Elk County Catholic School System

Senior Tailgate

Lindsey Straub — Thu, 23 May 2013 20:12:49 +0000

On the morning of the last day of their high school careers, the seniors held their annual tailgate in the cafeteria parking lot. No continental breakfast here – eggs, bacon, toast, fruit, and juice were on the menu. Possibly some future chefs in our midst? Another memory to add to the scrapbook. Congratulations, Class of 2013, on all you have accomplished! We are all so proud of you!

Service Hours Opportunity: Community Nurses Book Sale

Lindsey Straub — Thu, 23 May 2013 19:14:03 +0000

The Community Nurses Book Sale is getting bigger and bigger, and many volunteers are needed to sort and organize books. Only one collection night was held so far and already thousands of books have been donated!

Volunteers are needed on Saturday, June 1 from 9 a.m. – noon and on Monday, June 3 and Tuesday, June 4 from 9 a.m. – 7 p.m.

Anyone who wants to help can just show up on those days or can contact Ann Bauer at abauer@communitynurses.org or 781-4729. Service hours are available!

Scrip Office open on Friday, May 24

Lindsey Straub — Thu, 23 May 2013 18:20:32 +0000

Due to high demand, the Scrip Office will be open on Friday, May 24 from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.

A Letter to Parents from Fr. Nicholas Rouch

Tim Cotter — Wed, 22 May 2013 22:39:12 +0000

Dear Parents:

This past weekend the Diocese announced that Bishop Persico appointed Fr. Michael Ferrick as Rector of St. Peter Cathedral, effective June 10, 2013. We are proud and excited for Fr. Michael and the Cathedral parish, but also are aware of the great loss the people of Queen of the World Parish and ECCSS will experience. I know that you join me in extending congratulations to Fr. Michael and prayers for his transition into the significant ministry which awaits him at the Cathedral.

With regard to administrative leadership at ECCSS, I am grateful for the strong and cohesive administrative team which we have in place, largely due to Father Michael’s leadership. Moving forward, I would expect that the Bishop, as Chairman of the Members, will appoint an interim or acting President as soon as possible. That will allow time for the Board of Directors, working in harmony with the Members, to develop an appropriate search process leading to the appointment of the next President. I look forward to being significantly involved in this effort, in collaboration with Mr. Bill Hoffman, Chairman of the Board of Directors.

I thank you for providing your support to ECCSS since we began several years ago. I ask that you continue to pray for the ECCSS during this time of transition. As people of faith we believe that the Holy Spirit will guide the Bishop and the Board of Members and Board of Directors in choosing the best person needed to fill the position of President at this time in the life of our school system.

Sincerely in Christ,

Rev. Nicholas J. Rouch, S.T.D.

Vicar for Education

ECCHS Alumni Association Spring Business Meeting

Lindsey Straub — Tue, 21 May 2013 12:00:23 +0000

The Elk County Catholic High School Alumni Association will hold its annual spring meeting on Tuesday, May 28 at 7 p.m. in the high school conference room. All alumni members are invited to attend, especially class representatives. Please join us as we wrap up and review this year’s events and begin plans for next year’s activities. Refreshments will be provided! Inquiries can be directed to the Advancement Office (834-1480, advancement@eccss.org). Hope to see you there!

Kindergarten End-of-the-Year Program – Thursday, May 30

Lindsey Straub — Mon, 20 May 2013 13:43:00 +0000

As part of their end-of-the-year program, the kindergarten classes will present their musical entitled How Does Your Garden Groove? In this musical, Freddy and Franny Farmer’s garden vegetables are movin’ and groovin’. This is not your typical garden-variety musical as the French fried potatoes have appeal, leafy vegetables sing Lettuce Entertain You and the corn and peas beg Please Don’t Put Us in a Can-Can! These lively veggies will sing and dance their way into everyone’s hearts!

In addition to the musical, the kindergarteners will also perform several other songs and also receive a certificate from Mrs. Schaut.

Please join us on Thursday, May 30 at 8:45 a.m. in the gymnasium for an entertaining program. All are welcome to attend! Hope to see you there!

Letter to Parents from the Desk of Fr. Michael

Tim Cotter — Sun, 19 May 2013 10:30:59 +0000

May 1, 2013

Dear Parents,

I am pleased to announce that Bishop Lawrence Persico and the governing Members of the Elk County Catholic School System, at the recommendation of the Board of Directors of the Elk County Catholic School System, have approved the moving of the St. Marys Catholic Middle School to the Elk County Catholic High School building to be completed for the beginning of school in August 2013. This is an exciting time for Catholic education in Elk County. With the change in location of the Middle School we believe that we are strengthening our school system and adapting to the changing demographics so that our schools remain vibrant.

I want to thank the parents who came to one of our two parent meetings and asked questions and voiced their opinions regarding the move. I want to thank you for your overwhelming support of the middle school move and of Catholic education in general. We heard your concerns about the sixth grade and the need for them to be separated from the high school students. As was stated in the presentation at the parent meeting, the middle school will run separately from the high school and the layout of the two schools will ensure that the separation is there. The administration and faculty realize the differences between high school and middle school students and will treat them accordingly.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for supporting us and trusting your children’s education to us. Know that we do not take this task lightly, and we do everything we can with the help of God to form your children to be the best future leaders of our church and community. See the attached page of information that will hopefully answer any questions you may have about the move. If you have additional questions, please contact the building principals or me. With the grace of God and your help we will make this transition as smooth as possible and move our schools forward.

Peace,
Fr. Michael

To view the PDF copy of this letter, please click here.

To view answer to several FAQs on this move, please click here.

Save the Date: Our Town St. Marys – Thursday, June 6

Lindsey Straub — Thu, 16 May 2013 17:32:12 +0000

Did you hear? St. Marys will be the next city featured on the WPSU series Our Town! Our Town features the heritage and spirit of local communities as told by its citizens. Residents use their video cameras to show the personalities and places that make their town special. Elk County Catholic School System along with Queen of the World, St. Mary’s, and Sacred Heart parishes will be highlighted during the one-hour program on Thursday, June 6 at 8 p.m. Save the date and don’t forget to watch Our Town St. Marys on WPSU!

5th graders plant a tree in honor of Arbor Day

Lindsey Straub — Wed, 15 May 2013 13:54:37 +0000

Recently, the fifth graders at SMCES planted a tree at Benzinger Park in St. Marys in celebration of Arbor Day. The tree honors the fifth grade students for their service to the City of St. Marys and the Shade Tree Commission. The Purple Prince flowering crab tree was placed in a row of trees that was planted at the park about 20 years ago, replacing a tree that had died. Each student helped in the planting, whether it was removing or adding soil or patting it down. What a great “green” hands-on activity for our students!

Scrip Office announces PrestoPay

Lindsey Straub — Mon, 13 May 2013 14:02:42 +0000

Our Scrip tuition program can be less time consuming and eliminate the need for writing checks or providing cash and delivering to your child’s school. This can be accomplished with a program enhancement called PrestoPay, an online payment option for your weekly online orders, ScripNow! ecards and Scrip card reloads.

PrestoPay is an electronic payment method offered through ShopWithScrip.com which allows you to securely link a bank account to your ShopWithScrip account. Families can then choose to have their bank account debited for the entire amount of their ShopWithScrip order when they checkout online. The rebate is automatically credited to our organization and you don’t have to provide cash or a check and a copy of your online order to the school. Just think of the convenience and time saved by not having to drop off your order and payment or send it in to school with your child!

You will love using PrestoPay, because it makes ordering so convenient! For a small convenience fee of only $0.15 per order (not per item in an order), you can order and pay for Scrip on your ShopWithScrip account at any time, day or night. But the real magic of PrestoPay is helping you get your virtual Scrip quicker than ever. Families who use PrestoPay will have their card reload orders processed faster and receive their ScripNow! ecards in a matter of minutes! On top of that, PrestoPay is also completely secure. Each family creates a PIN number to use at checkout, so they know their account is protected.

You can enroll in PrestoPay right now in just a few clicks. To begin the registration process, log into your ShopWithScrip account and follow these easy steps:

1. Click on the PrestoPay link in the left navigation bar of the Family Home Page.

2. Enter your bank account information in a secure environment. You will need to enter both the bank routing number and your bank account number which can be found on one of your checks.

3. Within 2-3 business days, Great Lakes Scrip Center will deposit two (2) small amounts in your bank account. The next time you log in, you will then enter these amounts into your PrestoPay registration to verify the account, and choose a PIN number to use for online payment.

4. You will receive an email with an approval code to send to your Scrip Coordinator: Mary Catalone – mjcat24@hotmail.com

That’s all there is to it! With the summer vacation around the corner and school office hours reduced, you won’t have to worry about getting your order and payment to the elementary school and your ScripNow! ecards and reloads will be processed very quickly.

Please note that the deadline for Scrip online orders will still remain on Friday mornings by 9:00 a.m.