May 13, 2016


Dear St. Katharine of Siena School Families,

        Our May Procession was a beautiful community celebration to honor Mary . A new parent commented to me about the large turnout that we had lining the streets as our school began the procession from the grotto to the church. A grandmother came to me afterwards and said she hadn't been to a May Procession in over thirty years . She had tears of joy on her face. Honoring Mary in May has been a long time Catholic tradition.  Families are welcome to continue honoring Mary by paying a visit to the grotto.  Bring your rosary. Your family praying together makes a huge impact upon your children. It's something they will long remember.
     
        These last few weeks are important ones. There are many activities in and out of school. It is easy for any student to be distracted and look towards an early start to summer vacation. I encourage parents to talk to your children about remaining focused with a postive attitude , appropriate behavior, and consistent effort until the last day of school.  

        Below are many pictures that tell the story of our school. The pictures show a school filled with life and energy . We are a vibrant school community.  Every day I see  things happening here that make me very proud to be a part of this school. The  journey of this school year is coming to the end. The ship is coming in to port and we can see the shoreline from a distance. I am thankful to our teachers and staff that work hard daily in helping each child grow. I am grateful to our parents who support us in the mission of our school.

Take care,

Bud  


This prayer, entitled The Mom's Examen , specifically for all mothers, was sent to me by SKS parent, Jocelyn Konrad. I thought it was appropriate to share to our moms.  

http://www.ignatianspirituality.com/22805/a-moms-examen?utm_source=emagislist&utm_medium=email&utm_content=201604&utm_campaign=emagis

There are a number of phenomenal pictures from the SK5K taken by talented photographer and SKS mom, Beth Dekovitch at this website below.  
https://blackdaisyphotography.smugmug.com/SKS-Folder/SK5K-2016/n-9dDpp3/

May Procession 

We honor the Blessed Mother. 

Seventh Grade Flag Bearers lead the procession.

Third grade communicants are in their First Communion dress.

Brigid Lowry (2nd from left) joins her siblings along with David Heacock after the May Procession.  She will be the 6th Lowry (and last) to graduate from SKS.  Many alumni come back to our traditional events. 

Third Grade First Eucharist

Above are some of our First Communicants from third grade. 

The  SK5K 

Start of the SK5K!

Our 8th grade girls can really run! 

The SK5K is a family friendly event. 

Forensic Team Performances

Grace Manion and Catherine Haley took First Place at the last forensics tournament of the year. Above, they performed their award winning duo for the SKS Seniors.

Ava Stone, Ella Kloss, Elyse Terzian and Amy Werner performed their forensics pieces at the Archdiocesan Showcase of Excellence at Archbishop Carroll. 

First time performer, Sasha Reeder did her hilarious "babysitter  piece" for the SKS seniors as well. Sasha was honorable mention in the last tournament. 

Eighth Grade Countdown 

The 8th graders find out every year a bit about parenting by caring for their "baby" in
Mr. McConomy's religion class.  (The "baby" is a 5 lb bag of flour that each couple is responsible for caring.)
 

When I filled in for a class last week in the 8th grade, I asked if they had the days counted till graduation. Bella Grube proudly showed her I-pad countdown till graduation from days, hours minutes, and seconds till June 14th graduation!

Mrs. Kilpatrick 's Fourth  Grade Persuasive Essays 

Elise Beetel (right) is with Kaitlyn May as they pose with the basketball and shirt that was sent back to Elise after she wrote the Villanova Basketball Team . It must have been a very persuasive letter !

Miss Panaro First Grade Share and Tell 

The Share and Tell  c;ass brought Abby Sims' dog Gunner , and Shelby McGowan's pet hamster, Tito, to school. There were many questions asked and answered. 

Reading Olympics

The Reading Olympics Team competed at Radnor High School a few weeks ago. We are very proud of their efforts. 

Fourth Grade Garden 

It won't be long till the Fourth Grade garden starts to produce a bonus crop of fruits and vegetables. If you haven't seen it yet take a look in the parking lot between the school and the convent. They have done an incredible job. 

Third Trimester Peacemakers

Peacemakers were awarded their pins at the  monthly school mass in May.

Earth Day Clean Up Crew 

Keeping SKS green and clean was the goal on Earth Day in late April .

April 14, 2016


Dear St. Katharine of Siena School Families,

      In the past you have heard me speak or write about the importance of our educating the "whole" child: Spiritually, academically, socially, emotionally and physically.  Good overall health is about mind, body, and spirit.

     One of the neglected areas of  education years ago, but taking on increasing awareness, is the physical aspect. Thanks to caring parents and educators from our SKS SHC (School Health Club) led by school nurse, Mary Skilton, we try to focus on the importance of children being responsible for themselves for their own health with support from parents/teachers.  At our School Health Fair in early February, all students participated in stations covering areas such as food nutrition, heart health, and even a full yoga session. Last Friday, we had a nurse /nutritionist, Anne Marie De Lucca, speak to our younger grades about good food choices and reading labels to create an awareness  for students. At the beginning of the assembly I told the students that it wasn't until I was a young adult or beyond that I ever gave thought about what I would decide to put in my mouth.
    After the Friday morning assembly each grade from school got the chance to visit the Green Partners Farm Explorer truck parked on our school premises. The mission of Farm Explorer is to inspire people people to eat healthy and provide tools for healthy living.  The truck travels from schoolyards to senior centers bringing a fun hands on curriculum about eating fresh foods, staying away from processed foods, and preparing simple healthy recipes.  Christine Sisian, an SKS mom/ nurse and member of the SKS SHC, was responsible for getting Farm Explorers here. Ask your child about last Friday.  There a few pictures below from last Friday.

    This past Monday, the 6th,7th, &8th graders at an assembly in the parish center listened to Michael Touey who told the students his story about alcohol and drug addiction. as a young adult, Michael's story was compelling. Our students listened intently and asked many questions which he answered openly and honestly.  Assemblies like this come from a direct result of our Family Life /Education Advancement Teams. On that team are 7th & 8th grade students, parents, and teachers that discuss on going issues of importance that students/families need to be educated about such as drugs & alcohol awareness.  Next fall we will ask Michael Touey to come back at our first Home & School Meeting  and speak to our parents about his story.

    This Friday night is Spring Cultural Arts Night (SCAN). Come and see the performances of our talented groups of performers in the gym and the artistic talents of our artists on display in the parish center. This coming Monday we have performers at Archbishop Carroll  for Archdiocesan Showcase of Excellence & Festival of Arts. All are invited from 3:30 -7:30 to celebrate the talents of our teachers and students of archdiocesan schools.

     Next Thursday, the 6th ,7th, and 8th grade students will have a retreat day with a focus on their faith.  The theme is called A Reality Check.   The retreat will be given by Net Team Ministries. Net Team is an international youth ministry of young adults that challenges young Catholics to lov Christ and embrace their faith. They conduct a 1000 retreats across the country each year.          

    In my role as a basketball coach and a fan, I watched intently on  Coach Jay Wright's approach to the Final Four this year as opposed to how their approach was back in 2009.   This year was about  about "being focused" , "being dialed in" , and "lazor sharp"   as opposed to 2009 when they were  "just happy to be there."  It is by no accident an NCAA Championship was won by their attitude, approach, teamwork, and preparation.  Lessons learned: I have told students since Easter break that we are at the beginning of the end of school. These weeks have a tendency to fly by. It is important for students to maintain  their academic focus, being dialed in and razor sharp.  They need to continue to make school a priority. The easy thing to do during springtime is for a student to begin summer vacation too early. The harder and right thing is to keep up on their studies and finish this third trimester with a full effort and focus. Remember this is not preaching to children about getting good grades.  Our expectations are about their postive attitude, effort, and respectful behavior as we go through this home stretch. Good grades are simply a by product of these efforts. Encourage your child with the mantra to "finish strong."


Take care,

Bud

Michael Touey talked openly and honestly to our 6th, 7th, and 8th graders about drug and alcohol addiction.

Every Go Run session starts with a guest speaker with a focus on health. Above, Jessica Pellicotti speaks to our students at Go Run about a balanced diet.

Ann Marie De Lucca visited our KG -4 grades to talk about healthy choices in food and drink. 

The Vegetable Cylinder was a huge hit with the students as Ann Marie explained how it works. 

 The Farm Explorers Truck was informative and interactive with the students.  

Mr. Gavin and his 4th grade scientists performed some experiments for the SKS Seniors at last Tuesday's Senior luncheon.

 

       

March 22, 2016

Dear St. Katharine of Siena School Families

         Please keep kindergarten teacher Mary Kay Ryan and her family in your prayers as they mourn the loss of her mother, Mrs. Joan Seher, who passed away last  week. Also keep in your prayers the great grandmother of Blair Murray. She also passed away this week. Also librarian and teacher, Jill D'Agostino who lost her grandmother, Marian Quartararo , only weeks after the passing of her father-in -law.

         The 2nd trimester report cards should be in your hands by today at the latest. Please review your child's report card with them and sign the envelope.  Please have your child return it to school by Friday, April 8 at the latest. This last trimester takes effort from everyone but especially from  your child.  Spring Fever turning to Summer Vacation Fever is never a good excuse for not doing our best. Teachers and parents continue to set  high expectations for students to finish the year strong with their best consistent effort.

        You couldn't make this story up: Last week, the  day after we met with the two companies that are set  install the new intercom and security systems this summer, our intercom system imploded on us. Really?!  Yep, this is no ploy to drum up more capital campaign funds any quicker then they are already coming in. The CPU unit is fried and to replace it will cost at least a few thousand. For now we are going with Plan B. We have a system in place both communication /emergency wise if needed.  It's a bit loud (ok it's really loud),  but for now it will suffice until we get the new system in. Oh,  and Anne C. will be getting more steps on her fit-bit as well running messages up and down.

        I want to update you  regarding the state book situation. Let me give you what I believe is some good news.  While  I can't predict what will happen next September going forward with the state budget, I would like to think that Governor Wolf and legislature will not go through this travesty again.  But then again, it is politics. However, there is good news We did finally get all our state funds this year and a significant amount more than the expected allotment. We have until April 30th to spend it it all, and we will. After April 30th ,we do not recoup a nickel of this amount . The money we get for books can only be used only for books and other educational resources. The funds  are not cumulative.  You either spend it or lose it for that year. We can use this money for books needed going forward into next year. Again this summer we should get our funds for next year (providing the budget is passed.)  So the teachers are in the process of using all this extra money we have to order books going forward for both this year and into next year. With this happening we should be in decent shape for next year. I hope this communicates to you  clearly where we are.

      In the pictures below are several from our project with the the Uncommon Individual Foundation.  For another look at what UIF and our students did see the video:                                                                                                               "https://www.youtube.com/embed/jKJI_m4mz0s"

     Our 8th grade did a wonderful job of presenting a reverent depiction of the Passion last Friday evening.  There are some pictures below from that night.  I am appreciative of theirs efforts. They were led by teachers Bill Di Clemente, David Heacock , Jackie Sevag, Ross Fry. Mike McConomy and parishioner , Laura Kerr. The Resurrection is a story of courage and selfless sacrifice. It is a story of God's love for all mankind.  Encourage your families to make Holy Week just that: Holy.  Blessings on your families for a  joyous Easter .


Take care,

  

Bud    

                                                                               

  Yesterday was World Down Syndrome Awareness Day.  Principal Michael Schuller was checking his schedule (above) in his office and making sure the school was in good order.  He and few classmates (top photo) performed a skit on the parable of the Good Samaritan which was well received by both lunches.

Blair Murray shows off her "leprechaun trap" to catch those little guys. As good as the traps were , the little rascals got away,  but not before leaving a note and a trail behind. Maybe next year!  

Sophia Twohig poses with SKS Alumnus,Bridget Maguire, (Villa Maria) as they practice for rehearsal  for the All Catholic Band performance at the Kimmel Center tonight. 

Peter Vitanzo and Kayleigh Doyle (with Mr. Mike McConomy) were DAR award winners for their writing in the annual contest. They were honored two weeks ago at a breakfast by the Daughters of the American Revolution. 

Nine years from when it first started, our 8th graders from our SKS  Irish Dance team performed at the annual St. Patrick's Day parade downtown. Pictured are Samantha Dole, Katherine McCormick, Grace Manion and Kayleigh Doyle.  

Our Irish Dancers made some seniors at Daylesford Abbey smile by visiting, performing, and spending some time with them. Caroline Krisko and Kathleen Sisian are here with some friends. There nothing nicer then making someone else's day.  

We have had  a few Dress Down Days to help SKS Alumni for their service trips. Pictured above, Meghan Jones, Class of 2012 , and a senior at St. Joseph's University went on a service trip on spring break called  APEX (Appalachian Experience) to  the Wilkesboro, North Carolina to build houses. We are very proud of our SKS Alumni. 

Uncommon Individual Foundation /SKS Cross Project

 

Each homeroom in the 6th, 7th, & 8th  grade formed design teams to create a special SKS Cross. Pictured above are some of the design team winners.  Like editing a research paper, the design teams learned they had submit and redo over and over to get to a final product. Directly above are four of the winning six "SKS Crosses" that were chosen.  The design teams did a tremendous job and the final products constructed with the 3-D printers produced a quality piece.  We are very proud of the end results which will be hung in the media center.   After Easter, we will be meeting with UIF to see how we can further partner our school with their mentors. 

The SKS Fashion Show was a huge hit at the Lisiter Barn thanks to chairs: Kristen Donahue, Nicole Bugge, and Moira Hobson.

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Enjoying a night out at the SKS Fashion Show are:Mary Ann Garzio, Tara Clark, Suzanne O'Connor, Alicia Rhodes.

Living Stations by 8th Grade 

Mr. Bill Di Clemente, with help from other teachers, lead the 8th grade in the performance of the Living Stations. Tim Brogan played the role of Jesus.

Sixth Grade Living Stations 

Mrs. Orsatti's and Ms. DeFino's 6th graders performed the Living Stations in the classroom this week as well.  

March 2, 2016

Dear St. Katharine of Siena School Families,
          The journey through Lent continues with a focus on prayers, doing for others, sacrificing some, forgiving, and asking for forgiveness. We all have things we need to improve on regardless of age. The faculty and I  have continued using the Little Black Book for Lent. There are some real gems reflection wise in that book. I have extra copies if you would like one, just let me know. The rest of this blog is communicating items of school importance. Thanks for reading and staying in the loop.

Take care,

Bud

SKS Centennial     

The first SKS Centennial Meeting was held last Wednesday and plans are in the making for a
year-long series of events next year to celebrate SKS:100 Years! There was a energetic group of people: teachers, parents, at the meeting led by co-chairs Anne Condello and David Heacock.  Our school's legacy of  celebrating one hundred years of existence is a huge deal don't you think?  If you would like to help out please contact Anne Condello at school. Soon there will be a launching of a Centennial Sign Up Genius. Please consider getting involved.

                                                            Capital Campaign
We are officially two weeks into our Capital Campaign - Securing Our Future. If you have not received a phone call as yet , please expect a call soon from your homeroom captain. If you have any questions about anything regarding this please don't hesitate to call me. A brochure has been sent home with the oldest child in the school so please check backpacks. The brochure does a terrific job explaining everything that we do here for fundraising.
                                                 

Spiritual Life Advancement Team 

There is a Rosary Group forming for parents after the 8am Mass here on Wednesdays. For now it will be in church after the 8 am Mass. When the weather breaks it will be in the grotto. Mary is always ready to listen to our prayers and our grotto is sacred pray-ground. I know you are busy, but try to carve out a some time for yourself to pray.
  For more info contact Susan Schuller  at smschuller@hotmail.com

Family Life/Education Advancement Team 

Our Family Life /Education Advancement Team reports that our students on that committee (who represent our upper grades) want to be educated on three specific topics:

- Drug and Alcohol Education: Specifically they would like to hear from young adults who have gone through through addiction and how they can avoid the pitfalls.

- Social Media: They want to hear from someone who is knowledgeable from a  legal standpoint what consequences are to be faced when teenagers cross the line. 

- Suicide Prevention: Students want education on this subject. We realize this is a frightening topic in many ways for many families. We would not have an assembly with the students without first having a night with parents about this. 

The Home & School Board, Youth Ministry (Steph Twohig), and The Family Life /Education Advancement Team are pursuing professional speakers in all three areas.  We are looking to line up an assembly in the spring with one or possibly two of these topics. We will keep you posted on the details of this and communicate clearly what will be presented. In assemblies of any topic deemed sensitive, parents, as primary educators,  have the right to have their child opt out from the assembly. 

 Generation Life will be here to present their talk on Chastity to the 7th and 8th grade on March 22. The 7th & 8th grade girls will be together and the 7th & 8th grade boys will be together as well. The 6th grade presentation will be co-ed and focus solely on understanding your value as a child of God, seeking out good friends and role models, and the importance of being kind and respectful towards others.   

From Mr. T.'s Desk 

I told this true anecdote to the Capital Campaign Captains two weeks ago;

A certain primary grade SKS student approached me a few weeks back and the conversation went like this:

Student: "Mr. T. are you a teacher?

Mr.T.: Yes,  I still consider myself a teacher all the time." 

Student: "But do you still teach a class and have a classroom?

Mr. T.: No, I don't have a class like the other teachers, but I still like to think that I still teach....."

Student: "Well if you don't have classroom and don't teach a class, what do you actually do all day?"

Let's just say in the end  it was one of those moments that I was left speechless..... so funny, every day here is another adventure. 

SKS CYO 

A few weeks ago this CYO article was shared with many constituents within our parish but it was never officially shared within our school. It's a wonderful story of compassion and empathy displayed by many of our graduates from SKS who were playing a high school CYO game. Just in case you didn't see it I hope you will take a few minutes to read it. It's a reason to be proud of our graduates and families. Are there two more important values than compassion and empathy?

http://isscd.org/general-news/transcending-game-philadelphia-area-cyo-basketball-creates-unforgettable-night/​

                                                           All Catholic Festival Band                                                                    

Two student made All Catholic Festival Band from our school. Sophia Di Giovanni performed at a concert at Archbishop Wood  two weeks ago. Sophia Twohig will perform with the festival band students at the Kimmel Center on March 22nd. Congrats to both performers.

Home and School Board 

Next week you will receive information from the Home &School Board asking for parents to run for five positions that will be open for next fall.. Our Home & School Board is an integral part of our school community. If you are thinking about running for any position , then you should. Meetings are only once a month from September through June. You can help us!

March Calendar 

The month of March brings about a flurry of activities on the school calendar. Here are some updates with a reminder that all these events are on the school /parish calendars.

-  2/29 to 3/4: This week our students are taking the Terra Nova  Standardized Testing. We run a special schedule where testing is done in the morning.  Regular classes are held after testing  with abbreviated classes. Typically we get the TN  test results in mid to late May.  The 2nd trimester officially ends March 11th. Report cards will be given out on Monday and Tuesday  March 21 -22.

- Parish Retreat for Lent 6:15 in Parish Center with guest speaker: Megan Cokely and 7:30 Mass

- 3/4 to 3/5   24 Hours for Life: Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in church

- 3/5  First Eucharist Retreat for Grade 3  8:30 am -12 pm Parish Center

- 3/8 Home & School Meeting (rescheduled from February) Sr. Pat Mc Cormack  7 PM in cafeteria

- 3/10  Spring Fashion Show @ Lisiter - This has always been a HUGE event for us and one of our main fundraisers for school. I hope many of our Moms & Friends will be able to attend. I heard the venue is really nice.

-  3/11 End 2nd Trimester, also St Paddy's Day Party: Blarney Bash in cafeteria for grades KG-4  6 to 8 pm

- 3/12 Confirmation Retreat for 6th grade in Parish center 8:30 am to 12 pm

- 3/13 Culture of Life Concert in church  4 pm - all are invited as the music will be outstanding.

- 3/14 begin 3rd Trimester  and  Begin GO RUN Program after school @ 3:15

- 3/16  School Mass by 3rd grade

- 3/17 Happy St. Patrick's Day Dress Down Day given by Mr. O' Tosti for wearing of the green!              The DD Day benefits alumnus, Meghan Jones, for her community service trip.

- 3/18 Living Stations performed by Class of 2016.    Dress rehearsal 1:15   7 pm Performance in Church

- 3/19 -20    Bake Sale after Masses for 8th Grade

- 3/21  World Down Syndrome Day, Report cards given out, Go Run 3:15

- 3/22 Confessions for grades 2 - 8 in church. Reports cards given out.
   Easter Break begins at 3 pm for students/ families. Generation Life presents to grades 6, 7, & 8.

- 3/23 Faculty Retreat at Malvern Retreat House

- 3/24 - 3/27 Holy Week Services in church

- 3/27 Happy Easter

- 3/29  Faculty in Service  - 9 to 3

- 3/30 Classes resume  Go Run 3:15

- 4/1  4th  Grade Field Trip to Crystal Cave

- 4/2 - 4/3   First Eucharist Masses offered

Is this a busy enough March into April ?

SKS Happenings 

The Class of 2012 and their parents had a grand reunion in the parish center. I can't even believe these kids are ready to graduate from high school and off to college next fall.  

How about these two? Sisters? Nope, but they sure look like it!  Third grader Brooke Miller poses with Rosemont student /teacher, Erin Kenny, who has been with us since January in Miss Panaro's class.  Last week, ten other aspiring teachers from Rosemont College  visited our school to watch our teachers in action. 

Winners of the auction for SKS Guys Night Out were: Steve Elliot, Rob Kendall, 

Jim Frohner and Reno deGennaro. We had a great night with an excellent turnout. If you missed it, we'll see you next time or come crash the Fashion Show!

Some of our winners from the famous Scouts' Pinewood Derby are above. Below are some of the cars. Mr. Gavin and his good friend, Jimmie Johnson, would be very proud.

       SKS 8th Grade Business Day

 Over $2800 will be donated to the Make A Wish Foundation thanks to the hard working  entrepreneurs of the Class of 2016.

Reading Olympics 

What's the fastest way to get smarter?  Read, Read and Read some more! The 5th graders here are getting ready for the upcoming Reading Olympics that our school will participate in with the Delaware County Intermediate Unit . Great job Mrs. Jill D'Agostino, her parent volunteers, and our students!

More Fantastic Reading News !

    

Students from Pope John Paul II High School including SKS Alumnus, Mike Shreiner (above) visited our KG-1 grade classes to read to our students.  Dr Seuss was the book theme - excellent choice!