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.