Crusader Chronicle
St. Ignatius of Antioch Elementary School
Word of God Sunday
Today is the Third Sunday of Ordinary Time, which Pope Francis designated as Sunday of the Word of God, starting in 2020. On this Sunday, we are reminded of everything God's Word has to offer to us and that God speaks to us constantly in His Word.
There are many ways that we encounter the Word of God. The most common way for us is the Mass. One of the aspects that I love about the Mass is that, not only do we hear the Word of God proclaimed in the readings, the responsorial psalm, and the Gospel acclamation, we hear the Word of God throughout the Mass, sprinkled in the prayers that the priest says and the responses that we say.
One of the recommended practices of the Church in praying Scripture is a practice called Lectio Divina. When I first learned about Lectio Divina and experienced it myself, I was amazed by the depth of reflection on God's word that I encountered.
Lectio Divina, or "Divine Reading," was first developed in the Church in the third century. In the words of Pope Benedict XVI, "Lectio Divina consists in poring over a biblical text for some time, reading it and rereading it, as it were, 'ruminating' on it, as the Fathers say and squeezing from it, so to speak, all its 'juice', so that it may nourish meditation and contemplation and, like water, succeed in irrigating life itself." (Sunday Angelus, November 6th, 2005)
Lectio Divina has four steps - Lectio (Reading), Meditatio (Meditation), Oratio (Prayer), and Contemplatio (Contemplation.) Begin by choosing a Scripture passage; any Scripture passage will work. Slowly and meditatively read your Scripture passage out loud. Listen for a particular word or phrase that speaks to you at this moment and sit with it for a time. For the step of meditation, read the same passage a second time, still focusing on the word or phrase you chose from your first reading of the passage. Allow the word or phrase to wash over you and permeate your thoughts and feelings. For the step of prayer, read the text a third time, and ask yourself, "What is God saying to me in these words? What do I want to say to God? What feelings do these words raise up in me?" Talk to God about the answers to those questions. In the final step of contemplation, read the text one more time. As you do, listen to what God is telling you. Continue to listen, and hear what God wants you to know about the Scripture and the word or phrase on which you have been meditating.
Lectio Divina can be experienced every day or less frequently, but if you are open to hearing God's answer, it will be enriching for you every time. "Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly."
School News!
Catholic Schools Week
We will kick off our Catholic Schools Week celebration with Mass at 5:15 pm on Saturday, January 28, followed by the Family Dinner that evening. We will host an Open House for prospective families on Sunday, January 29. During the week of January 30 through February 3, we will have events celebrating community, students, our nation, vocations, faculty/staff, and parents. Our events will include a service project, lunch and treats for our students, faculty, and staff, a fundraiser to honor military veterans, and an assembly for our students.
A more detailed plan for Catholic Schools Week will be sent in a separate communication, so please be on the lookout for that!
Handbag Bingo
Planning for 2023-2024 Registration
We are already planning for registration and class numbers for the 2023-2024 school year.
If you are a current family and are planning to register a new child from your family for the
2023-2024 school year, please contact Mrs. Crozier at hcrozier@sischool.org as soon as possible.
Winter Uniforms
St. Ignatius School Family Directory
Online School Store Fundraiser
Thank you to all the families who have already participated in our SchoolStore fundraiser!
Many of our teachers have received generous gift certificates from their students. If your family has not registered, there is still time, prizes are still available. Click the link below if you want to participate:
https://www.schoolstore.net/cgi/SetSchool?secheck=1&SchoolID=0000120009
School Store News
Important Drop Off and Pick Up Reminders
If you need to pick up your son or daughter prior to regular dismissal time, please be sure to pick up no later than 2:15 pm, in order to keep all of our dismissals flowing smoothly.
Car drop off begins at 8 am. If you do not see a school staff member in the drop off area, please do not drop off your child or children and leave them outside the doors under the blue canopy; please wait until a staff member comes out and opens the doors.
For car drop off, please stay in the drop off line and do not drive around the car in front of you. Wait until the car in front of you pulls forward before you pull forward.
For car drop off, please do your best to make sure your child is ready to exit the car when you pull up and stop. Especially if you are the first car in line, please drive away once your child is out of the car and your car door is closed. This will help with the flow of traffic in the car drop off line.
For car pick up, please wait until the school staff member gives the signal for your line of cars to pull out and drive out of the parking lot before starting to drive away.
For Pre-K drop off and pick up, please follow the procedures, leaving the lanes with cones at the ends empty for parents to drive out once they have walked their Pre-K students to the Pre-K building. Please take extra care as you are driving, parking, and leaving after Pre-K drop off and pick up.
If you have someone dropping off or picking up your child that has not dropped off or picked up at St. Ignatius before, please inform them of the procedures so that there will be no issues.
CARES - Before and After School Care
Home and School Update
Home and School Weekly Update:
The Home and School Association is thankful for all the parent support for all our recent events. Please mark your calendars for our upcoming events!
Volunteer Clearances
As a friendly reminder, any parent or guardian who would like to volunteer at our school and church events, MUST have up-to-date clearances on file with Jayne Marcinowski, the Safe Environment Coordinator, at the church rectory. She can be reached at hr@stignatius.church. The following link will take you to the Church Safe Environment website where you can follow instructions to obtain clearances.
http://www.stignatius.church/safe.html#more
LUNCH DUTY - REQUESTING ASSISTANCE
We are still in need of some assistance on several dates for lunch duty. Please note that we need FOUR (4) parents to volunteer on each and every day in order to cover both lunch periods. There are several days where we only have 1 or 2 parents signed up. Please see the Sign-Up Genius below and add your name where you can help. You will need current clearances in order to assist with Lunch Duty. We appreciate any and all help you can give!
SIS parents: Lunch Duty Jan/Feb (signupgenius.com)
WEEKLY PRETZEL SNACK
The Home and School Association is happy to offer the option to purchase a weekly pretzel snack for all interested students! For this order, the weekly pretzel snack will begin the week of February 6 and run through the week of May 29 (excluding Easter week), for a total of 16 weeks. Pretzels will be distributed on Thursday mornings of each week. Please note this is a fundraiser, with the money going back to support our children and St. Ignatius School! The cost of each pretzel is $1.00 for a total of $16.00 for the current offering.
ALL ORDERS MUST BE PLACED BY January 30, 2023! We need to pre-order, so there will be no late orders accepted!
Please Note: pretzels will be purchased from Philadelphia Pretzel Factory in Langhorne.
Upcoming Dates
Tuesday, January 24, is our next Class Mass. Grade 8 will join the St. Ignatius parishioners at the 9:00 am Mass.
Thursday, January 26, is also a Class Mass. Grade 7 will join the St. Ignatius parishioners at the 9:00 am Mass.
Thursday, January 26, is the 8th Grade Parent Meeting as we prepare for end-of-the-year activities for the Class of 2023! We ask all 8th Grade parents to join us at 6 pm.
Saturday, January 28, is the Catholic Schools Week Mass. Please come to the 5:15 Mass that evening to start Catholic Schools Week and pray for St. Ignatius of Antioch Elementary School.
Saturday, January 28, is this year's Family Dinner, which will start after the 5:15 Mass. Sign-ups for the Family Dinner have closed.
Sunday, January 29, is our next Open House, from 12:30 to 2:30 pm. Please tell your friends and anyone interested in sending their children to St. Ignatius to join us.
Sunday, January 29, through Friday, February 3, is Catholic Schools Week.
Friday, February 3, is the date for this year's Handbag Bingo. Please see the information at the beginning of the School News Section of this newsletter for more information.
Asbestos Notice for St. Ignatius of Antioch Parish
St. Ignatius of Antioch School has developed and maintains an Asbestos Inspection and Management Plan as required by the Asbestos Emergency Response Act of 1986 (AHERA). A copy of the plan is available for your inspection at the rectory office during regular office hours.
Inquiries regarding the plan should be directed to Acer Associates (856-809-1202), the
school's asbestos consultant.
Other Important Information
For those of you who need to leave medications at school for your children, please complete the forms from the Health Office. Please bring the medication with the completed forms to the Health Office. See the Health Office Aide or the nurse (Wednesdays only) for more information.
Please check the school website (sischool.org) for updated documents (2022-2023 School Handbook, Responsible Use Policy for Technology, etc.) and for accompanying parent and student signature forms. Please return signed forms as soon as possible. Signature forms are attached here as well.
St. Ignatius of Antioch Parish News
A Special Walking With Purpose Event
Save the Date!
Thursday, February 16, 2023 – 7:00pm
Event: Walking with Purpose LIVE with Lisa Brenninkmeyer
Join us for Walking with Purpose LIVE with Founder and Chief Purpose Officer, Lisa Brennkmeyer as she shares her talk Strong Yet Tender: Building Resilience in an Age of Trauma. Are you tired of feeling untethered and overwhelmed? Most of our families are experiencing anxiety, woundedness, and stress. But that does not need to be your story. Come and see how, through God’s help, you can build resilience in an age of trauma. Every woman is welcome!
Presenter: Lisa Brenninkmeyer, Founder and Chief Purpose Officer, Walking with Purpose
Location: St. Joseph Parish, 340 Manor Ave, Downingtown, PA 19335
More info: Registration opens 6 weeks prior to the event; More details at Save the Date!
Thursday, February 16, 2023 – 7:00pm
Event: Walking with Purpose LIVE with Lisa BrenninkmeyerJoin us for Walking with Purpose LIVE with Founder and Chief Purpose Officer, Lisa Brennkmeyer as she shares her talk Strong Yet Tender: Building Resilience in an Age of Trauma. Are you tired of feeling untethered and overwhelmed? Most of our families are experiencing anxiety, woundedness, and stress. But that does not need to be your story. Come and see how, through God’s help, you can build resilience in an age of trauma. Every woman is welcome!
Presenter: Lisa Brenninkmeyer, Founder and Chief Purpose Officer, Walking with Purpose
Location: St. Joseph Parish, 340 Manor Ave, Downingtown, PA 19335
More info: Registration opens 6 weeks prior to the event; More details at https://walkingwithpurpose.com/event/wwp-live-with-lisa-brenninkmeyer-2/