September 4, 2024



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Principal's Message


Unity is Having Fun Together



Dear St. Philip Neri School Families and Friends,


Thank you for attending Back to School Night last Thursday. It’s so vital that we communicate and engage with one another in making plans to set the year on a strong foundation for our students’ academic success. It’s also important to have fun together, and so our Annual St. Philip Neri Fun Fair gives us the perfect opportunity. Beginning with the Fun Fair Dinner on Saturday, September 14, followed by the Fun Fair on Saturday, September 21 from 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., our entire school and parish community will enjoy Food and Games Booths, Prizes, Face Painting, Cake Walk, Bingo and more! It’s always a fun-filled day for all. It’s also a wonderful way to earn some volunteer hours while enjoying time with family and friends. Look for information on ordering Fun Fair T-Shirts, Dinner Tickets, Game Booths’ Wristbands and volunteer opportunities in this Newsletter.


Speaking of Fun Fair T-Shirts, our student contest to design the Fun Fair T-Shirt was a huge success. We had #49 student participants submit creative designs for this year’s t-shirt. Many thanks to all participants for contributing their ideas, and congratulations to our winners:

  • Honorable Mention, Esther Uzoka, 5th Grade, will get a free Fun Fair T-Shirt.
  • Third Place, Orion Escobar, 3rd Grade, will get a free Fun Fair T-Shirt.
  • Second Place, Mazzee Howard, 5th Grade, will get a free Fun Fair T-Shirt and Wristband.
  • First Place, Mariela Pastran, 5th Grade, will get a free Fun Fair T-Shirt and Wristband and Dinner tickets for her family.


All students may have Free Dress on Friday, September 20 to wear their Fun Fair T-Shirt (this year’s or last).


Please plan on volunteering and/or attending our Fun Fair 2024, and read through this Newsletter for important information you don’t want to miss.


Peace & Blessings,

Ms. Thomas



Van Buren Street Closure, Thursday, September 5, 2024

Please remember to allow more time for drop off and pick up on Thursday, September 5 due to the street closure on Van Buren St. from Court to High Streets. This will block the drop off on Fountain Street for the big school as well as on Van Buren Street. There will be Jackson Street drop off only for the big school that day. Thank you for your cooperation.

SPN/SA Film Series

St. Philip Neri/St. Albert the Great Parish hosts a Friday Film Series for the whole family. The theme for films in September is Teachers and Students. All are welcome, and it’s free to all. You’re welcome to bring your own snacks. 

Films start at 7:00 p.m. in O’Brien Hall.

  • Friday, September 6, Mother Teresa
  • Friday, September 13, To Sir With Love
  • Friday, September 20, Akeelah and the Bee
  • Friday, September 27, Mad, Hot Ballroom


St. Philip Neri Church First Responder's Appreciation Mass

COME JOIN ST. PHILIP NERI CHURCH FOR OUR 

FIRST RESPONDER’S APPRECIATION MASS

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 9:00 AM

 

 Let’s honor & celebrate those who put their lives on the line every day, 

so that we can be safe.

 

In attendance we appreciate Alameda’s Mayor, Marilyn Ezzy Ashcroft, and City Fire Chief, Nick Luby, for their acceptance of our invitation to join our Mass.

 

We also have special guest, Claire Kim, professional violinist, who will join Music Director Lydia Cho & her son Chris Park, on trumpet, with music in this Mass. Ms. Kim will also play a solo meditation piece.


Health Wellness Updates

This is a reminder to stay vigilant in keeping sick students home and informing the Office of symptoms so we can guide a safe return to school. We have 2 cases of COVID as of September 4, 2024.

Calendar


September 2024

Sept 9 PTG Meeting, 6:30 p.m.

Sept 10 Picture Day

Sept 13 NO SCHOOL: No Student Day, No Share and Care, Professional Development Day

Sept 17 Free dress for Sept B-days

Set 21 FUN FAIR

Sept 23 School Board Meeting, 6:30 p.m.

Sept 25 Noon Dismissal / Professional Development Day


October 2024

Oct 4 Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, Prayer Service Blessing of Animals, 8:00 a.m.

Oct 4 T1 Progress Reports

Oct 6 Family Mass, 9:00 a.m. Hosted by grades 7 & 8th

Oct 7 PTG Meeting, 6:30 p.m.

Oct 8-11 Noon Dismissal Days, Parent-Teacher-Student Conferences

Oct 14 NO SCHOOL: Indigenous Peoples day

Oct 15 Free dress for Oct B-days

Oct 16 - Nov 10 Annual Fund Drive

Oct 28 School Board Meeting, 6:30 p.m.

Oct 31 Noon Dismissal. Halloween Parade 8:15 a.m.

TBD 8th Grade Bingo Fundraiser



Let’s Celebrate!

Congratulations to Saint Philip Neri as Winner in Parent's Press "Best Of." Saint Philip Neri won in two categories Best Faith-Based Preschool and Best Faith-Based Elementary School, and placed in the Top 5 of Best Faith-Based Middle School. We are proud of our school, faculty and staff, students and families for this honor. Thank you to all of those who voted for us, and we will continue to do our best to support our students in educating the whole child and promote respectful, responsible long-life learners. 

St. Joseph Notre Dame High School Admissions

SMALL SCHOOL. BIG IMPACT. SJND.

BECOME A PILOT TODAY


Applications opens September 1, 2024


MEET THE CREW INFORMATION NIGHT SEPT. 25 | 6:00P.M.

Picture Day, Tuesday, September 10, 2024

We need a volunteer if you are available please contact the school office

8th Grade Breakfast At The Elks

Athletics Section

Registration for Sports has begun!


We are so excited to get the ball rolling on our fall sports! We offer three sports for your child to join: Cross Country (meets start in two weeks), Girls Volleyball (Practice can begin Sept. 1st with games starting in November) and Boys Basketball (Practice can begin Sept. 1st with games starting in November).


Cross Country is open to grades K-8

Girls Volleyball is open for grades 4-8

Boys Basketball is open for grades 3-8


Here is the link to register (it can also be found on our school website under athletics):

Athletics Registration Link

*Registration for all Fall Sports will close September 13th*


We are looking to purchase an AED for our sports program. If you are able to help please check the link on the wish list.  https://a.co/02yIgzO


As always I am happy to answer any questions you may have. We are also always on the lookout for coaches! So if you are interested in helping out any of our teams at any grade level please let me know, it is a great way to knock out all of your parent volunteer hours!


Thank you and Go Spartans!


Jeff Croft

PE Teacher and Athletic Director

jcroft@csdo.org

St. Philip Neri Pack 78 Cub Scouts

Learn life skills! Experience nature! Go camping! Have fun in Cub Scouts! email spncubscouts@gmail.com for more information, or join us on Monday, September 16th at 6:00PM for our first pack meeting! 

Fall Chess

Counselor's Corner

Greetings SPN Families:


The 2024-2025 school year has begun! Welcome to our new families and welcome back to our returning families. I am excited to return and connect and reconnect with students and families, catch up with colleagues, and get back to work. 


For those who do not know me, I’m Nicole Gwire Garbayo (students call me “Ms. Gwire”), and I am entering my 9th year as the School Mental Health Counselor.  My focus is to support students (and families) with issues related to mental and social/emotional health. A few examples of such issues are anxiety, stress, and social challenges. I love my job, love the students and enjoy my relationships with the families, faculty and staff.  Please feel free to reach out with any questions or just to introduce yourself.  


Below is a link to a great article that I refer to at the beginning of every school year.  This will be a repeat for some families, but a good one no matter what. "Restraint Collapse!” This phrase is used to describe those meltdowns some of our children have after a day of school. When I read this I didn't even know "it" had a name, but definitely knew it was a thing. As children grow older they become more resilient in their emotions, but as they're trying to figure out their way, emotions are strong and confusing. Crises can even occur with adults. Do you ever walk in the door grumpy, tense, and maybe even snap at your family? Well, you're experiencing "Restraint Collapse."  Please read on, it's a great article, and I hope it may be a good addition to your parent toolbox.  

http://bit.ly/3L1rgLR


Here's to a great year!

Thank you,

Nicole Gwire Garbayo

ngwire@csdo.org


Earn Volunteer Hours & Link to Log Hours

Families can now get volunteer hours for buying items from Grade Level and Department Amazon Wishlists. You will get 1 volunteer hour for every $20 spent. If the class does not have any items available on their list, Amazon gift cards are welcome, too!

Please include a gift receipt so we know who to thank!

Please contact Ms. Trujillo with any questions.


Log your Volunteer hours Here

https://forms.gle/3VhHDCEhxiPa5YXg9


Preschool

TK

Kindergarten 

1st Grade

2nd Grade

3rd Grade

4th Grade

5th Grade

6th Grade

7th Grade

8th Grade

Art/Spanish

Library

MakerSpace

Music

Office/Shared Areas

PE

Resource

Share & Care

Garden

Science

Choice Lunch Calendar for Volunteer

Thank you so much to Needlyn D'Mello for creating the calendar this year.


https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1O9RBOBiRFZ-ngev5lHPL0nL718i0_IakbZwIL0t2i4w/edit?usp=sharing

Upcoming Events

The Fun Fair

Hello SPN Families!


The Fun Fair committee is gearing up for another day of fun for our church and school community! The event will be on Saturday, September 21 from 11am-4pm. This is the main fundraising event of the year for our parish. It consists of Carnival Games, an International Food Fair, Raffle, Pasta Dinner and BINGO! Our entire community comes together to put it on-School Families, Parish Ministries and local businesses!


We need your help! Traditionally, school parents volunteer to run the game booths throughout the day. Please follow the link to see available game booths and shift times and/or to donate cakes or other homemade baked goods for the Cake Walk! This is a great way to get your volunteer hours started for the year! We have also included the sign-up form for presale items like t-shirts, tickets and wristbands.



Purchase Kid Zone Wristbands, T-Shirts and Food Tickets HERE


Sign Up to Volunteer HERE


Sign up to donate to the Cake Walk HERE


Questions? Contact gfoster@csdo.org 

Annual Auction + Gala

Celebration of the Arts

A Better Way to Buy Scrip

Do you want to get a head start on your Scrip purchases for the 2024-2025 school year? We now have an easier way to start earning!  Order your gift cards to be delivered to the school or your home. Raise Right also features an app that allows you to purchase egift cards delivered to your ewallet within seconds. There are hundreds of stores available including gas stations, grocery stores, clothing & shoe stores, hotels and more. Check it out today!


Enter enrollment code 432BQIZ543ML at RaiseRight.com/Enroll 

Pay Your Tuition Online

Welcome back St. Philip Neri families!


We are now using Curacubby for online payments and Share & Care attendance. Please take a moment to make sure your profile is up to date and add anyone who is authorized to pick up your child from Share & Care (works best on a computer). Follow the instructions on this flier to access your parent portal. You will need to reset your password before you can sign in.  


To sign your child out of Share & Care you will use our kiosk or scan the posted QR code with your phone.  Enter your mobile number and pin 0000. Your pin can be updated on your Curacubby profile. 


Please reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns. 


Gina Trujillo

Saint Philip Neri Social Media


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”.

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