Crusader Chronicle
St. Ignatius of Antioch Elementary School
Preparing and Waiting
The season of Advent in the Catholic Church is a time when we are called to wait and to prepare. We await and prepare for the celebration of Christmas, and we also await and prepare for the Second Coming of Jesus at the end of time. We remember again that God became one of us, coming to us as a baby, and we look forward to the day when Jesus will return. This first week of Advent focuses on the return of Jesus; the Gospel reading on the First Sunday of Advent reminds us that we do not know the day or hour that Jesus will come again. It especially reminds us that we should be ready at all times, not just during Advent, but every day, for Jesus to come again.
Some years ago, I was at Mass during Advent, and one of the parish permanent deacons gave us a beautiful homily that focused on the Virgin Mary in her preparation for the birth of Jesus. I don't remember exactly what the deacon said, but, because what he said really made me think, ever since that Advent Sunday, I always make a point to reflect on the Virgin Mary during these weeks of Advent, to try to imitate her mindset and her preparation. I reflect on the Annunciation, when Mary first heard the message from the angel Gabriel that she would be the mother of the Savior, the surprise of that moment and Mary's acceptance of God's will. I reflect on the joy and the difficulty of pregnancy for Mary and what she must have thought during those months, knowing what God had asked her to do. I reflect on the arduous journey that Mary and Joseph took, to travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem (which, according to Biblical scholars, was a journey of 90 miles on foot, probably taking four to seven days) while Mary was so close to the time when she was to give birth. I reflect on Mary's strength, Mary's faith, Mary's openness to the will of God, and Mary's unique bond with the Son of God, whom she carried inside herself.
I pray that, this Advent, you think of Mary too, and ponder how you can prepare and wait, as Mary did. May we walk this Advent along with our Mother Mary.
Prayer for the First Sunday of Advent
Grant your faithful, we pray, almighty God,
the resolve to run forth to meet your Christ
with righteous deeds at his coming,
so that, gathered at his right hand,
they may be worthy to possess the heavenly Kingdom.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
School News!
Faculty Retreat
Winter Uniforms
Christmas Concert - Thursday, December 15
Mrs. O'Hara has been teaching all of our Kindergarten through 8th grade students the songs for this year's concert. Please be sure to save the date and plan to attend our 2022 Christmas Concert!
YAY Lunch Gift Card Sweepstakes
Yay Lunch is giving thanks for you! From November 14 until December 11, every time you order, you’ll automatically be entered to receive a $300 gift card. And that’s not all: Each winner will get to pay it forward and gift a teacher with a $300 gift card, too.
You can also enter by nominating someone to win a Yay Lunch gift card — which secures an entry for you and your nominee, too. You can nominate as many people, as many times as you want!
Two winners will be drawn once a week (that’s eight winners + eight teachers total!), and each entry will be eligible to win throughout the entire promotion period.
You can learn more about the sweepstakes at this link https://www.yaylunch.com/give-thanks-sweepstakes, and order Yay Lunch + submit a nomination to enter!
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.
Home and School Update
The Home and School Association continues to move along with our scheduled events for November and December. Please mark your calendars for our upcoming events! See the flyers below for more information.
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
November 30 - Santa's Secret Shop begins
Santa’s Shop will be open for online orders from 11/30-12/9! sisantashop.com All gifts will be sent home with your child.
Santa's (in-person) Shop is coming to St. Ignatius on December 12-13, 2022! Each class will be scheduled for a time to visit the shop. Every student receives an information letter, a shopping list, and a special Merry Christmas envelope to use the day they shop. Paperwork will be sent home soon.
Please read the letter carefully, as we have made some changes in an effort to streamline the shop for efficiency. Help your children make their list by writing the name/age and other notes. This will help the "shopper elves" and the children know how to pick an age appropriate present.
Parents, please discuss the shop with your child. Help them understand they will have a budget and who they will be able to pick out gifts for, all our gifts are priced at $10.00 and under, with many for $5.00.
On their shopping day, the students MUST bring with them the Shopping List Form filled out, WITH YOUR SIGNATURE, indicating your preferred method of payment. There are two ways to pay: 1) Cash 2) Check made payable to St. Ignatius Home & School with the amount left blank for the cashier to fill in. No matter your choice, we must have a signature at the top of the shopping list with ALL the information completed to help the shop run smoothly. We will send home a receipt for your records. Just like last year, we are offering gift wrapping of all gifts for a flat $5 fee, as a fundraiser with the 8th grade class!
We look forward to seeing many of you and the children at Santa's Shop! If you are interested in helping, please contact Jen Wiggins at jeh243@gmail.com, or Nicole Kloc nicolekloc@gmail.com. Come help us get into the holiday spirit!
December 2 - Middle School Night at Shadybrook Farm
We are happy to announce that Middle School Night at Shadybrook Farm will take place on Friday, December 2. Shadybrook has asked that all tickets be purchased in advance for the group, as the Hayride sells out quickly, especially on Friday nights! The due date for registration and payment is Tuesday, November 29. We realize this is a tight turn-around, but we want to ensure that we have enough spots for all children that are interested in attending, and we must reserve in advance of December 2.
All the details, as well as the permission slip, are embedded within the Google Form below. Please read all of the information and let us know if you have any questions. We cannot emphasize enough that we will not be able to conduct this event unless we have the appropriate number of parent chaperones. We are looking to find at least 8 to 10 parent volunteers to accompany the children to Shadybrook. There is a required field on the Google Form where you can indicate if you are able to assist us with us. Please keep in mind this is a safety issue - if we do not have the appropriate number of parents attend, we will not be able to move forward with the event.
Thank you again for your help in making this another great event for the kids. Please see the Google Form below!
SIS Middle School Night at Shadybrook Farm 2022 (google.com)
December 3 - LAST CALL FOR Cookies and Milk with Santa
The deadline for registration is quickly approaching on November 30. Though there is no charge for the event, we do need to secure enough refreshments for all that are planning to attend, so there is a registration requirement for your family to attend. Please follow the link below to fill out the Google Form NO LATER THAN NOVEMBER 30.
Cookies with Santa: All Aboard the Polar Express (google.com)
As is tradition, the Home and School Association asks families that attend Cookies and Milk with Santa to bring an item for donation for those less fortunate. This year, we are targeting the Legacy of Life Foundation for donations. The following represents a list of the most-needed items. We are asking that each family attending bring at least one item:
pacifiers
baby towels/wash cloths
baby shampoo/wash/lotion
newborn clothes
2T-4T toddler clothes
other clothing in the following sizes:
Size 4
Size 6
Boy 2T-3T
Boy 3T-4T
Boy 4T-5T
Girl 3T-4T
Gift Cards to the following: WalMart, Target, CVS, Giant)
Thank you to all our families for your support of our Home and School events!
CARES News
Upcoming Dates
Tuesday, November 29, is our next Class Mass. Grade 7 will join the St. Ignatius parishioners at the 9:00 am Mass.
Wednesday, November 30, is the opening date for the online Santa Shop. See the Home and School Update Section for more information.
Friday, December 2, is our next School Mass. All of our students will join the St. Ignatius parishioners at the 9:00 am Mass.
Friday, December 2, is the next date for the monthly Middle School Social. See the Home and School Update section for more information.
Saturday, December 3, is the Cookies with Santa event. See the Home and School Update section for more information; please note that families must register for this event, and the registration deadline is this Wednesday, November 30.
Thursday, December 15, is the St. Ignatius of Antioch Elementary School Christmas Concert. All students from Kindergarten through 8th Grade will be participating in the concert this year. Please save the date for a wonderful evening. See the School News Section of this newsletter for more information.
Tuesday, December 20, is the St. Ignatius of Antioch Elementary School Penance Service, in the afternoon. There will be a parish Penance Service in the evening on December 20 as well.
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
Advent Penance Service
Volunteers Needed for Children's Liturgy of the Word
CYO Basketball News
St. Ignatius basketball registration is now open for the 2022-2023 season!!
Please click on the link below to go to our registration site.
As always, our program can’t happen without volunteers so please consider helping.
Thanks.
Steve Nash
St Ignatius Yardley CYO
https://stignatiuscyo.sportngin.com/home