St. Peter's Postings
Little Things...Great Love! - March / April 2019
Spring is In the Air...Inside and Out...at St. Peter School!
As we make our way through Lent, these weeks are a chance for all of us to pause and think about our lives and our relationship with Christ. As we talk about in school, Lent is a time for all of us to “take stock” and ready our hearts and minds for this most holy season. During these 40 days, we ponder what it means to “give up, take up and lift up.” Using the spiritual practices of prayer, fasting and alms giving, we deepen our relationship with Christ and discern where God is working in our lives. We encourage you to talk with your children about Lent and how your family might “get ready” for Christ’s death and resurrection. We encourage everyone to spend time in prayer so that we can listen as He calls all of us back to Him wherever we are. To look inward and seek a strengthening of our faith lives. Spring is definitely in the air and the cool breezes and occasional sunny outside recesses have all of us looking towards a busy spring with many activities and opportunities for our students and school community. Soon the whistles will be blowing outside our windows as area sports gear up. May we all take as much time to prepare our hearts and souls, and those of our children, during this most holy time. God bless!
"Fond Farewell and Thanks" to Mr. Bart & Mr. Matt and "Welcome Mr. Sanner!"
St. Peter School students and teachers recently celebrated the years of service and dedication of our Maintenance Supervisor, Mr. Bart Sharbaugh, and Maintenance Personnel, Mr. Matt Stevanus, who are leaving their posts at St. Peter School for new horizons. Mr. Bart has been working for our parish and school since 2007 and Mr. Matt since 2009. Their work and commitment and true heart for our school have been a blessing to all of us and we wish them many blessings and success in their new endeavors. The students and teachers gathered last Friday and made a "tunnel of thanks" and then they both served ice cream to the school and received notes of thanks from students and teachers. We also warmly welcome Mr. Charlie Sanner as our new Maintenance Supervisor. Mr. Sanner is a St. Peter School alumni and his son also graduated from St. Peter's. He and his wife reside in Somerset and attend St. Peter's Parish and are expecting their first grandchild this year. "To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven" - Eccl. 3:1
Good Luck Teams!
Excitement is building as our Forensics' Team heads to Ebensburg this Friday for their Regional Competition at Holy Name Elementary School. Fifteen of our students will compete in various categories of speech. On Tuesday the students presented their speeches to the entire school in an assembly and all were entertained and impressed with each presentation. After three rounds, If students place in the top 2 or 3 in their category, they will then move on to the Diocesan Forensics Competition at Bishop Carroll High School on Friday, March 29th. Great job everyone! We are so proud to have you represent our school! Grades 4-6 are also preparing for the upcoming school SCRABBLE tournament to be held Friday, April 5th at 12:30pm. If anyone can help by judging that day, please let us know. The Rock'n Readers will compete in the Appalachia Intermediate Unit 08 Reading Competition on Thursday, April 4th and we will soon hold our class Spelling Bee competitions in grades 4-6 to compete against each other in an "in school" Spelling Bee to determine our school's top two spellers. The first place finisher will represent our school at the Diocesan Spelling Bee at Lock Haven Catholic School on May 2nd. Good luck to all and special THANKS to our teachers who give extra time in school and after school and often their own lunch periods to serve as coaches of these teams!
SPRING FLOWER SALE! A "BLOOMIN" WONDERFUL FUNDRAISER!
Baker's Lawn and Garden will be sponsoring a new fundraiser for our school this Spring, much like the Poinsettia Sale this past November/December which earned our school over $700. Beginning Friday, March 22nd, we will be selling coupons at school and in the Rectory good for one 10" hanging basket from Baker's Lawn and Garden. The baskets are from their regular assortment of 10" hanging baskets and can be picked up ANY time from May 1 - June 30. The total selling price of the coupon is $23.00 each and is the same price, with tax, that a customer pays when they purchase in the store. For every coupon sold, we earn $5.00 for our school. We will send home more information and order forms in Family Folders on Friday, March 22nd. There are countless varieties and combinations of flowers including Begonias, Impatiens, Boston Ferns, Fuchsia, Petunias, Geraniums etc. For all your flower needs including Mothers's Day and outdoor decorating. The coupons would also make a nice gift for teachers or family! Be sure to order yours today! Coupons are to paid for up front and are non-replaceable as they are to be treated like cash.
Lent = Chicken Noodle Soup and Stations!
Each year we try and do some extra things at school to help all of us focus on Lent. Each Monday we say the Stations of the Cross in the church at 12:15pm. This ancient prayer devotion walks us through the 14 Stations of Jesus' journey from being condemned by Pilate through His crucifixion. Led by either Fr. Patti or one of our teachers, Stations lasts about 1/2 hour each Monday during Lent and all are welcome. Grades 5 & 6 will attend the annual Chrism Mass on Monday, April 15th at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in Altoona. At this special Mass, the Bishop blesses the three — the oil of catechumens, the oil of the infirm and holy chrism — which will be used in the administration of the sacraments at all churches in our diocese for the coming year. This tradition is rooted in the early Church and a beautiful event to experience. Thanks to the Knights of Columbus for financing our bus for this event! We will also have our annual Lenten Hot Lunch on Tuesday, April 16th. Sixth grade will be prepping for this luncheon and serve it to all students and staff this day. More information was sent home about donations as all students do participate in this special luncheon which aims to bring awareness of others who suffer in hunger.
PTA News...Many Hands & Hearts
The third PTA Meeting of the school year was held in March and many important topics and events were discussed as was written in the Minutes sent home last week. As we gear up for Spring, our annual Easter Egg Hunt is right around the corner. This event will be led by Mrs. Tammi Dirienzo and we are in need of helpers who are willing to take a bin of eggs home to "stuff" and/or help set up that day. If you can help, please call the office or email Mrs Dirienzo at gradek@stpetersparish.com The Easter Egg Hunt will be on Holy Saturday at 11am either behind the school or in the Hall parking lot depending on weather. For all the hours of preparations, the "hunt" is over in less than five minutes so don't be late! This event is open to all friends and families of St. Peter's Parish. If you can help with this year's Easter Egg HuntAs we turn our eyes to next school year we will also need some 1-2 people to head the PTA Hot Lunch "Crew." Hot Lunches are held 1-2 times a month and are definitely a school favorite! The responsibilities include scheduling with the school office, buying the food, cooking and cleaning up. We have many helpful hands that come to prep, serve and clean up but we are in need of a Chairperson to organize each lunch. If you are interested or would like more information, please call the school or Shiryl Barto at 926-3360. The PTA will also need to elect some new officers for the 2019-2020 school year and hope others will prayerfully consider serving our school in this wonderful organization.
Gardner's Candy Sale & School Mall 2019 - A Record-Breaking Year!
It WAS the final countdown, but amid doubts and worry the families of our St. Peter School came through like they always do. We crushed our $10,000 goal and brought in over $14,000 in Gardner's Candy sales. Thank you to so many for their time and commitment selling these sweets. Also, through the School Mall fundraiser our school earned over $1,400 which is awesome. Patrons of School Mall can also elect to purchase a "Caring for Classrooms" Gift Cards for a specific teacher instead of ordering a magazine. This year our teachers combined were gifted with over $4,000 in Gift Cards! These cards can be used to order school supplies, decorations, technology or small furniture items from designated vendors. This is a huge help to our teachers and we thank everyone for their spirit and thoughtfulness!
"Safe 2 Say Something" PA Schools Commit to Stopping School Violence
In 2018, the Pennsylvania General Assembly passed Act 44 mandating the establishment and use of the "Safe2Say Something" (S2SS) anonymous reporting system by every PA school entity. This was rolled out in all schools on January 14th. S2SS is a life-saving and changing school safety program that teaches students, educators, and administrators how: 1) to recognize the signs and signals of individuals who may be at risk of hurting themselves or others and 2) to anonymously report this information through the S2SS app, website, or 24/7 Crisis Center. Submitted tips are triaged by the Crisis Center then delivered to the impacted school via a diocesan S2SS Team. School authorities as well as emergency personnel are dispatched as needed to intervene with the at-risk individual and his or her family. Schools close out tips with any resulting actions. During the 2019-2020 school year, each diocesan school will activate their own team for interventions as needed. St. Peter School students in grades 5 & 6 received training on many topics from recognizing behaviors and communications that could indicate someone is at risk to hurting themselves or others (especially using social media platforms) and what to do if they suspect this kind of situation. S2SS strongly recommends that students relay this information to a trusted adult, or call 911 if there is a sense of imminent danger and use the S2SS tipline when they don't have access to or can't talk to a trusted adult. Tips can be submitted using the S2SS website (www.safe2saypa.org) or call the tipline at 1-844-SAF2SAY or use the mobile app available as a free install for both ios and android phones.
The Heart of A Volunteer
Each year about this time, we all start to feel a little worn out and yet there are field trips and fun events that aren't possible without our volunteers. Not to mention the everyday Morning and Recess Duties that so many help with each day. Recently on the website, DynamicCatholic.com, in their "Best Lent Ever" series, there was a meditation about the Transfiguration when Jesus took Peter, James and John up the mountain where He was surrounded by light along with Moses and Elijah. The speaker went on to talk about the disciple Andrew and why he wasn't included with these chosen disciples. It was Andrew, who, having been a follower of St. John the Baptist, was one of the first to recognize Jesus as the Messiah and then introduced Jesus to his brother, Peter. After this act of introducing Peter to Jesus, it is Peter who goes on to become the first leader of the church and receives the "keys" from Jesus Himself. But where is Andrew? It seems that once he introduced Peter to the Lord Jesus, he remained in obscurity, doing the quiet, though unmentioned work of Christ. The meditation ends by asking, "Who are the Andrews in your life?" What a beautiful reflection on the heart of a volunteer. Quietly, steadily and lovingly giving their time for the good of others. The mission of this school isn't possible without the teachers, staff, students, families and volunteers. So if we have forgotten at any time to say thanks... THANK YOU and in the spirit of St. Andrew, you are seen and appreciated!
St. Peter School PTA Easter Egg Hunt
Saturday, Apr 20, 2019, 11:00 AM
St Peter's Church, West Church Street, Somerset, PA, USA
St. Peter School
Email: principal@stpetersparish.com
Website: www.stpetersschoolsomerset.com
Location: 433 West Church Street Somerset PA 15501
Phone: 814-445-6662
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SaintPeterSchool1/
Twitter: @StPeterSchool1