April 15, 2025

Principal's Message

Easter Blessings

Dear St. Philip Neri School Families and Friends,

Holy Week events provide all of us opportunities to conclude our Lenten journeys with prayerful experiences that help us focus on the life of Jesus, His sacrifices for us, and the miracle and hope of the Resurrection. We appreciate all of the preparations and work of the Fifth Grade in beautifully presenting the Stations of the Cross yesterday, the Eighth Grade for their powerful performance of the Passion Narrative today, and Kindergarten for sharing the story of Moses on Holy Thursday, Please remember to send in your Catholic Relief Services Rice Bowl donations this week (checks made out to CRS, preferred).

On behalf of the faculty and staff, we wish all of our families and friends a very blessed Easter and a safe and enjoyable Easter vacation.

Peace & Blessings,

Ms. Thomas

Principal

Health and Wellness Updates

Please be vigilant and keep sick students home. There have been 0 COVID cases since September 4, 2024.

Calendar

April 2025

Apr 17 Holy Thursday, Noon dismissal, No Share and Care

Apr 18-27 NO SCHOOL: Easter Break, No Share and Care

Apr 28 Classes Resume

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

May 2025

May 3 First Communion Retreat 10:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

May 5 Volunteer Reception (adults only), 6:30-8:00 p.m. in O'Brien Hall Please RSVP Here (see below for more information)

May 7 May Crowning All School Mass, 9:30 a.m.

May 9 Class Theme Day (each class chooses their own theme)

May 10 First Communion, 10:00 a.m.

May 11 Family Mass, 9:00 a.m.

May 13 Fun Run 9:00 am

May 15 Bike to School Day

May 16 Sports Awards, 7:00-8:00 p.m.

May 19 School Board Meeting, 6:30 p.m.

May 20 Free Dress for May B-days

May 21 Spring Concert, 7:00 p.m. Students' attendance required

May 23 St. Philip Neri Feast Day Mass (All School), 8:30-9:15 a.m.

May 23 Schoolwide Emergency Dismissal Drill, 10:45 a.m.-Noon

May 23 Noon Dismissal

May 26 NO SCHOOL: Memorial Day, No Share and Care

May 27 8th Grade Ribbon Ceremony, 1:00-1:30 p.m.

May 28 8th Grade Dinner Dance 6:00 pm

May 29 8th Grade Picnic / No School for 8th graders

May 30 Baccalaureate Mass, 10:00 a.m., Graduation, 5:00 p.m.

VIRTUE OF THE MONTH, April

Gratitude: An example of Justice

Looks like: Praying after receiving Holy Communion.

Sounds like: “Thank you, Jesus, for coming into my heart and for all your love.”

Online Registration

Registration for the 2025-26 school year was due Thursday, April 10. If you have questions or concerns, want to set up a payment plan, please contact Gina Trujillo ASAP.

FUN RUN 2025 is coming!

FUN RUN 2025 is coming! Tuesday, May 13. We HAVE parent volunteers.

Thank you for the wonderful response. We have enough volunteers for this event. Mr. Croft will be your point of contact on the day of the event. Many thanks again!

In case you’re interested in volunteering, a few extra hands are always helpful just in case someone is ill or unavailable the day of the event. FUN RUN Volunteers Needed

Fifth grade stations of the cross

SAVE THE DATE: Monday, May 5, 2025, 6:30-8:00 p.m., O’Brien Hall

The last PTG Meeting of the year will be a SPN Volunteer Reception and celebration to thank all of our parent volunteers for a stellar year supporting SPN School. As it is Cinco de Mayo, there will be margaritas and tacos served. There will be a brief State of the School presentation as well as special recognition of some extraordinary volunteers. This event is for all SPN parents (no students or children) because you all are V.I.P.’s (Very Important Parents). Please RSVP Here no later than Wednesday, April 30 so we can inform the caterer. Thank you!

SURVEY for Environmental Action Committee

The SPN Environmental Action Committee is making great progress on St. Philip Neri’s application to become a Green Ribbon School, but we need your help!

Please take this SURVEY to help us track sustainable commuting options for our students.

If you'd like to help our eco-friendly efforts, please reach out to Noe Valenzuela at noevc@hotmail.com.

May 11th Family Mass

Volunteering for 2025-26

Want a head start on volunteering for 2025-26? There are two summer events that will need volunteers.

Online Reviews of SPN

We appreciate your time and your acknowledgments on what is working for you and your students at St. Philip Neri Catholic School. Feel free to copy and paste the same testimonial to all sites. Please include the year your family started St. Philip Neri Catholic School at the end of your testimonial, example (SPN Family since 2020). Thank you again for your support.

1. This is the one we are most interested in populating with our testimonials. Link to our SPN Google Profile, click on Reviews: https://g.co/kgs/sao2ex2

2.https://www.greatschools.org/california/alameda/8253-St.-Philip-Neri-Elementary-School/

3. https://www.niche.com/k12/st-philip-neri-school-alameda-ca/

4. https://www.yelp.com/biz/st-philip-neri-school-alameda

Calling our SPN community!

We are thrilled to share that nominations are now open for the "Best of" awards for the following magazines.

Parents Press East Bay
Alameda Magazine
Oakland Magazine

We're hoping to be considered for this prestigious recognition. But we need your help!

We strive to support our students, families, and community in making a positive impact.

If you believe our efforts have made a difference, we would be honored if you would take a moment to nominate Saint Philip Neri for these three nominations in all three categories:

Best Preschool
Best Private Elementary School
Best Private Middle School

Nominating is easy and will take just a few minutes! Please follow these links, enter each category (Kids or Schools), and locate the categories above.

https://parentspress.com/best-of-parents-press-ballot/

https://www.oaklandmagazine.com/best-of-oakland-ballot/

https://www.alamedamagazine.com/best-of-alameda-ballot/

Every nomination counts, as only the top nominees in each category move to the final round of voting in April.

Thank you for your support and for being a part of our journey.

St. Philip Neri Catholic School Calendar for 2025-26

Making summer plans? When is the first day of school? When will graduation 2026 be held? Check out our calendar for 2025 26.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/195yvzmRnBxYtWMVWN8BvfBRW7Fp1mEvLLegkLG2Ow6Q/edit?usp=sharing

Morning Drop Off/Afternoon Pick Up

We are always looking for ways to improve our safety and efficiency at SPN. For Morning Drop Off and Afternoon Pick Up, especially on Fountain Street, we request that motorists pull up to the furthest spot available so other cars can pull in behind safely, avoiding the red zone at the corner. Remember, this is not parking. Especially in the morning, as it gets closer to 8:00 a.m., it’s very helpful if drivers could pull up to the driveway to drop off students. Our Safety Patrol students will guide you to do so. Thank you for your cooperation.

Scrip Requirement Reminder

We want to remind you that all families are required to purchase $2,000 in scrip every school year. Scrip (gift cards) can be purchased online at RaiseRight enrollment code 432BQIZ543ML

Check out their user-friendly app!

Families that do not purchase the required Scrip will be assessed a $200 fee on their May tuition statement.

Please reach out to Gina Trujillo with any questions.

Volunteer Hour Requirement Reminder

Families must volunteer a minimum of 20 hours per school year. If your child participates in Athletics, 5 additional hours within Athletics is needed. Please log your hours here.

Families will be charged $100 per uncompleted hour on their May tuition statement.

Please reach out to Gina Trujillo with any questions.

Athletic Department

Head to your SPARTANS store for lighter weight merch to train in warmer weather. Now, save 20% when you spend $100+. Use code SPRING20.

» Shop your SPARTANS Sideline Store

Jeff Croft

Alameda County Fair School Ticket Program

PTG Fundraising

The SPN See's Candy Storefront is open and ready for business!

Our general storefront will remain open until the end of the year for you to order delicious candy and help support the PTG at the same time. If you have any questions, please contact spn.ptg@csdo.org

General Store Link:

https://www.yumraising.com/secure/saintpns_saint_philip_neri_school60/GinTru3524/candy

Chess at St. Philip Neri

Summer Camps

Dear parents,

Brains & Motion, one of our community’s top enrichment providers, is offering exciting and educational STEM, art, and sports camps for grades K-8 at Saint Philip Neri School this summer. We’d love for your kids to join us!

Attached you’ll find a digital flyer with more information including session dates, course offerings, and more. To register, please follow this LINK. You’ll find numerous options to fit every child’s interests.

If you have any questions, please email Brains & Motion Education directly at contact@brains-and-motion.com.

Sincerely,

Julie Thomas

Here is the link to register for the baseball camp.

Here is the link to register for the basketball camp.

St. Joseph Notre Dame High School

St. Joseph Notre Dame High School offers Summer Pathways, a summer program for students in Grades 2-8. Check out what they offer:

SJND Summer Pathway

PTG - Sign Up Form

PT https://bit.ly/3MTGSlg

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