O C T O B E R 2 0 1 9 • I S S U E 2 • B A C K T O S C H O O L

M O N T H L Y N E W S L E T T E R

WITNESS WEDNESDAYS AT KA

Pope Paul VI declared clearly in Evangelii Nuntiandi that the Church “exists in order to

evangelize . ” He went on to say that , “Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to

teachers , and if he does listen to teachers , it is because they are witnesses . ” During Witness

Wednesday at KA , we desire that students hear the faith journey of others so that they may know

that they are not alone in following Christ and that God reaches people where they are at .

Hearing these stories is a key way of encouraging students to reflect upon their journey of faith

and to know that having questions and doubts are a natural part of faith formation . We have

brought in musicians , young adult members of SPO and FOCUS , KA faculty and staff members , a

Sergeant in the military , Ginny Gallic , and a host of others . All have unique stories of how the

Catholic faith became their own and where their encounter with Jesus has taken them . Some of

these witnesses have been faithful ‘cradle Catholics ’ while others experienced a ‘long and

winding road ’ to God . One constant seems to be the working of the Holy Spirit in the person ’s

life which most were able to pinpoint as the beginning of a new moment in their life . Another

factor is the support from a Catholic friend and community of believers who were present during

the ups and downs of their journey and accompanied them along the way . We are always looking

for joyful witnesses to come and share how their lives have been impacted by their encounter

with Christ . Feel free to contact the school if you would like to be a witness .

- Mr . Allan Wright

REVERENCE : THE

V IRTUE OF THE MONTH

The Virtue for the month of October

is Reverence : showing your deepest

respect for the things of God , Grades

K-2nd will learn about Saint Hyacinth ,

3-5th will learn about Saint Tarcisius ,

and grade 6 will learn about Saint

Margaret Clitherow .

Virtues in Practice is a program

created by the Nashville Dominicans

for children in grades Pre-K - 6 to

grow closer to Jesus by imitating His

life and virtues . The program covers

27 virtues over a three-year cycle ,

with 81 saints held up as models of

these virtues .

STAFF H IGHL IGHT :

HANK SOULE , D IRECTOR

OF FAC I L I T I ES

Why did you decide to comework at KA?I came to KA after retiring from

Lockheed Martin Corp where I

worked as an engineer designing

and testing communication

satellites . It was an exciting career

but not as exciting as the prospect

of building God ’s kingdom .

Do you have a hidden talent? Not any more . My talents are all

utilized at KA with mowing , fixing ,

climbing , singing , and praying .

If you had 1 extra hour in the day,what would you do?Relax .

If you could immediately becomean expert at something, whatwould it be?Counseling students .

Mr . Soule has been crucial to the

successful running of the school for

more than 8 years . His latest

project has been the much

admired fence around the property

that has already gained more

positive attention from parents

than any landscaping project in

KA 's 35 years .

GET TO KNOW A STUDENT :

VALENT INA VALENC IA

My name is Valentina

Valencia and I ’m a junior at

Koinonia Academy . I have

attended KA since I was a

fourth grader so this will

be my eighth year here .

Although after graduating 

KA MOM 'S MORN ING

On the second Wednesday of the month , the

Bruce Weyand Gymnasium at KA acts as the

warm and welcoming home for the Koinonia

Academy Mom ’s Morning .   This group was

introduced this school year . It kicks off with two

simple goals at the forefront : prayer and

fellowship .   The moms in the group hope to

support our school through the recitation of the

Rosary with each mystery being offered up for

past , present , and future students ,

administration , staff , in thanksgiving for

benefactors , and asking for God ’s continued

provision .   It also serves as a way for our school

community to grow in familiarity . Over a cup of

coffee while enjoying a treat , moms get to know

each other and their families .   At the inaugural

meeting , local author Lindsey Schlegel was

invited to share her wisdom regarding Catholic

parenting and family life . More guests are being

scheduled for future meetings .   Mom ’s Morning

meets the second Wednesday of the month in

the gym starting “after-drop off” until 9 :30am

(ish ! ) . Children welcome . Mark your calendars for

upcoming dates : November 13 , December 11 ,

January 8 .

I 'm still not 100% sure what I want to do , I 'm

looking into biomedical engineering as an

option . KA has helped me grow both as a person

and in my spiritual life . Before coming to KA , my

family and I always attended mass and I grew up

knowing that faith was very important . However

this new school has helped me make my faith my

own . It has taught me ways to grow and helped

me become who I am today . The unity of KA is

seen nowhere else and it is something that I am

so incredibly grateful for . KA holds a dear place

in my heart and I genuinely don ’t know what I

would have done without it .

Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS) is not merely another

teaching of our beautiful faith , it is an extraordinary

experience where our students will have the opportunity to

live out their faith in real , concrete ways . We have createdthe atrium, our sacred space, which will be a place ofsilent wondering . The children will be invited to “work” with

the presentations that will be given to them . They will

experience and meditate about the practical life of the

Church , and about all the amazing Mysteries of our faith . This

will all be done with age appropriate catechesis . Our hope at

KA is to bring the children into a deeper relationship with

God and a greater participation in the liturgy .  

We look forward to beginning CGS with the Pre-K,Kindergarten, and 1st grade classes. I am humbled and

honored to be able to walk with the children on this journey

of faith . Please pray for us and the children . Check out thisarticle to learn more about CGS:http : //bit .ly/KAgoodshepherd If you have any questions or

concerns please feel free to contact me .

- Cristina Imparato , Cimparato@koinoniaacademy .org

EXTRACURR ICULAR : DANCE CLASSES

KA ’s latest extracurricular activity is as sweet as it is graceful ! Dance classes are the

newest offering for girls starting in Pre-K and take place after school .  This is yet anotherway that KA seeks to form the whole person! Ballet offers an opportunity for the little

girls to recognize and appreciate God ’s beautiful design in each of them . It allows them

to exercise the creativity and the freedom of their imagination that God has

wonderfully bestowed on this age group .  The expressions of the tiny ballerinas beam with

eagerness to learn the fundamentals of dance . Girls will learn ballet positions , exercises ,

steps , technique with lyrical and contemporary movement , and choreography .  This

blessing comes by way of Mrs . Joanna Velazquez who will be the instructor on Tuesday

afternoons . “Miss Joanna,” as the little girls call her, hopes to instill a basicfoundation of ballet technique to the students at KA and spark a joy andappreciation for the art of dance! She is a local , Catholic , homeschooling mother of five .

Currently the dance teacher at Little Way Homeschool Co-op , Joanna has taught at many

other schools over the years and has been trained at local dance institutions , Rutgers

University , and the New Jersey School of Ballet .

CATECHES IS OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD

Witness Wednesdays: Come

share with the students at KA

how you have encountered

Christ . Contact Mr . Wright if

you 're interested :

principal@koinoniaacademy .org

Supplies needed forCatechesis of the GoodShepherd: Check out this signup link: http : //bit .ly/CGShelp to

see what you can give

STAY I N TOUCH WITH KA

marketing@koinoniaacademy .org

www .koinoniaacademy .org

OCT

Ways to get involved in

CELEBRAT ING 35 YEARS

OF KA AT OUR 9TH

ANNUAL GALA

Email gala@koinoniaacademy .org if you 're

interested in getting involved or including

an ad in our Gala Journal .  Learn more and

purchase tickets at www .koinoniagala .com

FALL FEST

FUNDRA ISER SUCCESS

The KA Fall Festival was held on Saturday

October 5 and was a huge success ! The

weather was perfect for the occasion :

crisp and sunny !   There were plenty of

activities for the children , the most

popular of which were face-painting and

a bouncy house .   Everyone enjoyed the

variety of flavorful Latino foods , including

carne asada , empanadas , papusa 's , and

more !   There was even a soccer game

that saw KA 's 4th-6th grade team take on

North Plainfield . Although Coach

Ramos 's team was not victorious , they

displayed their skills and courage to all !  

The event raised over $2 ,000 for KA !   A

special thank you to Luisa and Sergio

Muz , who organized the event !