News & Stories

Campus Connections – March 2020

March 2020

Dear Parents,

“Even now, says the LORD, return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning.” (Joel 2:12, Lectionary)

March is a month that holds one of the holiest times of the liturgical year, Lent. The purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer through prayer, doing penance, repentance of sins, almsgiving, atonement, and self-denial. This event is observed in the Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, Lutheran, Methodist, and Roman Catholic Churches. It is a 40 day time period of spiritual renewal and retreat through prayer, fasting and almsgiving. It is a wonderful time to slow down and reflect on God’s place in our lives and how we live out His love for us.

We are remembering to be intentional about loving those who are on the fringe of society, the sick, the lonely and those who are often overlooked.We are called to be the eyes, ears, arms and heart of Jesus each day to those around us. We are called to be peacemakers and the light of Christ.  Please join us as we journey in the footsteps of Christ through the Prayer of St Francis:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.

O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen.

At all of our campuses, our students give witness to God’s love through their actions of spiritual and corporal works of mercy: collecting food for the hungry, providing clothing to shelters, visiting the elderly, collecting pennies for the poor and collecting monies for the Missions. We will focus on our renewal through prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Please enter into this season with us through family and parish activities. The following website will have fun and simple family resources to make Lent more meaningful so we will rejoice on Easter Sunday: https://www.sadlier.com/religion/blog/a-lenten-preparation-checklist-for-families

As we begin Lent, we pray for the strength to commit ourselves to prayer, fasting, and almsgiving so that we may grow to love God more each day.  Please pray for us as we will keep you and your family in our daily prayers this season.

Dates to remember!

• The Month of March is National Women’s History Month & Irish-American Heritage Month
• Friday, March 20th – No school for students – Parent/Teacher Conferences

A Message from the Business Office

February is now behind us, and we are all looking forward to Spring!

Re-Registration is open for the 2020-2021 school year! Please log into your ParentsWeb account to register.  The fee is $150 for our current students and $350 for new students to register for next school year.

The tuition rates for the 2020-2021 school year are as follows:

Financial aid for the 2020-2021 school year is well underway.  You must complete the 2020-2021 financial aid application via FACTS Grant and Aid if your child is currently receiving financial aid. Families must complete the Financial Aid application each school year in order to qualify. You may complete the FACTS Grant and Aid application by visiting http://online.factsmgt.com/aid or by logging in through your ParentsWeb account.

The Deadline for Financial Aid Applications is April 16, 2020

As in years past, the requirements are as follows:

• The financial aid applicant must claim the student(s) on their tax return and students must be enrolling in grades K2 – 8 to be eligible. We need all families to submit the Grant and Aid application for the students that will attend the Academy even the Pre-K and K1 students. This will help SJPIICA when we apply for grants for education programs, technology, services, etc.
• The federal tax return and W2’s for 2019 must be submitted and/or proof of nontaxable income if not employed.
• Anyone with a past due SY 19-20 tuition balance will not be awarded financial aid. If you have a past due balance you must reach out to the business office to make a payment arrangement for the balance.

To make an appointment for financial aid assistance please contact Judith Walker at 617-265-0019 x7202, jwalker@sjp2ca.orgor Mark Hegarty at 617.265.0019 x 7004, mhegarty@sjp2ca.org

Thank you for your continued partnership!

Black History Month

Black History Month was launched in 1926 by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History or the ASALH to bring attention to their mission and help school systems coordinate their focus on the topic. The organization promoted studying black history as a discipline and celebrate the accomplishments of African Americans. ASALH chose the second week in February, as it encompassed both Frederick Douglass’ birthday on February 14 and Abraham Lincoln’s birthday on February 12.

Traditionally, teachers across America decorate their classroom doors in celebration of Black History Month. Below you will see some of the creative doors at our Lower Mills Campus, left, and our Columbia Campus. Our first grade classes at Lower Mills made history come to life for their classmates as they represented and shared the stories of famous African American Heroes. Their second grade peers dressed as famous African American Heroes on their 100th day of school. And Lower Mills fourth grade class created a “Living Wax Museum” where students dressed as famous African Americans and displayed their researched stories.

Columbia Campus	Lower Mills Campus

Celebrating 100 Days!

Across all three of our campuses, students turned from children to elders overnight to recognize the 100th day of school. Here is a note from our Grade 1 teacher Ms. Porter:

Happy 100th Day of School! Grade 1 is officially 100 days smarter! Grade 1 at Lower Mills had the opportunity to see into the future by dressing as 100 year old versions of themselves! As a part of this fun day, students in 1A were asked to write letters to their future selves about what they hope to achieve over their lifetime before they reach the age of 100.

Neponset K2 students celebrated World Read Aloud Day with guest reader Sister Gail Donahue CSJ reading “A Penny for Barnaby” on February 5th.

Math at Lower Mills This year our Grade 7 math students have been working on a series of “Open Middle” math problems.  Open middle math problems provide students with a “closed” beginning and end, meaning students all start and finish in the same place, but how each student finds the answer will be a result of her own creative thinking.  These problems encourage experimentation, which strengthens understanding of the subject, and increases mathematical literacy and problem solving skills.  On open middle days, it is not uncommon for students to ask to keep working even after class has ended!

Artists of the Month

Congratulations to our Artists of the Month!

Columbia Campus	Lower Mills Campus	Neponset Campus
Mason Lan, Grade 1	Layla Zimmerman, Grade 3	Camilla Kagua-Coo, Grade 2
Yawilka Tejeda, Grade 2	Audrey Thomas, Grade 1	Lananh Tran, Grade 4