Amazing Things are Happening

Only a few weeks into school and amazing things are happening.  Parents are giving of their time, talents, and treasures.  The pre-school playground has a new sandbox.  The makerspace is alive with robots thanks to a generous donation from a parent.  Our first field trip is this week with 5th grade going to visit Art of the Brick, art created with lego.  Julianne has planned some awesome service projects.  Most importantly, I see a caring faculty seeking only the best for all our students.

Here is what to expect this week:

Monday - Faculty Meeting in the Media Center.  Gina will talk about how to take advantage of the MakerSpace and I will be reviewing rubrics with the help of Heather.  Please bring with you a rubric you have used this year or one you may be planning to use (if you have one) to share.  We will review what good rubrics should look like and how to translate into grades.

Monday-Thursday - Student Council Bake Sale in the FLC during lunch.

Friday - half day with professional development.  We will break into two groups.  Math in Focus group (everyone from the last webinar with the exception of Sue and Maria).  PLC for aligning Lang. Art curriculum (to include Gina, Melissa, and Jamie S.).  Everyone else should see me for instructions.

Have an amazing week and a relaxing three-day weekend!!

Picture Day is Coming!

Picture Day is Tuesday.  Be sure to remind students to wear the red polo (or red dress) for grades K-5.  Grades 6-8 should wear the Navy Polo.  If they show up in red I'm not going to stress it - it's their yearbook.  When you bring them down for pictures, line the students up in alphabetical order.  A volunteer will come to get you when it's your class's time for pictures.  You will take your picture at that time too.  If you do not come with a class, be sure to find time before 11 to get yours done.  No one wears PE clothes until after they take pictures.  They can change after that. 

Other reminders for the week:

• Band forms are due on Thursday.  
• Movie night is Friday
• Jean day is Friday (see handbook for rules - everyone may wear the make it happen shirts) 

Solar Eclipse:  This weekend a parent of an 8th grader posted on Facebook that we were renting goggles for $2.00 for students to view the eclipse.  I checked around an no one seems to know what this is all about.  If anyone knows where this comes from, please see me.  If you are going out after 1:00 p.m. with students, be sure you have a signed paper from parents.  

Change in Mass procedures... Maybe

Fr. Dermot would like to change the way Grade PK3-2 receive a blessing at Communion.  He would like them to remain in their seats.  After everyone has received communion, he will ask all those students to stand and we will all reach out our hands to bless them.  After 2nd grade receives first communion, they will then join us.  If there is a student in grades 3-8 that does not receive communion, they should still come up with their class for a blessing.  I did ask that if we changed procedures, that we do the same thing regardless of what priest is saying Mass.  He has not finalized this change but I want you all to be prepared.  I will be sure to let teachers of PK4-2 know what we are doing.  

HAVE A VERY BLESSED WEEK!

And now the work begins

Now that we have had three days to get to know our students and review procedures, the real work begins.  This week we celebrate the Assumption of Mary.  Take time to remember Mary with your students knowing that she is the Mother of all and holds us in her embrace.

Charles will be a little late Monday morning and I will be behind closed and locked doors most of the day as I prepare your club and elective lists.  Not everyone signed up and it will be a process.  Thank you for understanding.

Here are some reminders for this week:

• Unit plans should be in Atlas by 8:00 a.m. Monday morning.  If you are new this year, do not panic.  It's a learning curve and you'll get there.
• Faculty Meeting in Krista's room at 3:30 Monday afternoon.  Expect to stay until 4:30.
• Mass Tuesday at 8:30 a.m.  
• PTCO General meeting in the FLC at 5:30 p.m.  Everyone should attend.  You will be excused at 6:10 if it is still going on so you can get over to your classrooms.  Back to School night starts at 6:30.  There are two sessions.  One at 6:30 and one at 7:20.  I will announce when it's time to switch.  This allows parents to visit two classrooms if they have more than one child.
• Clubs begin Wednesday and Electives begin on Thursday.  We will talk more about location and student lists at the faculty meeting.
• Band Demo at 8:30 on Friday in the FLC for grades 3-8.  After the presentation, they will visit grades 1 and 2 in their classrooms.  

Father in heaven, all creation rightly gives you praise, 

for all life and all holiness comes from you.

In the plan of your wisdom she who bore the Christ in her womb

was raised body and soul in glory to with him in heaven.

May we follow her example in reflecting your holiness

and join in her hymn of endless love and praise.

Open House Success!!

Today was a success!!  I could feel the energy as I walked through the halls and the classroom.  Students are ready - and parents are even more ready - for school to begin.  They are ready for us to Make It Happen!  I want to thank everyone for working so hard to make your classrooms look so inviting and welcoming.. especially Julie and Maria who I am convinced slept at school a few nights.



I was thinking about our theme and how many of the teachers use call and response to get students attention.  Things like Marco - Polo, Shark bait - Oooh ha ha, hocus pocus - time to focus.  This year I think the call/response should be ....  Make it - Happen!  Be alert, I may use it on all of you.

We have two more days of inservice.  Teachers need to attend the session that pertains to them.  See the list on the agenda.  Teachers should start each day at 8:00 a.m. in the media center with me for about an hour each day of continued policies and procedures discussion and then we will break up into groups. I am sure there is work for the assistants in the morning but feel free to leave after lunch.  I need an assistant to volunteer to change out all the posters in one of the classrooms from tape to magic mounts (See Karen B. in the office for the mounting tabs) and pull the tapes with numbers off desks, etc.  See me me if you are available.

Thank you to everyone who has played a part in the inservice trainings.  Get ready, cause Wednesday is almost here!

On another note....  Friday was interesting.  I've never been to a courthouse wedding.  But the bride and groom were filled with love and joy and spent the weekend in Clearwater.  Now back to the real world and everything that comes with growing up.

Make It Happen!

Summer greetings! I hope that all of you are getting time to refresh, renew and relax.  As always, the summer has been quite busy here at the school, but as you can see from my smiling face, I did find a few moments to relax and and catch up on my personal life.  Please join me in welcoming the new and returning members (some returning in new roles) of the SSCS family:

Kasey McCusker        8^th grade HR/MS math/science   

Al-Aakhir Rogers       Long-term sub for Kelly G.

Nathan Wiles              3^rd grade homeroom
Susana Moll                Kindergarten Teacher

Jamie Stencel              ESE

Melissa DiCenzo         Enrichment and Teacher Resource
                                          Molly Neuman                Extended Day
                                          Mirta (Grace) Merrette   Extended Day

July 26 through August 2 is dedicated for you to get the classrooms ready.  You may pick up your keys from Karen on July 26.  Faculty/staff children are welcome to be in your rooms with you while you are preparing your classrooms.  Although we would like families to help with classroom setup, we ask that August 3-8 be limited to faculty and staff only. Please be sure your rooms are ready for school by August 3 so you can focus on the professional development scheduled.  Prof Dev schedule will be send by email ASAP.  Finalizing a few items.  

New employees have been registered for the diocesan mandated trainings taking place on August 1-2 at the Bethany Center, 18150 Bethany Center Drive, Lutz, Florida 33558.  Please check with Charles for details.  Some of you may not need to attend both days.  All new employees must also have a Level II Background check prior to the start of school.  All returning employees must complete the annual Blood-borne pathogens training and assessment.  New employees must also complete the online Suicide Prevention program.  This information along with due dates was sent via email by Charles.  Please provide him with the appropriate verification once completed. 

The first day back for instructional assistants and Extended Day staff will be August 3.  If teachers would like assistance during classroom set up, please reach out to your Instructional Assistant and see if they are available to come in.  Our faculty/staff retreat this year will be at school on August 4.  All employees are expected to attend and the theme will be Make it Happen!  See attached schedule for more details regarding the schedule.    

We will have a potluck lunch on August 7-8.  Please check your email for the link to Sign-Up Genius.  Faculty meetings this year will again be twice each month on Mondays.  A new google calendar has been shared with you titled Faculty/Staff.  Be sure you are checking that calendar and the School Events calendar to keep up with what is happening.  Schedules have also been shared via Google docs.  All employees should check their email on a regular basis. 

After much debate and consideration and thought about who was going to wash and dry 400 tie-dyed t-shirts, we decided to get solid red t-shirts.  Thanks to Marcela in Faith Formation, we have a pretty amazing shirt.  These will be available in the East Hall during pre-planning for faculty and staff and during Open House for students to pick up.  I would like everyone to wear their shirt for the retreat and students may wear theirs the first Friday of school.  God Bless you all and I look forward to seeing you soon.

I'm hunting squirrels

         So you may be wondering why I'm hunting squirrels.  We lost power three times in the past 5 days.  The second time was when the alarm people were here fixing the beeping noises.  The third time was Saturday afternoon when I was trying to catch up with everything.  The building died and my computer sounded like it was going to explode.  As I sat in the dark listening to all the beeping noises I decided it was time to hunt squirrels.  TECO keeps telling us squirrels are causing the outages.  I think not.  My hope and prayer is that we will have power and internet when we return tomorrow.  

Before I was put into the dark, I got together all the summer work for printing and posting to the website.  Everything looks good.  I will share the files with everyone and put into teacher share in the morning.  I was cut off before I could do that.  Please look it all over to make sure I got everything.     

Things to do this week for teachers (You will have everything you need from us during the day or at the faculty meeting tomorrow.  Some things you already have.):

Bring handbook suggestions to faculty meeting

Review report cards 

Student supply lists to Charles

Start packing and some teachers will start moving

If you have lots of extra tissues, consider sharing with media center

Clean, clean, clean - Charles will do the white glove check at checkout

Submit your own supply list

Complete textbook inventory

Complete FOSS replacement order

Fill out book replacement form for missing textbooks

Keep a vigilant watch over children, especially on the playground.  Teachers should be in very close proximity to students - close enough to hear conversations and monitor shapes they may be designing in the mulch - don't ask.  Also, for the middle school recess, someone needs to replace Jamie on the playground.  

Thank you to everyone who made graduation go smoothly.  It was a great ceremony and a fun after party.  

Have a great week!!  

                                                         

                                 

The Final Countdown

Three weeks to go!!  This means the end is almost here.  It also means things are about to get crazy around here.  Inventory, grades, orders, oh my!  But we can do it!

Charles will have inventory instructions and a demonstration on how to complete at our faculty meeting.  I have contracts ready and will start meeting with teachers this week to go over your summatives and sign the contracts.  I will not have addendums just yet.  We will sign those during post planning.

Thank you to everyone who made School Appreciation Week / Spirit Week fantastic.  All the doors looked great and the students showed lots of spirit.

You may want to start organizing your offices in the main building.  This summer EVERYTHING in your office must be put somewhere so the furniture can be removed to do the floors.  Nothing can be left on the bookshelves or on the floor.

End-of-year procedures and moving instructions will be given at the May 22 faculty meeting.