Dear Students, Parents/Guardians,
Welcome to our 2nd week of school! Due to Hurricane Hilary and the tropical storm that hit LA last night, we decided, along with all of LAUSD schools, to close our school for today for precautionary reasons, but we will return tomorrow, 8/22. I hope you are all safe!
This week our Kindergarten class will have Noon Dismissal. All other grades 1-8 will have full days of school. We dismiss at 3pm every day this week, except on Wednesday, when we finish at 1:30 pm for our faculty meeting. Please see emails from Ms. McCabe for instructions for dismissal at the pedestrian gate near Berendo Ave.
Morning care starts daily at 7:30am, when a staff member is supervising students seated on the benches. The bell rings at 7:50am and those not present will be marked tardy. Attendance will affect a child’s Work Habits grade and Citizenship at the trimester awards ceremony. Please be aware of all school policies and read the Parent Student Handbook online thoroughly.
Please note the first week of school dress code expectations. All families are expected to read the handbook for uniform guidelines. PE starts tomorrow for some grade levels, so check your emails from your teachers for details. We will begin to enforce the uniform policy. 3 uniform infractions will result in a detention, so please make sure your child is following the uniform policy, especially as it relates to hair.
As you know, we have decided to go back to Gradelink as our main Student Information System (after being advised to do so by the Dept. of Catholic Schools), and we are still using Gradelink for grades.
Parents are expected to check on grades weekly with their children to stay on top of academics. You may always set up a meeting with your teacher if you have any questions or concerns.
Our next All-School Mass will be on Friday, 8/25 at 8am in the church. All are welcome! Our junior high will be attending Mass daily starting tomorrow, 8/22, so we will plan to meet at least once a week (usually on Wednesdays) as a whole school at morning assembly by the St. Jude statue. Every other day of the week we will do announcements at 7:50 over the PA system in the office, led by Student Government. Grades 1-2 will join us in the coming weeks, after they have practiced walking to church and following the Mass protocols.
Thursday, 9/7, is BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT at 6:30pm in the Hall for all parents/guardians. Mark your calendars! CHILDCARE IS NOT BE AVAILABLE during the meeting, so please plan to keep your children at home or they must stay with you at all times. Vicki Marsha Uniform will be on campus again on 9/7, and you can pick up your chocolates that day for the Fall fundraiser. We will have two sessions of information in the classrooms to accommodate those with multiple children: 7pm–7:25pm and 7:30pm-7:55pm. Junior high will be meeting twice as a collective unit in the hall. 6th-8th grade parents may visit classrooms in junior high, but they will not do individual presentations in their class. Please be sure to not conference with the teachers too much afterwards so they can go home and get rest for the next day of teaching. The school will close at 8pm sharp. Parents with multiple children, please coordinate with your teachers to get packets.
The first week of school carline gradually got better each day. Please remember to follow all speed limit requirements of 5 MPH on campus and around the school. Do not park in red zones or block the crosswalks, and please be courteous to all volunteering. We are grateful to all our PLC leads, especially those who are out on the yard making sure students and families are safe. Please do not talk to any teachers in the carline. If you would like to set up a conference or meeting, you may email them for an appointment during office hours.
Special intentions go out for the victims of the Maui Fires and for the repose of the souls of Thomas Go Palanca, (the father-in-law of Amy Lucas Palanca, our PLC lead) and Ernesto Rendon (the father of our aide Maria Rendon). Eternal Rest grant unto them O Lord, and may Perpetual Light shine upon them.
May they rest in peace, Amen.
God bless,
Angela Grey, Principal
Gabriel Reyes, Co-Principal
SCHOOL CALENDAR 2023-2024
(Be sure to always check www.stanthonygardena.org , your child’s teacher’s blog, and the Parish website at w ww.saintanthonygardena.org/parish-bulletin/ for the most current information.)
- August 14-September 19: STAR Window 1 Please be sure your child gets a good night’s sleep and eats a healthy breakfast each day.
- August 21 – Alvarado Lunch begins, PE and Music start this week, all students in Full Uniform moving forward, Kindergarten (Noon Dismissal all week for Kinder only 8/21-8/25)
- August 16 –August 25 – Kindergarten has noon dismissal all week – vehicles only enter & exit at Berendo gate for Kinder Dismissal, pedestrians enter only at front gate by school office! DO NOT HOLD DOOR OPEN FOR OTHERS AT FRONT GATE OR LEAVE IT OPEN FOR ANY REASON. SAFETY FIRST!
- August 30– Fall Fundraiser Kick Off (more info to come from Monica Torres), pick up chocolates at Back to School Night in Hall
- Sept 4 – Labor Day Holiday, NO SCHOOL!
- Sept 7 – Back to School Night, K-8, 6:30 pm-8pm in the Hall. Come early to sign in for credit and pick up your chocolates in Hall. This is the first of three mandatory parent meetings and one Parent Faith Formation meeting throughout the year. Non-participation will result in a $50 fine every time, per the tuition contract you each signed.
- Sept 17 – Catechetical Sunday, all families welcome! 11am Family Mass, First Mandatory Bake Sale
- Sept 21 – FALL School Picture Day 8:30-10:30! ☺ (Wear your complete Formal Mass Uniforms with white blouses and Oxford shirts, cardigans, vests, and ties for Yearbook photos)
ALVARADO CATERING ($7.00 per lunch)
Alvarado Catering will continue to be our food vendor on campus. Procedures remain the same. Before each month, all forms must be turned in completed with student’s name, grade, and # of lunch choice circled on the top and bottom by the due date. Make checks payable to Alvarado Catering. You can also pay through Zelle App (Elizabeth Alvarado, 323-477-9562). Price per meal is $7.00. Each meal is served with a drink, fruit, fresh vegetables, and salad. Any questions: call Elizabeth or email her at elizabethalvarado660@gmail.com.
ALLERGIES/EMERGENCY CARDS
If your child has any allergies or serious medical concerns, please be sure to notify our office as well as your child’s classroom teacher as soon as possible. Emergency cards and contact info must be current and updated in the office as needed. IF THERE ARE ANY CHANGES, WE NEED THE EMERGENCY CARDS UPDATED IN THE OFFICE. This is extremely important in order to make sure we have accurate and updated records for your child. If your child has a medical condition or has allergies, we need to know this up front and have an action plan, in case of an emergency. Any medication must be self-administered by the child or by you, and permission for us to administer medicine must be in writing. Epi-pens and inhalers should be in the office.
FORMAL FRIDAYS/SACRAMENTS
As a reminder – each Friday (unless otherwise noted) we have a Student Body Mass where the students dress in FORMAL MASS UNIFORM attire. Some students will be attending daily Mass but the formal Mass uniform is only required on Fridays. Students may wear their regular or PE uniforms to Mass on days that they are in Mass and don’t have their regular uniform on. All those who are not baptized and wish to receive the sacraments this year, please notify your child’s teacher by 9/30. Thank you!
PLC SERVICE HOURS (30 hours per family/year: 10 per trimester)
As a reminder, every family is asked to sign up for up to 4 Parent Leadership Committees so you have multiple chances to fulfill your 30 family service hours, valued at $15/hour or you will be charged. If you have questions, please email the office. We may raise this dollar amount next year to $17/hr to keep up with minimum wage and inflation.
STUDENT SERVICE FEES! ($350 per child)
Parents, it’s very important that we receive your student service fees of $350 per child by the end of this week 8/25. This fee covers the cost of classroom supplies, books, Wi-Fi access school-wide, and Student Accident and Liability insurance. Students’ books will be released after payment is made or a payment plan is set up in FACTS. Music Update – The Band for Today program will NOT be able to provide the programs for St. Anthony students this year. We will update families on additional music programs as they become available.
VOLUNTEERS
All visitors on campus must check in and out of the office at all times and wear a VISITOR badge. All Volunteers must be Fingerprinted through the ADLA and cleared, and have a current Virtus Training Certificate. AM and PM carline and lunch yard duty volunteers (from 12-1 daily) are needed. Please email me at a grey@stanthonygardena.org if you are interested. For safety reasons, please call before you come to the office and buzz yourself in. Do not prop the door open for anyone, especially strangers. All parents are welcome to join the SAFETY PLC to increase security on our campus.
St. Anthony – Pray for us
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