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 14:10
Word of the Week: Esteem
Prayer for the week: Jesus, you are First and Last (Rev. 1:17). Help us to be humble and loving to everyone.

Mission and Vision Statement

Blessings,
Mrs. Schweitzer

"BE SAFE, SPEAK UP ABOUT VIOLENCE" - click here

Return to School Form - click here

We Love Our St. Anthony Family!

PARENT INFORMATION NIGHT - Parent Information Night will be held on Wednesday, August 27th at 6:30 PM. This is a night for parents to learn about school and classroom procedures and routines. The gathering will begin in the cafeteria and then parents may visit classrooms if they wish. This year, someone will be available to translate information.

FALL FUNDRAISER – Our World’s Finest Chocolate sale begins this Thursday, August 28th! This fundraiser will end on Friday, September 19th. This year the price for each chocolate bar is $2, and there are 30 chocolate bars in each box. This is a very important fundraiser for our school, so we are asking ALL families to help buying selling these chocolate bars.

IMPORTANT NEW YEAR PAPERWORK – An envelope with 2024/2025 school paperwork was sent home with students. Please return the envelopes with ALL COMPLETED paperwork completed ASAP.

FAMILY FEE – If you have not already done so, please be sure to pay the $50 family fee as soon as possible.

USDA SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM - At this time, all students will receive a Grab-N-Go snack in the morning and a Hot Lunch with a drink at no cost to parents as part of the Community Eligibility Provision (“CEP”) under the National School Lunch Program.

As a reminder, when packing your child’s lunch, please refrain from packing fast food items, soft drinks/sodas, coffee/iced coffee. Gatorade, water, Powerade, etc. are better choices for packing in lunches.

SCHOOL MASSES 
This year Grades K-8 will attend Mass on Tuesday mornings at 8AM and Grades K-4 will attend Mass on Friday mornings at 8AM. Please join us any time as we learn about and participate in the greatest form of communal prayer in our Catholic faith ~ the Holy Mass.

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.

SPIRITWEAR SHOP – The St. Anthony Spiritwear shop at Reis Promotions will be open now through Friday, August 29th. Purchases can be made via the website directly or with cash in the school office. All items will be delivered to school. Students may wear any of the sweatshirts or pullovers with their school uniform. Sweatpants and gym shorts can be worn with their PE shirts on Wednesdays and / or on spiritwear days throughout the year.
Spirit Shop 2025

PE SHIRTS – Last week students were given a PE t-shirt that 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 for $10 each – contact the office if you would like to purchase one. Checks made out to St. Anthony PTO or cash should be sent in with this form.

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.

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 next 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.

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.

CAFETERIA MENU - August Menu

LUNCH THIS WEEK
• Thursday – Chicken Nuggets
• Friday – Cheese Bites
• Monday – NO SCHOOL
• Tuesday – Cheese or Pepperoni Pizza

*Apply for Free and Reduced Lunch: https://www.myschoolapps.com/

IMPORTANT REMINDERS
• School begins at 7:30AM – Students should be in their classroom prior to 7:30 in order to prepare for the day without disruption.
• There are no water fountains available in the building. Water refilling stations are available. Each student should bring their own water bottle.

UPCOMING EVENTS
- MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 1st - NO SCHOOL – LABOR DAY HOLIDAY
- SEPTEMBER 3rd - MAP TESTING WINDOW OPENS
- SEPTEMBER 6th & 7th - PARISH FESTIVAL
- FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12th - MOVIE NIGHT FRIDAY, SEPT. 12TH

REMKE CARING NEIGHBORS – As part of the Remke’s Caring Neighbor program, they will donate up to 2% to St. Anthony for every purchase made when you use your Remke Rewards card if you have designated St. Anthony. It has been brought to our attention that even if you had previously chosen St. Anthony, you may need to log into your account and verify that St. Anthony is still designated.
Here’s How!
 Sign in to your account at www.remkes.com
 Go to My Account in the top right corner of the page
 Choose St. Anthony as your favorite Caring Neighbor Non-Profit Organization from the drop down box toward the bottom of the page

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”.

FOLLOW US ON……Twitter (@StAnthonyTM) and on Facebook (St. Anthony Church and School in Taylor Mill)