Crusader Chronicle

During this Catholic Schools Week, we remember six saints who have impacted Catholic education, four of whom have a direct connection to Catholic education in the United States, and two of whom have a very direct connection to Catholic education in Philadelphia. The four saints who profoundly impacted Catholic education in the United States laid the foundations for Catholic schools in our country, and they did so despite the sacrifices each of them had to make, whether leaving their native countries to travel far away as missionaries to the United States, giving their own wealth away to benefit the education of children, enduring persecution against Catholics, or being rejected by their own families.

This week, we celebrate the sacrifices of those in Catholic schools who came before us, the sacrifices that our teachers, parents, and supporters make, and the perseverance of all those who make our Catholic schools great. Let us pray today and every day this week for everyone who has paved the way for Catholic education in the United States, for all our St. Ignatius students and parents, and for all our St. Ignatius supporters and benefactors.

Good and gracious God,

we pray that the focus and foundation

of our Catholic schools will always be

the person of Jesus Christ.

May we remember that we are called to work together

as part of your universal Church

to build your kingdom in our midst.

Let each of our Catholic schools,

no matter how large or how small,

be recognized by its commitment to excellence,

and its intentional development as a community of faith.

Help us to view every aspect of our world

through the lens of the Gospel and the teachings of our faith,

and let every member of our Catholic school communities

become a visible example of what it means to put faith into action.

Amen.

Father in heaven,

may the faith you have given us

in your son, Jesus Christ, our brother,

and the flame of charity enkindled

in our hearts by the Holy Spirit,

reawaken in us the blessed hope

for the coming of your Kingdom.

May your grace transform us

into tireless cultivators of the seeds of the Gospel.

May those seeds transform from within both humanity and the whole cosmos

in the sure expectation

of a new heaven and a new earth,

when, with the powers of Evil vanquished,

your glory will shine eternally.

May the grace of the Jubilee

reawaken in us, Pilgrims of Hope,

a yearning for the treasures of heaven.

May that same grace spread

the joy and peace of our Redeemer

throughout the earth.

To you our God, eternally blessed,

be glory and praise for ever.

Amen.

Below is a letter from the Office for Communications re:

The Jubilee of Hope in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia

Dear friends,

In response to Pope Francis’ call to the Catholic Church around the world, parishes throughout the Archdiocese of Philadelphia will begin the local observance of the Jubilee Year 2025, with the theme Pilgrims of Hope. All are invited to participate in events of the Holy Year in their homes, in their local parishes, and at shrines throughout the region, and at the Mother Church of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia—the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul.

Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez celebrated the opening of the Jubilee Year with Mass at the Cathedral. That celebration of the holy Eucharist marked the culmination of a pilgrimage of families traveling from throughout the Philadelphia region to the Cathedral.

The goal of the Jubilee Year 2025 is to offer pilgrims in their own local area opportunities for reconciliation, indulgences, and prayerful opportunities to receive the sacraments, strengthen their relationship with Jesus Christ, and enrich their lifelong faith journey.

Resources and information on upcoming events for the Jubilee Year 2025 in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia may be found here: https://archphila.org/holyyear/

Catholic Schools Week 2025 Schedule of Events

Saturday, January 25 –Theme: Celebrate the Parish

Catholic Schools Week Mass at St. Ignatius at 5:15 pm

Family Dinner in the St. Ignatius Church Auditorium at 6:30 pm

Saint of the Weekend - St. John Neumann

Sunday, January 26 - Open House St. Ignatius School for New Families from 12:00 to 2:00 pm

Monday, January 27 - Theme: Celebrate Community

Start of soup can service project

Saint of the Day - St. Katharine Drexel

Tuesday, January 28 - Theme: Celebrate Students

Soup Can Collection

Free Dress Down Day for all Students

Lunch for all Students (Courtesy of Home and School)

Laser Assembly at 1:30 pm

Classes on Special Assembly Schedule

Saint of the Day - St. Thomas Aquinas

Wednesday, January 29 -Theme: Celebrate the Nation

Soup Can Collection

Dollar Red, White, and Blue Dress Down - money to be donated to Travis Manion Foundation

Card-Making activity for troops

Saint of the Day - St. Frances Xavier Cabrini

Thursday, January 30 -Theme: Celebrate Vocations

Soup Can Collection

All Classes attend 9:00 Mass

January Student Awards at the end of Mass

Lunch provided for Faculty and Staff (courtesy of Home and School)

Card-making activity for seminarians, priests, deacons

Classes on Mass Schedule

Friday, January 31 - Theme: Celebrate Faculty, Staff, and Volunteers

Soup Can Collection

Students dress up as teachers or staff members

Classes on Half Day Schedule

Card-Making activity

Handbag Bingo - Doors Open at 6:30 pm

More details to come!

It was a joy to see so many of our school families at the 5:15 pm Mass last night, and we thank all of our families who were able to celebrate at that Mass. Several parishioners, whose own children are grown, commented how nice it was for them to see so many young children at the Mass.

We also want to thank Home and School and all the parents volunteers who organized, decorated, set up, served food, and cleaned up after the Family Dinner last night. It was also a joy to see our families there, to celebrate with food, conversation, and fun activities for the children. We are so appreciative of all the efforts, and it was a great way to start our Catholic Schools Week events!

Thank you to Mrs. Crozier for organizing another great Open House, and thank you to Mrs. Perini and all of our teachers and aides who came to support our Open House this afternoon. We had a great turnout of interested families, who were able to visit our school and take a tour, viewing all of our Catholic Schools Week bulletin boards and decorations. We are looking forward to welcoming new families to our St. Ignatius Family!

We express our gratitude again to the local Lower Makefield Police for their visits to campus. We continue to see a squad car periodically in our parking lot in the morning, and Sergeant Holder made another visit at drop off this past week. Sergeant Holder was even able to greet our PreK students! We appreciate the support and presence of our local officers!

Please invite anyone who is interested in St. Ignatius of Antioch Elementary School to attend our Open House on Sunday, January 26. Invite your friends and neighbors! Please see the flyer below.

St. Ignatius of Antioch Elementary School follows the recommendations of the Pennsbury School District for weather-related delays or closings. We communicate this information to our faculty and to our parents as soon as we are given the information.

If the Pennsbury School District calls for a Two Hour Delay start of the school day due to weather conditions, St. Ignatius will also call for a Two Hour Delay start. If Pennsbury closes all of its schools for the day due to weather conditions, St. Ignatius will also close for the day.

If St. Ignatius closes for the day, we will send or post assignments for the day for all students in Grades 1 through 8. This asynchronous learning day is intended to preserve the day of school so that we do not have to open school for additional days in the month of June.

All details about a Two Hour Delay or a School Closing Day will be sent to parents in a timely manner.

We are already planning for registration and class numbers for the 2025-2026 school year. If you are a current family and are planning to register an additional child from your family for the 2025-2026 school year, please contact Mrs. Crozier at hcrozier@sischool.org as soon as possible. This includes any new preschoolers or kindergarteners.

SchoolStore

Thank you to all the families who have already participated in our SchoolStore fundraiser! Many of our teachers have received generous gift certificates from their students. If your family has not registered, there is still time, prizes are still available. The SchoolStore form is below or you may use this link.

https://www.schoolstore.net/cgi/SetSchool?secheck=1&SchoolID=0000120009

Saturday, January 25 through Friday, January 31 - Catholic Schools Week

Tuesday, January 28 - Grades 2 and 7 attend 9:00 Mass

Tuesday, January 28 - Parent General Assembly at 7:00 pm

Thursday, January 30 - All classes attend 9:00 Mass (Catholic Schools Week Mass)

Friday, January 31 - Half Day to end Catholic Schools Week

Friday, January 31 - Handbag Bingo

Tuesday, February 4 - Grade 1 attends 9:00 Mass

Friday, February 7 - All classes attend 9:00 Mass (First Friday)

The attached letter was sent to all families on Friday, January 10. We encourage all parents, parishioners, and interested parties to read this letter and to join one of the scheduled discussion sessions by uploading the QR code and/or by clicking on the link at the end of the letter. We include the letter in the Crusader Chronicle as a reminder but also as an invitation to read and to become involved.

Our current seminarians, Matt and Jonathan, have now met all or our students. Matt and Jonathan are visiting classrooms and even teaching lessons on their Thursday visits. We look forward to our time with Matt and Jonathan this year!

St. Ignatius of Antioch Elementary School has once again been honored by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia as a School of Distinguished Instruction. Schools of Distinguished Instruction are determined by their Terra Nova test scores. This year St. Ignatius was one of only three schools that scored 100% in the "Potential" category, meaning that 100% of the grade levels that took the test scored higher than expected, based on the InView scores. Thank you to our teachers, our parents, and our students for this achievement!

Please click the link below for the latest 2024-2025 St. Ignatius of Antioch Elementary School Calendar. The attached calendar will continue to be updated as the year progresses and is subject to change.

Be sure to follow us on Instagram for great photos and updates on our school activities. Email pictures to Mrs. Crozier at hcrozier@sischool.org for all of us to enjoy on our school Instagram!

Follow us @sischoolofyardley

Thank you to Mrs. Crozier for her great work in keeping our Instagram account up to date!

If you have moved, if you have a new phone number or email address, or if you have any other changes in important contact information, we need to know. Please notify the office of any changes in family or parent email addresses, mailing addresses, or phone numbers. Thank you!

St. Ignatius School provides before and after school care through our CARES program for all students in PreK-3 through Grade 8.

Please read the attached letter from our CARES Director, Mrs. Brenda Goring. New Families needing CARES, please complete the online registration.

Look What's Coming Up!

(Scroll Down for Additional Details)

• Catholic Schools Week will begin with a celebration Mass at 5:15 on January 25th followed by our annual Family Dinner. A Student Appreciation lunch and assembly will be held on Tuesday, January 28th and a Teacher Appreciation Luncheon will be held on Thursday, January 30th.
• Home and School General Assembly Meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 28th in the school cafeteria at 7pm.
• Ladies Handbag Bingo Registration is open for Ladies Designer Handbag Bingo on Friday, January 31st! ALMOST SOLD OUT!
• Pizza and Pretzels! Registration is open for pizza lunch and pretzel snack for the second half of the school year.
• Pancake Breakfast! Save the date for our annual Family Pancake Breakfast on March 15th. Details to come!

Active Registrations:

• Ladies Handbag Bingo will be held on Friday, January 31st. Doors open at 6:30. Tickets are $40 per person in advance and $45 at the door. Please see the Google Form for details and to register. Ticket numbers are limited, get yours today! https://forms.gle/BqwD7MedDxoNWeFp8 Tickets are almost SOLD OUT!
• Pizza Registration: Begins 1st week of February- Registration will close 1/31 https://forms.gle/V1oJCERAEpJZbfaf9
• Pretzel Registration: Begins 1st week of February- Registration will close 1/31 https://forms.gle/2ecNdKDHN4EQxJRp7

Donations and Volunteer Opportunities (Up-to-date Clearances Required)

• Volunteers for Ladies Bingo! Anyone interested in helping setup, during the event, or at cleanup, please contact Andrea Rozo (andrea.v.rozo@gmail.com)
• Ladies Handbag Bingo Donation Request! We are now accepting donations and gift cards for raffle baskets. Please contact Mrs. Crozier to arrange all donations.
• Middle School Electives Anyone interested in running or supporting an elective for the 2nd or 3rd session, please contact hspresident@sischool.org.
• The January/February Signup Genius https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/20F0E49A8A723A7F94-53998213-lunchrecess

• • Monday, January 27th: 2 volunteers
  • Tuesday, January 28th: 1 volunteer
  • Wednesday, January 29th: 2 volunteers
  • Thursday, January 30th: 3 volunteers
  • Monday, February 3rd: 2 volunteers
  • Tuesday, February 4th: 3 volunteers
  • Wednesday, February 5th: 3 volunteers
  • Thursday, February 6th: 1 volunteer
  • Friday, Friday 7th: 3 volunteers

Upcoming Event Details:

Catholic Schools Week will begin with a celebration Mass at 5:15 on January 25th followed by our annual Family Dinner. A Student Appreciation lunch and assembly will be held on Tuesday, January 28th, and a Teacher Appreciation Luncheon will be held on Thursday, January 30th, with additional special activities going on throughout the week.

Home and School General Assembly Meeting All are welcome to attend our next general assembly meeting at 7pm on Tuesday, January 28th in the school cafeteria. The agenda will be announced soon. All in attendance will earn a dress down day for their children.

Ladies Handbag Bingo! Registration is open for Ladies Designer Handbag Bingo on Friday, January 31st! Doors open at 6:30 pm and Bingo starts at 7:30 pm. $40pp in advance and $45 pp at the door (if tickets are still available). Groups of 8 or more can designate a table name and register individually. Groups under 8 should order tickets together to ensure seating together. Register soon before tickets sell out! https://forms.gle/BqwD7MedDxoNWeFp8 TICKETS ARE ALMOST SOLD OUT! ONCE WE HIT OUR MAX, THE EVENT IS CLOSED!

Pizza and Pretzels! The first half of the pizza and pretzel program will continue until the end of January with the last Pretzel day being January 28th and the last Pizza day being January 29th. Registration is OPEN for the second session of the program. This session will start in February. Please see link above!

Important Information:

Winter Uniforms Students are now wearing winter uniforms. For boys this means long pants and short or long sleeve golf shirts. For girls this means a jumper, kilt, or long pants and short sleeves or long sleeves. For gym, all students should wear sweatpants. Only the three styles of gray quarter zips may be worn during the school day.

Please note as the weather gets colder:

OptionC If you are having any issues with logging into or using OptionC, please contact Mr. Seibel (nseibel@sischool.org).

SchoolStore

Thank you to all the families who have already participated in our SchoolStore fundraiser! Many of our teachers have received generous gift certificates from their students. If your family has not registered, there is still time, prizes are still available. Here is the SchoolStore link you may use to register:

https://www.schoolstore.net/cgi/SetSchool?secheck=1&SchoolID=0000120009

Volunteer Clearances: Please visit http://www.stignatius.church/safe.html for information on submitting clearances or contact Jayne Marcinkowski

(Safe Environment Coordinator) Email: hr@stignatius.church Tel: 215-493-3377 x212

SCRIP Program Save money on SIS tuition using the shop with scrip program! 75% of the rebates you earn go back to you as a credit on next year’s tuition bill. The other 25% funds the scrip program expenses. Go to www.shopwithscrip.com to sign up for an account. St. Ignatius’ enrollment code is C26FCDC63135. The best payment method is presto pay which enables you to receive your ecards and reloadable gift cards immediately. Download the Raise Right app on your phone to purchase ecards while you are away or even shopping in the store! All physical card orders must be placed by 5 pm the previous Sunday. If you have any questions, please contact Nicole Kloc (nicolekloc@gmail.com), Coordinator.

Visit us online for upcoming events, information, school calendar, and registration forms/ links please visit the HSA school website (https://www.sischool.org/home-school and https://www.sischool.org/hs-forms-and-links)

THANK YOU!! Thank you to everyone who attended the annual Family Dinner! It was a fantastic evening! Thank you to everyone who helped make the night so much fun and a big thank you to everyone who was able to stay and help clean up! Thank you to Mrs. Crozier, Mr. Meade, and all the teachers who attended. A HUGE THANK YOU to Nancy Pawar and Molly Brzezinski for planning, organizing, and putting this event together!

The Free Throw Competition for boys and girls, ages 9 to 14, has been postponed to Saturday, February 15. The time frame for the competition will be the same, from 1 pm to 4 pm.

Please read the flyer below and consider volunteering for the St. Ignatius Children's Liturgy of the Word. Children's Liturgy of the Word is coordinated by Mrs. Mary Alice LaMorte, who has been Assistant Director, and now the Director, of the St. Ignatius of Antioch Passion Play, which is performed by our very own St. Ignatius of Antioch Middle School students. Please help Mrs. LaMorte with this worthy and rewarding ministry.

Annmarie Flanagan is retiring from PREP at the end of June. After that she will continue with RCIA (now called OCIA). If you or someone you know (maybe your spouse) would be interested in becoming Catholic or just thinking about it, please tell him/her to call Annmarie on her cell --- 215-370-5701. The person does not have to be definite about it.

St. Ignatius of Antioch Parish has a parish-wide subscription to FORMED, a Catholic website with diverse Catholic movies, audio books, podcasts, shows, and more. You have free access to the content. Simply go to formed.org/signup, type in St. Ignatius of Antioch, look for the Yardley address on Reading Ave., click NEXT, type your name and preferred email address, and you will have access to the vast amount of content on FORMED.

This Year of Parish Revival is about falling deeper in love with the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus and following him more closely. Mirroring this internal journey with an external one is a beautiful way to connect body and soul in the pursuit of Christ.

The National Eucharistic Pilgrimage is not one event or a road trip—it is an exciting opportunity for American Catholics everywhere to physically embody our nation’s journey of Eucharistic Revival. Whether you are on the shores of Hawaii or in the mountains of Alaska, needing to stay close to home or deployed overseas, you are invited to be a part of this journey.

Visit: https://www.eucharisticpilgrimage.org/plan-your-own-pilgrimage

Congratulations to three of our 7th Graders, who competed on Saturday, October 26, at the annual Nazareth Academy/Holy Ghost Math Competition! Thank you to Hayden, Annie, and Beatrice for competing, and thank you to Mrs. Casey for continuing to coach our students and prepare them every year for this competition.

Thank you to the Lower Makefield Fire Department for conducting a surprise fire drill on Tuesday, October 8. The Fire Department was impressed with our students and their response time to the drill. All of our students were out of the building and lined up in one and a half minutes!

Thank you to the Lower Makefield Department for returning to St. Ignatius on Tuesday, October 15, for a special visit to our PreK through Grade 2 classes! Our students were taught about fire safety and had an opportunity to walk through the fire truck.

Thank you also to the Lower Makefield Police Department for their visit to our students in PreK through Grade 2 this past week. Our students had the opportunity to meet their police dog and to learn more about safety in the community. The Lower Makefield police officers make frequent visits to our campus, sometimes to monitor traffic but more often to walk through our school building so that they are familiar with the layout of the school and so that our students feel very comfortable with police officers, especially in knowing they are here to help us.

Please pray for all of our police officers, firefighters, and first responders, in gratitude for their service and sacrifice. Please ask our Lord to keep them safe.

The Recycle Club would like to thank all the families who turned in items.

Your support of our Club generated gift cards to be used throughout the school.

The gift cards have been used for Reading Olympic Books, the Faculty Wish List and Beef & Beer Raffles. Your support is greatly appreciated!

Thank you all our St. Ignatius School Homework Book Sponsors!

We appreciate your support and thank you for providing homework books for some of our students.

Ry Max Construction, LLC (Demolition Specialist)

Rymax@RymaxConstruction.net

Ken and Melissa Komar

ARO Construction Inc. (Finish Carpentry)

aroconstruction@live.com

Adriano and Priscilla Oliveira

DeLorenzo's Tomato Pies

Located in Yardley, PA and Robbinsville, NJ

Matt and Genna Longo

CG Orthodontics Specialists

Located in Yardley and Richboro

FitzGerald-Sommer Funeral Home

Located in Yardley, PA

At the General Assembly Meeting on Tuesday, March 19, Greg Lucidi, the St. Ignatius of Antioch Parish Business Manager, led a presentation and discussion of the budget for the 2024-2025 school year. The attached document was distributed as a hard copy at the General Assembly Meeting, so we wanted to share it with those parents who could not attend the meeting.

The 2024-2025 St. Ignatius of Antioch Faculty and Staff list is below.

PreK-3: Mrs. Azara

PreK-4: Ms. Tabeek

PreK-4: Mrs. McBeth

PreK aides: Mrs. Garcia, Mrs. Stasse, Ms. Herbine, Mrs. Morrison, Mrs. Beck

Kindergarten: Ms. Dionne

Kindergarten Aides: Mrs. Morrison, Mrs. Garcia, Mrs. Beck

Grade 1: Mrs. Edwards

Grade 2: Mrs. Ficarro

Grade 3A: Mrs. Montemarano

Grade 3B: Miss Lynch

Grade 4: Ms. Schmidt

Middle School: Mrs. Michel, Ms. Hensler, Mr. Spadea, Mrs. Casey, Mrs. McBride,Mr. Seibel, Mr. Meade

(See below for specific Middle School teaching assignments)

Art: Ms. Murray

Music: Mr. Escandon

STEM: Mr. Seibel

PE: Miss Weight

Spanish: Mrs. Gray

Learning Support: Mrs. Hastings

Librarian: Mrs. Casey

Director of Advancement - Mrs. Crozier

Administrative Assistants - Mrs. Perini, Mrs. Chapuis

Health Room Nurse - Mrs. Kriger, RN (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday); Mrs. Barnette-Eckenrode, RN, CSN (Wednesday); Mrs. Petrillo, RN (Friday)

CARES - Mrs. Goring

Assistant Principal - Mrs. Michel

Principal - Mr. Meade

Mr. Spadea - Grade 5 Homeroom, Grades 6 and 7 ELA, Grades 5 and 8 Religion

Ms. Hensler - Grade 6 Homeroom, Grades 5 through 8 Science, Grade 6 Religion

Mrs. Michel - Grade 8 Homeroom, Grades 5 through 8 Math, Grade 6 Social Studies

Mrs. Casey - Grades 4 through 8 Math Honors, Library

Mrs. McBride - Grades 5 and 8 ELA

Mr. Seibel - Grades 5, 7, and 8 Social Studies, STEM

Mr. Meade - Grade 7 Religion

Mrs. Gray - Spanish

Ms. Murray - Art

Mr. Escandon - Music

Miss Weight - PE

*****A Reminder Regarding Phishing Scams******

We will never request funds via email or text message from Fr. Brownholtz, Fr. Kennedy, Mr. Meade or any of our administrative staff, especially from a third party source. If someone tries to trick you into purchasing any gift cards through an email or text message, it is ALWAYS a scam. Important rule of thumb, when in doubt… ask someone before responding!

Here are a few reminders about the procedures we follow as students arrive at school each day:

• Kindergarten through Grade 8 students who arrive at school between 8:00 am and 8:15 am will go to the Gym and wait until they are sent to their homerooms.
• All Kindergarten through Grade 8 students should arrive at school by 8:30 am.
• PreK-4 students must be walked to the PreK building between 8:15 and 8:30 am.
• PreK-3 students must be walked to the PreK building between 8:30 am and 8:45 am.

Please read these procedures for car drop off and car pick up.

Kindergarten through Grade 8 car drop off:

• Please stay in the drop off line and do not drive around the car in front of you.
• Please wait until the car in front of you pulls forward before you pull forward.
• We ask that parents do not get out of the car; if your child needs help, one of the staff members on duty will help your child to exit the car.

Kindergarten through Grade 8 car pick up:

• Please park in one of the parking lanes between the church and the playground.
• Please wait near the lines of cars until your child exits the school building and comes to you.
• When all your children have come to you, please take them to your car and wait.
• Please wait until the school staff member gives the signal for your line of cars to pull out and drive out of the parking lot before starting to drive away.

For Pre-K drop off and pick up:

• Please use the long parking lanes between Reading Ave. and the big field behind the Pre-K building.
• Please leave the lanes with cones at the end of the lane empty for parents to drive out once they have walked their Pre-K students to the Pre-K building.
• Please take extra care as you are driving, parking, and leaving after Pre-K drop off and pick up.

Please follow these procedures for PreK drop-off and pick-up:

Upon arrival, please pull into the “Pre-K parking lot” which is directly across from the golf course and to the far left of our campus. The entrance to our parking area looks directly straight back to the yellow door of our Pre-K building. Please pull all the way forward in the designated parking lanes, leaving exit lanes empty and available. Exit lanes are marked with cones to indicate that cars are not allowed to park there. Park your car and walk your child to the Preschool yellow front entrance (“map area”).

For safety purposes, our parking area is a ONE WAY zone. All cars should exit via the

driveway to the farthest end of our campus. No car should ever back-up to exit. There is NO PARKING along the grass leading up to our building nor in the main parking area

in front of the big school. Please pass this information along to anyone who may do

drop-off or pick-up for you.

Parking Lot:

For the safety of ALL, it is imperative to abide by the arrival and dismissal procedures

stated above. All cars must enter, pull all the way forward down the designated parking lanes of the

preschool lot, and exit via the farthest driveway. We appreciate your support with this.

Please see the map below as a visual representation of the guidelines above.

Please see the attached letter below for more information on pre-school, including parking guidelines, drop-off times, and other important information.