May 3, 2024 Volume 1 - Issue 33

Congratulations to Senior Brady Mider who competed in the prestigious Penn Relays in Philadelphia and finished 7th in the Shot Put! Great job, Brady!

Thanks to Seminarians Dominic Civitella and Anh Mai who completed their apostolate (yearlong seminary service work) last week. Throughout the year, Dominic and Ahn have been coming to BC on Thursdays to assist in Campus Ministry and the Theology Department and work with our Saints.

Today is Cafeteria Worker Appreciation Day. We send a big thank you to the cafeteria staff at BC for their hard work, care for our students and always their kind words and smiles. Thank you to Kim, Rachel, Donna, Mary, Andrea, Mr. Chiarelli and Coach Keeley!

Thank you to our Prom Chaperones who spent the night celebrating our students and keeping them safe at Prom: Miss Marmarou (who coordinated the event), Mrs. Cranley, Mr. Ditsky, Mrs. Dominguez, Miss Giblin, Fr. Kuna, Mr. Petruzzelli, Mr. Piersol, Mr. Ricco, Mr. Wood and Miss Ziegler.

Thank you to Softball Dad Chris Shearer (Emily ’26) who donated materials and completed the bullpen construction pitching area at the softball field. We are so appreciative!

Thank you to Softball parents, Tammie and Bob Gallo (Eva ’27), who donated a softball shed at the field for use and storage by the Softball Team! We are very grateful.

Thank you to Football Dad Steve Schmehl (Peter ’26) who took some time off to build the three blocking and tackling sleds with some of the players with funds raised by the football fundraising efforts during the 2023-2024 school year.

What's Happening

School Mass

Our next school Mass will be the Ascension Thursday Mass on May 9th at 9:00 a.m. in the Franco-Post Auditorium. Parents and Guardians are always welcome to join us. If you wish to attend, please stop in the Main Office to sign in prior to coming to the auditorium for Mass.

May Crowning and International Rosary

Our May Crowning and International Rosary will take place Tuesday, March 19th at 9:00 AM in the Franco-Post Auditorium. Students will lead our school family in praying the Rosary in five different languages as we honor our Blessed Mother. Parents and guardians are welcome to join us. If you plan to attend, please sign in at the Main Office before coming to the auditorium.

Teacher Appreciation Week

Next week across the country, we celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week. We are blessed at Berks Catholic to have some of the finest teachers around, who care for our students, who counsel, listen and encourage them each day. Our teachers are dedicated to their students and go the extra mile for our Saints and our school. Please join me in thanking them for what they do each day.

Sophomore Retreat

Yesterday, we celebrated the 25th Anniversary of the Beatification of Padre Pio! In honor of his legacy, our Sophomores will be making their class retreat on Thursday, May 16th at the National Center for Padre Pio, in Barto, PA. Students will be transported by school bus after homeroom and will return to school before 2:30 PM. Dress code for the day is Saints Casual (BC spirit wear). Students are to pack a lunch and a drink. Also, there is a gift shop at the Padre Pio Center and there will be time for students to make a purchase if they so desire. Please return signed and completed permission slips (which students received in Theology class) and the $5 fee no later than Monday, May 13th. If you have any questions, please contact Campus Minister Deacon Lanciano at rlanciano@berkscatholic.org or 610-374-8361, ext. 258.

Make a Joyful Noise Video Competition

The competition has begun! “Make a Joyful Noise” is a diocesan competition among the schools where each school performs a lip sync video of a fun and energetic song. The voting began this past Wednesday, May 1st. Help Berks Catholic by voting for our students and their video performance. The video is completely a student production. We are so proud of their creativity and efforts in this competition. Check out our performance of Ain’t No Mountain High Enough. Be sure to visit www.weloveourcatholicschools.com and vote through May 31st for our Saints! Each school has a fundraising page where anyone can watch a video, cast a vote and donate to a school. We hope you will encourage your family and friends to vote. All funds raised will support our students.

Senior Requests

Families of Seniors are reminded that there are still many Seniors who have not turned in their college acceptances, scholarship offers and military enlistments. TIME IS RUNNING OUT! The Office of College and Career Counseling needs this information NOW! Not turning this important information in to Mr. Ditsky will affect the listing of accomplishments in the Graduation Program as well as final transcripts being sent. If your son or daughter has not handed this information in yet, please have them do so ASAP.

Academic Awards Ceremony

The Academic Awards Ceremony will take place on Monday, May 20th at 6:00 p.m. in the Franco-Post Auditorium. Invitations will be mailed to students receiving awards in the coming weeks. Parents and family members are welcome to attend the ceremony.

Athletic Awards Ceremony

The Athletic Awards Ceremony will take place on Thursday, May 23rd at 5:30 p.m. in the Franco-Post Auditorium. Athletes receiving awards will be notified prior to the ceremony. Every student-athlete who earns a varsity letter will receive an invitation. If your student does not receive an invitation and you believe he/she should, please contact Mr. Hess at bhess@berkscatholic.org.

Tax Credit Scholarships – Helping Catholic School Kids

Through the Pennsylvania Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) and the Pennsylvania Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC), businesses and individuals can lower their tax bills by donating to Catholic schools like Berks Catholic. The bulk of the tax credits - $110 million per year – are reserved for donors to give to scholarship organizations which provide financial aid to children attending K-12 Catholic schools. At BC, our EITC and OSTC programs provide a pivotal role in the school’s financial aid program allowing good hard-working families to send their children to Catholic school. BC is always looking for donors to participate in the EITC and OSTC programs. If you are interested in learning more about the tax credit scholarship program or to see if you would qualify, please contact Mr. Bob Birmingham, Advancement Director, at rbirmingham@berkscatholic.org or 610-374-8361 ext. 224.

Class of 2028 Accepted Students Dance

Bus Transportation

Reminder that all requests for bus transportation for the 2024-2025 school year were due on May 1st. If you have not submitted your form, please complete and submit ASAP. You must complete a form each year and for each child. Any questions please contact Mrs. Jones at sjones@berkscatholic.org..

The Bible by the Numbers

For healing for yourself or others, check out 2 Kings 20: 1-6.