Mrs. Mulvanerty's Update

October 25, 2026

Dear SKS,

All You Need Is Love.

When you read that sentence, maybe you immediately hear the horns, guitars, and Lennon and McCartney singing that iconic 1967 tune in your head.In this week’s Gospel, when Jesus was asked to name the single greatest commandment, He essentially agreed with John and Paul: Love is all you need. He kept it remarkably simple, giving us two clear, connected directives: Love God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and Love your neighbor as yourself.

There is something very freeing about knowing that these are our primary priorities and the biggest things that really matter. It's so easy to get caught up in the stresses and pressures of everyday life—and especially everyday family life. The schedules, games, dinners, house maintenance... and then there's paying for it all!

I'm a sucker for time management gurus because, like you, I'm always trying to fit it all in. Borrowing from a few of these experts can give us helpful hints on how we can love God first:

1. Brian Tracy has a concept based on the Mark Twain quote, "If it's your job to eat a frog, it's best to do it first thing in the morning." In his book Eat That Frog!, his idea is that you should complete your highest-impact priority first thing in the morning before email, notifications, or anyone else can pull your attention away. I've been trying this one lately with morning prayer and have found it to be pretty helpful. The Hallow app has some great series I've been enjoying (I'll be happy to recommend my favorites for anyone interested!), but your own prayer and quiet reflection is awesome too.

2. Gary Keller and Jay Papasan wrote The ONE Thing. Rather than juggling multiple priorities, these experts advocate identifying the master task that creates a domino effect for everything else. Making God your "ONE thing" can help make everything else better.

3. Stephen Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (and creator of the Franklin Daily Planner—the big black book SKS Dad, Ben Piazza carries around!), shared the principle that effective time management is actually life management, centered on alignment with your core values. His famous metaphor was the "Big Rocks": If you fill a jar with small sand and pebbles first (busywork, social media, minor errands), there's no room left for the big rocks (faith, family, health, major goals). BUT, if you place the big rocks in the jar first, the sand and pebbles naturally settle around them. Try making God one of your Big Rocks, and see how everything else quiets down and settles into place.
   
   

Shifting gears a little to loving our neighbors—well, loving God first often gives us the strength, grace, and patience to do that better. To play with a child even when you're tired. To care for an elderly parent even when they are being stubborn. To think to yourself, "How can I make my spouse's life better today?" instead of being in your own head all day.

Your children do a great job of loving their neighbors here at SKS. I see it in the way they hold doors for each other, respect their teachers, and help someone up when they fall down—and I know that the reason behind all of that is that we are a community grounded in our faith.

If you are looking for a tangible way that you and your family can love your neighbors, there is a great opportunity coming up on November 1! As you plan out your next week, maybe you can work this in: It's our very first Spaghetti Dinner, a fundraiser for Catholic Charities, which is one of the largest service organizations in the world. They provide housing and homelessness relief, food assistance, family and youth support, and much more. Many families have already signed up, and you can too—scroll down to learn more!

Thank you for making SKS a community where loving God and loving one another always comes first. Wishing you and your families a great week ahead!

G.B.Y.*,

Mrs. Mulvanerty

*God Bless You!

On Friday, October 30, we will celebrate Halloween in school. The students will begin to head down for the Halloween parade at the beginning of last period, which is 1:35. Students will then head to the gym for the annual Halloweenathon with dancing and fun.

This year for the first time: THERE WILL BE NO EARLY DISMISSALS. Any parents who attend the parade may not request early dismissal for students. We will dismiss students as usual as bus, walkers car riders or CARES. If you need to adjust your preference, don't forget to update Pick Up Patrol. Thank you for your cooperation!

Our Halloween is meant to be FUN. To ensure everyone's safety, please follow the guidelines below:

• No Masks or full-face coverings that block vision
• No Weapons including swords, guns, knives, scythes
• Nothing gory - avoid fake blood and excessively scary images
• Must be inclusive - if students are planning a group costume, they must not exclude others
• Must be practical - Can you child sit in a chair? Walk? Use the restroom unassisted?

Thank you for your cooperation!

Please click here to watch the Thank you video our faculty and students recorded for you! They are so thrilled that you granted their wishes with Amazon items to enhance their classrooms.

Home & School has some fun ideas for Middle School events over the next couple of months, but we would love your input! Could you please take a minute to complete this short survey? Your feedback will help us plan events our middle schoolers will enjoy! Thanks so much!

Link: https://forms.gle/DW6M37mVvNqcQmES6

Calling all First Grade Saints!

We will recognize our First Grade Saints on All Saints' Day, Sunday November 1st at 9:30 Mass! Then come over to the parish center for donuts and Open Play!

Put your knowledge to the test at the SKS favorite, Trivia Night! Join us for a fun night of friendly competition, food, drinks, and plenty of laughs.

Parish Center
Doors Open: 6:30 PM | First Game: 7:00 PM
$30/person or $300/table of 10
BYO food, drinks & brains!

Parents only event. Individual and Table ticket sales close October 30! Don't delay!

Trivia sign up link

https://stkatharineofsiena.factsmgtadmin.com/form/SjZzNFaXy?authToken=__token__

SKS Got Talent Registration is officially closed! Looking forward to the multi-talented 30 ACTS of singers, dancers and musicians. Come on out and cheer on our performers Thursday, November 12th at 6:30 pm. See you there!

Dear SKS Families,

Thank you so much for your incredible generosity and enthusiasm in donating supplies for STEM! Your support is greatly appreciated, and I am happy to report that we are fully stocked on cardboard!

As we begin our next unit, we will need plenty of empty plastic water bottles for our upcoming STEM projects. If you have any at home, please consider saving them and sending them in with your child.

Thank you again for helping make our STEM classroom a fun, creative, and hands-on learning environment for our students. I truly appreciate your continued support!

Thank you,
Mr. Matt

Parish Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser
November 1 from 4:30-6:30PM
SKS School Cafeteria
Dinner, refreshments, dessert & music
$25/person - Kids 4 & under are free
Hosted by the Faithful Families Ministry

The Faithful Families Ministry is excited to introduce a NEW Parish Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser supporting Catholic Charities of Philadelphia through our service projects at the monthly Parish Coffees. Please join us for a night of food, fellowship & faith!

November Parish Coffee & Service Project

Sunday, November 15 at the 9:30AM Mass

- Children's Choir
- Children's Liturgy of the Word
- Parish Coffee hosted by Walking with Purpose (A Women's Bible Study)
- Faithful Families Service Project

Annual Advent Wreath Workshop
Sunday, November 22 from 2-4pm
SKS cafeteria
BYO wine
$30/per person

Enjoy an afternoon of friends, fellowship and creativity! Come build a beautiful, hand crafted advent wreath to prepare you and your family for Christmas. Cost includes: candle ring, candles, construction materials, greenery, decorative elements for the wreath, and snack.

Visit sksparish.org/adventwreath for more details and to sign up.

Special thanks to our Home and School for the many ways they make our community strong! Please check out the latest Newletter here! Don't forget, you can always access the Home and School Updates on our website as well!

Dear SKS Basketball Families,

Registration for the upcoming SKS CYO Basketball season is officially open for students in 5th through

12th grades.SKS CYO Basketball is open to students currently enrolled at SKS, as well as those participating in PREP/CCD at SKS, OLA, or St. Isaac Jogues. Please review the critical registration deadlines, key season details, and the “A-Team” tryout schedule below.

Critical Registration Deadlines

To ensure we have accurate headcounts and can secure enough gym space, please register as soon as

possible.

 5th–8th Grades: Registration closes on Wednesday, October 30.

 Note: We cannot add players to 5th–8th grade rosters after this date.

 High School (9th–12th Grades): Registration remains open until early December.

Registration Link: Click Here to Register via TeamSnap

Direct Link: https://go.teamsnap.com/forms/531938

Key Season Information

 Divisions: JV (5th & 6th grades), Varsity (7th & 8th grades), and High School (9th–12th grades).

 Team Sizes & Practice: We aim to limit all teams to 10 players or fewer to maximize playing time.

All teams will have at least one practice per week (with a second practice accommodated where

possible).

 “Wildcat” (A) vs. Non-Wildcat (B) Teams:

 “Wildcat” (A) Teams: One highly competitive team will be formed for JV Boys, JV Girls, Varsity

Boys, and Varsity Girls. These teams play in the most competitive CYO divisions.

 Non-Wildcat (B) Teams: These teams focus on fun, development, and participation, featuring

equal playing time requirements for all players.

 Coaching Opportunities: We need coaches—If you are interested in coaching, please reply directly

to this email.

“A-Team” Tryout Schedule (SKS Gym)

If your child wishes to play on a competitive “Wildcat” (A) team, they must attend the tryouts listed

below. If your child wishes to play on a B-team, they do not need to attend tryouts. There are no tryouts

for High School.

Date Time Division

Sunday, Nov 1

1:00 PM – 2:00 PM JV Girls

2:15 PM – 3:15 PM Varsity Girls

3:30 PM – 4:30 PM JV Boys

4:45 PM – 5:45 PM Varsity Boys

Tuesday, Nov 3 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM JV Girls

7:30 PM – 8:30 PM Varsity Girls

Thursday, Nov 5 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM JV Boys

7:30 PM – 8:30 PM Varsity Boys

Upcoming Timeline

 Weekend November 7/8: Rosters finalized and communicated.

 Week of November 9: Wildcat (A) teams begin practice.

 Week of November 16: Non-Wildcat (B) teams begin practice.

If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out. We look forward to another

fantastic SKS basketball season!

Best regards,

David Aglira

SKS CYO Winter Sports Coordinator

Cell: 610-529-4605

Email: daglira@kpmg.com

A new federal tax credit has been created to provide funds for Pennsylvania students and families--but only if Governor Shapiro opts our state into the program by December 31st.

Want help for your K-12 student with education expenses like tuition and school supplies? Generous individuals can donate $1,700 a year to scholarship-granting organizations and receive a dollar-for-dollar tax credit. Those funds can then be made available to students in need. If our state doesn’t opt in, the funds will go to other states.

Urge Governor Shapiro to take action now and say "yes” for Pennsylvania students before the December 31st deadline to support our students in both public and non-public schools.

It's time to register for TuitionCare -- a program leverages programs offered by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania that allow individuals to redirect some or all of their state income tax liability to support Catholic education. This program creates a true win-win opportunity - participants are able to redirect theri tax dollars while helping to reduce tuition costs. All SKS families received a credit towards their tuition last year as a result of our school and parish's contributions. And this year, we want that credit to grow even more. Many families in other schools received a credit of 1K in tuition dollars -- we can do it too! Learn more about how you can participate here!

There are so many opportunities for afternoon clubs! Please click here to check them out.

October 25 - Family Mass at 9:30, Trunk or Treat

October 30 - Halloweenathon at School - No early dismissal pickups

November 1- All Saints Day - First grade saints can attend Mass as their saints; open play

Parish Spaghetti Dinner

November 2 - New student registration opens

November 4 - Fourth Grade Field Trip

November 6 - Trivia Night for Parents

November 8 - Family Mass, 9:30am

November 11 - 8th Grade Mass of Thanksgiving

November 12 - Monthly Admissions Open House, 9:15am

SKS Got Talent

November 13 - Blue and White Spiritwear Dress Down Day benefitting the McKnight Family

November 15 - Family Mass, 9:30am and Parish Coffee

November 19 - Noon Dismissal; Parent Conferences Begin

November 20 - No School; Parent Conferences

November 22 - Family Mass, 9:30am

Advent Wreath Workshop

November 24 - School Penance

November 25 - Thanksgiving Break Begins!

November 26 - Thanksgiving

November 27 - No School

November 29 - Family Mass, 9:30

November 30 - Classes Resume; Santa Shop Begins

December 3 - Picture Retake Day

Congratulations to our co-ed CYO Varsity Soccer team for a big win today against St. Margaret's!

The JV girls' field hockey team came in second place during the Archdiocesan Championship at Bishop Shanahan!

Maestro Mr. Norton directs students through one of their first tunes!

Students learn about balance by making scales in STEM class with Mr. Matt.

Writing is fun in Mrs. Loftus's class!