Thursday Newsletter
January 26, 2012FROM THE DESK OF MS. HESED
Thank you, thank you, thank you
Thank you, PTA, for all your time, effort and care that went into making our first SMOS Mother– Son Event spectacular. I hear we have some stunning dancers in our midst! We knew in advance that the boys could eat their weight in nachos, but who knew they could also dance.
Thank you, parents, for sending in those yellow re-registration forms. You make our lives easier. Your timeliness makes the office work of sorting, separating, and recording students into grade levels go more quickly. Turning your registration forms in on time helps us plan for Open House and the registration of new students. There were several K and Pre-K siblings that we had not been aware of – how did those babies grow up so fast???
Thank you, School Board and Parish Finance Committee, your long evenings and careful planning have moved us very close to being able to determine a fiscally responsible tuition for next school year. The decision should come soon. Our School Board is always dedicated to remaining honest to our mission in all of their advice to Fr. O’Toole. Our Parish Finance Committee is known throughout the Archdiocese for their sound stewardship of parish and school money. Together these two boards act with wisdom, understanding and compassion. We are blessed by their efforts to care for our school and parish.
The ACRE (Assessment for Catholic Religious Education)
If you have a child in 5th or 8th grade and she or he has come home complaining about having to take another standardized test – it’s true. This standardized test attempts to assess their knowledge of the Catholic faith, their attitudes towards God, prayer and church, and their opinions of their school and fellow students. Typical of the knowledge questions are questions about the persons of the Trinity, certain holy days, Pentecost and the person of Mary. Typical of the attitude questions are questions concerning how often and when you pray and your view of Jesus as friend. Finally the students are asked to give their opinions about bullying, drugs, cheating in their school. With great disappointment I must admit there is always reported some level of bullying and cheating – both of which are abhorrent to me at any level.
Per Archdiocesan guidelines the test is given in January only to 5th and 8th graders. It is interesting to see their growth from 5th to 8th. We use the test to inform our curriculum in Religion and throughout all subject areas. The affective questions help us to see how our students view themselves, their classmates and their school.
A Few BIG Events in February
Please refer to last week’s Thursday Newsletter for a schedule of Catholic School Weeks events.
- Boredom Busters Talent Show January 31st at 7:00pm in the church hall. Whether your child is performing or coming to watch, s/he will enjoy this fun night. Please remember that proceeds with go towards purchasing items for child patients at Cardinal Glennon Hospital. It is exciting to be partnering with our neighbor, even more exciting to know that this event is student-initiated.
- PTA sponsored ice-skating on February 2nd is always one of the big nights of the year for our children and their parents. One of those great nights when the children get to hang out with friends and the parents get to hang out with their friends – win:win!
- First Communion Parent Meeting on February 6 at 7:00 in the school cafeteria for those families with children preparing for this amazing sacrament. Please consider our neighbors and park on the parking lot.
- 12:15 dismissal for students on February 10 for faculty meeting. Sorry for any inconvenience but we really need to gather to work together. In past years we have had a 12:15 dismissal monthly, I tried to cut back this year. I think it has been useful to our families but tremendously taxing on our faculty.
- Trivia Night on February 11! Got your tables? Got your menus?
- Tacky Day! From 3:00 to 4:15 on February 16 - the children will play games, put their best friends in jail (and a teacher or two), and eat junk food all the while dressed in the most tacky of tacky costumes. Look through your child’s backpack for the registration form. All children are invited to dress in “tacky” but there is a small fee and parent signature required for children attending the after school portion of Tacky Day. Proceeds help support the 8th grade Mystery Trip.
- Parish Meeting - February 12 at 2:00 in the church hall. Parish school families and school families who do not belong to the parish may all be very interested in attending this meeting. It will include a segment on the school and the progress being made concerning our “good problem” of increased enrollment and decreased space. Come hear what we’ve been working on. Come offer your two-cents in the open forum.
- Ash Wednesday, February 22, see you at Mass if you are able. There will be no all school Mass that Friday.
- Confirmation Parent Meeting on February 23rd at 7:00 in the school cafeteria for parents (students may attend, if you wish) of those preparing for Confirmation. Please respect our neighbors and park on our lot. Most, if not all, of your questions will be answered that night. It is a must-come-to event if you are to feel prepared to guide your child towards this final sacrament of initiation.
Other information and announcements….
SHOPS – please remember to use your SHOPS cards weekly….it is the easiest / no cost fundraiser we have!!!
The following is a list of all the “in stock” items that we have, just let us know what you need and your order will be sent home.
Child’s grade:____________(to send home)
Starbucks ______$10.00
i-Tunes ______$15.00
Papa John’s Pizza ______$10.00
Shop and Save ______$25.00
Shop and Save _____$100.00
Walgreens ______$25.00
Panera – Bread Co.______$10.00
Target ______$25.00
Target _____$100.00
Dierbergs ______$25.00
Dierbergs _____$100.00
Home Depot ______$25.00
Lowe’s ______$25.00
BP Gasoline ______$50.00
Shell Gasoline ______$25.00
No Attachments!