St. Jerome School Weekly Newsletter
October 20th, 2021
“Courage, courage, trust in God who helps you in all things.”
Saint Mary MacKillop
From Mr. Merrick
Dear St. Jerome Families,
I hope that you are having a pleasant week so far. Our teachers have been eager to meet and conference this afternoon and evening as well as tomorrow morning. Please remember that there is no school for students tomorrow, Thursday.
On Friday, Mrs. Schmidt will be presented with her AOP Tech Influencer award for 2020-2021 at a ceremony and luncheon at St. Helena in Blue Bell. We are grateful to Mrs. Schmidt for her sharing her talents with the students and staff at St. Jerome as she uses technology in innovative ways to enhance our students' learning.
Please join us for Winchester Wednesday next week featuring Haley Quinn's and Hoboken Cucina. Weather permitting, Mrs. Carolan and I will also be selling snacks and school spirit items.
A few reminders from last week:
For Halloween, we will be having an outdoor costume parade at 9:00 AM on Friday, October 29th. Students in PreK-3 to 3rd are welcome to dress in their costumes and parents and other guests are invited to assemble in the school yard. It is a Halloween themed dress down day for all students (no donations necessary). All of the students will be receiving a treat from our Home and School Association, and we will be having activities for the students in the afternoon.
Winter Uniform will begin on Tuesday, November 2nd. The uniform requirement handout is available below for reference. Students are welcome to switch to the winter uniform before November 2nd, if you prefer.
I look forward to seeing you at Trunk or Treat on Friday.
Have a great rest of the week; St. Jerome, pray for us!
Family Bingo Night (Sponsored by Home and School)
Join us for St. Jerome Family Bingo Night on Friday, November 12th -Time: 6:30pm-8:30pm in the School Hall
-Included: Pizza, bottled water and juice- Feel free to BYOB and your own desserts for your family, if you wish.
-Prizes to the winners of each round! -Raffle baskets and 50/50!!!!
-Please RSVP with your family name and how many in your immediate family that will be attending by Friday, November 5 in an envelope marked “Family Bingo.” There is no cost for this event, as this is included with your school activity fee. This event is for our St. Jerome School families only. This is NOT a drop off event. Children must be accompanied by their parents or guardians. ***Walk-ins will not be permitted*** It is very important to RSVP to ensure we are ready for a fun-filled family night!
-Register online at: https://forms.gle/86cSoNShhe3TqdjE6 or return the form below back to school in envelope to St. Jerome Home and School Association:
Protecting God's Children Lessons
In the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, Article 12 calls for all dioceses to establish "safe environment" programs at all grade levels. This ongoing education is presented to the students in the parish and regional elementary schools of the Archdiocese as well as in the Parish Religious Education Programs (PREP or CCD) two times during the instructional year. This is a mandated obligation from the Archdiocese with the two lessons provided for our teachers.
The lessons are available for you to review by visiting http://www.aopcatholicschools.org/about/programs and clicking on Safe Environment.
St. Jerome School will conduct these lessons on Tuesday, October 26th. If you choose to have your child removed from the lesson, please return the form (sent home in the Wednesday folder as well as posted below) by Monday, October 25th. You only need to return the form if you opt your child(ren) out.
Home and School Rakin' in the Dough
Trunk or Treat
Student Council Haunted Convent
CYO Basketball
5th through 8th Grade Basketball Registration
If your son or daughter is in 5th through 8th grades and is interested in playing CYO basketball, we need to collect information ASAP! Please fill out the Google Form here by FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15th.
**Note: there may be try-outs depending on how many kids show interest; the number of teams at each age level is TBD.
**Attention 3rd and 4th Grade Boys and Girls: CYO Region 1 often runs a cadet league in February/March. While there are no guarantees for a cadet league, we will be offering sign-ups in December to get an idea of numbers and figure out coaches. Please, if any parents are interested in coaching, make sure all your clearances are on file at the rectory!
Children's Scholarship Foundation of Philadelphia
Children's Scholarship Fund Philadelphia's K-8 scholarship application for the 2022-2023 school year is now OPEN! They're awarding more scholarships than ever this year to under-resourced Philly families who want to send their kids to a safe, quality school like St. Jerome.
You can apply at csfphiladelphia.org/apply. It's free to apply and takes just a few minutes. They accept applications through March 1, but families should apply by November 15 for their best chance at getting selected in our random scholarship lottery.
St. Jerome Scrip Program
Support St. Jerome on Amazon Smile:
Student Health Reminders
If your child tests positive for COVID-19 or is a close contact to a person who tests positive for COVID-19, please contact us. We will seek advisement from the Philadelphia Department of Health and give you direction.
Our reopening plan calls on every member of the school community to support our values of mutual respect, integrity, willingness to sacrifice for the common good and foster community bonds across generations. Commitment to the policies will assist in protecting the health and welfare of all members of our school community.
In an effort to keep all children safe, we ask that Parents monitor their children’s Health daily. Below are the expectations related to the health monitoring.
I attest to :
Fever of 100.4 or above,
chills,
Cough,
Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing,
Fatigue,
Muscle or body aches,
Headache,
New loss of taste or smell,
Sore throat,
Congestion or runny nose,
Nausea or vomiting,
Diarrhea,
My child has not had any contact with anyone with COVID
I am following all CDC recommended guidelines and limiting my/my child’s exposure to risks such as above
If any of these symptoms present, please keep your child from school and contact the school. If the symptoms are serious please seek immediate medical attention.
We will keep you informed if the list of symptoms, listed above, changes in any way.