2021-2022 School Year On The Horizon For Diocesan Catholic Schools

Amarillo—The countdown to the end of summer break is underway for Catholic School students in the Diocese of Amarillo.

Monday, Aug. 16 marks the first day of classes for the 2021-2022 school year. Here are thumbnail sketches from all five Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Amarillo.

Events listed here are subject to postponement or cancellation without notice in light of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Holy Cross Catholic Academy, Amarillo
Location: 4110 South Bonham, just north of St. Joseph’s School
Phone number: 806-355-9637
Website: holycrossama.org
Registration Information: Registration for the 2021-2022 school year for grades six through twelve is ongoing, according to HCCA Head of School Angela Seidenberger. Prospective students are asked to begin the admissions process with one simple application at holycrossama.org/admissions. They can then call the school to set up a tour and an interview with the administration at 806-355-9637.

Looking Back at 2020-2021: “We are thankful and blessed to have made it through the 2020-2021 school year face-to-face and look forward to a more normal 2021-2022 school year, despite the fact that the new norm will probably be forever altered,” said Seidenberger. “Our normal office hours resume Monday, Aug. 2 and teachers return for In-Service on Friday, Aug. 6. Our first day of school is Monday, Aug. 16 and will be a full day.”

New for 2021-2022: Deanna Fedkowskyj will be joining the HCCA family full-time. She is relocating from New Jersey and will be teaching Physical Education, Health and middle school Social Studies. Fedkowskyj comes to Holy Cross from a Catholic school in New Jersey and with a background of coaching soccer but looks forward to coaching some different sports with possibilities of volleyball and basketball.

Isabel Pena is a new part-time addition to the Holy Cross family. Pena will be teaching Spanish for HCCA.
“Her son joins us as a sixth grade student and it was a great opportunity for her to use her teaching degree and transition into the classroom and teach her native language to our students,” said Seidenberger.  

Zachary Zuniga is not a new face around HCCA but will be new to the faculty as the Career Counselor. A Holy Cross alumni, he has been an advocate of Catholic education.
Zuniga spent the past two years at St. Mary’s Cathedral and looks forward to continuing the work that our elementary schools have started. 

Jessica Huerta is also a part-time faculty member, but she’s not new to HCCA.
“Huerta will be introducing our students to SoulCore through an elective this year,” said Seidenberger. “SoulCore integrates the prayers of the Rosary with core strengthening, stretching and functional movements, inviting participants to nourish body and soul and encourage deeper reflection on the Mysteries and virtues of the Rosary.”

Five more minutes? Holy Cross Catholic Academy is extending the school day by five minutes, shortening lunch periods and passing periods by a few minutes each to provide an extra 35 minutes at the end of the day for a FLEX period.

“This period lives up to its name, it is flexible,” Seidenberger said. “It is composed of three different components: WIN (What I Need), Athletics and Explore.”

WIN: Is for students who need extra support or are missing work or want extra study time. Those students will go to their designated subject area and get that help during this time. 
Athletics: Those students who are caught up and participating in the seasonal sport taking place at that time will be allowed to go and begin practicing and running drills. 
Explore: Is for those students caught up and not participating in sports. They will participate in leadership opportunities and explore career opportunities through Amarillo College and through other opportunities presented by our community. 

On the Calendar: Sixth grade orientation is set for Monday, Aug. 9 from 3:30pm to 6:30pm for the students, with parents joining at 5:45.

Back-to-School night is scheduled Thursday, Aug. 12 from 5:00pm to 7:00pm. Knights of Columbus Council #4621 will be cooking hamburgers and hotdogs. There will also be a volleyball tournament and classrooms will be open as well.

St. Joseph School, Amarillo
Location: 4118 South Bonham, in between St. Joseph’s Church and Holy Cross Catholic Academy
Phone number: 806-359-1604
Website: stjosephamarillo.com
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: @stjosephknights
A look back: “Before we can share about the exciting things happening at St. Joseph’s for this upcoming year, it is important to take a look back at what this amazing school was able to accomplish during one of the most challenging times schools have ever experienced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said principal David Hernandez. “It’s important to note that while many school districts in the panhandle opted for e-learning from home for the start of the last school year, St. Joseph School took a leap of Faith in conjunction with extended safety measures to initiate, navigate through and successfully complete a full year of in-person learning with our entire student body, faculty and staff. We are ever grateful for the cooperation and support of our school families, our dedicated teachers, our support staff, our pastor and superintendent. This collaborative and team approach put our school in the best position possible to continue the learning on our campus while maintaining the safest possible school environment while most schools in the nation kept their students at home.”

Montessori and PreK: St. Joseph School invites everyone to visit their campus to speak with Hernandez about the full curriculum that three or four-year-old children will experience—a safe and Faith-filled learning environment.
“Please, don’t hesitate as spots are limited in both Montessori and PreK classes,” said Hernandez. “Half-day or full-day options are available to all three or four-year-olds for added convenience. The registration process is simple and is done electronically for your convenience. Once the registration fee is paid, your child will be ready for the start of school next month.
“Don’t settle for the usual child care setting, when your family can receive so much more for at a very competitive cost.”

Yes, there are some gaps: Hernandez is aware that learning gaps are inevitable as a result of COVID-19 and understands that many public school students had to miss many days of school this past year.
“This is where St. Joseph School can help make gains and close learning gaps this upcoming school year,” he said. “We understand that our school size is on the smaller end, and this is truly a great benefit to our families as we are able to provide a 1:13 teacher-to-student ratio all the while students experience a safe and risk-free environment.
“In addition, we would like to communicate that assessing students’ knowledge and skills is vital to differentiating instruction for each child, but we also want you to know that we do NOT give the STAAR test that is given in public elementary schools. This is a great benefit for our students as our teachers are able to emphasize all content areas without the pressures of performing on state exams.

Why you should enroll your child at St. Joseph School? “We want the opportunity to serve and educate your child in kindergarten through the fifth grade and would like you to come see why St. Joseph School is the right school for your child,” said Hernandez. “Students are bound to grow in knowledge and Faith as we incorporate science, technology, religion, engineering, arts, math and science among other core subjects and extracurricular learning opportunities. Our students will continue to grow in virtue as we will incorporate year three of Virtues in Practice. This strong program that promotes living the virtues through the lives of well-known Saints will allow support for spiritual growth all year long.”

St. Mary’s Cathedral School, Amarillo
Location: 1200 South Washington
Phone number: 806-376-9112
Website: stmarysamarillo.org
Registration Information: At presstime, there were nine spots remaining in the Montessori Preschool before registration will close for the 2021-2022 school year.  “Students must be at least three-years-old on or before Wednesday, Sept. 1 and fully-toliet trained,” said principal Lydia O’Rear. “Openings are available in all other grade levels from Kindergarten through fifth grade. All teachers at St. Mary’s are certified and highly qualified.”

Theme for the new school year: The theme for the 2021-2022 school year comes from John 13:34—“I give you a new commandment: Love one another as I have loved you.”
“In a post-pandemic year, it is more important than ever to focus on a call to community,” said O’Rear. “We move into the third year of Virtues in Practice with the year of Charity and theme of Community. Charity is loving God with all your heart, mind, and strength, and your neighbor as yourself. This school year will be one to continually teach students that God is our priority and not to only love people across the world, but the people who are right next to us.”

A Note from the Principal: “As we put the pandemic behind us, we are looking forward to another outstanding year at St. Mary’s Cathedral School. This year we work together to create community and focus on living out specific school charism. The charisms developed for St. Mary’s Cathedral School are inspired by Marian devotion, faithfully living a life for God, models of having a heart for others and creating community for all. Additionally, we focus to cultivate Catholic Identity by engaging students in frequent prayer opportunities and engagement in service to others. The year will start off with each grade level having an age-appropriate day of retreat centered around the Year of St. Joseph and developing a personal relationship with Christ.”

Important Dates: A Back-to-School Swim Celebration is scheduled Thursday, Aug. 12 at Amarillo Town Club at 7700 Hillside. Other fall semesters dates of note include:
• Pop-In Meet and Greet for students and parents on Thursday, Aug. 13 from 9:00am to 10:30am;
• Shoot for the Stars Clay Target Event on Sunday, Aug. 29 at River Breaks Ranch and,
• The annual School Carnival on the grounds of St. Mary’s Cathedral, on Saturday, Oct. 2.

St. Anthony of Padua School, Dalhart
Location: 410 East 13th Street
Phone number: 806-244-4811
Website: stanthonydalhart.com
Registration Information: Registration for the 2021-2022 school year continues at St. Anthony of Padua School, with spaces still available in all grade level classrooms, according to principal Shay Batenhorst. Registration information can be accessed on the school’s website, stanthonydalhart.com. The school office will be open from 9:00am to 1:00pm, beginning Monday, Aug. 2.

Returning Faculty: St. Anthony of Padua School is blessed to welcome its entire staff back for the fall:
• Shay Batenhorst, Principal;
• Nikki Smith, PK;
• Jackie Arroyo, Kindergarten;
• Caryn Hawkins, First Grade;
• Kelly Sessions, Second Grade;
• Daniela Lechuga, Third Grade;
• Chele Saavedra, Fourth Grade;
• Lucy Lawson, Fifth and Sixth Grade;
• Jennifer Lopez, Secretary;
• Joanna McGaugh, Technology Director;
• Virginia Cendejas, Spanish, Student Technology and Health;
• Josie Granados, Pre-K aide; and,
• Sarah Hininger, Physical Education.

Important Dates: Back to School Parent University is scheduled Thursday, Aug. 12 at 6:00pm and a Back to School Social is set for Sunday, Aug. 15 from 2:00pm to 4:00pm. Other dates of importance this semester include:
• Tuesday, Sept. 7, First Home School Association (HSA) meeting of the school year; and,
• Sunday, Oct. 17, 40th annual Oktoberfest and Auction, at Rita Blanca Coliseum.

St. Anthony School, Hereford
Location: 120 West Park Avenue
Phone number: 806-364-1952
Website: stanthonysaints.com
Registration Information: St. Anthony School is accepting registrations for preschool (age four), kindergarten and second through fifth grades for the 2021-2022 school year. The school office is open the month of July by appointment. Please contact Ortencia Mendez via email at [email protected] or Maria Gonzalez via email at [email protected] to set up an appointment. The office will reopen for regular business hours on Monday, Aug. 2. School calendar, uniform guidelines, supply list and registration information may be found on the school website.

Theme for the new school year: The theme for the new school year at St. Anthony School is Charity.

Faculty News: St. Anthony School welcomes new principal Ortencia Mendez and two new teachers, Camille Beville, who will teach first grade and Diane Stokes, who is the new fifth grade teacher.
Returning faculty include:
• Emily Nielsen, Pre-Kindergarten;
• Delores Murillo, Kindergarten;
• Yvette Alaniz, Second Grade;
• Lesley Lomas, Third Grade;
• Farron Urbanczyk, Fourth Grade;
• Susan Hicks, Librarian;
• Elaine McNutt, Computer Lab Manager, Good Shepherd Catechist, Marketing and Development Director; and,
• Rocio Ochoa, Extended Day Program Teacher.

A Word from the new Principal: “As the new principal of St. Anthony School, I would like to welcome all new and returning students. I am extremely excited to join the St. Anthony family and look forward to serving you this new school year. I’m looking forward to watching the teachers teach and the students learn as I begin this stint as principal. I’m looking forward to a wonderful year.”

Upcoming Events This Semester: Include a Gala on Saturday, Oct. 2 and a Walk-Through Bethlehem on Saturday, Dec. 4.