Mrs. O'Connell's Weekly Update
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Week of December 1 - December 7
Dear Parents and Guardians,
We hope everyone enjoyed the Thanksgiving holiday and the long weekend.
We want to take a moment to express our gratitude for your incredible generosity toward Evelyn and her family. Thanks to your support, we reached our initial goal within just 24 hours—something we couldn't have done without all of you! Please note, Wednesday is the FINAL day to order "Team Evelyn" t-shirts. We’ll be holding a special spirit day where we can all wear our shirts in support. You still have a few days left to place your order!
Today we begin the Season of Advent. Advent is our time of waiting in “devout and joyful expectation” for the celebration of Christ’s birth. This Advent Season we will gather Grades K-8 each week for a school Advent Service lead by Ms. Reagan Stone, our music teacher. In addition, all students in Grades 3-8 will have the opportunity to receive the sacrament of Reconciliation this Advent.
Let us prepare our hearts for Christmas by praying together:
O God of Wonder,
As we are busy preparing for Christmas
Help us prepare our hearts for Jesus.
We are grateful for your simple words of hope
and the gift of new life in the Christ’s child.
May we follow the true light of Jesus
that shines for all people
through the darkness of sin and sorrow.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
There’s a lot happening, please read carefully! Let’s get right to the week ahead…
REPORT CARDS/CONFERENCES
On Wednesday, November 27, the Parent Portal closed to allow teachers to begin preparing report cards. We will again have report cards available to view through the Parent Portal for Grades PreK-8 (NO PAPER COPIES WILL BE SENT HOME) on Monday, December 9 between 8 AM and 9 AM. PLEASE BE SURE YOU HAVE ACCESS TO THE PARENT PORTAL. Please reach out to Mrs. S. Vitale if you do not have access. Our Parent-Teacher Conferences are scheduled for Monday, December 9 and Tuesday, December 10. There will be 11:30 AM dismissal both days.
**PLEASE NOTE-Nursery classes will have a regular day on 12/9 and 12/10.
**We are using an online scheduling system this year which will open TOMORROW, Monday, December 2 at 9 AM.
Please find the attachment below with directions on how to set-up your account. If you had an account last year, the same log-in information should work.
Login Information for New System for Conferences
Here is the link to book conferences TOMORROW AT 9 AM:
Click Here to Make Your Conference Appointment
Please note that parents will be able to book 1-6 appointments with homeroom, subject specific and special area teachers, as needed.
For Example:
Pre-K through 3rd Grade: Make an appointment with your homeroom teacher and if you would like to make an appointment with up to 2 special area teachers.
4th and 5th Grade: Make an appointment with your homeroom teacher or if you would like the other core teacher and up to 2 special area teachers.
Middle School (6th-8th Grade): Make an appointment with the homeroom teacher or your choice of up to 4 core teachers. You can also make an appointment with two special area teachers.We ask that if you have siblings that have the same teacher to make ONE appointment per family. If more time is needed the teacher will reach out to you.
If you have any problems tomorrow, please reach out to Mrs. Stephanie Vitale at [email protected].
There will be an IN-PERSON and VIRTUAL option for conferences unless the teacher specifically requests to meet in person. After-school will be in session both days.
STUDENT COUNCIL DRESS DOWN DAY
Student Council is sponsoring a Dress Down Day on Thursday, December 5th for “#friendswhogive”. This is a local charity effort that raises money to give gift cards to local schools to distribute to families in our community. We are grateful to be part of the giving and receiving. Let’s make this year another successful #friendswhogive campaign. For a minimum donation of $3, students and teachers may dress down in appropriate clothes of their choice on Thursday, December 5- NO UNIFORM! Appropriate jeans, sweatpants, sneakers permitted. No shorts or leggings permitted. Thanks for being a FRIEND! Let’s raise as much as we can for this local initiative going right back to our wonderful community.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR NURSERY PARENTS ONLY
All students in Nursery classes are invited to attend the Christmas Craft Fair in the St. Aidan Gym on Friday, December 13 from 8:10-8:45 AM WITH A CAREGIVER. The classes will NOT be taken to the Christmas Craft Fair during school hours.
Also, all NURSERY classes will have a FULL DAY session on Monday, December 9 and Tuesday, December 10 when the rest of the school has a half day for Parent-Teacher Conferences.
SCHOOL MASS
Our First Friday School Mass is Friday, December 6 hosted by Class 7-1. Full Dress Uniform except for students who have Physical Education class. All are welcome to attend or watch on www.staidanparish.org.
Student Council Christmas Spirit Week
Student Council is sponsoring a fun Christmas Spirit Week from December 9-13! Each day has a different theme to match a Christmas song. Please see the attached document with all the information.
Student Council Spirit Week- December 9-13
AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAM CALENDAR CHANGE
Please note that the After-School Program will not be available on Wednesday, December 18. We apologize for the inconvenience and ask that you make alternate arrangements for your child(ren) on December 18.
PickUp Patrol
This is a friendly reminder to update all after-school activities in PickUp Patrol for this week. PLEASE DO IT NOW FOR THE WEEK! It really helps to have dismissal run smoothly. Thanks!
An IMPORTANT message from Mrs. Pisciotto, School Nurse
Before we get into flu season, I would like you to be aware that many parents raise very valid concerns about students being sent to school sick or, as importantly, being sent back to school before they are fully recovered. If your child is sick, please keep him/her home. Again, do not send your child back to school until he/she has fully recovered.
As per the direction of our school doctor, students who are experiencing elevated temperatures regardless of the reason must be fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medications before they may return to school. In addition, students who have been out of school due to strep or conjunctivitis must complete a 24-hour course of antibiotics prior to returning to school. And students who have been experiencing vomiting or diarrhea must also be kept home for 24 hours after the last episode.
I ask you to be mindful that we have some medically fragile children in the school in addition to parents who are immunocompromised due to chemotherapy. Although the flu, strep or the stomach virus may be unpleasant for your child, for some it may result in hospitalization.
“When is My Child Sick Enough to Stay Home from School” and “Fight Flu at Home and at School” are a few guidelines, which you might find helpful, can be found below and on my webpage under Health Resources.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
“When is My Child Sick Enough to Stay Home from School”
"Fight Flu at School and at Home"
COLD WEATHER DRESS
The cold weather has arrived. Students are expected to be dressed in jackets and accessories appropriate for outdoor recess. Students may be asked to stay indoors if they are not properly dressed. Also, PLEASE LABEL EVERYTHING!! Thank you!
LATENESS
Arriving at school on time is very important! The Lower School specifically, is experiencing a great deal of student lateness. It is important for ALL students to arrive on time. This sets the day up for success. Please have your child arrive before 8 AM for grades Pre-K through 8 and by 8:30 AM for Nursery. Thank you!
Keep Christ in Christmas
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!
Please see information below regarding the annual Keep Christ in Christmas poster contest sponsored by the Holy Name Society.
All entries must be returned to the main office no later than THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5th.
Keep Christ in Christmas Contest
Graduation Pictures (8th Grade and PICTURE RETAKE DAY)
Lifetouch will be at St. Aidan School on Tuesday, December 3 for 8th Grade Graduation pictures There will also be retakes for all students who were absent and those who wish to have their picture retaken. Order forms went out this week. IF you would like your child to have their picture retaken, please reach out to Mrs. D. Vitale (lower school) and/or Mrs. S. Vitale (upper school). You will need to bring the pictures you do not want to keep on December 3. **If students are having a retake photo, they may wear clothes other than their uniform to take the picture. 8th Grade must be in full dress uniform for Graduation pictures.
Drama Club Updated Rehearsal Schedule
Monday, December 2: FULL CAST from 2:30 PM- 4:30 PM in Mongnor Kirwin Hall.
Wednesday, December 4: FULL CAST from 2:30 - 4:30 PM in Monsignor Kirwin Hall.
SAVE THE DATE- Christmas Band and Choral Concert
Our Christmas Band Concert for our experienced students taking lessons with Paul Effman Music will be on Thursday, December 12, 2024, at 6:30 PM. This year, we will also feature choral performances by our students in 1st through 6th grade.
Invitation from the Saint Aidan Rosary Altar Society
Please see the flyer for information.
Dinosaur Carnival at CSTL
Please see the link for information.
CYO Volleyball Registration
Please see the flyer for information.
NHP PAL Programs
Please see the flyers for information.
DRVC News
On December 14th, the major relics of St. Thomas Aquinas are coming to Long Island!
St. Aidan Parish Bulletin
Please find the St. Aidan Parish Bulletin attached below.
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PACE This Week
We hope everyone had a very Happy Thanksgiving! We are now ready for the Christmas season to officially begin!
Thank you very much to Danielle Klimek for chairing the Thanksgiving Pie Sale with White Post Farms and to all of the volunteers who helped distribute the pies on Tuesday!
Breakfast with Santa
We are very excited for our Breakfast with Santa event, taking place this Saturday, December 7 from 9:30-11:30 a.m. in Msgr. Kirwin Hall. We have begun reaching out to our waitlist families. We will be in touch closer to the event if spaces become available. Please let us know if your plans have changed and can no longer attend so we can accommodate our families on the waitlist. Please email [email protected] with any questions.
PACE Christmas Collection
PACE organizes an annual Christmas collection for the faculty and administration of SAS. This collection is for non-classroom teachers and it is completely voluntary. Contributions can be made online through the link below or cash can be sent into school to the attention of the PACE Treasurer: Mrs. Werther. This collection is separate from the collections that the Class Coordinators are organizing for the classroom teachers.
12 Days of Christmas Raffle
We are excited that our new raffle fundraiser for the Christmas season called “12 Days of Christmas Raffle” is going live today! Each day for 12 days we will be raffling off a basket of prizes. Each day’s prizes have a different theme: one prize for boys, one for girls, tweens, family, adult themed prizes, etc. The value of the baskets ranges from $100-$425. You can choose which days you want to enter the drawing for that particular prize. The “12 Days” are December 9th – 20th.
Raffle tickets are available for sale starting TODAY and the first drawing will occur on December 9th, the “First Day of Christmas”. Ticket drawings occur daily. Raffle tickets are: 1 ticket for $5 or 5 for $20. This will be a parish-wide fundraiser as well: it will be published in the bulletin, and we will be selling raffles outside of church on December 8. Please check out the selection of raffle baskets and enter for your chance to win!
Christmas Craft Fair
We are so excited for this year’s Christmas Craft Fair! The fair will be held in the Gym on Friday, December 13. Each class will be brought to shop during the school day. Nursery students may come in to shop with a parent / guardian, and students in Pre-K, Kindergarten and 1st grade will attend with their Upper School Buddies, who will assist them with their shopping lists. It’s the kids’ favorite day of the year!
The Christmas Craft Fair website is live! We have amazing raffle prizes available across Children’s, Teachers & Staff, Adult and 50/50 Raffles categories. Raffle tickets are available for purchase through the link – click for more details.
The Christmas Craft Fair committee is looking for donations for Mrs. Claus’ attic as well as a NEW craft table. The items for Mrs. Claus’ Attic must be new / unused items that can be used at a table during the craft fair. Please see the flyers below for details about these two donation opportunities, including where & when to drop off the donations.
SAS Spirit Shop – Red Bows for Christmas!
In addition to the green, yellow and navy-blue bows for girls that we offer in our School Spirit Shop, we are introducing a “holiday edition bow” which will be red with the St. Aidan wording included. These are now available for purchase and will be delivered through school starting the end of this week!
PACE Super Bowl Raffle
PACE is running the Super Bowl Raffle again this year. Each box is 20 points. Sign up will be available in person at all PACE Events between now and February, starting with Breakfast with Santa this Saturday! Please contact Billy Herr for more details: [email protected]
December Cookie Kits with Cardinali Bakery
Our order window has closed for our Cardinali Christmas Cookie Kits. Cookie kit pickup will be on Thursday, December 12th from 2:30pm – 6pm.
Cardinali Christmas Cookie Kits
PACE CYO Snack Stand
It's game time and we need your help to make our PACE CYO Snack Stand a success! The PACE Snack Stand runs during CYO sporting events in the St. Aidan Gym, and we are looking for volunteers to work the stand during these games. This is a fun, easy way to get involved, cheer on our student-athletes, and connect with other parents. Plus, it directly helps our kids! Profits from the Snack Stand are used to offset the cost of transportation for class trips and 8th-grade expenses.
Bonus for 7th and 8th Graders: Working alongside a parent or guardian can earn Community Service hours.
Donations: we rely on donations from our SAS families to have our Snack Stand bring in as much money as possible to offset costs of class trips and 8th-grade graduation activity expenses. Please consider a donation of snacks, waters or Gatorade – our cupboard is a little bare after we hosted the Volleyball playoffs the week before last!
Sign Up Here: PACE CYO Snack Stand
Important Upcoming Events
12/7/2024 – Breakfast with Santa
12/9/2024 – 12/20/2024 – 12 Days of Christmas Raffle
12/13/2024 – Christmas Craft Fair
PACE Spirit Wear Shop
Our Spirit Wear shop through SquadLocker is live! This School Spirit Wear Shop will be open year-round, without any need to get orders entered within certain windows. Students can wear Spirit Wear to school on Spirit Wear Fridays! A portion of sales goes to support the school. We’ll look to provide active discount codes in this weekly email.
PACE Spirit and Fundraiser Events
As a reminder, PACE hosts spirit and fundraising events throughout the year, which are available to all of our students from Nursery through 8th grade. We encourage families to get involved in the fun and support our school. Please see the volunteer link below if you would like to help with any of these events.
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Here's A Look At The Week Ahead
Sunday, December 1: First Sunday of Advent.
Monday, December 2: Pick-A-Time Appointment Scheduler opens at 9 AM.
Trimester 2 begins.
2nd Grade Mass at 9 AM.
Drama Club FULL Cast Rehearsal from 2:30 PM - 4:30 PM in Monsignor Kirwin Hall.
Girls Basketball Practice from 2:30 PM- 4:00 PM at the St. Aidan Gym.
Boys Basketball Practice from 4:00 - 5:30 PM at the St. Aidan Gym.
After-School Enrichment Classes: Artist Workshop (Grades 2-8), The Making of a Princess (PreK - 2), Outdoor Fun & Games (PreK - K)- 2:30-3:45 PM.
Tuesday, December 3: Just We Two Classes.
Graduation Pictures.
Individual Picture retakes.
1st Grade Mass at 9 AM.
Girls Basketball Practice from 2:30 PM- 4:00 PM at the St. Aidan Gym.
Boys Basketball Practice from 4:00 - 5:30 PM at the St. Aidan Gym.
Altar Server Introduction Class at 6 PM in St. Aidan Church (5th Grade and older - Attend one class).
Wednesday, December 4: Final Day to purchase "Team Evelyn" t-shirts.
Lower School Hot Lunch (place your order!).
Christmas Tree Lighting (at 8:10 AM in Upper School and 9 AM in Lower School.)
Chaminade Student Athletes visit 4th and 5th grade at 10:30 AM.
Advent Prayer Service at 1:30 PM.
Drama Club FULL Cast Rehearsal from 2:30 PM - 4:30 PM in Monsignor Kirwin Hall.
Faculty Meeting at 2:45 PM - 4:00 PM.
Altar Server Introduction Class at 6 PM in St. Aidan Church (5th Grade and older - Attend one class).
Thursday, December 5: Band and String Lessons- Don't Forget Your Instruments!
Just We Two.
Friends Who Gives Dress- Down Day ($3 Donation)
LAST After-School Enrichment Classes: Friendship Bracelet Making Class (Grades K-5), American Sign Language (Grades 1-8), Active Adventures-wear gym uniform (Grades 5-8)- 2:30-3:45 PM
Friday, December 6: Lower School Hot Lunch (place your order!).
First Friday Mass (Hosted by Class 7-1). Full Dress Uniform except for students who have Physical Education class.
Girls Basketball Practice from 2:30 PM- 4:00 PM at the St. Aidan Gym.
Boys Basketball Practice from 4:00 - 5:30 PM at the St. Aidan Gym.
Saturday, December 7: Breakfast with Santa (for those families registered.)
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A Look Ahead
-Second Sunday of Advent - December 8
-Village of Williston Park Tree Lighting- December 8
-Immaculate Conception Mass - December 9
-Early Dismissal (PreK - 8th Grade) - December 9
-Parent/Teacher Conferences - December 9
-Assessment Cards Available - December 9
-Student Council Christmas Sock Day - December 9
-Girls Basketball Practice - December 9
-Boys Basketball Practice- December 9
-Early Dismissal (PreK - 8th Grade) - December 10
-Parent/Teacher Conferences - December 10
-Student Council Door Decorating Contest - December 10
-Student Council Red Shirt Day - December 10
-Girls Basketball Practice - December 10
-Boys Basketball Practice- December 10
-Kindergarten Grade Mass - December 11
-Choral Concert Rehearsal (in school) - December 11
-Advent Prayer Service - December 11
-Student Council Christmas Accessory Day - December 11
-Girls Basketball Practice - December 11
-Boys Basketball HOME- December 11
-Confession Class 4-2 and 7-2 - December 12
-Christmas Band and Choral Concert- December 12
-Student Council Pajama Day - December 12
-Christmas Craft Fair - December 13
-7th Grade Class Mass - December 13
-Student Council Christmas Shirt or Sweater Day - December 13
-Girls Basketball Game - December 13
-Boys Basketball Game - December 13
Have a terrific week,
Mrs. Graham
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