Saint Bernadette School

Catholic schools shall not discriminate on the basis of race, sex (unless a single sex school), color, national and ethnic origin, age (in accordance with the law) and physical or learning disability (if, with reasonable effort on the part of the school, the disabled person could be accommodated).

Guidelines for Admission - The following guidelines are used when accepting registration for the school:

• Size of each grade level
• Siblings of children already registered have first preference
• Second preference is for children of parishioners
• Non-parishioners may then be accepted. Non-parishioners will be charged the non-parishioner rate of tuition.
• If the grade level is full, we will maintain a waiting list.
• We will fill kindergarten classes with existing parishioner children before opening the class to non-parishioner children.

When can I sign my child up for Kindergarten at St. Bernadette's?
We will accept names for incoming Kindergartner students up to three years before they are of age to attend the programs. You can call or email the office.

I'd like more information and/or an application for enrollment.

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis beginning in the spring of each year. For specific dates, please contact the office. The Tuition Rate Form and Policy are included in this information packet. For more information, please contact the school office.

Very exciting for any Catholic School, but especially for St. B's is Catholic Schools Week, the last week of January each year. Included in a variety of fun activities that change each year, is the annual on-going rival volleyball game that showcases the 8th Grade class against the Faculty while the rest of the school cheers their favorites along!!

Magazine Sales - September

Catholic Schools Marathon - Chestnut Ridge Park - October

Christmas Program - presented by Grades K - 8, December

8th Grade Chiavetta's Chicken BBQ - Sunday, March 7, 12 - 4 pm

Irish Night (adults over 21) - Saturday, March 20 @ Lucarelli's, 7-11 pm

Living Stations of the Cross (presented by 4th Grade)

Living Art Show (presented by Grades 5 - 8), May

Spring Musical (presented by Grades K - 8), May 7 @ 7 pm held at St. Francis High School

Grade 8 Ribbon Ceremony, May

The purpose of the School Advisory Board (the Board) is to advise, assist and consult with the administration with respect to education policy as it relates to religious, social, and cultural activities, entrance policy and disciplinary code, school facilities, and public relations.

The Board meets the first Wednesday of each month during the school year. Parents of students attending St. Bernadette School are welcome to attend any of these meetings.

The Board is comprised of the Principal, Pastor, Parish Business Officer and nine elected or appointed parent representatives.

Upcoming Meetings are scheduled on the Parish Calendar, as well as on the school calendar on the School Sharepoint Site. Approved minutes and other important parent communication can be found on the SAB page of the Sharepoint site.

School Board President 2009-10, Kathleen Bittner.

Every parent of a St. Bernadette School is a member of the Parish School Association (PSA). This group was founded to maintain communication between parents of students and school administration. The PSA helps with school fundraisers, community building activities and opportunities for prayer.

To get more involved, please contact the school. Meetings are held monthly at the school. The meeting schedule is published both on the parish monthly calendar and on the school calendar.

Our school relies on the involvement of every family. We realize that it takes the work of many to make our school so special. We thank and appreciate every participant and volun teer for their time, talent and treasure!

Specific information on upcoming events, as well as volunteer opportunities and fundraising efforts can be found on the Special Events link under the SAB tab on the Sharepoint Site.

Please consider using SCRIP in your everyday purchases. Every little bit helps! If every family purchased their groceries and gas through SCRIP, the school would make an estimated $80,000 in profit in a year. There are so many ways you can use this program and support St. Bernadette's!!

What is SCRIP?
SCRIP means "substitute money." When you purchase SCRIP, you're purchasing gift cards that are used just like cash. You can use SCRIP to purchase everyday expenses like food, clothing, and other essentials, and with every purchase, you earn profits for St. Bernadette School. You don't have to sell anything! You produce revenue just by making regular household purchases they would make anyway. Groceries, clothing, toys, gifts, even gasoline can be purchased with SCRIP! So the money we raise comes from the businesses you frequent, not from you!

Who can buy SCRIP?
Anyone!! The more people who participate, the more money the school makes!

How can I buy SCRIP?
Cash & Carry or Special Order (those cards we don't keep in stock)

SCRIP HOURS: Mondays and Fridays, 8:30 am - 10 am in the "C" Room

Special Orders placed on Mondays will be available on Fridays. In addition to the hours above, cash & carry are available after all weekend Masses at the SCRIP table. All orders require payment at the time of order. Cash, check, Mastercard or Visa are acceptable payment methods.

How does the school make money selling SCRIP?
The Great Lakes SCRIP Center acts on behalf of churches, schools and other non-profit organizations to purchase large amounts of SCRIP from grocery stores, department stores, and other retailers. Because the SCRIP is purchased with cash up front, the participating retailers offer a substantial discount. St. Bernadette SCRIP buys the SCRIP from Great Lakes Scrip Center at a discount, and re-sells the certificates to families like yours for full face value. The discount (from two to fifteen percent or more) is St. Bernadette School’s revenue.

Very special to St. Bernadette School is our Community Service Projects. Each grade is led by parent volunteers, who are organized by the Service Projects Chairs, to participate in one of the Corporal Works of Mercy to better our community.

In the past, our students have visited the infirmed in nursing homes, helped at soup kitchens, community pantries, visited retired religious, sent care packages to soldiers in Iraq as well as less fortunate children in other countries, planted gardens to beautify their community, and performed at local nursing homes.

We feel that being committed to your community and giving back to those in need around you are integral parts of developing a young child into a responsible young adult. Participants as well as volunteers often positively respond to each activity!

Corporal Works of Mercy:
* Feed the Hungry
* Give Drink to the Thirsty
* Clothe the Naked
* Shelter the Homeless
* Visit the Sick
* Visit the Imprisoned
* Bury the Dead

St. Bernadette School does have an active Alumni Association. If you are a graduate and have never received literature from the Alumni Association, or have recently moved, please contact the AA to update your information!

An annual Alumni Mass and reception is held typically on the Sunday following Thanksgiving so that most alumni can participate. The committee is always looking for lost classmates or alumni willing to help organize events!

Watch for more info on our 50th Anniversary Celebration in May 2010!!

Stewardship defines a parishioner as one who gives of time, talent and treasure. We expect our school families to meet the following criteria in order to receive the parishioner rate for tuition:

* Registered with the parish and participate in at least 75% of the weekend liturgies as evidenced by envelope usage.
* Participate in at least one ministry that includes, but is not limited to, Parent School Association, School Advisory Board, Athletic Association, Alumni Association, and Special Events Committee. Many other ministries are offered.
* Support the Parish financially through regular offertory contributions.

Extra-curricular activities are offered to enrich and balance our students' lives ... some examples are:

* Student Council
* Student Newspaper
* Science Lab
* Studyhall
* Church Buddies
* Leadership at School Masses
* School Musical Leads
* Mentoring / Tutoring
* Newspaper Club
* Book Club
* Spanish Club
* Dance Club

.... and more!