✓ School Happenings✓ School Happenings✓ Service Opportunity✓ Home School Association✓ Home School Association✓ Night Under the Stars✓ Counselor’s Corner

Important Dates4/5: School Mass, 10:154/5: 12:45 Dismissal4/10: Science Fair

From the Principal

Dear Parents and Guardians,

I hope you are all having a good week and are still enjoyingyour Lenten journeys! I have been checking in with Busted Halo’s Lent calendar that provides a quote and a micro-challenge for everyday.

I wanted to share with you some feedback we received from a visiting family. Last week, we held an InformationSession for newly applied/registered and interested families. After a short presentation, we provided a chance for the families to see the classrooms and meet with some of our faculty and a school parent (thanks, Mrs. Vaccaro!).

As we walked around, I heard “what bright and spacious classrooms,” “wow, look at the science lab!” and “this seems like such a lovely community.” As we finished the tour, one parent remarked, “your school shines.” (I decided to interpret that metaphorically, though our school does shine physically, too!) Isn’t that a lovely thing to hear? I agreed, wholeheartedly, that our school and our community do truly shine and we are very proud of it! It is an absolute honor to be the principal of such a terrific community and I am thankful to God everyday!

Have a fantastic week!Mrs. Florendo

School Happenings

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It is not too late to sign up to be an

altar server! Send the following information to Sr. Esther at saintjamesasm@optimum.net

• Child’s Name

• Address

• Phone & Email

• Father and Mother’s Name

• Grade in September 2019

ConfirmationConfirmation Rehearsal

Wednesday, May 29, 2019 at 3:50PM

Confirmation Candidates -- report directly to the Chapel.

Sponsors -- go to the Church; you will be shown to your

assigned seats.

Sponsors are asked to attend rehearsal if possible. If the Sponsor is unavailable, a parent is asked to sit in and inform the Sponsor of the

procedure of Confirmation. For rehearsal, candidates report to the Chapel for line-up; sponsors look for your reserved seat in the Church. The

pews will be marked with the sponsors' names and there will be ushers available as well.

Confirmation robes will be distributed after rehearsal. Candidates will receive a name label with their chosen Confirmation name. This label

must be worn for Confirmation.

Confirmation Mass

Tuesday, June 4, 2019 at 4:30 PM Mass

Confirmation Candidates report directly to the Chapel at 4:00PM.

Sponsors to the Church for your assigned seats at 4:00PM.

All Candidates and Sponsors should arrive to St. James PROMPTLY by 4:00PM.

Candidates, please go directly to the Chapel; sponsors please be seated in the Church. Candidates and sponsors have the only reserved

seating. Any unreserved pews/chairs are available for family and guests.

Photos: Photos with the Bishop may be taken immediately following Mass in the Chapel. Newly Confirmed should wear their robes for these

photos. Afterwards, please report to the Chapel basement to turn in your robe and receive your Confirmation certificate. No videotaping or

photography is permitted during Mass.

Dress: Girls will be wearing white robes and should wear a white/light-colored dress and appropriate shoes -- no sneakers or flip-flops are

permitted. Girls hair should be pulled back so as to keep the Confirmation name unobstructed for the Bishop to read. Boys will be wearing red

robes and should wear dress slacks and a white/light-colored button-down shirt and tie of their choice. Boys should wear dress shoes -- no

sneakers or flip flops are permitted. Also, boys should not wear a jacket or sports coat.

ALL CONFIRMATION CANDIDATES MUST HAVE FULFILLED ALL CONFIRMATION REQUIREMENTS AND MUST HAVE

ALL PAPERWORK SUBMITTED TO THE SCHOOL OF RELIGION OFFICE. Click HERE for the Confirmation Packet of Requirements.

Please email or call the School of Religion Office (908-766-4774, ext. 230 or 232) with any questions or concerns.

School Happenings

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Wednesday, May 8 at 4PM -- Final Rehearsal for First Communion

Saturday, May 11 at 10AM -- First Communion Celebration

For Final Rehearsal 5/8/19: Please report to the Chapel by 3:55PM so we may begin promptly at 4PM. For parents who

would like to stay, please be seated on the sides of the Church. Practice will last approximately one hour. Your child may

be picked up on the bottom level of the main Church at 5PM.

For First Holy Communion Mass 5/11/19: Please have your child report directly to the Chapel no later than 9:30AM,

then find your assigned seats in the main Church. If you're facing the altar, parents of boys will be sitting on the right;

parents of girls will be on the left. There will be family names on the pews as well as ushers assisting you in finding your

seats. All other siblings, family members and friends should sit in any unreserved seating available. Please be considerate

of other parents in your row. Bringing an additional child in the pew will result in an overcrowded and uncomfortable

row. You will be directed at Communion so you will receive directly behind your child. Everyone will return to their

pew by the side aisle.

When Mass is over, children will proceed down the center aisle and into the Chapel to receive their certificate. You are

then free to leave or stay to take photos. Please advise other family members of additional parking in the school lot.

Girls should not wear gloves, nor should any child carry anything. All children will receive a Communion pin at final

rehearsal and should wear this pin for First Communion.

Finally, before this important day in your child's life, please practice at home the format for receiving Communion in the

hand to reinforce what they have practiced in class.

Service Opportunity

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Midnight Run -Collection fo r the HomelessSome of our parish high school students will be going on an NYC Holy Week Midnight Run in

which they will be distributing clothing and toiletries to the homeless.

A box has been set up at the entrance to the school of you have any items that you would like to

donate.

What they need:

GENTLY USED MEN AND WOMEN”S CLOTHING:

JEANS, PANTS

SHIRTS, T-SHIRTS

JACKETS, SWEATSHIRTS (hoodies are a favorite!)

COMFORTABLE SHOES AND SNEAKERS

TOILETRIES

Travel Size Bars of Soap

Travel Size Shampoo

Travel Size Conditioner

Deodorant

Packages of Disposable Razors

Powder

If you have any questions, please direct them to Jeanine Agugliaro at jagugliaro@aol.com.

To learn more about this mission and make a monetary donation, please visit

www.regnumchristinyctnj.org. Look for 2019 NYC Holy Week Youth Mission” under “Missions”

Home School Association

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Home School Association

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Home-School Association

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Congratulations to Mrs. Jess Hess and Mrs.

Kelley Henry for such a fun evening. Many

thanks to the committee for all of their hard

work!

Thank you to our event sponsors:

Bruzzichesi Orthodontics

All Tire Company

And thank you to ou r community for the many donations and you r attendance at this very important event!!

Counselor’s Corner Back to top

8 Ways to Help Your Middle-Schooler Connect With Other Kids

Making friends in middle school can be stressful and tricky. If your child struggles with social skills, it may be even more

challenging. Here are some ways to help your child connect with other kids.

1. Go over social rules and cues.

Some middle-schoolers have more trouble with social skills than other tweens. Talk with your child about social cues

and social rules—but don’t just do it in the aftermath of a social blunder. Discuss basic social skills when things are calm

and going well, too.

It can also be effective to discretely point out social cues when you see others using (or missing) them. For example:

“Do you see how Mr. Jones backed away when Zach talked to him? That’s because Zach was standing too close.”

2. Remind her there are different types of friends.

Not everybody can be a friend for all situations—and that’s OK. Talk that through with your tween. For instance,

some kids aren’t good at keeping secrets, but they’re lots of fun. Some are easy to talk to about feelings, but don’t share

the same interests. Some are great to work with on projects with but not so great to hang out with.

Let your child know just because someone isn’t “best friend” material, that doesn’t mean she can’t be a friend. It just

means there are limitations to that particular friendship.

3. Understand what your child wants and needs.

Some kids don’t need a bunch of friends. Managing the drama of multiple friends is sometimes too much. Check in

with your child. Ask, “What are you looking to get out of a new friendship? What kinds of things do you picture doing with

a friend?”

Keep in mind that your child’s friendship needs might not match yours. And they may change over time, too. So keep

checking in.

4. Keep talking about what’s important in a friend.

Explore what your tween thinks makes a good friend. It may actually help her understand how she views friendship. Try

to listen and not project your own ideas. Ask open-ended questions like, “What do you think makes someone a good

friend? Why?”

Exploring what your child has to offer as a friend can also help. Ask her to consider what qualities or things make her a

good friend to have.

5. Help her recognize possible friends.

Your child may not recognize the kid who could be a friend. Talk about who she likes to spend time with, either at school

or outside of it. Point out who she talks about in positive ways.

Sometimes kids aim to be friends with kids who have very different values. Guide your child by helping her voice values

that are not negotiable to her. Ask things like: Do you want a dependable friend who shows up on time? Is honesty very

important to you, or having a friend you can confide in?

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Counselor’s Corner Back to top

6. Explore new ways she can start friendships.

Joining after school activities is a good way for tweens to meet kids with common interests. Once your child feels

confident with kids in that group, she may want to hang out one-on-one.

Help her come up with things to say like, “You do great accents in drama club. Let’s hang out sometime and maybe you

can teach me.” She could also invite a friend to come with her to an activity. “Are you going to the food drive on

Saturday? Want us to pick you up on the way?”

7. Talk about behaviors that can damage a friendship.

Kids may wear out a friendship because they want so badly for it to work. Kids can also overwhelm friends by talking

nonstop or interrupting.

Be frank with your child about what she needs to know to avoid hurting a friendship. For instance: Friends need space

and can’t always be together. They may each have other friends they want to see sometimes. You and your friend both

need a chance to talk about your feelings and what’s important to you. And friends can disagree without hurting

each other.

8. Keep your eyes and ears open.

When kids are this age, keeping on top of the help they need in making friends can be tough. Volunteer to drive carpools

or host a small group of kids for a movie marathon. Or volunteer at school to see what’s happening in that environment.

You’ll get a chance to observe and listen to not only their words, but to their emotions as well.

Let your child know she can talk to you—and you will listen without being judgmental. That indirect route of being a

sounding board helps keep the lines of communication open.

Source: www.understood.org