HFRCS Newsletter January 14, 2025

Dear Parents and Guardians,

As we move through the cold month of January, we are hit with the cold and flu season. In today’s newsletter on the Nurse’s page, we have some tips for how to stay healthy during this time of year. Most importantly, it is critical not to send your child to school if they are not well. First, they are not in a good place to learn, and secondly and most importantly, they can easily spread their illness to others. Please check the symptoms your child is experiencing and treat accordingly. Most often, they need extra rest. Do not medicate your child in the morning and then send them to school thinking that will help them get through the day. Children must be fever-free for 24 hours without medication to return to school. Taking these precautions and following the prescribed protocols helps to keep everyone, students and faculty and staff, healthy and well. Thank you in advance for your attention to this very important matter.

At the end of this month, we will be celebrating National Catholic Schools Week. The week is an opportunity to showcase all that is great about a Catholic education. Our theme for the week is: HFRCS – A Story of Faith and Friendship. Our classrooms will be transformed into various classic storybooks and that theme will carry through the exciting week of activities and events. As always, we will be having a service project run during Catholic Schools Week and this year is no different. This year we are sponsoring a “Supply the Shelter!” drive for the Women’s Animal Center in Bensalem. Supplies that can be sent in are listed in today’s newsletter.

One of the most exciting and important events during Catholic Schools Week, is our Open House, which starts off our week on Sunday, January 26, from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm. This is a great opportunity to share the good news of our wonderful school with friends, neighbors or family who are looking for a Catholic school home. Current and prospective families are welcome to come and visit our parish school! Current families who refer a new family to our school are eligible for our Referral Incentive Program!

School will be closed on Monday, January 20 in recognition of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. This year we will have our 3rd Annual MLK Day of Service Campus Clean Up from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon, an opportunity for service hours for students. Parents and students interested in participating can contact Mrs. Jennifer Nguyen at cutiejen@gmail.com to sign up and volunteer. I would like to personally thank Mrs. Nguyen for moderating this initiative each year and providing an opportunity for our students to offer service to our school and Queen of the Universe parish.

This Friday we will get ready for our Eagles to take on the LA Rams on Sunday by offering an Eagles “add on” day. Students may wear their Eagles jerseys, shirts or green over top of their uniforms. Let’s Go Birds!

Sincerely Yours in Christ,

Mrs. Haggerty

We are a family of FAITH!

Remember to go to Mass this weekend.

On January 5, 2025, the memorial of Saint John Neumann, Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez published a Pastoral Letter addressed to the faithful of the Church of Philadelphia and to all people of goodwill in the five-county region comprising the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

This Pastoral Letter takes the unique form of an Invitation to participate in encounters over the coming months that will guide our efforts to renew the Church of Philadelphia and especially to reach out in a missionary spirit to those who feel distanced from the Church for a variety of reasons. The intent of the Pastoral Letter can be understood from the titles of its sections:

• Where are we today?
• A pastoral change of heart
• Where does the Church need to be?
• How does the Church need to be?
• Parish renewal and reimagining ministry

A copy of the Pastoral Letter in English is attached.

1. Please take time to read and consider the Pastoral Letter in the context of prayer and discernment. Your ministry on behalf of the Church of Philadelphia is an essential element of the renewal that the Archbishop is seeking. Please be intentional about giving thanks for the ministry with which you have been entrusted, listening to the Lord’s plan for you in that ministry, and interceding for your colleagues in ministry and for the people whom you serve.
2. Please share the Pastoral Letter widely with all the contacts you have made through the work of your ministry. It can be shared immediately with whatever distribution lists you use – every person connected in any way with the Church of Philadelphia is an intended recipient of the Pastoral Letter. Don’t worry that some people will receive multiple copies of the Pastoral Letter from various sources. The wider the distribution, the more effective will be the consultation to which the Archbishop is inviting people through the Pastoral Letter.
3. In particular, please consider sharing the Pastoral Letter personally with family members, friends and neighbors who are baptized Catholic but feel alienated from the Church or from the practice of the Faith, as well as those who are not Catholic but are interested in what Catholics believe and practice. Some of them may see the Pastoral Letter in secular media or other sources, but a personal invitation from you to read and discuss it will have a much greater impact.
4. Please follow the link in the Pastoral Letter to the website, where you can learn more about the consultation process, and sign up to take part in it.

Please pray fervently for everyone who will receive and read the Pastoral Letter, that each person, no matter his or her connection with or role in the Church of Philadelphia at the moment, will be inspired and led to the pastoral change of heart that will enrich and strengthen the mission of the Church and the life of each member of it.

Thank you and May God bless you abundantly during this New Year with peace, health, and happiness.

Included is the link for the Academic Honors announcement that was part of Friday's Prayer and Morning Announcement: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1v9l9tVdN6Rd0auxYr37Cj3nUOfAxOnT5/view?usp=drive_link

Honors certificates were distributed to the students on Friday, Jan 10.

The Breakfast (PK) & Lunch (PK-Grade 8) Order form for February 3-28 is due on Friday, January 17. Please complete order forms on time.

https://hfrcs.org/lunch-menus

For students with hot lunch orders: Students arriving to school late (after 9:00 am) will not receive hot lunch, unless the school is notified of the lateness by 8:30 am via the absent line 215-269-9600 option 3. Hot lunch is not prepared for students marked absent.

Women’s Animal Center

Location: 3839 Richlieu Rd, Bensalem

We are collecting items to donate to the Women's Animal Shelter as part of our Catholic Schools Week Service Project. Please see the following link for more information on donation items: https://www.womensanimalcenter.org/make-difference/supply-our-shelter

Donations can be dropped off in the boxes in the office / in the mailroom until Friday, January 31.

“Tell Me, Grandpop” written by: Antoinette Morrison (Mrs. Morrison)

Summary: With so many questions on her young mind, a little girl goes to her grandfather for the answers. When she asks who God is, she is introduced to someone who she can only describe as a superhero. (This book is geared towards PreK through 1st grades.)

Books can be ordered through Amazon, Barnes & Noble (Ebook only) and Walmart. You can also order a book through Mrs. Morrison (antoinette.morrison@hfrcs.org). She can also write a message to your child on the inside cover! Books purchased through or brought to Mrs. Morrison to sign will be given/returned to students during Catholic Schools Week as part of our storytelling theme. Thank you for your support!

Hardcover Books (limited supply) - $22.00

Paperback Books - $10.00

Super Bowl LIX is set for February 9, 2025! Holy Family’s Board of Limited Jurisdiction is organizing a Super Bowl Pool fundraiser. Blocks are available to purchase for $25. Payment can be made through Venmo @HFF-Advancement or Parish Giving.

1. $25 Pool 1: https://superbowlsquares.org/25HFRCS25-1
2. $25 Pool 2: https://superbowlsquares.org/25HFRCS25-2

PLUS NEW THIS YEAR: STUDENT INCENTIVES!

Support a Holy Family student with your purchase and they will be entered to win a prize!
Be sure to note the student(s) you are supporting when purchasing your block(s)!
One block = one student entry in drawing.

• PreK-1st Grade: Lunch With a Teacher! (Your choice of teacher and choice of Chick-fil-a lunch or Pizza lunch, and Activity)
• 2nd-5th Grade: Win “Principal for a Day!” (Do the morning announcements, perform admin tasks throughout the day, and see the behind-the-scenes of a day in the life of Mrs. Haggerty!)
• 6th-8th Grade: Custom Holy Family Crocs! (including jibbitz!)

*ADDITIONALLY: IF BOTH GRIDS SELL OUT: Holy Family earns a school-wide dress-down day! Student incentive drawing will be held on February 14 on Facebook Live!

See the calendar on the website for more information: https://hfrcs.org/calendar

Please note the following changed:

• Added Eagles "Add-on" Day (Jan 17)
• Note: 3rd Annual MLK Jr. Campus Clean-up on Jan 20 (Mon) is from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon. (Jan 20)
• Added 3rd-4th grade field trip (Jan 24)
• Added Catholic Schools Week information (Jan 26-31)
• Added SFC Winter Luau (Jan 31)

With Open House fast approaching, we are bringing back our $25 Amazon gift card raffle. Each Friday at 7:00 pm, a different ad for Open House will be posted on our Facebook page, and all you have to do to enter is click "share!" Please note that if your profile is private, we won't be able to see that you shared it. Good luck, and see you at Open House!

We are encouraging all current families to attend, and bring a friend who you think would be a great fit at HFRCS! Please fill out the registration form so our team can plan accordingly. Hope to see you there!

Financial Aid for 2025-2026 School Year

Please see the attached documents for important information about Financial Aid. Even if your family received financial assistance in the past, a new application must be submitted each year.

Due to the number of applications received, the Business Office is unable to follow up on the status of individual family applications. This includes missing information, incomplete applications or families who have not applied. Check to ensure that an application has been submitted if you intend to apply.

Parents must follow up on the status of applications by signing into FACTS Payment Plan/Financial Aid and checking if the application is “Incomplete”. FACTS will list missing documents and send out reminder emails so be diligent. Follow up should continue until the application is marked “COMPLETE” in FACTS Payment Plan/Financial Aid.

DOCUMENTS:

1. A 2023 tax return is required. It is recommended that your 2024 return also be uploaded when completed.
2. A digital copy is the preferred source for uploading. Ask your tax preparer for an electronic copy of your return.

Pictures are not recommended due to poor quality. FACTS has marked applications ‘incomplete’ due to pictures that could not be easily read.

**The Business Office cannot accept pictures of missing tax return pages.

Specific grades have State-mandated screenings (Physical for Kindergarten & 6th Grade and Dental for Kindergarten, 3rd Grade & 7th Grade). Refer to the school website for more information.

Also, signed Medical Treatment Order forms will also be needed if your child needs to take any medication during school hours.

If you must give your child medicine in the morning because they are not feeling well, please do not send them to school.

• Jan 14: Meeting 7:00 PM
• Jan 16: Miller's Fundraiser - see flyer for details
  
• Mar 15: Cash Bingo - see flyer for details

Father John R. Weber, Pastor

Father Manuel Flores, Parochial Vicar

View the Parish Weekly Bulletin.

Sunday Mass Schedule:

4:00 PM (Vigil Mass), 7:30 AM , 9:30 AM , 11:30 AM , 1:00 PM La Misa en Español

Weekday Daily Mass:

8:30 AM - Monday through Saturday

Holy Days: (subject to change)

5:00 PM (Vigil), 8:30 AM, Noon, & 7:00 PM

The Sacrament of Reconciliation:

Thursday: 6:45 PM - 7:30 PM, Saturdays: 3:00 PM - 3:45 PM

The Sacrament of Baptism:

1st and 3rd Saturdays, at 11:00 AM

Monsignor Michael McCormac, Pastor

Monsignor Michael Magee, Weekend Assistant

View the Parish Weekly Bulletin.

Mass Schedule:

• Monday-Saturday: 9:30 AM
• Saturday Vigil: 5:30 PM
• Sunday: 7:00 AM, 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM
• Holy Days: 6:30 AM, 12 Noon, 7:00 PM (except January 1st which follows a Sunday Mass schedule)

The Sacrament of Reconciliation

Saturday: 4:15-5:15 PM or by appointment

Daily Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament

Saint Joseph Chapel

Monday - Saturday: 8:00 AM–8:00 PM

Sunday: 12:30 PM–8:00 PM

Pot of Gold

The results of the drawing can be found here. The jackpot prize is $56,000!

Register for the Winter Luau here: form.jotform.com/230085450675153

Girls had their first cheer at the Boys Varsity game on Jan 12th. Please see cheer schedule below.

Please see results below and games for the upcoming week. Congrats to all of the players of the games! Blue highlighted rows are regional teams.

Congratulations to the following players!

CYO Positions Open!

• Softball Coordinator
• Basketball Coordinator
• Fundraising Coordinator
• Track Coordinator

To Volunteer:

• Message Brian McGinley
• Email holyfamilyrcscyo@gmail.com
• Call/text Brian at 215-823-0434

Board Meeting

Next CYO board meeting tentatively set for February 5th at Queen of the Universe parish center

Want more information on CYO sports and activities? Join our CYO Facebook group! Holy Family RCS CYO. You can contact CYO by emailing holyfamilyrcscyo@gmail.com