Dear SAP Parents and Guardians,
I hope you and your families had a blessed Palm Sunday together. Can you believe Holy Week is upon us?
This Friday, we will have a half day and the teachers have a wonderful Holy Thursday retreat planned for your children. Grades 5-8 will start off with a Zoom gathering at 9am. Then grades K-4 will have a Zoom gathering at 10:30am. I look forward to seeing all the students online! This Thursday marks the beginning of the Triduum and Easter is already next Sunday. There is NO SCHOOL on Good Friday, 4/10. It is the beginning of our Easter break, which lasts through 4/19. How thankful we are as a faith community to Jesus for dying for our sins and granting us our salvation. His Resurrection is a gift that is more precious than gold. We look to the Risen Christ as our model and our hope.
We are now into our 4th week of distance learning. Many of you have gotten into a great flow with your home schedules. Some families still need extra assistance, and that is understandable. If your child has not yet completed or turned in all assignments since we started online learning, please talk to your child’s teachers and they will be flexible with you, as we know this is a trying time for everyone. We want to help support you as best we can, in your role as your child’s primary educators. Once again, if you or your child have any questions or need anything, please contact your child’s teacher ASAP to get guidance. We may be calling to check in on you and your family if we don’t hear from you. Our teachers are taking attendance daily. We care for your emotional health and want to touch base with you to make sure you are all ok. You remain in our daily prayers.
Based on the recent “stay at home” order, our office has closed its front door to the public. The main school office now has virtual hours only M-F from 7:30am-4pm. All staff have been highly encouraged to work remotely, so please schedule an appointment by phone or email IF YOU MUST stop by in person to the office. The office staff will be available to take your calls and emails remotely until 4pm through Thursday, 4/9, since Friday is NO SCHOOL. A friendly reminder that all social distancing guidelines must be adhered to for anyone visiting campus (people are asked to come with face masks and stand 6 ft. apart for all transactions).
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles recently notified us that all schools in the ADLA will be closed till April 19 (through Easter Break). Based on national events and recommendations, this closure may be extended but we are not sure on an exact date of reopening. We remain hopeful and are praying that we can return to school soon, but our teachers will be prepared with plans for the remainder of the school year and we are making contingency plans for events that may need to be postponed or canceled. Room parents are asked to reach out to classroom teachers and help come up with suggestions for alternatives to events that have been previously planned. Any questions or concerns, please email me at agrey@stanthonygardena.org and we will problem solve through any issues together.
Continue to check emails from your child’s teacher for specific directions for their work/assignments this week, and visit your child’s teacher’s classroom blogs daily at www.stanthonygardena.org for more information. Administration will continue to stay in touch via emails, the Remind app, and on social media (follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram). We will also continue to post the weekly school bulletin on the homepage, and updates on the school website under News and Events on the homepage at www.stanthonygardena.org.
God bless you all,
Mrs. Grey, Principal
SCHOOL CALENDAR 2020
(Be sure to always check www.stanthonygardena.org and your child’s teacher’s blog for the most current information.)
- April 1– Jog-a-Thon canceled (fundraiser suggestion: replace this obligation by purchasing $100 in percentages in SCRIP for necessities like gas cards, Amazon cards, food delivery fo reach family to make up this funding)
- April 7– First Reconciliation (POSTPONED)
- April 8– Spelling Bee, 8-10 am in Hall ( CANCELLED)
- April 9– Holy Thursday retreat and Stations of the Cross
- April 10– Good Friday: NO SCHOOL (beginning of Easter Break till April 19)
- April 20-23 – 8th grade Pilgrimage (STATUS PENDING)
- April 25 –First Holy Communion (STATUS PENDING)
SACRAMENTS, 8TH GRADE INFORMATION, KINDER PROMOTION
As of now, our school’s First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion must be postponed till further notice. We may have to push this back to summer when it’s safe to gather again. Our 8th graders’ Pilgrimage and all scheduled activities will have to be postponed or canceled until it is safe to return. As COVID-19 circumstances continue to develop, Room parents and teachers should remain in communication with the school to come up with alternate plans for scheduled events such as Kinder promotion and 8th grade graduation, just in case the closure is officially extended again. We are extremely sad and regretful to have so many events taken away from us, but we understand that the health and safety of everyone is of utmost importance. We will keep you updated as news arrives.
FUNDRAISING AND SERVICE HOURS
Our Parish Fiesta has been canceled this year, so no one will be fined the $200 for the hours of non-participation for this event, as stated on the tuition contract. Service hours are still due as usual. Any hours that have not been served will be invoiced. You have the option to roll it into FACTS for the remainder of the year. Thanks to all who have already finished serving their family service hours for the year or who have paid for the 25 hours ($10/hour) in advance. Since Jog-A-Thon was canceled, we now encourage you to meet the $100 obligation for fundraising by purchasing Scrip online. Some great Scrip suggestions: Amazon, restaurants in the area with food delivery, or drive through service in the area such as Starbucks, Taco Bell, Carl’s Jr, Panda Express, and gas cards from Sam’s Club, Vons/Albertson’s, Shell or 76.
RE-REGISTRATION
We continue our planning process for the 2020-2021 school year and have been accepting new students, even in these circumstances. It is imperative for parents of returning students to complete the Registration process ASAP. We are in open enrollment and if you have not registered, your child will be waitlisted. Should you have any questions, please contact me via email at agrey@stanthonygardena.org.
St. Anthony – Pray for Us
Leave a Reply