Resurrection Catholic School

Annual Report

2014-2015

Our Mission

Firmly rooted in our belief in Jesus Christ, grounded in tradition and building

for the future, Resurrection Catholic School provides a faith-based

environment where students are challenged to fulfill their potential spiritually,

intellectually, and socially. We emphasize understanding and compassion for

others through community service.

A Message From Our Pastor Dear Friends,

I am honored to be the pastor of the Catholic Community of Christ Our Light, the host parish for

Resurrection Catholic School. The administration, faculty, staff, parents, family, alumni and friends

of Resurrection Catholic all work together to provide a quality education for the students in our

school. It is by our common purpose and cooperation with each other that we have been able to

achieve excellence in academics, faith formation, and all other aspects of elementary school life.

This is a very exciting time for our school. The construction of a much needed gymnasium has

begun and is scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2016.

I thank all of you who have participated in the Annual Fund Drive. Your generosity to the school

community is invaluable in helping us to fulfill our mission and our commitment to the children in our

school.

Please be assured of my continued prayers for all of you

and, once again, thank you for your goodness and

generosity.

Peace,

Reverend Thomas A. Newton, Pastor

The Catholic Community of Christ Our Light

Imagine the lives that we, as a community, have touched with our Dollar Dress Down Days.

Many students & faculty typically donate more than the requested $1 as part of their monthly

Stewardship. In total, we raised approximately $4,700 for DDDD Charities during the 2014-15

school year.

Here is a recap of the charities that have benefited from our DDDDs:

September: Build Jake’s Place

October: Amigos de Jesus

November: The Captain Gregory T. Dalessio Memorial Foundation

January: The Diaper & Baby Supply Program at Guadalupe Family Services

February: American Heart Association

March: Project Night Night

April: Alzheimer’s Foundation of America

May: Joseph’s House of Camden

June: Student Contributions to the Parish Center & Gymnasium

DDDD Recap

A Message From Our Principal

November, 2015 Dear Members of the Resurrection School Community, Time for the Annual Fund letter has rolled around quickly. What can I say this year? There have been multiple changes and events in the past twelve months. One word that cannot be used here is “boring”. Perhaps the most noticeable change is the beginning of the construction project. Yes, I have heard it said by many that talk of this has been around for 20 years. This is the year of actualization. Work began in early October. Each day is full of surprises for students and staff. We have watched the field house be demolished in a few hours, drainage ditches dug, trees removed, and blacktop be ground. Our youngest students have increased interest in trucks. Even I would love to be able to drive some of them! Word is that we should be occupying the new building in September. The end of the first quarter is almost upon us. We have had Back to School night, opening PTA meeting, held two Open Houses, and welcomed a few hundred Grandparents to spend some time with us. Soccer was cancelled this year due to the construction. Basketball tryouts have been held and practices begun. In the midst of it all a parent of one of our fourth graders has passed away. We united as a family to support our student and her family. Our students are outstanding with their gentle spirit and authentic sympathy. This year the PreK program has increased to offer full day options for all five days. Mrs. Dougherty has moved on, and Mrs. Viola and Mrs. Cavallo have moved down to the 3 and 4 year olds respectively. Second and third are single graded this year. We have a new teacher in the Middle School. Mrs. Hatch is well known to us, as she had substituted for years. Mrs. Pearson is the new music teacher for the Middle School. Mrs. Naddeo retired in December, so Mrs. Clayton is full time secretary. Enrollment continues to vary sometimes by day. We are still expecting a new student from Korea, and have a few checking us out in the near future. Thanks to Alli Smith, the advancement director, for her continued efforts in recruitment. This year the proceeds from the Annual Fund will be used to continue improving technology. Most of the rooms now have SmartBoards. IPads are the newest venture. Tuition assistance increases each year, as does the need. Some of the funds will be directed toward this cause as well. Last year we were shy of our goal. I ask your assistance this year in making our goal this year. We are grateful for your support in the past and ask for your generosity in the present. Be assured of a continued remembrance in prayer.

Gratefully,

Sister Lydia, OSF

MILLENNIUM SOCIETY ($1,000 and above) Anonymous A Friend of the SPC Class of 1985, in memory of John McDyer & Charlie Cronin Mr. & Mrs. James Cucinotta Mr. & Mrs. Zachary Perlick Laura & Nick Santore

GOLDEN RAM SOCIETY ($500 to $999) Anonymous Anthony & Lara Abdalla & Family Susan & Joseph Cleary John & Megan Falcone Camille & Chris Forrest Sofia Goldin, DMD The Hernandez Family Dr. Maureen Keller, in honor of Joseph J. Keller, III Michael & Colleen Poole, in memory of Edward J. White & Peter R. Poole, Sr. Dr. & Mrs. Robert T. Smith Jack Wixted (SPC 1968), in memory of Bill & Mary Wixted

BLUE & GREEN SOCIETY ($300 to $499) Anonymous Ted & Megan Baker Mr. & Mrs. Michael Cara Mr. & Mrs. Christopher (SPC 1984) Foster Louis & Lindsay Hanna The Senior Family, in memory of Frank Annibale Jay & Young-Sook Sohn

RCS AMBASSADOR ($150 to $299) Anonymous (3) Mr. & Mrs. Ainsworth Allman Andrew & Mary Babiak Batastini Orthodontics Mike & Molly Bedics Suzanne Billen Mr. & Mrs. Andre Burke

Mr. & Mrs. Liviu Dedes, in memory of Mary Foldetta The Denton Family The Diaz Family The Gizinski Family The Gueiss Family Mr. & Mrs. Patrick Hennigan The Hoag Family Colin & Peyton Hughes, in memory of Daniel Hughes The Hullihan Family The Leo Family The Long Family Jack & Judy Marino & Family Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Marquardt Mr. & Mrs. Tim Melroy Marc & Stefaine Miller Diane (Murray) Mussio (SPC 1990) Mr. & Mrs. Al Naddeo, in honor of the 2015 Graduates Fr. Tom Newton Mary Jo & John O’Rourke George & Claudine (Vitarelli, QofH 1994) Pasquarello Greg Peterson (SPC 1967) The Pierlott Family Mr. & Mrs. Rolando Pobre Michael Ronca (SPC 1967), in honor of Rosalie Ronca Mr. & Mrs. Rudolf Rotter Mr. & Mrs. Rudica The Semmler Family The Torres Family The Valusek Family Ed Watson Mr. James Wixted (SPC 1966) The Zola Boys

FRIEND of RCS (Up to $149) Anonymous (15) Anonymous, in memory of Annette Boyd In honor of J.E.S. Mr. & Mrs. Robert Albertini, in memory of Nilda Arroyo Mr. & Mrs. Bob Babnew

We gratefully acknowledge our donors, who contributed financially to the success of our 2014-2015 Annual Fund. The gifts listed below, totaling $26,799, were received between July 1, 2014 and June 30, 2015.

Our Donors

FRIEND of RCS (Up to $149) continued

Mr. & Mrs. David Becker S. Mary Berryman, SSJMr. & Mrs. Reno BiancoFrank & Miriam BrennanRichard & Betty Lou BrownEmily Fasnacht Burns (SPC 1986)Mrs. Angela CavalloThe Clayton FamilyDon DeGrazia (QofH 1997)Mr. & Mrs. Douglas DiazScott & Kerry DiSimoneJoseph F. Durso (SPC 1967)Jim & Linda EliasMr. & Mrs. Leo T. EllisJames & Ana EspinoSister Lydia Etter, OSFMr. & Mrs. Kevin FastMr. Michael Ferris (QofH 1969)The Filocco FamilyMr. John Fox (QofH 1974)Mr. Lawrence Garifo (SPC 1971)The George FamilyKaren & Ron HatchWilliam & Barbara HertlineThe Irwin FamilySalvatore Iuvara & Barbara Sustek Iuvara

(QofH 1973), in memory of John Iuvara, Anna Sustek & Stephen Sustek Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Jastrzembski The Scholler Family, in memory of

John & Helen Scholler Loring Paul Jones (QofH 1964) Sumathy Karra Liz Kelly Mr. & Mrs. Kuzniasz Sue & Robert Le Karen Lucci Margaret Walters Maier (QofH 1976) Nair M. Maranháo (QofH 1974), in memory of Elizabeth Maranháo Joseph & Kim Mazzochette Deacon Leo McBlain Michael McDyer (SPC 1985) Mr. & Mrs. Liam McGrory Mirarchi Family

Patty & Jim Murphy Mr. & Mrs. John Murray, in memory of Henry Lipinski & Joseph & Dorothy Murray William, Belinda, & Aiden Myers The Nasto Family Richard & Amy Orlandini Mr. & Mrs. Paul & Victoria (Valusek, QofH 2002) Orzechowski Anastasia Pagano The Parker Family Ms. Nicki Pavalko Marcella Marcozzi, in memory of Ermenigilda Brusco Mr. & Mrs. Daniel Quattrone Mrs. Beth Rebbecchi Mr. & Mrs. Mike Renn Mr. & Mrs. Anthony Rizzo John Rooney Mr. Steve Ryan Linda M. Shilling (QofH 1966), in memory of Sr. Agnes Dolores Thornton Julianne, Joe, Lindsay, & Rebecca Schnell Robert & Janet Scott Elaine Shaughnessy (QofH 1964) Debbie & Keith Shumaker Nonie & Richard Steinmetz Lawrence Tursi, in memory of John & Isabel Tursi J. Sebastian Utreras & Maria A. CastroMr. & Mrs. Anthony Viola, in memory of Pat Amicone The Volpe Family, in memory of James Devlin & John Volpe Mr. & Mrs. Craig Whitehead Kathleen Metzger Williams, in memory of her parents

MATCHING GIFT DONORS Northwestern Mutual Foundation

SiYeon Park, one of the International Students at Resurrection Catholic School, got a huge surprise for Graduation. Her parents arrived in the United States a bit early from Korea. Not only were they able to attend the Graduation as planned, but they arrived in time to escort their daughter to the Eighth Grade Dinner Dance. Shannon, as SiYeon is known by her friends, was thrilled to have her parents arrive early enough to share this special memory with her. They were even able to do some visiting in the United States before returning to Korea for her to begin high school there.

Surprise Visitors

In January, Fr. Tom Newton announced the expansion of the Preschool at Resurrection Catholic School, to include more choices, and therefore meeting the needs of more families. Parents now have a choice of three or five full or half days for three year olds and five full or half days for four year olds. The new Preschool 3 teacher is Mrs. Maria Viola. Mrs. Viola brings many years of experience to this new position, having taught Kindergarten for nine years in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. While staying home with her own children, she was an active school volunteer and substitute teacher for all grades. She currently volunteers at Christ Our Light as a Eucharistic Minister and Children’s Liturgy of the Word facilitator. She has worked with the planning and implementation of Vacation Bible School since its start. Mrs. Viola most recently taught 4th and 5th grade at RCS. The new Preschool 4 teacher is Mrs. Angela Cavallo. Mrs. Cavallo also brings a wealth of experience to her new role, teaching more than 20 years, much of the time spent teaching Kindergarten at Queen of Heaven School and 2nd grade at RCS. Mrs. Cavallo also has five years experience teaching preschool and 2 years as a Preschool Director. As RCS continues to expand the Preschool program with these increased days and full day classes for both the 3 and 4 year olds, Mrs. Viola and Mrs. Cavallo will play a key role in cultivating the program and providing our young children the perfect start into their Catholic education. If you would like to learn more about the program, please visit the RCS website or contact Alli Smith, Mrs. Viola (mviola@rcscherryhill.com), or Mrs. Cavallo (acavallo@rcscherryhill.com).

Congratulations to Resurrection Catholic eighth grader, Colin Hughes, who won the David T. Coghlan Young Catholic Leader Award. Mrs. Coghlan and her daughter, Katie Coghlan Jackson, presented Colin with the $1,000 Scholarship at Graduation on June 8th. Three Scholarships (one $1,000 and two $500) are given each year to students entering a Diocesan high school in memory of Dr. David Coghlan, a past Superintendent of Schools for the Camden Diocese who passed away in 2005. Students are chosen, in part, based on an essay they submit. Colin attends Camden Catholic High School.

Award Winning Student

Expanding the Preschool

On Monday, June 8, 2015, 27students

graduated from Resurrection Catholic

School and began the next step in

their lives...high school! We believe we have

prepared them well at RCS and wish them the

best as they continue on their educational

journey.

Congratulations to:

The Resurrection Catholic School Class of 2015

Where Are Our Graduates Attending High School?

Resurrection Catholic graduates are well prepared as they enter high school, both public and parochial. Students from the Class of 2014 are attending the following high schools: 4 students attend Bishop Eustace Prep 14 students attend Camden Catholic High School 1 student attends Camden County Technical High School 2 students attend Paul VI High School 1 student attends Merion Mercy Academy 1 student attends Cherry Hill East 2 students attend Cherry Hill West 1 student attends Seneca High School 1 student attends High School in Korea

Sixteen RCS students in last year’s 7th & 8th grade classes were eligible to take the SATs last year, through the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth. To qualify, these students must have received a score at the 95th percentile or higher on one or more areas the IOWA Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS) and demonstrate superior academic performance in the classroom. Congratulations to current 8th graders:

Daniel Baker, Katarina Dedes, Matthew Denton, Alejandra Espino, Dalton Foster, Kaylee Johnson, Katherine Nguyen, Darren Parker, and Aimee Torres Congratulations to Graduates: Katrina Carpizo, Anna Hatch, Michael Hullihan, Alyssa Kolasa, Conor McAneney, Emily O’Donnell, and Jazmyne Smith This a great opportunity for the students to participate in some enrichment programs through the Center for Talented Youth, and it gives them practice taking these important standardized tests.

Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth

Natalia Albertini Alexandra Calzaretto Katrina Carpizo Saturn Crowley Brandon Dawson Anna Hatch Morgan Hicks Sara Horan Colin Hughes Michael Hullihan Stephen Irwin Richard Kim Alyssa Kolasa Ryan LaRosa

Danielle Lyras Ryan Malitsky Conor McAneney Lauren Nixon Emily O’Donnell SiYeon (Shannon) Park Ryan Poyatt Jazmyne Smith Danielle Spina William Stow Justin Troost Alexander Ucciferri Tyler White

Do you have news to share about a graduate? Please contact Mrs. Alli Smith in the RCS Advancement Office (ASmith@rcscherryhill.com) so we can share their accomplishments with the RCS Community.

Class of 2015 Educational Achievements Our 2015 graduates have so many accomplishments of which to be proud.

Here is a list of their academic achievements and awards.

President’s Awards for Academic Excellence (Gold):

President’s Awards for Educational Achievement (Silver):

Highest Academic Achievement (Top 10% of Class): 1st Place: Anna Hatch 2nd Place: Katrina Carpizo 3rd Place: Jazmyne Smith 4th Place: Ryan LaRosa

Camden Catholic Alumni Association Alma Mater Award:

Danielle Lyras

American Legion Award: Anna Hatch & Ryan LaRosa

Parish Ministry Awards:

David T. Coghlan Young Catholic Leader Scholarship: Colin Hughes

Paul VI High School Montini Scholarship: Conor McAneney

Donna Muscelli-Hilman Memorial Scholarship: Alexandra Calzaretto & Ryan Malitsky

Pastor’s Service Award: Anna Hatch

Principal’s Award: Danielle Spina

Resurrection Catholic PTA Leadership Award: Jazmyne Smith

Msgr. George Sharkey Award: Ryan LaRosa

Alexandra Calzaretto Katrina Carpizo Anna Hatch Michael Hullihan Alys-sa Kolasa

Ryan LaRosa Ryan Malitsky Conor McAneney Emily O’Donnell Jazmyne Smith

Natalia Albertini Saturn Crowley Morgan Hicks

Danielle Lyras Danielle Spina

Natalia Albertini Saturn Crowley Anna Hatch

Colin Hughes, Ryan LaRosa Danielle Spina

Scholarships this year to Camden Catholic:

Natalia Albertini - Choir Scholarship ($1,000 a year for 4 years)

Natalia Albertini - Performing Arts Scholarship

($750 a year for 4 years)

Alexandra Calzaretto - Dance Scholarship ($500 a year for 4 years)

Anna Hatch - Trustee Merit Scholarship ($6,000 a year for 4 years)

Colin Hughes - Fine Arts Scholarship ($1,000 a year for 4 years)

Stephen Irwin - Shamrock Scholarship ($ 1,000 a year for 4 years)

Alyssa Kolasa - Mazzeo Family Scholarship ($1,000 a year for 4 years)

Danielle Lyras - John Oakes Scholarship ($1,000 for one year)

Emily O’Donnell - Cathedral Merit Scholarship ($2,000 a year for 4 years)

Emily O’Donnell - 1887 Scholarship ($1,000 a year for 4 years)

In addition, one student was also awarded

a scholarship to Paul VI High School which

she chose not to accept:

Anna Hatch - Half Scholarship ($17,000 over 4 years)