Thursday Newsletter

FROM THE DESK OF MS. HESED
This has been a most unusual beginning to a new school year.  That brief (thank goodness) spell of temperatures in the 100s took me by surprise.  I had quickly and easily gotten spoiled by the comfortable temperatures of the week before.  Today has been beautiful; make no mistake it is still summer and the children arrive from recess with red, sweaty faces, but the buildings have the chance to cool off over night and into the morning making them bearable throughout the day.

• Thanks to all for being patient with our closing school on the 2nd day!
• If you did not receive an email message on Tuesday notifying you that you had a Fast Direct message waiting for you to let you know that school would not be in session then you have not registered in Fast Direct, or at least you have not included correct email addresses.  Registering on Fast Direct is an absolute must for several reasons:
  • First, and most importantly, Fast Direct is where you input all the essential emergency information for your child.  Should there be a terrible accident and we need to reach you Fast Direct is where we find your various phone numbers.  And, if you are not available, Fast Direct is where you let us know who is next on the list to call.  If you have not yet inputted all that information into Fast Direct, you are putting your child at risk.
  • Secondly, Fast Direct is the primary means of communication between school and parents – such as this Thursday Newsletter which is published on Fast Direct accompanied by the quickie, uninformative email notification.

Admittedly it is not a perfect system.  No, it is not possible to put a direct link in the email notification or even some information as to the content of the Fast Direct message that your email is advising you to check.  It is clumsy and takes too many clicks in the world of high speed internet and fast paced cyber space – but it is the system that we use.  It is secure, and it is really efficient for other purposes.   It is necessary that each of our school families follow procedure and get all the pertinent information into for Fast Direct.

NOTE TO OUR NEW FAMILIES:

Fast Direct is for communication, report cards and homework assignments.

FACTS is the automatic tuition withdrawal system.

SMOS-school.org (when it is up and running again) is for communication
from school, PTA, and Athletic Association and curriculum updates.
It will all make sense just about the time you fully understand how PTA Pizza Fridays work.  By the way, our first Pizza Friday is September 2.  Have you sent in your order form yet?

Our first two days of school seemed to have gone well.

• I can hear the preschoolers outside playing on the playground as I work – better than any music could ever be.
• At lunch I experienced our Stop, Look and Listen at its best. We’ve added a piece to our Stop, Look and Listen.  When we need to get a large group’s attention rather than shouting, the adult simply raises one arm with a gentle fist, as students see that they too follow with the same gesture.  As the group begins to quiet the adult extends the index finger, when all are quiet and at peace the adult raises both fingers demonstrating that all are have stopped, are looking and are ready to listen.  The children have been responding well to this, they certainly understand the need to Stop, Look and Listen; equally, they like the comfort of being in a peacefully  quiet setting when it is time to listen.
• The highlight of this two day week for me has been door duty for the preschool families. The little ones are adorable, wide-eyed and so serious as they enter big kid school.  It is also very humbling to realize just how important everything we say and do is.  In the end, it’s the beginning that counts – we are aware everyday that every word, every interaction, and every opportunity for thinking and learning will impact our students long into their futures. Very humbling!

THE WEEK AHEAD!

• Please remember that we do not have Mass tomorrow, but children in Kindergarten through 8th grade will meet at church next Friday for our first Mass of the school year.
  • Parents, we love it when you are able to join us at Mass.  The parents usually sit in the back pews in the center or on the far right.  Please don’t sit on the left, 8th grade and their little K buddies will need every inch of that space.
• Preschool parents, on Mass days you will enter school by way of the Lawrence door, as always, but if you are late you will have to wait until 9:00 when someone is in the office to open the main door for you.  Only the preschoolers and their teachers are here on Friday mornings, everyone else is at church.  By the way, your little ones will join us occasionally for Mass – their first Mass will be September 30.
  • You are also welcome to join us at Mass, usually the preschool parents sit with their little ones, unless it makes separation after Mass more difficult..
• Monday will be our first day with all of our students.  We will celebrate with an all-school prayer service at 10:00 am in the gym.  Parents are always welcome to come pray with us.  The children will be introduced to St. Margaret, Queen of Scotland and to one another as we officially begin our year in her name.
• Parents with children in grades 6 through 8, please make every effort to be at the back to school meeting on September 1 at 7:00 pm in the school cafeteria.  Topics to be covered are meeting teachers, learning their expectations, introduction to the teacher’s bulletin board on Fast Direct, and our revised Family Handbook.
• Catered lunch program begins on Monday.  Chris Stephens went through 2 ½  loaves of bread, a jar and more of peanut butter, and a jar of jelly making sandwiches for the children without lunches today.  I say that not to complain, but to remind parents:
  • First, if your child comes without lunch we make gourmet PP&J or at least “gourmet” is what I tell the kids. They typically agree that ours are better than average!
  • Second, that the caterer is never here on Fridays. Fridays are often bring your own lunch days and occasionally PTA Pizza – if you ordered it for your child.  The PTA Pizza Fridays are listed on the calendar. 

That closes the week and takes us into a long weekend, and with that there is no doubt that we are in the full swing of the 2011-2012 school year. 

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