March 27 Holy Family School Weekly Letter

March 27, 2009
Dear Parents,

We’re closing in on the end of another marking period. The 30 week marking period ends on April 8th. Report cards will be sent home on the Friday we return to school after our Easter Vacation.

Please remember that if your child is requesting bus transportation to HFS next year, the request to your home district must be submitted by April 1st. Please contact me if you have any questions.

I dislike harping on one topic, but we still need enrollment forms from some families. If you are not planning on attending HFS next year, please let me know via a phone call or a note. The reason this is such an important issue is that student population dictates staffing needs. If you have any questions concerning enrollment, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

The Friday Lenten PTO Fish Fries will continue for a few more weeks. Stop by and eat a great dinner in our cafeteria or call 337-2208 to order take-out dinners from 5pm till 7pm.

Please remember to send in your BoxTops. The Staff is still ahead in our latest competition. The contest ends on May 1st.

The new Science Initiative is going well. The 5th and 6th graders will be observing Mr. Diefenbacher as he dissects different animals: a fish, rat, frog, salamander, bird, lamprey and a shark. The 7th and 8th graders will each dissect a worm, locust (grasshopper), frog, lizard, and a rat.

At this juncture, I need to study the remaining issues that were brought up at the Parent/Teacher/Commission Elementary meeting at the end of January. At this time, I do not know if changes will be made in these areas. I will, as always, keep you informed as time goes by.

· Work on the appearance of the classrooms.
This is an area that I believe class parents can help us.
· Need to conduct exit interviews for families and staff that leave HFS.
· Community service projects for students to give them a sense of social responsibility.
· Look at upgrading Kids Zone.
· Adding a second parent/teacher conference for additional input for parents.
· Providing kindergarten parents with a report card for the first marking period.
· Social issues associated with smaller class sizes

God Bless,

Gene

March 19 Holy Family School Weekly Letter

March 20, 2009
Dear Parents,

Well, we made it! Spring has officially arrived in upstate New York. It’s great to see and hear the children playing outside at recess time. I’ll begin with this week’s announcements.

· Tools for Schools: Congratulations to all our families! Holy Family School finished as one of the top 100 schools in the Northeastern section of our country (CT, MA, NY, VT, PA). The contest ran for 5 months, October through February. Our total balance for the 5 months was 41,984.66, basically meaning we spent about $40,000 at Price Chopper over this period. As a result, our staff is able to purchase items from an educational catalog to support our program at HFS. In addition, as a result of finishing in the top 100, we receive a Califone Wireless Presentation Pro PA System for our school. Thanks go to Stephanie Coggins, our school coordinator and to all the families who participated in this program.

· Barring another snow day, Easter Vacation will begin on Thursday, April 9th. Our last day of school will be Wednesday, April 8th. Since we’ll be on vacation, we will not celebrate a Friday Mass in April. Each grade will be (or has been) praying the Stations of the Cross for Lent.
· Friday, March 27th is the last Friday of the month. It will be a “non-uniform” day.
· Beginning Wednesday, April 1st, students may wear school shorts to school.
· Fish Fry – Friday, March 27th: 5pm-7pm
· Enrollment forms for 2009-10 school year should be returned by March 31st. We will be offering an Early Childhood Program for 3 year olds beginning in September. Please spread the word. Our goal is to have between 12-14 children in this program.

· A wish list of supplies needed for painting the gym will be sent home soon with your children and posted on the website. Any assistance you can provide will be greatly appreciated. The gym will be painted by the Camp Pharsalia workers over the Easter Vacation.

This week I will discuss the suggestions/recommendations that were offered at the Parent/Teacher/Commission meeting concerning our elementary school program.

· Ensure that our curriculum is at least equal, if not superior to the public school curriculum. To this end, we have already added Spanish and additional Science instruction in our elementary grades. As I have promised, we have just begun the process of upgrading our ELA program, which will include assessments for students in grades K-2 at the minimum. We will be exploring the possibility of extending this through 4th grade. At present, the state administers exams beginning in grade 3.
· We need to challenge all our students using differentiated instruction techniques. Two additional staff members just returned from a conference on this topic. They were excited and have already begun using some of the techniques in their classes. I have asked them to share their new knowledge with our entire staff at a future staff meeting. We will continue to strengthen this area and explore additional ways to address this concern.
· There were some concerns relating to the staff turnover rate. This past year we hired four new staff members. For the 2009-10 school year we will be hiring a new 1st grade teacher, an art teacher, and a new staff member for our restructured Early Childhood Program. At this time, these are the only changes in staffing for next year. While I agree consistently high turnover rates can adversely affect the educational program, I believe the new staff hired for this year have improved our educational program. We have received a large number of applications for our openings for next year and will be conducting interviews prior to our Easter Vacation. I am very impressed with the quality and number of applicants we have for these positions. I will certainly keep everyone informed when a final decision is made.
· A suggestion was made that parents in each class should receive a class roster containing student names, parent names, address, phone numbers, and email address. This will be in place for September, pending individual parent approval.
· Another suggestion was to have more involvement by parents, especially parents of young children. I agree that this is one benefit of attending HFS. Parental involvement is greater than in most public schools and is certainly welcomed by our school. However, we can always improve in this area. I will ask the PTO for their assistance in this area.
· School Handbook: Whether we have Diocesan approval or not, we will have the School Handbook on our website for the 2009-10 school year. Putting it on the website will save money and trees. We will provide hard copies for those parents without internet access.

There were several other suggestions made that I will address next week. Enjoy the lovely upstate spring weather with your family.

God Bless,

Gene

March 12 Holy Family School Weeky Letter

March 12, 2009
Dear Parents,

Last Friday my wife, Patti, and I worked our first PTO Fish Fry. What an experience! While on the surface it appears that the main purpose of this yearly event is to raise money for our school, it quickly became evident that there is possibly a more important purpose – bringing our school community together.

In today’s world we all live hectic lives where there never seems to be enough time, especially when it comes to spend time with our neighbors. As soon as I began working at the Fish Fry, I realized there was much more to this event. It was unbelievable to see so many people working at the Fish Fry. The work force included children as young as kindergarteners to senior citizens (OK, just in case your mind is racing, I certainly don’t include Patti and myself in this group), students who have recently graduated from HFS and many parents of present students at HFS. The atmosphere in the kitchen and cafeteria was lively, to say the least. Laughter, not fish, seemed to be the main course. Laughter, smiles, friendly banter and teasing were dished out all evening and when the last dinner was served, we sat at tables and continued getting to know each other better. Although Patti and I were tired at the end of the evening, it was a satisfying type of feeling. We’re already looking forward to working again in two weeks so that we can get to know more about our friends at Holy Family School!

The past two weeks, I have shared the information we gathered at the Parent/Teacher/Commission meetings. As promised, I will begin addressing many, if not all the questions raised at these meeting. I will begin in reverse order, starting with the Grade 4-7 meeting.

• It was suggested that we differentiate instruction so that all our students’ needs are met and each student is challenged. By the end of April, six of our staff members will have attended workshops on differentiated instruction. These staff members will then be asked to share the techniques and materials they received with their colleagues.

• The question “When is it appropriate to transfer their children to public school?” was asked. This is a question that must be answered by each individual parent. However, it has my observation that the students that completed 8th grade at HFS have adjusted extremely well in the public school system. They have been frequently placed in the accelerated classes and have consistently been on the Honor Roll. I believe parents need to address the issue of why they send their children to school – is it for academics or socialization? While both can be addressed, which is more important?

• What will happen if there are only 2 or 3 students in a grade? Will that grade be eliminated or will I combine grade levels? I can assure all parents that even if there is only one student in a grade level, we will accept that student. We will not combine several grade levels for the core subjects (Math, Science, SS, and LA). We will continue to combine classes for PE, Music, Health, and Computer, as well as possibly for Spanish and Art.

• There was a concern expressed about the small class sizes in middle school at Holy Family. As a parent, I would instead be concerned with the possibility of large class sizes at public schools due to staff reductions caused by the Governor’s proposed educational budget cuts. Smaller class sizes mean more individual attention for each student, which again refers to the question of why we send our children to school – for academics or socialization. An added benefit of small class sizes is that our students have many public speaking opportunities, both in the classroom and at our HFS Masses.

• Our students need more extracurricular activities (other than sports which they can receive through their local communities) to enhance their educational experience. Our 7th/8th grade Odyssey of the Mind Team just competed at Oneonta State a few weeks ago. We are already planning to add an elementary team for next year. Our 4th-8th grade chorus was recently organized and will be practicing and preparing for our Spring Concert. I’d also like to look into an after-school Art Club for next year. I’m certainly open to other suggestions from teachers and parents for additional extracurricular activities we can offer our students.

• The final suggestion was to improve the research skills of our students using databases. Ann French is in the process of obtaining information about databases that are free to schools. She plans to address this issue in her computer classes next year.
  
  There are several changes that I am considering to implement next year for our students in grades 5-8. This year I began the school day earlier for our 5th & 6th graders. Next year, I plan to extend their day until 3 pm. This would give us more flexibility in scheduling, as well as provide students with more academic time in classes. This would mean that all our students in grades 5-8 would attend school from 8 am until 3 pm. I am also seriously considering a block schedule for middle school students for next year. This would mean that core subjects would be scheduled every other day for a double period. While this seems insignificant, it means less movement for the students, a longer period enabling students to complete labs, discussions and projects in class, and provides students with 7 ½ additional hours of instruction in each core class (5 minutes passing time between classes for 90 instructional days equals 450 minutes or 7 ½ hours).
  
  Next week I’ll address the concerns raised at the elementary parent meetings.
  
  God Bless,
  
  Gene
  
  UPCOMING EVENTS
  
  Tuesday, March 17th St. Patrick’s Day – Students requested to dress in green
  Sons of Ireland Band – 10 am Gym
  Lecture: Strong Celtic Women – 1 pm Church
  
  Thursday, March 19th St. Joseph’s Day – Students requested to dress in red
  
  Friday, March 20th PTO Fish Fry: 5 – 7 pm Cafeteria

March 6 Holy Family School Weekly Letter

Friday, March 6
Dear Parents,

Well, only 14 more days till Spring! I can’t wait for Spring to formally begin. This week I will share the comments/suggestions that parents of our current 4th – 8th grade students shared at the Parent/Teacher/Commission Meeting.

Things they like and want to keep:

· New Science and Spanish initiatives, along with advances in technology, as well as the safe and nurturing environment are making HFS superior to the public school alternative
· Glad to see the new playground initiative – the number one issue for parents last year was that the playground was not age appropriate
· Receiving more feedback from teachers/principal this year
· Very pleased with the new staff members this year
· There is a new, positive atmosphere throughout the school this year
· It’s nice to hear that public school teachers always say that they can tell which of their students attended HFS due to their academic preparedness and respectful attitude
· Our students are better abstract thinkers, possibly due to their religious background as well as due to the small class size, if a child has an opinion, the teacher can pull that thought out of them and help them to develop it further
· Loves that the parents at HFS school are interested in their child’s education and that an informal parent network seems to exist
· Believes that the homework policy in place is wonderful and if there is a problem, parents are contacted so that all of us can work on the issue
· The HFS students are individuals, they’re confident, unbiased, and not as influenced by peer pressure HFS students can stand on their own academically and socially
· It’s good to see things organized and early enrollment is a sign that there is organization in place and we’re planning for the future

Areas of Concern/Suggestions:

· Could make the 8th grade curriculum more challenging. We need to differentiate instruction so that all students are challenged
· Parents of students in grades 4-8 are trying to make the decision as to when it’s appropriate to transfer their children to the public school. What do we have and what can we add that will help parents keep their children at HFS through 8th grade
· Small class size – sometimes students need to be motivated by their peers. Less students could mean less competition
· We need to get more feedback from families that have left or graduated from HFS
· What happens if there are only 2 or 3 students in a grade? Will that grade be combined or eliminated?
· Public School Concern: Governor’s budget cuts may mean larger class sizes in public schools. In Norwich there are 32 students in an advanced math class. In a science class, there were two sections but that has been reduced to one section due to the large number of students dropping the class during the school year
· Concerned that there’s a lot of negativity from the past in the community concerning HFS. Loves the new atmosphere and hopes it’s not too late to get the word out to the community that positive change is occurring at HFS. Word of mouth is the best advertising and if we, as parents, are happy we need to spread the word.
· Explore extracurricular activities for students. Not just sports, but science explorers club, theater, arts club, etc.
· We need to get information and enrollment forms to all businesses where new employees may be coming in
· Improve research skills using databases

God Bless,


Gene


REMINDERS

· Hooded HFS zippered sweatshirt order forms must be returned by Friday, March 13th with a check
· Tuesday, March 17th is St. Patrick’s Day. Students are asked to dress in “Green” attire. There will be two events held that day. Guests are invited to attend.
- Sons of Ireland Band 10 am Gym
- Celtic Women Lecture 1 pm Church

· Thursday, March 19th is St. Joseph’s Day. All students are asked to dress in “Red” attire.

UPCOMING ACTIVITIES

State Math Exams – Grades 6 – 8 March 9 – 13
6th Grade Monday & Wednesday
7th Grade Monday & Wednesday
8th Grade Tuesday & Thursday
PTO Meeting – 7pm Wednesday, March 11
Friday Mass – Gr. 4: 9am Friday, March 13
PTO Lenten Fish Fry 5pm-7pm Friday, March 13
Sons of Ireland Band 10am Tuesday, March 17
Celtic Women Lecture in Church-1pm Tuesday, March 17
Discovering America Grant – Val Dragoon
Val was awarded this prestigious grant which provides many benefits
for our students, including providing us with guest lecturers.

February 27 Holy Family School Weekly Letter

February 27, 2009

Dear Parents,
I hope everyone had a great week off. I think we all needed the R&R. As I promised, I’d like to devote the next few weekly letters sharing the comments we gathered at the Parent/Teacher/Commission meetings held on January 27th and February 2nd. Although attendance at the meetings was low, the tenor of the meetings was extremely positive, professional, and upbeat. I can look at the low attendance from three different points of view. The pessimist would view it as a no-vote of confidence, the optimist would look at it as a vote of confidence with minimal issues, and the realist would view it as life is so complicated and busy, parents can’t find the time to attend a meeting at night. Time will tell which is the case! Please remember that our Enrollment Process has begun. We are asking that parents return the forms by March 31st. If you are applying for Diocesan Tuition Assistance through FACTS, you need to fill out the form and mail it in yourselves. If you are also applying for local assistance, please check the appropriate box on the back of the Enrollment Form and return the form to school. You may also call or stop in to discuss your assistance needs.
Feedback from parents is useful only if it is evaluated to see if it fits the vision of the school. Below is a summary of comments from the parents of our Nursery through 3rd grade.

Things they like and want to keep:
• Want school to stay open
• Like that new programs and ideas are being tried
• Like that issues are addressed when they arise
• Like the fact that the students are taught respect, religious morals and values, in addition to academics
• Like the fact that the staff members know all the students’ names
• Like small class size
• Students are really inspired and interested in specials this year – a 180 degree turn around from last year
• Love the school atmosphere and environment – very positive and caring
• Love that Spanish is being offered to all our elementary students

Areas of Concern/Suggestions:
• We need to ensure that our curriculum is at least equal, if not superior to the public school curriculum
• We need to challenge all our students (Differentiated Instruction)
• Work on appearance of classrooms – cutting clutter and making them more professional looking
• Need to conduct exit interviews for families and staff that leave Holy Family School
• Social issues associated with smaller class size
• Community service projects for students to give them a sense of social responsibility
• Improve Kids Zone
• Concerns with staff turnover – will there be much turnover after this school year
• Kindergarteners receive their first report card at the beginning of February. This is very late. Is there a possibility of revamping this and adding more report card marking periods for kindergarteners.
• Adding a second parent/teacher conference for additional input
• What is the status of the school handbook
• A little concerned with the aggressiveness of a few students in our early elementary grades
• We need more involvement of parents, especially parents of young children, in our school through PTO involvement, and serving as class parents. We may want to consider having current parents "adopt" parents of new students to make the transition to HFS smoother
• Parents in each grade should receive a class roster containing student names/parents’ names/address/phone number/email address
• Increase communication with parents of children, especially in the early childhood education program

Next week I will list the comments/suggestions from the grades 4-7 meeting on February 2nd. In the coming weeks I will begin addressing some of these suggestions as we prepare for next year. I cannot promise I will address all of them, but I will try to comment and make changes on those suggestions I believe will enhance our program at Holy Family School. If you were unable to attend the meetings and have some suggestions, please contact me via email or phone to share them with me.

Congratulations go out to our Odyssey of the Mind Team! The team had a strong showing, finishing in third place in the Shock Wave category.

Finally, the Box Top competition has begun. At this point, the faculty team is in the lead. Please send in your Box Tops to support our student field trips.

God Bless,
Gene

UPCOMING ACTIVITIES
State Math Exams
Grade – 3 March 2 and 4
Grade – 4 March 2, 3, and 5
Grade – 5 March 3 and 4
HFS Commission Meeting – 6pm Tuesday, March 3
PTO Lenten Fish Fry – 5pm-7pm Friday, March 6
State Math Exams – Grades 6 – 8 March 9 - 13
PTO Meeting – 7pm Wednesday, March 11