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
Friday, May 22, 2009
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!
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Holy Family School Weekly Letter April 24th, 2009
April 24, 2009
Dear Parents,
For the past 14 years, Father Cunningham has not only been the spiritual leader at Holy Family School, but he has been the driving force behind keeping our doors open and providing many parents with the opportunity of sending their children to a Catholic school in Chenango County. Although I was only able to work ten months with Father, he taught me an important lesson that I will never forget; to always look at the positive in everything. So, in following his advice, I can gladly state that I have been fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with Father for the past 10 months.
I don’t need to restate the many issues that were present back on July 1st. Through all of the issues, Father Cunningham was always positive about everything. Over the summer enrollment dropped drastically, parental confidence in our academic program plummeted, and financial issues were ever-present. It was at this point Father Cunningham became my mentor and confidant. He always supported my decisions and always said that God would provide me with the answers. When my mother passed away, it was Father who consoled me with tears in my eyes.
Now life presents us with what appears to be another obstacle or setback. But that’s not how Father would view this. He would smile and say that God will provide us with the answers. If we have learned anything from Father, it is we need to view it in this vein. Perhaps Father’s work at Holy Family is complete and it’s time for him to help another community. Now it’s time to turn to prayer for Father’s health and his successful transition to another community with his boys. God will provide him with the answers.
----------------------------------------------
· Box Tops: We just received another check in the amount of $290.55 for our Box Tops. The final competition ends on May 1st. The staff is still in the lead, but I have a feeling that several classes are “holding back” until the last day. Time will tell!
· Open House: Thanks to Mrs. Law and her kindergarteners for the lovely opening prayer and song and the PTO for the refreshments. It was a great evening, providing parents with an opportunity to meet their child’s teacher for next year, as well as view samples of their child’s work from this spring.
· New Staff: The following teachers have been hired for the 2009/10 school year:
Sarah Mahan Art
Suzanne Scafidi Early Childhood
Lisa Halsteter 1st Grade
· Playground: We’re almost ready to begin the ground-breaking for the new playground/picnic area for our 3-6 year old students.
· Smartboards: Within the next few weeks, we will be installing new Smartboards in our kindergarten and 2nd grade rooms. A Smartboard in the 1st grade classroom will be installed at the end of the school year. All staff will begin receiving training in the use of Smartboards at the end of June. We will finish this training the first week of September.
· Gym Painting: Thanks to the Camp Pharsalia work crew, our gym and stage have now received a fresh coat of paint. None of this would have been possible without all the planning, time, and organization that Pete Asma put into this project.
· Early Childhood Program: Word of mouth is usually the best type of advertisement. Beginning in September, we will have a year round Early Childhood Program for 3 year old children who are potty trained. Our certified teacher, Suzanne Scafidi, is a graduate of Holy Family School. There will be a Sunrise and Sunset component to this program, staffed by Suzanne and Cassie Buckley. If you or any of your friends are looking for a safe, affordable, educational program for 3 year olds, please stop by and get the information.
· Vocations: Father Joe O’Connor will be speaking to all our students on religious vocations on Monday, May 4th beginning at 8:30 and ending shortly after 11:00am.
Dear Parents,
For the past 14 years, Father Cunningham has not only been the spiritual leader at Holy Family School, but he has been the driving force behind keeping our doors open and providing many parents with the opportunity of sending their children to a Catholic school in Chenango County. Although I was only able to work ten months with Father, he taught me an important lesson that I will never forget; to always look at the positive in everything. So, in following his advice, I can gladly state that I have been fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with Father for the past 10 months.
I don’t need to restate the many issues that were present back on July 1st. Through all of the issues, Father Cunningham was always positive about everything. Over the summer enrollment dropped drastically, parental confidence in our academic program plummeted, and financial issues were ever-present. It was at this point Father Cunningham became my mentor and confidant. He always supported my decisions and always said that God would provide me with the answers. When my mother passed away, it was Father who consoled me with tears in my eyes.
Now life presents us with what appears to be another obstacle or setback. But that’s not how Father would view this. He would smile and say that God will provide us with the answers. If we have learned anything from Father, it is we need to view it in this vein. Perhaps Father’s work at Holy Family is complete and it’s time for him to help another community. Now it’s time to turn to prayer for Father’s health and his successful transition to another community with his boys. God will provide him with the answers.
----------------------------------------------
· Box Tops: We just received another check in the amount of $290.55 for our Box Tops. The final competition ends on May 1st. The staff is still in the lead, but I have a feeling that several classes are “holding back” until the last day. Time will tell!
· Open House: Thanks to Mrs. Law and her kindergarteners for the lovely opening prayer and song and the PTO for the refreshments. It was a great evening, providing parents with an opportunity to meet their child’s teacher for next year, as well as view samples of their child’s work from this spring.
· New Staff: The following teachers have been hired for the 2009/10 school year:
Sarah Mahan Art
Suzanne Scafidi Early Childhood
Lisa Halsteter 1st Grade
· Playground: We’re almost ready to begin the ground-breaking for the new playground/picnic area for our 3-6 year old students.
· Smartboards: Within the next few weeks, we will be installing new Smartboards in our kindergarten and 2nd grade rooms. A Smartboard in the 1st grade classroom will be installed at the end of the school year. All staff will begin receiving training in the use of Smartboards at the end of June. We will finish this training the first week of September.
· Gym Painting: Thanks to the Camp Pharsalia work crew, our gym and stage have now received a fresh coat of paint. None of this would have been possible without all the planning, time, and organization that Pete Asma put into this project.
· Early Childhood Program: Word of mouth is usually the best type of advertisement. Beginning in September, we will have a year round Early Childhood Program for 3 year old children who are potty trained. Our certified teacher, Suzanne Scafidi, is a graduate of Holy Family School. There will be a Sunrise and Sunset component to this program, staffed by Suzanne and Cassie Buckley. If you or any of your friends are looking for a safe, affordable, educational program for 3 year olds, please stop by and get the information.
· Vocations: Father Joe O’Connor will be speaking to all our students on religious vocations on Monday, May 4th beginning at 8:30 and ending shortly after 11:00am.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
April 8 Holy Family School Weekly Letter
April 8, 2009
Dear Parents,
I hope everyone has a relaxing vacation and is able to spend some quality time with their families. Just a few reminders prior to our Easter Vacation:
· Kids Zone will be open this Thursday and every day after Easter. It will be held in St. Paul’s basement.
· The Camp Pharsalia work crew will be painting the gym and stage area over the break.
· The local Knight’s of Columbus #211 organization has generously donated money to Holy Family School for scholarships. If you are a member of the Knights of Columbus, please pick up an application in the main office of the school. Members’ children attending our school will receive a scholarship in the amount of 10 % off their current tuition bill.
· Open House will be held on Thursday, April 23rd from 6-7 pm.
· The school sweatshirts are in. Your children should be bringing them home today.
Dear Parents,
I hope everyone has a relaxing vacation and is able to spend some quality time with their families. Just a few reminders prior to our Easter Vacation:
· Kids Zone will be open this Thursday and every day after Easter. It will be held in St. Paul’s basement.
· The Camp Pharsalia work crew will be painting the gym and stage area over the break.
· The local Knight’s of Columbus #211 organization has generously donated money to Holy Family School for scholarships. If you are a member of the Knights of Columbus, please pick up an application in the main office of the school. Members’ children attending our school will receive a scholarship in the amount of 10 % off their current tuition bill.
· Open House will be held on Thursday, April 23rd from 6-7 pm.
· The school sweatshirts are in. Your children should be bringing them home today.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
April 3 Weekly Letter
April 3, 2009
Dear Parents,
It’s been exciting to watch our middle school students in grades 5-8 dissecting worms, locusts, lampreys, frogs, and rats as part of the upgraded science curriculum at Holy Family School. They’ve done a phenomenal job! I would encourage everyone to attend the assembly on Wednesday, April 8th – “Talons, Birds of Prey!” Times for the shows were sent home with your child today. Come and join us. Please remember that Wednesday is also a “non-uniform” dress day. Also, please mark on your calendars Thursday, April 23rd from 6pm till 7pm. This is the date and time for our spring Open House at Holy Family School. Your child will be bringing home more information explaining in detail the exciting events planned for this evening.
I hope everyone has a great Easter Vacation. The Kids Zone will be open on the following days:
Thursday, April 9
Monday, April 13 through Friday, April 17
The gym will be painted over the break, so Kids Zone will be held at St. Paul's in the church basement.
Congratulations to our March raffle basket winner, Herman Von Hassel! All proceeds from these raffles go to support our student field trips.
Well, it’s been exactly six months (October 3rd) since I wrote about “Why Holy Family?” in my weekly parent letter. With enrollment for next year under way, I believe it’s an appropriate time to reflect back on the contents of that letter. As a parent, I know you want what’s best for your children. The elementary and middle school years for children are critical! These are the years when children develop the values that will shape them for the rest of their lives.
WHY HOLY FAMILY REVISITED
1. Respect: If parents were asked for the number one quality they would like to see their children exhibit, I believe the large majority would choose respect. I can remember my parents always talking to me about respect. At Holy Family, I’ve seen respect come to the forefront. Sure, we all take a step backwards at times, but when that has happened, heartfelt apologies soon followed. So if respect is important for your family, please ask yourselves where this quality is most evident
2. Discipline: I believe this goes hand-in-hand with respect. Here’s a great example that occurred recently. A class behaved disrespectfully to a substitute teacher approximately one week ago. The substitute told the teacher who immediately addressed the issue by telling the class that they would all have lunch detention the next day with her. At the end of the day, the teacher discussed the issue with me. The following morning I spoke with the entire class, expressing my disappointment with their behavior and explaining to them that if the substitute were their mother, they would have been very upset with their classmates. I was trying to explain that even if you do not take part in the misbehavior, you have a responsibility to try to stop it. I told the class that I wanted them to write apologies to the substitute during their lunch detention and then hand deliver them and verbally apologize to the substitute. I should have known, but they told me they already wrote the apologies and apologized to the substitute! There was nothing else for me to say except thanks and to continue reinforcing that this is the type of behavior we expect from them.
3. Parental Support: This is the key to success for our children. Without it, the odds are slim that a child can be successful. Parental support means more than making sure your child gets to school on time and completes his/her homework. It means taking an active role in his/her education and school activities. At each of the parent meetings I’ve had, I always give the parents a job to do at home with their children. One parent is working on “Hooked on Phonics”; others read each night with their children, while others practice the spelling words with their children. Volunteering in the classrooms, working at the fish fries, going on field trips, attending assemblies, and bringing in snacks for your child’s class reinforce to your children that you do care and are part of the school community, just like he/she is.
4. Neighborhood School/Safe & Nurturing Environment: As parents, we all want to protect our children and make sure they are safe. What better place than Holy Family! Just the fact that parents/grandparents bring their children to school and are here to greet them at the end of the day makes Holy Family safer. As for nurturing, one only has to look at all the hugs in the hallways. No matter what time of day, one can see parents hugging teachers (great role modeling), parents hugging their children, teachers hugging children, and yes, the principal hugging everyone in sight. While we may not give much thought to this because it’s commonplace at Holy Family, would you see this elsewhere? The great part is that the hugs are genuine and it’s not just at the elementary level. Yes, it’s true we, as parents, can’t protect our children forever, but what’s wrong with trying to protect them for as long as we can, which includes the difficult middle school years?
5. Uniforms/Dress Code: Call me “old-fashioned”, but as I stated back in October, I never realized the difference uniforms and a dress code make in the atmosphere of a school building. At Holy Family School, class time is dedicated to academic pursuits, not dealing with the numerous discipline issues that too often occur in public schools.
6. Prayers and the Pledge: Again I’ll state that starting and ending the day with a prayer, as well as before lunch, is powerful. Likewise, call me old-fashioned once again, but it bothers me when I see people leave their hats on at sporting events when the National Anthem is sung or the Pledge is recited. Likewise, it bothers me when students refuse to stand for the Pledge in classrooms when our tax money is paying for their education. To me, this is a sign of disrespect.
7. The Value of Your Child: So, why Holy Family? I believe parents need to ask themselves, “What is the most important thing in my life?” I certainly hope every parent would, without hesitation, say their family or their children. All parents have the responsibility to make decisions concerning what is best for their children. I would never question their right to do this. I would only ask that when it comes to their children’s education, they look at what Holy Family has to offer and see that it provides the safe, nurturing, and academic environment every parent wants for their children.
God Bless
Gene
Dear Parents,
It’s been exciting to watch our middle school students in grades 5-8 dissecting worms, locusts, lampreys, frogs, and rats as part of the upgraded science curriculum at Holy Family School. They’ve done a phenomenal job! I would encourage everyone to attend the assembly on Wednesday, April 8th – “Talons, Birds of Prey!” Times for the shows were sent home with your child today. Come and join us. Please remember that Wednesday is also a “non-uniform” dress day. Also, please mark on your calendars Thursday, April 23rd from 6pm till 7pm. This is the date and time for our spring Open House at Holy Family School. Your child will be bringing home more information explaining in detail the exciting events planned for this evening.
I hope everyone has a great Easter Vacation. The Kids Zone will be open on the following days:
Thursday, April 9
Monday, April 13 through Friday, April 17
The gym will be painted over the break, so Kids Zone will be held at St. Paul's in the church basement.
Congratulations to our March raffle basket winner, Herman Von Hassel! All proceeds from these raffles go to support our student field trips.
Well, it’s been exactly six months (October 3rd) since I wrote about “Why Holy Family?” in my weekly parent letter. With enrollment for next year under way, I believe it’s an appropriate time to reflect back on the contents of that letter. As a parent, I know you want what’s best for your children. The elementary and middle school years for children are critical! These are the years when children develop the values that will shape them for the rest of their lives.
WHY HOLY FAMILY REVISITED
1. Respect: If parents were asked for the number one quality they would like to see their children exhibit, I believe the large majority would choose respect. I can remember my parents always talking to me about respect. At Holy Family, I’ve seen respect come to the forefront. Sure, we all take a step backwards at times, but when that has happened, heartfelt apologies soon followed. So if respect is important for your family, please ask yourselves where this quality is most evident
2. Discipline: I believe this goes hand-in-hand with respect. Here’s a great example that occurred recently. A class behaved disrespectfully to a substitute teacher approximately one week ago. The substitute told the teacher who immediately addressed the issue by telling the class that they would all have lunch detention the next day with her. At the end of the day, the teacher discussed the issue with me. The following morning I spoke with the entire class, expressing my disappointment with their behavior and explaining to them that if the substitute were their mother, they would have been very upset with their classmates. I was trying to explain that even if you do not take part in the misbehavior, you have a responsibility to try to stop it. I told the class that I wanted them to write apologies to the substitute during their lunch detention and then hand deliver them and verbally apologize to the substitute. I should have known, but they told me they already wrote the apologies and apologized to the substitute! There was nothing else for me to say except thanks and to continue reinforcing that this is the type of behavior we expect from them.
3. Parental Support: This is the key to success for our children. Without it, the odds are slim that a child can be successful. Parental support means more than making sure your child gets to school on time and completes his/her homework. It means taking an active role in his/her education and school activities. At each of the parent meetings I’ve had, I always give the parents a job to do at home with their children. One parent is working on “Hooked on Phonics”; others read each night with their children, while others practice the spelling words with their children. Volunteering in the classrooms, working at the fish fries, going on field trips, attending assemblies, and bringing in snacks for your child’s class reinforce to your children that you do care and are part of the school community, just like he/she is.
4. Neighborhood School/Safe & Nurturing Environment: As parents, we all want to protect our children and make sure they are safe. What better place than Holy Family! Just the fact that parents/grandparents bring their children to school and are here to greet them at the end of the day makes Holy Family safer. As for nurturing, one only has to look at all the hugs in the hallways. No matter what time of day, one can see parents hugging teachers (great role modeling), parents hugging their children, teachers hugging children, and yes, the principal hugging everyone in sight. While we may not give much thought to this because it’s commonplace at Holy Family, would you see this elsewhere? The great part is that the hugs are genuine and it’s not just at the elementary level. Yes, it’s true we, as parents, can’t protect our children forever, but what’s wrong with trying to protect them for as long as we can, which includes the difficult middle school years?
5. Uniforms/Dress Code: Call me “old-fashioned”, but as I stated back in October, I never realized the difference uniforms and a dress code make in the atmosphere of a school building. At Holy Family School, class time is dedicated to academic pursuits, not dealing with the numerous discipline issues that too often occur in public schools.
6. Prayers and the Pledge: Again I’ll state that starting and ending the day with a prayer, as well as before lunch, is powerful. Likewise, call me old-fashioned once again, but it bothers me when I see people leave their hats on at sporting events when the National Anthem is sung or the Pledge is recited. Likewise, it bothers me when students refuse to stand for the Pledge in classrooms when our tax money is paying for their education. To me, this is a sign of disrespect.
7. The Value of Your Child: So, why Holy Family? I believe parents need to ask themselves, “What is the most important thing in my life?” I certainly hope every parent would, without hesitation, say their family or their children. All parents have the responsibility to make decisions concerning what is best for their children. I would never question their right to do this. I would only ask that when it comes to their children’s education, they look at what Holy Family has to offer and see that it provides the safe, nurturing, and academic environment every parent wants for their children.
God Bless
Gene
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