St. Jerome School Weekly Newsletter
October 13th, 2021
“Actions speak louder than words. Let your words teach and your actions speak.”
St. Anthony of Padua
From Mr. Merrick
Dear St. Jerome Families,
Today, I write to you from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia's administrator conference, where we have had time for networking and professional development. I am excited to announce that St. Jerome School was presented with an award today in recognition for our academic achievements last year. We have been named a School of Distinguished Instruction for demonstrating school-wide academic growth between 2019 and 2021! This is the first time that we as a school have received this award. We are so proud of all of the achievements of our students, guided by their teachers, especially in light of all of the challenges during the pandemic. Thank you for all of your support at home- this goes to show how much we can all achieve working together.
Below, please find information about scheduling conferences; we have set-aside next Wednesday and Thursday for conferences. Therefore, as indicated on the school calendar, next Wednesday, October 20th will be a 12:00 PM dismissal, and Thursday, October 21st will be a day off for students. Conference scheduling opens on OptionC tomorrow, Thursday, October 14th.
Thanks to your generosity, we raised $350.00 that was donated to the Rising Together Alliance to support special education here in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. The students also made Halloween cards and digital messages that will be sent to students in the AOP schools of special education.
Trunk or Treat RSVPs are due on Friday, please see the information below. We are looking forward to a fun evening!
November hot lunch orders are due tomorrow (a copy of the form is below).
November pretzel order forms went home in the Wednesday Folder today; a copy is also included below.
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.
Have a great rest of the week; St. Jerome, pray for us!
Parent/Teacher Conferences (October 20th & 21st)
- Parent/teacher conferences days are scheduled for Wednesday, October 20th from 1:00 PM-7:00 PM and Thursday, October 21st from 9:00 AM until 12:00 PM. The students will be dismissed at 12:00 PM on October 20th and there is no school on Thursday, October 21st..
- All conferences will be scheduled through OptionC. There is a video below to help you with this. The scheduling will allow you to make appointments with multiple teachers if necessary.
- Scheduling begins on Thursday, October 14th and ends on Tuesday, October 19th.
- Conferences are not required, but our teachers look forward to discussing your child's progress. Your child's teacher will reach out to you if he or she requests a conference.
- Conferences will be conducted either in-person or virtually. Please indicate when you sign up if you would like to meet virtually. Otherwise, the teachers will assume that the conference will be in-person.
- If your teacher does not have any open slots or you can not make a time on October 20th or October 21st, you may email your child's teacher to schedule another mutually convenient time.
Trunk or Treat
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!
Hamilton Tickets
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.