Home and School Newsletter

Our St. Thomas Spirit

St. Thomas the Apostle School

April 13, 2015 Issue 30

STA Happenings…..

The St. Thomas Children’s Choir sang beautifully on Easter morning. Thanks to the dedication of Maria Mac, Beverly Schmidt and Miss D, they sounded amazing. Among their favorites are “Lord of the Dance” and “Shine Jesus Shine”! It is never too late to join the choir. Practices are Tuesdays after school and they sing at two masses per month. It’s ok to miss occasional practices and/or performances. If interested, email Maria Mac at machouses@aol.com

Scrip!!! 6 more weeks of SCRIP!! We are

working towards our $10,000 goal! Please consider purchasing a few cards at face value. We are in the school lobby every Friday morning from 8:30 to 11am. Orders are also placed every Monday from www.shopwithscrip.com.

Stocks Pound Cakes Mark your calendars

for Friday, May 11th. Stocks will be back at St. Thomas! Look for the order form in the Weekly Communication. Orders due by April 20th.

Day at the Aquarium

Adorable First Graders on their trip to the Camden Adventure Aquarium: Ruby Ryan, Giulianna Manzi, Maddie McGowan and Isabella Anastasia.

What an Honor!

Representing St. Thomas at the Arch Diocese Choral Festival are STA 7th and 8th graders: Addie Brown, Micaela Kersey, Abby Kates, Carina Shandy and Keighly Sheridan (along with Miss D).

Read to your Sibling Day!

Little brother Justin (1st) with Brian Hartman (4th)

Billy Mock Kid’s Club

Home and School Newsletter Page 2

STA Sports St. Thomas the Apostle and Cardinal O'Hara Graduate Tyler Gallen, a Senior at St. Joseph's University, has been named to the 2015 Atlantic 10 Indoor Track and Field All-Academic Team, selected by the League's Information Directors. Tyler is the 5th Hawk in the school's history to earn two Atlantic 10 All-Academic Track honors in a career, including indoor and outdoor track. We congratulate Tyler on his success both in the classroom and on the track.

Softball:

Meet the JV Girl’s Softball Team: Ava Kersey, Erin Berger, Kayla Hughes, Ava Sheller, Abby Ryan, Isabella Cerullo, Casey Close, Pauline Hartman and Heaven Fowlkes. Coach Kersey and Ryan and the girls look forward to a fun season!

Upcoming Events:

April 14th, Tuesday: Volunteer Social 9:30am April 17th, Friday: Talent Show 7pm April 18th, Saturday: Gardening Day 9am! April 25th , Saturday: First Holy Communion April 27th, Monday: Market Day

Courtney graduated STA in 99, Archmere Academy’03 and Drexel University’08. After college, she traveled to Southeast Asia to study the benefits and medicinal values of teas. She returned home to open a restaurant that would allow her to explore the connection between eating right, drinking tea and well- being. In 2009, she opened the doors to Lotus Farm to Table, a BYOB restaurant in Media. She wanted customers to come in and think of it as a life-style and a destination. She wanted to support the area farmers and the land they use to grow on; that is why 90% of their menu is based on organic, locally-sourced foods with the menu changing daily. Courtney has been part of the Big Brother’s, Big Sister’s program for nearly 6 years now. She loves being a mentor to her “little sister” Diamond. In Media, she is an active member of the Media Business Authority, Fair Trade Committee and the Media Farmer’s Market. Through her restaurant, she has donated her time and support to Philly Fringe, the Live Arts, and helping low income, single parent, homeless families. In 2013, she opened her latest project, Farmer’s Road , a drive thru restaurant in Chadds Ford. She converted a former KFC into a farm fresh and healthy alternative to the traditional "fast food" establishment. When you come through the front door, a sign boast “Know where your food is from” with a list of over 15 local farmers they source from. Her goal is to open several other locations.

Congratulations Courtney on your amazing accomplishments! St. Thomas is Proud!

Meeting TODAY, April 13th, after school until 4:00 in the Social Hall. The Club will be making bracelets to raise awareness for Autism. Pick up at Social Hall or CARES.

Alumni Corner:

STA Graduates are going on to do amazing things…

Courtney Rozsas STA ‘99

ST. THOMAS THE APOSTLE SCHOOL E DUC A TI N G TH E M I ND EN R I C H I N G T H E SOUL

April 9, 2015

Dear Parents/Guardians:

We are scheduling a free computer/app instruction night for the parents. This will be a continuation of

the class held in the winter.

The class will be held on Monday April 13, 2015 in the STA computer lab from 6:30-7:30 pm. There are

25 slots open and we hope you will be able to join us.

We will include the use of You Tube in the classroom, Google email, Google Drive and Google Docs that

are used by the students. Hands on lessons will comprise the majority of the class with you working on

the computers as you follow the instructor. Handouts will be distributed for easy referral and your

questions are encouraged. We will review Google Classroom so you will be aware of how assignments

are given, edited and read/returned all online by students and teachers.

Demonstration on the use of Google Calendars, how you can share with family on one calendar for

multiple events and individuals will be included.

I hope that this will provide you with the necessary information to better assist you with your children

when using technology for assignments and projects and hopefully make technology a little easier for

you.

Please contact Ms. Carbone if you are interested at pcarbone@staglenmills.org.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Sincerely,

John W. Keeley

Principal

FRIDAY APRIL 17th 7:00pm in the New Gym

Join us to watch St. Thomas’ finest show off their AMAZING talents!

This year we are charging a small entrance fee of $2.00

per person, max $10.00per family. Hope to see you there!!

If you would like to help out the night of the show www.timetosignup.com

If your child is in the show, we are asking that one parent volunteers for at least ½ hour. Thank you!

An exciting celebration will be happening soon at St. Thomas the Apostle…

St. Thomas the Apostle

60th Diamond Jubilee

1956-2016

60 years of Educating the Mind, Enriching the Soul

If you are interested in joining the

STA 60th Jubilee Committee

please come to our inaugural meeting

Monday April 27th, 2015

7PM

STA Library

Please bring your enthusiasm, ideas and memories

If you are unable to make the meeting but are interested in joining this committee please contact

Andrea Hane at surferseahorse@yahoo.com so you can be added to the email list or if you have any questions & to rsvp

As always THANK YOU for your support!

WHO? All STA students, families, friends

WHAT? Celebration of all things ART at STA!

Art gallery featuring two- and three-

dimensional artworks created by

STA students in grades Pre-k to 8

Art activities for all

Band performance @ 6:00

Glee club performance @ 6:30

TAP performance @ 7:15

WHEN? Monday, May 4, 2015 from 5-8PM

WHERE? The old gym at STA

WE HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND…

STOCK’S POUND CAKE!!!

The only way to ensure you get one is to order one!!

The 8th Grade is selling pound cakes to use the money raised towards their various end of the year

activities. The cakes are $15 each and will be available for pick up in the Social Hall on Friday,

May 1 and after the Sunday Masses on May 3.

Please use the form below to place your orders. Return your order form with cash or check in an

envelope marked “Stock’s” to the School Office by Monday, April 20. Checks should be made out

to St. Thomas the Apostle.

Thank you for supporting the 8th Grade Class of 2015!

Quantity @ $15 each Total

Vanilla Cake with No Icing ____ ____

Vanilla Cake with White Icing ____ ____

Vanilla Cake with Chocolate Icing ____ ____

Marble Cake with No Icing ____ ____

Marble Cake with White Icing ____ ____

Marble Cake with Chocolate Icing ____ ____

Total Due: ________________

Name: __________________ Phone Number: ______________

Not Tax day

Silly!!!!! Designer Bag Bingo

tickets go on sale 7:30 am https://stadesignerbagbingo.eventbrite.com

Do not wait tickets are expected to sell out on the first day of sales – want to skip the worry purchase pre-sale

tickets today!!

https://designerbagbingo-presalevip.eventbrite.com

Friday, May 15th - STA social hall

7:0o pm – doors open at 5:30 pm

Tickets available online April 15th @ 7:30 am ~ do not wait, they sold out in 2

days last year:

https://stadesignerbagbingo.eventbrite.com or visit school site www.stthomastheapostle.net

to reserve a table email Diane Quercetti dquercetti@comcast.net once all 7-10 members of

your party have purchased their tickets!

Bishop Shanahan: Founded in Faith, Rooted in Tradition, Growing in Excellence Spring 2015

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Dear Parents of our 6th, 7th, and 8th graders, May Easter blessings be yours! As we celebrate this great feast of the Resurrection of Our Lord, please know that we remember your families in our prayers. Our Lent has been a holy time here at BSHS and we look forward to hearing the Alleluias ring!

We have had a great year at Bishop Shanahan. Many of our sports teams were involved in district and state competitions as were the members of the Fine Arts Department. The Girls' Basketball team won the Ches-Mont league championship. Our Forensics Club (speech and debate) and DECA (business club) competed on a state and national level and brought home many awards. Shanahan had great success in PA Governor's STEM Competition in Chester County , taking first place. We are so proud of our students -- ALL OF THEM! They represent Shanahan so well in our community. They continue to grow in "wisdom, age, and grace." God bless them!

On April 16, we will have 7TH GRADE VISITATION DAY from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. It will be a great day--lots of fun and information-- for the students and we look forward to having them here with us to share what Shanahan has to offer them for their high school experience. It's all here! On April 30, we will have our SPRING OPEN HOUSE for our 6th, 7th, and 8th graders and their fami-lies. We invite you to come and get to know Bishop Shanahan. We welcome you! It's never too early to prepare for those very important years of high school! Let us show you why we think

SHANAHAN IS THE ONE!

May your families be blessed! We look forward to seeing you soon. There's lots more to tell!

Happy Easter, Happy Spring! Sincerely yours,

IMAGINE ALL YOU CAN BECOME AT SHANAHAN

COME VISIT AND SEE WHY SHANAHAN

IS THE ONE FOR YOU!

7th Grade Visitation Day April 16, 2015—8:30 am to 1:30 pm All 7th graders in parish, public & private schools are invited. Tours, classes, games, pray-er, Activities fair and fun. Lunch is provided. Students will receive booklets of information with application materials for 2016-2017.

Spring Open House—6th, 7th & 8th Graders and families

April 30, 2015 at 7:00 pm

Academic Presentation by Sister Maureen McDermott, IHM, Ph.D., and Mr. John De-Santis, Assistant Principal for Academic Affairs

Tours, Classroom Demonstrations, Refreshments

Administrators, Coaches, Department Chairs available for Q&A

We are ONE in Faith and Service and

rank among the highest in Academics, Athletics, Fine Arts and Student Life.

RSVP at www.shanahan.org Admissions, Upcoming Events or call Sr. Anne at 610-343-6239 or Carol Dale, Enrollment Manager at 610-343-6206; email cdale@shanahan.org. Parish school students register with their 7th grade teachers.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

For more information, please contact us: 220 Woodbine Road * Downingtown, PA 19335 * 610-518-1300 * www.shanahan.org

A Message from the President of BSHS Sister Regina Plunkett, IHM ‘64

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE NUMBERS ACADEMICS: 100% college acceptance * 12 National Merit Scholars (2015) 3 Finalists; 9 Com-

mended * Highest SAT scores in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia * $28.8 million in scholarships (2014) * 21 AP course offerings * 64 AP Scholars * Jesuit Online Learning Academy * 3 Dual enroll-ment programs: Immaculata, Widener and Neumann Universities * Honors Allied Health and Teachers Academy

SPORTS: 25 varsity; most sports have junior varsity and freshman teams

CLUBS: 43 including Student Council, Yearbook, Mock Trial, DECA, Forensics, Book Club, Robotics

FINE ARTS: 4 bands including Concert Band, Orchestra, Jazz Band and Marching Band

3 levels of Chorus, Mixed Chorus, Choral Ensemble and Select Chorus + Fall Musical

GREAT STUDENT LIFE! Including Homecoming events, Battle of the Bands and Mr. BSHS

All in a faith-filled environment! BSHS—the only Chester County Archdiocesan High School

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

For more information, please contact us: 220 Woodbine Road * Downingtown, PA 19335 * 610-518-1300 * www.shanahan.org

STUDENT LIFE

STEM – 1st Place With the guidance of Dr. John Janasik, the

Bishop Shanahan STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Team will advance to the Governor's Jobs 1st STEM Com-petition after placing 1st at the Chester County competition on February 2, 2015. Team members created a STOP sign with a LED lighting system powered by solar energy. Team members are Matthew Horger, Andrew Johnson, Angela Herb, Connor Waldt, and Stephen Anderson. Congratulations!

SCIENCE FAIR - Shanahan was a shining star at the Chester County Science Research Competi-

tion held at held at Pickering Technical HS on March 3rd. The results are impressive: 8 students received 1st Place honors; 5 students placed 2nd and 1 student took home a 3rd place ribbon. Students also received special prizes and best of show designations in addition to the category prizes. All of these students (17 in all) now advance to the Delaware Valley Science Fair to be held March 31-April 2 at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center at Oaks. PA. There were 500 entries in grades 6-12. Great job, Shanahan!

DECA Fifteen Shanahan DECA students competed in the

Pennsylvania State DECA Competition in Hershey, PA in February. Each of these students received medals for scor-ing either the highest test score or for role play in their competitive event. Nine DECA students placed at the Penn-sylvania State Competition and have qualified to compete at the DECA International Career Development Conference in Orlando, Florida in late April. Well done BSHS Team!

FORENSICS – Fourteen members of the Forensics Team competed in the 2015 PA High School

Speech League State Forensics State Finals held at Susquehanna University March 21. Congratula-tions to the entire team. Zack Zalis was a semi-finalist in Humorous Interpretation; Erika Goetz, semi-finalist in Stu-dent Congress; Abigail Rule and Skyler Shields, 6th place in Duo Performance; Gabrielle Gehron, 4th in Extemporaneous Commentary; and Andrea Herb, semi-finalist in Poetry Read-ing. Many thanks to Ken Schmidt, moderator and Joan Hayes, faculty volunteer moderator.

FINE ARTS All-Catholic Concert Band Fourteen members of the Instrumen-

tal Department auditioned and were selected to be members of the 2014-2015 Archdiocese of Philadelphia All-Catholic Concert Band. The band performed on February 22 at Cardinal O'Hara High School.

PMEA Region VI Band As a result of highly competitive auditions, Shanahan senior Nolan Wible

was selected to be a member of the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association Region VI Band. The band performed in concert on February 14 at Lower Merion High school.

PMEA Region VI Chorus Michael DeBoer , Megan McCarthy and Tori Sellers

have been selected to the 2015 PMEA Region VI Chorus.

All State Chorus Tori Sellers qualified to PMEA All State Chorus.

Congratulations to all!

SERVICE COMMUNITY SERVICE CORPS On February 5, close to 100 members of the

Bishop Shanahan Community Service Corps (CSC) joined together to decorate and fill 250 goodie bags for the Norristown Soup Kitchen. Items placed in the bags included fruit cups, water, and personal hygiene items which were donated by the Shanahan Community.

CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICES HONORS BSHS School Principal Sister Maureen McDermott and

President Sister Regina Plunkett were presented with a plaque by Cheryl Mrazik from Catholic Relief Services naming Bishop Shanahan as a platinum school for the commitment of the students,

faculty and administration to the school’s Global Awareness Initi-ative. The mission seeks to foster students’ critical thinking skills and moral stewardship in a rapidly evolving global environment. During the 2013-14 school year the school dedicated an entire month to raising students’ awareness of the needs of children around the world with regard to hunger, disease and other social issues. The 2014-2015 global awareness activities revolve around peacebuilding initiatives across global communities.

ACADEMICS

NATIONAL MERIT FINALISTS NAMED Three mem-

bers of the Bishop Shanahan Class of 2015 have been recognized as National Merit Scholarship Finalists. They are Daniel Rowe, Henry Schaffer and Louis Fortunato. Nine other students from the Class of 2015 were also honored as National Merit Commended students. We are so proud of you!

SPORTS

GIRLS’ BASKETBALL – 1st Place Champions The

Team captured their first Ches-Mont Championship on February 10th by defeating Downingtown East High school 27-25. The girls advanced to PIAA District One AAAA playoffs. Kudos to the entire team and their head coach Fran Burbidge.

GIRLS' ICE HOCKEY The Team won the ICHSL Girls'

Varsity Championship on March 17th with a 2-1 victory over Lansdale Catholic at Ice Line. It is the first champi-onship for the program. Goals were scored by Casey Rubin and Christine Lampron. Senior goalie Sara Petrondi had seven saves for the Eagles. Great job, girls!

SWIM TEAM Olivier Nguyen received 2 Gold Medals at

the PIAA AA District 1 Swimming Championships. Tom Powell received a 4th Place Medal in District 1 competi-tion. Both students have advanced to the PIAA State Tournament. Other medal winners were Brendan Dun-phy and Andrew Gorr. Great season Team!

FOOTBALL Twelve members of this year's football

team have received All-Star Honors from the Ches-Mont League. They are Nick Pasvanis, Jeff Zebrowski, Dan Murphy, Matt Evans, Pat Corcoran, Doug Costin, Cody Smith, Jerry Riccardo, Greg Rankin, Michael Sprague, Jake Geiger, and Kevin Stein. Well done gentlemen.

Dan Lindstrom was recognized as an Academic All-Star.

People of God; People for Others

2015-2017 St. Thomas the Apostle Home and School Board Ballot

Please choose only one person for each category. One vote per adult is allowed with a maximum of 2

votes per household. All votes are due by the end of the school day on Friday, May 1, 2015 and

voting will be closed at that time. When completed please submit your ballot in one of the following

ways –

- Return sealed ballot to school office in person or via your child.

- Email voting choices to Jennifer Anthony at jennifer.anthony88@yahoo.com. Sender

information will be removed and ballot will be placed with other votes to be counted.

President Vice-President

Bruce Price ________ Adriana Fazio _______

Lisa Schweitzer _______ Andrea Hane ______

Secretary 7th & 8th grade Delegate

Christina Anastasia ______ Kim Boehmler ______

Jenn Colvin _______ Phyllis Delate _______

Karie Steinmetz _______ Diane Quercetti ______

Theresa Tanzilli _______ Beth Revenis ______

Colleen Walsh _______

5th & 6th grade Delegate 3rd & 4th grade Delegate

Tricia Baum _______ Colleen Carlin-Owens ______

Angela Possenti ______ Jenn Colvin ______

Colleen Walsh ______ Annette Viola _______

1st & 2nd grade Delegate PreK & K Delegate

Adriana Fazio _______ Jenn Colvin _______

Andrea Hane _______ Lisa Graham ______

Jen Morrow _______ Andrea Hane ______

Melanie Pascarella _______ Doug Morrow _______

Caroline Patino _______ Stephanie Toth _______

Theresa Tanzilli _______ Colleen Walsh _______

Winners will be announced at the final Home and School Meeting on Monday, May 18th at 7:00 pm

in the Social Hall. All are invited to attend this year end meeting that will cover upcoming events for

the next school year.

Thank you to everyone that has contributed to our great school over the past two years. We have

enjoyed working together to improve our school, and appreciate all the support you have provided.

St. Thomas Home and School Officers

2015

ST THOMAS

TALENT SHOW

Don’t you want to watch that act over and over again??Don’t you want to provide your child with a keepsake of their STA days??Did someone special have to miss the show??Don’t you want to freeze time and have that moment last forever??

Well, here’s your chance...

ORDER YOUR ST THOMAS 2015 TALENT SHOW DVD TODAY!!(Price per DVD - $20.00....what a steal!)

Name________________________ Grade: _______ Teacher: _________________

Phone: _________________ Number of copies: ___________

Payment:

Cash/check payable to St Thomas School - or -

Credit Card No. (Visa, MC or D): ________________________ Exp: _____________

KEEP THEM THIS LITTLE............FOREVER!!!

All orders must be received by April 24, 2015. If sending your order form into school, please send themin an envelope to Dominique Ryan c/o Ruby Ryan (1B) and mark your envelope “Talent Show DVD.”