Crusader Chronicle
St. Ignatius of Antioch Elementary School
Founded by Laypeople
This past week, in the Catholic Church, we celebrated the feast of St. Matthew, the Evangelist and Apostle, on September 21, and the feast of St. Pio of Pietrelcina, otherwise known as Padre Pio, on September 23. Those two saints are well known to us - St. Matthew, a tax collector who was called by Jesus as Matthew was sitting at his tax collector post and whose gospel is so familiar to us, and Padre Pio, the Italian priest who bore the wounds of Christ and became very popular during his life and since his death in 1968. But it is a group of saints, celebrated on September 20, that I want to write about this week.
Part of the reason that I want to focus on this group of saints is because their feast day is celebrated on September 20, which is the first day this school year that the St. Ignatius of Antioch Elementary students attended Mass together as a school community. Another reason is because this group of saints, all martyrs, is not as well known.
September 20 is the feast day of St. Andrew Kim Taegon, St. Paul Chong Hasang, and companions, otherwise known as the Korean Martyrs. The group that is celebrated on September 20 is composed of 103 martyrs, 92 of whom were laypeople, who were martyred for their belief in the Catholic faith in Korea between the years 1839 and 1867, and they represent 10,000 Korean Catholics who were martyred between 1789 and 1883. That is remarkable in itself, but what is also remarkable is the way the Catholic Church was founded in Korea.
The first Christians were baptized in Korea around 1592 when the country was invaded by Japan. During that time and for centuries after, Korea avoided contact with other countries, except when a group of Koreans was sent once a year to Beijing, China, to pay the annual taxes. In 1777, that group went to Beijing, and returned with Catholic literature, smuggled into Korea. Twelve years later, a Chinese priest secretly entered Korea and found four thousand lay Catholics, none of whom had ever seen a priest. Seven more years later, there were ten thousand Korean Catholics. The majority of these conversions to Catholicism were due to the courageous laypeople who taught the faith. Over time, a few missionaries came to Korea from European countries to strengthen the education in the faith of the Korean Catholics. St. Andrew Kim Taegon was the first Korean-born Catholic priest; St. Andrew traveled 1300 miles from his native Korea to Macao, China, to study for the priesthood. After six years, he secretly returned to Korea and began to minister as a priest to his people. After only thirteen months as a priest, he was executed for his faith.
Eventually, after the courage and perseverance of these and many other martyrs, religious freedom came to Korea in 1883. Although the country was split into two countries in 1945, South Korea today still has five and a half million Catholics; the seeds of the faith of these modern Catholics were sown by the sacrifices of the first Korean Catholics centuries ago. We remember with great reverence the sacrifices of the Korean Martyrs and ask for their prayers so that we too may persevere.
School News!
Our New Student Council
Congratulations to our 2022-2023 Student Council, who were elected this past week by the 3rd through 8th graders. The 2022-2023 Student Council includes:
Lily Griesbaum - President
Madeleine Kinney - Vice President
Anna Gray - Secretary
Jack Longino - Spirit
Millie McCullough - Fellowship
Madelynn DeLeonardo - Treasurer
Thank you to all the candidates for their well run campaigns and their inspiring campaign speeches. Thank you to all the 8th graders for their exemplary leadership in the school.
Picture Day is Coming!
All students are to wear the school uniform on September 30.
Order forms will be distributed on Monday, September 26.
Pre-K students who do not regularly attend on Fridays can come in on Friday, September 30, for Picture Day.
Picture re-take day will be November 7.
School Family Directory
YAY Lunch
Below is the YAY lunch information for how to cancel if your child is out sick, for those who may need it.
School Uniform Information
Below you will find an order form for the quarter zip grey sweatshirt, which is an approved St. Ignatius of Antioch uniform item, which can be worn during school hours.
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.
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 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.
Home and School Information on Upcoming Events
Home and School Update
As we close out the first few weeks of school, the H and S Board thanks all of our parents, faculty, and staff for a smooth transition back into the classroom! We had our first fundraising event on Saturday, our Welcome Back Beef and Beer, which was a great success. Thank you to all who came out, purchased raffle and 50/50 tickets, and especially those who helped put this event together. A very special thank you to Giulia Monaco, Jackie Kush, and Mrs. Crozier for their effort in making this happen, as well as DJ Terrence Wiggins for providing spectacular entertainment! A big thanks also goes out to Father Brownholtz and Mr. Meade for their support of this event.
We also held our very first of many Middle School Events, Movies Under the Stars. Special thanks again to Guilia and Jackie for coordinating and their continued efforts to make these events a regular occurrence for the kids.
Now that we successfully held the first of our H and S events, we look forward to continuing our work for the remainder of the school year. We are unable to make any of these events run successfully without all of your help:
LUNCH DUTY - WE NEED ALL HANDS ON DECK!
Traditionally, at St. Ignatius School, the parent community has provided support at lunchtime. Here are some FAQs that we are often asked in regard to this process:
- How frequently do I need to participate? If all families pitch in and take assigned dates, we find that we can cover the school year with each family covering 4-5 occurrences each school year.
- How long will I be at school for lunch duty? Just about an hour; if you arrive at 11:30 AM, you will usually complete your shift by 12:30 PM.
- What are my responsibilities while on lunch duty? If you are assigned to cafeteria lunch duty, you will be wiping tables and sweeping the floor between lunch periods (there are 2 lunch periods in the cafeteria) and at the succession of the lunch period. For the younger grades (1-4) you will also be opening thermoses and packages as needed. If you are assigned to outdoor recess duty, you will be overseeing the children who are outside on the playground or other designated areas for play; you will occasionally take a child who is ill or injured to the nurse or office as needed.
- Do I need clearances and if so, what are they? Yes, you will need to be sure all clearances are on file with the school/parish and up to date. Here is the link for what is needed: St. Ignaitus of Antioch - Yardley PA (stignatius.church). Additionally, Jayne Marcinowski, our Safe Environment Coordinator, can give you additional guidance. She can be reached at hr@stignatius.church
- How do I know when I am assigned and can I request specific dates that are compatible with my home and work schedule? You can absolutely request particular dates that work for you! There is room on our response form where you can indicate which days of the week work best for you, and even an area to list specific dates that you are available. If you would like to volunteer more than 4-5 times per school year, that is always appreciated! Once the monthly calendar is coordinated by the Home and School Board, it will be sent out to those via email that are scheduled for that month. We make an effort to send it out in advance in the case that there arise scheduling conflicts.
- What if I am sick on my scheduled day or if I have an emergency on the day of? Ideally, we will put together a substitute list where you can email the group and enlist help in the case of emergency. We are currently in the process of finding volunteers for this list.
- How many parents are needed on a given day? We are in need of 4 parents each day to provide proper coverage both inside and out! This is why it is so crucial that we have all families participating, in order to fill these roles.
- Are grandparents able to volunteer for lunch duty? Yes, as long as clearances are on file in the school/parish office.
- This sounds amazing, I would love to help, how do I submit my information? Easy! Click on this link, fill out your info, and hit Submit!
2022-2023 St. Ignatius School Lunch Duty Form - Google Forms
LAST CALL FOR PRETZELS!!
Pretzels are back! The Home and School Association is offering an opportunity to purchase a pretzel a week for your child for snack! This is a fundraiser, so proceeds go back to the school and the kiddos! Please see the Google Form below for details. All orders MUST be submitted for the duration of the 15-week period NO LATER than September 27th, as we need to pre-order! One form must be submitted for each child. Details are in the form. Thank you!
2022-2023 Soft Pretzel Orders (google.com)
HOMEROOM PARENTS WANTED, PLUS OTHER VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES!
Many of you have asked how to get involved in Home and School events, and here is your opportunity! Please refer to the form below for an explanation of our events and opportunity to sign up for chairing an event or joining a committee. There is also a section to sign up if you are interested in being a homeroom parent. Please keep in mind that all clearances must be up to date and on-file in order to be a homeroom parent.
Home and School Volunteer Survey (google.com)
7th and 8th Grade Dance - Save the Date, October 7
Be on the lookout for permission forms (via Google Forms) to be available soon in order for your child to attend our first 7th/8th dance of the school year!
Thank you to Bridget Schmitz for chairing this event! Please give Bridget your support in helping to coordinate these events for our students.
If you are a 7th/8th grade parent who wants to help with this event, please contact our Volunteer Coordinator, Jill O'Hara, for details: jillian.ohara1883@gmail.com.
As always, thank you for your support and we look forward to working with all of you this school year!
CARES News
Busing Information
Upcoming Dates
Friday, September 30th, is St. Ignatius of Antioch Elementary School Picture Day. See the Picture Day Section in this Crusader Chronicle for more information.
Tuesday, October 4, is the first Class Mass of the school year, with the 8th graders joining in prayer at Mass with our parishioners at 9:00 am. See the announcement about the Class Mass schedule for more information.
Friday, October 7, is the next Mass attended by the whole school.
Monday, October 17, is a Teacher Professional Development Day for our teachers. There will be no school that day.
CYO News
St. Ignatius of Antioch Cub Scouts
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.
Parish Women's Bible Study - Walking with Purpose
WALKING WITH PURPOSE REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!
Walking With Purpose is a national women’s Catholic Bible study program. Participants at the St. Ignatius of Antioch chapter are women of all ages and faith backgrounds , seeking to grow in faith. Our first session is on Tuesday, September 13, 2022. The course this year includes two bible studies:
Ordering Your Priorities lays a foundation that helps women focus on the things that matter most. Diving into the pages of Scripture, we’ll connect our modern-day challenges with the changeless truths of our faith.
Reclaiming Friendship explores God's plan for friendship, and what it means to be created in His image. This study helps us to understand what it is to have lasting and abiding friendships.
WWP meets at St. Ignatius on:
Tuesday mornings from 9:30-11:15am in the church auditorium
OR
Tuesday evenings from 6:45-8:30pm in the Antioch Center.
No Bible study experience is needed.
If you can't attend every week, come when you can. If you can’t prepare for each week’s study, come anyway and join the discussion.
Register at www.stignatius.church - click on Ministries – Spirituality - Women’s Ministry - Walking With Purpose.
Contact us with any questions at: