St. Helena School

School Day: 8:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Activities:    Breakfast Program:            7:00 - 7:45 a.m.
                       After School Program:       2:30 - 6:30 p.m.

Sports:   Varsity & JV Boys Basketball, Girls Intramural Basketball,
                 CYO Track, Cheerleading, Volleyball,

Extracurricular:   Chess, Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts

Accredited by the AdvancED Association

Snow Day Policy:   If there is bad weather, St. Helena School will follow the same schedule as the public schools and we will not have school if the public schools do not have school.

St. Helena School offers FULL DAY Universal Pre-K, Pre-K, 3 & 4-Year-old Programs, and Kindergarten through 8th Grade.  If you are interested in having your child attend St. Helena's School for the 2017-18 school year, please call 718-892-3234 to schedule a tour and to speak with the principal.  A limited number of scholarships are available for those who qualify. 

Are you considering a Catholic education for your child?  Learn how Catholic schools inspire hearts and minds to succeed. St. Helena's School welcomes children of all backgrounds in grades Pre-K through 8.  Our school offers a secure learning environment, where respect, courtesy, and service to others are always part of the curriculum, and tuition is now more affordable than ever.  Financial assistance and scholarships can range from 15% to 75% of tuition, up to a maximum of $3,200 per student.  For help with admissions or financial aid, visit www.CatholicSchoolsNY.org or call 646-794-2885.

MISSION STATEMENT
St. Helena Catholic School exists to provide a Christ-centered academic environment designed to promote the total development of the child by serving the mission of the Roman Catholic Church through the educational process.
 

The Funeral Mass for Iris Garcia was held on Wednesday, November 7 at 10AM in the church. About 60 adults and 100 students attended the moving service.


Iris Garcia Passes Unexpectedly: On Wednesday, Oct. 31, the St. Helena School Community was shocked to learn that one of its most beloved and dedicated teacher aids had passed peacefully in her sleep that morning.  Iris Garcia had been a pre-K and Kindergarten teacher’s aide at St. Helena for the past 15 years. She had been ill for several months, but she was always at work and was the one go-to person who cheerfully cleaned the little ones after any accidents.  She has two daughters (Michelle and Jackie) and a son (Michael), and her granddaughter (Aliyia) attended St. Helena.  She also worked for many years in both our after-school and summer programs. She was truly a grandmother to all the little ones.  Her Funeral Mass will take place at 10AM on Wednesday, November 7 at St. Helena.  Her public wake will take place at Ortiz Funeral Home, located next to the church, on Sunday, Nov. 4 from 4-9PM and on Mon. & Tues., Nov. 5 & 6 from 5-9PM.

St. Helena Catholic Church in the Bronx held its annual Halloween Party on Sat., Oct. 27 in the gym. Fathers and sons of ALL TYPES, as well as many other ghosts and ghouls, attended the event, and a fun time was had by all.


St. Helena students have been receiving free dental care courtesy of the brand new New York University Mobile Dental Van, which is part of their community outreach program called Smiling Faces Going Places.


Our St. Helena School students venerated the United Nations Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady of Fatima on Friday afternoon. The statue will be present in the church all day on Saturday and Sunday, September 15-16. we will pray the Rosary at 1PM on Saturday and at 11:30AM on Sunday. The statue will be in the church for veneration during the day.


School began on Wednesday, September 5. God's many blessings for a great school year.


SEVENTH GRADE TRIP TO UNIVERSAL STUDIOS IN FLORIDA



SPELLING BEE WINNER

Congratulations to 7th-grader Dana Rivera who won our local St. Helena School spelling bee on Friday. She will now advance to the regional competition.


The New York City Fire Department gave a safety presentation Friday at St. Helena as part of Bronx Emergency Preparedness Weekend.

Fordham Prep Seniors do some much-needed painting at St. Helena as part of their Service for Seniors project.


Suri Zambrano, a second-grader at St. Helena in the Bronx, enjoyed playing in the snow today.



Zanera DeGuzman is a second grader at St. Helena School. She is from the Philippines. This is her first time playing in the snow, and she is very excited!

COOKING CLUB

All school uniforms should be purchased at Flynn & O’Hara, which is located at 136 Westchester Square, Bronx, NY 10461

*The store is located across the street from the Westchester Square #6 train station*
 

Go to your grade level under the CLASSES tab above, and you will see your summer reading assignments.

Second-grade doctors perform surgery to perform grammatical "contractions."

The seventh-grade students built Iroquois longhouses as a Social Studies activity in class.


Every First Thursday the students have the opportunity to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconclliation .
A very special thanks to St. Helena alumnus Andrew Curiel '10 and his business partner Francisco Neeko Zeno for successfully organizing The Be You Stay True Program’s #AssistProject where they supplied 50+ St. Helena Elementary School students with brand new book-bags and school supplies.


City Island Author Elisa Huberman read her latest book "The Upside Down Giraffe" to the St. Helena kindergarten, first, and second-grade students.


In celebration of former NBA and current author Mo Williams' series of books, which includes "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus," the kindergarten celebrated Pigeon by reading their favorite books from the series.


Spring Band Concert


WE'RE GOING TO ORLANDO

Ms. Fabiola Soto's sixth-grade class was the lucky winner in the DAILY NEWS' Universal Studios Class Trip contest. Each member of the class and one parent will be flown down to Orlando, Florida in August for a three-day experience. the DAILY NEWS surprised the class on Friday and announced that they had won.





Dr. Seuss Day at St. Helena
Here, the three-year-olds and the faculty celebrate Dr. Seus Day at St. Helena's. Held annually on March 2nd, Dr. Seuss Day is a holiday that celebrates the birthday of Theodor Seuss Geisel – otherwise known by the pen name by which he authored children’s books: Dr. Seuss. During the 1990s, the National Education Association advocated for a day to celebrate reading all over the United States. In 1998, it started Read Across America and decided to hold it on the same day as Dr. Seuss’ birthday.


INCUBATING EGGS




The NED Show was presented to the students at St. Helena School on Monday as a way to kick off Catholic Schools Week activities. The show is a character education school assembly program that promotes academic achievement through character development.


Owl Pellet Dissection L:ab 


Seventh graders are working on muscle fatigue between dominant & non-dominant hands in their science lab.



WE STILL NEED YOUR LABELS FOR EDUCATION

The Labels for Education program is coming to a close. Only UPC submissions with the Labels for Education logo will be accepted and redeemed for points. All submissions must be postmarked no later than January 2, 2018, in order to be deposited into our schools’ bank account. We currently have 1,447 points. Look for the Labels for Education logo on these products: Campbells, Pace, Pepperidge Farm, SpaghettiOs, Swanson, and V8. Labels can either be brought to the rectory or placed in the collection basket.  We are also accepting Box Tops for Education.

The School receives CASH for every Box Top For Education square we receive.  Just cut out the actual Box Tops square on each eligible package.  You can drop them off in the rectory, give them to your child, or drop them in the parish collection basket.  Every top counts, and we appreciate your assistance with this.  For more information on Box Tops For Education, including special promotions and a list of participating products, go to www.BTFE.com.  Thank you for your support.

JV Horsemen Triumph over Xavier

The Junior Varsity Horsemen dominated St. Francis Xavier and easily won 51-40.  Six Horsemen scored, two in double digits.

The Horsemen went out to an early 16-9 lead in the first quarter, but Xavier closed the gap 28-20 at the half. Sean DuBose had the only three in the game, scoring in all four quarters, and he had a game-high 20 points. Chris Williams also scored in all four quarters with 17 points.  Larry German hit four 2s for 8 points, and Manasse Miangar hit a free-throw in the second quarter and a two in the third. Jaylen Veloso also hit a two in the second, and Davindra Deonarain hit a free-throw in the final quarter to round out the Horsemen scoring.  Both teams were 6 for 19 from the line.

Varsity Wins Season Opener

The Catholic Basketball League is not playing this season, so St. Helena is a member of the CYO League this year, and the Varsity Horsemen won their season opener 48-23 against Santa Maria on Tuesday at Santa Maria. Six Horsemen scored, two in double digits.  

The Horsemen charged out to an early 19-5 first quarter lead. Khalil Black was the leading scorer with a game-high 14 points, including two 3s.  William Manning scored 10 points in the first half, and Eric Codero was right behind him with 9 first-half points, followed by Jahli Ward with six. Antonio Martinez had 5 second-half points.  Justin Hernandez had a two in the first quarter, and Kevin Vasquez had a two in the third quarter to round out the scoring. The team was 2 for 2 from the line. Two Santa Maria players hit for a team-high 5 points, and the team shot 3 for 11 from the line. The next varsity game is their opening home game at 5PM on December 3 against St. Raymonds.

The JV Horsemen lost their opening game 34-63 at Santa Maria.  Chris Williams had a team-high 14 points, scoring in all quarters.  Sean DuBose was right behind him with 12 points, also scoring in all four quarters, and DuBose sank the only team threes, hitting one in the first and another in the third quarter.  Manasse Maniger hit six first-half points, and Larry German hit a two in the fourth quarter. The Horsemen shot 2 for 7 from the line. A Santa Maria player had a great night, sinking a game-high 28 points, and the team shot 3 for 6 from the line. The opening JV home game will be Dec. 3 at 6PM against St. Raymonds. 

Horsemen Win Varsity Championship

The St. Helena Horsemen trampled Our Lady of the Assumption 60-29 to win the Catholic Basketball League Varsity Championship Tuesday night at St. Theresa’s.  Earlier, St. Theresa’s won the JV championship over St. Ignatius Loyola.

Omari Ward hit a free throw for the first point of the game, which he quickly followed with a three.  OLA’s John DiNapoli responded by also hitting a three, and Ward next sank a two.  Both teams played aggressive ball, and the Horsemen only led 18-9 at the quarter, but OLA lost its focus and just could not sink their shots, and the Horsemen took advantage and led 36-20 at the half.  Khalil Black hit a three to open the second half for the Horsemen, who just never looked back.  All players on both teams had playing time, and everyone received a plaque at the conclusion of the game to celebrate their team’s achievement.

Both Omari Ward and Francisco Mattei had 2 threes.  Ward had a game-high 23 points, finishing the season with a league-high 238 points.  Mattei had 13 points, and Christian Colter was also in double digits with 10 points. Devonne Stewart hit 2 twos in the fourth for 4 points, followed by Black with his three.  Eric Cordero hit a two in the first; William Manning had one in the second, and Jose Velez sank his in the fourth. Danny Bahora rounded out the Horsemen scoring with a free throw in the fourth. Anthony Perroncini was the only OLA player in double digits with ten.  The Horsemen were 5 for 14 from the line, while OLA was 4 for 12.  Congratulations to Coach Bobby Schaefer and the Horsemen for once more bringing home the CBL varsity championship.

EIGHTH GRADE VARSITY ST. HELENA BASKETBALL PLAYERS AND CHEERLEADERS
Devonne Stewart, Mia Tejeda, Omari Ward, Christian Colter, Francisco Mattie, Jalis McMyers, Jenesia Getfield, Maria Delgado, Nathalia Diaz
(Not pictured) Raeann Gopaul, and Puja Harripersaud)


Horsemen Win Final Season Home Game

Christian Colter began Thursday’s game with a two, and Devonne Stewart ended the game with a two, as the varsity Horsemen advance to the final game of the Catholic Basketball League with a 61-34 victory over St. Ignatius  Loyola during their final home game of the season.

Before the game, both coaches recognized their eighth-grade players and cheerleaders.  Coach Bobbie Shaefer also announced the four Horsemen who were selected by the coaches to the All-Star Team:  Francisco Mattei, Omari Ward, Christian Colter, and William Manning.

Both teams charged out of the gate to begin the game, and the first half was action-packed, full of steals and layups and threes, with the Horsemen leading 36-23 at the half.  The second half was much slower, but every player had some playtime during at least one of the six-minute quarters.  Omari Ward had the first score of the second half and a game-high 27 points, including 2 threes, which gives him 215 season points. Francisco Mattei also sank 2 threes, one of which was the second score of the game as part of his 16 game points.  Christian Colter scored his 12 points all in the first half, and Khalil Black hit 2 twos in the fourth, while Devonne Steward finished the Horsemen scoring with his crowd-pleasing two. The 14 Horsemen cheerleaders gave an enthusiastic half-time performance. 

Charlie Gordon had 4 threes and a two, which got him a team-high 14 points for Loyola, and Luc Goble was also in doubt digits with 10 points.  The Horsemen were 7 for 9 from the line, while Loyola sank its lone free throw.  Last Thursday, the Horsemen played a close game against Our Lady of the Assumption at OLA, with the Horsemen finally crossing the finish line 65-59.  Mattei had a game-high 25 points, Colter 20 points, Ward 15 points, and Manning and Black two points each.  The Horsemen will play for the Catholic Basketball Varsity championships this Tuesday at 5PM at St. Theresa.

Ward Is a Winner

Omari Ward first put in a season-high 31 points against Our Lady of the Assumption to lead the Horsemen to an easy 71-46 win at OLA. Then, he sank another 24 points against Santa Maria to give him a season total of 177 points, making him currently the leading Catholic Basketball League varsity scorer. Peter Lugo hit 4 threes to lead the junior varsity to a 57-34 victory over OLA. 

It was Ward’s night, putting in 5 twos, 6 threes, and 3 free throws, all within the first three quarters.  The Horsemen charged out of the gate and never once looked back, leading 26-17 at the quarter and 46-29 at the half. Francisco Mattei, back in the game after an earlier injury, sank 6 twos and 2 threes and a free throw for 19 points, and Christian Colter hit 5 twos and 3 free throws for 13 points.  William Manning had a two in the third and another in the fourth, while Antonio Martinez hit a two in the third, and Khalil Black hit one in the fourth to round out the Horsemen scoring. The Horsemen were 7 for 8 from the line, while OLA was 10 for 21.

The junior varsity also galloped to an early lead, 18-9 at the quarter and 27-22 at the half.  Three Horsemen were in double digits, while only one OLA player did so. Lugo hit 4 threes, 2 twos, and a free throw to give him a game-high 17 points.  Jahli Ward was the only Horseman to score in all four quarters, sinking 4 twos and 6 free throws for 14 points. Kyle Austin had 5 twos and a free throw for 11 points.  Also contributing to the victory was Joseph Fernandez with 8 points and Isaiah Lacosse with 7. The Horsemen were 8 for 17 from the line, while OLA was 2 for 4.

The varsity players went to St. Raymonds to play a stronger Santa Maria team, but the Horsemen were only trailing by four, 24-28 at the half, and lost by a respectable 46-53. Ward hit 7 twos, 2 threes, and 4 free throws for a game-high 24 points.  Mattei was also in double digits with 10 points, while Colter contributed 6 points, Black 4 points, and Manning a two in the fourth to round out the Horsemen scoring.  Mattei and Colter each now have 162 season points.  The Horsemen went 8 for 16 from the line, while Santa Maria was 10 for 15.

Colter Leads the League in Scoring

Putting in a season-high 30 points, Christian Colter now leads the Catholic Basketball League in scoring with 143 points.  And his efforts almost overcame the St. Theresa dominance and the poor team shooting from the line, as the Horsemen lost their first varsity game of the season 44-45 at home on Monday evening.

St. Theresa came out of the gate fast and led 16-21 at the half, spearheaded by Joe Bruno who had a team-high 19 points.  The Horsemen slowly inched their way back and finally took the lead for the first time 35-34 with 3:42 left in the game.  The lead then alternated back and forth, with Danny Bahora sinking the second three of the game to give the Horsemen a 44-43 lead , but Bruno responded by nailing a two-pointer with 10 seconds remaining in the game.  St. Theresa then stole the ball and held it for the final three seconds. It was as dramatic and nail-biting a finish as one can get.

Colter hit 28 twos and 2 free throws. Khalil Black hit both a two and the second team three in the fourth.  William Manning had a two in the first and another in the third, and finally Eric Cordero sank a two in the fourth to round out the Horsemen scoring.  The Horsemen hit 2 for 7 from the line, while St. Theresa sank 7 for 13.  The next Horsemen home game will be Feb. 15 against Loyola.

Peter Lugo sank the only three of the game late in the fourth quarter to give him 55 season points, as the JV Horsemen also fell to St. Theresa 19-27.  Joseph Fernandez hit the first basket of the game and another in the second to tie the game 8-8 at the half.  He sank a final basket and a free throw in the fourth for a 7-point total - his highest of the season -, just behind Jahli Ward’s 2 twos in both the second and fourth quarters for a team-high 8 points. Ward now leads the team in scoring with 109 season points. Kyle Austin rounded out the Horsemen scoring with a free throw in the final minutes of the game. St. Theresa dominated the third quarter, and that was enough to assure the victory.  Edwin Betances was the only player in double digits, hitting a game-high 12 points for St. Theresa.  The Horsemen were 2 for 7 from the line, while St. Theresa was one better, 3 for 7.

St. Helena Wins Catholic Basketball Tourney

Christian Colter became the third member of the varsity basketballl team to score over 100 points this season, as the Horsemen easily sailed to a 50-30 victory over St. Ignatius Loyola to win the Catholic Basketball League Tip Off Tournament.

The Horsemen stormed out of the gate and led 33-8 at the half.  Spearheaded  by Alex O’Donnell, who was their only player to score in double digits, Ignatius fought back, putting up 22 points in the second half, but that was not enough to overcome their first half deficit.

Omari Ward had a game-high 21 points for the Horsemen, which included two of the team’s 3 threes.  He now has 122 season points.  The team’s leading scorer, Francisco Mattei, who has 133 season points, was sidelined with an injury, but his team mates stepped up.  Colter scored 8 twos and a free throw to bring him to 113 season points. Khalil Black hit a three in the second and a two in the fourth to bring him to 41 season points.  Jose Velez sank a three in the second to bring him to 15 season points.  Cindy Pratt sank two free throws in the fourth, which doubled her season points, and Eric Cordero hit a two in the fourth to bring him up to 7 season points.  

The Horsemen were 6 for 10 from the line, while Ignatius was 3 for 10.  The 11 cheerleaders provided strong vocal support for the team.  Trophies were awarded to each player after the game to recognize their team’s first and second place tournament standings.  The next varsity home game will be Monday, Feb. 5 against St. Theresa.  The JV game begins at 5PM and the varsity game at 6PM.

Three Horsemen Score in Every Quarter

Francisco Mattei and Omari Ward each scored a game-high 18 points and scored in all four quarters to lead the Varsity Horsemen to their seventh consecutive win, a 52-41 victory at home against Our Lady of the Assumption. Jahli Ward put 17 points on the boards for the JV Horsemen, also scoring in all four quarters, but the JV failed to score in overtime, giving OLA the 35-26 win.  These three Horsemen were the only players to score in all four quarters in either game. 

The first quarter saw the most scoring action, with the Varsity Horsemen putting in 23 points and OLA 15 points. Mattei hit 2 threes and 6 twos, while Ward sank a very trinitarian 3 threes. 3 twos, and 3 free throws for his 18 points. Christian Colter had 4 twos in the first quarter and a free throw in the third for his nine points.  Khalil Black hit a two in the first and another in the next quarter for four points, and Eric Cordero rounded out the Horsemen scoring with a three in the fourth. The Horsemen were 4 for 12 from the line, while OLA went 8 for 14.

In the JV game, the teams were tied 4-4 at the end of the first, and the Horsemen developed some steam and surged ahead 13-8 at the half and 22-14 at the third, but OLA found their second wind and fought back hard in the fourth to tie the game 26-26 just before the final buzzer and then kept up their momentum and went on to decidedly win the game in overtime. Horseman Jahli Ward had 7 twos and the only Horsemen three, while Peter Lugo had a 2 in the first, and Isaiah LaCasse had 2 twos in the second and Joseph Fernandez had a two and sank the only Horsemen free throw also in the second.  The Horsemen were 1 for 8 from the line, while OLA went 2 for 5.

The next home Horsemen game will be February 5.

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THREE HORSEMEN IN DOUBLE DIGITS

Three St. Helena Horsemen were the only varsity players on either team to hit in double digits during Tuesday’s away game at St. Theresa, on their way to an easy 58-40 win.  The JV had a 14-10 lead in the first half and Horsemen shooters sank the only threes during the JV game, but poor free throw and twos shooting contributed to the final 30-40 St. Theresa win.

The Horsemen galloped out to a comfortable 30-7 lead in the first quarter of the varsity game. Francisco Mattei had a game-high 18 points, scoring 14 of them in the first quarter. Omari Ward hit for 16 points, sinking one of the team’s 3 threes.  Christian Colter was the only player on either team to score in all four quarters, hitting for 10 points.  Willam Manning sank a 2 in both the first and second quarters and a free throw in the final quarter for 5 points.  Khalil Black sank a three in the first and 2 free throws in the fourth, while Jose Velez hit the final three in the second quarter and a free throw in the fourth to round out the Horsemen scoring.  The Horsemen were 11 for 16 from the line. Jeff Padilla had a team-high 9 points, including one of the 2 threes for St. Theresa.

The JV Horsemen started strong, taking an early 10-6 lead in the first quarter. Jahli Ward had a team-high 8 points, including a two, a three and 3 free throws for the JV Horsemen.  Peter Lugo had the other team three in the first and a two in the second for five points, while Kyle Austin scored all five of his points in the first quarter.  Joseph Fernandez had the only team two in the fourth quarter.  The Horsemen were 4 for 10 from the line. Edwin Betances and Antonio Bruno each scored game-high ten points for St. Theresa. St. Theresa was 6 for 8 from the line.

The Horsemen will take a break for Christmas and will play again January 8 at home against Our Lady of the Assumption.

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