Comet Connection. March 21, Spring. March fans it, April christens it, and May puts on its jacket and trousers. (Henry David Thoreau)

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1 Comet Connection March 21, 2019 Dear Saint Pius X Family and Friends, Spring. March fans it, April christens it, and May puts on its jacket and trousers. (Henry David Thoreau) This week s school Mass was celebrated on the Feast of Saint Joseph. The Bible describes Joseph as a just man, meaning that he was a man of faith who was completely open to all that God wanted to do for him. Joseph became especially holy by opening himself totally to God. As Monsignor told in story form, this just man was simply, joyfully, and wholeheartedly a servant to God in marrying Mary, in naming Jesus, in guiding Mary and Jesus to Egypt, in bringing them to Nazareth, in the undetermined number of years of quiet faith and courage. You are probably in a position of service in some way, at church, in your workplace, or in your family. Treat this as an opportunity to put the principle of quiet kindness and service into practice. As you serve others, focus on love. Love lets us look at the people we are serving as treasured creations of God, worthy of every honor and dignity possible. The love behind service is the same love that brought Jesus into the world and drove him to the cross. It is an unceasing love that Jesus has for you a love that he invites you to share with everyone around you, just as it is intentional that Saint Joseph is the patron saint of the Catholic Church, unborn children, fathers, immigrants, workers, explorers, travelers, and carpenters among many other patronages. Follow Saint Joseph s humble examples of faith, courage and especially service to others. I am very happy to announce that Saint Pius X Catholic School will have a full-time Director of Curriculum & Instruction starting this summer. It is slightly bittersweet, but even more of an honor and so exciting to introduce Mrs. April Parker as our Director of Curriculum & Instruction, which does mean April will be leaving the classroom after 14 years of outstanding teaching in 2 nd and 3 rd grade at our school. Mrs. Parker is a twofold graduate of High Point University where she earned a Master of Education degree in Elementary Education with emphasis on curriculum development. She has also studied with the Institute of Children s Literature and has published one book and multiple articles in professional journals as well as state and local periodicals. As Director of C & I, some of Mrs. Parker s responsibilities will include: building and installation of curricula monitoring student performance data training teachers and instructional assistants coaching the writing, publishing, and updating of courses of study and pacing guides overseeing the research, selection, and acquisition of instructional materials assisting teachers, grade level teams, and units with planning and vertical articulation designing and monitoring student portfolios at each grade level directing our school-wide emphasis on differentiation bringing professional development to teachers and instructional assistants observing and assisting teachers in classrooms through modeling or team teaching communicating with The Catholic News Herald and other area media to highlight exciting student projects and innovative teaching We are very excited about having a dedicated full-time curriculum and instruction specialist on our staff, knowing this will elevate every aspect of our Pre-K through 8 th grade academic programs and enhance the learning experiences and opportunities for our students. We are especially thrilled to have a person of April Parker s caliber and expertise in this position, knowing she will do great things for our already outstanding school.

2 Tonight, at 6:00 p.m., we will have our annual Science Fair for grades 6, 7, and 8. The Science Fair will take place in the Connolly Athletic Center (gym). This is always such an exciting evening as we get to see and experience the culmination of weeks of research, experimentation, and documentation by our middle school scholars. As you enter the gym, please be seated in the bleachers. There will be a brief welcome followed by announcing the award winners for each grade level. After that, the students will move to stand next to their projects, and then everyone will have the opportunity to circulate throughout the gym to talk with the students and view their work. Please come out and enjoy this excellent evening. Please remember that during Lent, our school community is participating in the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) Rice Bowl, a faith-in-action program that gives us the opportunity to uphold a 40-year tradition of praying, fasting, and almsgiving to change the lives of others, which enriches our own lives. Simply use the cardboard bowl, which was sent home in your Thursday envelope last week, to collect alms (spare change). At the end of Lent, please convert your CRS Rice Bowl contributions to a check made out to St. Pius X Catholic School. *Write CRS Rice Bowl on the memo line and send the check to the school office. Our school is a great and special place because of the people in the buildings, and because of all those who consistently support and partner with us. Thank you to all of our families, and special thanks to our students, our staff, and our volunteers, for all that they do to make Saint Pius X Catholic School such an outstanding place. Many Blessings, Chris Chris Kloesz Principal Mission Statement Saint Pius the Tenth Catholic School Saint Pius the Tenth Catholic School places Christ at the center of all that we do. Partnering with our parents and parish communities, we create a challenging and innovative academic experience that inspires and prepares our students to be capable leaders of positive change.

3 Looking Ahead 3/21 Middle School Science Fair, 6:00 pm (Connolly Gym) 3/22 No School Diocesan Professional Day 3/25 3 rd Gr., Morehead Planetarium, 8:45 am-2:30 pm SPX Golf vs Tanglewood, 3:30 pm First Communion Parent & Child Meeting and Teaching Mass, 6:30-7:30 pm (Meet in the church Nursery available) 3/26 School Mass, 8:30 am Soccer vs Greensboro Spears Y, 4:00 pm 3/27 PK & K, Creature Teacher, 9:15 am 10:15 am 3/28 Caldwell, 4:00 pm GCC Farm Course vs GDS, 3:00 pm 3/29 FACTS Tuition Assistance Application Deadline 1 st & 7 th Gr., HPU Field Trip, 8:20 am 1:30 pm Hot Lunch Ordering for lunch served April 8-17 Opens: Mon., March 25 at 7:00 am Closes: Wed., April 3 at 11:00 pm Ordering will reopen Monday, April 8 through TUESDAY, April 16 for lunch served on April 29- May 10. To order Snack/Water & Juice/Ice Cream tickets or Milk-ONLY Tickets please send in the order form available on the school website through your child's Thursday Folder. WE ALWAYS NEED VOLUNTEERS! Our cafeteria is staffed by volunteers only. Please consider giving a small part of your day to visit with your child during the best part of their day, lunch time! If you've taken Protecting God's Children please sign up at: 64-april1 Box Tops Class Winners 3L & 5G Congratulations to our 2 nd trimester Box Top class winners! Mrs. Lyon s 3 rd grade class and Mrs. Groat s 5 th grade class collected the most! Both classes will receive a special treat. Please continue to clip and save Box Tops! They can be found on many brands, including: Annie s, Betty Crocker, Fiber One, Green Giant, Hefty, Kleenex, Land O Lakes, Nature Valley, Old El Paso, Yoplait, and Ziploc. And a big thank you to the volunteers who helped clip, sort, and count! Spring Painting with Ms. Boles Now Open for Registration! The last session of Painting on Canvas begins Thursday, April 4 th. Don t miss out on this opportunity to paint a beautiful rendition of Spring by the Water. You can see an example on the attached flyer, and our SPX Camps Facebook page. SPX Camps is also currently accepting registrations for Spring Break Mini-Camp, April 22-26, and Summer Camps 2019! Please visit SPXCamps.com for more details and to register! BMHS Cheerleading Tryouts! Bishop McGuinness Cheerleading Tryouts for will be held on April 30th, May 1st and May 2nd in the BMHS Cafeteria from 4-6 p.m. Students will learn a cheer the first two days and perform the cheer the last day for the actual tryout. Please bring athletic shorts/top/and tennis shoes, and a water bottle. If you have any questions or have any conflicts, please Coach Houseknecht at khouseknecht@bmhs.us.

4 Attention Pre-K through 5 th Grade Parents!

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