October 30, 2009
Dear Parents,

Happy Halloween!!! Better yet, don’t forget to set your clocks back at 2am on Sunday (wow, an extra hour of sleep)!

Many times, my topics for the weekly letters will be random, depending on what occurred during the past week. That is certainly the case this week.

Time and again an administrator has to make decisions that aren’t “black and white”, they’re many shades of gray. We use the information we have and our intuition (gut-feeling) to make a decision that we believe is the best for our children with the information we have on hand. Only time will tell us if we made the best decision. Once in a while, we come across a situation that is clear- the decision is simple to make. That was the case this past Tuesday when I was presented with a letter that was written by our fourth graders.

Before I share the contents of the letter, I’d like to share my thoughts on what some of us may remember from our school days. They used to call it the 3 R’s (reading, ‘riting, and ‘rithmetic). I actually believe we should be teaching the 4 R’s, adding respect to the list. I believe all parents want their children to be respectful and to be treated with respect. This is what we should be modeling as parents and teachers. If we model it, there is a greater likelihood that our children will display this characteristic.

Now, for the letter. I was pleasantly surprised to find a letter on my desk Tuesday afternoon. When I opened it, I saw a typewritten letter on nice stationary that was signed by the entire 4th grade class. As I read the letter, a broad smile spread across my face. The 4th graders have been playing a multiplication math game at their math center called “Timez Attack.” They explained that they are using the free download version, which doesn’t allow them to save their scores or play more challenging math games. The letter was extremely well written. It had an opening paragraph, supporting paragraphs containing valid reasons why we should purchase this educational math game and a closing paragraph. As I read the letter, I thought of the 4 R’s. What a great example of what we want for our children. I immediately went to their science class to congratulate them on the letter, asking them a few questions about the game. When I told them we would get the game, they became very excited. I told them they had to go online and print off the order form and we would fill it in together. For me, it was a perfect ending to a great day. This was an easy decision for me, but most of all I was very proud of our children! click on the link to see a copy of the letter https://www.edline.net/files/257e786ebc0b8e1d3745a49013852ec4/4th_grade_letter.mht. Please take the time to read it.

The final piece of information I’d like to discuss this week pertains to the Holy Family School website (hfsnorwich.com) and Edline. The Diocesan Technology Coordinator and the school consultant we worked with last year both recommended that we use the hfsnorwich.com website for perspective families only. Edline would be used for our current families. As a result of this, the homepage of Edline now contains all the news, the PTO blog, my weekly blog, cafeteria menus, the school calendar, and other information that is pertinent to the daily operation of our school. You can still go to the homepage of hfsnorwich.com and in the top right hand corner click on the “edline link.” This will bring you directly to the edline homepage.

A few reminders:

· Congratulations to all who worked on the float. We finished in first place!
· Set your clocks back one hour at 2am this Sunday
· PTO Pampered Chef party at Missy Hayes’ home on Saturday, November 7th. Contact Missy or any PTO member for info. If you can’t attend, you can order ahead of time using the booklet
· The PTO will be selling the bird feeders again this holiday season. Information will be coming shortly
· 1st Friday Mass is Friday, November 6th at 9am. The 3rd graders will be in charge of this Mass
· The Scholastic Book Fair will begin on Friday, November 6th in the school library
· Don’t forget to check out the PTO blog for upcoming events and information


Have a safe and Happy Halloween!

God Bless, Gene

October 23, 2009
Dear Parents,

Here’s the latest news on upcoming events at Holy Family School:

· Thanks to Kate Conron for chairing the Halloween Float Committee, the Keators for allowing us to work on it at Norwich Beverage, and all the volunteers (old and young alike) who planned and worked on the “Thriller” float. Don’t miss the parade on Saturday, October 24th beginning at 2pm. If you are a float participant or would like to walk next to our float, please meet at Francis Ave. at 1:40pm. Your support will be greatly appreciated!
· Thanks to Melissa Tworkowsky, Sarah Stroh, Stephanie Coggins, Stacey Russell and the entire PTO Committee for planning and organizing this Friday’s Harvest Dinner at St. Bart’s from 5-7pm. This was definitely a team effort with parents baking pies, children and parents bringing in food items for the dinner, and the work force of parents, students and staff.
· Thanks to Eric Diefenbacher, our science teacher and the rest of our staff for organizing last Friday’s trip to Howe Caverns. Our 2nd graders and students in grades 4 through 7 attended the field trip. Many of our parents joined us on this field trip. The feedback was fantastic! The children and parents loved it and the Howe Caverns personnel raved about how polite, respectful and inquisitive our students were. It’s nice to hear compliments like this about our students!
· Our kindergarten through third graders just returned from a fun day at Critz Farms, located outside of Cazenovia. They went on hay rides, picked their own pumpkins and even ventured out into a corn maze! I believe these experiences are so important in the total educational program. While public schools have been cutting or reducing these types of experiences, we’re fortunate at HFS to be able to continue providing these types of experiences. Believe it or not, the Box Tops that you send in help to pay for the cost of bus transportation to these field trips. Last year we raised $991 from Box Tops. We’re off to a good start this year, with the 4th grade slightly ahead of the 2nd grade. It’s good to see our older students in grades 5-7 also pitching in. They’re currently in 4th place.
· Thanks to Dianne Fiorina for organizing the bowling field trip to Plaza Lanes in Norwich. Our 5-7 graders will be bowling during four afternoons as part of their physical education program. Many have shared with me stories of their experiences and good times while bowling. Thanks also go out to Belinda Keator for helping to transport our students and all the parents for changing their schedules to pick up their children at a later time.
· Health items to put on your calendar:
November 5th: All students in grades K-7 will have their eyes
and ears checked
November 16-18th: Students in grades K, 1, 4 and 7 and all new
students who have not had their annual physical will receive them on this date.
· Please note that the Norwich School calendar is incorrect. On Friday, November 5th, we have a full day of school at Holy Family.

Please remember not to leave children unattended in your cars when you
drop off or pick up your children at school.

Hopefully you have noticed that I have begun sending parents individual emails when I need to share information. If you haven’t given us your email address, please do so as soon as possible. If we have a snow day, you will receive an email stating that school is closed.

Please be on the lookout for the consent form and letter concerning the H1N1 Vaccine Clinic. I’m hoping that they will arrive this week. Have a great weekend!

God Bless,

Gene

October 16, 2009
Dear Parents,

An issue has been brought to my attention that I would like to address. I, of course, was oblivious to it. Long ago I chose to look at life in a positive manner. I try to always say hello to people and walk around with a smile on my face. As a result, I wasn’t aware that some of our parents weren’t doing the same. We always seem to be in a rush and have many things weighing on our minds that we sometimes miss the obvious. I hope we realize that as parents, we have the greatest impact on our children. They learn from us, not only from what we tell them, but from our actions as well. Is there any better way to teach common courtesy than by our own actions? Let them see us saying hello and good morning (or afternoon) to people we see when we enter HFS. Putting a smile on our face can also make a world of difference. Yes, we all have personal issues that we face every day, but walking around with a smile helps us to put those issues aside, at least for the time being. I would hope that one of the reasons we send our children to HFS is because of the friendly, welcoming environment. Let’s be great role models for all our children and show them by example how we should treat each other. Perhaps we can borrow from the phrase “This is a smoke-free campus” and make our motto, “This is a friendly campus, saying hello and smiling are required.”

Yesterday I mailed out information concerning the intranasal spray for H1N1. We were originally informed that this was the only vaccine available at this time. Last night I received a phone call from Public Health with exciting news. They will be receiving a shipment of both the intranasal as well as the shot administered vaccine. Parents who choose to have their children receive the vaccine will be able to choose which vaccine they want their children to receive. I’m hoping the clinic will be set up in the near future for our students. I will continue to keep you updated as more information becomes available. Please continue to read the articles we are posting on Edline. I have also decided to take several precautions at our First Friday masses with the flu season upon us. We will not hold hands while we recite the Our Father and we will verbally wish each other “peace” rather than shaking hands.

Due to the change in weather and the flu season upon us, I have decided not to wait until November 1st to allow girls in grades K – 4 to wear navy blue slacks (no cargo slacks), except on Mass days. Girls in grades 5-8 may still wear either khaki or navy blue slacks or skirts (no cargo slacks), except on Mass days.

On Monday, we will be mailing home the reading assessment results for our children. These will be discussed in further detail during parent conferences in November.

Our Harvest Dinner at St. Bart’s Parish Center is Friday, October 23rd from 5-7pm. We need volunteers to help out with this fundraising event. Please consider helping out if you can. Contact Melissa Tworkowsky via email (miggy@roadrunner.com) if you can assist us.

The final request concerns stuffed animals. Valley View Nursing Home residents play bingo each week and the residents love winning gently used stuffed animals. If you have any that need a new home, please have your child bring them to Mrs. Hose. We will make sure the nursing home receives them. On this note of giving, our students will be performing two community service projects for the Thanksgiving Season. We will be conducting a canned food drive and a gently used clothing drive for the Domestic Abuse Center. We will be looking for women’s coats, slacks, blouses and children’s coats, boots, gloves, scarves, jeans and shirts. If you have time this weekend, please begin to collect any items you wish to donate.

My last word of advice is to get the snow tires ready! It’s inevitable!

God Bless,

Gene

October 9, 2009

October 9, 2009
Dear Parents,

I hope everyone is enjoying the fall weather and landscape. This week I will be listing some of the exciting upcoming events at Holy Family School. Please call or stop in if you have any questions.

· Mon, Oct. 12th No School – Columbus Day Kids’ Zone & EC Closed
· Wed, Oct. 14th 6pm Commission Meeting
· Wed, Oct. 14th 7pm PTO Meeting
· Fri, Oct. 16th Howe Caverns Field Trip Grades 2,4,5,6, and 7
· Friday, Oct. 23rd Critz Farm Field Trip Grades K, 1, 2 and 3
· Friday Oct. 23 5-7pm Harvest Dinner St. Bart’s Parish Ctr. PTO Fundraiser
· Friday, Oct. 30th Afternoon Classroom Halloween Parties
· Sun, Nov. 1st 2am Daylight Savings Time
· Mon, Nov. 2nd Individual/Class Portraits
· Fri, Nov. 6th 9am Children’s Mass: 3rd Grade
· Fri, Nov. 6th-19th Scholastic Book Fair: Library
· Tues, Nov. 10th 7pm PTO Meeting
· Wed, Nov. 11th No School – Veterans’ Day Kids’ Zone & EC Closed
· Th & F, Nov. 12 & 13 Early Dismissal 11am. Kids’ Zone & EC open all day
· Th & F, Nov. 12 & 13 Parent Conferences
· Thurs, Nov. 19th 10am Thanksgiving Children’s Mass
· Thurs, Nov. 19th Family Thanksgiving Dinner
Grades EC – 1 11am – Noon
Grades 2 – 7 12:15pm – 1:15pm
· Fri, Nov. 20th Non-Uniform Day
· Nov. 25-29 No School: Thanksgiving Vacation
· Wed, Nov. 25th Kids’ Zone & EC open all day
· Th & F, Nov. 26 & 27 Kids’ Zone & EC closed

Now that school is open, I’d like to remind parents about parking lot safety. Our rule is that when dropping off or picking up your children, please walk them to the door and pick them up at the door. I know this may not be convenient in cold weather, but the safety of our children is our first priority. Also, please shut off your car for safety purposes when leaving it. Thank you in advance for adhering to these safety precautions.

We have been working with Public Health concerning the H1N1 virus. When the vaccine becomes available, we will be conducting a clinic at school for our children. I will let you know as soon as this information is available.

Although it is only the first week of October, we are already planning for our Family Thanksgiving Dinner. Students buying lunch will be charged the normal amount. We are required to do this to meet State and Federal guidelines. A free-will offering will be taken for adult lunches. We are in need of some adult assistance in preparing and serving the food. If you can help out, we would greatly appreciate it. Please let me know if you are able to volunteer.

Please make note: There have been a couple of changes in the October lunch menu. October 14th will be pancakes, scrambled eggs, applesauce, o.j. and milk (instead of french toast).
October 20th will be turkey casserole instead of chicken casserole.

Have a great weekend!

God Bless,

Gene

October 2, 2009
Dear Parents,

I hope everyone had a great week. Things are running smoothly at HFS. We had a great turnout for our Open House this week. 89% of our children’s parents attended. The parents were able to view the great work their children have been doing in school. The rooms came alive with student work. The hallways were also filled with student work, not only from their classroom, but also from their art and Spanish classes. Congratulations go to our great staff for working on their rooms over the summer. The compliments I heard from the parents and grandparents were well worth the time and effort the staff devoted to preparing their rooms for our students.

Last week I focused on the academic changes that were instituted for this school year. This week I’d like to focus on the physical changes that occurred over the summer months at HFS.

· Cleaning of Rooms: Pete Asma has done a wonderful job of thoroughly cleaning all of our classrooms. From cleaning the heaters, the blinds and windows, the walls, washing and waxing the floors, Pete has made the rooms look like new. Many thanks go to Pete for his hard work and dedication to HFS.
· New Classroom Tables: Several of the classrooms have new round and kidney shaped tables to facilitate instruction with their learning centers. The bright colors also lend themselves to a great atmosphere in the classroom
· Several Rooms Painted: Speaking of bright colors, several teachers painted their own classrooms this summer. The classroom landscape now includes multi-colored polka dots, clouds and the primary colors.
· Several Closets Renovated: The kindergarten and 1st grade classroom closets have been totally renovated to provide more storage space, mailboxes or cubbies for the students and bookcases. It gives the rooms a completely new look.
· Gym/Auditorium Entrance: The walls in the entrance hallway have been painted, a new drop ceiling installed and new fluorescent lighting installed. New drop ceilings in the boys’ and girls’ restrooms have also been installed.
· Energy Audit: An energy audit was conducted in June of 2008. We received the report this past May. Pete and myself reviewed the report and developed a plan to institute many of the recommendations in the report. The recommendations in the report that we took included:
- installing eight new fluorescent lighting fixtures to replace less energy efficient lighting
- shutting off and draining an old hot water heater that we weren’t using, but were heating the water in it. It was a remnant from when the locker rooms and showers were in existence at St. Paul’s.
- replacing the stairwell security lights with more efficient lighting
- removing 30 % of the fluorescent light fixtures in the cafeteria
- installing sensors in several areas of the school to shut off lights when the areas are not in use

Annual Asbestos Inspection: was conducted over the summer. Two minor suggestions, not involving asbestos, were made involving insulation that needed to be replaced on pipes in storage areas. This issue was addressed in August. No other issues or concerns were cited in the report.

Please remember the Christmas Concert is on Wednesday, December 16th at 6pm. Enjoy the beautiful fall colors!

God Bless,

Gene