This past weekend we started the Season of Advent. Advent is a four-week celebration leading up to Christmas. Advent season is an invitation to set your mind off of the stresses of the year. We can take our focus off of the crazy hustle that can be associated with the Christmas season that often threatens to produce more hassle than delight. Advent is a chance to focus our thoughts on the gift God has given us in his son Jesus who stepped down from Heaven and took the form of a man so that we might believe. The tradition for the first Sunday of Advent includes lighting the candle of hope. This candle of hope symbolizes promises delivered through the prophets from God as well as the hope we have in Christ. God crafted a great rescue plan that he lays out in Scripture. This plan foretells years in advance the arrival of Christ. The Bible also gives us a glimpse of the future and promises that God will come down to create a new heaven and Earth.

Bear Nation mark your calendars for this Friday, November 18th so you can come out to our annual Blue and Gold Bash! Our Cheer, Dance, and 5th through 8th grade basketball teams will be announced. Cheer and Dance will perform, our basketball teams will have short scrimmages and a shooting competition as well. Admission is free and concessions will be available, please come and cheer on our athletes as they look to start their seasons!

Again this year, our 2nd graders invite our school community to participate in the Bags of Blessings Program. Our local community is so blessed to have our St. Vincent De Paul Food Pantry to help those in need. All donations for the Bags of Blessings will go to our St. Vincent De Paul Food Pantry. Students are asked to send in non-perishable items beginning on Friday, November 18. Please see the flyer in this week’s Bear Facts.

Our Thanksgiving Break begins on Wednesday, November 23 through Friday, November 25. We will return to school on Monday, November 28. We hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and enjoy this time with family and friends.

Today, marks the midpoint of the 2nd quarter. Please make sure to check your child’s progress in PowerSchool. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your child’s teacher.

As we approach the winter season, it is time to start thinking about dreaded inclement weather. Please remember that we do NOT follow a certain school corporation, I make the decision for St. Anthony School. Decisions are never easy and if you, as the parent or guardian, feel that the roads are too bad to get your child to school, it is your prerogative to keep your child at home. Safety is our first concern when the decision is made to delay or close school. Local fire and police are called upon for help in this decision regarding road conditions, etc., before a decision is made. My goal is to make a decision by 6:00 AM. If there is a closing or delay it will be posted in the following ways: School Parent Facebook Page School Website WDRB Snow Fox Closings - make sure to sign up for Snow Fox Alerts! You will look for St. Anthony School, Clarksville Snow Fox Alert Sign Up Email sent to all families If weather and road conditions become bad enough to cause a change in the normal school schedule, we will follow one of the following plans Plan One - Two Hour Delay For a two-hour delay, the bell will ring at 9:50 AM. On days of delayed opening, the school and Preschool doors will open at 9:00 AM. Please note this is a change from previous years! Plan Two - School Closed When this announcement is made, St. Anthony of Padua Catholic School Building will be closed, but classes will take place via remote learning. St. Anthony Pre School will also be closed.

It is very important that lunch account bills are kept current. Please remember that students are charged for extra entrees, juice, water and extra milk. Students will not be allowed to get extra if their lunch account bill is more than $10 in the negative. Lunch bills are sent home on a weekly basis. We would suggest sending in lunch money on a regular basis to keep account current.

St. Anthony’s is hosting the monthly deanery event in December. We will be hosting a Christmas Dance in the Parish gym on December 16. We are looking for volunteers to help with decorations, food and drinks, chaperones, and clean up. We will have a meeting on November 14 at 6:00, please attend if you are interested in helping. If you cannot attend the meeting, but would like to volunteer in someway, please sign up at the link by clicking on the title.

We are looking for volunteers to help in the cafeteria. Volunteers would help hand out condiments, monitor kids and help with cleaning tables and floors. Volunteers are needed from 10:30-12:30. Please email Mrs. Tucker and let her know when you are available to help. s.tucker@stanthnyschool.us

WOW!!!! Our Texas Roadhouse gift card sells were amazing once again. We are working on totaling the sales for the fundraiser. Thanks to everyone for your support. Thank you to Ally Huber for running the fundraiser!

What Is Red Ribbon Week?  It is an ideal way for people and communities to unite and take a visible stand against drugs . Show your personal commitment to a drug-free lifestyle through the symbol of the Red Ribbon, October 23 - 31st . The mission of the Red Ribbon Campaign® is to present a unified and visible commitment towards the creation of a drug-free America  Why?  The National Family Partnership organized the first Nationwide Red Ribbon Campaign in response to the murder of Drug Enforcement Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena . Camarena was tortured and killed in Mexico in 1985 . After his murder, angered parents and youth in communities across the country began wearing Red Ribbons as a symbol of their commitment to raise awareness of the killing and destruction cause by drugs in America .  Who?  The National Family Partnership is the sponsor of the National Red Ribbon Week® Celebration . We are helping citizens across the country come together to keep children, families and communities safe, healthy and drug-free, through parent training, networking and sponsoring the National Red Ribbon Campaign®  We are very excited to celebrate Red Ribbon Week.  Included in today’s Bear Facts is a list of themes and activities for each day.   Students will be allowed to wear Halloween Costumes on Friday, October 28th!  Please follow costume guidelines: no face paint or hair coloring, be able to use the restroom on their own, mask may be worn but may need to be removed during class time, and no gore, violence, or weapons.  If student prefers not to wear a Halloween Costume, they can wear a Halloween shirt or orange and/or black shirt with jeans or sweats.

This Friday, October 21 is a SAS Spirit Wear Day. Students may wear a SAS Spirit wear shirt with uniform bottoms.