All Saints Day

All Saints Day is the day we remember all the saints in heaven.  There is some excellent information about the Holy Day on this website https://www.catholic.org/saints/allsaints/   What you will find is that, as many of our Catholic celebrations, it was first celebrated on a pagan festival day.  The idea was people were already used to celebrating on that day and the Church was trying to replace pagan festivals.  Remember that there is no Mass on Wednesday, it will be on Friday this week.  When we return from Mass we will continue with the regular schedule with 3rd period at 9:50 a.m.  Please decide with your partner/team/encore teacher what you would like to do if we get back from Mass before 9:30.

How to prepare for Nov. 1 visit:

• Look around your classroom - would a stranger walking into the room see evidence of our Catholic Identity.
• Be sure your room is neat - student books are not falling out of the desk, teacher workspace is tidy, room is safe for students to navigate.
• Plan an engaging activity for students.  I do not want you to put on a show, but this is not a day to give a test.  The engaging activity also does not mean play a game.  Engagement means student-driven learning rather than teachers lecturing.  

This comes from a document sent to me by Mary Camp from the Florida Catholic Conference and what I based my recommendations on:

·         The team will observe in each classroom for approximately 5-10 minutes looking for:

o   Mission and Catholic Identity (Standards 1-4)

o   Student engagement (Standard 7)

o   General safety (Standard 14)

You are all doing a wonderful job in your roles and it will not be difficult for the visiting team to see all this.  Have a wonderful week and no one is allowed to be sick on Friday.  Just take some Tylenol and you'll be fine :)

The Annual Report is Done!

Last week, Gina and I meticulously went through the Action Plans, Binders, the ARCA and all the evidence.  Everything now has at least one piece of named evidence or comment, Plans are all up to date, and the binders are ready to go.  Thank you all so very much for your hard work.  On Friday I uploaded the action plans and hit the submit button and it felt really good!  The last item we will finish and submit this week is the Third-Year Report.  As we go through it, we will be asking to meet with the Domain and Steering Committee Chairs as we need to better understand your choices.  Some are clear but others are not and Gina and I will need to be able to speak on the choices during the Visit.  On Nov. 1, the Visiting Team will want to meet with 4 students (1 each from grades 5-8).  Teachers in Angel's Wing, please submit names by Friday.  Be sure to talk with the students and ask them if they are comfortable.  At the end of the visit, The Team will want to meet with the Steering Committee.  We will make arrangements for class coverage.  You should all be proud of the work we have done, not only for the visit but also in our progress on our Action Plans. 

I will not be sending a blog next weekend as many will be away and there are only three days of school the following week.  Therefore, here are some reminders for the next two weeks:

• Monday, 10/14 is a Faculty Meeting.  Please let me know if there are upcoming events you are in charge of and wish to discuss (i.e., Harvest Festival, etc.).  
• Wednesday is our 2nd Principal's Coffee.  This time we will be discussing assessments, both classroom and standardized.  
• Student Council will be selling Pumpkin Pops during lunch.  For those who are new, these are actually pre-orders.  The Pops will be delivered on Halloween.  
• Monday, 10/21 is No School
• Tuesday, 10/22 is our Professional Development Day.  Think about carpooling to your assigned school as most are a good distance away.  
• Friday, 10/25 is Marvelous Mustang, Jean Day, and Trunk or Treat.  Be sure you move your car out of the parking lot by 5:30 on 10/25 if you plan to stay late.

Have a Marvelous 2 Weeks.    

And peace came over the land.....

That is how this week should feel after Spirit Week and Book Fair...  Peaceful.  At least I hope there will be some normalcy.  I spoke to Fr. Tim this morning at Mass.  He was telling me about the Communion Service on Wednesday.  Deacon Mike will be explaining the difference to the students and telling them how the hosts were consecrated.  I think you should prepare them in Religion class too so they are prepared if he asks questions.  Please remind the students on Friday that next weekend (Oct. 12-13) is Uniform Weekend.  Wear their uniform, get a holy card, and wear free dress on Monday Oct. 14.  At the same time, remind them of the free-dress rules.  Shorts must be no shorter than 2 inches above the knee.  If wearing leggings, tops must be tunic-style and fingertip length.  Those tend to be the biggest offenders right now.  Also, please check jewelry on uniform and non-uniform days.  Rules remain the same for both.  Thank you for helping with reminding students about how we dress.

I was asked by Faith Formation to share some reminders with you.  We must be mindful of the fact that while this is a school, it's actually a parish building and used by other ministries.  We always want to leave it clean and tidy for others to use.  Students should pick up everything on the floor at the end of the day (paper, pencils, water bottles, etc.).  Desktops should always be clean and materials and personal items put away.  All classrooms should have an all-purpose cleaner.  I did see these under the sinks over the summer.  If you need something stronger, I have Awesome in the office.  Also, please remember you should not put the chairs up on Wednesday.   

Here is exactly what Faith Formation is asking:

• SSCS teachers place tests, school books, supply bins and markers in a safe location.
• We ask that all desks be wiped down.  We have discovered in some classrooms desks are unkept.  This would alleviate our Catechists from rushing prior to class to prepare their rooms.
• If the air is not working, please have teachers notify the office and let Faith Formation know so we can make arrangements for our children.

Any time the AC goes over 73 degrees and will not come down, please alert the office immediately.

I will be back tomorrow but will probably be staying close to my desk.  Walking is still uncomfortable and if I decide to bring my walker, there will be no laughing or pointing of fingers. 

I will be leading the first decade of the Rosary on the morning show tomorrow.  Please be sure the students have their rosaries.  Continue to pray the rosary with your class during the week.  We will pray the 3rd decade before Mass on Wednesday at 8:20.  

Monday after school is our STREAM meeting.  Please come prepared to talk about how and what students will be presenting on Nov. 7.  Thursday is picture re-take day and graduation pictures.  Have a wonderful week.