Principal's Memo

Building Confident Catholic Leaders Through Faith, Community

and Education

           

Feb. 26, 2013

Transitional Kinder and Kinder Night

We invite parents who have their child/ren in Mrs. Serafin’s preschool class to join us for an informational night regarding TK (transitional kindergarten), Wed., Feb. 27 at 6:00 p.m.  Mrs. Velasco’s preschool class we invite to join us for information about the Kindergarten curriculum.

For TK children, this is the first year of a two year  program so that students will be six years of age by 1^st Grade.

Valentine Sales

We thank Mr. & Mrs. Duke for selling Valentine cards, stuffed animals, and other valentine items to our students and parents.  The items were donated by the Duke family and the profit for the school is $464.00!

Yearbooks

The deadline to pre-orders a yearbook for $35 is Thu., Feb. 28. Starting Fri., March 1 the yearbook will cost $40.

Islands

Join us for a fun night at Islands in Glendale tomorrow, Wed., Feb. 27 from 5-9:00 p.m. This is not a mandatory fundraiser but we welcome all school families, neighbors, and parishioners to a fun night at Islands. Islands is located near the corner of Brand and Broadway in Glendale. Hope to see you at Islands!

See’s Candy

PTO will start See’s Candy Easter  preorders on Tue., March 5. This is not a mandatory fundraiser but we hope that all families consider participating by taking orders from co-workers, neighbors, and family.

iPad Program

Sister Jane, our 6^th grade teacher, and Ms. Craughwell, our 4^th grade teacher, have attended two iPad inservices at two different schools. The objective in visiting the schools is to observe and learn how the schools are using the iPad for language arts, writing, and math. Both teachers are motivated and ready to start using this instructional tool to differentiate, mediate and/or enhance learning for the students.

Casino Night News

Our Casino Night committee has been diligently working to put on a fabulous event for all or our parents to enjoy on April 6. We currently have 68 families that took advantage of the free gaming money and we have 97 families yet to RSVP and pay their mandatory $75. We are asking that you please turn in your RSVP cards as soon as possible so we can have an accurate food count by March 1^st.  There will be no ticket sales at the door and attendees must be 21 years of age. All Casino Night forms are on the counter in the school office.

We only have 8 spots left for Texas Hold’em, so hurry to sign up for the 7:30 p.m. session! We have planned a full night of entertainment such as a silent auction which includes the classroom projects, gaming prizes, roulette, craps, black jack, spinning wheel, dancing, food, drinks, free raffle prizes, a 50-50 drawing, a Texas Hold’em tournament, and a photo booth with dress up props.

After School Daycare

Mrs. Ana Alvarado and Mrs. Deanna Velt are both staffing the afternoon daycare. We have a daily average of between 20 and 27 children who are in daycare. Fridays are the busiest days for afternoon daycare due to the 1:30 p.m. early dismissal.

Mrs. Alvarado and Mrs. Velt will alternate the morning care. We have an average of only 5 students for morning daycare.

Preschool Morning& After School Daycare

Mrs. Aileen Rada is the new afternoon daycare aide for the children in Mrs. Serafin’s classroom. Mrs. Mary Gonzales now starts work at a later time to help us out with the afternoon extended daycare for Mrs. Velasco.

Ms. Gloria Ybarra opens the morning care for both Mrs. Serafin and Mrs. Velasco. She has an average of 5 children each morning.

Academic Decathlon

Good luck to our Academic Decathlon team who will compete alongside students from approximately 116 other Catholic Schools in the annual Academic Junior High Decathlon at the Los Angeles Sports Arena!

School wide Learning Expectations

These are the Schoolwide Learning Expectations students will review this week.

A student of St. Dominic Parish School will be...

a committed Catholic who:

• builds a firm foundation in, knowledge of, and love of the Faith.
• actively participates in the Mass, sacraments and traditions of the Church.
• shows respect, tells the truth, and tries to be like Jesus.
• willingly shares his/her gifts to serve others in the Church and global community.

a responsible and respectful person who:

• understands his/her innate value and the value of others as beloved children of God.

Principal's Memo

                            Building Confident Catholic Leaders Through Faith, Community

and Education

           

Feb. 19, 2013

No School

Friday, February 22

Religious Education Congress

Transitional Kinder and Kinder Night

We invite parents who have their child/ren in Mrs. Serafin’s preschool class to join us for an informational night regarding TK (transitional kindergarten), Wed., Feb. 27 at 6:00 p.m.  Mrs. Velasco’s preschool class we invite to join us in the Kinder room.

For TK children, this is the first year of a two year program so that students will be six years of age by 1^st Grade.

We also invite our school families in Kinder to 8^th grade who will have children entering TK or Kinder next year to join us for this informational night.

Preschool

St. Dominic now has a wait list for next year’s preschool. Both classes in the preschool area will be for three year olds only. Children will be taken on a first come-first served basis.

Please call Ms. Angela at 323-255-5803 in the school office or leave a message with Mrs. Serafin at 323-255-2979 if you are interested in placing your child on the preschool list.    

School Choir

This schedule is to allow learning of harmony parts: Tue., Feb. 19, morning, all girls only. Thu., Feb. 21, morning, all boys only; after school, all girls only. The following week, Tue., Feb. 26, morning, girls only. On Thu., Feb. 29, morning, boys only; after school, boys only.

The March schedule is back to normal. On Tuesdays the entire morning choir will practice. On Thursdays the entire morning choir and the after school choir will practice.

Thank you, Mr. Acosta

Choicelunch

It is nearly March and time for parents with children in 2^nd grade  to volunteer for lunch service. If you are interested in earning lunch credit please call the school office ASAP.

Parents need to have been fingerprinted and attended a 3-hour Virtus session on Child Safety.

Volleyball & Softball

Miss Mancia, coach/Athletic Director, is connecting with Pedro, paid coach for boys volleyball. We have a student from Occidental College interested in coaching softball and possibly track. Mr. Lanza inquired about starting a 5^th grade boys volleyball team. Miss Mancia will keep you informed by sending flyers and having Student Council make morning announcements. Please have your child listen to morning announcements for additional information.

Surveys

Parents, students, teachers, and the pastor completed a survey on school improvement last year. The template used for this survey is one that is used by all Catholic schools as part of the self-study for WCEA/WASC. We conducted the survey on SurveyMonkey.com to show shareholders that the survey is not analyzed by the office staff.  The survey results were generated by SurveyMonkey for a cost of $300. Written responses from stakeholders were unchanged and unedited and were copied for evidence. The survey is available in the school office for any parent to read.  The report was made available as evidence for the WCEA/WASC committee.

WCEA/WASC Visit

The six member committee who visited St. Dominic during the week of Feb. 5, 6, and 7 presented the faculty, staff and pastor with a report of findings. The findings are based on the review of the self-study book, observations, and interview with teachers, students, parents, Fr. Peter and Ms. Lujan. The report of findings is in the school and is available for parents to read. The pastor, Fr. Peter, also has a copy.

This process is an important part of school improvement. We not only look for our strengths and areas for growth but we also make goals for improving faith, community, and curriculum. We have four goals: 1) to fully implement the Step Up to Writing Program, 2) to implement methods to differentiate instruction, 3) to implement mandatory service hours for all grades, and 4) to hire a part-time development director to work on marketing, grant writing and financial planning. 

The report of findings along with the self-study book is sent to WCEA/WASC for reading. They will determine the term of accreditation. We should get a certificate of accreditation sometime in June or early July. We thank the parents that participated in the parent survey last year via SurveyMonkey. We also thank the parents that were part of the interview process with the visiting team.

Casino Night News

Our Casino Night committee has been diligently working to put on a fabulous event for all or our parents to enjoy on April 6. We currently have 68 families that took advantage of the free gaming money and we have 107 yet to RSVP and pay their mandatory $75. We are asking that you please turn in your RSVP cards as soon as possible so we can have an accurate food count by March 1^st.  There will be no ticket sales at the door and attendees must be 21 years of age. All Casino Night forms are on the counter in the school office.

If you need service hours we need the following items donated (simple attach your receipts to the family donation form and drop it off with your items in the office): Tecate canned beer, Tecate light canned beer, Captain Morgan Rum, Skyy Vodka, 2 liter bottles of Coca Cola and Diet Coke, gift cards in the $5-$25 range, gaming prizes like theme park tickets, movie tickets, and sports event tickets.

We only have a few spots left for Texas Hold-em, so hurry to sign up for the 7:30 p.m. session. We have planned a full night of entertainment such as classroom projects, silent auction items, gaming prizes, roulette, craps, black jack, spinning wheel, dancing, food, drinks, free raffle prizes, 50’50, a Texas Hold’em tournament and a photo booth with dress up props.

                                                      School wide Learning Expectations

These are the Schoolwide Learning Expectations students will review this week.

A student of St. Dominic Parish School will be...

an active and involved student who:

·         is a self-motivated learner who demonstrates the skills and technological knowledge to succeed

·         builds a solid foundation in the academic subjects and an appreciation of the arts.

·         communicates effectively, thinks critically, and is a creative problem solver.

Principal's Memo

Building Confident Catholic Leaders Through Faith, Community

and Education

           

Feb. 12, 2013

Academic Decathlon

The decathlon teams will meet with Mrs. Hunt after school from 3:05 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., Feb. 11-14, Feb. 19-21; Feb. 25, 26, and Feb. 28. We will not meet on Wed Feb. 27. Mr. Snyder will continue the lunch time sessions.  Both Mrs. Hunt and Mr. Snyder will continue the Friday 1:35 to 3:00 p.m. meetings.  All team members are expected to attend as many meetings as possible. Arena team members are required to attend all meetings. 

Center for the Arts

The Center for the Arts is once again offering an after school art session at St. Dominic School. The ten-week session will begin next Wed., Feb. 20 and end May 1. The art class will start at 3:00 and end at 4:00 p.m. every Wednesday in the Title I room next to Daycare.

All classes are registered first come/first serve-class size limit is 24 students. Please make the $30 check payable to Center of the Arts.

Catholic Families

Enclosed is a Sunday Visitor pamphlet with 10 Things that Make for a Great Catholic Family. Readings on faith builders offer ideas on spending quality Catholic time with your family.

Valentine Cards

Mr. & Mrs. Duke will continue to sell Valentine cards and gifts in the school library until Wednesday. Store hours are from 12:00 noon to 4:00 p.m.

International Food Day

If you donated food, drinks, or paper goods for International Food Day and would like service

hour credit, please bring your receipts to the office.

Ash Wednesday

Students will receive their ashes at the 9:00 a.m. Mass tomorrow Wednesday, Feb. 13. After the distribution of ashes the students begin a daylong retreat in their classrooms to prepare them for the season of Lent.

Preschool Anniversary

We are excited to celebrate the first year anniversary for St. Dominic Preschool on Wed. Feb. 13.  Please join us for coffee during the morning drop-off on Wed., Feb. 13 to celebrate this happy occasion!

The four-year-olds will be ready to enter kindergarten in the fall of 2013, and the three-year-olds will be ready to enter Transitional Kindergarten in the fall of 2013. We pray that the families in preschool will join as TK and Kinder families in the coming school year.  

No School

Monday, February 18

Presidents’ Day

Observed

and

Friday, February 22

Religious Education Congress

School wide Learning Expectations

These are the Schoolwide Learning Expectations students will review this week.

A student of St. Dominic Parish School will be...

a committed Catholic who:

·         willingly shares his/her gifts to serve others in the Church and global community.

a responsible and respectful person who:

·         understands his/her innate value and the value of others as beloved children of God.

·         is self-confident and self-motivated and has the inner strength to make moral, compassionate, and healthy choices.

·         is prepared to make a positive difference in the world through his/her words and actions.

·         appreciates and values the diversity of all God’s people.

Prinipal's Memo

Building Confident Catholic Leaders Through Faith, Community

and Education

           

Feb. 5, 2013

Benchmark Assessments

Students in 2^nd through 8^th grades will take the second round of benchmark assessments starting the week of Feb. 4. The students have had three months since the October assessment to master these standards. They are tested on the same standards but the questions will be different.

We expect all students to show growth in the second round of assessment. 

International Food Day

Every year on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, we celebrate with an International Food Day. Parents participate by sharing one of their favorite cultural dishes. Parents are given service hours for donating and/or volunteering to work during this fun day.

Students may purchase lunch tickets for $3.00. Family members may also purchase lunch tickets; many parents and grandparents enjoy this opportunity to taste food from a variety of cultures. International Food Day is on Tue. Feb. 12.

Ash Wednesday

Students will receive their ashes at the 9:00 a.m. Mass on Wednesday, Feb. 13. After the distribution of ashes the students begin a daylong retreat in their classrooms to prepare them for the season of Lent.

Religious Education Congress

The teachers and staff will attend the annual Religious Education Congress on Friday, Feb. 22. They will have the opportunity to attend workshops on Catholic knowledge, faith, and traditions of the Church. It is also a time to renew and refresh for the beginning of the third trimester.

Graduation & Activities Photos

Eighth grade students will take their individual graduation photos this coming Monday, Feb. 11.

Order forms will go home with students. Parents may also order online.

All sports teams and extracurricular groups (Academic Decathlon, Choir, Boy & Girl Scouts) will also take group pictures on Feb. 11. Students must wear their team/club uniform/s to be included in the group pictures.

Preschool Anniversary

We are excited to celebrate the first anniversary of St. Dominic Preschool on Wed. Feb. 13.  

Please join us for coffee during the morning drop-off on Wed., Feb. 13 to celebrate this happy occasion!

We are grateful to Mrs. Serafin, Mrs. Velasco, Mrs. Gonzales, and Mrs. Alvarado for the love, care, and knowledge they bring to our preschool community.

Parents may enroll their preschoolers for full or half days and may choose from a full week schedule, Tuesday and Thursday only, or Monday, Wednesday, or Friday. The days are filled with fun activities, learning, playing and singing. The children have made friends and formed a preschool family community.

Our four-year-olds will be ready to enter kindergarten in the fall of 2013, and the three-year-olds will be ready to enter Transitional Kindergarten in the fall of 2013. We pray that the families in preschool will join as TK and Kinder families in the coming school year.  

Yearbook Photos Needed

If you have any photos that could be used for the school yearbook, please email them to Ms. Wiese at wiese@stdominicla.us, Ms. Heintz at heintz@stdominicla.us,or Ms. Craughwell at craughwell@stdominicla.us.

Catholic Education Foundation

Please contact the school office to pick up an application if you are applying for Catholic Education tuition assistance. It is your responsibility to submit the correct documents and return all paperwork to the school office by Thu., Feb. 21.

Academic Decathlon Team

Congratulations to the following St. Dominic students decathletes for their hard work and determination:

Religion - Deena Martin, 6^th grade.  Alternates:  Janmae Pagador, Cate Poblete, and Nicole Ortiz.

Geometry -  Danica Tagupa, 8^th grade. Alternate: Max Garcia.

English - Melissa De Leon, 7^th grade.  Alternates:  Sean Cala and Crystal Aguinaldo. 

Social Studies - Matthew Alpuerto, 7^th grade. Alternates: Elias Manning and Michael Malicdem.

Science - Victoria Barrios, 7^th grade. Alternates: Nick Campos and Nabir Aich.

Literature - Cristina Gonzales, 7^th grade.  Alternate: Cameron Tobias.

Current Events - Josh Ng, 6^th grade.  Alternates: Karl Alonzo, Mitchell Gravino, Isabel Gallagher, and Mina Ramirez. 

Fine Arts - Angela De Leon, 8^th grade.  Alternate: Gillian Santos

Logic & Super Quiz - Nick Campos and Nicole Ortiz. Alternates: Michael Malicdem and Mitchell Gravino.

School wide Learning Expectations

These are the Schoolwide Learning Expectations students will review this week.

A student of St. Dominic Parish School will be...

an active and involved student who:

·         communicates effectively, thinks critically, and is a creative problem solver.

a committed Catholic who:

·         builds a firm foundation in, knowledge of, and love of the Faith.

·         actively participates in the Mass, sacraments and traditions of the Church.

·         shows respect, tells the truth, and tries to be like Jesus.