St. Nicholas' Note Edward Hays, A Pilgrim's Almanac (adapted)

"It is fitting that the feast of St. Nicholas comes at the beginning of and the beginning of the shopper's season. As the patron saint of shoppers he proclaims, ‘Keep it simple!' Keep it simple enough to fit in a shoe or a stocking.

One that could fit in a…shoe, or in a stocking hanging on the fireplace, is a note that speaks of one of our most precious , the gift of time. Such a St. Nicholas note might read: ‘The gift I give to you is half an hour of quality conversation each night right after the dishes are done.' Or, ‘The gift I give to you is one Saturday a month to be with you and do whatever you want to do.' We can appreciate the value of such a gift if we keep in mind that according to a recent survey, the average married couple in America has only 30 minutes a week of communication outside of exchanges that take place at the dinner table, and between parent and child is only 14 minutes. As you can see, the possibilities are almost unlimited for these St. Nicholas shoe gifts.

Come, St. Nicholas, patron of shoppers and gift-seekers, and make this year fun, creative and love-filled."

+Dear Parents, December 5, 2016

On Tuesday, we celebrate the Feast of St. Nicholas. I thought of this simple reflection for this time of year! I also thought I would keep my message simple this week! Please know that your families and you are in my daily prayers!!!!

Have a great week! God bless you! Sister Catherine Irene, IHM

TECHNOLOGY NEWS

St. Joseph School will participate in the Hour of Code this week, from Pre-K 4 to Grade 8!

What is the Hour of Code? From the website, https://hourofcode.com/us, under “ Frequently Asked Questions” we can read the answer:

“The Hour of Code started as a one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to demystify ‘code’, to show that anybody can learn the basics, and to broaden participation in the field of computer science. It has since become a worldwide effort to celebrate computer science, starting with 1-hour coding activities but expanding to all sorts of community efforts. Check out the tutorials and activities. This grassroots campaign is supported by over 400 partners and 200,000 educators worldwide.

“The Hour of Code takes place each year during Computer Science Education Week. The 2016 Computer Science Education Week will be December 5-11, but you can host an Hour of Code all year round. Computer Science Education Week is held annually in recognition of the birthday of computing pioneer Admiral Grace Murray Hopper (December 9, 1906).”

We thank Mrs. McDonald, Mrs. Herb, Ms. Mattioni, and Mrs. Galvin for leading the way in motivating our entire school to participate in the Hour of Code. They presented the necessary background information to us at our recent Faculty Meeting. I know that I got hooked on a coding app myself last week…I hope I can improve my time and skills this week!

I do ask that you send all of your children in with headphones or ear buds to help with the coding activities that they will do this week.

Connelly PACT Grant: The Connelly Foundation provides opportunities for our teachers to develop their technology skills through various PACT programs. One program is a summer workshop and many of our teachers have submitted their names to be part of the program. Mrs. McDonald and Mrs. Herb have gone for two summers. Ms. Polselli and Ms. Mattioni went last summer. In addition to this program, we were informed that our school has been chosen to receive a PACT Grant. Due to our school-wide efforts to integrate technology as much as possible and our goal to have technology for every student, the PACT (Promoting Achieving through Classroom Technology) Grant will give up 30 Dell Chromebooks and a Cart for storage and charging. Our 6th Graders will now have the opportunity to use Chromebooks! Thank you to the Connelly Foundation!

Looking Ahead: December 5 Little Flowers will meet after school December 6 Open House; PICTURE RETAKE DAY; ST. NICHOLAS DAY – St. Nicholas visits St. Joseph School! December 7 School Confessions for Grade 3 to 8; 10:00 a.m. in the Church December 8 Feast of the Immaculate Conception: Holyday of Obligation: NO SCHOOL The IHM Sisters will renew their vows during the 9:00 a.m. Mass December 8 – 13 St. Joseph Christmas Book Fair at Barnes and Noble: PLEASE SEE FLYER December 9 Home and School Mixer for Grades 7 and 8 and local Catholic schools December 12 Report Cards will be distributed December 12, 13, 14, 19 Dental Screening December 15 Band Concerts at 1:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. in the Gym December 16 Grade K Kindergarten pageant in the Gym at 10:00 a.m. Science Fair forms are due December 17 Breakfast with Santa! December 18 St. Joseph Chorus Concert at 7:00 p.m. in the Church December 19 Pre-K 4 Christmas Pageants; Christmas around the World for Grade 3 December 20 Pre-K 3 Christmas Sing-Along December 21 Home and School Faculty Luncheon December 22 Christmas Pageant in the afternoon NO BAND OR LESSONS ON 12/22 NO CARES on December 22: Christmas vacation begins at dismissal Dec. 23 – Jan. 2 Christmas Vacation: No School

It is now time to submit your financial aid application and you complete the process through SMART AID. I have attached the information on the Principal’s Page and it will be posted on the Financial Aid section of the website (under Admissions). Please review all directions carefully and don’t hesitate if you have any questions. Here are the key points to remember:

Those families who applied in 16-17 will only need to: 1. Login in (using the username and password from 16-17) www.smartaidforparents.com 2. Update their information 3. Submit and pay the $25 application fee 4. Return to the site and upload their 2016 taxes when completed but no later than 3/31/2017. Please complete the first three steps of the application process by our December 31, 2016, priority application deadline (applications will remain open but the sooner the family completes the application, the sooner we can review your need).

Please note: The income guidelines for 2017-2018 are as follows (No change from 2016-2017) Families with: 1 dependent: Household income of $91,620 2 dependents: Household income of $106,890 3 dependents: Household income of $122,160 4 dependents: Household income of $137,430 5 dependents: Household income of $152,700* *Add $15,270 for each additional dependent.

More information can be found at AOP Schools

Thank you to Marianne Ceribelli and her team of elves for all you did for the Secret Santa Shop! I know that the children look forward to this day. We also thank Grades 7and 8 for assisting their buddies in Grades K and 1. It is really fun to watch the buddies help the little ones shop! Thank you also to our many volunteers who helped with lunch on that day!

Save the Date! Breakfast with Santa Saturday, December 17 Cafeteria Two seatings will be held at 8:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. More details to follow. Sponsored by the Saint Joseph Squires

The Foundation for Catholic Education was formed to support Catholic education in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Each county in the Archdiocese also has its own Advisory Council to further assist all of its Catholic schools. The Foundation and the Advisory Councils were formed to develop strategies to sustain and increase enrollment, ensure a solid future for our schools and to effectively utilize EITC, OSTC, and private funding. Every year, our school receives substantial funds from the Foundation and we are able to provide a great deal of financial aid to many of our families.

One way that the Foundation and the Chester County Advisory Council raise funds is through their Annual Hall of Fame Gala. The Hall of Fame recognizes individuals or businesses that have advanced Catholic education. This year, Tom and Bridget DiAntonio (Senna, Grade 3) have been honored because of their continuous support of our parish and school. Most of the funding for our playground was a result of their generosity and the generosity of their matching gift programs. They also contributed to our air-conditioning project. Their commitment to Catholic education extends to Pope John Paul II Regional Catholic School and to Roman Catholic High school! We congratulate Tom and Bridget for this honor. We thank them for their commitment to St. Joseph Parish and School.

On a side note, Senna DiAntonio is a very lucky young lady. She took some chances on a locked-box and had 2 opportunities to win the grand prize. The first key didn’t open the box. The second key did Senna won 14 Chrome Books for our school! What a great evening it was for everyone!

Congratulations and God bless Tom, Bridget, and Senna DiAntonio!

Looking Ahead: Choir practice next week will be on Tuesday, December 13, not on Monday. Please make a note of this change on your calendars. Thank you!