOVE: “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.” 1 John 4:16

Hello SPN families! We want to let you know about our Lenten Service Learning Project that will support the Alameda Point Collaborative Farm2Market project.The school is collecting used or new paper grocery bags to help our local community. The grocery bags will go to bagging 500+ pounds of reclaimed produce that will then be distributed to low-income families in Alameda. Each month they distribute an average of 250 bags, so if each student were to donate a single bag, we could supply a month's worth. Imagine what we could do if we all donated even more! Donations can be dropped off in the box in the front lobby starting today! Last day to contribute is next Friday, March 24th. Let’s help our community thrive!

Thank you,

-Melina Ahrens and Tej Panchal

(Service Learning Commissioners)

Information and Updates

Sports Photos, tomorrow, March 15th: Sports photos will be taken during the school day tomorrow. Student athletes may wear their SPN sports uniforms to school.
Masquerade Auction Last Chance Items!: Final chance for parties and teacher items! Don't miss out! Closing 3/20 at 9pm. Follow this link!
Report Card Day this Friday: Trimester 2 report cards will go home with students this Friday, March 17th.
Noon Dismissal this Friday: This Friday, March 17th is a noon dismissal. Share & Care is open.
St. Patrick's Day Green and White Dress: This Friday is green and white spirit day! Wear green and white or your uniform.
Register for Spring Chess Club: Registration for this trimester's Chess Club is now open! Follow this link for details and to register. Open to 1st - 5th graders. See flyer below.
Light Up the Night!The Parent-Child Dance returns to SPN on Saturday, April 22nd (formerly known as the Father-Daughter Dance). Join us for an evening of dancing, food, and fun! Purchase tickets here by March 20 at 9pm. Add an extra child ticket here. Add an extra parent ticket here. See flyer below!
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, March 7, 2023.

Special Message and Survey from the SPN Board

SPN Community Survey:

Hello Saint Philip Neri! Your SPN Advisory Board (SAB) has spent the past year working on a SWOT Analysis. In the fall, we did a lot of internal analysis. This occurred at the committee levels as well as at our SAB meetings. We are at the stage of the process where we need some external feedback. Please take a few minutes to answer the following questions as honestly as possible. This survey will be anonymous.

The last question will ask what grade your student(s) is/are in. The class that generates the largest participation will receive a lunchtime treat after Easter Break (TBD). On behalf of the SPN Advisory Board, thank you for taking the time to make our SPN School community even greater than it already is.

Sincerely,

Carlos Trujillo, School Board President

Julie Thomas, Principal

LINK to Survey.

Best Of Voting!

It's that time of year! Time to let the world know about how well St. Philip Neri Catholic School does its job! The following three publications post winners each year in their Best Of competition. Please take a moment to vote for SPN in all three! SPN qualifies for three categories in each competition (see below). Feel free to forward to family and friends!

SPN Voting Categories:

"Early Education", Faith-based Preschool
"Schools-Elementary", Faith-based Elementary
"Schools-Middle", Faith-based Middle

Vote here

SPN is listed under "KIDS"

Best Preschool
Best Private Elementary School
Best Private Middle School

Vote here

SPN is listed under "KIDS"

Best Preschool
Best Private Elementary School
Best Private Middle School

Vote here

School Happenings

Ronan and Lucas represented SPN at the San Francisco St. Patrick’s Day parade last Saturday (and braved the weather) with their instructor Jenna Pohlman and Muse students from around the Bay Area!

The superb cast of last week's drama play, The Enchanted Bookshop! Bravo!

6th graders had a great time at Nature Bridge camp last week!

Share & Care!

Community Happenings

MIDDLE SCHOOL CAMP DATES

Session 1

June 12 - June 23

Session 2

June 26 - July 7

O’Dowd’s Summer Academy is designed to offer fun enrichment and inspiring advancement opportunities for middle school and high school students throughout the Bay Area. Summer Academy students can choose from courses to inspire their curiosity, like gardening in the Living Lab, 3-D printing & CAD, or creative writing, to courses that challenge them academically, from algebra and geometry prep to debate. O’Dowd’s Summer Academy also offers athletic opportunities, including basketball, football, running and conditioning, and more.

Calendar

March 2023

Mar 14 - First Reconciliation

Mar 14 - Free dress for March Bdays

Mar 15 - Sports Photo day

Mar 17 - Report Card day, Green free dress (St. Patrick's Day)

Mar 17 - Noon dismissal, Share & Care Open

March 31 - Noon dismissal