May 7, 2024



"If you ever feel distressed during your day, call upon our Lady, 

just say this simple prayer: 

'Mary, Mother of Jesus, please be a mother to me now.'

 I must admit, this prayer has never failed me."

- Blessed Mother Teresa

Dear St. Philip Neri School Family and Friends,

In the Catholic Church, the month of May is devoted to our Blessed Mother, Mary. Mary is not only the Mother of Jesus, she is the Mother of all of us. Being the model for all mothers, Mary is our example of unconditional love and all that being a mother involves: Mary is selfless, compassionate, patient, and strong, but most of all Mary demonstrates for all of us how to love God. 

Last Sunday’s Gospel from John reveals Jesus’ commandment to us: Love one another. The Second Reading, also written by John, reminds us, “Real love is not our love for God, but His love for us.” When the Angel Gabriel came to Mary with the message that she would be the Mother of God’s Son, Mary did not understand but she was obedient because she was full of God’s grace, full of God’s love, and had tremendous faith.

As a Parish, we Crowned Mary Queen of Heaven and Earth on Sunday at the Family Mass, and as a school community, we will Crown Mary on Friday morning in a special Mass hosted by our 8th Graders at 10:00 a.m. Please join us. 

On behalf of the St. Philip Neri School community, we wish all of our Mothers a very blessed and Happy Mother’s Day.

Peace & Blessings,

Ms. Thomas

May 2024

May 7 - PTG Meeting, 6:30 p.m.

May 8 - Spring Concert, 7:00 p.m. Students' attendance required

May 10 - All School Mass, May Crowning, 10:00 a.m.

May 13 - Math Night, 6:00-7:30 p.m.

May 14 - Fun Run

May 14 - AB Meeting, 6:30 p.m.

May 17 -School Spirit Day - SPN Spartan Spirit

May 17 - Sports Awards Night, 7:00-8:30 p.m.

May 20 - SAB Meeting, 6:30 p.m.

May 21 - Free Dress for May and June Birthdays

Mary 22 - E-waste Drive, 2:00-4:00 p.m.

May 23 - Drama Performance

May 24 - SPN Olympics, 10:45-11:45 a.m., Noon Dismissal

May 26 - Feast of St. Philip Neri

May 27 - NO SCHOOL, Memorial Day Observed, No Share and Care

May 28 - 8th Grade Ribbon Ceremony, 1:00-1:30 p.m.

May 29 - 8th Grade Dinner Dance

May 30 - 8th Grade Picnic, No School for 8th Graders

May 31 - Baccalaureate Mass, 10:00 a.m.

May 31 - Graduation, 5:00 p.m.

June 2024

June 5 - 2:10 p.m. Dismissal, Lunch Service Ends

June 6 - NOON DISMISSAL, No Share and Care

June 7 - Last Day of School, Moving Up Ceremony, Report Card Day, 10:30 a.m. DISMISSAL, No Share and Care

Here is a message from Mr. Q., the Music teacher, about the Spring Concert:

I have a few items about the upcoming concert that I want to make sure you are aware of.

The concert is at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 8^th. Students should arrive at their homerooms between 6:40 and 6:50 p.m. so we can have them ready for the performance. The doors to the church will open at 6:40 p.m. for seating.

The dress code for students for the concert is the same as in previous years, defined as "Nice Free Dress" in the student handbook. Basically, dressed up nicely as they would for attending church or in lieu of nicer clothes, the school uniform works as well. (The 5^th grade class will be wearing green particularly, but no other classes have a special dress code.)

Students will not be released to go home until after the All-School song and the Spring Concert is complete. It will run for about one hour.

The theme of our concert this year is "A Celebration of Planet Earth."



Thank you and I hope to have a fun and joyful concert!

-Mr. Q.

Congratulations to our Student Leadership Council (SLC) for 2024-25

• Chiara Losk, President
• Adelaide Suer, Vice President
• Vivian Pembroke, Secretary
• Isabella Niu and Katelyn Condez, Religious Affairs
• Aria Glodoveza and June McCaffrey, Publicity
• Grace Gille and Emily Tran, Spirit
• Clara Castelaz, Sports
• Elena Svec, Service Learning
• Nia Esparrago, Ecology

Congrats to our Top Classes so far: 

1. 4-Turner - $4,735.00
2. K-Foster - $3,347.00
3. 2-Suer - $2,925.00
4. 6-Ybarra - $2,530.00
5. 3-Costy - $2,220.00

Congrats to our Top Participants so far: 

1. Yona S. (4-Turner) - $939.00
2. Helena A. (K-Foster) - $600.00
3. Hudson P. (4-Turner) - $576.00
4. Phoenix E. (4-Turner) - $510.00
5. Orion E. (2-Suer) - $460.00

We are still looking for volunteers to mark T-shirts at our Fun Run on May 14.

Remember to log your volunteer hours!

Any unfulfilled volunteer hours are subject to a $50.00/hour charge, which will be added to your tuition bill. 

Please contact Ms. Trujillo if you have an SPN volunteer activity scheduled after May 7th.

Thank you to Mr. Quinones and Mr. Toner for organizing an E-Waste Drive. Please see below for details.

Calling all friends, family, and supporters! 

We are excited to announce that we've reached the final round of voting for the "Best of Parents Press" awards, thanks to your incredible support during the nomination phase. We're on the home stretch, but we still need your help to clinch this prestigious recognition!

Your belief in our school has brought us this far. If you think we deserve to win, we would be deeply honored if you would please vote for us. Your continued support is immensely appreciated, as it empowers us to further enrich our students, families and community.

Voting is simple! Please follow this link to vote in the three categories, Preschool, Faith Based Elementary and Faith Based Middle Schools: https://parentspress.com/best-of-parents-press-east-bay/ Every vote brings us closer to achieving this incredible milestone.

Thank you for your steadfast support and for being a vital part of our journey. Together, let's secure this win! 

We finally have a new and updated Facebook page. The previous page was hacked and disabled. We would greatly appreciate it if you would please follow the new page, and feel free to invite friends and family to do the same.

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557457544401&mibextid=LQQJ4d

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/spnalameda?igsh=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

Please contact Ms. Gwire with any questions.

Hello Spartan Sports fans!

The year is winding down and we are excited to celebrate our fantastic athletes. We will have our sports awards night on Friday May 17th at 7:00 p.m. in the Church. We will celebrate our 8th graders with the prestigious perpetual awards as well as all of our athletic teams. It really is a great way to end the year on a high note! Desserts will be served on the yard following the awards. As always, any questions please let me know.

Go Spartans!

Jeff Croft

PE Teacher and Athletic Director

One of our alumni, Sara Wheeler's (Class of 2017) Mother's Day poem appeared in the latest Costco Connection magazine.

Thank you, Ms. Smeal for another great enrichment newsletter. Please click on the image below to view the newsletter in its entirety.

We are thrilled to announce that the Julia Robinson Math Festival (JRMF) will be hosting our annual Math Night on Monday, May 13th, 2024, from 6:00 to 7:30 PM!

To ensure the success of this event, we are reaching out to seek volunteers from our math club families to assist with various aspects of the festival for 2.5 hours on 5/13. No prior math background is necessary and middle school students can help too! An expert from JRMF will host an hour-long volunteer session to comprehensively review each math activity featured at the festival and equip you with all the tools necessary to engage our students effectively.

Please sign up to volunteer here!

Thank you very much, 

Helen Wang 

Dear Parents,

Alameda County Fair is offering FREE single day admission tickets to their annual Fair between June 14 - July 7 in Pleasanton for K-5th Grade.

The Fair offers an opportunity for children to learn about agriculture and how food is grown and the importance of feeding our community. Children will also have the opportunity to learn about animals of all sizes, participate in STEAM activities and take-homecraft projects. New this year, students can learn about local farming with the new Fields of Gratitude, a Tribute to Local Famers displays.

Sincerely,

Alameda County Fair

HOW TO CLAIM YOUR FREE TICKET

Your ticket must be claimed following the unique link below:

alameda.saffire.com/p/pages/school-program or scan QR code for quick access to claim a ticket. After you submit, your ticket will automatically be emailed to you. Show the ticket QR code at Admission Gates on a mobile device or printed. Your ticket is valid for any single day of Fair.

*Valid through July 7 at midnight, while supplies last. Do not share promo code, quantities are limited to each school. Alameda County Fair is a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization

**Non-discounted items may also be added to cart, no additional discount will apply.

***Promo code is not applicable on the main Fair ticket page or on-site at the gates.

Our school spirit store is still open!

Hello Spartan Sports fans! Spring is in the air and our school spirit store is wide open! Feel free to look at your options of apparel and accessories as all items are customizable! With new additions of brands like Lulu Lemon there is sure to be something you will like and show off your Spartan Spirit!

Click here to order your school spirit wear.

Go Spartans!

Jeff Croft

PE Teacher and Athletic Director

Saint Philip Neri Catholic School

(510) 219-0773

Go Spartans!

Please contact Emily Libby with any questions.

Families can now get volunteer hours for buying items from Grade Level and Department Amazon Wishlists. You will get 1 volunteer hour for every $20 spent. If the class does not have any items available on their list, Amazon gift cards are welcome, too!

Please include a gift receipt so we know who to thank!

Please contact Ms. Trujillo with any questions.

Preschool

TK

Kindergarten 

1st Grade

2nd Grade

3rd Grade

4th Grade

5th Grade

6th Grade

7th Grade

8th Grade

Art/Spanish

Library

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Office/Shared Areas

PE

Resource

Share & Care

Have you joined SPN on social media? 

We would love to have you as a part of our social media community.

It only takes a few seconds to join.

Check us out on Instagram at “spnalameda”.