Happy Gaudete Sunday

 What is Gaudete Sunday?  The day when anyone can wear pink and it's cool.  It's also the Sunday we rejoice.  For two weeks, we have been saying the Lord is coming.  Today, we say the Lord is near, and we are reminded that it is God who loves us and is still in charge and that we await his coming not with fear but with tremendous joy.  Vestments change to the rose color which is used on joyous occasions in the church.  

Another reason to rejoice was watching our students shine on Friday night.  Not only did they do a great job of singing and performing, but you could see the joy on their faces while they gave their performances.  I received sooooo many compliments not only from families but from extended family members and one former principal who had no connection to any of the children.  The evening was amazing and I told everyone who came up to me that I was not the one to thank.  Thank you, Jeff and Heather, for making the night happen.  

We also rejoice as there are 4 1/2 days left before our Christmas party.  Don't forget to bring a gift for my famous Left/Right Game.  

The faculty meeting this week is a grade-level meeting. I would like to meet with the CSW committee (Julie, Susana, Melissa, Anna, and Claudia), David, Connor, and Lisa for a few minutes prior. We can meet in room 19, which is centrally located for everyone.  

This is a reminder to make sure students bring in their Advent Angel gifts before Friday so you can be sure everyone has one. If someone forgets, please reach out to the parent.  On Friday, I will do the end-of-day prayer right after my final Christmas song, which starts at 11:55 am (less than 2 min.).  

Have a wonderful week!

On the 10th school day before Christmas break....

 There are ten more days of school before break. I'm amazed that despite all the breaks we had this Fall, I still feel like I need another. Let's pray for an uplifting, amazing Part 2 of this school year after Christmas break.  Speaking of uplifting, wait till you see the Christmas concert this year.  I've seen the script and it will be fantastic!

Please remember that we have Mass on Monday this week.  Some students with the Holy Family holy card will be in free dress, which is fine.  The rest of the week is pretty routine until we get to Friday.  Start walking over at 9:15 to church so we have time for two run-throughs.  If you can, stop by the FLC on Friday after the concert to see the PTCO after-party.  

Thank you, everyone, for a fabulous first half of the year.  Let's make 2025 even better.  

One more thing.  I hope you enjoyed Give a Little Kindness on Friday over the PA.  Now that I know how to do that (with some help from Yesenia), I will have some fun leading up to Christmas.  Enjoy!

Oh, and let's see who gets this 😁

Watch, Prepare, Rejoice

 

Today marks the beginning of Advent, a time of preparation and the beginning of a new liturgical year. As we enter this season, we are renewed with anticipation of the birth of Christ. With only three weeks of school before Christmas break, many things are happening in a short period of time.

Our Holiday Shop will be open this week; everyone should have the schedule (it can be found in Tidbits).  Someone will come to your class to pick up the students with money to shop.  

Monday, there will be people on site to work on the holes on the property.  They will start with the hole near the sidewalk at approximately 10 am.  It should not affect access to the FLC, but I will update you when they arrive in the morning.  They plan to start working on the playgrounds at 1 pm.  This means they need a clear path to the hole on the PK playground, and no one will have access to either playground after 1 pm.  Extended Day students will remain indoors unless they have finished.  The plan is to complete the work in one day. 

We have found a company to fix the gate near the basketball court, and I am just waiting for a date for the repair. The contract for the hurricane damage has also been signed, and I am waiting on start dates for that project, too. The good news is that things are happening!

Wednesday is our Advent Retreat and the start of confessions for students in grades 3-8; more details to follow.  Thank you, Melissa, for all your work on putting this together.  Finally, 6th grade will be attending Focus 11 on Friday.  Please keep them in your prayers as they explore religious vocations.  

A special hats off to Kenny, who spent the day at school yesterday fixing a leak so we could have school tomorrow.  We don't need any more school closures!  

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and have a great week!

We did it...

 and I am still amazed and very grateful!  I do believe this was our most successful Walkathon ever.  $42,000!  Thank you to everyone who supported this with money or cheering on the students.  The winning team was Pink.  They raised $6400, with the Blue team not far behind.  The real winner was the White team, which raised $17,800!!  Even though this team had double the number of students, they raised far more on a per-student basis. The White team raised approximately $150 per student versus $128 for the Pink team.  Great job everyone!!

You may have noticed I was absent for most of the second half of the Walkathon.  I was busy walking the property with two gentlemen looking at holes.  It is my hope that we get a quote this week and they can take care of the issue during Thanksgiving break.  It will require a lot of digging, excavating, repairs, cleaning out drain pipes, and putting it all back.  I am told they can do it in three days.  They will need to bring in equipment through the PK gate from the sidewalk, so please be sure everything is off the turf between the gate and hole before leaving on Friday.  I will confirm by then if this will happen next week.  If not, it will most likely happen over Christmas break.  I also hope, to get the estimate on the Angel's Wing so we can start those repairs soon too.  

There is not too much happening this week, except Friday when volunteers will be transforming the school in preparation for Christmas.  

Lastly, for those of you who were during the time Fr. Bill was the pastor, I received word this weekend that Mike Juran recently passed away.  I do not have details, but I do know he was 76, and his body was in decline for some time now after years of being a stunt car driver.  He is being buried near Buffalo, where he was from.  If you don't know who Mike is, a video was produced at the old church when he was Fr. Mike and interviewed about his stunt car driving days (see below).  Legend has it that he was the stunt driver for Burt Reynolds in Smokey and the Bandit II.  Enjoy the video, and have a great week!

Link to YouTube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sCY9mmtqAs  

With Respect, Honor, and Gratitude...

 we remember our Veterans.  Please be sure your Morning Show is running on time Monday for a special Veteran's Day prayer service.  There may even be some singing :)

Teachers, please be sure all ATLs and comments are completed by Monday morning.  Mary and I will start going through them as there is a quick turnaround this week.  The faculty meeting this week is the second part of the Socratic Seminar.  For those teachers who have completed their conferences, you are still required to be here (if normally scheduled to be here Friday afternoons) until 3:30 pm.  

Here is what I learned at the principal's meeting Friday, we are doing a great job of sharing our Catholic Identity with our students and our parents.  I also learned the consensus is, throw away the religion books, but that's another conversation.  We talked about hurricane make up days.  What I know and what I feel good about are two different things.  I know we do not have to make up any days.  I would not feel good about not making up some of these days.  This will be a discussion before a decision is made.  

I will resend the Walkathon schedule tomorrow to everyone.  Please be supportive and wear you team's colors.  

Lastly, I have hired someone part-time to help with maintenance at the school.  His name is Kenny and his first day is Wednesday.  He will work from 12:30-4:30 so that he can make repairs after school hours and is here to help Ken with lunch clean-up.  

Have a wonderful week!

Wait your Turn!

 This is how I usually feel right after Halloween (although I saw Christmas decorations in one store in mid-October). 

In case you missed it in Tidbits, we will still have our full week off for Thanksgiving (Yay!).  I have a principal's meeting this Friday, at which time I will get more information about making up days missed.  Until turkey time, we have three weeks of uninterupted school (with the exception of the Walkathon on Nov. 15).  This week is the time to wrap up the Trimester and then transition into Trimester II next week.  If students have been struggling, let them know that the start of a new trimester is a great opportunity to set goals and aim for success.  

Some updates on happenings around the school and parish:

• Fr. Dermot will be away this week visiting family in Ireland.
• The health department is finally submitting my application for the FLC and I'm hoping they review it quickly.  I sent them everything they needed about a month ago but the hurricane put them behind like everything else.
• I am still waiting on a quote for the Angel's Wing and PK room repairs and hope to hear from them this week.
• There are two holes on the playgrounds (one on the main near the sidewalk) and one on the PK playground.  They should be covered with a cone and a table.  They have been reported but please be patient.  We do not have a facilities director right now (Tony resigned) and Ken has been out so hoping to address them this week.
• I have been searching high and low for someone to come out and fix the gate.  Everyone is booked out 2-4 weeks.  I have also reached out to a few parents to help too.  Please know I am working on it.  If anyone knows a guy, I'm all ears.  

Have a wonderful week!

Oh When The Saints...

 With the disruptions from the hurricanes, I seemed to have lost track of time and I don't know where October went, but here it is, almost Nov. 1.  As a faculty, we did not talk about All Saints, but I believe all (most) have some information for what we typically do on that day and in Religion class before/after that day.  Typically, this happens:

• PK-2 dress up as saints (1st grade may have a plan for something different which is fine)
• Gr. 3-5 design t-shirts representing the saints and wear them on that day (talk among yourselves and let me know what you plan for that day)
• Middle School has done many different things (let's talk at the Tuesday meeting about your plan)
• Students complete a saint project in Religion (makes a great summative grade).  Sometimes the research is done in October and students present their work on Nov. 1 (like in 2nd grade) others may continuing learning about saints in the month of November.  
• PK and Kinder process in at Mass before the priest and PK keeps on going out the side door.  Susana, talk to Connor about how you want to sit.  

Since Friday is a holy day of obligation, we will be going to Mass Friday instead of Wednesday.  On Thursday, students may wear Halloween/Fall colors t-shirt and jeans.  Finally, next weekend is Fall Back when we get ONE EXTRA HOUR OF SLEEP!  I've waited all year for that!

Have a great week!

Is it Christmas yet?

 Last week felt like the longest three days of school I could imagine.  The children had such sad faces when they arrived on Wednesday, but the smiles were back by Thursday morning.  Thank you to everyone who played a part in helping the children readjust to the routines of school.  I also want to thank the many people who were displaced due to Milton and for everyone's flexibility as we navigate our way back to normal (whatever that may be).  We hope to welcome our PK students back on Tuesday.  There is a lot to put back together, but I believe we can do it!   

Now I have an answer to the question that is on everyone's mind.  When will Trimester 1 end?  Originally scheduled to end on Nov. 5, it will now end on Nov. 12, one week later.  Teachers, this means you have a solid three weeks for grades left and a couple of days if needed.  Whew!  I will adjust the rest on the calendar tomorrow - grades due, etc.  Please remember the requirement of four summatives for each class.  Given everything that has happened, it would be fair to only have three, but there MUST be three.

For upcoming events, Friday is Marvelous Mustang.  Be sure parents have been emailed.  Friday is also the Math PD with Savaas.  Mary will send out more info on Tuesday about where to meet, what to bring, who will attend, and what everyone else is doing.    The Tuesday faculty meeting will be a demonstration of a Socratic seminar and everyone should attend as this can be used in any class.  

Have a wonderful week!

Be Nice

 This is something you will be hearing a lot this week... Be Nice as we enter into..... (drum roll) Be Nice Book Fair Week!!!  

A big thank you to the Book Fair Committee (including our very own Mrs. Dieringer) for organizing, decorating, and putting everything together in preparation for this event.  As a teacher, I know you are mumbling under your breath.... another disruption to class.  Yes, but for a good cause - BOOKS!  And quality books that support our faith.  So, please pray to St. Sabastian for strength and flexibility as we enter Book Fair Week.  

Teacher preview for the book fair is Monday morning from 7-7:30 am.   There will be bagels (yay! and thank you Emily Alvarez) in the breakroom to entice you down the hall to the Media Center.  (They will not be IN the media center as we may not serve food more than 2 feet away from hot water.  Also, they will not be individually wrapped, so good luck.)  Please add your desired books to the basket with your name on it.  These may be purchased by parents for your classroom.  If you are not normally at school on Monday mornings, never fear; you can stop by any time to fill your basket.  

Once again, please be sure you have a plan for Grandparents Day and refer to Tidbits for the instructions given to grandparents. This Tuesday is a grade-level PLC, and you may want to spend a few minutes talking about your plans.  

Remind your students to wear their Be Kind T-shirts on Friday, and let's remind each other to be kind.  If we are asking our students to be kind and treat everyone with love and respect, we need to first set that example and treat everyone that way.  I see MANY examples of kindness every day so please don't run to my office and ask me if I'm talking about you and if you did something wrong because my answer will be No.  What I can tell you is that I have also seen unkindness among adults over the past couple of weeks (teachers, staff, parents, parish employees, etc. - everyone) and I wonder how can we get our students to be kind if we can't set that example.  I include myself in this as I was unkind in a meeting when I was frustrated with data I was given but I did go back and apologize and will try to be more patient.  What I'm asking is for you to look inside and ask if you are truly setting the example to Be Kind.  Let's always be our best role model of kindness for our children.  

Have a wonderful week!  

Calm before the storm that is Book Fair!

 Good afternoon, everyone.  As I look at the calendar, this is a calm week with not too much happening, but it truly is the calm for the storm.  Next week is Book Fair week, which means being flexible and going with the flow.  Students will be late to class on Donuts mornings, and there will be organized chaos on Grandparents Day.  We will be having Mass on Friday next week with the grandparents.  Be thinking about the activity you will do with your grandparents and students so you are prepared with any materials you may need.  This is only for the homeroom teachers.  I'm not sure why but many of the parents see the breakfast change as a "BIG" change in what we do.  I don't think it's that big, and I hope they see this as easier for everyone.  Homeroom moms are asking if anyone needs volunteers for anything more than help with signing out students.  We are asking parents to provide juice boxes, water, and coffee.  If you want help with serving drinks that day, please let your room moms know.  

On the agenda for this week, we have vision screenings (see Gail's email), high school presentations for 8th grade on Thursday afternoon, and Marvelous Mustang Friday morning.  I will forward an email to all teachers that Mrs. Moretusso created that you can use to alert parents if their child was chosen.  Please send it to the parents of the students you chose for Aug/Sept. 

Sometimes you don't know what you don't know.  Last week, Mary and I started doing informal observations.  We both realized we didn't discuss what you should have on your walls/boards/etc. in your classroom during pre-planning week.  We discovered this when we saw missing items in new teacher classrooms.  So here's what you need to know.  Every classroom should have the following on the whiteboard, bulletin board, walls, slide show, etc.:

Objectives (for the unit, lesson, day, week - whatever is appropriate) for each class.

Essential Questions for the UNIT.  (Each unit you teach should have 1-2 EQs.  For more information on EQs, review the Unit Planning folder that was shared during pre-planning.)

Academic Vocabulary (This is for everyone.)  We will discuss this more when we have some free PD time this year, but here are some examples. If you are studying rocks, I should see igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic somewhere in your room.  If you are studying angles, the word congruency should be posted.  If studying slavery, you might post the word emancipation.  Think about the keywords students need to understand in each unit.  These are not just words they write in a notebook and define; they need to interact with these words daily throughout the unit.  More to come on that. 

Homework should be written somewhere, either on the board or sent through Google Classroom.  

If you have any questions about any of this, please come see me.  We will continue our walk-thrus this week.  Just keep teaching if we come in.  Thank you all for everything you do, and please keep Fr. Josh in your prayers as he continues to heal.  

CCC 1941

Happy Sunday! In his homily today, Fr. Primus discussed the dignity of man, voting no on Amendment 4, and recalled the Catechism of 1941.  The paragraph says, "Socio-economic problems can be resolved only with the help of all the forms of solidarity: solidarity of the poor among themselves, between rich and poor, of workers among themselves, between employers and employees in a business, solidarity among nations and peoples. International solidarity is a requirement of the moral order; world peace depends in part upon this."  Father then challenged us to work in solidarity because nothing will change if we don't.  When I reflect on this, it seems unlikely that the world will work together in solidarity, but nothing will change if everyone thinks this way.  We may not change the world, but we can impact our small piece of it together.  Please consider these words and discuss them with your students on Monday as we prepare for our first school-wide service project, working in solidarity to help others.  

At our faculty meeting last week, there was some discussion about holy cards and whether they should all be the same.  The answer is yes.  I made sure to talk about it in Tidbits, too, so that it is clear.  The card passed out this weekend is St. Benedict.  If a student has a different card, you should be suspect.  If they say they went to 5:30 Mass on Sunday, it's possible (but not probable) that they ran out of Benedict cards.  There can be a time when the cards differ, but I will let you know.  For example, in October, they will receive a Marian card.  It might be the Miraculous Medal, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, etc., but they will all be Mary.  Father does hand out old cards to students who are NOT in uniform.  Those do not count.  If someone has a card other than Benedict tomorrow, please send them to the office.  

On Tuesday, the Middle School will eat lunch in Angel's Wing. If you have middle school lunch duty that day, please join them in the Angel's Wing.  Other than that, it is a pretty routine week.  I will be out on Friday at the Bethany Center talking about principal stuff.  I hope you all have a superb week!

Happy Labor Day!

 Thank you all for your tireless efforts in teaching our children.  I hope you were able to find time to rest during this long weekend.  The best part about a long weekend is the short week that follows!

Even though it's a short week, there are a few things to remember:

• i-Ready testing will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday
• All teachers will meet for a faculty meeting Tuesday after carline in Heather's classroom
• Friday is a half-day, so we will follow the bell schedule for half days.  We go through all the periods (except lunch) in order, and classes are approx. 25 min. long.  
• Angels Outreach will give students a brief presentation about the first school-wide project and how to apply for the Kindness Krew. Presentations will begin at 8 a.m. in Middle School and the team will work their way down to 2nd grade. Students in grades 2-8 may apply to join the Kindness Krew (we can discuss more at the faculty meeting).
• Afternoon PD is Wit and Wisdom Writing.  Encore teachers and PK do not need to attend.  We will discuss everyone else's attendance at the faculty meeting.

Finally, I received more information from the Health Department and these are the rules in the main school building and Angel's Wing:

• NO homemade food may be brought into school for the students... EVER
• We may NOT prepare any food in these buildings 
• The ONLY place in the school where catered food may be served (and only outside regular school hours) is in the East Hall area.  This means we can do Donuts with GrownUps and Family Event Pizza.  It also means we cannot have pizza parties in the classroom.
• Things that can be given out in a classroom are pre-packaged, individually wrapped items such as candy, cookies, chips, ice cream, etc.  This will mostly happen in extended day.

I am working with the new facilities person, Tony, to get a sink installed in the FLC.  Once that happens, I can apply for a full service licencsed facility and we can then do much much more, as long as it's in the FLC.  This is where Thanksgiving celebrations, MS Christmas party, and P is for pancakes will need to happen going forward.  I will keep you all updated on our progress.

Have a Wonderful Week!

I Excel

As the students are completing their math diagnostics this week, remind them to look at the software's name and tell themselves just that. This is their opportunity to show us what they excel in and what areas we can help them improve in.  All students should be encouraged to do their best.  

Mary will be out for a few days and will be back as soon as she is ok.  Pray for her speedy recovery.  Remind students to cover their mouths when they cough and wash their hands often.  

The faculty meeting on Tuesday has been canceled so that everyone who wishes to attend the CPR Training may attend.  Techie Kids Club is visiting certain classes on Thursday (Mary gave you a schedule).  The scouts also wanted to visit classes this week, but I asked them to come at lunchtime instead.  I'm waiting to hear back.  Next week, you will have a visit from the Angels Outreach committee to speak to students about becoming part of the Kindness Krew and our first school-wide fundraiser.  I will send a schedule later in the week. 

Lastly, Friday is a school-wide jean day. Students and faculty may wear jeans with our school-themed t-shirt (assuming they arrive in time). Typically, on the first jean day, the theme shirt is mandatory if they wear jeans. After this one, any spirit shirt or PE shirt is fine. I will keep you posted on the t-shirts.  

Have a wonderful week!

This Is When Things Get Real

You made it through the first week, and now, welcome to week 2.  By now, you should have established rules and routines in the classroom, gotten to know your students, and are familiar with student accommodations.  By this week, everyone should be diving into the curriculum if you have not done so already.  This is also a busy week and includes important due dates.  Here are the highlights:

Tuesday – Picture Day.  An estimated schedule will be sent out from Karen. Please wait for someone to come get your class.

Wednesday – First Wednesday Mass.  Please remember that the class hosting the Mass should attend the start of Adoration and stay for 5-10 min.  When done, exit quietly through the doors of the chapel and walk around the church.  If K-2 would like to attend at any time, they are welcome. 

Thursday – Back-to-School night.  I will reply to everyone who has sent me their materials by tomorrow morning.

Friday – Faith Development Plan is due from everyone, and the Professional Growth Plan is due from all teachers.  There is also an assembly for students in grades 2-8.  Check the calendar for your time.  

The Faculty Meeting on Tuesday will only be for those on the Data Team.  Mary will send the details.

Finally, here is what I learned at my Administrator's Meeting on Friday: 

• They are discontinuing the John Hopkins School Culture Survey.  Yay!!!   I'm not sure what they will replace it with, but that was good news.  Evidently I was not the only one to find the data useless.
• The superintendent's plan for Mass at Tropicana Field is that ALL Catholic school students in grades 3-12, faculty, and staff will attend Mass at 10 am on the Wednesday of Catholic Schools Week.  Parents would not be invited as there would not be enough room.  If you have any questions about this, please see me.   
• I spoke with Dr. Majeski about this food in schools nonsense, and he is going to ask our lawyers about it.  

Have a wonderful week, and remember, if it takes more than two sentences to answer an email, pick up the phone.  

Ready? Set? Oh Well.... Go!

 Ready or not, here it is!  Welcome to a new school year.  From everything I saw Friday afternoon, I know we are ready.  From the smiles on the faces of the children (AND parents!), they are also ready to be back at school.  Today at Mass, I was filled with joy when I heard Fr. Dermot's homily.  He talked about Paul's letter and made the connection to our theme, Be Kind!  He talked about our theme and then asked the community to join in on our mission to be kind.  It felt like we are now part of something bigger, and I hope that together, we can all make at least our small part of the world a kinder place.  

With Monday being lost last week, we were rushed to complete pre-planning items. I have included a couple of reminders below and will cover anything else we missed at our Tuesday Faculty Meeting. 

• Church envelopes: I saw that some classrooms had the boxes out on Friday, which was fine. It reminded me that we didn't talk about these last week. Please be sure to talk to the students about why they have them. They are for them to share their time, talent, or treasure. It does not have to be money; it can be a prayer or writing about something they did to help someone.  
• Fire drills: Be sure to practice the fire drill with students.  Encore teachers should at least point to where they exit the room or take them all the way out.  We will have a fire drill sometime during the week. 

Thank you all for your commitment to Catholic education and to our community.  I am grateful for the opportunity to work with each of you. 

Have a wonderful first week of school!  

School's Out For Summer!

 These will be the words I will be singing down the hall on Friday.  While it's been a great school year in many ways, I will not be sad to see it end.  I am, however, excited about the prospect of a fabulous 2024-25 school year.  

This week the best advice I can give you is to watch every move they make and don't blink.  As we get closer to Friday, really don't blink.  

Teachers, please be sure to communicate with us this week about students who need any type of summer remediation.  We want to be sure there is an appropriate comment, and not "promoted."  

This week we will have fewer students on campus since PK and 8th graders will not be back this week.  They are invited to join us on Friday at noon for the end-of-year celebration, so you may see them that day.  Monday - Wednesday will be typical days.  Thursday is the Talent Show in the afternoon in the FLC.  Please be sure students start taking things home on Wednesday and use Thursday morning to have the students clean the desks, chairs, and lockers (better they do it than you).  Be sure all sticky stuff is off the desks, walls, and floors.  I will need some help in the music room with packing up and cleaning.  If you need anything, talk to Ken.  

I suggest you not pass out yearbooks until your room is clean.  It gives them an incentive to get it all done.  On Friday, dismissal will begin at 11:30 and it is classroom pickup.  Anyone left at 12:15 may be sent to the office.  

Have a wonderful week and please stop by the FLC on Friday after school to pick up a burger and say goodbye to families.  Thank you!

Holy Moments

 Good morning, Happy Cinco de Mayo, and congratulations to our 2nd graders who have completed the second step in their journey towards full initiation into the Catholic faith.  Our students all looked beautiful and handsome and glowed with anticipation for what they were about to receive.  Thank you Galy and Sammee for guiding them on this journey to this unforgettable moment in their lives.

This morning as I was cleaning, I picked up a book that Prince has been reading called Holy Moments by Matthew Kelly.  As I was skimming through it I discovered something called "Spiritual Multiplication" so I dug deeper and thought what a great concept to apply to kindness. 

This is what the author is saying in his book.  Some moments are holy and some are unholy.  It is our choices that can guide the moment in either direction. By collaborating with God, we can create Holy Moments.   The author says, "A Holy Moment is a single moment in which you open yourself to God.  You make yourself available to Him.  You set aside personal preference and self-interest, and for one moment you do what you prayerfully believe God is calling you to do."  Think of the Good Samaritan. He created a Holy Moment by his choice to help a stranger.  Holy Moments make us happy and there is science to prove it.  Think about what brings you more joy, watching the excitement in someone's face as they open a gift you gave them, or receiving a gift.  For me, it is always the giving that brings me joy.  Holy Moments are an act of generosity and science shows that generosity releases three hormones that bring us joy - serotonin, dopamine, and oxytocin - and I'm sure we all want joy in our lives.  

The book goes on to explain Spiritual Multiplication as the sharing of the concept of Holy Moments with others but I can see how this concept can also be applied to sharing kindness.  The author tells a story about an Abbot and a Hermit and in the story, the Hermit says, "A still pond reflects the sun perfectly.  God is the sun.  You are the lake.  When your soul is still and clear you reflect the truth, beauty, and goodness of God to everyone you encounter."  Apply this to Spiritual Multiplication (also a great way to incorporate faith into math).  

• Share a Holy Moment with three people through acts of kindness and when they say thank you, ask them to do the same to three more people giving the same directions: 1 + (1 x 3 = 3) = 4
• Three new people are now sharing Holy Moments and giving the same directions to three others: 4 + (3 x 3 = 9) = 13
• And those 9 new people teach three more: 13 + (9 x 3 = 27) = 40
• And so it goes...  40 + (27 x 3 = 81) = 121

Ask the students to see how many steps it will take to reach 1 million people.  It may not be realistic, but it truly is a great challenge.  By collaborating with God we can make change.  

There was one other thought in the book that is a great concept to remind students.  In the story of the Abbot and Hermit, there was strife among the monks and the wisdom of the Hermit was to remind them that the Messiah is among them.  Not sure who it was among them, they started treating everyone with kindness.  The Hermit did not mean that the Messiah was back on earth in human form, but reminds us that God lives within each one of us.  How we treat others is how we treat Christ.  I think this is a good reminder for students that their actions not only bring joy or hurt to others but also to Jesus.  

Now that you have listened to my sermon for the day, here's the action taking place this week.  First, Happy Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week!  Thank you all for everything you do for the school and our students.  You will all have received an email from Nicki describing the events of the week.  In addition, Mary and I are canceling Monday's faculty meeting.  Please use that time to continue the work started on Friday if you are not done or whatever else you may need to do.  Keep in mind there are only three more weeks of school (Yay!) and all grades should be up to date by now so that there are no surprises for students/parents.  

Here is the rundown of the week:

• Tuesday: Student Council Inauguration and NJHS Induction in the church at 2 pm.  Grades 3-8 will attend the Inauguration (which will happen first) and grades 6-8 will stay for the Induction.
• Wednesday: May Crowning at Mass.  2nd graders will wear their communion outfits and bring clothes to change.  There will be a reception after Mass for the 2nd graders and their families hosted by the 3rd grade in rooms 2 and 3 of the FLC.
• 8th graders will take their math finals on Wed. and Thurs.
• Thursday: Festival of the Arts.  I invite everyone to attend the event which takes place right after school.  The drama club and 5th grade will be performing in the music room at approximately 3:30 pm
• Friday: Marvelous Mustang (be sure all parents have been invited) after the morning show on Facebook Live.  In the evening is the Middle School Social.

It will be a busy week and the fun will continue next week with graduation activities.  I wish you all a joy-filled week with many Holy Moments.

The Anxious Generation

 Many times we sit in meetings or professional developments and they are less than awe-inspiring.  Typically I start making a grocery list in my head, or better yet, start planning my next vacation.  Then there are times when you DON'T want them to say, "Let's finish early."  On Friday, I was ready to learn more and have more discussion time with other principals.  The topic was Technology in Schools and Chris started the discussion by showing this video about The Anxious Generation, a book written by Jonathan Haidt.  Here is the link to watch the video.  You may not agree with everything he says, but I'm sure you can relate. 

We all know that technology in the hands of young children is rewiring their brains, and we know that social media may be a cause of the rise of mental health issues, but what he asks is then why do we keep putting this technology in their hands?  When I listened, it wasn't only about technology.  He talked about children not being allowed to learn how to be independent and take charge of their lives.  He talked about parents who run to fix everything.  This is not how it will be in the real world and we are doing them a disservice.  There will be a generation that will not have the skills to navigate the waters of life.  Shout out to David who shared this same philosophy is a recent middle school meeting.  

So what do we do?  I'm not sure anyone has the answer (although the author believes he does) mostly because it is impossible to get everyone in agreement on this topic.  However, as a Diocese we will be addressing this issue and possibly coming up with school-wide policies.  I also learned of several resources we can tap into for parent presentations.  I believe that this will be a great opportunity to work together with parents to help grow our students in all aspects of their lives.   My copy of the book will be arriving from Amazon today and I'm looking forward to reading it.  

Monday and Tuesday will be i-Ready testing and we will do our cereal event on Tuesday at 2:15.  See Lisa's email for more details.  For teachers on Friday, we will start our day at 8:00 am in the media center with a discussion of our Action Plans and putting them into practice next year.  Then teachers will have time for inventory, supply lists, and planning summer work.  

And finally, just so you are prepared, 2025 is a jubilee year for the Diocese.  Chris is thinking about having a day during CSW (Jan. 29) when ALL students, teachers, parents, priests, etc. in ALL schools and parishes in the Diocese get together at Tropicana Field to celebrate Mass together.  It will be a major undertaking but it sounds pretty cool.  

Have a great week!

Who wants this one?

 This was the question that Karen asked Mary and me at 3:30 Friday afternoon when a parent was on hold.  We ran.  It was that kind of week.  I can't even begin to explain the emails I received over the weekend and the one that came through as I'm writing this blog.  There are only 5 weeks left.  I know we can do this.  The email I just received was about students leaving the playground through the gate to retrieve a ball with no supervision.  Please remain vigilant and let students know that the rules remain the same, even in the last few weeks.  I will continue to support each and every one of you in any way I can.

This is a quiet week and will get even quieter on Thursday when grades PK3-2 are leaving for the Tampa Theater to see Jack Hartman.  Friday, both Mary and I will be out.  Yesenia and Kate can help with anything you need.  And if all else fails..... run!!

Have a great week!

Repentance and Forgiveness

 If you heard Fr. Lou this weekend (and maybe the others said the same), his homily focused on repentance and forgiveness.  As Fr. Lou mentioned, I too have heard people say they don't need to repent because Christ died for our sins and we are all saved.  But repentance is necessary.  Even in our daily lives, we must acknowledge when we do something wrong, which isn't always easy.  On the other side, we should forgive those who repent their wrongdoings to us.  That also isn't always easy.  There is also forgiving and letting go without repentance and that's the hardest of all.  Someone once asked me who do I believe is being hurt by holding on and not forgiving.  It's not the other person.  They are living their happy life.  It's the one holding onto the hurt.  My hope is that with our vision that was discussed at the faculty meeting on Friday, we will create a climate next year of love and kindness where repentance and forgiveness are embraced.  

Thank you to all the teachers who contributed some great ideas of how we can move our students toward kindness.  Our theme next year will be Be Kind.  Plain and simple and what we need more of.  The song will be Give a Little Kindness.  Yesenia already has all the moves down for this fun song.  We will get something out this week for students to create a logo for our theme.  

Tuesday is the ARK test (Gr. 2-8) and Thursday is Field Day.  Have a wonderful week everyone!

Happy Easter

 Welcome to the home stretch - the final seven weeks of school.  I hope everyone rested during this past week and you're ready to end the year strong.  Congratulations to Connor and Taylor on their marriage yesterday and wishes for a life of love and happiness.  

Tomorrow, we launch the final weeks with a solar eclipse (partial for us).  The eclipse will begin at 1:47 pm with maximum coverage at 3:05 pm and it will end at 4:19 pm.  Lisa has purchased eclipse glasses for the middle school, and they will go out to the soccer field at 2:45 pm.  If you teach an elective, please send the students back to class at 2:40.  We will have classroom pickup so that parents will be responsible for their children at the height of the eclipse.  An email will go out to parents telling them that middle school pickup will start at 3:05 to allow them time to come back in from the field.  Please do not take students out for recess after 1:45 pm.  First graders should be closely supervised walking back from PE and students going to their elective in the gym should also be closely supervised.  Extended day students should remain inside until 4:15 pm.  

Gail sent everyone an email asking for Tidbits by 8 am Wednesday morning.  This deadline cannot be extended as she will not be in Wednesday-Friday.  I would ask that you aim for the end of day Tuesday if you want something in this week.  

The PTCO book exchange will take place on Friday (see Nicki's email for more details).  Please remind the students on Friday that this weekend is a uniform/free dress weekend.  

Over the next couple of weeks, students will be completing the ARK test and students in grades 4-8 will complete the School Culture Survey. Both will be discussed at Monday's faculty meeting.  Have a wonderful week!

Happy St. Paddy's Day!

 At Mass this morning, Fr. Dermot said that today is the Highest of Holy Days in the Church.  I'm not sure he was telling the truth.  We also learned it's Paddy and not Patty.  The best thing I learned is that the Irish are good at laughing at themselves.  What a great character trait and something we should all learn to do.  

Can you believe Easter Break is almost here?!  It is also time for Teacher Spring Observations.  Yay!  If I did your observation in the Fall, I will be coming in this week, the week after break, and maybe early next week.  Be sure your lessons are visible by date.  

Thursday we will have classroom pickup to make it easier for those going to the Raffle Basketball game right after school.  Come cheer them on and watch live to see who the grand prize winner is.  

Finally, this Friday is the last Fish Fry 😭  Consider joining the regulars (David, Lisa, Connor, Ken, Maria, and me) for some fish and then stay for Stations of the Cross hosted by our 7th graders.  

Have a Blessed and Lucky Week!

Congratulations!

 This is a week of Congratulations.  

First - Congrats to our 8th graders who have become fully initiated members of the Catholic Church through the rite of Confirmation.  It was a beautiful ceremony on Saturday.  

Congrats to the Varsity and JV Boys Basketball teams for being the 2024 recipients of the Hillsborough Catholic Youth Sports League Sportsmanship Award and Trophy.   This says so much about the character of our students and the adults who guide them and this makes so very proud of everyone. 

Finally, back to the 8th graders again, congrats once again to the 11 students who attended Scholars Night at Tampa Catholic as recipients of scholarships to the school.  

I know the journey can be rough at times, but the students who leave here are very well prepared for their continued education and for life.  

It's a pretty typical week other than a visit from Patty on Thursday and Friday for her second Math Coaching session.  I will also talk to her about supplemental math programs other than Simple Solutions to get some input.

Have a great week!  

Spring has Sprung

 It looks like Monday will be the last morning in the 40's and then Spring has finally arrived, at least in Florida.  I hope you all are as happy as I am.  Here is what you need to know for this week.

• Terra Nova continues with make-up testing.
• Monday faculty meeting is to make a decision regarding Social St. review math, and maybe science.  Please be sure you have looked at Social Studies.  We may not be able to use Savaas as the copyright is 2013 and may not meet the standards.
• Friday is a half day, but a busy day.
• Marvelous Mustang
• Spirit Raffle Kick-off (details to follow, assume 11:30 in FLC)
• Parent/Teacher conferences (students should attend and lead the meeting) - Please Karen B. and me know when your last conference is on Friday.  

Homeroom teachers, pease be sure to read the details of the raffle, in particular the prizes.  PTCO and I would appreciate your support of the fundraiser by encouraging the students in your class to reach the goals.  Having a successful fundraiser benefits us all.  

Have a great week!

Terra Nova Time

 Let the testing begin!  I am curious to see how we do with the new format.  Just remember this....

The success of our students tells the story and the commitment of all the teachers who care greatly about their success.  That's our story.  All we can do is encourage the students to do their best and show off everything they know.  

Teachers, please be sure your grades are ready by 8 am tomorrow (Tuesday).  Have a great week!

Touchdown!

 Yes, coach, I knew enough not to say homerun! However, I will admit I have no idea who is playing today, BUT.... I do know who's performing!  Usher baby!  Therefore I just may be watching at least the first half of the game. 

Speaking of champions, Nicki, Vylam, Mandy, and other volunteers are MY champions.  Angel's was beautiful!  The most elegant Jungle I've ever seen.  AND we were also treated to the lovely voice and sounds of Denet and her husband performing at the Gala.  It was certainly a fun night for all.  Ranger Ken hunted down the wild ones roaming the gym for a quick photo op.  He found every one except Mary and Lane.  They may have been off at the watering hole.  

On a more serious note, can you believe Trimester II ends on Friday?  Be sure you are not having a bunch of last minute tests to get in your required numbers.  Most summatives for this trimester should be completed by now.  The 8th graders will be taking a national test on Monday morning.  The data becomes part of a score card for the country.  Wednesday is Ash Wednesday and Valentine's Day.  If you are doing exchanges for Valentine's Day, please do it on Tuesday or late in the day on Wednesday so that the children just take home what they have since some may be fasting.  This is not required of most of our students, but some may choose to start their lenten sacrifice.  

I shared by email yesterday, that calculators will be allowed on the Terra Nova this year.  More details to follow.  At my principals' meeting on Friday, I was told that the sign-ups for the March PD will be out on Monday.  We will let you know as soon as we get them.  They also talked briefly about the upcoming solar eclips on April 8.  Pretty much all that was said was, "Here we go again!"  One bishop in Florida (not ours) wanted to close schools that day so children would not go blind.  Anyway, more details to follow :)   

Enjoy the game for those who are watching.  Go Usher!

Oops!  I mean, Go 49eifs!

Back to Norman

 If you or your children (in my case all three of my children) were rugrats fans, you will understand the title.  This is how I feel about this coming week after coming off the CSW ride.  While there were lots of distractions, it was a GREAT WEAK!  Congrats to 5th grade for winning the Penny Wars!  Congrats to our spelling bee winners!  Congrats to everyone who made it all happen!!  

Things happening this week:

• Smencil sales sponsored by Student Council
• Possible DCF inspection of PK on Monday
• Faculty meeting Monday in Heather's room to review new curriculum.  Sit with your committees
• Scoliosis screening for 6th grade on Tuesday
• We will have ice cream on Thursday since we cannot use the FLC on Friday
• No one will be allowed in the FLC on Friday.  ALL students will eat in their classrooms.  Gr. 1-4, please use your assistants for lunch coverage and Mary will cover 5th grade.  For middle school, George can stand in the hall and watch 7th and 8th, Melissa will cover 6B, and we will find someone else for 6A.  Ken, be sure to have extra trash cans.  Please do not use your regular classroom trash cans.  
• Finally, Saturday is the Angels Gala.  Can't wait to see what the committee has in store for us!

I mentioned to the teachers at the Math PD on Friday that there will be some changes in the schedules due to a change in music.  I will update the electronic schedules on Monday as the changes will start on Feb. 12.  This week, everything remains the same.  I will also speak with other teachers affected tomorrow (Darien and Yesenia).  Thank you all for being flexible, but as you saw not much changed.  

Have a wonderful week!

Catholic Schools Week

 Happy Catholic Schools Week!  What a great opportunity to celebrate who we are as a community.  Thank you to everyone who played a part in making this week a success.  There will be lots of activities, but somehow we need to manage to continue educating students.  Faculty and staff are welcome to participate in the Spirit Week activities and dress up along with the students.  Please remember to tell the students to listen carefully to afternoon prayer as that is when the top three classes in the Penny Wars will be announced each day.  Each day, teachers should review with their homeroom what the next day's activities and dress code are.  

Monday's faculty meeting is a Grade level PLC to grade Mustang Writes.  All teachers should meet in Heather's room to help.  Once you decide who is helping with which grades, you can break off into other rooms.  

Tomorrow (Monday) is the last opportunity to put your name in the raffle for two free tickets to the Angels Gala.  Coming to the Gala is a great way to show how, like the parents, we are United in Faith and Community.  I moved the bucket and slips of paper to the file cabinet right outside Mary's office so you can access it at any time.  The winner will be chosen on the morning show on Tuesday.  

Friday is a half day and teachers will be meeting with Patty for part two of our math professional development.  All teachers PK-5 as well as Lisa, Becky, and Melissa should be in attendance.  Other teachers are welcome to attend or you may work in your classroom on unit plans, grades, etc.  Encore teachers who do not normally work on Friday afternoon, do not need to be present.  

Have a wonderful week!

i-Ready Week

 I hope everyone is staying warm today.  The good news (for some at least) is that temperatures will rise during the week but fall again over the weekend.  Please be sure to review the dress code for cold weather.  I saw some non-uniform items last week like gray leggings which are not allowed regardless of the color.  

This week is the second PTCO General Meeting.  The following teachers are signed up to attend this meeting:  Lane, Heather, Julie, Susana, David, and George.  If you are unable to attend, you can ask the people who are assigned to the April meeting if they can switch with you, just let me know.  The April teachers are:  Darien, Melissa, Galy, Marianne, Becky, Maria, Mari, and Kate.  

One more week until Cathoic Schools Week.  Teachers, please review the schedule with your students and be sure they understand the dress options for each day.  Thank you to the committee that did a great job of putting this all together.  

Finally, approximately half the teachers have given their input on the Google Form I sent out regarding the one floating day next year.  Of those who responded, 80% have chosen the day in March.  I will wait until the end of day on Monday for the final results and will them speak to the parish to see if we can have our retreat during pre-planning.  Thank you to those who participated.  

Have a wonderful week!

            

“We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.”

I hope everyone has enjoyed the long weekend.  I was looking for a short MLK Jr. quote for the blog title and I found one that made sense to me in a lot of ways.  I know he was speaking about America and how we all came from many places and got here in different ways, but I think we can bring it down to a day to day level of where we are.  We all came to St. Stephen for different reasons and at different times but here we are. Even though the people on the boat changes from time to time, I believe what makes this boat special is that regardless of all that, we DO work together to make the journey on our boat the best it can be.  There is no other boat I would rather be on.  

This is Mustang Writes week and next week is i-Ready.  This is a great opportunity for our students to show us how much they have grown this year.  When preparing the students, let them know that this is their chance to show off how brillliant they are!  Not too much else is happening until the end of the month when we celebrate Catholic Schools Weeks.  Please remember that we are about a month away from the end of the trimester and there should be no surprises for parents when they see the report card.  

Have a wonderful week and keep rowing!

Happy New Year!

 I wish everyone a year filled with joy and blessings.  At today's Mass, Fr. Lou talked about the Epiphany and epiphanies we have in our own lives.  I certainly had an epiphany over the past month that this that I probably can never retire.  Being at home was difficult.  The furniture did not respond when I spoke to it.  I am ready to be back at school and I can't wait to see everyone.  Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers.  

This week is a quiet week in terms of events and a good time to review classroom rules and expectations to start the new year.  The weeks following get busy with Mustang Writes, i-Ready, and Catholic Schools Week.  Mary will be discussing these upcoming events at the faculty meeting on Monday.  The CSW committee should be prepared to present the events for the week at the meeting and David should talk about what to expect with the Penny Wars that week.  

Once i-Ready is completed, it important that teachers are meeting with Mary regarding any students that are in danger of retention or needing remediation over the summer.  We would like to get the letters out to parents by the end of the month.

Thank you all for not letting the school burn down while I was gone and a special thank you to Mary who I know was very busy being both Principal and Assist Principal.  Have a wonderful week!