Crusader Chronicle
St. Ignatius of Antioch Elementary School
A King Like No Other
In the Catholic Church, we follow a three year cycle of readings for our Sunday liturgies, so that on the same Sunday each year for three years, we hear different readings. After the third year, we return to the readings from the first year and begin the cycle again.
For the Feast of Christ the King, the Gospel reading for the Year A cycle is the story Jesus tells about when, at the end of time, Jesus will separate the sheep from the goats, where the sheep go to live with Him in the Kingdom prepared for them and where the goats go to live in eternal fire with the devil. The difference between the sheep and the goats in the story is that the sheep helped those in need and the goats did not help those in need. Jesus, the King of the Kingdom, tells the sheep that helping those in need is helping Him, and He tells the goats that neglecting to help those in need is neglecting to help Him. Jesus, the King, identifies Himself with those in need.
During the Year B cycle, the Gospel reading for the Feast of Christ the King tells us the story of the conversation between Pontius Pilate and Jesus, when Pilate asks Jesus if Jesus is a king. Jesus tells Pilate that His Kingdom does not belong to this world and that He has come to testify to the truth. Jesus, the King, lets us know that the earthly expectations of kingship do not apply to Him; His kingship is heavenly and focused on the truth.
This year, the Church has been proclaiming the readings of the Year C cycle, and the Gospel reading today is my favorite reading in the Bible. Today's Gospel is the story of Jesus' crucifixion and the Good Thief, St. Dismas. The reading tells us of the two thieves who were crucified with Jesus. One thief tells Jesus to save Himself and them. But the other thief, the Good Thief, states that the two thieves deserve their punishment but that Jesus is innocent. Then the Good Thief asks Jesus to remember him when Jesus comes into His kingdom. And Jesus answers the Good Thief by saying, "This day you will be with me in Paradise." Even though both thieves acknowledge that Jesus is the Savior, the Anointed One, and a King, Jesus reminds both of them that His kingship is about sacrifice and righteousness, not about serving one's self.
The Feast of Christ the King reminds us each year that Jesus is our King. If we are to follow Jesus, we follow Him by recognizing Him in those in need, we follow Him by knowing that Jesus is "the Way, the Truth, and the Life," and we follow Him by sacrificing for others. Jesus is a King like no other king because He is humble, He is truthful, and He gives everything, even His own life, for us.
Happy Thanksgiving!
We wish all of our families a very happy and blessed Thanksgiving! We pray that you have safe travels, that your family gatherings are full of joy, and that your hearts and minds are raised to God in gratitude for the many gifts He gives us each and every day.
Thanksgiving Day Prayer
Lord, we thank you
for the goodness of our people
and for the spirit of justice
that fills this nation.
We thank you for the beauty and fullness of the
land and the challenge of the cities.
We thank you for our work and our rest,
for one another, and for our homes.
We thank you, Lord:
accept our thanksgiving on this day.
We pray and give thanks through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
School News!
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!
School Pictures
Our fall photo sessions with Lifetouch are finished; we will have another session with Lifetouch in the spring. If you would like to order pictures online, go to lifetouch.com and use the St. Ignatius Picture Day ID, which is EVT2QD2JB.
Safe Environment Lessons
During the week of November 14, all of our students had the opportunity, during Religion class, to learn about personal safety as part of our Safe Environment Lessons, which we present twice during each school year. These lessons are developed by the Archdiocesan Office for Child and Youth Protection.
Anyone who would like to read about these lessons should follow the link below:
https://www.aopcatholicschools.org/about/programsPlease contact Mr. Meade if you have any questions.
5th through 8th Grade Reading Olympics
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.
Crusaders Care Day of Service
Thank you to our school community, Mr. Meade, Father Brownholtz, and Mrs. Crozier for all of your support of our First Annual Crusaders Care Day of Service! We are so overwhelmed by the generosity of both students and parents alike. Because of your kindness, we were able to put together 40 Thanksgiving meal bags, over 100 snack bags, boxes upon boxes of pantry and self- care items to replenish the ERA pantry, and we managed to have a greeting card accompany each bag! We couldn't have done this without your support. We have helped many in our community who need it most, and our children have given others the beautiful gift of their service. Thank you!
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 3 - Cookies and Milk with Santa
We hope you and your family will join us for this year's Cookies and Milk with Santa event taking place on Saturday, December 3 in the Church basement. This year's theme is the "Polar Express!" Your kiddos can wear their comfiest Christmas jammies, make Christmas crafts, enjoy cookies and hot cocoa, and meet Santa! Please see the attached flyer for more details. This event is again free of charge for this year, but we will need all families in attendance to register in advance in order to plan enough refreshments. We are asking all families to register no later than November 30! You can register here:
Cookies with Santa: All Aboard the Polar Express (google.com)
CARES News
Upcoming Dates
Tuesday, November 21, is our next Class Mass. Grade 8 will join the St. Ignatius parishioners at the 9:00 am Mass.
Wednesday, November 23, is the date for our St. Ignatius Faculty Retreat. Please pray for the faculty as they join together in prayer and reflection.
Wednesday, November 23, through Friday, November 25, is Thanksgiving Break for all our students. Enjoy this important time with family to thank God for the many blessings and gifts He gives us every day.
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
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