Catholic Schools Week Activities

Think big; dream big; accomplish big things!

Posted

Catholic Schools Week, which runs from Sunday, Jan. 25, to Saturday, Jan. 31, is a time for students and faculty alike to have a little fun while celebrating their faith.  The theme this year is “Catholic Schools: Communities of Faith, Knowledge and Service.” Here is a sampling of what some of the elementary schools in the archdiocese are doing.

 

MANHATTAN

 

Blessed Sacrament School will celebrate with a Family Mass on Sunday. Get ready to hear some wise words as a school-wide speech bee will be held; the parents’ association will hold a meeting on Thursday. 

 

At Our Lady of Pompeii School an art exhibit will showcase the talent of future Picassos, Van Goghs and Rembrandts. A special breakfast will be held for guests that are important in each student’s life and the week will end with an international feast!

 

Bring out the spoons at Transfiguration School since students there will celebrate with a special ice cream sundae party.

 

NORTHEAST/EAST BRONX

 

Holy Family School begins the week with teachers instructing a different class for one period in the morning. There will be a pajama day, a science fair, a day to play Bingo and a “buddy day” with upper classmen working with younger students.

 

St. Francis Xavier School will begin the week with a Family Mass on Sunday. Other activities include lounging with a good book and a crazy hat day.

 

Get ready to write and create at St. Raymond’s Elementary School. The students will be involved in a writing and art project on the theme “What St. Raymond School Means to Me.” There will be a prayer service, teacher and student appreciation days and parent recognition day. There will be a spirit day for younger grades and a crazy accessory day for upper grades. All students will enjoy a dress down day.

 

St. Theresa’s School begins with the celebration of a Family Mass on Sunday. The week is filled with celebrations, with recognition given to all those who make the school special: students, parents, grandparents, teachers and staff.

 

Are you ready for some basketball? Well, Villa Maria Academy is! On spirit day the school team, the Villa Maria Falcons, will play a basketball game at the Barclays Center, home of the Brooklyn Nets. The students will take part in “Random Acts of Kindness” day and a day to honor all those who perform a public service for the school. Students will play a Family Feud-style religion game to enrich their spirituality. The school science fair will take place on Thursday.

 

DUTCHESS COUNTY

 

Students of St. Mary’s School in Fishkill will serve as lectors, altar servers and gift bearers, and speak to parishioners at Masses. There will be a spirit day, a mix and match crazy hat day, a pajama day (breakfast will be served for lunch!) and an ice cream social sponsored by the Parent Partnership Association. The school will collect new pajamas, socks and gloves for children in need and will participate in Catholic Charities’ “Feeding Our Neighbors” campaign. The week ends with a praise and worship assembly.

 

Books, books, everywhere! St. Denis-St. Columba School in Hopewell Junction will hold a Scholastic book fair all week long. Students will become heroes against hunger by collecting food items for the St. Vincent de Paul Society food pantry. Students will also make bagel lunches for the Lunch Box of Dutchess Outreach in Poughkeepsie. Other festivities include Dads and Donuts Day; a crazy hat, tie, sweater, socks and sneakers day; an ice cream social and a day for sharing with your buddy. The week will end with morning Benediction and an international fair at night.

 

At Regina Coeli School in Hyde Park, celebrations include an ice cream social and a volunteers breakfast served up by students. On Thursday, students will skip and jump for the American Heart Association in the “Have a Heart” jump rope fund-raiser. Students will defend their title against the faculty in a lively game of volleyball. In conjunction with the “Feeding Our Neighbors” campaign, students will form a food brigade as they collect and stock the parish food pantry shelves. Hot cocoa will be served to warm their bodies after they warm their souls with charitable work.

 

Holy Trinity School in Poughkeepsie has a full week with a prayer service, a penny challenge and participation in the “Feeding Our Neighbors” campaign. There will be a magic show, a pep rally and a basketball challenge. Each class will decorate their doors to match the theme of Catholic Schools Week. On Tuesday, grandparents will work closely with teachers and will be rewarded for their hard work with coffee and doughnuts. A faculty versus students volleyball game is on the agenda, along with an ice cream social and a quiz bowl. The week ends with the celebration of Mass, featuring members of the student council.

 

At St. Martin de Porres School in Poughkeepsie the week begins after Mass on Sunday with a pancake breakfast prepared by the Parent School Association. School spirit will surely be shown on jeans, sneakers, wacky hats and crazy socks day. Bingo will be played. There will be an ice cream social. Students can stay warm on pajamas and movie day. On Friday the school will host a breakfast that includes Donuts with Dad and Munchkins with Mom. Throughout the week, food will be collected for the “Feeding Our Neighbors” campaign.

                                               

Students at St. Peter’s School in Poughkeepsie are getting set to dance the night away at the Sweetheart Dance on Tuesday. Students will collect food for the “Feeding Our Neighbors” campaign.  On Sunday the school gym will be abuzz with basketball games. A school-wide Bingo game will be held on Monday. Spirit Day is on the agenda for Tuesday, with students dressing in school colors of green and gold. Students will participate in crazy hat day, a game day and a dress up day. Mass concludes the week.

 

At St. Mary’s School in Wappingers Falls students will collect canned goods and nonperishable foods while taking part in the “Feeding Our Neighbors” campaign. The school’s annual Catholic Book Fair will take place, allowing the community an opportunity to purchase faith-based reading materials. Students will be treated to an ice cream social. Other activities include a special relatives day, classroom visits for parents, grandparents and other relatives, and even bus drivers. A no-uniform day is on the agenda and there will be a teacher appreciation day. The week ends with the celebration of Mass.

           

NORTHERN WESTCHESTER/PUTNAM

 

Holy Name of Mary Montessori in Croton on Hudson will have parents speaking about the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd at Masses.

 

There will be magic at St. Patrick’s School in Bedford to make those Monday morning blahs disappear for students! There will be tasty treats for students at the annual international desserts event. On Wednesday, the Norwalk Maritime Center will be at St. Patrick’s with a presentation for all students. The annual spelling bee will take place on Thursday. The school will conclude the week with pajama day and a make-your-own sundae celebration.

                       

On Monday, students at St. Columbanus School in Cortlandt Manor can wear their favorite sweatshirts, crazy socks and hats. There will be a student-teacher challenge in the gym that should be an exciting competition! An ice cream social will be held on Wednesday, along with a dress down day to benefit the Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital. The schools’ academic strength will be celebrated with the distribution of honors and high honors certificates. The week will end on a science note, with BASF Chemistry Kid’s Lab presentations.

 

St. James the Apostle School in Carmel will begin the week with opening ceremonies. Other activities include students bowling together and family Bingo. Mass will be offered Friday morning.

 

At St. Augustine’s School in Ossining there will be a lot of friendly competition as students hold penny wars with proceeds going to the Heart Association and the “Feeding Our Neighbors” campaign. Students will wear Catholic Schools Week buttons. The entire school community will join together to play a Jeopardy-like game. On student appreciation day there will be no homework, tests or quizzes, but there will be lots of ice cream! On Wednesday, students in lower grades will be sporting their crazy hats and those in upper grades can root for the home team in fan apparel. There will be a teacher appreciation day and a pep rally.


St. Elizabeth Ann Seton School in Shrub Oak will join together for a prayer service to kick off Catholic Schools Week. It continues with “Sharing with Buddies,” as the upper classes work with younger students using educational games. In conjunction with the “Feeding Our Neighbors” campaign the school will hold a food drive for St. Mary’s Church in Mohegan Lake. The school will close the festivities with a celebration in honor of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and other saints with connections to education.

 

At St. Patrick’s in Yorktown Heights, the eighth-grade class will take on the faculty in a volleyball game. Second graders will receive First Penance on Tuesday. Students will skip and jump for the American Heart Association in the “Have a Heart” jump rope fund-raiser and also participate in the organization’s “Go Red!” event. The school’s annual science fair will be held on Wednesday. The week will conclude with a student appreciation day on Friday.

 

CENTRAL WESTCHESTER

 

Annunciation School in Crestwood will host Sarah Weeks, the author of  “So B. It,” on Monday, for all grades. There will be a madcap puppets assembly for lower grades. There will be a crazy socks and ties day. Students will participate in the “Feeding Our Neighbors” campaign by bringing in two canned goods to participate in pajama day or dress down day. The week ends with a community Mass.

 

Holy Name of Jesus School in New Rochelle will celebrate with Mass as a school community, a grandparents’ breakfast, a band performance, a three-day book fair, a "Contest Day," a "Spirit Basketball Game" and a special raffle with prizes donated by the faculty and administration.

 

Immaculate Conception School in Tuckahoe will hold a teacher appreciation day; a "Take Pride in Your Uniform Day" where a boy and a girl from each class will be selected as the best example of how a Catholic school uniform should be worn; a parent appreciation day and a spirit day. On "Partners in Service Day” classes will prepare care packages or make prayer beads or crafts. The choir will perform a concert for the residents of The Wartburg, where many Sisters of St. Francis who served at the school are now in residence.  

 

Immaculate Heart of Mary School in Scarsdale will hold several events during the week including a student-parent basketball game and a "Souper Bowl" canned goods collection to benefit the IHM Food Pantry and the Little Sisters of the Poor.

 

They’re ready to yell Bingo! at John Cardinal O'Connor Special Education School in Irvington since students will play Bingo to celebrate the week. The students will also participate in a sports day, a pajama day and a spirit day. The school will end the week with a morning Mass.  

 

At Our Lady of Perpetual Help School in Pelham Manor, eighth graders will read at Masses. On “Souper Bowl” Monday, students who bring canned goods for Hope Soup Kitchen can wear team colors that day. Fourth grade students will host a senior breakfast. Students will participate in a Bingo game, a pajama day and a crazy hat and sock day and be treated to a hot dog lunch sponsored by the Home School Association. Eighth-grade students will receive their class pins, second graders will receive their First Penance and Valentines will be made for Sprain Brook Manor Nursing Home.

 

Our Lady of Sorrows School in White Plains will celebrate grandparents’ day on Tuesday. The school will accept applications for admission throughout the week.

 

Our Lady of Victory School, Mount Vernon starts the week by joining together to celebrate Mass. Each day has a theme, including “Honor Our Nation,” “Honor Our School” and “Honor Our Community,” to name a few. Activities include a book fair, a spirit day rally, and a day featuring ice cream treats. On "Good Citizen Day" students will enjoy a morning movie in their classes.

 

Teachers better be ready at Resurrection Grammar School in Rye since there will be faculty vs. student games that week. Grandparents and special visitors will be honored on Thursday; and there will be an assembly at 9 a.m. on Friday.

 

Sacred Heart Grade School in Yonkers will host guests from the Greenburgh Nature Center. There will be a story day and a pajama day. On Friday, Mass will be celebrated for the school community. The day ends with a special movie showing with popcorn.

 

At St. Ann’s School in Yonkers, there will be an ice cream social for students in all grades.  The school gym will be the place to be during the week, with that being the setting for a roaring game of Bingo, the school’s international fair and a sports tournament.

 

The kickoff for St. Barnabas School in the Bronx is a sports day with students wearing sports-related attire. It also begins the “Souper Bowl” with students bringing in canned goods for charity. A memory contest will be held in the auditorium. Generation Life will discuss chastity with upper graders. Students will have fun competing against faculty in a three-point contest. There will be a silly hat day, a funny outfit day and a pajama day. The principal will give guitar lessons to younger grades. It is Yankees-vs.-Mets on Thursday so students can wear orange for the Mets and blue for the Yankees. School colors are suggested for Maroon and Gold day.

 

Transfiguration School in Tarrytown will celebrate Mass Sunday, followed by a breakfast cooked by the principal and faculty for parents of students. Students will donate new pajamas for 1milliongoodnights.org and can wear pajamas as a reward. Students will also participate in the "Feeding Our Neighbors" campaign. There will be a team apparel day and a free-throw shooting contest. Lunch on Thursday will feature a Heritage Day Food Festival prepared by parents.  Friday is Green and Gold Day, and the faculty and the eighth grade boys will challenge the varsity girls’ volleyball team.  

 

STATEN ISLAND

 

St. Adalbert’s School will host local community helpers for breakfast to thank them for their service to the community. Visitors will include local police officers, firefighters, emergency medical technicians, elected officials and others the students feel make a difference in their lives. An assembly will follow. 

 

St. Ann’s School will celebrate the week with a pajama day, an international day and a career day. Visitors from Holy Childhood Missions will speak to students. The week ends Friday with the celebration of Mass and parent appreciation day.

 

Activities at St. Charles School include a school-wide celebration of Mass, a visit from the Lifestyles of the Disabled, a bagel breakfast and visits from local politicians.

 

Academy of St. Dorothy will begin with a door-decorating contest displaying the theme for Catholic Schools Week. Students can wear Catholic T-shirts on Monday. There will be a community appreciation day, a teacher appreciation day, and a parent and student appreciation day. Students will participate in the “Feeding Our Neighbor” food drive. The week will end with the celebration of Mass.

 

Blessed Sacrament School will collect donations for the Seton Foundation schools in honor of the founder, Auxiliary Bishop Patrick Ahern, a former pastor of Blessed Sacrament who is now deceased.  There will also be an ongoing book drive for the Seton Foundation schools. There will be a literacy day, a thank you day, photo contest with the theme of God's Canvas and decorating classroom doors with the theme of a saint.

 

At Holy Rosary School, activities include the annual special person day and a school-wide trip.  The students will be completing their painting of 12 murals throughout the school, an ongoing project since the beginning of the school year.

 

Notre Dame Academy Elementary School will join the celebration with a prayer service.  The school patron saint, Marguerite Bourgeoys, will be the topic of lessons and activities. Among the activities will be a school-wide Bingo game and a volleyball game between teachers and eighth graders. Students will deliver handmade cards to the elderly, raise environmental awareness, collect loose change, and donate food and warm clothing to the parish resource center.

 

Our Lady Help of Christians School will celebrate with a book fair, a crazy tie and sock day, school spirit day, grandparents’ day and religious instruction day.

 

Our Lady of Mount Carmel/St. Benedicta School will enjoy activities that include pajama day, school spirit day and grandparents’ day.

 

The week starts strategically with a chess tournament at Our Lady Queen of Peace School. There will be a parent appreciation breakfast, a student appreciation day, a teacher appreciation day and a book fair during which students are encouraged to dress as characters from their favorite book. There is a “Get Up and Move” day where the principal will randomly play music over the loudspeakers throughout the day. When students hear the music they are to “get up and move.” On Friday, the Legion of Mary of OLQP will be honored.

 

The week begins with a prayer assembly at Our Lady Star of the Sea School. There will be a character day and a “cranial crunch” day. The week will end as it began, with a prayer.

 

Sacred Heart School begins with a world peace prayer service conducted by the students. Literary classroom presentations will be given by students. There will be a service/spirit day, a heritage day celebration and a math and science discovery day. Students will participate in the “Feeding Our Neighbors” campaign.

 

St. Christopher’s School is celebrating with its annual faculty vs. grade eight students and a grade eight students vs. parents volleyball game night! There will be a grade eight book and bake sale, and second grade “When I Grow Up I Want to Be...” presentations.

 

St. Clare’s School will begin each day by reading prayers created by the students. The school will sing a special Catholic Schools Week song that begins, “It’s good news today. Let’s hear what they say. It’s Catholic Schools Week in the U.S.A.” The eighth-grade class will present “Dialogues in History” during which an historical figure from the past discusses an issue with a person from the present. Kindergarten children will do a character dress up and seventh graders will dress up as an American hero. Eighth graders will receive their school rings. There will be a prayer service and breakfast for grandparents. The week ends with a musical assembly and a prayer service. There will be a dessert bar for teachers and staff.

 

At St. Joseph/St. Thomas School events for the week include international day to celebrate the cultural heritages of students; pajama day, where students who donate a pair of new pajamas may wear their own pajamas to school; and grandparents’ day. 

St. Joseph Hill Academy Elementary is hosting a Mass where the school will honor a distinguished graduate, Loretta O’Hara, who has received the Carl W. Lesch Memorial Award for Educator of the Arts. The week ends with Rainbow Day that allows students to show their differences. Students will see art being connected to faith with focus on paintings from Norman Rockwell and Bible stories, such as Noah’s Ark. The pre-k will be collecting baby items for the baby pantry through the Crossroads Foundation. Parents will speak about their occupations and heritage.

 

At St. John Villa Academy, Monday is teacher appreciation day. There will be a token of appreciation for each faculty member. There will be a career day, student appreciation day and international day. Each student in third grade will present a research-based board on a country of their choosing, entitled “Where in the World Is…” Members of the student council will hold “Coin Wars.” Every student will bring coins to put in their homeroom jar.  At the end of the week these coins will be counted, with the money donated to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

 

At St. Peter-St. Paul School, the sixth-grade class will be presenting their book project. Students interviewed senior citizens who attend Bingo at the school were conducted and a book has been created. A small reception will follow. On Wednesday, the UPK students will be conducting a fashion show.

 

St. Rita’s School will begin the week with “Souper Bowl” Monday by bringing in a can of soup for the “Feeding Our Neighbors” campaign. There will be a school book fair, a crazy hat day and a parent appreciation day. There will be the celebration of a school Mass and National Junior Honor Society induction for eighth graders. There is also a fun sock day, teacher appreciation day and a dress down day. One day will be a make your own ice cream sundae at lunch.

 

St. Teresa’s School will rock with the school’s band for the second year in a row Tuesday. Students in grades one through four will participate in a competitive spelling and math bee. The older grades will observe.

 

ROCKLAND

 

Sacred Heart School in Suffern will have a book fair, a breakfast with a loved one, the faculty/eighth grade volleyball game and an assembly on Friday with the Chicku Aweali African dance group.

 

St. Anthony’s School in Nanuet will bring in the fun with a faculty versus student volleyball game and sports day. During the week, students will collect food items for the “Feeding Our Neighbors” campaign and pair up for several “buddy” activities, including a read-a-long and Bingo Day.

 

St. Gregory Barbarigo School in Garnerville will celebrate with fun-filled events such as Bingo, an ice cream social, games, special activities and a school-wide drive for the “Feeding Our Neighbors” campaign. The week concludes with Mass on Friday morning and a family movie night that evening.

 

St. Margaret’s School, Pearl River, kicks off the week on Saturday, with Family Bingo after the 4:30 p.m. Mass. The school community will come together for a special liturgy hosted by the kindergarten class. The entire school community will participate in a food drive to support the “Feeding Our Neighbors” campaign.

 

St. Paul School in Valley Cottage kicks off Catholic Schools Week on Sunday during the Masses at St. Paul’s Church in Congers. During Catholic Schools Week, St. Paul’s students will participate in spelling and math bees, basketball competitions, community service projects and a special liturgy. The school will showcase the talent and intellect of its students in a variety of exhibits located in the halls.

 

ULSTER/SULLIVAN/ORANGE


At St. Joseph's School in Kingston the week starts with the “Feeding Our Neighbors Campaign.” Students will take a break from their classes and enjoy an ice cream social. Other events include hat day and storybook character day.

 

At Kingston Catholic School, festivities will include a family art night, a winter carnival for students, a student versus parents and alumni game and a Catholic Schools Week Mass on Friday.

 

St. Peter’s Regional School, Liberty, holds a school-wide Rosary service on Monday followed by breakfast with members of the Rosary Society, Knights of Columbus and the Parish Council. The school wraps up the week with “Souper Friday,” a soup drive, and an afternoon at the movies for students.


Most Precious Blood School in Walden begins Catholic Schools Week with a school-wide Mass on Monday. On Wednesday, the school welcomes Auxiliary Bishop Dominick J.  Lagonegro, episcopal vicar of Ulster, Sullivan, Orange and Rockland, who will visit with students and faculty that day. Thursday’s Spelling Bee is sure to be exciting and the week finishes with Friday’s favorite team jersey day.

 

Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Middletown starts activities with its annual pasta dinner on Saturday, Jan. 23. Activities include a spelling bee, an “Afternoon at the Movies” and an eighth grade pinning ceremony. During January, students, faculty, and staff at the school will be holding their "Souper Bowl Drive" where they collect soup cans for local food pantries and collect items for local animal shelters.

 

Sacred Heart School in Newburgh invites everyone to a pancake breakfast and a blood drive to be held at the school Sunday, Jan. 25, at 8 a.m. Catholic School Week festivities include a book fair, fitness fund-raisers, faculty/student volleyball game, Respect Life presentation, a sundae party and Penny Wars.

 

Sacred Heart School, Monroe starts on Monday by showing their appreciation to the bus drivers who get them to and from school safely and on time. Other activities include a social studies bee, a sundae party and a crazy hat/crazy sock day. Mass will be celebrated on Friday.  That night, Sacred Heart hosts the Winter Snow Ball open to all sixth, seventh and eighth graders in the Catholic School Region of Ulster/Sullivan/Orange Counties.

 

St. John School, Goshen, is involved in the “Feeding Our Neighbors Campaign.” Students will show their school spirit on Monday and also do random acts of kindness. Students will also come together for a Mad Science presentation and a game of Bingo.

 

St. Stephen-St. Edward School, Warwick will be involved in fun-filled activities including bus driver appreciation day, dressing as your favorite saint or children’s book character day, senior breakfast day, crazy hat, sock and tie day, and a game of religious Bingo (Grades K-4) and a Religious Jeopardy-like game (Grades 5-8). The week ends with the schools spirit day pep rally.