Catholic Schools Week Edition - A Private Catholic …Eighth Grade Nights have always been devoted to our eighth grade players for all their time and dedication to the sport, their

The 11th Commandment “Love Thy School”

Saint Peter School News

Learning and Living the Virtues

By: Fiona McCann

When Mr. Saffioti came to our school as principal, he brought with him

the Virtue of the Week awards. Mr. Saffioti chooses the special virtue each

week for every student to work on. When the week comes to a close, each

teacher selects two students from their class and awards them based on their out-

standing character and virtuous behaviors. The child receives a certificate with

their name on it, and an announcement in the Notable Notes congratulating them

on their accomplishment. This new award is extremely beneficial, because not

only are we learning what the virtues are, but we are also being taught how to

live them. So instead of just reciting definitions; we are learning how much

faith, charity, joy, and perseverance matter in their daily lives. Giving children

credit where credit is due builds self-esteem and rewards good behavior. I be-

lieve this program is promoting a kinder, more loving mindset throughout the

entire school. Keep up the good work and keep putting your faith into action, St

Pete’s!

Christmas Door Decoration Contest

By: Rylee Albright

In the fabulous month of December, the student council members of St.

Peter School and some appreciated helpers decorated their classroom doors. The

requirements were that the door had to be a Christmas scene showing the true

meaning of Christmas. Some of the doors had manger scenes while others had

huge sparkling stars. All of the doors were very unique and beautiful, but there

could only be two winners. Mr. Saffioti had the tough job of choosing these win-

ners. He chose one winner from the upper grades and one from the lower grades.

For the lower grades he chose 3-2; their door said, “Jesus is the best gift,” and it

was decorated with little presents. For the upper grades, he chose the 8th grade

door, which had wonderful winter scenery that said, "the snow lay on the

ground, the stars shone bright when Christ was born on Christmas night.” Con-

grats to the winners of the door decorating contest and all of the classes who

participated!

Catholic Schools Week Edition

Page 2 “Love Thy School”

Student Appreciation Day

By Fiona McCann, Abigail Miller

The first day of Catholic Schools Week was Student Appreciation Day. All of the students got

to dress up like a superhero. To start off the day, the younger grades (grades K-4) went over to

the gym to see an assembly about anti- bullying. At the gym waiting for them was Omega Man.

He taught the students to be a dream maker, not a dream breaker. Some examples of how we

can be a dream maker are to never talk back and to never call others mean names. Omega Man

shared his personal experiences with bullying which students found very relatable. Students

learned that even though they themselves did not experience bullying, they need to stop bully-

ing when they see it. While they were at the assembly, the older kids (grades 5-8) were in the

lower church watching the Lego Movie. Once the younger kids were done at the assembly, the

older kids went to the gym to watch the anti-bullying assembly with Omega Man, and the

younger kids went to the lower church to watch Frozen. After the assemblies and lunch, the

whole school went over to the gym for a pep rally. There, a few classes played games and then

the 8th graders and the teachers played knockout. Student Appreciation Day was full of cheer-

ing and school spirit, and was the perfect way to kick off Catholic Schools Week!

Volume 2, Issue 2

The Academic Race is an annual event that St. Peter School held this year on Tuesday, January

31st in the gym. All students from grades kindergarten to eighth are sorted into groups and in

each group, there is at least one eighth grade leader. The Academic Race is an event in which stu-

dents are challenged with questions from their grade level. The teacher’s role in the Academic

Race is to be a country and their job is to challenge students who come to them with a question.

Once the students answer the question correctly, the teachers would give them an envelope telling

them which country to go to next. Everyone in the entire school loves this event. Parents are

welcomed to come and watch their kids running around trying to win! I enjoy watching all the

students in each group work together and it was a fun experience being an eighth grade leader and

having them look up to you for help. Thank you to Miss Campanell for organizing the entire race

and we greatly appreciate you for it! This year’s winner was… *drumroll* ...group D in the

morning: Roger Crane, Kaylee Estrada, Grant Dials, Michaela Giuliano, Hailee Nevedomsky,

Collin Bendler, Olivia Ciccotelli, Justin Tierney, John Cadorette, Sophie Holliday, Natalie Belz,

Michael Hahn, Jordyn Rendfrey; and group A in the afternoon: Alaina Cornely, Emma Cadorette,

Mason Cauley, Anthony DeGeorge, Anthony Reid, Jessica Bernhardt, Axel Torres, Jaden Adams,

Molly McGovern, Timothy Voll.

Page 3

The Academic Race By: Jennifer Pham

Page 4 “Love Thy School”

Volunteer Tea

By Alaina Cornely

This year’s volunteer tea was held on Wednesday February 8th. SPS’s volunteers were honored

that morning for their hard work and love for SPS. Some are mothers and some are even grand-

mothers. No fathers attended, but some of them do volunteer at such activities like basketball and

other sports. It is important for the school to have parents and grandparents who are willing to vol-

unteer their time because then they can enjoy watching their children and grandchildren grow and

learn in the school. Our volunteers choose to make St. Peter School a better place. These volun-

teers help out with various jobs. Some help in classrooms and others help in the lunchroom. Some

even work on a daily basis! They say, “We love and enjoy doing this.” Thank you volunteers for

helping our school!

Day of Recollection

By Margaret Ensell

On Feb. 2nd, 2017, SPS celebrated a Day of Recollection dedicated to the remembrance of

our faith. Every half hour, one student from each class recited a prayer. The beautiful prayers were

composed by the students .Their prayers were about works of mercy or an important event that is

occurring in the world. It`s important to have a Day of Recollection because it helps bring students

closer to their faith. I, personally was astounded by the depth of each prayer. Although during a

week of fun, the Day of Recollection was a great way to connect with God on a spiritual level

through the works of mercy.

5th Grade Class Prayer – Visit the Sick

Dear God, please help us to visit those who are sick and often avoided. It doesn’t matter how

sick they are, we are all children in God’s eyes. Inspire us to give our time to help the sick,

such as making a meal, assisting caregivers, and volunteering at a nursing home. Lord, help

us do these things and to be more loving to the sick. Amen.

A Day in the Life of an Ugandan By: Isabella Rodrigues

Volume 2, Issue 2 Page 5

During Catholic Schools Week, the school participated in many fun activities. One activ-

ity for the eighth graders was a retreat. This retreat was mainly focused on the struggles faced by

people who live in Uganda. The eighth graders first watched a couple of videos that told them the

four main problems the people of Uganda face which are health, water, education, and hunger.

One of the activities the eighth graders did was clean a gallon of dirty water from the Coo-

per River using the method some people use in Uganda to clean their water. Another activity the

eighth graders did was play a game where they had to carry around gallons of water, sticks, food,

books, and sometimes even a baby. Some of the eighth graders had illnesses like Malaria or a

broken foot in this game. The eighth graders carried these things around the gym, which is noth-

ing like Uganda but it gave them a sense of what people in Uganda have to go through.

The eighth graders also had a lunch like the people in Uganda, which consisted of pineap-

ple, popcorn, banana, water, rice, and beans. The last activity the eighth graders did was to organ-

ize the expenses of doing a trip to Uganda to help the people there.

Parishioners Paul and Cheryl Foti organized the retreat and we are very thankful to them

for doing this with our eighth graders. The eighth graders found this retreat very interesting.

Eighth grader, Racquel Ramey, said, “The retreat was very informative of what people in Uganda

go through and it showed me there are people in the world who don’t even have clean water. It

also inspired me to want to help more with the cause.” As you can see, our eighth graders enjoyed

this retreat very much and we want to thank Paul and Cheryl Foti for dedicating their time.

Page 6 “Love Thy School”

Cooking With Maura

Today I am going to teach you how to make snowball cupcakes. These cupcakes are super fun to make and, although they are perfect for any time of year, they are especially perfect for winter because they re-semble snow! – Maura Dougherty

2 ¾ cups all purpose flour

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 ½ cups sugar

3/4 cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature

3 large eggs

¾ cup whole milk

½ cup water

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 cups shredded coconut

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line 2 muffin pans with paper liners.

2. In a bowl, mix flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt.

3. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar on medium with an electric mixer.

4. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each one.

5. Scrape down bowl and add milk, water, and vanilla, and beat until combined.

6. Add half the flour mixture and mix until combined. Add the rest of the flour mixture and beat until combined.

7. Divide batter into the pans and bake for 18-20 minutes until a toothpick is inserted and comes out clean.

8. Let cool for 10 minutes.

9. Add frosting and sprinkle coconut on top of the cupcakes.

Frosting Recipe: 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

room temperature 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 cup powdered sugar (sifted)! 1. In a bowl, beat cream cheese, butter

and vanilla with an electric mixer. 2. Sift the powdered sugar ½ cup at a

time and mix after each one. 3. Mix until combined.

Volume 2, Issue 2 Page 7

Winners of the American Legion Coloring Contest!

8th Grade Basketball Nights

By Fiona McCann

The eighth grade boys and girls have been showcasing their many talents throughout the

basketball season. Each and every player has exhibited his or her passion and love for the game

during their entire SPS career. St. Peter’s has always been proud of the way these basketball-

lovers represent our school. What could be a better way to end an amazing St. Pete’s career than a

celebration to honor them? Eighth Grade Nights have always been devoted to our eighth grade

players for all their time and dedication to the sport, their team, and their school.

Eighth Grade Nights were held during February this year and the festivities and celebra-

tions were truly heartfelt. It seemed like the entire SPS community had turned out to honor these

athletes. Seventh graders stepped up to the microphone at center court and read their tributes to

their special eighth grade friends. The tributes were heartfelt, congratulating them on their hard

work in the classroom as well as on the court. The players honored their parents by presenting

them with flowers and thanking them for always supporting them throughout their SPS journey.

The love of the school community was evident during this celebration.

Both the boy’s and girl’s basketball teams ended their SPS careers with stunning victories

in their final games. Our school community will be sad to bid them farewell at graduation but we

wish them all the best. They will always be remembered because of their passionate love of bas-

ketball as well as their love for the school community.

4th Grade winner: 5th Grade winner: T.J. Voll

Not pictured: 5th Grade winner Michelle Lu.

The 11th Commandment

2016-17

“Love Thy School”

Saint Peter School News

Editor: Fiona McCann

Staff: Jennifer Pham, Alaina Cornely, Isabella

Rodriguez, Margaret Ensell, Maura Dougherty,

Rylee Albright, Abbie Miller

Advisors: Miss Campanell, Miss Scavuzzo

Valentine Heart

Original drawing by Alaina Cornely