Sunday Evening News 1.10.2021
January 10, 2021
SUNDAY EVENING NEWS
Given the unsettling events at the U.S. Capitol this past week, let us pray for peace and healing in our country.
Peace & Greetings,
EVENING REFLECTION & PRAYER
“You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
(Mk 1:7-11)
Today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord. This brings an end to the season of Christmas. The Church recalls Jesus’ second manifestation or epiphany which occurred on the occasion of His baptism in the Jordan. Jesus descended into the River to sanctify its waters and to give them the power to make us all God’s sons and daughters. The event takes on the importance of a second creation in which the entire Trinity is at work. Baptism is our gateway into the life of God.
Let us pray,
Almighty ever-living God, who, when Christ had been baptized in the River Jordan and as the Holy Spirit descended upon him, solemnity declared him your beloved Son, grant that your children by adoption, reborn of water and the Holy Spirit, may always be pleasing to you. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Fr. Glen, Chaplain
SCHOOL CALENDAR
Week of January 11 – 15, 2021
Monday, (Day 3); Tuesday, (Day 1); Wednesday, (Day 2); Thursday, (Day 3) and Friday, (Day 1)
Reminder: No school next Monday, January 18, 2021 in observance of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.
MID-TERM EXAMS
As Mr. Cooper, Dean of Academic Life, announced earlier this week, after much careful consideration of various factors during this pandemic, St. Paul has decided to cancel the January mid-term exams. Instead, faculty will use the four instructional days to bring proper closure to the second marking period and end of the first semester on Friday, January 22. The third marking period will begin on Monday, January 25.
WEEKDAY MASS – CHANGED DATE
Our weekday Mass this week will be held on Friday, January 15 at 7:15 am. While all are invited, students in leadership positions (i.e. class officers, NHS officers, athletic captains, etc.) are asked to represent the school body as we pray for our nation. Please enter St. Gregory the Great Church by the side parking lot entrance.
MARCH FOR LIFE DAY – JANUARY 29
As you may know, St. Paul Catholic High School’s participation in the annual Archdiocese of Hartford March for Life Pilgrimage to Washington, D.C., has grown in recent years, reaching a record of 150 student pilgrims last January. Although the present pandemic prevents travel at this time, the St. Paul Respect Life Club student leaders have advocated to organize a way for our St. Paul community to “March for Life” in place this year. These events will occur on campus during a regular academic day on Friday, January 29, the scheduled date of this year’s national March for Life.
Students received information in religion class last week on this year’s proposed “March for Life” schedule. Those interested in participating should complete all fields on both sides of the application and return to Sister Marie Benedict Elliott, F.S.E., by Friday, January 15. Remote learners are welcome to apply, with the option to participate in-person or remotely. Applicants may submit forms on paper or electronically to smbenedict@spchs.com.
ADMISSIONS NEWS
Our next Open House is scheduled for Saturday, January 23, 2021 from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm and the next Placement Exam is Saturday, February 6, 2021 at 8:00 am. For in-person or virtual appointments
visit https://spchs.com/openhouse/ or https://spchs.com/placement-exam-registration/. Questions? Please reach out to our Admissions Office: mcrowley@spchs.com or cmone@spchs.com. Please share these dates with your family, friends, co-workers, etc.
2021-2022 TUITION ASSISTANCE
St. Paul Catholic High School uses an independent consultant, FACTS Grant & Aid, to evaluate financial need. Anyone who wishes to be considered for tuition assistance for the 2021-2022 school year will need to apply to FACTS Grant & Aid. The online application, FAQs and more detailed information about the process can be found at www.spchs.com/parents/tuition-assistance. Applications for returning students, must be submitted to FACTS Grant & Aid by February 5, 2021, with the required documentation and application fee of $35. The deadline for families with an in-coming Freshman is this Friday, January 15, 2021.
GUIDANCE NEWS
The Perry Initiative is offering a Virtual Experience that is a free, 2.5-hour, interactive online experience for high school and college-aged women who are interested in pursuing careers in orthopedic surgery and engineering. Participants will hear from women leaders in these fields and dive into online orthopedic simulations and biomechanics experiments. Additional information can be found on their
website: https://perryinitiative.org/pve/
Virtual college fair! BigFuture Days brought to you by the College Board. Register for these exciting events to learn about a variety of different college experiences and options. https://pages.collegeboard.org/big- future-days
Class of 2022, please complete the Junior personal reflection survey on Naviance!
CONGRATULATIONS to the following Seniors on their recent college acceptances: William Barton WPI
Sammi Bray Marist College
Marina Classen Lasell University, Marist College, Savannah College of Art & Design, Thomas Jefferson University
Owen Davis Johnson & Wales University
Megan Koester Castleton University, Keene State College, Plymouth State University, University of Hartford, University of Saint Joseph
Olivia Lanteri Marymount Manhattan College, Pace University
Grace Perugini Liberty University
Barbara Retartha CCSU, University of Hartford, University of Saint Joseph
Sean Rozmajzl University of Nebraska Omaha
Seniors are reminded to notify their school counselor if they want their college acceptances to be acknowledged.
ATHLETICS
A reminder for student athletes to access the Teambuildr App (information to access the App can be found on the athletic section of the school website) to track your home workouts as we await the official CIAC word on the start of the winter season.
A Winter Sports Information Zoom Meeting with Mr. Dennehy will be held on Thursday, January 14 at 7:00 pm for any winter sports student athletes and/or their parents.
Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83708396433?pwd=ZTUzOFdNbzVhZ2ZvQmI5RzRBU0JjUT09
Meeting ID: 837 0839 6433
Passcode: 762185
IMPORTANT Any students planning on participating in a winter sport must make sure all of their specific sport paperwork has been submitted (these electronic forms can be found in the athletic section of
the school website) and that their physical is up to date. Due to COVID-19 creating back-ups in the medical field, the renewal date for physicals has been extended to 15 months. Please contact Mr. Dennehy with any questions.
COMFY SWEATPANTS DAY FOR KIDS
Congratulations, we raised nearly $1,000.00 on Friday in honor of all the courageous kids at Connecticut Children’s. Thank you!
MEALS FOR NEIGHBORS COLLECTION
The Galatians House and the Sophomore Class will sponsor the Mission Club’s initiative to collect personal care toiletries and kid-friendly snacks for Zion Lutheran’s Meals for Neighbors program. For years, the Mission Club has assisted in preparing/serving a monthly dinner for those less fortunate. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, this year St. Paul is helping in different ways.
Donations can be placed in a collection box outside the Main Office starting January 19. Students will also collect donations at the front and back entrances on Monday, January 25. All donations will be delivered to Zion Lutheran at the end of the school day.
A list of suggested items includes:
Personal Care Toothpaste Toothbrush Floss
Shampoo/conditioner Body soap
Medical face masks
Top 5 kid’s snacks
Cookies Chips Crackers
Pop tarts/cereal bars
Fruit (such as individually packed applesauce, canned fruit cocktail, or freeze dried fruit chips) See Sister Marie Benedict, Mrs. Pisani or Mrs. Zillich for more information.
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT ART EXHIBITION: Hindsight is 2020
We are excited to announce that some of our top art students at St. Paul will be entering a statewide art competition sponsored by the Museum of Contemporary Art of Westport. Westport’s High School Student Art Exhibition – the first in-person student show in their new museum space! Cash prizes will be awarded for First, Second, and Third Place. Good Luck!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY (January 11 – 17)
Happy Birthday to Ethan Allen, Mia Gonzalez and Michael Sanzone. Belated birthday wishes to Mr. Cooper.
FINAL WORD
It takes all of us!
Stay well … BE KIND, take care of yourself and each other.
St. Paul, pray for us!
Cary M. Dupont ‘72 President/Chief Administrator
COVID-19 REMINDERS MANDATORY PRACTICES FOR IN–PERSON LEARNING
- Every student, faculty and staff member MUST submit the mandatory online BBHD Daily Morning Health Self-Assessment before arriving at school. Students who do not complete the daily health survey will lose in-school privileges. Remote learners do not need to complete the daily survey.
- PLEASE REMAIN HOME IF YOU ARE NOT FEELING WELL. Stay home if you have symptoms associated with COVID-19 including a fever, shortness of breath, muscle aches, sore throat, unexplained loss of taste and smell or a headache. Do not assume you have a cold, allergies, etc. You should not return to school until your symptoms have improved or you submit a doctor’s note indicating that your symptoms are not COVID-19 related.
- If you, a family member or a “close contact” test positive for COVID-19 you MUST stay home from school and notify the St. Paul health room immediately.
- Practice mitigation health strategies (i.e. wear a mask, frequently wash hands, practice physical distancing, etc.) beyond the normal school day (i.e. evenings and weekends) to leave the virus outside our borders.
RETURNING FROM OUT-OF-STATE TRAVEL QUARANTINE PROTOCOL
Given the current high rates of COVID-19 throughout the United States and internationally, Connecticut continues to strongly discourage all nonessential, interstate travel at this time as the risks are too severe. Effective December 19, 2020, pursuant to Governor Lamont’s Executive Order No. 9S, anyone traveling into Connecticut from a state or territory, other than New York, New Jersey, or Rhode Island, or from a country other than the United States, is directed to self-quarantine for a 10-day period from the time of last contact within the identified state or country.
If travelers get a negative test (PCR or Antigen) within 72 hours after returning, they may submit a copy of those results to our health office: Elizabeth McGuire, elizabethmcguire@bristolct.gov or Ann Marie Pahl, apahl@spchs.com for consideration of an early end to their travel quarantine. However, even if you receive a negative COVID-19 test result, you will be required to remain home and reduce non-essential activities for a full seven days after travel before returning to school.
