Dear Parents/Guardians: 

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the parents who joined us last Tuesday morning as we gathered together in prayer and friendship to begin our school year. It was wonderful to see so many smiling faces, and to hear so many kind words of affirmation and support from you. The atmosphere was extremely positive, and it is that enthusiasm and trust that we will work hard to maintain throughout the year. By all accounts it’s going to be a very busy year for our students. There will be different friends and teachers to meet, many liturgies to be celebrated, exciting field trips to be taken, extracurricular activities to be enjoyed, and so many new things to be learned! Please keep us in prayer as we continue our journey, and know that we pray for you daily as well.

This is just a friendly reminder that our annual Back-to-School Night will be held on Monday, September 16, at 6:30 p.m. Please mark this event on your calendar and plan to join us for an evening of important information and school updates. After our general meeting in the church, parents will be invited to meet with your child’s homeroom teacher in the classroom. Topics to be discussed at each grade level will include classroom policies and procedures, curriculum highlights, homework expectations, pending field trips, and any special events being planned this year. It is our goal that these meetings will be both productive and informative.

As previously mentioned, St. Paul the Apostle School has been very involved in completing the accreditation process for both the Western Catholic Educational Association (WCEA) and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). The completion of this process will assist us in doing three things: honoring our past (there is a lot at SPA to be proud of); celebrating the present (this will include an in-depth focus on all that we are accomplishing now and the impact it has on student learning); and pondering the direction of our future (we never want to seek the least common denominator; we want to go higher and better in everything we do as we move forward). This will continue to be our focus as we discern all of the viable SPA school policies, procedures and programs that will assist us as we encourage, enlighten and elevate our students.

Educating our students is definitely a TEAM effort. Many years ago during an administrative meeting, a Superintendent stated that “we are all on the same team; we just play different positions.” That comment still resonates with me today. Let’s remain focused on student success and, as a TEAM, do everything we can to achieve our shared goals.  

Peace and Blessings,

Crystal Pinkofsky

Principal

ANNOUNCEMENTS

PICTURE DAY at SPA! 

Picture Day for our students will be held on Thursday, September 12th. Order forms will be sent home with all the students this week. Please make certain that your children will be in their regular SPA school uniforms — NO P.E. or Festival attire may be worn for pictures.

Please note that in addition to completing the order form you may also order pictures online at WWW.PICTURESWITHCLASS.COM. 

If that doesn't connect for any reason, you can also log into the Storefront website at www.barksdalestorefront.com and use this password: 0021297IN.



All online orders must be submitted between now and 24 hours after Picture Day. When an order is placed online, you will receive a "camera pass" via email. Please print that pass and have your student(s) bring it with them to school on Picture Day. The photographer will photograph the "camera pass" along with the student. After 24 hours, the online ordering access may close. Parents will have a second opportunity to order prints when the pictures have been delivered, but all those orders are subject to shipping and handling costs and will be shipped directly to your home.

SPA CHILDREN’S CHOIR

Choir rehearsals will begin this Tuesday, September 3rd. Students in grades 3-8 are encouraged to attend Choir rehearsals for two weeks before deciding to join for the year. While rehearsals are offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays (3:30 - 4:15 p.m.), Choir members only attend one day a week. Students attending will not be charged for aftercare, provided they are picked up by 4:30 p.m. For more information, please contact Mr. Casey (jcasey@sp-apostle.org) or click on the application link: 

https://forms.gle/BNVyW1e2P23jXxD1A

MEDICATION FORMS

Please note that if your child will need to take any type of medication during school hours, the doctor must complete a “request for medication” form that will be given to Nurse Anderson. Our school nurse cannot, and will not, dispense medication of any kind without a physician’s signature. Please contact Nurse Anderson by email at vanderson@sp-apostle.org to request the form.

UPDATED TARDY POLICY

As a school, we value both attendance and punctuality. Both are life skills, and when developed at an early age help to form good habits, reduce student anxiety, and lead to growth for the individual student. Parents are the key for the student’s timely preparation for the day and the on-time arrival of students. Of course, life happens and being late for school can occasionally happen.  

Our new Tardy Policy was developed because the number of families/students who are consistently tardy has grown to an unacceptable level. Consistent tardiness is viewed as a sign of disrespect to teachers, classmates, and the tardy student as well. Effective immediately, this is our Policy:

1. Any students in grades 1 through 8 arriving after 8:05 a.m. will enter the school campus and remain in the garden area of the patio until the completion of Morning Prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and announcements. 
2. The students will then be issued a Tardy slip to be able to enter their Homeroom.
3. The students will go to their Homeroom, quietly give the Tardy slip to the teacher, and store their phone (if applicable) in the class lock box.
4. The students will then proceed to quietly join their first period class.

Upon receiving 5 Tardies, excluding medical appointments, parents will be contacted by the Administration and the student will be issued a Detention.

The Detention must be served BEFORE school the next day beginning at 7:20 a.m.

A member of the School Administration will be on the bench outside of the gym to receive the students. At 8:00 a.m. the students will be sent to their Homeroom. Please note: Missing or being late for the assigned Detention will result in additional Detention days.

If a student continues to be consistently late for school, a meeting with the Principal will be scheduled to discuss continued enrollment at St. Paul the Apostle School. We respectfully request that you help us teach your children the lesson that school is important by having them arrive on time every day.  

STUDENT DISMISSAL/SAFETY

All students in grades DK – 5 MUST be signed out from their homerooms by an adult or older sibling at the end of the school day. Students in grades 6 – 8 who have written parent permission may sign themselves out. Once these students leave their classrooms, they are required to go directly to their SPA after-school activity (sports, clubs, etc.), or to the front of the school to wait for parent pick-up. Students who are not picked up by 3:30 p.m. will be sent to After-Care. Students who walk home should do so immediately once they are dismissed. 

Please note that students who sign themselves out should NOT leave campus and walk to local businesses (i.e. Starbucks, Bristol Farms, etc.) and then return to campus later for participation in a school activity. We are often made aware of several homeless individuals in the neighborhood who are not shy about engaging in inappropriate behaviors, or approaching people of all ages to ask for food or money. Student safety is of utmost importance to us. Please support us with this effort and speak to your children about remaining on campus while waiting for their after-school activity.  

SUN SAFETY

Protecting our students from the sun has always been a priority of the SPA community. Please remind your students to bring their hats and some sunscreen to school during these very warm days of summer. Hats/caps may be worn outdoors during recess, lunch, and PE classes. (And don’t forget the water bottles!)

NEW ALTAR SERVER SIGN-UPS

Calling all new St. Paul the Apostle Altar Servers! All children 4th grade and above who have been baptized Roman Catholic and received their First Eucharist are welcome to join the Altar Server ministry at St. Paul the Apostle. You are required to register and attend one 2-hour training session prior to continuing your training with a shadow server. 

Training sessions will be held on Sunday, September 8, from 1:00 - 3:00 p.m., and Monday, September 9, from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. You must complete the registration form and sign up for one of these two sessions using the link or the QR Code below. 

Here is the link: 2024-2025 New Altar Server Registration and Training Signups

Here is the QRCode:

If none of these times work, please contact the Altar Server Coordinator, Jennifer Kozakowski, at jkozakowski@sp-apostle.org. 

PAULIST ORDINATIONS

Everyone is cordially invited to attend the Transitional Diaconate Ordination of Paulist seminarians Christopher Malano and Benjamin Chisolm. Many of our families may have very fond memories of Chris Malano and the time he was able to spend with us as he prepared for the priesthood. We wish both Chris and Benjamin well as they continue their spiritual journeys with the Paulist Fathers.