Holy Family Newsletter

December 6, 2024

“Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart” 1 Sm 16:7

Dear HFRCS Families,

December is always busy but it brings a lot of excitement for everyone. Now there are only 2 weeks of school before our Christmas Break!! We have already had so much going on and it is going to get even busier. The 2nd Trimester began this week and we have our Report Card Conferences today. They are a time to celebrate all the hard work and accomplishments of our students! I have to send a big thank you to all of you, the best families around, as well as the teachers for having our students do their best each and every day.

This week has been a lot of fun for our students. Grades K-6 had a field trip to Cardinal O’Hara to see a sneak peek of their show, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The students really enjoyed this since we too are having a production of Willy Wonka later in February. There was a Dine Out Night at Panera on Wednesday to help raise funds for our play, Willy Wonka, Jr., and it was a huge success! Thank you Ms. Walton for organizing and thank you to all of our students, teachers, families, and friends who came out to support. We also had a visit from St. Nicholas yesterday and he brought the students some treats and a dress down for Friday, December 13th. The students were so excited to find their shoes filled in the hallway.

Next week has something going on just about every day! It begins with an 11:30am dismissal on Monday and then mass on Tuesday, December 12, 2024, at 9:30am in St. Joseph’s Church. Father Otto will be the celebrant and 5th grade will be assisting. We will be recognizing the students and a teacher who have best exhibited gratitude for the past month. Our families and friends are always welcome to come celebrate our faith together with us. On Wednesday, we have our Honors Assembly at 1pm in Degnan Hall. We will be recognizing all of the students who have achieved 1st and 2nd Honors, which is quite an accomplishment! We have our Secret Santa Shop on Thursday which is always a great time for our students. Here they will shop with their Prayer Partners to find gifts for their families and friends for Christmas. Thursday Night is our Jingle Mingle in Degnan Hall from 6pm-8pm. Santa will be there as well! I do have to throw in another big thank you to HSA and all of the families who are volunteering to set up and run the Secret Santa Shop and Jingle Mingle. And Friday is our Dress Down courtesy of St. Nicholas!

Please make sure you reference the December calendar on Dojo so you can see all of the great things happening this month. Thank you to our HSA for planning some really fun events for everyone.

We have some important announcements and updates below, so please make sure you take the time to read everything. In January, the students will complete their 2nd Diagnostic Test for both Reading and Math on i-Ready here at school. They will continue to complete 1 reading and 1 math lesson per week. They are also able to work at home if you would like them to complete additional lessons. This is a great opportunity for them to receive some extra instruction that is catered to their “glows” and “grows.” I am always happy to meet with any families who would like to discuss their child’s progress with the program.

A big shoutout to all of our families who have been helping out with volunteering for lunch coverage! We greatly appreciate it.

As always, thank you for your support and dedication to Holy Family and catholic education. Our school would not be what it is without you, our amazing families.

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

Thank you,

Mr. Elia

Panera Dine out for Willy Wonka, Jr.

Students left their shoes out for St Nick

St Nick left the students treats

Honors

Honors Assembly

We are so excited for our 1st Trimester Honors Assembly next Wednesday, December 11, 2024, at 1pm in Degnan Hall. Families are invited to come directly to Degnan Hall to help us celebrate our students who achieved this accomplishment. As a reminder, the criteria for Honors is listed below. You can always find it in our handbook located on our website.

First Honors Grades 1-3

Students must have earned an O in all graded subjects. Students must also earn 4’s in Personal and Social Growth, and Effort and Study Skills, and Listening and Speaking.

Second Honors Grades 1-3

Students must have earned a VG or O in all graded subjects. Students must also earn a 3 or 4 in Personal and Social Growth, and Effort and Study Skills, and Listening and Speaking.

First Honors Grades 4-8

Students must have earned at least a 95 in all graded subjects. Students must also earn 4’s in all of their specials (Art, Music, PE, Technology, and Spanish), as well as Personal and Social Growth, and Effort and Study Skills, and Listening and Speaking.

Second Honors Grades 4-8

Students must have earned at least a 90 in all graded subjects. Students must also earn 3’s and 4’s in all of their specials (Art, Music, PE, Technology, and Spanish), as well as Personal and Social Growth, and Effort and Study Skills, and Listening and Speaking.

Jingle Mingle

Our annual Jingle Mingle is next Thursday, December 12, 2024. This is a great event for our students and families. Santa will be there and we will have different activities such as gingerbread house decorating. We are also asking for families to bring a toy to donate to Toys for Tots. The link to purchase gingerbread houses is below. We hope to see you there!

https://payit.nelnet.net/form/SOd8Z9wn

First Friday Flair

We are launching a sale today (December 6th to December 26th) for Holy Family swag that students can wear on the First Friday of the month (beginning February 7, 2025) with appropriate pants of their choice. Please see the picture as well as the flyer that went home this week. Students must wear these shirts with pants and sneakers/shoes that have backs (no Crocs or slides).

VIP Collection for the Teachers

🎄 It’s that magical time of year again! 🎄 Let’s sprinkle some Christmas cheer on the amazing teachers at Holy Family Regional Catholic School! 🌟

Every little bit helps, so no donation is too small! Let’s show our incredible teachers just how much we appreciate their hard work and dedication throughout the year. 💖

Join in the festive spirit and let’s make this season bright for those who inspire our children every day! 🎁✨

The link is below if you would like to donate. Thank you all for your support and generosity during this time of year.

https://payit.nelnet.net/form/ozvVPffo

Christmas Dress Downs

Our Student Leadership Team has planned special dress downs for our students this year. On Thursday, 12/19, the students can dress up as their favorite Christmas character. Let’s see those elves, reindeer, Santa’s, Grinches, etc out and about on that day! On Friday, December 20th, the students can be all cozy in their favorite Christmas PJ’s. Please make sure they have sneakers/shoes with backs (no Crocs or slides, etc.).

Chick-fil-A

We are having another Chick-fil-A Day and it will be on Friday, December 20th. This is the last day before Christmas Break. The link to order is below. Just a reminder, that there will be no lunch program that day so if your children do not order Chick-fil-A, they will have to bring their own lunch.

https://payit.nelnet.net/form/lIrPAR5f

Winter Uniform

Our formal uniform remains in place until April. The uniform policy is listed below for your reference. It is also in the Handbook. As a reminder, shorts are not allowed (even on gym or dress down days) until April.

Uniform Requirements – (Purchased from Flynn and O’Hara)

Formal School Uniform

Girls, grades K through 4

• Blue plaid jumper or navy-blue pants

• Light blue blouse or turtleneck

• Navy blue knee socks (worn to the knee) or navy stockings

• A long-sleeved, navy-blue cardigan sweater or sweater vest with school logo

Girls, grades 5 through 8

• Blue plaid kilt skirt or navy-blue pants

• White button-down oxford style shirt (to be tucked in neatly at the waist),

• Navy blue knee socks (worn to the knee) or navy stockings

• Navy blue v-neck sweater or sweater vest with school logo

• Skirts must be appropriate length.

Boys, grades K through 4

• Blue pants (to be worn at the waist), black, brown or navy-blue belt) (K belt not required)

• Light blue golf shirt with school logo (to be tucked in neatly at the waist)

• Navy v-neck sweater, sweater vest or cardigan with school logo

• Black or navy-blue socks

Boys, grades 5 through 8

• Blue pants (to be worn at the waist), black, brown or navy-blue belt

• White button-down oxford style shirt (to be tucked in neatly at the waist)

• Navy tie, (8th grade boys may wear a respectable tie of their choice)

• V- neck sweater, sweater vest with the school’s logo

• Black or navy-blue socks

Shoes for students in grades K – 8.

• Black, tan, or brown leather or leather-like Oxford tie shoes are to be worn. Bucs are acceptable. No styles that resemble Docksiders, topsiders or other boat shoes (example: Sperry), construction worker shoes, boots, or penny loafers are permitted.

Important Dates

December

9th - Early Dismissal 11:30

10th - Mass 9:30

23rd - Christmas Break Begins

January

6th - Classes Resume

14th - Mass 9:30

14th - Early Dismissal 11:30

20th - MLK No School

26th - 31st - Catholic Schools Week

Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Tax Program

We were so lucky to have Kevin Kelly from the Foundation for Catholic Education present at our Back to School night about the EITC Program. This is an opportunity for individuals like you to send PA State Income Tax money directly to our school instead of Harrisburg. If you have the completed commitment form, please send it directly to Kevin Kelly (kkelly@foundationfce.org). The link for the form is below and a copy of the form is also attached to the dojo post.

COVID 19 Policy Update

At Holy Family, our number one priority will always be the safety of our students, staff, and families. After careful consideration and speaking with the archdiocese, we are moving forward with updating our COVID Policy. As of today, 3/15/24, our COVID policy is included with other respiratory illness procedures. They are as follows:

The person cannot return to Holy Family until he/she is fever free, without the use of fever-reducing medications, and their symptoms are improving overall.
Return dates and the enhanced precautions upon return would be determined and/or confirmed by our nurse.

Holy Family RCS

Email: aregotti@holyfamilyaston.org
Website: holyfamilyaston.org
Location: 3265 Concord Road, Aston, PA, USA
Phone: 610-494-0147