Mrs. Mulvanerty's Update

Hello SKS!

Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week—a time of deep reflection, anticipation, and preparation for the celebration of Easter.

Palm Sunday holds a special place in my heart—not only for its significance in the liturgical calendar, but for the personal memories it carries. As a child, my grandmother used to buy the most beautiful corsages for me made from palm branches, and I would proudly pin them to my Sunday outfits. Over the years, I’ve tried to recreate those corsages while sitting in the pews, twisting and folding the palms during the homily. I’ve never quite been able to figure out how to make one myself. Still, in every attempt, I feel close to her, and to the tradition she passed down—a small, memorable way of honoring our faith.

This past week, our 8th graders helped us enter into the solemnity of Holy Week with another tradition -- by leading us in the Living Stations of the Cross. Their reverence, commitment, and poise helped all of us—students, faculty, and families alike—step into the story of Christ’s Passion. Thank you Mr. Heacock, Mrs. Sevag, Mrs. Kerr and to the Class of 2025 for helping us begin this most sacred week with such stillness, grace and meaning.

A wise parent recently told me (and I’m paraphrasing here), that we often measure ourselves against other schools, striving to compete academically --to match test scores, technology, and curriculum. And while all of that is important, what makes us truly special isn’t how similar we are to other schools.

It's what makes us different..

Events like the Living Stations are what make us different. These events aren’t just "nice traditions." They are part of the deep formation we offer our children. We raise them not just in knowledge, but in faith. We give them a spiritual foundation that helps them understand who they are, what they believe, and how to live with purpose and compassion and shared values. This is the rigor of our Catholicism—not just memorization, but participation. Not just instruction, but transformation.

As you know, this is my first year back in Catholic education after about a decade away. I’ll admit—being in this building, surrounded by our teachers, our students, and all of you—has brought me closer in touch with my own faith in a way I didn’t expect. And for that, I’m deeply grateful.

As we enter Holy Week together, may we continue to lean into the beauty of our traditions, the strength of our community, and the quiet, steady presence of our faith.

Wishing you a blessed Holy Week,

G.B.Y.*,

Mrs. Mulvanerty

*God Bless You!

PS - Don't Miss the Palm Sunday Craft today after the 9:30am Mass!

We are so lucky to have been selected to become a Tuition Care school! Now, WE NEED YOU to participate in this program with us -- and to spread the word! If we maximize it, EVERY FAMILY WILL RECEIVE $1,000 in tuition credit!!!

We will have a lunch and learn webinar to learn more. Special thanks to the Foundation for Catholic Education and Monica Boyle for helping us get on board. Here is the link to the webinar sign up: https://forms.gle/7bSBstj29ANMrRV66

If you wish to apply for financial aid and have not already done so, please submit your application here by April 15. Thank you!

We are excited to feature our annual Spring Cultural Arts Night on Thursday, May 1! Teachers and students have been working hard to showcase our students' talent in the visual, written, spoken and musical arts! Please mark your calendars for this exciting event!

If you would like to support the arts at SKS, consider being a "SCAN STAR." Donors of $50 or more will be recognized at the event with their own SCAN STAR that will be displayed in the parish center. Please send your name and donation to the front office in an envelope marked, “S.C.A.N. Star” by Monday, April 28th. Thank you for your generous support.

Mrs. Grant is seeking volunteers to help mount student artwork for SCAN on Thursday, April 24 and Friday, April 25. Here is the link to sign up! Scan sign up link

We are excited to welcome our grandparents and special friends on Friday, May 2 beginning at the 9am Mass. To help us plan for this event, ensure student safety and a smooth dismissal that day, kindly complete the RSVP form attached to our flyer here. This is a half day for students.

Mark your calendars and start your training: The Holy Sprint is on Saturday, May 17th at 8 am! Registration is open NOW.

What is the Holy Sprint? Glad you asked. There are two events - a one mile fun run and a 5k. Both races are on the same, one-mile course through beautiful South Wayne. The 5kers will run the loop three times.

This event is open to students, parents, friends of SKS, walkers, strollers, wheelchairs, you name it! Not a runner? Grab a friend or your kid and download the couch to 5K app!

Participants receive a tshirt, timed race chip, refreshments and bragging rights! Students who participate will be allowed to wear their Holy Sprint tshirts to school on Monday, May 19th.

Want your business's name on signs around SKS and the race tshirt? Become an event sponsor. We have three, very reasonable tiers for sponsorship, and only a few remain! Sponsorships are open to individuals and businesses. See the attached flyer for more details.

Come out to cheer on our runners and help along the race course! If you'd like to volunteer, sign up HERE!

The SKS Fall Classic on October 6, 2025 is a tremendous opportunity to bring our entire SKS community together, while raising some significant dollars for the school!

The day is a combination of events that start with a racquet outing at Overbrook Golf Club, a golf outing at Philadelphia Country Club, and a reception at Philadelphia Country Club that evening. It is open to all friends of SKS, which means we are casting our fundraising net beyond the current parents that includes alumni, alumni parents, and parishioners. All proceeds will go to benefit the school through the governance of the annual fund. We have the capacity for 30 foursomes, around 50 racquets players, and 250 dinner reception tickets. Some portions of those categories have been pre-sold as part of larger sponsorships, so I strongly encourage anyone with interest to jump on the ticket information here to register.

Thank you for your continued support of SKS and we look forward to seeing you on October 6th!

Tom and Moira Hobson, Event Chairs
Bud Tosti, Coordinator of Development and Alumni Relations

Students may not wear smartwatches in school as they are a distraction and prevent focused learning. If a student wears a smartwatch to school, it will be treated as a cell phone, and the student will be asked to place it in his or her backpack. Students should not text from their watches at school -- even to text you! If your child needs to call home for any reason, we can assist them at the front desk.

There are some great new camps open for summer! Please click here for more details about after school clubs and summer camp opportunities.

For more announcements about SKS activities and clubs, CYO, and parish activities, click here!

April 13 - Palm Sunday Parish Coffee with Craft

April 15 - School Penance Service, last day before Easter Break

April 16 - April 22 - No School

April 23 - School Resumes, Summer Uniform begins

April 25 - Electives, Grades 5-8

April 29 - St. Catherine of Siena Feast Day, Middle School Youth Group

May 1 - SCAN 5:30pm art show, 6:30 performance

May 2 - Grandparents Day, 9am

May 7 - Wax Museum presented by 4th Grade, 8th Grade graduation photo

The Class of 2025 performed the Living Stations of the Cross. Special thanks to Mr. Heacock, Mrs. Sevag and Mrs. Kerr for their leadership!

Birthday fun!

Mrs. D'Agostino prepares students to prepare and perform poems for SCAN!

Mrs. Barausky's scientists observed, examined, measured, weighed, and recorded findings about rocks. They then excavated to find dinosaurs!

8th Grade defend statements related to their novel study, To Kill a Mockingbird.

Students are not the only ones who love FRIDAYS! (Fri-yays?)