Dear School Families and Friends,
It is amazing how quickly September has come and gone! We are excited to enter the second full month of school. Students are doing an excellent job on their Renaissance testing. Thank you so much for getting them here on time and ready for this important benchmark assessment! This helps us ensure that your child is placed appropriately in their Reading and Math subject areas. Mr. Shields and I have been reviewing the results of classes that have already been tested. The students that were with us last year have done extremely well. We are not seeing a backward slide or any large academic gaps that many feared would be caused by the pandemic. Our year-round, in-person learning proved to be successful. When reviewing the records of students who transferred in this school year, we did not have a clear picture of academic standing. Some schools did not have final grades while other schools graded without actual letter and numeric grades, making it difficult to know where to place these students in core subjects. Renaissance testing is an excellent way for us to see how each individual student performs in comparison with all students in the nation at the exact same age level. It doesn’t compare them to children in other Catholic schools, as the TerraNova test did in our previous years. Renaissance testing provides us with great detail so that we are able to see exactly where a child will need support. These results will also help teachers when planning the skills that need to be focused on throughout the curriculum. Renaissance testing continues next week.
Diocesan Theme: Our Diocesan Bible verse for the month of October is The Advocate (John 14: 26-27). In this short passage, we learn that the Holy Spirit (the Advocate) will teach us all things Jesus has said. It contains two of my favorite sayings, reflections from our patron saints, “Peace I leave you; my peace I give you” and “Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” We will look for students who encourage others and are peaceful in their daily behavior. The Spiritual Work of Mercy for October is “Counsel the Doubtful.” We will learn to listen to other people’s questions, be examples of peace, and share Truth.
October: A very special month
Today I told the students that October is a very special month in our Church. We remember and honor our Blessed Mother through the Rosary and we are reminded to respect all life. Students will be receiving rosaries today or Monday. We purchased enough for everyone. We will pray in our classrooms and also as a school community. Whether you are Catholic or not, we want everyone to feel included and a part of this tradition. For COVID reasons, we will not be holding our annual Pilgrimage to celebrate Our Lady of the Rosary at Holy Spirit Parish. Typically we would take our entire student choir and the Eighth Grade class to visit Our Lady Queen of Peace Statue in New Castle. Students from our school gather with students from all across the diocese to pray the Rosary together. It is one of the most beautiful and reverent things we do, and it is always one of my favorite traditions. It lasts no longer than an hour, but holds great meaning. As a mother, the Blessed Mother is who I pray to most often. In difficult or stressful times, praying the Rosary has helped me smile through unbearable things. To see students praying together is such a wonderful experience. I am disappointed that we will not have this memory, but I will find a way to make it memorable here in school.
Thank you for all the paperwork that you have been turning in on a daily basis. Trust me when I say that I despise using all this paper. If everything in my life could be on a Google Doc, I would be ecstatic. Unfortunately that is not how information is always requested from me so thank you once again for turning this important paperwork in!
Thank you to the following parents who have accepted their roles on the Home and School Association! These parents will assist me this year in our fundraising efforts and in planning fun activities for our students. Thank you to Gina Teasdale, Teren Stokes, Roseann Detlefsen, Angela Arters, Erin McGready Zweidinger, Stephanie Sargent, Kim Carroll, Stephen Beals, Lauren Bell, Gabe Pabon, Ryan McLaughlin, and Melissa Farrell.
Congratulations to our September Students of the Month! The virtue for the month was joyfulness. We were looking for students who shared the Good News and brought joy to their classrooms and our school. Congratulations to Carter Wooden (PK3), Camryn Ellerby (PK4), Journey Fontaine (K), Stella Caesar (1st), Gianna Latina (2nd), Sara Barker (3rd), Katelyn McLaughlin (4th), Z’Aylah Holness (5th), J’Anni Adams (6th), Gideon Keen (7th), and Aisha Bamidele (8th). Way to go!
Monday, October 4th is the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi: St. Francis of Assisi is one of the patron saints of our school. On this day we are reminded to care for the poor and for all of God’s creatures. We pray in thanksgiving for our former Sisters of St. Francis, Sister George Mary Rhodes and Sister Jamesanne Taggart. Both sisters were on staff with us for many years. We miss Sister Jamesanne’s gentleness and Sister George’s sense of humor. I will be sure to send them our love and best wishes on Monday.
Reminder – School Closed Monday, October 11th for Fall Break.
Friday, October 15th is a NOON Dismissal and Parent/Teacher Conference Day: The Trimester One parent/teacher conferences will be held on Friday, October 15th and may extend before or after that day due to class size. These conferences will be face-to-face (masks required and safely distanced) after school. There will be NO AFTER CARE services on Friday, October 15th. All students will be dismissed promptly at noon. Conferences will be scheduled through your child’s individual teacher. Information will be forthcoming.
Save the Date! Friday, October 29th We hope to plan a “Trunk or Treat” event in our parking lot from 5-7pm. We are in the beginning stages. I will be asking Home and School to coordinate this event. We will not have students dressing in Halloween costumes this year due to COVID. We would love for you to bring the children out Friday evening so that we can still have fun together. More details will follow.
Reminder: Lunch needs to be sent to school with students in the morning. Today we interrupted classes on more than 10 occasions due to students not having lunch and lunches arriving late (after the child’s class already had lunch). Please be sure that you either order from YAY Lunch! or pack a lunch in the morning. We do not have cafeteria service to provide lunch to a student who is missing theirs. It is parents’ responsibility to be sure their child has a meal. I appreciate your cooperation in having an uninterrupted learning environment. Every time we have to call into the classroom, it disrupts the office, teachers teaching, and every child in the class. The student who is missing lunch feels singled out and oftentimes visits the office repeatedly, asking if lunch has arrived yet. They miss class time when this happens. Please make this a top priority.
Halloween Treats: We do not encourage sending in snacks due to allergies. If you wish to send in a treat for your child’s class, it MUST be store-bought and individually wrapped (no cupcakes, brownies, or homemade items) and must come to school by Wednesday, October 27th.
Autumn Blessings,
Mrs. White
“Peace is a gift of God, but requires our efforts. Let us be people of peace in prayer and deed.” ~ Pope Francis