St. Peter School Postings

Dear Families,

"For everything, there is a season..." These familiar verses were recently read at our school Mass, and they are so very timely for this time of year. As we embrace the beautiful changes that come with the fall season, we are reminded of the constant transformations happening around us—in nature, in our school, and in our children. The vibrant colors of the changing leaves serve as a reminder of the beauty that comes with growth and transition.

We have settled into a new year, and after a busy but wonderful September, we are walking into October with confidence and enthusiasm. Our study of the virtue of hope continues into October. In Faith Families, recently, students created uplifting "hope cards" to give to others or leave for someone who might be losing hope because of sadness, fear, or frustration. We gather in Faith Families monthly in groups of students from all grades to enjoy faith and friendship with students from other grade levels and do acts of service. Each Faith Family received a "patron saint" this year and will be talking about and doing activities around the virtues this year. Students remain in the same Faith Family throughout their St. Peter school years and love seeing each other when they gather almost every month. What a beautiful way to foster community and make fun memories as we all discover our faith more deeply together.

As we continue through fall, there are so many reminders of hope if we stop and look for them. And just as nature has its seasons, our students are growing, learning, and changing every day. Their resilience, curiosity, and spirit bring much light to our school. As we continue through the year, we can't help but see hope in each one of them as they become the best versions of themselves. The people God intends for them to be! What a joy and honor to be a part of it!

Blessings,

Mrs. Harris

Who would have thought that a brief discussion at the NCEA conference in April would lead to such improvements to our dismissal process? Thanks to PIckUP Patrol and the cooperation of parents and the office, the dismissal stress of notes, phone calls, and lists has disappeared, and time and productivity have increased dramatically. This wouldn't have been possible without all the families at home taking the time to install and use the site - THANK YOU! A massive shout out to Mrs. Svonavec, who has become our PickUP Patrol Master. Even for the Modified Busing Day, things were organized and communicated in a fraction of the time it has taken in years past. PLEASE NOTE: Our next Modified Busing Day is October 11th. We will have the same protocol for this and all upcoming MB Days as we had for the first. All students who ride an SASD bus on ANY day as their Default Plan will enter either MODIFIED BUSING or CAR RIDER as a PLAN CHANGE for each Modified Busing Day by 10:00 am the Monday before the Modified Busing Day. These dates can be found on your school calendar and are also listed below. By the end of the week, we will send home another newsletter with all things PIckUp Patrol for you to reference in one place. Again, thank you for your cooperation and patience. Like we tell the kids...you all deserve a HIGH FIVE.

St. Peter School, a school that has been accredited by the Middle States Association throughout its history, is committed to its mission. This process validates our adherence to our mission and helps to ensure the school is looking to its future with good planning.

Moving forward, our school will now participate in a diocesan-wide accreditation. Instead of each school committing large amounts of valuable time and resources for individual accreditations, the principals from each elementary school in the Diocese of Altoona-Johstown and the Diocesan Education Staff will be completing the accreditation process to have our entire diocese accredited at once. To ensure that the accreditation process includes specific information from each school, students, teachers, and parents are asked to participate in some surveys.

We are asking all parents to participate in the Parent Survey at this time. Please use the link below to fill out this brief survey to ensure the voices of our school community are part of this valuable process. The Accreditation Team from Middle States will visit all of the schools, and our entire school community is being asked to participate by completing surveys about St. Peter School. With 100% participation from each family before 8:00 a.m. on October 10th, the entire school will receive a "NO HOMEWORK" night!

It is very easy to be so focused on our current days with all the demands on our time. But as a school we want to ensure that St. Peter School is healthy and focused on the future for generations to come. Your help with this accreditation process will help us do that. PLEASE HAVE THE SURVEYS COMPLETED NO LATER THAN OCTOBER 10TH. Thank you, and God bless!

As seen on the latest Hot Lunch forms, the rising food costs have forced us to raise the cost of Hot Lunches for students and staff. The cost for each Hot Lunch will be $4, and Pizza Hot Lunches may need to be $5. The PTA does not make any profit from Hot Lunch. We only charge enough to cover the costs of the food. If there is any financial hardship for a family to purchase Hot Lunches at these prices, don't hesitate to get in touch with the school. Thank you!

This year's Halloween Dance for grades K-3 will be after school on Thursday, October 31st, from 3-5pm in the Parish Hall. Information about the dance and how to sign up for help will come home on a flyer in folders this week. This event requires volunteer help to decorate, chaperone, and clean up, as well as people to donate snack items. Please use the link below to sign up for donations or to volunteer. All chaperones and anyone present at the dance must have all clearances completed and on file before the dance day. No one will be permitted to stay at the dance without clearances. With parent permission, students can walk to the Hall after school with a staff person. The event will be open to currently enrolled St. Peter School students in grades K-3 and no younger or older siblings.

Our Halloween Parade and Parties will be on the same day as the dance for even more Halloween fun. Please note the following protocols for Halloween Parties:

• Students are to wear regular uniforms to school for the day and bring their costumes.
• Students will be dismissed to school areas to put on costumes at 1:15 pm.
• At 1:30 pm we will have our Halloween Parade outside around the semi-circle after which students and Party Crews will return to classrooms for their parties.
• Anyone is welcome to be in front of the school to watch the parade; however only parents/family members with full clearances on file will be permitted in the school to assist students with costumes or help with parties.
• In the event of inclement weather, we will not have our parade outside. Students will walk a "loop" in the school to see each other's costumes. Only those with clearances and helping with parties will be permitted in the school.
• Students may bring treats to pass out to their classmates, but this will be done BEFORE parties, so be sure to send in any treats with students in the morning. Our policy is that these treats are put away to go home and be approved by parents before students eat them.
  
• Costumes may NOT include the following:
• Excessive "gore," blood, or extra scary features
• NO GUNS, KNIVES, SWORDS, HATCHETS
• No short skirts without leggings and no bare shoulders or mid-drifts
• Be aware of the weather and dress or bring coats to accommodate being outside
• In this week's Family Folder, those who signed up to help with our parties this year will receive a list of the "Party Crew" and the "Party Planners." Everyone will be contacted and included in the party planning.
• If any parent will be here for the parties the afternoon of the 31st and wants to take their child home instead of riding a bus or van, please enter that Plan Change by 10:00 am that morning.

Thank you all!

St. Peter School had a wonderful experience with our new I:55 Book Fair the week of the Grandparents. Picnic. We sold over $4600 in books! This gave the school over $1400 to purchase books for our library. The company was so helpful, and the ease of checking out made this book fair an outstanding success. Thanks to all who helped set up Sunday evening, manning the Book Fair during the Grandparent Picnic, the Open House, and student shopping throughout the week.
We look forward to our continued partnership with I:55 in the coming years.

This Friday, October 4th, St. Peter's Parish will have its next 24-hour Eucharistic Adoration. Adoration will begin immediately after 7:00 AM on Friday. Jesus in the Eucharist will be exposed on the altar in the monstrance so that anyone can stop in and spend some time in quiet and prayer. While there is a sign-up roster for each hour of the adoration, this is just to ensure that someone is always present while the Eucharist is exposed; anyone and everyone can stop in and spend some time throughout the whole 24 hours until 7:00 am on Saturday. Many more people took time to visit with Jesus at the last Adoration. How wonderful that we can take even a few minutes from our busy days and evenings to "show up" for our Lord, who "shows up" for each of us daily.

This Friday is our annual Outdoor Mass on the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi. The weather looks to be nice, and we will gather in the Pavilion to celebrate Mass. We hope many of you will join us for this special Mass! Please bring a "camping" or lawn chair if you do attend.

All Saints Parish in Boswell hosted their annual summer day camp this past August 6-9. The three-day camp, run by All Saints and sisters from the Sister Servants of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, provided fun and faith-filled activities around this year's theme, "Pilgrimage." They even made a pilgrimage to visit some historical churches in Pittsburgh. Some of our students attended this camp and had a wonderful time. The diocesan weekly TV show, "Proclaim," visited the camp and happened to interview one of our sixth graders about the camp. Zachary Swearman made quite an impression on the representatives from the diocesan communications office, and they have invited Zachary to become a "roving reporter" for a series of segments to run on upcoming Proclaim shows. Zachary will interview various members of our school and parish to highlight the many wonderful people and events we share during the school year. Ms. Teresa Golden of the Diocesan Communications Department will join us for our outdoor Mass this Friday and then film Zachary interviewing students about St. Francis and our outdoor Mass. Be sure to catch these segments on the upcoming Proclaim! TV shows that air on Sunday mornings at 10:30 am on WATM ABC 23. Segments are also linked to the diocesan. homepage for viewing later. Great job, Zach!

The PTA is busy with a full year of events planned to benefit our school and provide fun and fellowship for students and families. Our first Marianna's Sale was a whopper of a success and the next one is planned for early November. Our first Hot Lunch was wonderful and what a turnout of volunteers as we enjoyed lunch and celebrated Fr. Michael's birthday. Some upcoming events for your calendar include:

• St. Peter's Crop October 11 - 13 in Parish Hall
• Hot Lunches on October 7th & 21st
• Teacher Luncheon on October 15th
• PTA Halloween Dance for Grades K-3 on October 31st (See details above)
  
• Marianna's Sub/Pizza Sale (tentatively November 15th)
• PTA Meeting November 18th 7pm
• Christmas Craft & Vendor Fair December 7th 9 am - 3 pm in Parish Hall
• PTA Christmas Student Store Week of December 9th
• "Aunt Carol's Gourmet Dips" Sale in December

Thank you, PTA, for your hard work and love for our school!

Our Lifetouch Fall Picture Day is next Tuesday, October 8th! Order forms were sent home last week. Parents can fill out these forms and send them to school. Parents can also order pictures by placing an order at mylifetouch.com using our school's Picture Day ID: EVT63CHD2. If you order before midnight on Picture Day, you will receive FREE shipping!

Students may dress nicely for picture day, though many families prefer the St. Peter School uniform for their school pictures. Please keep in mind that dress-down rules apply. (See Dress Code below) Students are not to wear shorts or any dresses/skirts that are higher that are an inch above the knee. Also, no sleeveless or strapless tops or mid-drift showing outfits. Students will not be photographed with open/exposed shoulders, so be sure to have girls wear a sweater or jacket, or we will provide one. Please wear only church/school or tennis shoes as we will have recess that day, and students are only photographed for a headshot. Our picture make-up day is November 14th for anyone absent on October 8th.

A Few Announcements & Reminders:

While our Parent/Student Handbook explains our new uniform demerit system, September was a "grace period" for everyone to familiarize themselves with our updated Dress Code. Now that we are through the first month of school and students and parents have had time to review uniform requirements, we will attend to Dress Code infractions using uniform demerits privately and fairly by homeroom teachers. Some issues we are seeing are:

1. Inappropriate length or socks of the wrong color or with designs or logos

· Girls' socks are to be plain white, dark green, or navy and cover the ankle, or they can be knee-high or tights. There should be no extra lace or designs.

· Boys' socks should be crew length or at least above the ankle and plain without designs or logos.

2. Nail polish or artificial nails

· Nail polish color is to be pale, almost sheer pink, or clear, and no artificial nails

3. Earrings

· Earrings can only be studs or tiny hoops that fit snugly to the ear lobe. No dangling earrings.

4. Hair bows or headbands on church days

· They are to be plain or our uniform plaid, and bows should be less than 4" in width.

>>GOOD NEWS! We have extended the "shorts permitted" month to include October. Usually, we don't allow uniform shorts after September 30th; however, with our new school gym shorts and the warmer temperatures that can still occur in October, students can wear uniform shorts on any non-Mass day, including our new gym shorts on gym days. Please watch the forecast as we will go outside for recess anytime the temperature is above 30'. Students cannot change into or out of shorts at school and will go outside even if they are wearing shorts. Also, as the cooler months are upon us, students are to wear a coat or jacket (not hoodies) if the temperatures are in the 40s and a hat if the temperatures are in the 30s. And don't forget boots when there is snow on the ground, though hopefully we won't need to worry about that just yet!

>> Students who visit the office with tummy aches in the morning often report that they did not eat breakfast. We try to keep our snack cart stocked and have healthy items available. We caution parents that sometimes we are short on items in between stocking, and we don't want students to have an empty stomach all morning.

>> Before sending in any birthday treats, parents are to contact homeroom teachers ahead of time to ensure no allergy or food sensitivity issues. Treats will be shared with students' homeroom classmates only, and all treats will be individually wrapped by the manufacturer. For example, ice cream sandwiches, little bags of cookies or chips, or popsicles. Any item that is packaged and sealed individually. This allows all treats to be safely handled when students pass them out to their friends. Please do not send in boxes of donuts or cupcakes that require students to touch the actual food items. Thank you for being so cooperative.

>>St. Peter School is approved for 5 Flexible Instruction Days to be used when and if the school has a closing. Each student receives a folder with five packets of learning activities. We will announce when and if each packet will be completed and returned to the school. The FID folders are coming home this week. Please put them in a safe and easy-to-find location to be pulled out when and if the school announces a "Flexible Instruction Day". The assigned packet will be graded and will be due the next school day. Please read over the information in the folders. Thank you!

>> Our safety training with our Security & Safety Consultant, Bubba Fatula, had to be rescheduled due to an injury that Mr. Fatula experienced before his visit in September. He will visit our school to talk to all classes about safety and security on Thursday, October 17th. We will then have our practice drills when he returns to our school on October 21st. We invited Mr. Fatula to do a safety and security presentation for parents before, with very little attendance. Mr. Fatula has offered to visit our school for another presentation so that parents can hear about the safety procedures our school teaches to keep students safe in any danger. However, we want to ensure we have parents here to participate before scheduling this meeting. Please fill out the survey below about your interest in attending such a session. Thank you.

We put out the challenge and students answered! We kicked off the school year challenging students to collectively accrue 1000 Accelerated Reader points by the end of September to earn a special treat. They have attained that goal and kept on going! As of September 30th, the students of St. Peter School earned a total of 1954 AR Points!!! A special popsicle recess with a faculty kickball game will be scheduled as soon as the weather permits! Great job reading!

Email: jharris@saintpeterschool.org
Website: www.stpetersschoolsomerset.com
Location: 433 W Church St, Somerset, PA, USA
Phone: 8144456662
Facebook: facebook.com/SaintPeterSchool1

Instagram: https://instagram.com/saintpeterschool1