From the Principal: December 2019

Dear Parents,

The holy season of Advent begins on December 1. We celebrate Advent and Christmas every year. Do we take the time to reflect on God’s presence among us? How prepared are we each day to celebrate the Kingdom of God? The days of Advent help us to prepare for Christmas, the celebration of the birth of Jesus. We are reminded of God’s faithfulness and of how deeply com-mitted He is to us. Advent is a time filled with God’s grace when we are invited to reflect deeply on His love for us and on His presence to us. May we find many opportunities during the next four weeks to grow in our relationship with God. During these weeks many things like candles, lights, trees, decorations, cards, gifts remind us of the secular aspects of Christmas. We are challenged to center our lives and hearts on Jesus, the reason for our celebrations. The committee of teachers planned Advent activities. The Advent traditions used with the stu-dents during the daily morning prayer include the Advent wreathe and the Jesse Tree. The stu-dents will participate in a service project with Hilbert College and the Dominican Republic. One of our teacher’s daughters is a member of the Enactus group who is sponsoring this service pro-ject. Items that will be collected include individually wrapped mints or gum; travel size tooth-paste, toothbrush, mouthwash; small notepads, writing utensils (but no pencils); small games, packs of cards, card games. The National Junior Honor Society is collecting small toiletries to for the Perry Housing Project. We thank the students in this society, as well as their advisor Mrs. Jurkowski, for their involvement in this service project which began in mid November and contin-ues through December 4. Travel size mouthwash, floss, deodorant, shampoo, and body wash may be donated. The students are encouraged to do good deeds during Advent. It is a wonder-ful opportunity for our students to help others in the community and in another country. An Ad-vent bingo will take place. Clues will be given each day during morning and afternoon announce-ments. Each classroom will have a board and work as a team to determine if they have the an-swer to a clue on their board. Each classroom will set up their Advent wreathe. The Advent wreathe set up in the school on the hallway reminds us of the four weeks of Advent. The stu-dents will remember some of the key figures who prepared for the coming of Jesus by placing the symbols on the Jesse Tree. Our daily prayer in the mornings will center on people like Abraham, Isaiah, Jonah, David, Solomon, Jacob, Elizabeth, John the Baptist, Joseph, and Mary. Students from all grades will participate in the morning prayer, according to the schedule given to the teachers. Field trips for STREAM are being scheduled. Mrs. Knavel and Sr. Marilyn will be working on the grant for funding for STREAM. The application is due in January. The “X-STREAM Games and EXPO” will take place on December 7 at St. Joseph Collegiate Institute from 12 until 3:30p.m.

SS. PETER & PAUL

SCHOOL NEWSLETTER

Thank you to all the parents who help in our school in so many ways—the homeroom parents, the

family who counts box tops with the students that help, the parents who volunteer as lunch moni-

tors, the parents who help with various activities for the students, the parents who are the Parents’

Guild officers. Thank you to our coaches! Thank you to the parents who attend the meetings of

the Parents Guild. If you have not attended, please consider attending future meetings. Thank

you to the parents who attended the Student of the Month Breakfast in October, the Induction Cer-

emony for the National Junior Honor Society, and who helped to chaperone the Middle School

Dance. Thank you to the parents who helped the teachers in the classrooms on Halloween. There

was a great response to the service project for the Veterans—“Treats for Troops”. Thank you for

your generosity to help those in VA

Hospital in Buffalo and Niagara Falls Air Force Base. We are also very grateful for the work and advice of our School Board. I remind everyone that Parent Teacher Conferences take place on December 9. Parents were able to sign up in mid October on “sign-up genius”. If you still need to schedule a conference, please contact your child’s homeroom teacher. It is important that parents are aware of their child’s work as seen on the Parent Portal. Many teachers e-mail parents about the work that needs to be handed in for specific subjects. One of the fundraisers sponsored by Parents’ Guild is the “Monday Blues”. The children may par-ticipate in this for $10 and wear jeans on Dec. 2, Jan. 6, Feb. 3, March 2, April 6, May 4 and June 1. Jeans must be appropriate for school with no rips or tears. If students don’t have jeans they may wear khaki pants, cargo pants, or sweatpants. I was informed later in October/early November that we were to have a counselor in our school one day per week beginning in mid November. The person that was hired by Catholic Charities from a grant they were awarded and who was to be at SSPP and another school, took a different job. People are still being interviewed by Catholic Charities. I did indicate that we really would benefit from a counselor in our school. We will receive information when someone is hired and assigned to SSPP. Please refer to the December calendar for the many events taking place in the school: Mass cele-brations, Advent Penance Service, Student of the Month Breakfast, Christmas concert, Santa’s Se-cret Shop, and more. The faculty, staff and I extend to you and your family wishes for a peaceful Advent, a blessed and joy-filled Christmas, and a New Year 2020 filled with many graces. We con-tinue to pray for peace. God bless you! Sister Marilyn Ann Principal

PRAYER FOR ADVENT

As we begin our Advent journey, guide us, dear God of Love. Help us to recognize the great gift You have given us in Jesus,

and may we prepare well for His rebirth in our hearts. On each day of this journey, may we move closer to Jesus, the Prince of Peace, the Light of the

World. Shine the light of Your grace upon us that we may follow Him faithfully.

In our preparations for Christmas, may we always remember that Jesus is the reason for this blessed season!

Thank you, loving God, for this time of joy and expectation. Walk with us and show us the way today and every day of Advent. Amen.

MISSION STATEMENT

“The mission of Ss. Peter and Paul, a Catholic Community School, is to transform the lives of our

Pre K through eighth grade students by being rooted i9n Catholic tradition and Gospel values. In

partnership with families, we promote faith, respect, charity and quality education as we prepare

students to reach their potential in a nurturing and challenging environment

“Let it be known to all who enter Ss. Peter and Paul, a Catholic Community School that JESUS CHRIST

is the reason for this school, the unseen but ever-present teacher in all its classes,

the model of its faculty, and the inspiration for its students.”

AT SS. PETER AND PAUL, A CATHOLIC COMMUNITY SCHOOL, WE…

continue spiritual growth and understanding of our faith nurture students in an atmosphere of kindness, love, and understanding instill respect for ourselves and others, for we are all children of God educate to the highest standards of learning develop the potential that lies within each student

"Tis The Season"

Our school Christmas Concert is on

This is a mandatory event for all students Pre-K through 8th grade.

The students should arrive no later than 6:45.

DRESS CODE: Dress up clothes, no jeans, no t-shirts. Cell phones will NOT be allowed with students during the

concert.

DOORS TO THE CHURCH WILL OPEN AT 6:30 PM.

Lunch Update Every so often we will send information home in regard to the average number of lunches that

were purchased/given to students who qualify for free lunches. For the time period of September

5-20, the average number of students who received lunch is 52. For the time period of Sept. 23-

October 25, the average number of students who received lunch is 59. For the time period of Oc-

tober 28-November 20, the average number of students who received lunch is 62. Per our

finance people, we need about 80 students to receive lunches per day, to alleviate the huge dollar

amount that we pay to the Hamburg School District. There are many options of food for the stu-

dents to eat daily: the main lunch, sandwich choices, salad, yogurt lunch. Take advantage of the

discounted price of $15.00 for 5 lunches. This discounted price is not just for the hot lunch. The

sandwich lunch, the salad lunch, and the yogurt lunch qualify for the 5 lunches for $15.

Any lunches that are distributed are included in the count of lunches for the day. Other options to

help build our revenue in the cafeteria are “Field Trip Bag Lunches”, a class Pizza Party, or

student Birthday treats for their class. These flyers are included in the newsletter. Parents

could find it convenient to choose one of these options for birthday treats for the class.

You may prepay for lunches. Send in the dollar amount you want in an envelope with your child’s name and indicate it is for lunches. Mrs. Samantha from the cafeteria manages that amount that is prepaid for lunches. She will let you/your child know when the money is used up. Some parents indicate that the money may also be used for snacks. If you send in $15 for 5 lunches, please in-dicate that on an envelope. The money is used for 5 lunches, again managed by the cafeteria staff.

SS. Peter & Paul, a Catholic Community School 68 East Main St., Hamburg, NY 14075

November 22, 2019

Dear Families,

Advent is right around the corner. This is our opportunity to work on some service projects to help our community and a community in Dominican Republic. This year for our school service project, we have decided to partner with Hilbert College Enactus Business Club, to collect small items for an orphanage and nursing home. The Hilbert students will be coming in to do a presentation and explain our joint mission to help another country. Then they will assign each grade level to send in small items that will be due by Dec. 11th.

Just think, this is our school community helping a bigger school community help those across the world. The business students will be visiting the Dominican Republic in January 2020. Last year, a few SSPP classes helped out tremendously to this mission for their trip in January 2019. You can watch the video of the trip on You Tube under: Hilbert College Enactus Service Trip 2019.

These are the needed supplies for the Dominican Republic service project for this year:

Pre K - Individually wrapped mints/hard candy or gum

Kindergarten- Toothbrushes and travel size toothpaste

1st grade- Crayons or markers

2nd grade- composition notebooks and pencils

3rd grade- folders and pens

4th grade- small card games/deck of cards

5th grade- mini notebooks and pens

6th grade- toothbrushes and travel size toothpaste

7th grade- Small card games/deck of cards

8th grade- crayons or markers

*If you have multiple children, you can pick and choose your contribution.

We'll be collecting until Wednesday, Dec. 11.

Thank you for your support!

Ms. Nancy Fetzer and The Advent Committee Hilbert College Business Club, Hamburg

Little Flowers Girls Club

Our parish Little Flowers Girls' Club will be meeting the first Sunday of the month from 1:30-2:45 in the Parish Meeting room. All girls ages 5 and up are invited to come and learn about the lives of the saints through crafts and games. We will also be carrying out acts of service throughout the year while contemplating virtues such as acceptance, unselfishness, kindness, confidence, and more. Mark your calendars for meetings on the following Sundays: Nov. 3, Dec. 1, Jan. 5, Feb. 2, March 1, April 5, May 3 and June 7. For more information, please contact JoAnn Thomasson (joannduffythomasson@gmail.com) or come to a meeting to learn more!

ATTENTION PARENTS AND GRANDPARENTS

VOLUNTEER LUNCH MONITORS NEEDED

DAYS AND TIMES VARY

MONITOR AT YOUR CONVENIENCE

CALL LISA BOW AT 553-0680

FOR MORE INFORMATION

HOW CAN YOU SAY NO TO THESE FACES?

Party Time Celebrations! SS Peter and Paul School Cafeteria Staff would like to help Parents and Teachers celebrate student birthdays and other special oc-

casions!

We have two packages to choose from; however, we can customize to meet your needs.

Call the SSPP office at 649-7030, ext. 410 or talk to your school’s Cafeteria Manager, Mrs. Samantha.

We’re happy to help!

Package 1 - $1.00 per person

Choose one drink: ________ 100% apple juice -OR- _____________8 oz. water

-AND-

Choose one item: _________ *Birthday Cupcake - Please Circle Choice

Vanilla - Chocolate

_________ *Fresh Baked Cookies (2 ea) – Please Circle Choice

Chocolate Chip - Sugar - Double Chocolate

_________ *Danimals 4 oz. Nonfat yogurt - Please Circle Choice

Strawberry - Vanilla - Strawberry Banana

_________ *Rice Krispie Treat

_________ *Ice Cream Cup - Please Circle Choice Please Note: 2 weeks’ notice to ensure availability

Vanilla - Chocolate - Cotton Candy - Birthday Cake

__________ *Polar Blast Frozen Fruit Punch Bar (gluten free) Please Note: 2 weeks’ notice to en-

sure availability *All items pre-packaged except Cookies

Add an additional snack item: + $.50 each

*Peanut free product; However, manufactured in plant that also processes products containing peanuts and tree nuts.

Fill out form and return with payment to your child’s teacher with

minimum ONE WEEK notice before party date to ensure availability

Checks can be made payable to SSPP School

Quanity needed: _____________ X $1.00 = ___________ Total Due

Student Name: Date of Party: (min. ONE WEEK notice)

Teacher’s Name:

Parent Name: Parent Phone #:

TEACHERS: - Please pick up items with class after lunch or coordinate time w/kitchen manager

Party Time Celebrations! SS Peter and Paul School Cafeteria Staff would like to help Parents and Teachers celebrate student birthdays and other special occa-

sions!

We have two packages to choose from; however, we can customize to meet your needs.

Call the SSPP office at 649-7030, ext. 410 or talk to your school’s Cafeteria Manager, Mrs. Samantha.

We’re happy to help!

Package 2 - $2.50 per person

A class Pizza Party at scheduled lunch time!

Includes:

A slice of Big Daddy pizza, fresh apple, baby carrots,

100% juice slushie cup, milk, and fresh baked cookie

Plates-napkins-spoons-straws provided

Fill out form and return with payment to your child’s teacher with

minimum ONE WEEK notice before party date to ensure availability

Checks can be made payable to SSPP School

Questions? Please call the Cafeteria Manager at 649-7030 ext. 410

Thank you for allowing us to celebrate with you!

Quanity needed: _____________ X $2.50 = ___________ Total Due

Student Name: Date of Party: (min. ONE WEEK notice)

Teacher’s Name:

Parent Name: Parent Phone #:

*TEACHERS – Please pick up items with class after lunch or coordinate time w/kitchen manager

Attention SSPP Parents….