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
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
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