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St. Peter's School
6400
Dear St. Peter’s Parents:
Well, I have lots to talk about and so
little space! First, an update on SPS
everyday happenings: we’ve had third
graders building faces using bread, peanut butter, apples, and other edible
items with the goal of being able to write a “recipe” for their face…what a
yummy way to learn sequencing, writing skills, and cooperative learning. And, if you ever need some fashion advice, I
suggest going to first grade as I found out the day I was told, very
diplomatically, “Ms. Dishong, don’t you think it looks a bit warm for that
outfit?” Or, best yet, did you know that
our health screening works miracles?
Yes, it does, and if you don’t believe me just ask
a kindergartner who, before getting his vision screening, asked his teacher,
“Does the vision screening help us to read?”
The teacher responded, “Why, yes it does.” After this little guy’s screening, he was
sitting, reading his book he brought along while the children waited in line,
when he all of a sudden declared, “It does help—I CAN READ!!” Praise God…
Speaking of praising God, tomorrow we
will be having a Holy Hour for Peace from 9:00-10:00a.m., which is a Diocesan-wide
celebration of the anniversary of the miracle of Fatima held in conjunction
with the National Day of Prayer lead by our own Bishop Finn on EWTN. We will have Exposition, Rosary (2nd-4th
I would also like to announce we are
having a SCRIP logo contest for grades 4-8 during the month of October. All logo submissions will be judged by an
“impartial panel” and the winning entry will be used this year with SCRIP
advertising. Plus, the winner’s class
will get a pizza party! We are so
thankful for the increase of SCRIP usage and the efforts of Pat Zidar and her
committee. A winner will be announced in
November.
On another note, I want to keep you
updated on the focus of our faculty professional development this year: assessments.
If you are my age or older, you probably think of assessment as a
paper/pencil test you take at the end of each chapter you go over in class and
the standardized tests you may have taken periodically. Today assessments take on a much broader
spectrum, consisting of daily assessments (informal and formal) that don’t
necessarily involve paper and pencil. At
our faculty meeting yesterday, we discussed seven practices of effective
learning: using summative assessments to
frame meaningful performance goals; showing criteria and models in advance;
assessing for previous knowledge before teaching a unit; offering appropriate
choices for different learners; providing feedback early and often; encouraging
self-assessment and goal-setting; and allowing new evidence of achievement to
replace old evidence. That’s quite a
chunk of information! And it was so
edifying to listen to the teachers fully engaged in discussions about such
relevant topics and how they are implementing them in the classrooms.
Finally, as one parent to another, I ask
for any and all prayers during this upcoming week. My daughter, Dayna, is getting married next
Friday, Oct. 12, in
Sincerely in Christ,
Messenger
Envelopes
Please do not return information in the messenger
folders—notes and payments should be sent or returned separately. Also, please sign and return your messenger
envelope promptly—we rely on this means to communicate with you and ask for
your cooperation in helping us prepare for the next week’s communications!
On another note, we are in need of scrap paper at
school. It needs to be clean on one side
and in relatively good condition. We do
not have a source for paper this year.
What that means is that we will probably run short before the school
year ends—if your business is changing logos or address, please think of us!
Student
Council
Congratulations to these newly elected student
council class representatives serving on the 2007-08 St. Peter’s Student
Council!
Grade 8:
Alex Bales, John Conklin, Sam Maassen, Taylor Migliazzo, and Paul Warwick
Grade 7:
Peyton Gajan, Jackson Griffin, Alex Murfey, and Grant Whittaker
Grade 6:
Annie Keel and Alex Overton
Grade 5:
Jack Barry and Hayden Lee
Grade 4: Conor Law and Molly Sullivan
Grade 3:
Jeanne O’Flaherty and Sean Overton
Thank You!
A huge thank you to the St.
Peter’s PTA for their generous donation in honor of Mrs. Andi
Noth. Mrs. Noth passed
away this past summer, and we miss her during our lunchroom experiences. The donation by the PTA was to the St.
Peter’s Food Pantry, a fitting tribute, as many families will be provided a
nourishing meal and the feeling of being cared for…a continuation of Andi’s good works!
Thank you, PTA. Please continue
to keep Mrs. Noth and her family in your prayers.
Thank You,
SPS Students!
The Fiesta had another successful year with the
help of 35+ eighth graders! These
students helped with setting up tables, chairs, taking items up and down
stairs, posting signs, setting up games, decorating, rolling silverware, making
snow cones, helping with Bingo, running games, painting faces, selling tickets,
handing out prizes, and cleaning up! The
Fiesta Committee (Mary Buren & Kristen Campbell) is so grateful for their
help—the Fiesta would not have run so smoothly without their hard work. Our sister parish in
Reminder
from the Health Room
It is the time of year when we start seeing signs
of head lice. Please be vigilant in
checking your children when they complain of itching scalps or you notice signs
of intense itching of the scalp and back of the head. Head lice are spread through close contact or
shared personal items. Lice cannot jump
or fly from one person to another.
Children found to have head lice cannot remain at school. Diocesan policy states that children must be
“nit free” to attend school. Please do
not hesitate to call if you have any questions or concerns about any school
health issue.
Macy’s
Shop for a Cause
Come join us for a day of shopping on October 13
during Macy’s “Shop for a Cause.” Here’s
how it works: Purchase a $5 ticket and
receive a coupon for 20% off your purchases all day (some exclusions apply) and
a $10 coupon towards one purchase.
Proceeds from ticket sales benefit F.I.R.E. If you would like to purchase a ticket,
contact Tracey Costanzo at 816.333.3072. Please consider using a Macy’s SCRIP card
when you are shopping that day. SCRIP
may be purchased in the school office or by contacting Pat Zidar at
913.789.7576.
October—Respect
Life Month
Respect Life Collection: St. Peter’s Parish is collecting baby clothes
(size infant up to 2-3 years old), baby equipment, maternity clothes, diapers,
and monetary donations throughout the month of October. Items may be placed in collection bins in the
school lobby. Monetary donations may be
turned in to the school office marked “Respect Life.” Donations will be given to BIRTHRIGHT and
Catholic Charities Social Services, offering pregnancy counseling and support
for mothers and their children. Contact
Maria Gillcrist (816.523.2184) or Karen Miller
(816.523.6550) for more information.
Prayer of the Rosary: Every Sunday in October following the
Altar
Server Training
Tuesday, October 8, there will be training for new
altar servers. This is a “Late Start”
day, and the training will be from
8th
Grade Sports Challenge
The time of the 8th Grade Sports
Challenge on Sunday, October 21, has been changed slightly—new time will be
School
Conferences
Please call the office to schedule conferences for
your students in grades preschool-five, if you have not already signed up. Conferences for sixth-eighth graders will be
in the gym once again this year.
Conferences for students in grades 5-8 will be from
Flower
Congratulations to these top-selling families! Thank you to all who participated in this
fall fundraiser!
The Weis Family (1st )
The O’Bar Family (2nd) The