Saints Peter & Paul Catholic School Newsletter Volume 7, Issue 1
SPPCS Newsletter ~ The Principal’s Pen ~ sticks out here at SPPCS is the many opportunities for volunteerism. There are so Welcome back to another many ways to get involved wonderful school year at SPPCS! My very favorite day and it is only through the help of our many parents, of the year is the first day of grandparents, and other school—welcoming back the children as they arrive smiling supporters that we are able and excited to see their friends to do the wonderful things that we do. Here are a few is such an awesome experiof the ways in which you ence. can help: playground superviThis year we welcome 13 new sion, teacher/office helpers, salad bar servers, etc. If families to our SPPCS you are able to help in any community. Thank you to all of these areas please of our “veteran” families for reaching out and making them contact Julie in the office. feel welcome. This “family” atmosphere is one of the many Thank you to everyone who has helped to increase their things that makes Ss. Peter fundraising efforts! Today & Paul Catholic School so kicks off our annual TJ’s Pizza special. fundraiser. Look for an order form in your child’s Friday One of the other things that Dear Parents,
Folder. Hopefully you got a chance to sample some of their delicious pizzas at our Open House. They are very well-known in the area as quality products. I would like to invite you to join us in our weekly Mass celebrations. On Tuesdays our 2nd—8th grades attend, and Thursdays all students in grades K-8 attend. Again, welcome back! Please feel free to contact the office with any questions or concerns that you might have.
September 2017 Upcoming Events : Sept. 2—TJ’s Pizza Sale Begins Sept. 3—SPPCS Golf Tournament Sept. 5—No school Labor Day Sept 6/9—PreK Pictures Sept. 8—Papa John’s Night Sept 12-16—Scholastic Book Fair Sept. 13 (9:00)— Grandparents Day Mass Sept 15—7th Grade to Springfield Sept. 16 (2:15) - SPPCS Lifewalk Sept. 16—Midquarter
May God’s Blessings be with you, -Mrs. Buchheit
Welcome Mr. Unnerstall! Ss. Peter & Paul Catholic School would like to introduce our newest faculty member, Mr. Grant Unnersall, to our school family! Mr. Unnerstall is our new music teacher and band director. Although this is his first year of teaching, he comes to us with lots of accolades and music experience. Mr. Unnerstall, originally from Columbia, IL, obtained his bachelors degree in Music Education from Illinois State University, and his masters in Musicology from University of Miami-Frost School of Music, where he received a full-ride scholarship and was a teaching assistant. Mr. Unnerstall also currently performs with the St. Louis-based Big Band, Ambassadors of Swing, and spends his summers performing and guest-conducting the University City Summer Band. Mr. Unnerstall is already capturing the hearts of his SPPCS students who are saying that his is “really nice and fun”! Please help us welcome Mr. Unerstall!
Sept. 26—ITBS Testing Begins (Grades 2-8)
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~ Catholic Identity ~ Great Catholic Families… Make Sunday Mass the Center of their Week The foundation of solid Catholic family life– the glue that holds us together—is Sunday Mass. If you have young children, getting out the door to church is almost as much of a challenge as keeping the kids quiet during the homily. If you have teens, the biggest challenge (after getting them out of bed) is to get them to pay attention. Yet, going to Mass each week is worth the work. When we approach God’s alter to receive the Eucharist, our share in Faith Builder: Christ’s Body and Blood deepens our communion with Him, and through Him, builds up His Body, the Church. Together in community, we sing Enjoy Sunday hymns and learn how our voices blend. We listen to the word of God and Brunch as a learn how to follow Jesus. We pray together and learn silence and hufamily after Mass. mility. On Sundays, we are reminded that the center of our family life is Christ.
~ Fundraising Corner ~ MEET YOUR FAMILY’S FUNDRAISING OBLIGATION!! Buy SCRIP cards after weekend masses in the back of church, in the school office, or by using the
order form available on our website or requesting one from the office. You can also shop for scrip online at: www.shopwithscrip.com and your order will then be delivered to school. Additional information on the scrip program is included in this newsletter. Sell Those T.J.’s Pizzas—a WHOPPING 40% of sales will come back to SPPCS! Order sheets
were sent home with your oldest child on Friday, September 2nd. Completed orders must be turned in by Friday, September 16th. New Online ordering is available. (See the flyer distributed with the order form.) Request or pick up a Schnucks e-SCRIP card from the school office. Register the card to SPPCS
using the instructions on the card. Then all you do is swipe it when you shop at Schnucks. A portion of your purchases will be donated back to SPPCS. You can also, register your credit cards or shop at online retailers via the www.escrip.com site and SPPCS will automatically be credited when you make a purchase with that card or through the site. Last year Schnucks and e-Scrip earned our School over $12,000.
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SPPCS Newsletter
~ Welcome Back ~
Mrs. Buchheit and Mrs. Pameiri greet Christopher on his first day of school.
Timmy and Andrew get help from Mom and Dad as they unpack their supplies during Open House.
Connor, Harry, Collin, and Alex are so excited to begin their eighth grade year at SPPCS...and Colby looks excited for first grade, too!
Claire and Lydia are all smiles as they get settled in their new fourth grade classroom.
Look for Our Monthly Holy Hero! The Catholic Identity Committee features the story of a saint each month in order for our families to learn more about the lives of these inspiring role models. We are so blessed as Catholics to have such a vast number of diverse people to give us hope and show us examples of how we can love and serve God. Look for our Holy Heroes to beginning on All Saints’ Day-November 1st. Our daily announcements also feature a saint each day—ask your child if they know the saint of the day.
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~ What’s Happening? ~
SPPCS Celebrates Annual “Mass in the Grass” Each year, it is an annual tradition at SPPCS to celebrate our first all-school Mass in a special way. As a school, all students walk to the SPPCS Ball Fields to have an outdoor “Mass in the Grass”. The eighth graders walk along side their kindergarten buddies, seventh graders with their first grade buddies, and the fourth graders with their pre-k buddies and then sit with them during Mass. Many students bring towels to sit on and parents, grandparents and parishioners bring lawn chairs to enjoy this special celebration. It is a wonderful way to ask God’s blessings on our new school year and thank him for watching over us during our summer break. To see more pictures, please visit our website at www.sppswaterloo.org.
7th Grade Retreat at Camp Wartburg Saints Peter and Paul Catholic School’s seventh graders recently participated in Camp Wartburg’s team building overnight courses. Students participated in the high ropes course, rock wall climb, zip line, archery, and more activities to promote team work and cooperation. A 24 hour stint with no electronic devices is no small feat for teenagers these days, but this two day, one night, camp out replaced texts and twitters with swimming and campfires. They returned to school Friday afternoon dirty and tired, but their excitement about the trip was in full force! Fr. Osang celebrated an evening Mass with the classes at Camp Wartburg’s outdoor amphitheater, and the class of 2018 became more closely knit as they learned the ins and outs of cooperation.
Family News SPPCS would like to extend our sympathy to the Metzger family, as Reid and Ellie Metzger’s grandmother, Sandy Metzger, died over the summer. We pray for the family and for her eternal rest.
Prayer List Please keep the following in your prayers.
Susan DrinenWorthington
Connie Atchley
Nicole Demetrulias
Please let us know if you have a prayer request to add to our list or if you have any news for the “Family News” section of our newsletter. Thank you!
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SPPCS Newsletter
Welcome Kindergarteners and ELC Students!
Mrs. Dugan’s Class
Pre-K 4/5-Year-Old Class
Jack found a balloon with his name in his new kindergarten classroom.
Bianca and her 8th grade buddies, Kaitlyn & Mary Ellen
Mrs. Lowe’s Class
The 3/4-year-olds show off their “stuffed friends”.
On behalf of the entire faculty and staff, we would like to welcome all of our new families—our transfer students, new kindergarten students, and our “Future Falcons” the preschool students. We thank you for entrusting your children to our care.
Akenna, Brexton and Chylee are ready for kindergarten!
Wyatt & his buddy, Joey
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SPPCS Newsletter
~ SPPCS CLUBS ~ SPPCS Athletic Booster Club
SPPCS PTO
A HUGE THANK YOU… Thank you for your support with our recent projects and fundraisers:
Cleaning up and improving the SPPCS Fields
Assisting the Holy Name Society in running the fish stand at the Waterloo Homecoming
Buying from our Laundry Detergent Fundraiser
Participating in or sponsoring a hole in the Golf Tournament
Signing up for events for the Athletic Work Program
Consider getting involved, meeting new friends and helping our school and teachers! Join us for a CRAFT NIGHT! Following a short meeting, we will paint and add vinyl decals to wooden signs. (RSVP by Sept. 10 to Becky Karsten via Fast Direct) Sept. 27, 2015, 7:00 p.m. Mary Anne Gibbs Room SPPCS PTO is sponsoring…
5K RUN/WaLK Sat., October 8, 2016, 8:30 a.m. Courthouse square, Waterloo, il
Please consider helping the youth athletes at SPPCS by becoming an active member of the SPPCS Booster Club!
Entry Fee: $25/$22 (before 9/28)
Visit the SPPCS website for a registration form, or contact Michelle Calvert or Becky Karsten via FastDirect.
The next meeting is Wed., Sept. 14 at 7pm at JV’s.
~ THIS & THAT ~ BOX TOPS DRIVE It’s time to start clipping those Box Tops! Each Box Top, found on products you use daily, is worth 10¢ for SPPCS! Each quarter, the class with the most Box Tops will win a DQ treat! The class with the most Box Tops at the end of the year will win a pizza party!
Last year, our school received over $2,200 just from clipping Box Tops! If we try, we can possibly top that amount this year! So, please just KEEP CLIPPING THOSE BOX TOPS! Please remember to clearly mark your child’s class as you turn in your Box Tops so that the correct class can be credited. Go to www.BTFE.com to track our school’s earnings, win bonus Box Tops, and get coupons!
WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Calling ALL Alumni… we want to hear about you! If you have news for our Alumni “Where are they Now?” feature, please email Laura Metzger at
[email protected], or visit our website’s Alumni Page to submit information at www.sppswaterloo.org. Be sure to visit our website often to keep up to date with important information and view photos in our Photo Albums! Please LIKE us on Facebook, too! ww.sppswaterloo.org
The Dave Schutt Memorial Golf Tournament October 1, 2016 Annbriar Golf Course 1pm Shotgun Start 4 Man Scramble $100/player— includes golf, cart, dinner, beer, soda, water, and Gatorade Check in: 12-12:30, Dave was an alum of SPPCS and lost his life to cancer at a young age. RSVP by Sept. 17 to ensure your spot. Contact information: Cris Landgraf—(618) 281-6789 Mike Barnett—(618) 281-7931 Clark Mathews—(618) 980-9607
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~ SOCIETY NEWS ~ HOLY NAME SOCIETY
Mary & Martha News
NEXT MEETING:
At the August meeting, the ladies agreed to: Donate $75 for hole sponsorship at the SPPCS Golf Tournament. Renew the Mary & Martha ad in the SPP bulletin. Purchase BDCCW Convention raffle tickets, at a cost of $20. Other Items: The June rummage sale profited $4,027.86. Thanks to everyone who donated, worked and/or purchased items. Wurstmarkt quilt raffle sales will begin at the Waterloo Pumpkinfest on October 8. The BDCCW Convention will be held in Marion on October 12, and the Fall Metro-East Vicariate Meeting will be held in O’Fallon on October 20.
Thurs., Sept., 29, 7:30 p.m. Thanks to all who supported
the Parish Picnic and our booth at the Waterloo Homecoming! Your support of our
fundraisers allows us to make thousands of dollars of donations each year such as: - Vacation Bible School
August Winners $1,000 - Sandy Griffin $100 - Paul Wright $50 - Dave Meehan
- Gibault Golf Tourn. Sponsor
$50 - Mike & Sherry Dreps
- SPPS Field Renovation
Thank you for supporting our monthly raffle!
- Many other SPPCS Events
We welcome fathers of grade school and PSR children to our meetings at anytime. If you are new to the school, PSR, or the parish, please join us. The evening consists of a short business meeting, followed by refreshments and conversation.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
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4:12 September Event - Sunday, Sept. 25, 10:00 am ~ Youth Mass & Doughnut Social ~ Plan to attend our first Youth Mass of the school year at 10:00 am on Sunday, Sept. 25. We will have youth ushers, gift bearers and readers to help our youth be a part of our parish instead of having a separate Mass. A Doughnut Social will follow for youth in 5th grade through high school. 4:12 October Event - Sunday, October 16, 12:00-Noon ~ Outdoor Mass & Kickball Game ~ Please join us at our Outdoor Mass on October 16 at the SPPCS Fields at 12:00noon. Following Mass, we will have a kickball game and refreshments.
Volunteers Needed - Monday, October 10 - UCC Community Meal Volunteers are needed to help serve and visit with the guests at the UCC church during our first UCC Free Monday Meal on October 10, from 5:45 - 7:00 pm. Students of all ages are welcome to come! We will serve and provide the meal every other month. Please contact Aimee Range at 618.334.0525 for more information.
SPPCS Scrip Program The Scrip program allows families to purchase cards they can use like cash at area retailers. In turn these retailers sell the cards to SPPCS at a discount. Profit from the sale of these cards help to offset expenses for the school. Profits are applied directly to your SPPCS Family fundraising account.
What is Scrip? Scrip is Fundraising While You Shop. All you have to do is purchase gift cards through the SPPCS Scrip Program and use them in place of cash, checks or credit cards for purchases you are going to make anyway! Each card purchased carries an associated “contribution” of 1.25% to 16% or more. Gift cards are available from over 300 national and several local retailers. Groceries, clothing, dining out, home improvement and gasoline can be purchased with scrip. Small Ways to Make Big Profits for Ss Peter & Paul Catholic School Purchase a $100 Walmart card to keep in your wallet. Walmart currently gives 2.5%, so that would be $2.50 into your fundraising account. Purchase Hotel cards for those out-of-town athletic trips and business travel. Grab a gas card for Shell, Circle K or ‘76’ (76 cards can be used at UGas or any Phillips 66, Conoco or 76 gas stations) Kohl’s cards can be used to pay for purchases or to pay your Kohl’s credit card account. Use Scrip cards to help you stick to a family Budget! We have many cards on hand at all times. Orders are placed as often as once a week for cards that we do not keep on hand and arrive in just a few days. Many cards can be reloaded through the Shop With Scrip site! (additional information below) What is ShopWithScrip? ShopWithScrip.com is a free online ordering site for our Scrip Program. It is convenient to use and more accurate than traditional order forms, because discounts, products and denominations are immediately updated as changes occur. The first step is to create your account by visiting www.ShopWithScrip.com and clicking on “Register” and “Join a Scrip Program”. Fill in the SPPCS Enrollment Code, (this can be acquired by sending a Fast Direct or email to Jane Briesacher). Once your registration is confirmed, you will then be able to shop and create an order, set up “Presto Pay” (if you wish), and Reload any of the “reloadable” scrip cards. For more information please feel free to contact: Jane Briesacher by calling the school office, sending a Fast Direct message or email
[email protected]