The Messenger

St. Peter School exists to provide a nurturing environment where students become Disciples of Jesus Christ, embrace the love of lifelong learning, and believe in the dignity of all people.

Dear Parents and Guardians,

We are near the end of January and so much is on the horizon. Catholic Schools Week is right around the corner and everyone is busily preparing for the festivities that make the week special for our students.

The Special Person Dance is scheduled for February 2 from 6-8 in the St. Peter Parish Hall. A flyer was recently sent home to families via email.

Our Vocations Chalice has been making the rounds at St. Peter School for the second year. Our students love learning about the Seminarians and praying for them to stay on the path of holiness to someday become a priest and offer Mass. Be sure to ask your child about this!

Fundraiser Information:

Our Chocolate Fundraiser is officially over. Thank you to everyone who participated.

Our Virtual Popcorn Fundraiser begins next week. It is for four days (2/2-2/5) and Mabel will be sharing that information with families shortly!

Our Read-A-Thon Fundraiser begins in March - date to be determined. It was quite a success last year and we look forward to another successful year. Thank you, as always, for your support. Details to follow...

Registration Process 2024-2025 School Year:

The registration process is getting underway this week. If you are a returning family, please send in your registration form and fee as soon as possible. As an incentive, the registration fee for returning families is being waived until February 5th. Registrations for returning families after that date will include the $150.00 registration fee. Registration for new families will begin in a couple of weeks. If you are a PK parent and are interested in registering your child for kindergarten, please email mmartinez@spsdanbury.org or mtorre@spsdanbury.org or crodriguez@spsdanbury.org. If you are applying for financial aid through the Bishop Scholarship Fund, please click this link: FACTS Grant & Aid. The deadline for returning families is March 15, and the application deadline for new families is April 15, 2022. You will not be eligible to apply for school tuition assistance without first applying for the BSF. Note well: The Bishop Scholarship is available for students in grades K-8 only.

February promises to be a busy month! Until then, have a blessed January!

In Christ,

Mary Lou Torre, Principal

John 14:6 - Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Please be sure to return the Confirmation information sent home last week as Confirmation gowns need to be ordered in about one week. If you have any questions, please let me know.

Please keep Mrs. Puglisi in your prayers as she recovers from her recent surgery.

Thank you!

We continue to receive complaints from parents and communit members about discourtesy when dropping and picking up students, and I am compelled to offer these reminders in the interest of safety.

Due to the location of our school in downtown Danbury, we have limited options for drop off and pick up; therefore, I urge you to have your child take the bus if at all possible.

1) Patience is critical in the a.m. amd p.m. when dropping off or picking up children. We have lot of cars to filter through a very small place. Consider arriving a bit later in the p.m. to avoid the rush.

2) Do not pass on either the left or the right. Stay in the lane! Students are getting in and out of cars and nobody wants to have an accident.

3) Follow all the traffic rules.

4) When exiting the drop off/pick up area, be sure to turn LEFT. DO NOT TURN RIGHT.

5) The CIFC parking lot is OFF LIMITS. We do not own that property, and they are very strict about who can use the private parking lot. Cars will be towed.

6) The parking lot where staff park is also off limits as it is shared with the adjoining property. We receive daily complaints that parents are parking there while running in to pick up their children; oftentimes, parking in the fire lanes. The facility also notes that parents are parking in tenant parking spaces. Finally, the maintenance vehicle gets blocked in which results in another safety concern. Please note that there are often times when emergency vehicles need to enter the same parking lot, and they can not reach their destination. This is both discourteous and unsafe.

7) Cutting in the car line is unacceptable and leads to heated tempers which can lead to accidents. I encourage you to practice patience and remain in your vehicle. I thank you in advance for your courtesy during drop off and pick up. It is our collective responsibility to ensure the safety of ALL.

Although we realize that emergencies and illnesses occur, we expect students to attend school regularly. It is important for every child to receive all the instruction available to him/her. Interruptions to the flow of your child’s instruction may not initially seem detrimental or a big concern; however, the negative impact of this decision may not be obvious until much later when an important learning moment has been lost.

As stated in the Parent/Student Handbook:

Absences one through nine can be excused for any reason approved by the parent/guardian. Absences of ten or more are excused based on a set of reasons including:

• student illness accompanied by a note from a licensed medical professional

• observance of a religious holiday

• death in the student’s family or any emergency beyond the family’s control

• mandated court appearances

• lack of transportation

• extraordinary educational opportunities pre-approved by district administrator

The school calendar provides for extended weekends throughout the school year. Parents are encouraged to schedule trips or family outings during these times so as to eliminate the need to interrupt a child’s learning process. Missed assignments are the student’s responsibility.

We are noticing a jump in the number of students who are tardy during the past few weeks. Lateness to class is detrimental in that work begins right away and those who enter class late, can miss vital information. I remind you of the following:

1) School starts at 8:20 a.m. Any student arriving after that time will be marked tardy.

2) If you are picking up your child for dismissal at the front door, keep in mind that school ends at 2:40. If they need to leave earlier, please let the school know the morning of the planned early dismissl so we can have them ready to leave and cause less disruption in the classroom.

PK 3 - Mrs. Arconti/Ms. Timana-Vill

PK 4 - Mrs. Redmond/Ms. Ramos

K - Mrs. Boyle/Mrs. McCabe

1 - Mrs. Smith/Mrs. Kolitsas

1 - Mr. Conyngham/Mrs. Kolitsas

2 - Ms. Galli/ Mr. Arcuri

3 - Mrs. Escudero - Moody/Mr. Arcuri

4- Mrs. Driscoll

5 - Mrs. Galante/Ms. Bush

6 - Mrs. Hanrahan (MS Math)/Ms. Vill (SS)

7 - Ms. Vivirito (MS English)

8 - Mrs. Puglisi (MS Science)

Social Studies - Middle School/Innovation/Technology - Ms. Vill

Specialists - Mrs. Pipkin (PE/K-5 Innovation), Ms. Campbell (Music), Mrs. Preveza (Art/Special Education), Ms. Morocho (Spanish)

Counselor - Dr. Repole/Mr. Bellucci (Intern)

Danbury Support Team - Ms. Kruijs, Mrs. Conron

Office Staff - Ms. Martinez, Ms. Burnside, Mrs. Rodriguez

Principal - Mrs. Torre

January 26 - End of Quarter 2

January 29-February 3 - Catholic Schools Week - See below for details...

February 1 - Prospective New Family Open House - St. Peter School Library - 6 p.m. - 8 p.m.

February 2-5 - Popcorn Fundraiser

February 2 - First Friday Mass - Ms. Vill's class will host. St. Peter Family Valentine Dance - $5/student - 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. - St. Peter Church Hall

February 14 - Ash Wednesday

February 16 - Early Dismissal for Students @ 11:50 a.m.; Staff Professional Development

February 19 - February 20 President's Day/Winter Break

Reminders from the Nurse...

Your child must stay home for the following reasons:

● A temperature of 100 degrees or higher until he/she is fever free for 24 hours without fever

reducing medication. Fever is a symptom indicating the presence of an illness.

● 5 days after symptom onset and a diagnosis of the flu;

● An undiagnosed rash;

● Vomiting more than once in the last 24 hours;

● Diarrhea more than once in the last 24 hours;

● A severe cough, and/or chest congestion, a thick or constant nasal discharge, and/or

sneezing, chills or general body discomfort that will interfere with your child’s ability to

participate in his/her school day;

● A severe sore throat, and for 24 hours after the start of antibiotics if diagnosed with strep

throat;

● A severe earache with or without fever;

● Pink eye with discharge until 24 hours after the start of antibiotic eye drops;

● Impetigo: Blister-like lesions that develop into crusted sores, generally located around the

mouth and nose. Your child must remain home until receiving antibiotics for 24 hours and

the sores are no longer draining.

● Ringworm: A fungal infection that causes a flat, red ring-shaped rash which may itch or

burn. Your child should remain home until receiving 24 hours of anti-fungal treatment.

Lesions are to remain covered in school.

● Chicken Pox: Even if your child has received the chicken pox vaccine, there is still a slight

chance he/she may get a mild case. Your child must remain at home until all blisters have

scabbed over, generally 5 to 7 days.

A child's ability to learn and perform in school can depend on how they feel physically. Keeping

your child home when he/she is ill not only prevents the spread of illness in the school community,

but allows your child an opportunity to rest and recover.

Please be sure that the school has current phone contact information for you and your

emergency contacts. If your child becomes sick at school, please have arrangements for your

child to be picked up within 30 minutes. Sick children will not be permitted to ride the bus home.

Please contact the school nurse with any questions or concerns.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Our December disciples of the month representing Patience are: Lincoln Medeiros (1), Damara Portilla (8), Kiara Batista (K), Jayline Nunez (4), Valentina Batista (2), Angel Quilligana (5), Aaliyah Latacela (6), Bryan Galindo (1), Andressa Arcanjo (3), Sophia Ruivo (6), Anthony Borges (7). These students were recognized for working hard to learn new things and being a true model of Jesus by: always remaining calm and waiting for their turn; joyfully accepting whatever happens in their day; and acknowledging sin before receiving Eucharist. Congratulations to everyone for being a true disciple of Jesus.

Our January Gospel Value is Moderation which means giving attention to balance in one's life, such as praying, working, studying, and playing. For February, our Gospel Value is Kindness.

At St. Peter School, we attend Mass weekly as a school community. Thank you for making Mass a priority in your family. Prayer and communion with God regularly as a school and a family is a powerful way to celebrate the great things God does for us every day. And, in times of stress or sadness, this tight community with God is even more comforting.

The St. Peter School Code of Conduct emphasizes paying attention in class, following teacher instructions, and treating every classmate and adult at St. Peter School with respect. Mean/unkind behavior does not have a place at St. Peter School and will be addressed on a case-by-case basis. Please know that we are all mindful that children make mistakes. In fact, that is sometimes how they learn to make good choices. Our goal is to support students along their behavioral journey and guide them spiritually to act as a disciple of Jesus.

When dealing with a student who has made a poor choice, we work with them to find positive strategies to use in the future. One way we are helping all of our students is by showing them how to stand up for themselves through the use of videos/strategies. To that end, our counseling intern, Mr. Bellucci, under the direction of Dr. Repole will begin meeting with classes over the course of the next weeks.

We appreciate your support in helping your child maintain required behavioral expectations set forth by the school and by the teachers in the classroom. The home/school partnership is essential!

Please go to this website for more information and to sign up for emails: www.globalschoolwear.com/emailsignup.

Email: stpeterschool@spsdanbury.org
Website: stpeterschooldanbury.org
Location: 98 Main Street, Danbury, CT, USA
Phone: (203)748-2895
Facebook: facebook.com/StPeterSchoolDanbury/
Twitter: @spsdanbury