During the past couple of weeks, I have been filled with great pride in our St. Pius X students. At the end of the first quarter, we recognized numerous students during our first All-School Assembly. Our students are constantly reminded of the importance of using their God-given gifts to the best of their abilities, as well as the importance of making a positive difference in this world, so it was an honor to recognize those students who are setting examples for all of us by going above and beyond in effort, conduct, and kindness. Please see the list of students below who were recognized during our assembly.

During our Veterans Day program, it was quite moving to witness the incredible respect that the entire student body showed to our veterans and active military. The program lasted nearly an hour, and the students were attentive and silent throughout the program. Additionally, their behavior in church has been excellent this year. While they needed some reminders on how to receive Jesus in the Eucharist, during Mass this week, Father Ondrey complimented them on their reverence.

As we look forward to Thanksgiving, I am grateful to lead a staff that dedicates themselves to teaching our students the importance of being a good person and the value of Catholic education. I am grateful to work with fantastic families who make sacrifices and prioritize education. I feel most grateful for a faith that teaches us we are loved and cared about deeply and challenges us to put others first. I hope you and your family have a fun and relaxing Thanksgiving!

Monday, November 21 $1.00 Dress Down Day for 8th Grade DC Trip

Tuesday, November 22 All-School Mass 8:30 a.m.

Tuesday, November 22 1st & 2nd Stone Soup (Parish Center 11:00)

Tuesday, November 22 Kindergarten Thanksgiving Meal

Tuesday, November 22 Beta Club Induction Ceremony (Gym 1:15)

Wednesday, November 23 No School

Thursday, November 24 No School - Thanksgiving

Friday, November 25 No School

Sunday, November 27 Advent Begins

Monday, November 28 Protecting God's Children at SPX (Parish Center 6:00 p.m.)

Tuesday, November 29 Mass with Bishop Fernandes 8:30 a.m. (Families Welcome!)

Thursday, December 1 Collection Begins for Sponsor-a-Family

Friday, December 2 Sacrament of Penance Offered for Students in Grades 3-8

Friday, December 2 Bi-Weekly Newsletter Published

Saturday, December 3 SPX Parish Breakfast with Santa (Parish Center 8:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.)

Wednesday, December 7 Poinsettia Pickup (Gym 3:00-6:30)

Wednesday, December 7 Vigil Mass for Feast of the Immaculate Conception (7:00 p.m.)

Thursday, December 8 All-School Mass for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception 8:30

Thursday, December 8 K & 1st Christmas Program (Church 1:30 & 6:30)

Friday, December 9 2nd Grade to the Nutcracker

Friday, December 9 Spelling Bee (Gym 12:30 p.m.)

Monday, December 12 Secret Santa (Parish Center)

Monday, December 12 Preschool Christmas Program (Church 6:30 p.m.)

Tuesday, December 13 Secret Santa (Parish Center)

Tuesday, December 13 All-School Mass

Tuesday, December 13 Choir & Band Concert (Gym 6:30)

Wednesday, December 14 Secret Santa (Parish Center)

Wednesday, December 14 Home & School Meeting for A Night In Green Planning (Library 6:30)

Thursday, December 15 Pizza With the Pastor 7th & 8th

Thursday, December 15 2nd & 3rd Christmas Program (1:30 & 6:30 Church)

Friday, December 16 $1.00 Dress Down Day for 8th Grade D.C. Trip

Friday, December 16 Game Truck for Candy Sale Winners

Friday, December 16 Bi-Weekly Newsletter Published

Monday, December 19 BIBIBOP HSA Fundraiser

Monday, December 19 Choir/Band Concert

Tuesday, December 20 All-School Mass

Tuesday, December 20 Juggler Presentation for Pre K - 3

Tuesday, December 20 Christmas Parties

Wednesday, December 21 - Tuesday, January 3 No School

**The yearly calendar may be found by logging in to your FACTS Family Portal.**

Feeding the hungry is one of the Corporal Works of Mercy; we will be partnering with the St. Vincent de Paul Ministry, once again, to collect food donations for the Bishop Griffin Center.

While we will take any donations, the list below represents what the Griffin Center needs most:

• Week 1 (11/14 - 11/18) Boxed dessert mix (cookie or cake), Bread or muffin mix

• Week 2 & 3 (11/21 - 11/22 and 11/28 - 12/2) Canned yams & baked beans

• Week 4 & 5 (12/5 - 12/9 and 12/12 - 12/14) Jars of gravy & boxed instant potatoes

After recognizing our student athletes during our All-School Assembly, we took time to celebrate the end of our 1st Quarter and build school spirit through an energetic pep rally! Our SPX cheerleaders, under the direction of Mrs. Marvin, did a phenomenal job leading us in an exciting afternoon filled with cheers and class Minute-to-Win-It type challenges. Based on the sounds of the crowd, it was a FUN afternoon! We are thankful that Mrs. Rush was able to join us from Hartley to show us how to run a fun-filled pep rally! (More photos and videos may be found on our Facebook page.)

Under the direction of our talented music teacher, Mrs. Karen Smith, our 4th and 5th graders did an extraordinary job honoring our military friends and families on Veterans Day. We were treated to patriotic songs, student essays, a slideshow of our heroes, and a personal reflection from Captain Marshal Carpenter, father of Weston. We'd like to thank Mr. Stephen Caron, father of Evie and Madison, for greeting our students during arrival, our Girl Scouts for welcoming our guests, our Boy Scouts for leading the Pledge of Allegiance, Mrs. Katy Kister for creating the beautiful slideshow below, Captain Carpenter for helping us understand the sacrifice of our military families, and our maintenance team and Mrs. Laura Cassanos for the set-up and decorating of the space.

It was a privilege to have nearly thirty veterans and active military join us for this special day which allowed us to say, "THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE!" If you were unable to attend, please check out the video below.

*If you have a family member or relative in the military who will be deployed overseas during Christmas, please contact Krista Schumacher at delroshoe@yahoo.com or 614-323-7048, if you would like our SPX Military Outreach to send a care package. *

Over the past two weeks, 2nd and 3rd grade completed a multidisciplinary unit inspired by the book, “Balloons Over Broadway”. In this book, students learned about the rich history of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and discovered how the parade's puppeteer, Tony Sarg, created his big balloon designs. Our 2nd graders worked in teams to create a detailed sketch, then paired with their 3rd grade teammates to discuss how they would engineer a working parade float. The 3rd graders served as excellent leaders! Together, teams gathered supplies and started engineering a float that can move. These innovative teams utilized balloons, paper, lights, paint, glitter, scooters, and motorized cars to make their designs come to life! After several collaboration sessions, students tested their designs and prepared for a real parade using a route planned by the 3rd graders. Like any engineer or artist, some things did not go to plan, but our students were resilient. Each team was able to show off their hard work by putting on a real parade for our kindergarteners and first graders!

Check out our Facebook page for a recording of a LIVE video of the parade!

Brand new for the 2022-2023 school year is the SPX Newspaper Club. This opportunity is open to 5th and 6th graders who have an interest in writing, design, or photography. We currently have 21 students filling a variety of contribution roles. Students were able to choose between being photographers, content creators, or activities team. The club has a student leadership team of main editors as well. Mrs. Kister is the club advisor and is working with students on design elements, caption writing, and articles; however, our newspaper is completely student led in content topics, pictures taken, and formatting. The goal is to give students a voice about SPX, and a new perspective of things happening in the school, while adding a creative element.

There will be a Protecting God's Children class offered at St. Pius X on Monday, November 28, at 6:00 in the parish center. Please use this link to register: https://www.virtusonline.org/virtus/reg_list2.cfm?theOrgID=18023&theme=0

We are excited to announce that Bishop Fernandes will be celebrating an All-School Mass at SPX on Tuesday, November 29. Following Mass, he will be touring the school and meeting our students and staff members. We hope to treat him to some special presentations from our students. Parents are welcome to attend the Mass; however, it will be crowded. *The two middles sections and the section closet to the piano are reserved for students.

Poinsettias will be available on Wednesday, December 7th, from 3:00 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. in the gym. The HSA would like to thank everyone who participated and congratulate their top seller and the top selling class:

• Elena Conley - 1st Grade with 26 items sold - Winner of a $100 Amazon GC!

• Mrs. Woods KT Class - Top selling class with 55 items sold - Winners of....

Link to Order: https://2022spxhgw.itemorder.com/shop/home/

Ohio’s Original Interscholastic Creative Writing Program for Middle Schools

What is Power of the Pen?

Power of the Pen is the State of Ohio’s competition writing program. Each school sends team members from the seventh and eighth grades to tournaments in which they compete through creative writing.

When are the practices?

We practice every other Wednesday* afternoon from 2:20-3:10 in Room 206. Arrangements can be made with winter sports and activities.

*A final practice schedule will be sent out to participants with specific dates and times.

When are the competitions?

You will need to be available to go to the District Tournament on Saturday, February 11, 2023.

If you advance to the next level, there is also a Regional Tournament (Saturday, March 11, 2023), and a State Tournament on Thursday and Friday .

Why should I try out?

Power of the Pen is a fun after-school activity, as well as a great way to work on your writing skills in a community of peers who all enjoy the craft of writing! Plus, you get to eat snacks. ☺

Contact

Mrs. Meyer Room 206

smeyer@spxelementary.com

If you are interested in after school tutoring by one of the following teachers, please contact them directly for fees and availability:

Mrs. Camp (acamp@spxelementary.com) - K-4 Math and 2-4 Reading

Mrs. Canfield (tcanfiel@spxelementary.com) - 3-4 Math and Reading

Mrs. Trainer (ktrainer@spxelementary.com) - K-5 Math and Reading

Save the Date...more details to follow!

Help us increase the amount of our Kroger community rewards by registering your Kroger Rewards Card with St. Pius X School and Church. These reward checks allow us to do special things for our staff throughout the year, and I always say, "If we keep our staff happy, they keep your children happy!"

Here's how the contest works:

• Link your Kroger Card to St. Pius X School and Church (#KL459). See directions below.
• Take a screenshot of the page that shows your account connected to SPX.
• Email the screenshot to mdennett@spxelementary.com or print it and send it to school with your children.
• One point will be given to each child in your family for each account that is registered, so please encourage your friends and family members to link to SPX, too!
• The class with the greatest average number of points per student (when we return in January) will earn a pizza party and dress down day.

1. Log into your Kroger app.

2. Link your card to an organization.

• Select the 3 lines on the top right.
  
• Click Rewards.
• Click Community Rewards.
• In the "Find an Organization" box type KL459
• Select St. Pius X School and Church
• Click Enroll

Your selected organization will also display in the Kroger Community Rewards section of your account.

https://www.marketdaylocal.com/account/register

St. Pius earns 10% of the total dollar amount on every order.

When searching for our school, we are listed as St. Pius X School!

Do you know there is an easy way for you to help support our school AND get a discount on your tuition? It's simple! When you purchase gift cards (physical or ecards!) through our SCRIP program, the school receives a percentage of the money you spend, and YOU receive a percentage of the money. Everyone has to buy gas and groceries and your purchases can help St. Pius X. All it takes is a little planning on your part. They make great and easy gifts too.

What is Scrip?

Scrip cards are gift cards from national and local retailers. They are the same ones that you buy at the store.

How does St. Pius X make money from Scrip?

Participating retailers sell the gift cards at a discount. School families buy the gift cards for face value and redeem them for face value.

How do families get money from buying scrip?

Each card carries a rebate and it is split 70% to the family and 30% to St Pius X.

What stores participate?

There are hundreds of retailers that participate with Scrip, including Walmart, Kohl's, Speedway, Dunkin Donut, Panera, Old Navy, Dick's Speedway, Sheetz, Wendy's and many more. You can see a complete list of the participating retailers at:

https://shop.shopwithscrip.com/Shop/Product/Browse

How do I buy Scrip?

You can purchase Scrip online. Several cards (especially gas cards) can also be reloaded, meaning that you add funds to your existing Scrip cards.

Online: www.glscrip.com

Does Scrip have grocery store cards?

Yes! Several stores, including Giant Eagle, Walmart and Target have regular Scrip cards.

Christmas and Thanksgiving are coming sooner than we think and due to Covid shopping this year may be a little different. We have several retailers that will be having Black Friday deals.

If interested in signing up, use Enrollment Code 4CLCA31F15425. Please send questions to Diane Bassetti at: stpiusscrip@yahoo.com

Did you know that you can put your Ohio tax dollars to work to support Catholic education? It’s true…and now it’s easier than ever! As an Ohio taxpayer, if you make a donation to the Emmaus Road Scholarship Fund, you receive a dollar-for-dollar credit (not a deduction) on your Ohio income tax liability – up to $750 per person, or $1,500 if married filing jointly – effectively allowing YOU to make a choice about how YOUR Ohio tax dollars are utilized.

What’s the catch? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. This tax credit was enacted into law by the Ohio Legislature in late 2021 and the Emmaus Road Scholarship Fund is a certified scholarship granting organization (SGO) of the Diocese of Columbus. The funds donated to the SGO are used for academic scholarships for students to attend Our Catholic Schools and, though they must be prioritized for low-income families, anyone in our schools have the potential to benefit from these scholarships, making an authentic Catholic education affordable and accessible for all. What’s more, you can restrict your gift for the benefit of one or more schools of your choosing.

The Emmaus Road Scholarship Fund creates much-needed scholarship dollars for Our Catholic Schools while giving you the power to direct your tax dollars to support our efforts to lead children to an encounter with Christ.

Are you ready to make an impact? Visit our new scholarship web site at www.emmausroadscholarship.org to get started!

All women of the parish and school are invited to a Candy Cane Christmas Tea on December 10th, 2022 from 10:00 am to 12N in the Msgr. David R Funk Parish Family Center. This event is hosted by the Leadership Team of the Women Ablaze Ministry. Please RSVP on the Parish website by December 5th for planning purposes. We will be looking forward to seeing you there!

Email: stpiusx@cdeducation.org
Website: www.spxreynoldsburg.com
Location: 1061 Waggoner Road, Reynoldsburg, OH, USA
Phone: 614-866-6050
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SPXSchoolReynoldsburg