mmcgrath@hobokencatholic.org
February 3, 2020
February 3, 2020
Dear Parents,
Catholic Schools Week is now complete and what a week it was! A special thank you goes out to all of our Career Day participants and the parents, alumni and eighth grade student who spoke at masses in all of Hoboken and Weehawken churches last weekend. Thanks to Jenn Araneo, Connie Gil, Melanie Mortefolio, Rafael Vergara, Marty Bloor, Joel Simkins, Walter Dirkin, Iva Zoretic, Carrie Maglia and Dominic Dayo for sharing their career experiences with our students. Thanks as well to HCA alumni, Nicole Vij and Nora Jacobi and eighth grader, Joshua Dayo, who joined parents, Anne Wycherly, John Bartoli, Mrs. Mortefolio, Mr. Vergara, Katie Champagne and Amanda Cricco in telling the faithful about our school at masses to kick off the week.
Congratulations to the three STEM fair teams whose projects will be part of the Archdiocesan STEM Expo in the spring. The sixth grade team of Molly Maglia, Sienna Lippert, Kylee Hawkins and Isabelle Olivera presented a plan to Restore the Amazon. Seventh graders, MJ Wright, Aneel Ward and Santino Cortes-Gil chose to fight hunger in Batswana and eighth graders Joshua Dayo, Aleks Manda and Adam Misyak plan to provide clean energy to Kenya. We had judges from St. Peters University and Stevens Institute with us that evening, and they were impressed by all of the students’ projects!
Congratulations to first grader, Julian de Vreede for winning the Religion Bee and to third grader, Samarth Brahma, and seventh grader, Aneel Ward, for winning the lower and upper grade portions of the Christopher Widjaja Spelling Bee respectively. As we have done previously, our annual spelling bee is really two contests in one. Different word lists are used for students in grades 1-4 than are used for grades 5-8. Naturally the list used for the older students is more challenging. Because he won the upper grade portion of our contest, Aneel Ward will represent our school at the Jersey Journal Hudson County Spelling Bee on February 28th at Secaucus HS. The winner of the Hudson County event will move on to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington DC. Good luck Aneel!
A special thank you goes to Mrs. Albunia for putting together the beautiful window displays on the Madison Street classroom windows. They remind us to Celebrate Catholic Schools where students learn, serve, lead and succeed!
The wait is almost over. With the exception of High Tech and County Prep High Schools, our eighth graders have received most of their high school acceptance notifications and scholarship offers and the news thus far is phenomenal. Twenty three students in the HCA class of 2020 have gained acceptances to fourteen Catholic high schools in New Jersey and New York and have earned more than $880,000 in scholarships from ten of those schools! Fifteen students received scholarships. Ten students received scholarships from multiple schools.
One of our young men has been accepted by Regis High School in Manhattan. Aleks Manda will be the first HCA student to attend this prestigious, scholarship only, New York, Jesuit high school. Aleks also received a full scholarship to Xavier HS in NYC, but he will attend Regis. Two of Aleks’ classmates, Akshay Sharma and Aarav Bhatia, have received the Sheehan Scholarship, the highest award from St. Peters Prep, which includes a full scholarship and more. Aarav has also been accepted to McNair Academic HS in Jersey City.
Addison Swiatek received the highest scholarship award offered by Dominican Academy in Manhattan. The school which offers only Honors classes does not offer full scholarships.
As soon as we learn the results from High Tech and County Prep, we will share a full listing of acceptances and scholarships.
Please join me in congratulating all of our eighth grade students and their parents and in wishing them well as they decide which schools our graduates will attend next fall.
On the Friday before Catholic Schools Week we had a special dress down day to support the Seals family following the tragic loss of Detective Joseph Seals. When Fr. Remo learned of what we had done, he committed funds from St. Ann Church as well. After working through some logistical issues, I am pleased to tell you that thanks to your amazing generosity and the generosity of the parishioners of St. Ann Church we will make a $10,083 ($6,183 from HCA and $3,900 from St. Ann Church) donation to Laura Seals. The donation will go through the Go Fund Me Page created by the Jersey City Police Officers’ Benevolent Association. The administrator of the page informed me that the JCPOBA has established trust funds for each of the Seals children and that both the police officers and the Seals family will be blown away by your generosity.
International Night is shaping up beautifully. We will have 19 countries represented at our annual event and I can’t wait! Thanks to Grainne Malloy and her committee for putting this amazing night together and thanks to all of our parents who will share their heritage and their amazing food with us that evening. Each year, International Night It truly is one of our most wonderful events. I am sure this year will be no exception!
Please note the events scheduled for the remainder of the month of February:
Monday, February 3rd Continue MAP Growth Assessment Gr. 2-8
Tuesday, February 4th. PreK parent/teacher conferences 3:00-6:00PM
Wednesday, February 5th HSA Meeting 7:00PM
Thursday, February 6th ACRE Religion Test Gr. 5 & 8
Friday, February 14th Conclude MAP Growth Assessment
Half Day for all students (Aftercare available)
Monday, February 17th Presidents’ Day -No school
Tuesday, February 18th Presidents’ Day Recess- No School
Thursday, February 20th Eighth Grade Graduation Pictures
Friday, February 21st International Night 6:30-8:30PM
Wednesday, February 26th Ash Wednesday Penance Service 1:30PM St. Ann Church
Friday, February 28th Stations of the Cross Gr. 2-8 1:30PM St. Ann Church
Finally, as I report each year, please note that the Mets pitchers and catchers will report to spring training a week from today with players from the rest of the teams checking in a day or two later. Spring can’t be far behind!
As always, thank you and God bless you all.
Let’s have a great February!
Sincerely,
Matthew McGrath
January 2, 2020
Dear Parents,
Happy New Year! It was great to welcome all of our students back to school following the Christmas recess. Please know that the teachers and I were overwhelmed by your generous gifts as well as your expressions of love and appreciation. As I indicated in my December letter, we know how blessed we are to work at Hoboken Catholic Academy. Once again, you have affirmed that fact. Thank you!
Each year it seems that our concerts get better and better. I may be biased in my assessment, but I believe each of the concerts this year were just spectacular. From our amazing choir, under the direction of Ms. Laurie Campana, to the March of the Wooden Soldiers at the K-2 Program to the to the Living Nativity by our eighth graders, each show was special. The most amazing feat for me had to be after performing so well as individual classes, just under ninety three and four year old preschoolers presented a flawless finale! I often marvel at what our teachers and aides are able to get our littlest students to do, but this year’s concert was certainly their tour de force!
As you can imagine, we have hit the ground running. Mr. Francisco gave the entire school a good scrubbing over the break, and the shiny gym, classroom and corridor floors will hopefully withstand the effects of the winter months ahead. Our eighth graders are anxiously awaiting their high school acceptances which will be sent out in the coming weeks. Please join me in wishing our students and their parents well during this hopeful, but stressful time.
The second round of MAP Growth testing for students in grades 2-8 will take place during the testing window from January 21st through February 14th. As you will remember, not all students take the test at the same time. Only one subject will be tested per day, and will be part of the normal school day. Catholic Schools Week will take place during the testing window, but with all that we will have going on, we will not test during that week.
Speaking of Catholic Schools Week (January 25-31), we need your help. We will have some parents and students speak at our Hoboken and Weehawken parish masses on Saturday and Sunday, January 25th and 26th. If you are able to speak at the end of your parish mass on either of those days, please contact me at mmcgrath@hobokencatholic.org I will provide a script to which you are welcome to add your own comments about our school and your support for Catholic schools. Also, if anyone would like to speak at our Career Day, scheduled for Monday, January 27th from 9:00-11:00 AM, please contact me at the email address above. A schedule for all of the week’s events will be sent out as soon as it is completed.
Students will attend First Friday Mass on January 3rd, and there will be a full day of school. Parents are welcome to attend. Progress Reports for the second Trimester will go out on Friday, January 17th and school will be closed in observance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, January 20th.
Happy New Year and God bless you all!
Sincerely,
Matthew McGrath
December 19, 2019
Dear Parents,
Christmas is a just week away and we will soon bid 2019 farewell. December has been a whirlwind and we have many people to thank. We began the month with our Santa Breakfast and Santa Shop and both were truly wonderful! Thanks to Mrs. Tellier and Mrs. Shukofsky and all of the parent and student volunteers for making the Santa Breakfast truly magical. With more than 520 participants at two separate sessions, the day could not have been better planned or more well run. Thank you to all of the businesses that supported our program with food and other donations. A special thank you goes out to HCA Advisory Board member, Joyce Flinn, and her husband, Eugene, for not only donating the bacon and eggs, but for helping Chef Fred in preparing the food the day of the breakfast. Thanks as well to Nino Giacchi, also an HCA Advisory Board member, for his help in the kitchen throughout the morning.
Thanks to Mrs. Dayo and the Apiados and all of our parent volunteers who made the Santa Shop so successful. All of our students had an opportunity to buy Christmas gifts for their loved ones and had a great time doing so!
The National Junior Honor Society Toy Drive has been completed and the generosity of our families is beyond words. More than thirty large, blue IKEA bags were filled to the brim with toys for children of all ages. From stuffed animals to drones and remote control cars, our school family has helped brighten the lives of countless children at Hoboken University Medical Center, The Sanzari Children’s Hospital at Hackensack University Medical Center and “Finding Their Words,” a center for children who are victims of abuse, also affiliated with the Hackensack hospital.
The PK and K-2 concerts are in the books and both were spectacular! Thanks to our teachers and students for their hard work in preparation for the performances. A special thank you to Mrs. Bernardo, Mrs. Dayo, Mr. Apiado, Mr. Alves and Mrs. Seredvick for making the gym look so festive for each program. Preparations are almost complete for the evening concert on Thursday, featuring students in grades 3-8, as well as the award winning HCA Choir. We anticipate another memorable evening. Doors will open at 6:30PM, the same time as student drop-off, because of the frigid temperatures. As always, we thank Ms. Campana for the incredible job she does in not only directing the choir, but in assisting the teachers with all of their grade level presentations for three concerts!
We will have a run-through of the evening concert for all of our students to watch on Thursday morning and class parties for kindergarten through grade eight are slated for Thursday afternoon. Thanks in advance to all of our class parents for coordinating the parties with the classroom teachers and for helping out on Thursday.
Thank you to all of our parents who had their children wear blue in support of Detective Seals on the day of his funeral. The tragic events that unfolded last Tuesday in Jersey City underscored just how dangerous police work can be and how blessed we are that brave men and women work each day to keep us safe. On Friday, January 10th, we will hold a special dress down day and ask that you contribute any amount you wish. All monies collected will be donated to support Detective Seals wife and family. Checks should be made payable to Hoboken Catholic Academy with Detective Seals Fund on the memo line. We will send one check and a note of sympathy and love to Mrs. Seals on behalf of our HCA family.
Finally, please know that the teachers, support staff and I realize how incredibly blessed we are to work in a school with such wonderful, generous and supportive families. On behalf of the entire HCA staff, please accept my thanks and best wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy and Blessed New Year. It is truly an honor to be part of such an incredible community.
God Bless you all!
Sincerely,
Matthew McGrath
December 19, 2019
Dear Parents,
Christmas is a just week away and we will soon bid 2019 farewell. December has been a whirlwind and we have many people to thank. We began the month with our Santa Breakfast and Santa Shop and both were truly wonderful! Thanks to Mrs. Tellier and Mrs. Shukofsky and all of the parent and student volunteers for making the Santa Breakfast truly magical. With more than 520 participants at two separate sessions, the day could not have been better planned or more well run. Thank you to all of the businesses that supported our program with food and other donations. A special thank you goes out to HCA Advisory Board member, Joyce Flinn, and her husband, Eugene, for not only donating the bacon and eggs, but for helping Chef Fred in preparing the food the day of the breakfast. Thanks as well to Nino Giacchi, also an HCA Advisory Board member, for his help in the kitchen throughout the morning.
Thanks to Mrs. Dayo and the Apiados and all of our parent volunteers who made the Santa Shop so successful. All of our students had an opportunity to buy Christmas gifts for their loved ones and had a great time doing so!
The National Junior Honor Society Toy Drive has been completed and the generosity of our families is beyond words. More than thirty large, blue IKEA bags were filled to the brim with toys for children of all ages. From stuffed animals to drones and remote control cars, our school family has helped brighten the lives of countless children at Hoboken University Medical Center, The Sanzari Children’s Hospital at Hackensack University Medical Center and “Finding Their Words,” a center for children who are victims of abuse, also affiliated with the Hackensack hospital.
The PK and K-2 concerts are in the books and both were spectacular! Thanks to our teachers and students for their hard work in preparation for the performances. A special thank you to Mrs. Bernardo, Mrs. Dayo, Mr. Apiado, Mr. Alves and Mrs. Seredvick for making the gym look so festive for each program. Preparations are almost complete for the evening concert on Thursday, featuring students in grades 3-8, as well as the award winning HCA Choir. We anticipate another memorable evening. Doors will open at 6:30 PM, the same time as student drop-off, because of the frigid temperatures. As always, we thank Ms. Campana for the incredible job she does in not only directing the choir, but in assisting the teachers with all of their grade level presentations for three concerts!
We will have a run-through of the evening concert for all of our students to watch on Thursday morning and class parties for kindergarten through grade eight are slated for Thursday afternoon. Thanks in advance to all of our class parents for coordinating the parties with the classroom teachers and for helping out on Thursday.
Thank you to all of our parents who had their children wear blue in support of Detective Seals on the day of his funeral. The tragic events that unfolded last Tuesday in Jersey City underscored just how dangerous police work can be and how blessed we are that brave men and women work each day to keep us safe. On Friday, January 10th, we will hold a special dress down day and ask that you contribute any amount you wish. All monies collected will be donated to support Detective Seals wife and family. Checks should be made payable to Hoboken Catholic Academy with Detective Seals Fund on the memo line. We will send one check and a note of sympathy and love to Mrs. Seals on behalf of our HCA family.
Finally, please know that the teachers, support staff and I realize how incredibly blessed we are to work in a school with such wonderful, generous and supportive families. On behalf of the entire HCA staff, please accept my thanks and best wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy and Blessed New Year. It is truly an honor to be part of such an incredible community.
God Bless you all!
Sincerely,
Matthew McGrath
November 26, 2019
Dear Parents,
November is coming to an end and Thanksgiving is just days away. As always, here at Hoboken Catholic Academy, we have much to be thankful for! Thank you for all that you do to make our school the special place it is for our children. Our Student Council has concluded the Christmas Phone Cards For Troops program and I am thrilled to tell you that thanks to your generosity, we have sent a check for $1,580 to the USO in support of their Phone Home Program. In addition, the Campus Ministry Food and Paper Goods Drive was likewise a tremendous success. Your donations covered more than half of the stage and we were able to support the soup kitchen at St. Francis Church, the St. Matthew Trinity Lunchtime Ministry and the Hoboken Community Center. All three local charities serve the homeless and low income families in Hoboken and all were blown away by your generosity! Thank you for helping our students learn the valuable lesson of helping those less fortunate than ourselves.
There was some excitement here today as our PreK classes enjoyed their annual Thanksgiving feast. And what a feast it was! Thanks to our amazing class moms and everyone who contributed to the feast. The children were great and truly enjoyed their mid-morning feast as they concluded learning about this most American of all of our holidays.
The excitement continued this afternoon when a film crew commissioned by the Archdiocese of Newark stopped by to shoot some footage for a promotional video they are putting together to highlight our Catholic Schools. They filmed students at several levels in various activities ranging from computer and math class to lunch and recess. The video will appear on the Archdiocesan website when it is completed. Naturally, only students with permission to be photographed were included in the footage. As soon as I learn when the video will be posted, I will let you know. Our school was one of only four schools to be included on the video!
Congratulations to all of our volleyball teams for another amazing year. All four teams played hard and had fun. Three of our teams, our seventh grade varsity team and both of our JV teams played in their respective championship games. Our JV teams placed first and second and our varsity team won their championship as well! Thanks to coaches Mrs. Garlick and Mrs. Griesbauer for helping the girls to love the sport and to so well in the process.
Basketball practice has begun and games will begin shortly. There will be a basketball parent meeting on Wednesday, December 4th at 8:00 in the gym. The Home and School Association meeting at 7:00 that night will be in the science lab, room 203.
There will be a Thanksgiving Prayer Service in the gym at 8:15 Wednesday morning following student arrival. Parents are invited to attend. Wednesday will also be a $2.00 Thanksgiving Dress Down Day for students and staff.
Finally, on behalf of everyone who has the good fortune to work with your beautiful children at HCA each day, please accept my thanks and best wishes for a and blessed Thanksgiving and a wonderful, long weekend.
God Bless you all.
Sincerely,
Matthew McGrath
November 26, 2019
Dear Parents,
November is coming to an end and Thanksgiving is just days away. As always, here at Hoboken Catholic Academy, we have much to be thankful for! Thank you for all that you do to make our school the special place it is for our children. Our Student Council has concluded the Christmas Phone Cards For Troops program and I am thrilled to tell you that thanks to your generosity, we have sent a check for $1,580 to the USO in support of their Phone Home Program. In addition, the Campus Ministry Food and Paper Goods Drive was likewise a tremendous success. Your donations covered more than half of the stage and we were able to support the soup kitchen at St. Francis Church, the St. Matthew Trinity Lunchtime Ministry and the Hoboken Community Center. All three local charities serve the homeless and low income families in Hoboken and all were blown away by your generosity! Thank you for helping our students learn the valuable lesson of helping those less fortunate than ourselves.
There was some excitement here today as our PreK classes enjoyed their annual Thanksgiving feast. And what a feast it was! Thanks to our amazing class moms and everyone who contributed to the feast. The children were great and truly enjoyed their mid-morning feast as they concluded learning about this most American of all of our holidays.
The excitement continued this afternoon when a film crew commissioned by the Archdiocese of Newark stopped by to shoot some footage for a promotional video they are putting together to highlight our Catholic Schools. They filmed students at several levels in various activities ranging from computer and math class to lunch and recess. The video will appear on the Archdiocesan website when it is completed. Naturally, only students with permission to be photographed were included in the footage. As soon as I learn when the video will be posted, I will let you know. Our school was one of only four schools to be included on the video!
Congratulations to all of our volleyball teams for another amazing year. All four teams played hard and had fun. Three of our teams, our seventh grade varsity team and both of our JV teams played in their respective championship games. Our JV teams placed first and second and our varsity team won their championship as well! Thanks to coaches Mrs. Garlick and Mrs. Griesbauer for helping the girls to love the sport and to so well in the process.
Basketball practice has begun and games will begin shortly. There will be a basketball parent meeting on Wednesday, December 4th at 8:00 in the gym. The Home and School Association meeting at 7:00 that night will be in the science lab, room 203.
There will be a Thanksgiving Prayer Service in the gym at 8:15 Wednesday morning following student arrival. Parents are invited to attend. Wednesday will also be a $2.00 Thanksgiving Dress Down Day for students and staff.
Finally, on behalf of everyone who has the good fortune to work with your beautiful children at HCA each day, please accept my thanks and best wishes for a and blessed Thanksgiving and a wonderful, long weekend.
God Bless you all.
Sincerely,
Matthew McGrath
May 14, 2019
Dear Parents,
I am pleased to inform you that we have received official notification from the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools that at their meeting in May, they awarded Hoboken Catholic Academy accreditation! What we have known since their visit in November is now official. Thanks again to everyone who completed surveys, worked behind the scenes or who sat in for interviews for their help in shining a light on our school. Accreditation lasts for seven years, so our status will remain in good standing through 2026 at which time we will host another team visit.
We are thrilled to inform you that seventh grade student, Mia Cavagnuolo’s magazine cover submission has been chosen by Music K-8 Magazine as their May/ June cover! Mia’s piece was chosen was the New Jersey winner. One of two “First Runners Up,” was HCA seventh grader Aiden Cruz and MJ Wright’s submission was a top finalist. In all thirteen HCA students were recognized for their artwork. Mia’s cover and all of the students’ submissions can be found on the link below. Enter Hoboken and all of our student winners and their covers will be available.
https://www.musick8.com/contest/WinnersList19.php
Not to be outdone, eighth grade students, Tess Feremans and Alice Altomare had their artwork displayed at William Paterson University as part of our Professional Development School Program, highlighting our incredible partnership. The students were recognized at a reception on May 8th. Both pictures have been hung at the WPU Professional Development and Continuing Education Office on campus in Wayne. We have included the artwork on our Facebook page.
On Thursday, May 2nd, our outstanding choir was rated Superior at the annual iSing competition at the Archdiocesan Youth Retreat Center. Unfortunately, the Basilica concert was canceled, but the students will perform here at the Choir Concert on Wednesday, May 22nd. We will have copies of the Choir CD recorded in St. Ann Church at the end of March for sale that night. We have posted a brief video of the taping along with the order form on the Choir section of our website and are accepting orders here at school. Footage from the iSing performance will be posted on our Facebook page!
HCA’s Got Talent! Our students do indeed have talent as was evidenced at our second annual talent show. Students sang and danced and played instruments to the delight of all in attendance. The evening began with HCA alum, Aiden Ward setting the mood with his rendition of Piano Man on the piano and Nanki Nagpaul and Amelia Gallagher’s Broadway selection. The program was capped off by a special performance by the band, Council. Council performed their hit song “Rust to Gold,” which was featured at the Winter Olympics, FIFA World Cup, and on American Idol. The level of talent was remarkable and the entire night was indeed special. A special thank you goes out to HSA moms and event organizers’ Kristi Alvez and Roz Musker. The ladies worked with Ms. Fusiak, Mrs. Bloor and members of our Student Council who helped oversee the practices and organize the student performers. All involved did an outstanding job! Pictures from the show will be posted shortly on our Facebook page.
Thanks to HSA President, Donna Murphy, and parents Suzy Bracken and Kristi Alvez for all of their help in making both Field days so successful. We all appreciate the hours of preparation that our moms and Mr. Montefusco logged in putting the days together, as well as on each of the two field days. Thanks as well to the dozens of parent volunteers who worked on each of the field days. The weather cooperated, the Hoboken Police came through again with escorts to and from the field each day and the Hoboken BoE staff at the field was fantastic. Thanks to our tee shirt sponsor, Sam Khalil, from First Alliance Home Mortgage. The shirts are great! We have posted photos from the day on the school’s Facebook page. Please take a look when you are able.
The weather cooperated as well last Monday when all of our students had a chance to visit with farm animals right in our own courtyard! Thanks to the Home and School Association, our friends at Quiver Farm in Pennsylvania brought a three week old calf, a pig, a goat, a sheep, an alpaca, a couple of ducks, two rabbits, a chicken, a rooster, a turkey and a goose to our school. Students fed and petted some of the animals and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Please check out some photos on our Facebook page.
On Wednesday, May 15th, teachers, Mrs. Fitzgibbons, Mrs. Peterson, Ms. Rambaran and Ms. Molino will sere as “Super Scoopers,” at Ben and Jerry’s on Washington Street at 6:00PM. The program sponsored by the store and Hoboken Family Alliance will raise money to support the HFA Summer Bike Camp.
Our eighth graders are preparing to visit our nation’s capitol, Washington DC, on their three-day class trip. We will leave Hoboken at 7:00AM on Wednesday and will return late Friday evening. In between, the students will visit Mt. Vernon, the National Archives and Arlington National Cemetery. The students will solemnly observe the changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown and learn about our brave service men and women and national leaders entombed in Arlington. They will visit the World War II, Korean and Vietnam War Memorials as well as the Lincoln, Jefferson, FDR and MLK memorials. The students will enjoy a dinner/dance cruise on the Potomac River on Thursday evening. We will attend mass at the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, on the grounds of Catholic University and tour that magnificent cathedral to begin our final day in Washington. Students will tour the Capitol, the Supreme Court and Library of Congress, and visit the White House for photos before returning home on Friday night.
On Monday, May 20th, our third graders will visit the Museum of Natural History and our Preschoolers will travel to the Central Park Zoo. On Tuesday, May 21st, our Campus Ministry students will host the annual Senior Prom. The dinner/dance for Campus Ministry grand parents and seventh and eighth grade parents will feature DJ music by Angelina and special student performances by some of our talented students. Thanks to the Mr. and Mrs. Jacey (Black Bear Bar and Grill) and Mr. and Mrs. Di Giacomo (Frankie and Ava’s Restaurant) for supplying all of the food for the dinner!
The Spring Choir Concert will take place on Wednesday, May 22nd at 7:00PM in the gym and our seventh graders will have their field trip to Philadelphia on Thursday, May 23rd. There will be a Memorial Day Prayer Service for the rest of the students K-8 on Thursday during AM Assembly and parents are welcome to attend.
Following the long Memorial Day Weekend (Friday, 5/24-Monday, 5/26), students in grades 6-8 will have final exams from Wednesday, May 29- Friday, May 31st. On Thursday, May 30th, the whole school will gather for Mass to celebrate Ascension Thursday as well as the May Crowning of the Blessed Mother by our second graders. Parents are cordially invited to attend this wonderful event. Mass will begin at 10:00AM at St. Ann Church.
May will come to a close on Friday, May 31st, with the third grade science fair at 1:30 and eighth Grade Graduation Dance at 6:00 that evening. The graduation dance includes seventh graders and will bring our amazing eighth grade students one step closer to graduation.
Our annual 5K Race will take place on Saturday, June 1st at Pier A Park. Each year we welcome hundreds of runners of all ages. The venue is spectacular and all are welcome. If you have not done so already, please register to run. The One-mile Fun Run and Kids’ Dash are great ways for children of all ages to take part. Thanks to Monica De Falco, Amber La Gattuta, Donna Murphy, Katie Maye, Andrea Cuttita, Katie Champagne and Jen Shukofsky for all they have done. Thanks as well to all of our sponsors, and anyone who has helped and/or will help the day of the race. I am sure it will be an amazing day!
As always, thank you for your kind support and for allowing us the opportunity to work with your wonderful children.
God bless you all.
Sincerely,
Matthew McGrath
April 29, 2019
Dear Parents and Guardians,
Welcome back! I hope that you enjoyed a wonderful Easter and spring break with your families. Now that we are back, please make note of the important school events and some changes and additions to the school calendar.
Wednesday, May 1 Gr. 6 Field Trip Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island All Day
Home and School Association Meeting 7:00PM
Thursday, May 2 iSing Competition (Choir)
Youth Retreat Center – Kearny 11:30AM
Friday, May 3 Kindergarten Field Trip-Imagine That! All Day
First Friday Mass – St. Ann Church 10:00AM
Trimester III Progress Reports
HCA Talent Show 6:30PM
Monday, May 6 Ava Kauffmann –Principal for a Day!
Traveling Farm (Quiver Farm) All Day
All classes will be scheduled to attend
Tuesday, May 7 Teacher Appreciation Day
PK-2 Field Day – JFK Field 9:00-11:30
Wednesday, May 8 No School for Students
Teacher Professional Development Day
Thursday, May 9 Gr. 3-8 Field Day 9:00-11:30
Friday, May 10 HSA Teacher Appreciation Day Breakfast 7:45AM
HCA Choir performance at the Cathedral
Basilica of the Sacred Heart 7:30PM
Monday, May 13 Field Day rain date
Wednesday May 15- Grade 8 Washington DC Trip 7:00AM Depart
Friday, May 17 11:00PM Return
Wednesday, May 15 HFA –Ben and Jerry’s teacher scoopers 6:00PM
Thursday, May 16 Gr. 7 Scholastic Olympics –Marist HS 3:30PM
Monday, May 20 Pre-K Field Trip to the Central Park Zoo All day
Grade 3 Field Trip to the American All Day
Museum of Natural History
Tuesday, May 21 Campus Ministry Senior Prom 6:30PM
Wednesday, May 22 HCA Choir Spring Concert 7:00PM
Thursday, May 23 Memorial Day Prayer Service – HCA Gym 8:15AM
Parents invited
Gr. 7 Philadelphia field trip All day
Friday, May 24 No School
Monday, May 27 Memorial Day No school
Wednesday, May 29- Gr. 6-8 Final Exams
Friday, May 31
Thursday, May 30 Ascension Thursday/May Crowning Mass 10:00AM
St. Ann Church-Parents invited
Friday, May 31 $2 Dress Down Day
Gr. 3 Science Fair –HCA Gym 1:30PM
Graduation Dance (Gr. 7-8) 6:00PM
Saturday, June 1 5K Race Pier A Park Registration 7:00AM
Monday, June 3 Grade 8 Retreat Youth Retreat Center All Day
Tuesday, June 4 Art Show 6:00PM
Wednesday, June 5 Sports Awards Assembly 9:30AM
Thursday, June 6 PK Moving Up Ceremony 9:00AM
Kinder Moving–up Ceremony 1:00PM
Home and School Association Social Mtg. 7:00PM
Friday, June 7 Baccalaureate Mass -St. Ann 10:00AM
Deloitte and Touche Impact Day 9:00-2:30 PM
Saturday, June 8 Grade 8 Graduation- St. Ann 10:00 A
Wednesday, June 12 Half Day 12:00- Dismissal
Last day – PK and K
Free Dress Down day
Aftercare available
Thursday, June 13 Half-Day Gr. 1-7 12:00 Dismissal
Honor Roll Assembly 8:15AM
Class parties
Aftercare available
Friday, June 14 Last Day Students 12:00 Dismissal
No Aftercare
- HCA Choir CD’s are available for sale and it is outstanding. Order forms went home before Easter and will be posted on our website. The CD’s are $15 and feature our amazing choir under the direction of Laurie Campana with special guest performances by HCA alums Nora Jacobi and Nanki Nagpaul.
- Iowa Test results will be made available to us within the next week or so and will be sent home as soon as we can following our debriefing at the schools’ office in Newark.
- Our Field Days are scheduled for next week and we still need some volunteers for the upper grade day on the 9th. Parents of students in grades 3-8 are needed. Please contact the school office or Donna Murphy if you are able to help.
- Our second annual talent show will take place this Friday evening and I am sure it will be amazing. In addition to our incredibly talented students, there will be a guest appearance by the band Council! Spots are still available, so please join us if you are able.
- On Wednesday evening, May 15th, Ms. Molino, Ms. Rambaran, Mrs. Peterson and Mrs. Fitzgibbons will be scooping ice cream at Ben and Jerry’s on Washington Street in support of the Hoboken Family Alliance’s special program to raise funds for their summer bicycle camp. Please come out that evening at 6:00 and order up some ice cream from our amazing teachers!
Thank you and God Bless you!
Sincerely,
Matthew McGrath
April 3, 2019
April 3, 2019
Dear Parents,
Now that April has arrived, hold on to your collective hats, because the rest of the school year will be a blur.
The chicks have hatched! The farmer from Quiver Farms delivered the chicken eggs and incubators to our Kindergarten classrooms about ten days ago and our students patiently waited for the big day. Well, on Monday, both classes returned to find some of their new friends had emerged. By the end of the day on Tuesday, all of the chicks joined the others. The children have helped water and feed the chicks and learned to gently pet and hold them. The other classes have made their way to the kindergarten rooms to share in the experience. To say the children are excited would be an understatement! We can’t wait for our friends from Quiver Farms to return with the rest of the barnyard babies when they visit on May 6th!
The HCA Choir spent three hours on Saturday at St. Ann Church with professionals from a production company to record their first ever CD! Under the direction of Ms. Campana, the choir sang nine of their signature pieces for the CD. In addition to the CD the team from Ripe Creations filmed a promotional video that we will post on our website. CDs and Flash drives will be available for sale sometime after Easter. More details will follow.
The Spring Gala is just ten days away and between now and then we will squeeze in a handful (tongue in cheek) of other activities. The Home and School Association will meet on the 3rd and the fifth grade field trip to Camp Bernie on be on Friday the 5th. The 5th is also First Friday, so the rest of the school will attend Mass, and the older students will pray the Stations of the Cross. The Archdiocesan STEM Expo will take place on Saturday the 6th and Mr. Taormina will have our four teams of scientists showcase their projects along with students from across the Archdiocese at the Youth Retreat Center Gym in Kearny. The spring book fair will run from Sunday, April 7th through Wednesday, April 10th. On Wednesday evening, our middle school language arts and sixth grade homeroom teacher, Peggy Girovasi, will be honored at Xavier HS with their Ignatian Educator Award. Thanks to an essay written by HCA alum and Xavier freshman, Quincy Flett, Ms. G will be one of only five New York area educators to be so honored. On Thursday, April 11th, students form grades 3-8 will attend a Lenten Penance Service and will have the opportunity to go to confession and after school that day, Adele Tanini, Nirvaan Pal, Isabelle Garlick and Divyanshi Rath will represent our school at the Marist HS, Sixth Grade Math Contest. On Friday, the day of the Gala, we will visit St. Ann Church to walk with Jesus through the Stations of the Cross, as we do each Friday during Lent.
The Gala is shaping up to be another wonderful event! This year, the party will be held at the W, in Hoboken, so the commute for most of our parents and friends will be minimal. Some of the most popular auction items each year fall under the category, “All Things HCA!” They include the beautiful artwork that Mrs. Albunia has the students come up with each year, as well as prime seats for concerts, naming a dress down day, having Pizza Friday named for your child, dinner with Mrs. Ferrara and Ms. April, lunch with Mrs. Foley, gym teacher for the day and principal for the day.
This year, the Ujhely twins will serve as Gym Teachers for the Day on the Thursday, April 4th and will help Mr. Montefusco keep things moving throughout the day. Second grader, Jenna Kruse, will be Principal For a Day on Tuesday, April 9th, and first grader, Ava Kauffmann, will be Principal for A Day on Monday, May 6th. I am certain both young ladies will be benevolent leaders who will each have a great day helping me run the school. The Mia Guerra Wacky Wednesday Dress Down Day will take place on Wednesday, April 10th. Students should wear their clothes backwards, inside out or mismatched that day. There will be no cost and no coupons will be needed AND no one has to wear their school uniform, all thanks to the Guerras.
All of these experiences and many more will be available at this year’s Spring Gala/Silent Auction on the 12th. Thanks to Cara Guerra, Donna Murphy, Jenn Araneo, Alanna Kauffmann and Alison Cornell for all they have done to prepare for the Gala and for all of our parents and friends who generously donated auction items and sponsored teachers and staff to attend the event. It is not too late to purchase tickets for the Spring Gala. If you have not done so already, please get in your order by Friday, April 5th.
As you know from my previous email, officers from the Hoboken Police Department were at our school on Monday and observed our lock down drill. Following the drill the team of officers met with me to provide feedback and suggestions for improving our procedures. They provided valuable guidance and as a result, the teachers and I will discuss their recommendations and put them into practice. In addition, they suggested some physical enhancements to our already robust safety protocols. As a result, I will reconvene the Security Ad Hoc Committee to discuss those suggestions and prioritize the work they recommend.
Finally, we were able to have the plumbing issue that caused us to suspend the use of the second floor lavatories ahead of schedule. The repairs were completed today and the second floor bathrooms and water fountain are operational once again.
Thank you and God Bless you all. I hope to see you at the Gala!
Sincerely,
Matthew McGrath
March 6, 2019
Important dates to remember:
March 6, 2019 Ash Wednesday Service 1:30 PM St. Ann Church
March 8, 2019 Grade 8 Ring Ceremony/Mass 10:00 AM St. Ann Church
Half-Day- Teacher PD in the afternoon
Trimester II report cards distributed- K-8
March 10,2019 Daylight Savings Time begins - Spring ahead one hour at 2:00 AM
March 11-15, 2019 Iowa Assessment administered
March 18-20, 2019 Iowa Assessment make-ups
March 21, 2019 Lifetouch Spring Portraits and Grade 8 graduation portrait re-takes
March 22, 2019 Student Council Dance Grades 5-8 6:30-9:00 PM
March 26, 2019 Deanery Family Penance Service and confessions Our Lady of Grace Church 7:30 PM
March 28, 2019 Opening Day for both the Yankees and the Mets!
March 29, 2019 NJHS Induction Ceremony 10:00 AM
March 30, 2019 HCA Choir CD recording session – St. Ann Church 11:30 AM-3:30 PM
April 3, 2019 Home and School Association meeting 7:00 PM
April 6, 2019 RCAN STEM EXPO Youth Retreat Center Gym - Kearny
April 7-10, 2019 Spring Book Fair
April 11, 2019 HCA Penance Service & confession St. Ann Church 1:30 PM
April 12, 2019 HCA Spring Gala at the W in Hoboken!
April 17, 2019 Half-day for all students and no Aftercare
Easter recess begins at 12:00 PM
April 29, 2019 School re-opens