th Breakfast Program · St. James the Apostle Catholic School utilizes innovative ways to teacher our students. That creative process begins with our teachers. Our elementary teachers

Newsletter

Aug. 2, 2019

St. James the Apostle Catholic School is a Christ-centered community where children can grow in faith, values of service and academic excellence.

Community

Painting Day Tomorrow, Sat., Aug. 3rd

@ 7:30 am – 12 noon

Come to the school office to sign in and help us

refresh the paint on our school railings.

St. James Back-to-School Sale

Sat., Aug. 3rd @ 9 am – 12 noon Our school office will be open for parents to purchase the

following items at our re-sale store:

nap mats, uniforms, P.E. uniforms,

Salesian shirts, and spirit shirts.

Breakfast Program Starting this year!

St. James the Apostle Catholic School values health and

wellness. As a result of the suggestions of our amazing PTC,

our school is pleased to announce that our catering company,

Fuentes Enterprises, will now be offering breakfast starting

Mon., Aug. 19th. Parents can purchase a $10 meal card in

advance or pay on the day of purchase.

Menu $1 Breakfast tacos: potato & egg,

bacon & egg, bean & cheese

$1 Cereal & Milk: Frosted Flakes, Rice

Krispies, Fruit Loops, Corn Pops,

Mini Wheats

$0.50 Milk only

Upcoming Events

Sun., Aug. 11th

New Parent Orientation

@ 3 pm

Meet & Greet/Handbook

Meeting @ 4 pm

Community Social to follow

Mon., Aug. 12th

Meet the Teacher Night

@ 6 pm

Wed., Aug. 14th

First Day of School!

Sun., Aug. 18th

School Family Mass

@ 9:45 am

Welcome New Families! Followed by PTC reception

in Bosco Hall

Tues., Aug. 20th

Back-to-School Night &

PTC Meeting @ 6 pm

Meet our Elementary Team! St. James the Apostle Catholic School utilizes innovative ways to teacher our students. That

creative process begins with our teachers. Our elementary teachers partake in team-teaching.

For example, one grade-level teacher may teach Math, Religion, and Science to the students, and the other

grade-level teacher may teach English and Religion. Both teachers get to teach the entire grade-level and

specialize in his/her area of expertise. Below is a brief bio about our amazing elementary teachers.

1st Grade Genevieve Suniga

I obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with a specialty in Early Childhood

Education from the University of Texas at San Antonio. I am planning on pursuing a Master’s

degree in Reading. My passion as an educator is to help the children develop a strong phonemic

awareness which, in turn, makes reading, writing and spelling fun and engaging for each of my

students.

I have been teaching for 18 years in Catholic education, and I spent 16 of those years at St. James

the Apostle. I have taught in the following grade levels Pre-K 4, Kindergarten, 1st Grade and 2nd

Grade. This year, I will be one of the 1st grade teachers and am looking forward to all the

learning, reading and fun we will have!

Sr. Lindsay Durham Sr. Lindsay is a native of a small town in Louisiana, called Natchitoches (pronounced

Nak-a-tish). She is a graduate of Northwestern State University, which is in the same

town she grew up in. So she is a small-town girl living in the big city who loves to

watch college football, and LSU is her team. It wasn’t until after she had graduated

college, moved off to Houston, and was working full time for many years that she got

“the call” from the Lord. After receiving the call from the Lord to become a religious

sister, Sr. Lindsay looked at many different congregations before choosing the one that

was right for her. She ended up choosing the Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco, where

she entered in the fall of 2010. Since entering, she has lived in Los Angeles, CA and

Newton, NJ. After her first profession in August 2014, she was placed at St. John Bosco School and has been in

San Antonio since then. She is so excited to be in first grade this year and witness the joy on the kids’ faces

when they are loving to learn and learning to love.

2nd Grade Priscilla Zamora My name is Priscilla Zamora. I was born and raised in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico.

I recently graduated from Texas A&M - San Antonio with a Bachelor’s Degree in

Interdisciplinary Studies. At a very young age I discovered my passion for animals, nature,

and teaching. I believe that our children should grow up respecting and learning all about

the beauty of God’s creation.

Maria Ortiz

My name is Maria Ortiz. I have been fortunate and blessed for being part of St. James

Family for more than 20 years. I am a graduate of Our Lady of the Lake University. I look

forward to continuing to have a positive impact on my children’s education with the benefits

of the Catholic teachings and Sacraments. I am eager to begin the new school year!

3rd Grade Kathy Abrego I was born and raised here in San Antonio. My husband and I have been married 43

years. We have four children and six grandkids. I attended St. John Bosco and

graduated from Providence. I received a BA from Our Lady of the Lake University in

Interdisciplinary Studies. I have taught 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th for a total of 21

years. My passion is teaching! I believe that God has given us the ability to learn and

that it is a unique experience that happens differently for each child. I will work with

my students and their parents so that together we can create life-long learners.

Sr. Theresa Jones Sr. Theresa Jones, FMA is originally from Lancaster, California. This year, Sr. Theresa

celebrates her 40th anniversary as a Salesian Sister. She has taught various grade levels

in many schools over the years in New Jersey, California, Louisiana and Texas. Sr.

Theresa is very excited to join the St. James School Family.

4th Grade Abigail Hernandez My name is Miss Hernandez and this will be my first year at St. James Catholic school. I

look forward to all the fun we will be having this school year! I graduated from the

University of the Incarnate Word with a Bachelor’s Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies in

2012. I continued my passion for teaching by receiving my Master’s of Education in Early

Childhood. I grew up in a small town in Von Ormy, Texas. My favorite things to do are play

soccer and run at the track.

Celestina Hernandez My name is Celestina Hernandez and I was born and raised here in San Antonio.

I graduated from Incarnate Word High School. I received my Bachelor of Arts in

Interdisciplinary Studies from The University of Texas at San Antonio. One

thing you should know about me is that I love our San Antonio Spurs! I am very

excited for the school year and I am ready to help our students grow through

their learning and experiences in our classroom.”

5th Grade Gabriela Rodriguez My name is Gabriela Rios Rodriguez. I was born in Mexico and have been blessed to

be raised in our wonderful state of Texas. I am a graduate of the University of Texas

at San Antonio (UTSA) and earned my Bachelor’s Degree in Interdisciplinary

Studies (Early Childhood- Sixth Grade) with a concentration in Bilingual Education.

I was a proud member and Vice President of the Bilingual Education Student

Organization (BESO) at UTSA during my undergraduate career. It helped me further

develop my passion for advocating for bilingual education and the communities it

empowers. After graduation I have had the pleasure to teach second grade, fourth

grade, and high school Spanish. I love to teach! I have always wanted to be a teacher

since I was a child. I would play pretend that I was a teacher- and one day that dream

became my reality! I want to continue to make a positive impact and pave the way

for children who walk in the shoes that I once walked in; this is why I am currently

studying to earn my Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at UTSA so that I may

become an administrator who leads with an open heart and encourages her teachers to do the same with their

students. I look forward to a bright and sunny future as a part of the St. James family!

Andrew Villarreal My name is Andrew Lucas Villarreal. I was born and raised here in San Antonio,

Texas. I am a parishioner of Holy Rosary Catholic Church, where I have been

attending church ever since I was little. I have been involved in my parish in various

facets, one of the most rewarding has been teaching religious ed. I am currently

working with the middle school students at the parish. I have attended Catholic

schools my entire school career, starting at St. John Bosco. I graduated from Central

Catholic High School and earned my B.A. in Mathematics from the University of The

Incarnate Word. It is an amazing opportunity for me to start my teaching career with

the same Sisters that inspired my love for learning. I have worked for the past two

years as an instructional assistant, and I am now ready to take charge of my own

classroom. I know that learning takes three things: passion, persistence, and patience.

This is for both the teacher and student. I know that this will be a new, rewarding

challenge and with the presence of the Holy Spirit and the love of God we will achieve amazing things.

VOLLEYBALL AND SOCCER TRYOUT AND CONDITIONING • Tryout/Conditioning - August 12-13 both volleyball and soccer, 2:00

pm - 4:00 pm in the school gym. On Wednesday, the first day of school, practice will be held at @ 3:30 pm - 5:30 pm

• Volleyball: please come dressed appropriately: shorts, tennis shoes, knee pads…

• Soccer: please come dressed appropriately: shorts, tennis shoes (NO soccer shoes when we practice at school).

• Bring something to drink, preferably water. Tryouts and conditioning are offered to all students 5th grade and up to make the school teams. Final teams will be posted the first week of school.

Students MUST have physicals to participate.

Mustang Cheer If you are entering 5th – 8th grade and are interested in cheerleading, then we

invite you to join Mustang Cheer. For more information, please contact Ms.

Everman at [email protected] or Ms. Luna at [email protected].

Show school spirit and join our team!

School Advisory Council – Seeking Nominations St. James the Apostle Catholic School is seeking nominations for our School Advisory

Council. The School Advisory Council assists, counsels, and advises the St. James

Catholic School administration and provides sound judgment on the direction of the

school, its policies and procedures, and has the responsibility of approving the school

budget each year. The Advisory Council is made up of 6-10 members (men and

women), along with the principal, an Archdiocesan representative, and other members

of the parish and school administration. A three-year term commitment is required

of each member. Meetings are held every 3rd Thursday of each month or as determined by the principal.

Serving on the council also fulfills parent service hour requirements.

If you are interested, then please download and complete our Nomination Form found at

https://www.stjamesschoolsa.org/advisory-board and e-mail your submission to Dr. Grenardo at

[email protected].

Goals: To fulfill its mission, the Council sets forth the following goals for itself:

The Council shall formulate and propose policies in accordance with those of the Ordinance of the Archdiocese

of San Antonio, designed to:

A. Educate the students in a school environment that proclaims the Good News of Christ and prepares

them to be responsible and active citizens in the Catholic community now and into the Third Christian

Millennium.

B. Promote in the students a zeal for the achievement of justice and for the practice of peacemaking

through their individual actions and their actions with others.

C. Create in the schools an active faith community permeated with the Gospels’ message of freedom and

love, where the teachers and staff in partnership with families light the way for the students to receive a

quality education without regard to gender, economic, ethnic, or racial background.

Volunteer Opportunity:

Traffic Safety Team Our school is forming a volunteer Traffic Safety Team. Adult volunteers would

receive training and a vest, and they would assist with morning and afternoon

traffic. It’s a great way to earn your parent service hours and keep our students

safe. If you are interested, then please contact our new Director of Campus

Safety, Coach Uranga at [email protected].

PTC Survey Your Opinion Counts! Please complete the following PTC Fundraising Survey by tonight, Fri., Aug. 2nd. Share your ideas about upcoming

PTC Fundraising events - https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/X58B92P.

PTC NEWS PTC is open to all St. James parents and is a great way for parents to support the school and actively participate. Our co-presidents are Carol Viagran and Giovanni Ontieveros. If you would like to get involved with PTC, please email [email protected].

St. James Memory Book Our St. James The Apostle Gala Committee is

publishing a Memory Book for the Gala on

October 12, 2019. If you have any pictures you

want included in the Memory Book, then please

submit them to Isaac Chavez at

[email protected]. The deadline for

ALL entries is August 15th.

Parent Service Hours – Now Record on FACTS SIS (RenWeb)!

Each family is responsible for 20 hours and must document them on FACTS SIS (RenWeb).

Just follow the below instructions:

1. Login to you FACTS SIS

(RenWeb) account with your

username and password. Our District

Code is: SJM-TX.

2. Click on “Family” on the

main page.

3. On the “Family” page, you will

see a dropdown option with names for

each parent and child in your family.

Click on the name of the individual

who volunteered time.

4. You will see tabs for “Contact Info” & “Service Hours”. Click on “Add” near “Service

Hours”.

5. Select the appropriate category for

description box. If you do not see an

accurate description of your

contribution, you may select “Other

Donation or Service” and add a

description in the “Note” section.

6. Remember to enter the number of

hours you served and SAVE your

entry.

*Hours will be verified quarterly.

NEW VOLUNTEER REQUIRMENTS FOR ALL Please complete the following:

Criminal Background Check, and the NEW Safe

Environment Training per the Code of Conduct

Agreement with

• Sexual Harassment Training,

• Protecting God’s Children, and

• Vulnerable Adults Training.

Info can be found on our Parent Resource page:

www.stjamesschoolsa.org/parent-resources.

Friendly Dress Code Reminders

Come as God made you!

• Natural hair color only/unprocessed/no

highlights

• No henna tattoos

• No eyelash extensions

• No nail polish or fake nails

• More information will be provided in our online

Parent/Student Handbook – coming soon!

Volunteer Opportunity:

Traffic Safety Team Our school is forming a

volunteer Traffic Safety

Team. Adult volunteers

would receive training

and a vest, and assist

with morning and

afternoon traffic. It’s a great way to

earn your parent service hours and

keep our students safe. If you are

interested, then please contact Coach

Uranga at

[email protected].

School Supplies &

Uniform Information can be found under the

Parent Resources tab on our

website: https://www.stjamesschoolsa.org/parent-resources.

Summer Reading can be found on our

school website @

https://www.stjamesschoolsa.org/summer-assignments Please note that all reading lists consist of recommended reading and one required reading. Students will have an assignment or project to complete when school starts in August that goes with the required reading. (Images on book covers may vary. Please ensure you have the correct title and author.)

New Family Orientation - Sun., Aug. 11th – @ 3 pm Welcome to St. James! New families are invited to meet in St. James the Apostle Catholic

Church at 3 pm on Sunday, Aug. 11th to meet our team, learn about our school, and get ready

for the new year.

Meet & Greet Our New Principal – Sun., Aug. 11th @ 4 pm Come and meet our new principal, Dr. Grenardo, in the church.

Parent/Student Handbook Meeting – Sun., Aug. 11th @ 4 pm Dr. Grenardo, Sr. Debbie, and our administrative team will highlight our Student/Parent

Handbook and share new and exciting information at St. James.

Community Social to follow

After the meeting, please stay and join us for a Community Social. This is a wonderful

opportunity to fellowship with other families and enjoy our St. James community.

Meet the Teacher Night Mon., Aug. 12th @ 6 pm

You are welcome to join us at St. James the Apostle

Catholic Church at 6 pm for Meet the Teacher

Night. Please leave your supplies in your car for our

opening prayer service and faculty

introductions. After our gathering, parents and

students are welcome to bring school supplies to the classrooms and meet their new teacher!

First Day of School Wed., Aug. 14th

School Family Mass – Welcome New Families!

Sun., Aug. 18th @ 9:45 am All St. James families are welcome to attend our

first Family Mass of the year. Returning families,

come and welcome our newest members. PTC will

host a small reception in Bosco Hall following

Mass. Welcome to our St. James Salesian Family!

Back-to-School Night &

PTC Meeting

Tues., Aug. 20th @ 6 pm

You are welcome to join us for our PTC Meeting

held in St. James the Apostle Catholic Church at

6:00 p.m. After our meeting, parents will be

welcome to visit their child’s classroom and learn

about classroom goals and expectations for the

year.

St. James the Apostle Catholic School Now offering an after-school Art Program through abrakadoodle!

Register now for fall classes held at our school.

St. James the Apostle Catholic School Now offering an after-school Chess Program through Chess Scholars!

Register now for fall classes held at our school.