From the Desk of Mrs. Schweitzer



Welcome to a new school year! With a new year comes a new theme! For the 2025-2026 school year, our theme will be “Come Follow Me.” In the Gospel of John 10: 27-29, Jesus says, “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand.”

What do these words mean to us as disciples of Jesus? During this Jubilee year in our church, we are called to be “Pilgrims of Hope.” We are supposed to contribute to our Church’s mission of unity and charity. John 10: 27-29 shows that Jesus knows us inside and out; He knows everything about us, and He loves us deeply. Jesus is our “Good Shepherd”, and we are “His flock” who are called to listen to His will for us and follow Him. In order to do this, we must try to learn and understand scripture and the traditions of the Catholic church.

This school year, we will spend time focusing on the Sunday Gospel readings and what they tell us about how we, as Pilgrims of Hope, are to follow Jesus, so that when our Good Shepherd says to us, “COME FOLLOW ME”, we listen, follow, and become a more unified Church.

Gospel Reading: Luke 17:5-10
Word of the Week: obliged
Prayer for the week: Jesus, Author of Life (Acts 3: 15), please help us express our faith in our actions beyond what we are obliged to do.

Mission and Vision Statement

Blessings,
Mrs. Schweitzer

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We Love Our St. Anthony Family!

FALL FUNDRAISER – Thanks to your help, our World’s Finest Sale was a huge success! In order to celebrate this and the end of MAP Testing, we are going to have a school-wide PAJAMA DAY on Wednesday, Oct. 8th!

SEL SKILLS GROUP INSTRUCTION -- Next week students will begin to participate in social emotional learning skill groups. These groups are designed to support students in developing essential skills such as emotional regulation, self-awareness, responsible decision-making, communication, and relationship-building. Ms. Holly, our school counselor provided by Catholic Charities, will conduct these groups. Students in grades 5-8 will participate in SEL skill groups on the first Tuesday of every month and students in grades K-4 will participate on the second and fourth Tuesday of every month.

LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS! As the Alliance for Catholic Urban Education (ACUE), we are in a consortium of schools: St. Augustine, Holy Cross Elementary, Prince of Peace, St. Anthony, and Holy Trinity. Our schools are joining together to create a program to offer our students more options for sports and extracurricular activities. Right now, we have representatives from Holy Cross Elementary, St. Anthony, St. Augustine, and Prince of Peace who are spearing heading some wonderful ideas for sports. As always, we are in search of coaches: basketball (Grades 3-8), instructional basketball (K-2), volleyball, indoor soccer (K-2). If interested, please contact the school office and we can put you into contact with the right person!

FATHER IVAN WILL BE GONE – The week of October 6th, Father Ivan will be out of town so there will be no school Mass on Tuesday that week.

PET BLESSING — In honor of St. Francis of Assisi, we will hold a Pet Blessing on Monday Oct. 13th at 1:40 PM in the Grotto. Please bring your pets and join us for the blessing!

PICTURE DAY – On Wednesday, Oct. 15th, Lifetouch will be here for picture day. Order forms and information will be sent home closer to the event.

PE SHIRTS – PE t-shirts may be worn to school on MONDAYS when the students will have PE. Black gym shorts, sweatpants, or uniform bottoms may be worn with the t-shirt. The sponsorships on the back of the shirt covered the cost for one shirt per student. A few extra shirts are available in limited sizes for $10 each – contact the office if you would like to purchase one.

SCHOOL ABSENCES - Please be sure to contact the school office by 7:30AM if your student will be absent on a given day. Completion of the St. Anthony Reentry After Absence Form or a note will be required upon the student’s return to school. A copy of the form is attached to this newsletter. After 3 days, a physician’s note / release is required to accompany the form or note.

TECHNOLOGY REMINDER – Please remember that the students' school emails and Chromebooks are meant for school/academic purposes only. Misuse of school emails and Chromebooks is considered a misuse of technology and a ten point violation which would result in two detentions. This also applies to cell phones and other devices such as watches used for texting during school hours. All of this is stated in the student handbook. Any important communication from your child/children during the school day should be via the school office phone or email. I have reminded students of this policy.

2025 / 2026 SCHOOL CALENDAR – Our school calendar for this year is attached. 

CONTACT INFO – As a reminder, weather delays or closings and other school emergencies will be communicated via PHONE & EMAIL. If you have not received these communications over the last few weeks, PLEASE contact the school office. Also, if you have a change in your phone number or email, please notify the office.

COMMUNICATION – This school year, the Diocesan schools will once again be using Sycamore Education for online grading. For assistance logging in, please contact the school office.

VIRTUS is the brand name that identifies best practice programs designed to help prevent wrongdoing and promote right-doing within religious organizations. The VIRTUS programs empower organizations and people to better control risk and improve the lives of all those who interact with the Church. “Protecting God's Children® for Adults” is training conducted by VIRTUS® certified facilitators on the prevention of child sexual abuse. The training makes participants aware of the signs of child sexual abuse, the methods and means by which offenders commit abuse, and five easy steps one can use to prevent child sexual abuse. The Diocese requires all adults who enter the school building or are around school children in any capacity, must be in full compliance with the charter. This requires completed paperwork on file with the Diocese, attendance at a one-time Virtus Live Training session and maintenance of monthly online bulletins. More information can be found at www.virtus.org. In summary, ALL ADULTS who would like to be involved with our school children must be Virtus certified and in compliance with the National Charter, “Protecting God’s Children” program. This means that all volunteers are required to be VIRTUS trained -- this includes classroom volunteers, field trip sponsors, room mothers, cafeteria workers, coaches, and substitutes, etc. New parents wishing to be VIRTUS trained should register online at www.virtus.org. If you are transferring from another parochial school, please make sure you add St. Anthony School to your VIRTUS account. If you already have an account with VIRTUS and it has been suspended or if you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Bottom.

LUNCH THIS WEEK
• Friday – Grilled Cheese
• Monday – Chicken Patty Sandwich

IMPORTANT REMINDERS
• There are no water fountains available in the building. Water refilling stations are available. Each student should bring their own water bottle.
• DISMISSAL – Please be sure to arrive at school to pick up your students ON TIME and in the designated area that you have been instructed to park in. Traffic tends to become a problem if cars arrive once dismissal has occurred. Students line up in the school based on the area they will be dismissed to. The bus should depart BEFORE any cars leave the parking lot. If you have questions, please contact the office.

UPCOMING EVENTS
- SCHOOL CLOSED – THURSDAY, OCT. 9TH AND FRIDAY, OCT. 10TH
- NO KENTON COUNTY BUS SERVICE ON MONDAY, OCT. 13TH
- PTO MEETING – TUESDAY, OCT. 21ST

KROGER COMMUNITY REWARDS – Please designate St. Anthony as your Kroger Community Rewards partner.
Here’s How!
1. Login or create your digital account at www.kroger.com
2. Link your Card to an organization.
Selecting the organization that you wish to support is as simple as updating the Kroger Community Rewards selection on your digital account.
1. Sign in to your digital account.
2. Enter the name or NPO number of the organization you wish to support.
3. Select the appropriate organization from the list and click “Save”.

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