May 29, 2009
Dear Parents,
I’d like to share an event that just occurred at Holy Family School. It involved Mrs. Law’s kindergarten class. The students gave me a jar full of change that totaled $92.11, which they wanted to donate to Africare. They earned this money by doing extra chores at home during Lent. Africare is an organization that works to improve life for Africans facing numerous obstacles. They teach African farmers about irrigation and farming techniques that will improve their crops. Africare also opens medical clinics, providing Africans with information, counseling, and child health care for malaria, AIDS, TB, and many other diseases. Another initiative of Africare is to provide clean water for Africans by drilling new wells in remote villages. The money our students donated will provide some African children with basic life necessities and perhaps even save a life. What a great lesson for our young students to learn! Congratulations kindergarteners!
The second event I’d like to share with you involves a visit I made approximately one week ago as I visited my grandson in a local public school. It happened to be the day residents were voting on school budgets. I arrived at lunch time for the high school students. I couldn’t believe what I saw! This school has an open lunch policy, meaning students don’t have to be in the cafeteria to eat. They may be in the gym or the hallways of the first floor. Walking into the gym I saw approximately 150 students with one supervisor. As I walked into the hallway, I witnessed students sitting on the hallway floors kissing, and using inappropriate language. I also saw approximately 30 students listening to ipods, even though this school prohibits them in their handbook. An apple had apparently been thrown down the hallway, as there were pieces of it throughout the hallway. Again, I only saw one supervisor for all the hallways. No administrators were anywhere in sight.
You may be wondering why I shared these two events. The reason I bring them up is to remind our parents that one of the reasons they bring their children to Holy Family School is because of the expectations regarding behavior, caring and respect. What our kindergarteners did for Africare is what we want from all our children. What a great example they have set for all of us.
Please don’t miss the Dessert Theatre on Wednesday, June 3rd beginning at 6:30 pm in the gym/auditorium. A free will offering will be taken to provide funds to purchase materials/supplies for our music program. Please come and bring a friend to support our students. Hope to see you there!
Congratulations to Sarah Mahan, our new art teacher and Eric Diefenbacher, our science teacher for being awarded a Chenango County Council of the Arts Grant for the 2009/10 school year. Their grant is entitled “Science, Art and the Digital Age.” It should be an exciting interdisciplinary project that will capture the imagination of our students.
We still have openings in our Early Childhood class (3 year olds) for September. Please spread the good word about Holy Family School.
Gene
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Friday, May 22, 2009
Weekly Newsletter May 22
May 22, 2009
Dear Parents,
Although, as I have stated on several other occasions, I am not a proponent of the State Testing Program, it is one of the measures all schools in NYS are held accountable to. Scores may vary from year to year, especially when there is a small student population, so it is important to examine the data over a period of years. Since Holy Family School only began administering the exams last year, we have very little data to review. With that being said, the results for this year are excellent. Student results are grouped into four levels ( 1-4 ). The State’s goal is to have all students achieve levels 3 or 4. The criteria for each level is:
Level 1: Not Meeting Learning Standards
Level 2: Partially Meeting Learning Standards
Level 3: Meeting Learning Standards
Level 4: Meeting Learning Standards with Distinction
Students have taken exams in ELA, Math, Science and Social Studies. Some of the results are official, while others are pending but probably accurate. The results are:
ELA Grades 3 – 8 91 % achieved Level 3 or 4 Official
Math Grades 3 – 8 98 % achieved Level 3 or 4 Unofficial
Science Grades 4 and 8 100 % achieved Level 3 or 4 Official
SS Grade 5 100 % achieved Level 3 or 4 Official
8th Graders will be taking the Social Studies exam on June 2nd and 3rd
Congratulations to all our students and staff on a job well done!!!
Please mark Tuesday, June 16th on your calendars. Students in grades 1-8 will be participating in Olympic Day at the high school. We need volunteers. If you can help out, please contact Dianne Fiorina. The awards ceremony for Olympic Day will be held on Wednesday, June 17th at 8:30 am in our gym. Students will receive ribbons for their efforts. We encourage all parents/grandparents and friends to attend both of these events.
Since Memorial Day is this coming Monday, I thought I’d share a little history about the day. I guess once an educator, always an educator! Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day (I actually remember this) because it was a time set aside to honor the nation’s Civil War dead by decorating their graves. It was first widely observed on May 30, 1868 by proclamation of General John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of former sailors and soldiers. During this first official celebration, General James Garfield made a speech at Arlington National Cemetery, after which 5,000 participants helped to decorate the graves of the more than 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers buried in the cemetery.
In 1966, the federal government, under the direction of President Lyndon Johnson, declared Waterloo, NY the official birthplace of Memorial Day. By the late 1800’s, man communities across the country had begun to celebrate Memorial Day and, after World War I, observances also began to honor those who had died in all of America’s wars. In 1971, Congress declared Memorial Day a national holiday to be celebrated the last Monday in May. Several Southern states continue to set aside a special day for honoring the Confederate dead, which is usually called Confederate Memorial Day.
Here in rural upstate New York, we’re fortunate to have small, hometown parades and speeches, usually organized by our local American Legion Organizations to celebrate Memorial Day. I encourage everyone to attend these local events and share with your children the history behind them. As they say, freedom isn’t free!
God Bless
Gene
Dear Parents,
Although, as I have stated on several other occasions, I am not a proponent of the State Testing Program, it is one of the measures all schools in NYS are held accountable to. Scores may vary from year to year, especially when there is a small student population, so it is important to examine the data over a period of years. Since Holy Family School only began administering the exams last year, we have very little data to review. With that being said, the results for this year are excellent. Student results are grouped into four levels ( 1-4 ). The State’s goal is to have all students achieve levels 3 or 4. The criteria for each level is:
Level 1: Not Meeting Learning Standards
Level 2: Partially Meeting Learning Standards
Level 3: Meeting Learning Standards
Level 4: Meeting Learning Standards with Distinction
Students have taken exams in ELA, Math, Science and Social Studies. Some of the results are official, while others are pending but probably accurate. The results are:
ELA Grades 3 – 8 91 % achieved Level 3 or 4 Official
Math Grades 3 – 8 98 % achieved Level 3 or 4 Unofficial
Science Grades 4 and 8 100 % achieved Level 3 or 4 Official
SS Grade 5 100 % achieved Level 3 or 4 Official
8th Graders will be taking the Social Studies exam on June 2nd and 3rd
Congratulations to all our students and staff on a job well done!!!
Please mark Tuesday, June 16th on your calendars. Students in grades 1-8 will be participating in Olympic Day at the high school. We need volunteers. If you can help out, please contact Dianne Fiorina. The awards ceremony for Olympic Day will be held on Wednesday, June 17th at 8:30 am in our gym. Students will receive ribbons for their efforts. We encourage all parents/grandparents and friends to attend both of these events.
Since Memorial Day is this coming Monday, I thought I’d share a little history about the day. I guess once an educator, always an educator! Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day (I actually remember this) because it was a time set aside to honor the nation’s Civil War dead by decorating their graves. It was first widely observed on May 30, 1868 by proclamation of General John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of former sailors and soldiers. During this first official celebration, General James Garfield made a speech at Arlington National Cemetery, after which 5,000 participants helped to decorate the graves of the more than 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers buried in the cemetery.
In 1966, the federal government, under the direction of President Lyndon Johnson, declared Waterloo, NY the official birthplace of Memorial Day. By the late 1800’s, man communities across the country had begun to celebrate Memorial Day and, after World War I, observances also began to honor those who had died in all of America’s wars. In 1971, Congress declared Memorial Day a national holiday to be celebrated the last Monday in May. Several Southern states continue to set aside a special day for honoring the Confederate dead, which is usually called Confederate Memorial Day.
Here in rural upstate New York, we’re fortunate to have small, hometown parades and speeches, usually organized by our local American Legion Organizations to celebrate Memorial Day. I encourage everyone to attend these local events and share with your children the history behind them. As they say, freedom isn’t free!
God Bless
Gene
Friday, May 15, 2009
Mr. Chilions Weekly Blog 5/15/2009
May 15, 2009
Dear Parents,
Hopefully we’ve encountered our last frost in Upstate New York and we can plant our vegetable and flower gardens. Spring always seems to be the busiest time of year. There’s Little League, softball, AAU basketball, spring soccer, dance recitals, musical concerts, children receiving First Communion and Confirmation, and of course the yard work that must be done this time of year. It seems like we’re always running from one event to the next, trying to squeeze in all these events. But on the other hand, life would be boring without these activities. I believe that if we reflect back on when we were young, these activities were important to us and if we were fortunate, our parents were there with us. Don’t miss the opportunity to be with and support your children as they move to adolescence and adulthood. After all, if we want them to be good parents to our grandchildren, we must be positive role models for them now. So let the grass grow tall and the weeds survive a bit longer. Go to that game or concert or recital with your children and cherish the memories that will live not only a lifetime, but many lifetimes with your children and grandchildren!
Last week our 4th and 8th graders took the State Science Assessment Exam. It consists of two parts; a Performance or laboratory section and a Written portion. I’m pleased to announce that 100 % of our students met or exceeded the State Standards by receiving a 3 or 4 on the exam. Congratulations to all our students and staff for this accomplishment.
I hope you were able to attend and enjoy our Spring Concert last night. Thanks to Cassie Buckley and Ann French for all the planning, time, effort, and practice they devoted to this concert. And, of course, thanks go to all our students who gave 100 % to make this concert special. It was great to see all their smiling faces and hear their beautiful voices! I’m extremely proud of the growth our music program has achieved this year and eagerly look forward to the future. On that note, please remember to mark Wednesday, June 3rd at 6:30 pm on your calendars. Our first Dessert Theatre performance will occur that evening. The gym/auditorium will be set up like a small café with desserts, tea, coffee, and juice served at intermission. Don’t miss this inaugural event. There will be a “free will offering” to assist us in meeting the needs of our music program. Any money donated will be spent on purchasing risers for the concerts, curtains for the gym/auditorium, and music for next year’s concerts. Thank you in advance for your support of our students at Holy Family School.
Our 7th and 8th graders will be working on an interdisciplinary unit on the culture of the 1960’s in their Art, Social Studies and Language Arts classes. Students will be creating posters, interviewing friends and family who experienced the 60’s, and studying the protest songs of this decade. This is part of the “Picturing America” grant that Val Dragoon obtained for our school. The culminating activity for this unit will be a lecture from a visiting college professor on “So You Think You Want a Revolution” on May 28th.
Please note that some of our area public schools will be closed on Friday, May 22nd. Otselic Valley and Unadilla Valley are definitely closed, while Oxford will be open. As a result, any students that normally ride a bus to school will have to provide their own transportation on this day if their local school is closed. Please check with your local school to see if they are open. Please remember to pay any outstanding balances on your children’s cafeteria accounts. Our “lost and found” area is becoming unmanageable. Please check this area to see if any of the items belong to your child. On Friday, May 22nd, we will take all unclaimed items to the Salvation Army. Enjoy the warm weather and the weekend with your family!
God Bless,
Gene
Dear Parents,
Hopefully we’ve encountered our last frost in Upstate New York and we can plant our vegetable and flower gardens. Spring always seems to be the busiest time of year. There’s Little League, softball, AAU basketball, spring soccer, dance recitals, musical concerts, children receiving First Communion and Confirmation, and of course the yard work that must be done this time of year. It seems like we’re always running from one event to the next, trying to squeeze in all these events. But on the other hand, life would be boring without these activities. I believe that if we reflect back on when we were young, these activities were important to us and if we were fortunate, our parents were there with us. Don’t miss the opportunity to be with and support your children as they move to adolescence and adulthood. After all, if we want them to be good parents to our grandchildren, we must be positive role models for them now. So let the grass grow tall and the weeds survive a bit longer. Go to that game or concert or recital with your children and cherish the memories that will live not only a lifetime, but many lifetimes with your children and grandchildren!
Last week our 4th and 8th graders took the State Science Assessment Exam. It consists of two parts; a Performance or laboratory section and a Written portion. I’m pleased to announce that 100 % of our students met or exceeded the State Standards by receiving a 3 or 4 on the exam. Congratulations to all our students and staff for this accomplishment.
I hope you were able to attend and enjoy our Spring Concert last night. Thanks to Cassie Buckley and Ann French for all the planning, time, effort, and practice they devoted to this concert. And, of course, thanks go to all our students who gave 100 % to make this concert special. It was great to see all their smiling faces and hear their beautiful voices! I’m extremely proud of the growth our music program has achieved this year and eagerly look forward to the future. On that note, please remember to mark Wednesday, June 3rd at 6:30 pm on your calendars. Our first Dessert Theatre performance will occur that evening. The gym/auditorium will be set up like a small café with desserts, tea, coffee, and juice served at intermission. Don’t miss this inaugural event. There will be a “free will offering” to assist us in meeting the needs of our music program. Any money donated will be spent on purchasing risers for the concerts, curtains for the gym/auditorium, and music for next year’s concerts. Thank you in advance for your support of our students at Holy Family School.
Our 7th and 8th graders will be working on an interdisciplinary unit on the culture of the 1960’s in their Art, Social Studies and Language Arts classes. Students will be creating posters, interviewing friends and family who experienced the 60’s, and studying the protest songs of this decade. This is part of the “Picturing America” grant that Val Dragoon obtained for our school. The culminating activity for this unit will be a lecture from a visiting college professor on “So You Think You Want a Revolution” on May 28th.
Please note that some of our area public schools will be closed on Friday, May 22nd. Otselic Valley and Unadilla Valley are definitely closed, while Oxford will be open. As a result, any students that normally ride a bus to school will have to provide their own transportation on this day if their local school is closed. Please check with your local school to see if they are open. Please remember to pay any outstanding balances on your children’s cafeteria accounts. Our “lost and found” area is becoming unmanageable. Please check this area to see if any of the items belong to your child. On Friday, May 22nd, we will take all unclaimed items to the Salvation Army. Enjoy the warm weather and the weekend with your family!
God Bless,
Gene
Friday, May 8, 2009
May 8, 2009
Dear Parents,
I can’t thank our parents and students for all the support they are providing our school through the Box Top competitions. The final competition ended last Friday, with the Staff team finishing in first place. The second place team was the 4th grade. Finishing a close third was the 3rd grade class. All three of these teams can now choose a Non-Uniform Day during the month of May. I would to thank everyone for participating this year. We have raised $996.90 for student field trips. We will still accept any Box Tops throughout the remainder of the school year. Please turn them in to Mrs. Hose in the main office.
We just received a thank you letter from Ms. Cindy Falise, Director of Catholic Relief Services for our donation of $159.19 during the Lenten Rice Bowl program. While I’m on the theme of thank you’s, I’d like to thank all our students and staff for preparing for the May Crowning/Living Rosary. Gratitude also goes out to Paula Trevisani and Ellie Olsen of the Catholic Identity Committee for their help in planning this fantastic activity. Lastly, I’d like to thank Chris Henschel for making and donating a Living Rosary to our school for the May Crowning and similar events in the future.
Our elementary staff continues to meet weekly to examine samples of reading and writing programs for next year. Our three-year old Early Childhood Program will be in full swing in September. It will be a year-round program that will be open every day, except holidays and several other days. If you have a young child or know other families that may, I encourage you to stop in and take a look at the program. Our rates are competitive and best yet, our program will foster academic and social growth in a nurturing Christian environment. Please also encourage any families who may be looking at an alternative to public education to contact me for a tour of our facility and a description of our program. Word of mouth is often the best type of advertisement!
Please mark Thursday, May 14th on your calendars. At 6:00 pm Ms. Cassie Buckley will present our Spring Musical Concert. I have been fortunate to listen to some of the rehearsals and I am impressed. The students are working extremely hard with Ms. Buckley for the concert. I’m sure you’ll love the concert. All students from Nursery – 8th grade will participate in the concert. When attending the concert, please enter through the back gym doors.
On May 15th, award-winning local author/illustrator Suzanne Bloom will be giving presentations to the students to celebrate National Children’s Book Week. Ms. Bloom will be signing and selling her award winning picture books at the end of the day. If you are interested in learning more about Suzanne and her books, please visit her website at www.suzannebloom.com. We’d love to have you attend the presentations/book signing:
12:15-1 pm grades 4-8
1:15-1:25 pm grades Pre-K and K
1:15-1:45 pm grades 1-3
2:00-2:30 pm Book Signing
We are requesting your assistance in helping us pay our bills in a timely fashion. We have a number of students who have substantial cafeteria bills and/or have bills for Kids Zone. We are requesting that you please pay these bills at your earliest convenience.
MR. ASMA NEEDS YOUR HELP! The Lost and Found is growing. Please take a moment to view the items to determine if any belong to your family. The Lost and Found is located at the end of the hall near the Nursery room. Any items left at the end of the school year will be donated to Catholic Charities.
Please continue to check the Calendar of events. There are many events during these last two months of the school year and we wouldn’t want you to miss any.
God Bless,
Gene
Dear Parents,
I can’t thank our parents and students for all the support they are providing our school through the Box Top competitions. The final competition ended last Friday, with the Staff team finishing in first place. The second place team was the 4th grade. Finishing a close third was the 3rd grade class. All three of these teams can now choose a Non-Uniform Day during the month of May. I would to thank everyone for participating this year. We have raised $996.90 for student field trips. We will still accept any Box Tops throughout the remainder of the school year. Please turn them in to Mrs. Hose in the main office.
We just received a thank you letter from Ms. Cindy Falise, Director of Catholic Relief Services for our donation of $159.19 during the Lenten Rice Bowl program. While I’m on the theme of thank you’s, I’d like to thank all our students and staff for preparing for the May Crowning/Living Rosary. Gratitude also goes out to Paula Trevisani and Ellie Olsen of the Catholic Identity Committee for their help in planning this fantastic activity. Lastly, I’d like to thank Chris Henschel for making and donating a Living Rosary to our school for the May Crowning and similar events in the future.
Our elementary staff continues to meet weekly to examine samples of reading and writing programs for next year. Our three-year old Early Childhood Program will be in full swing in September. It will be a year-round program that will be open every day, except holidays and several other days. If you have a young child or know other families that may, I encourage you to stop in and take a look at the program. Our rates are competitive and best yet, our program will foster academic and social growth in a nurturing Christian environment. Please also encourage any families who may be looking at an alternative to public education to contact me for a tour of our facility and a description of our program. Word of mouth is often the best type of advertisement!
Please mark Thursday, May 14th on your calendars. At 6:00 pm Ms. Cassie Buckley will present our Spring Musical Concert. I have been fortunate to listen to some of the rehearsals and I am impressed. The students are working extremely hard with Ms. Buckley for the concert. I’m sure you’ll love the concert. All students from Nursery – 8th grade will participate in the concert. When attending the concert, please enter through the back gym doors.
On May 15th, award-winning local author/illustrator Suzanne Bloom will be giving presentations to the students to celebrate National Children’s Book Week. Ms. Bloom will be signing and selling her award winning picture books at the end of the day. If you are interested in learning more about Suzanne and her books, please visit her website at www.suzannebloom.com. We’d love to have you attend the presentations/book signing:
12:15-1 pm grades 4-8
1:15-1:25 pm grades Pre-K and K
1:15-1:45 pm grades 1-3
2:00-2:30 pm Book Signing
We are requesting your assistance in helping us pay our bills in a timely fashion. We have a number of students who have substantial cafeteria bills and/or have bills for Kids Zone. We are requesting that you please pay these bills at your earliest convenience.
MR. ASMA NEEDS YOUR HELP! The Lost and Found is growing. Please take a moment to view the items to determine if any belong to your family. The Lost and Found is located at the end of the hall near the Nursery room. Any items left at the end of the school year will be donated to Catholic Charities.
Please continue to check the Calendar of events. There are many events during these last two months of the school year and we wouldn’t want you to miss any.
God Bless,
Gene
Friday, May 1, 2009
Holy Family School Weekly Newsletter 5/1/09
Dear Parents,
Our May Crowning of Mary was a wonderful event today. Having the students actively involved made the event more personal to our students. While we’re on the topic of upcoming events, my oldest grand-daughter will be receiving her First Communion this weekend, so my weekly letter will be short due to the fact that my wife and daughter have asked me to complete some projects at home prior to this event.
Please continue to refer to the “Upcoming Events” list in last week’s letter.
Next week, our 4th and 8th graders will be taking the written portion of the State Science Assessment Exam on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively.
Our monthly Mass will be Thursday, May 7th at 9 am in church, followed by our National Day of Prayer activities.
Soon you will receive information about the student dress code for the annual Spring Concert held on Thursday, May 14th.
Father Joe O’Connor of the Syracuse Diocese will be speaking with all our students on the morning of Monday, May 4th. Please feel free to come in and meet Father O’Connor and welcome him to Holy Family School.
All students and parents should have received the 30 week report card. We encourage all parents to take a few minutes and look over their child’s report card. If you think an error has occurred or need any clarification, please do not hesitate to contact me or Ann French. Our students once again performed admirably. In grades 5-8, 46 % of our students achieved High Honor status (overall average 95 % or higher) and 38 % achieved Honor status (overall average of 89 % to 94.99 %). This represents 83 % of our middle school population. Congratulations!
Finally, I encourage everyone to take time with your families to enjoy the beautiful upstate scenery and weather!
Our May Crowning of Mary was a wonderful event today. Having the students actively involved made the event more personal to our students. While we’re on the topic of upcoming events, my oldest grand-daughter will be receiving her First Communion this weekend, so my weekly letter will be short due to the fact that my wife and daughter have asked me to complete some projects at home prior to this event.
Please continue to refer to the “Upcoming Events” list in last week’s letter.
Next week, our 4th and 8th graders will be taking the written portion of the State Science Assessment Exam on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively.
Our monthly Mass will be Thursday, May 7th at 9 am in church, followed by our National Day of Prayer activities.
Soon you will receive information about the student dress code for the annual Spring Concert held on Thursday, May 14th.
Father Joe O’Connor of the Syracuse Diocese will be speaking with all our students on the morning of Monday, May 4th. Please feel free to come in and meet Father O’Connor and welcome him to Holy Family School.
All students and parents should have received the 30 week report card. We encourage all parents to take a few minutes and look over their child’s report card. If you think an error has occurred or need any clarification, please do not hesitate to contact me or Ann French. Our students once again performed admirably. In grades 5-8, 46 % of our students achieved High Honor status (overall average 95 % or higher) and 38 % achieved Honor status (overall average of 89 % to 94.99 %). This represents 83 % of our middle school population. Congratulations!
Finally, I encourage everyone to take time with your families to enjoy the beautiful upstate scenery and weather!
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