Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Principal's Memo






Building Confident Catholic Leaders Through Faith, Community,
and Education


May 21, 2013


Student Council Speeches
Candidates for the 2013-2014 Student Council who are currently in the 5th, 6th, and 7th grades will give their speeches on Wednesday, May 22 at 9:00 a.m.


Student Council Voting
Students in 4th -7th grades will vote for the  students they think will best represent them for the upcoming school year. Good luck to all students running for office. Voting takes place Thursday, May 23 at 9:00 a.m. Winners will be announced by the end of the school day.


BOGO Book Fair
Our Buy-One-Get-One-Free Book Fair will be May 28-May 30. If you would like to volunteer and earn service hours please call the school office. Nine parent volunteers are needed (3 per day). Parents must have received Virtus training and have been fingerprinted.

May Crowning
Please join us for our May Crowning on Thu., May 30 at 9:00 in the Church. The annual May Crowning procession is led by the second grade First Communicants and the 8th grade graduating class. The 2nd grade students are to wear their First Communion attire. The 8th grade boys are to wear black pants, a white shirt and tie. The 8th grade girls are to wear a modest Sunday dress.



Jeans and Accessories Day
As all of you know by now, Fr. Jerome is leaving St. Dominic Parish. He is being promoted to pastor at a parish up north.  We are happy for him but sad to see him go. We will have a jeans day this coming Friday, May 24, to collect money to purchase a going-away gift. Students may wear jeans for $1.00. Any additional accessories are a $1.00 each. The going away assembly will be held on Tue., June 4.

Choir
School Choir: Thank you for singing on Pentecost! Choir rehearsals are done for this year. Those going to Knott’s Berry Farm will be given more information very soon.

Preschool Survey
The last mandatory preschool meeting was held last Wednesday. The parents who attended the meeting were given a preschool survey. For those parents who did not attend the meeting your survey is enclosed in your Family Envelope. Please take the time to complete and return the survey to the school office by Fri., May 24. We want to hear from those families that are not returning as well as those that are continuing their children’s Catholic education at St. Dominic School.


Choice Lunch
The last day that Choice Lunch will be served is Thu., June 20. Please make certain that if your child has ordered an emergency lunch you pay for the lunch by June 14.  Parents of 8th grade students, please may sure you pay for any emergency lunches before Monday June 10.




Tuition Increase
A tuition increase of 1.5% will be added to your current tuition rate. The $200 to support the Scrip program added to your tuition will remain the same.  Your tuition contract will be in the June 4th Family Envelope.


Spanish Class
Spanish class was once again discussed at the last general PTO meeting. We heard testimonials from parents whose children are enrolled in the afterschool Spanish program. Parents believe their children are learning vocabulary well and understanding conversations. Some parents believe the Spanish program should remain an optional afterschool program. Other parents expressed that they would like Spanish to be part of the regular curriculum so that our students will to be ready for the High School Language Placement Exam.

Some parents believe that a foreign language is better left for high school, while other parents believe that the younger a child starts learning a second language, the easier it is to acquire that language.

A ballot for parents to vote on this issue will be included in the June 4th Family Envelope. Parents will vote and decide whether or not to have Spanish class for the upcoming school year. If we have a Spanish class, it will cost each child an additional $20.00 per month.




Schoolwide Learning Expectations

These are the Schoolwide Learning Expectations that students are reviewing this week.

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

a responsible and respectful person who:
  • 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.
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.