Happy 25th!

 It's time to party and celebrate 25 years of making a difference in the lives of many students.  Please be sure you have read the document in the Principal's Points section of Tidbits for instructions about the afternoon.  There will be parent volunteers coming to your classroom between 1:30 and 2 pm to help you with logistics (bringing students to the float, IF you have a permission slip for them, and helping get the class onto the sidewalk).  Please be sure to follow up with any missing permission slips.  Teachers should hold on to those, so you know who to send out that day.  Thank you to everyone who is helping with the event, and thank you to all for doing your part.  Please let students know that they may wear their Disciple of Christ t-shirt and jeans/jean shorts/PE shorts.  That should be the only shirt they wear that day.  I will also send an email home.  Yesenia, please promote on the morning show and FB.  

This week, we begin collecting for SVDP.  Please encourage the students to bring in items.  See Tidbits for more details, as we are not collecting food this time.  

For teachers: Tuesday's faculty meeting is devoted to collecting evidence with your CIPA committees.  Friday, we will be doing the following: Presentation on Authentic Assessment through PBL, CIPA work, time for inventory, etc.  Our day will begin at 8 am in the Media Center.  

Have a wonderful week!

April Showers Bring May Flowers....

 If only.  Let's keep praying for rain, in moderation, of course.    

I'm not sure if everyone has access to the Terra Nova results yet.  The good news is that in most areas in most grades, students are performing better than the national average in meeting proficiency.  This is all due to your hard work.  But as with anything, there is always room for improvement.  When you look at the results, look at them through the lens of what skills do I need to reinforce in the next 5 weeks, while ensuring all the standards have been covered in each subject area?  (Yes, I know that sounds like Superman/woman level expectations, but I believe we can do it!  Take advantage of extra math time and flex time in elementary.)  If you need help with reports, please talk to Mary.  She is looking at reports for 3rd-5th on specific math skills that need reinforcing.  I would like math teachers to focus on any gaps in math that need to be filled before the end of the year.  

This week seems pretty quiet compared to the others.  If you are assigned to Tuesday's PTCO meeting (names are in the minutes from our last faculty meeting), please be in the FLC by 6:30 pm.

Thank you, and have a great week!

Even before this, Chaucer talked about April Showers in the Canterbury Tales.  But that is a story for another day.  

Jesus I Trust in You

Such a simple prayer, but so meaningful.  I wish you all a blessed Divine Mercy Sunday and may the mercy of Jesus fill your heart and bring you peace.

Just a heads up that I will be in and out over the next two weeks.  This week, I will be out on Monday and Wednesday morning and all day Friday.  Next week I will be out in the briefly in the middle of the day on Monday and all day Wednesday and Thursday.  Most of this is related to a very minor surgical procedure that feels like they are performing open heart surgery with all the prep and tests.  Friday, 4/24, is an administrator meeting, and either Mary or I will attend, depending on whether I can drive.  In between all that, I will complete most of the observations (hopefully).  

As far as what's happening this week, please keep up with emails, Tidbits, etc., and regularly check the calendar.  You should have already received the Book Fair and Field Day schedules, and Gr. 2-8 have what they need for ARK testing.  Teachers also received a letter/permission slip from Nicki that you can use to send home with students participating in the parade for your class.  Please reach out to your homeroom parent to get the list of students participating and hold onto the permission slips as they come in.  Only students with a permission slip may participate in the parade.  If you have any questions or need help with this, let me know.  

Have a fabulous week!

Happy Easter

 I hope everyone had a Blessed Easter and enjoyed the mini break.  It seems like it's all downhill from here, but it's a VERY long hill with lots of stops along the way.  Please be sure you are keeping up with emails, reading Tidbits, and checking the calendar.  Both April and May are filled with lots of happenings, and somewhere in between, learning continues.  

The most important event this month takes place on the 30th.  We will be going over all the details at the faculty meeting on Tuesday.  It's going to be great!

The 7th graders will be at Nature's Classroom this week, and our PK/K students will be participating in the St. Jude Trike-a-thon.  We will also be starting the new music schedule tomorrow.  

Have a great week, and remind the students to wear their uniforms to Mass next weekend.  

Happy Palm Sunday

 Good morning and Happy Palm Sunday.

As we enter this sacred time in the life of the Church, we are invited to walk more closely with Christ through Holy Week—a journey that begins with joyful praise and leads us through moments of sacrifice, reflection, and deep love. In our classrooms and throughout our school, this week offers a meaningful opportunity to pause, to pray, and to help our students understand the powerful story of faith, hope, and redemption that unfolds each day.  I look forward to our retreat on Thursday.  Melissa did a great job of providing the materials for a beautiful day of reflection.  I also can't wait for everyone to witness the Living Stations.  This year's group and choir presented an amazing performance on Friday night.  Thank you to everyone who played a part in this. 

As we move toward the celebration of Easter Sunday, may we be reminded of the promise of new life and the light that overcomes all darkness. Thank you for the ways you bring this message to life for our students through your words, your actions, and your example each day.

It's in the mail...

 ...or it will be tomorrow.  Terra Nova is completed, boxed, and ready for shipping.  Thank you to Kate and her team of worker bees who caught up with absent students, erased stray marks, darkened the circles of those with a light touch, and filled out all that paperwork.  Another year done and now we wait.  Based on our students' performance on i-Ready, I expect great things. 

We are also waiting for the 3 pm bell on Friday, which marks the start of Spring Break.  I hope you all have amazing plans, even if it is to just sit and relax.  This week, I will be at Nativity on Wednesday morning for yet another Principal's meeting, and then I will be out on Thursday and Friday.  

Since this will be my last blog for a couple of weeks, as I will be out of the country the next two Sundays, here's a look ahead.  The week after break has two events: spring pictures and the presentation of the Stations of the Cross by our 7th graders, on Friday evening.  I will be back on March 24, assuming I don't get lost in the desert with King Tut.  

Have a wonderful week and a great Spring Break!

Here's what you missed....

 If you were not at one of the events happening on Friday and Saturday, here's what you missed.  

• Fish Fry - You missed Calvin, who made his first appearance at St. Stephen.  He's adorable, and Mom is doing great and loving every minute of being a new mom.  You also missed A LOT of alumni working at the fish fry.  It was great seeing them all and what they are up to.  Most impressive was Jaxon Hester, who is working on creating a line of fragrances for men and women as part of a project for his business class.  
• Once Upon a Brick Library Sleepover - Thank you, Yesenia and Officer Diaz, for spending the night at school, providing a spectacular night for the kindergarten boys and keeping them safe.  I was not so brave and left by 7.  The energy was real!  Plus I had to get up the next morning for....
• Turkish mosaic crafting - Thank you, Lisa, for putting this together.  We had a fun (and sometimes frustrating - you try teeny tiny gluing beads) time.  We were all very proud of our almost finished product.  The final step of grouting happened at home after it dried.  

Compared to all that, this week is pretty quiet as we head toward our much-anticipated Spring Break.  While it may be quiet at school, there is much happening in the world.  I ask that during this time of Lent, as we may be increasing our prayers and time with our Lord, let us add everyone affected by events in Iran and the Middle East to our prayers.  As a community with extensive ties to the military, we especially want to remember them in our prayers that the Lord and their Guardian Angels be by their side.  

I will be out on Thursday (6th-grade field trip) and Friday (principal meeting at the Bethany Center).  Have a wonderful week!