Sunday Evening News 9.27.2020
September 27, 2020
SUNDAY EVENING NEWS
“Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.”
(Mark Twain)
Peace and Greetings:
We are approaching the end of September and things seem to be in full swing. Hopefully, our students are performing admirably in the classroom. Our parents/guardians will have their opportunity to visit with faculty Tuesday night. The interscholastic fall athletic season begins this week. We had a successful golf tournament last Thursday bringing together many alumni and friends in support of St. Paul. Our first Open House for prospective families on Saturday was also well attended. In spite of lingering COVID-19 inconveniences, we have much to be grateful for as the calendar turns to October.
EVENING REFLECTION & PRAYER
In the second reading at Mass this weekend, St. Paul reminds us to care about others more than ourselves. I’m sure we all can’t wait to read about the year 2020 in history books as opposed to actually living through it. To say this has been an interesting and challenging year is an understatement. However, we are here now living through it and Paul’s words are ever true. Let us care about the people around us, even more than ourselves. Let us build each other up, not tear people down. Let us always give a compliment before we make a critique. Let us always be thankful before we complain. If the world did more of that perhaps we can meet the demands and challenges of any situation.
Let us pray:
Lord Jesus, help us to strive for spiritual perfection.
May we respond to the needs of others in a way that reflects your goodness. Mary, queen of heaven and earth, pray for us. Amen.
Have a blessed week. Fr. Glen, Chaplain
SCHOOL CALENDAR (Week of September 28 – October 2)
Monday, (Day 3); Tuesday, (Day 1); Wednesday, (Day 2); Thursday, (Day 3) and Friday, (Day 1)
Our weekday Mass this Wednesday, September 30 at 7:15 am will be offered for the special intentions of the Boys Soccer team. Students and faculty/staff are invited. Please enter St. Gregory the Great Church by the side parking lot entrance.
SUMMER LEANING EXPERIENCE (SLE)
We are going to reschedule the SLE/advisory meetings originally scheduled for tomorrow, September 28 until next Monday, October 5 at 1:15 pm.
The reason for the change is to assure students are ready with their written responses and that all the students know their advisory assignments. Mr. Wallace will be emailing students this week. Student government has been preparing to moderate the discussions surrounding #BeTheLight during the SLE advisory meetings on October 5.
PARENT/GUARDIAN VIRTUAL BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT
A virtual Back to School Night has been scheduled for this Tuesday, September 29 from 6:30 – 8:30 pm. Parents/guardians will have the opportunity to meet your child’s teachers in ten-minute class periods. Zoom access codes are being emailed to you by the teachers.
| A Period: | 6:30 – 6:40 pm |
| B Period: | 6:45 – 6:55 pm |
| C Period: | 7:00 – 7:10 pm |
| D Period: | 7:15 – 7:25 pm |
| E Period: | 7:30 – 7:40 pm |
| F Period: | 7:45 – 7:55 pm |
| G Period: | 8:00 – 8:10 pm |
| H Period: | 8:15 – 8:25 pm |
Please get your child(ren)’s class schedule from them in advance.
In addition, you will be able to meet your child’s school counselor that evening. Zoom access codes will be sent to you by the guidance office.
VIRTUAL PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES
SAVE THE DATE: Virtual parent teacher conferences will be held on Wednesday, October 14 from 1:30 – 7:30 pm. Parents/guardians will be able to schedule your own appointments, in ten-minute blocks, prior to that day. Scheduling details and Zoom access codes will be made available as the date approaches.
THANK YOU to our Blue Key Club ambassadors and faculty for your participation yesterday in our initial restructured Open House. Due to COVID-19 guidelines, “walking & talking” tours with an upperclassman and teacher were by appointment only. Pleased to share that all available time slots were filled. Our Falcon, Gustavo De Los Santos, greeted all prospective families as they arrived!
Appointments are being scheduled for our next Open House on Saturday, October 24 from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm. Do you know any prospective 7th or 8th grade students that might be interested in attending St. Paul next fall? Prospective students can also contact Mr. Crowley, mcrowley@spchs.com or Ms. Mone, cmone@spshs.com to schedule a virtual tour.
Our first Placement Exam for the Class of 2025 is scheduled for Saturday, November 7, 2020 at 8:00 am.
GUIDANCE
VIRTUAL COLLEGE FINANCIAL AID NIGHT – Thursday, October 1 at 7:00 pm for parents/guardians. Zoom access code to be distributed.
SAT TEST
The College Board SAT test will be administered at St. Paul on this Saturday, October 3 at 8:00 am. Please arrive early with your admission ticket and photo ID. We are confident you will do well.
VIRTUAL COLLEGE REP VISITS
College representatives will begin meeting virtually with St. Paul students this week. Students should contact their school counselor, in advance, if interested in registering for a visit.
Colleges visiting St. Paul this week include:
| University of New Haven | Monday, September 28 | 8:34 am |
| Lasell University | Wednesday, September 30 | 8:34 am |
| Bryant University | Thursday, October 1 | 8:34 am |
| Colby College | Friday, October 2 | 8:34 am |
| ATHLETICS |
PRACTICE SCHEDULES (Week of September 28) Cheerleading: Wednesday 3:00 – 4:00 pm
Cross Country: 4:15 – 5:30 pm
Football: 3:30 – 5:00 pm
Boy Soccer: Study Hall 2:30 – 3:30 pm for 9th &10th graders and 11th & 12th graders
looking for a quiet place to study, practice 4:00 – 5:45
Girls Soccer: 2:45 – 4:15 pm
Girls Swimming: 6:00 – 7:00 am (Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri)
Volleyball 5:00 – 7:00 pm Freshman practice will end at 6:30 pm, the remaining team members will practice until 7:00 pm.
Fall team parent meetings – coaches will announce a brief team meeting date for their program to be held at the end of one of their practices this week.
SENIOR DAY/NIGHT RECOGNITION
Cheerleading: TBA
Cross Country Tuesday, October 6 at 3:45 pm
Football: TBA
Boys Soccer: Thursday, October 15 at 6:00 pm
Girls Soccer: Saturday, October 3 at 6:00 pm
Girls Swimming: TBA
Volleyball: Tuesday, October 6 at 6:00 pm
- Fall Schedules can be accessed via the St. Paul website by using the following link: https://spchs.com/sportscalendar/. JV soccer & freshman soccer games are still being scheduled and will be added as soon as they are confirmed.
- Another good resource to access fall schedules is ciacmoblie.com which can be downloaded onto your phone as an app.
Athletic COVID travel guidelines. When our fall teams travel the maximum bus capacity will be 22 people (one per seat) and masks will be required.
UPDATED FAN ATTENDANCE AT GAMES
While the CIAC is leaving the final decision on allowing fans to attend contests up to the local school (or district), their position is that, “The CIAC believes prohibiting fans/spectator attendance aligns best with the goals of education-based athletics.” This past week, the Naugatuck Valley League (NVL) announced that the attendance policy for the fall season is for the allowance of home fans ONLY as determined by each respective league school.
Some schools have decided to continue to prohibit any fans at the games. However, in accordance with the Governor’s Re-Open CT plan (which establishes maximum numbers of people allowed at indoor & outdoor sporting events) St. Paul will be allowing two family members per student-athlete at its outdoor home contests (soccer & cross-county) and one family member per student athlete for our home indoor volleyball games.
One exception to the St. Paul attendance policy may be specific to our fall teams early senior reception games. On designated senior games, we are trying to allow senior families the opportunity to bring additional family members thus it may impact if others will be allowed to attend. Once we confirm senior family attendance, you will receive details from your teams about attendance at those specific games.
All fans/spectators will be required to wear a mask, be given a health assessment and temperature screening upon arrival, and remain physically distant from non-family members throughout the contest.
We hope that you trust our evolving decision-making process and mutual desire to allow fans/spectators to attend games at St. Paul in a controlled safe environment recognizing everyone’s health and well-being.
THANK YOU for your understanding and cooperation!
Finally, a reminder that this fall you will be able to watch all St. Paul games taking place on McPhee Field or in the Rev. Brian Monnerat Gymnasium streaming live on the NHSF Network – https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/.
Sign in and choose your subscription status. Based on the fluid nature of COVID-19, we suggest just signing up for the one month at a time subscription. Once you have signed up you need to search for St. Paul Catholic High School and you will see our scheduled games listed by sport. We are waiting on the camera on McPhee field to be calibrated (which is done remotely from the network headquarters) so the soccer schedules will not show in the system until the calibration is completed.
We will post a list on the school website of other schools in the NVL who have the NFHS system. Hopefully, many parents, grandparents and extended family members find this alternative option beneficial.
CONGRATULATIONS COACH KELLY
St. Paul extends our sincere congratulations and best wishes to former St. Paul football Coach Jude Kelly, who was honored by East Catholic High School on Saturday afternoon. An amazing person and inspirational leader, retired from coaching at St. Paul after last season. See attached link from NBC, Channel 30 who covered the event:
https://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/sports/east-catholic-honors-former-football-coach/2338126/
CLASS ELECTIONS
Congratulations to all the students who ran for Freshman Class offices. Your commitment to St. Paul is truly valued. The following students were elected officers for this school year:
President: Rachel Leone
Vice President: Brooklyn Chance
Secretary: Anna Kronen
Treasurer: Christian Roach
STUDENT GOVERNMENT
Thursday, October 1 from 7:00 – 8:00 pm will be our live YouTube Trivia Night. Start brushing up on trivia for great prizes. Zoom access code to be emailed by Mrs. Kendrick.
Coming student government attractions:
- Halloween Costume Movie Night on Friday, October 30 from 7:00 – 9:00 pm
- Thanksgiving Bingo on Friday, November 13 at 7:00 pm
BIRTHDAY WISHES (SEPTEMBER 28 – October 4)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY wishes go to: Quinn Burns, Aiden Conklin, Jack Crowley, Emma Ormsby, Greta Panke, Anthony Penisse and Angela Pierce.
#spstrong
Game plan to stay in school – 3 W’s
Wear a mask, Wash your hands and Watch your distance
This is precisely the time, about 3-4 weeks into the school year, that local health officials were originally concerned that student’s human nature may begin to take mitigation practices for granted. However, this is
exactly the time for us to step it up … leave your mask on, wash or hand sanitize frequently and keep six feet from each other whenever possible! Everyone knows what we need to do. The best way to show your genuine concern for each other is to JUST DO IT!
Stay well … let’s be intentional this week.
St. Paul, pray for us!
Cary M. Dupont ‘72 President/Chief Administrator
