I happy to share with you that we had a successful visit from the Morningstar Initiative Team. This group made up of educators from the Marianist order and an outside consulting firm, spent about four hours at our school on Thursday. They were impressed with the health and energy of our school/parish and we look forward to their recommendations in the future. I personally enjoyed the visit because I was able to share ALL the wonderful things we have happening at St. Aidan School and Fr. Adrian and I were able to share our vision for the future. This is an exciting time in our school and parish!

I can officially tell you that the first day of school for the 2020-2021 School Year is going to be Tuesday, September 8, 2020. This will be the first day for grades 1-8 and Kindergarten will begin on Wednesday, September 9, 2020. Our Nursery and Pre-K programs will begin the week of September 14, 2020. Please note there will be orientations for Nursery and Pre-K programs the week of September 8, 2020. Finally, please have GRANDPARENTS AND GRANDFRIENDS SAVE THE DATE FOR OUR 2^ND ANNUAL K-8 GRANDPARENT/GRANDFRIEND DAY MASS AND CLASSROOM VISITS ON FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2020.

A few general reminders/information:

The information about COVID-19 (coronavirus) is evolving daily. Please know that we are staying informed from our school nurse, Mrs. Pisciotto, the Diocese of Rockville Centre, our local public school districts, the NYS Education Department, NYS Health Department, Nassau County Health Department and ultimately the CDC. We will continue to review the available information, establish precautions and if necessary, take appropriate actions to ensure the safety of all. Here is some updated information for you:

1. As stated last week in my email, PLEASE keep your children home when they are sick. This will help to not spread any illness they may have.
2. We have shared proper handwashing techniques with the students and encourage you to remind them of the importance of washing their hands after using the restroom. 
3. We had some difficulty securing hand sanitizer for this week, however it has been shipped and expected to arrive any day. There will be a bottle in each classroom and teachers will safely distribute the correct amount in each child’s hand before eating lunch. Students will not be permitted to do this on their own. This will take place until further notice.
4. Our cleaning service who comes in each evening to clean our school buildings has added additional deep cleaning and sanitizing daily. In addition, we have asked teachers to wipe down surfaces as necessary throughout the school day.
5. At this time, we are going ahead with all classes and activities as scheduled. With that said, we are preparing for the possibility of a school closure. We are exploring options to utilize technology, for example Google Classroom, packets of school work, etc. in the event we are forced to close. Our Technology Director, Mrs. Radonic, is attending a Professional Development day on Monday, March 9^th at St. Dominic’s to learn more about the features of Google Classroom and the Google Meet feature for remote learning.

As always, we will keep you informed about any new developments. Please reach out if you have any questions.

St. Aidan Parish is scheduled to hold a Children’s Stations of the Cross on Friday, March 27, 2020 at 7:00 PM. I encourage all of you to attend with your child(ren) as a family. I will be there and would like to invite you to have pizza together at 5:45 PM in the CONVENT (behind the Lower School) before heading over to the Church. Please find the information and GOOGLE FORM RSVP in the attachment below. Please respond by 3/24 so we know how many are attending.

PLEASE SAVE THE DATE!!! The Tomorrow’s Hope 5K on Saturday, April 4, 2020 at St. Joseph’s School in Garden City. The Fun Run begins at 8:30 AM and the 5K begins at 9:00 AM. For those of you are new to our school, we are the reigning champions for the last two years winning the St. Joseph’s Cup for the Catholic Elementary School with the MOST participants. We need to keep this going! Our school was treated to delicious gourmet ices on our Walkathon day as a reward! The best reward was supporting the Tomorrow’s Hope Foundation who gives many families the gift of Catholic Education through scholarship opportunities. Registration for this fun event is open now at https://events.elitefeats.com/april-2020-run-for-tomorrows-hope-5k. We hope you can join us! After you register, please send me an email at joconnell5547@staidanschool.org so I can keep a list. We would love to have t-shirts for the event as well!

Our Middle School Baseball and Softball Season is ready to begin. BOYS in 6^th, 7^th and 8^th grade who are interested are asked to reach out to Coach Ken Solosky at kenavtor8@aol.com by March 10^thwith Name, Grade, and Position.

GIRLS in 7^th and 8^th grade who are interested in Softaball are asked to attend an information meeting with Mrs. Michel and Mrs. Luti on Tuesday, March 10^th during recess in Mrs. Michel’s Classroom. We look forward to a great season!

Our Lady of Victory in Floral Park is hosting a meeting with Tom Kirsting, the author of Disconnected and has invited our parents and students to attend on Tuesday, March 10^th. We thank OLV for the invitation to hear about this worthwhile topic. Details are in the attached flyer.

CALLING ALL 8^th-12^th Grade students! Saint Aidan Youth Group is hosting a s’mores cookout TONIGHT from 6:00-7:30 PM in the lot behind the upper school. Details are in the flyer below.

Here’s a look at the week ahead:

Sunday, March 8: Second Sunday of Lent

Daylight Savings Time Begins- don’t forget to set your clocks ahead!

Monday, March 9: Lower School Hot Lunch today.

The Little Mermaid Jr. Rehearsal for Kiss the Girl from 3:00-5:00 PM.

Enrichment Classes: 3D Art- Grades 2-8 with Mrs. Gustafson (Upper School), States Travel Trivia with Mrs. Robinson (Upper School).

*PLEASE NOTE: Cheer with Miss Ruchalski  and Sports with Mrs Luti needs to be CANCELLED. NO CLASS TODAY. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Tuesday, March 10: Ukulele and Violin lessons for K-2.

Dentist visit for 4^th grade.

Softball interest meeting during recess in Mrs. Michel’s room for girls in 7^th and 8^th grades.

The Little Mermaid Jr. Rehearsal for Ariel and Eric from 2:30-3:15 PM.

Enrichment Classes: Art- Pre-K-1 with Mrs. Gustafson (Lower School), Scrapbooking with Ms. Sinopoli (Upper School).

Wednesday, March 11: Lower School Hot Lunch today.

The Little Mermaid Jr. Rehearsal for Ursula, Eels, Eric, Grimsby, Triton, Ariel. Sebastian, Scuttle and Flounder from 3:00-5:00 PM.

Enrichment Class: Chess (Lower School) AWARDS AT 3:15 PM FOR PARENTS.

Thursday, March 12: BAND LESSONS FOR GRADES 3-8.

7^th grade CAPS Step Up to Bullying Presentation.

National Junior Honor Society Induction in St. Aidan Church at 1:15 PM.

The Little Mermaid Jr. Rehearsal for FULL CAST from 3:00-5:00 PM.

Enrichment Classes: Art- Pre-K-1 with Mrs. Gustafson (Lower School), Speech and Debate with Mrs. Michel (Upper School).

Friday, March 13: 7^th and 8^th Grade Retreat Day at Saragossa Retreat House at Chaminade. Please note, students are asked to arrive and leave from the retreat house. If there is any difficulty with this, please note on the permission slip. We thank you for your cooperation!

Sports and Spirit Night in the St. Aidan Gym. All students in K-8 are encouraged to attend. Details are in PACE report below.

PACE THIS WEEK UPDATE:

Sports and Spirit Night

Less than a week to go until Sports and Spirit Night! Join us on March 13 in the SAS gym - all details in the attached flyer.  This is open to all students in grade K through 8.   NEW this year we will have a tournament where our 7^th and 8^th grade will face off against each other – don’t miss out!!! You can register online for this event at: https://staidanschool.org/sports-and-spirit-night.  Any questions, please contact Billy Herr (wgherr@gmail.com) or Colleen LaMontagne (clala44@aol.com).  We are in need of volunteers to help with the event.  If you are able to give an hour of your time, please let us know! ALL REGISTRANTS WILL RECEIVE A NUT PASS!

Sports and Spirit Night 

 

PACE Meeting

Our next PACE Meeting will be on March 24 at 7:30.  All are invited and encouraged to attend!  We will be discussing our upcoming events and plans for next year.  This is a wonderful opportunity to make suggestions for next year’s events and fundraisers.  Hope to see many of you there.

 

Father/Daughter Dance

All girls in grades K through 8 are invited to the PACE Sweetheart Dance on April 3, 2020 from 7-9pm in Monsignor Kirwin Hall.  All details in the attached flyer.  Registration can be done directly at: https://staidanschool.org/pace-father-daughter-dance.  Any questions, please contact Maria Finocchio, marigelo@hotmail.com.   Responses are due by 3/27!

PACE Sweetheart Dance 

 

Golf Outing

We are delighted to honor Mo Kearns ('65) and Dick Kearns ('64) at our annual Monsignor James McDonald Memorial Golf Outing on May 4, 2020 at Wheatley Hills Golf Club. You can register directly at: https://SASgolf.givesmart.com. Please join us for golf, dinner, or consider a sponsorship.  We have an AMAZING grand prize raffle for a 7-day stay at Villa Viento in St. Thomas for up to 10 people - winner need not be present to win. All information is available on the site with links to purchase tickets, raffles and sponsorships!  If you would like to volunteer to help with this event or have a donation that can be used as a raffle or auction prize, please contact staidangolf@yahoo.com.  

 

Chocolate Sale

Thank you to everyone who participated in our chocolate sale fundraiser.  The sale has ended – please make any outstanding payments as soon as possible.  You can pay directly at: https://staidanschool.org/pace-chocolate-sale. Any questions, please contact Megan Vitale, meganvitale@hotmail.com.

A look ahead:

-Student Council Spirit Week- March 16-20 (details below for planning purposes)

Monday March 16- 8^th Grade High School Sweatshirt Day! 8^th graders are invited to wear their HS sweatshirt over their uniform.

Tuesday, March 17- St. Patrick’s Day for Nursery-8^th grade and teachers. Wear green, gold or St. Patrick’s Day shirt with gym uniform pants and sneakers and St. Patrick’s Day accessories. Everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day!

Wednesday, March 18- Pajama Day for Nursery-8^th grade and teachers! All are welcome to wear their favorite appropriate pajamas with sneakers or ugg like boots. NO slippers! All shoes must have a back for safety!

Thursday, March 19- Gym Uniform Day for all students K-8! Dress Down Day for teachers!

Friday, March 20- Rock Your Socks for World Down Syndrome Day! Students and teachers are asked to wear fun, crazy, colorful, mismatched socks with their uniform for $1. All proceeds will go Alexander’s Angels, a non-profit organization that spreads Down Syndrome awareness.

-Student Council Meeting- March 16

-Faculty Meeting- March 18

-Principal Retreat- March 19

-Trimester 2 Ends- March 20

-Mock Trial Competition hosted by St. Aidan School- March 21