IMPORTANT DATES

A.    Nov. 19 – Conferences:  Grades 1-4  3-5 p.m. and 6-8 p.m.

B.    Nov. 20 – Conferences:  Grades 5-8  3-5 p.m. and 6-8 p.m.

C.    Nov. 21-23 – Thanksgiving Holiday – SCHOOL CLOSED

D.    Dec. 6 – Christmas Concert at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m.

E.    Apr. 5 – Girl Scout Toy and Clothing Sale

1.         THANK YOU FROM PTO to the parents and faculty who were able to attend the recent PTO meeting and presentation.  Your participation is appreciated!!  A Special Thank You to Rick Sweeney, from the Hamilton County Sheriff's Department, who spoke to the group about his experiences involved with Internet Safety.  The presentation and Q&A were informative and insightful.

2.         HEY KIDS … LET’S ROLL!  The next St. Antoninus Skating Party is TODAY, Monday, November 19, 6:00-8:30 p.m., at the Western Rollarama.  The cost is $4.50 and includes skate rental.  FYI – all skating parties are held on the third Monday of each month through May.  Any questions, please contact Marybeth McIntyre, 451-9145.

3.         HCHRISTMAS CONCERT.  The 1^st, 3^rd, and 4^th grade students present “An Early American Christmas,” our 2007 Christmas Concert on Thursday, December 6.  Performance times are 1 p.m. and 7 p.m., and all are welcomed to either performance.

4.         ATTENTION FIRST GRADE PARENTS.  Please send in $1.00 to your child’s homeroom teacher to cover the cost of their Christmas CD’s.  The money is due by November 26.

5.         MARKET DAY.  Thanks for all of the pie orders!! PTO made an extra $100.  You are all so supportive.  Guess what??  We have the opportunity to make even more $$ selling Christmas cookies.  They are delicious and easy to make.  Think about making your Christmas Season easier with Market Day homemade cookies.  Thanks, Jenee.

6.         PICTURES NEEDED.  Looking for pictures for the next issue of the St. A parish newsletter.  They are needed ASAP.  Please send to Karen Hartoin at hartoinm@aol.com.  Thanks.

7.         THE EDUCATION COMMISSION.  The meeting will be held on Monday, November 19, at 7:30 p.m. in the school conference room.  Visitors are always welcome.  If visitors wish to speak, they should contact Maggie Pater a week prior to the meeting to be included in the agenda.  Contact Maggie at 922-2735 or at maggiepater@yahoo.com.

8.         MESSAGES FOR STUDENTS.  Please limit phone messages to students to emergencies.  After school arrangements should be communicated with your child before the start of school.  Thanks in advance for your cooperation!

9.         STRAIGHT-A TICKETS!  Once again, students who hit a home run academically can earn free Reds tickets as the Cincinnati Reds kick off the 2008 Straight-A Program.  The Reds have designed the Straight-A Program to reward academic achievement among students in grades seven through twelve.  St. Antoninus School will be participating in this year’s Straight-A Program along with hundreds of other schools.  “The Straight-A Program began 43 years ago, and is a Reds tradition that we are proud to continue,” said Phil Castellini, Vice President of Business Operations.  “The Reds have rewarded over 2,000,000 students to date, and we know that going to a Reds game remains an ideal way to recognize student’s hard work.”  Students obtaining an “A” or “A-“ grade average in academic subjects in the second quarter are eligible for the free tickets.  Qualifying students will be given an order from redeemable for tickets.  Each Straight-A student will be able to select two free View Level tickets for one of the designated Straight-A dates on the Reds’ 2008 schedule.  Half-price tickets are available for additional family and friends.

10.       ATTENTION EIGHTH GRADE STUDENTS AND PARENTS.  We would like to collect pictures from all your years at St A for your graduation breakfast.  Please send any pictures you would like to share to school, marked with your name and phone # so we can return them to you.  And remember to take lots of pictures during this year so we can include them also.  We are looking for all kinds of events; scouts, sports, school events, etc.  Send them in an envelope marked "8th grade pictures - Attention Diane Martini” through the school office or you can e-mail them to me at rmartini2@cinci.rr.com.  We will be collecting them all year.  Thank you in advance for helping.    Questions?  Contact Diane Martini at 922-0963.

11.       NEW YEAR’S EVE DANCE.  Mark your calendars for December 31 and make plans to attend the St. Antoninus PTO-sponsored New Year’s Eve Dance.  The party starts at 8:00 p.m. and ends at 1:00 a.m.  The cost of $25.00 per person includes beer, wine, soda, champagne at midnight, party favors, DJ, and Skyline Cheese Coneys!  Come celebrate 2007 and bring in 2008 with family and friends.  For more information contact Jackie Anderson at 451-4264; Lori Rolfes 451-9737; or Lauri Sullivan 451-4142.

12.       BOY SCOUT HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE:  December 2, 2-6 p.m. the St. Antoninus Boy Scout Troop 614 invites you to their Holiday Boutique.  There will be hand-made crafts and vendors such as Longaberger, Tupperware, Avon, Silpada, Tastefully Simple, and others.  The Boy Scouts will also be selling live Christmas Wreaths from Allison Landscaping.  There will be activities to help keep the kids entertained.  The proceeds from the sale of the wreaths, raffle, and kids activities will go towards the Troop 614 Yellowstone Trip in 2008.  For more information contact Maria Allen at 922-2493.

13.       GIRLS BASKETBALL SIGN UPS.  2008 season sign ups for grades 3^rd through high school.  The deadline is December 2.  Coaches are always needed.  If you would like to coach or have any questions, contact Ted Nussman at 922-3662 and e-mail sign ups to.  Include players name, grade, address, and phone number.  Open Gym and Tryouts for Competitive Teams (A & B1) will be held in December (further information will follow).  Practice will begin at the end of January for grades 5^th through high school (try-outs and practice for 3^rd & 4^th grade will occur in February 2008).  See St. Antoninus website for additional information and sign-up form: www.saintantoninus.org.

14.       ATHLETIC CLUB BOARD.  The Athletic Club is looking for volunteers to serve on the Board for 2008.  Please contact Scott Reiter at 922-5002/reiterjjjls@fuse.net or Todd Logan at 922-1782/toddlogan@msn.com for more information.

15.       SETON SCHOLARS:  College Board Advanced Placement Honors … St. Antoninus School alumni at Seton High School earned the designation of AP SCHOLAR by the College Board in recognition of their exceptional achievement on the college-level AP exams.  Students took AP exams in May 2007 after completing challenging college-level courses at Seton High School.  The College Board recognizes several levels of achievement based on the student’s performance on the AP exams.  The awards are as follows:  Four St. Antoninus alumni scored 3.0 or higher on a 5-point scale on all AP exams taken.  They are:  Logan Ballinger, Megan Henderson, Maria Matthews, and Sara Minning.  Two other St. A alum, Maria Konerman and Caitlin Wetsch, qualified for the AP SCHOLAR WITH HONOR AWARD by earning an average grade of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams.  One St. A alum qualified for the AP SCHOLAR WITH DISTINCTION AWARD by earning an average grade of at least 4.0 on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 4 or higher on five or more of these exams. Current senior Katherine Talbott qualified for this prestigious award based on her junior year AP scores.  Most of the nation’s colleges and universities award college credit, advanced placement, or both based on successful performance on the AP Exams. Congratulations to all Seton scholar award winners.