Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Principal's Memo





Building Confident Catholic Leaders Through Faith,
Community and Education




October 8, 2013

Walk-a-Thon
The annual Walk-a-Thon is this Friday, Oct. 11, from 9:00 a.m.-12:00 noon. Parents are invited to come and enjoy the day with the students.

Students are to wear their P.E. shorts and Walk-a-Thon t-shirt to school on Friday. The students will be given a t-shirt for this event. School students will receive a lunch at no charge.

We want to thank the parents who have donated gift cards and/or pledges and for paying the $75.00 mandatory fundraiser. 43% of parents have submitted the mandatory $75. We need the other 57% to submit the mandatory $75.00. Thank you to the parents who have pledged $383.00 for the iPad program.

We want to thank the Lanza family, Santoro family, Duke family, and the McLaughlin family for sponsoring the Walk-a-Thon t-shirts.

If you need service hour credit, please donate Smart & Final gift cards by Wed. Oct. 9 which will be used to purchase water, chips, hot dogs, hot dogs buns, and hamburgers. Each $20 purchase or donation equals 1 hour service credit.

Parish Fiesta
We want to thank the parents who have signed up to work during the fiesta. School parents are requested and encouraged to work a minimum of 5 hours during the fiesta to help make this a safe and successful event!

Parish fiesta sign-up sheets are in the school office. Four more parents are needed to sign-up for set up on Thursday from 9:00 am to 2:00 p.m. Three parents are needed for Bingo on Friday from 7:00- 10:00 p.m. The Hispanic and Filipino booths need parents to sign-up for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Parents are also needed for security on Friday. On Saturday we need parents to work from 12:00 noon until 5:00 p.m. in the Parish Hall for Bingo.

SchoolReach
We hope to improve communication with parents by the use of our new instant parent contact service called SchoolReach. Enclosed is a flyer with information parents should know. We will use this school-to-parent communication for the principal memo information and school emergencies. Please complete the phone information form and return to the school office ASAP as we will using this service for communication by next week.

Picture Day
Live Touch photography needs at least 2 parents on Oct. 29 from 8:00 a.m.-12:00 noon to assist with the pictures. If you are interested in helping please contact the school office ASAP. Parents need to have been fingerprinted and received Virtus training.

The upper grade girls (6th-8th grades) and boys in all grades need to wear the green polo shirt with the new logo for picture day. We were told that students do not photograph well with the white polo shirts. The lower grade girls (preschool-5th grade) will wear their jumpers for picture day and should wear the white blouse or white polo shirt under the jumper.

Students should not wear their P.E. clothes for picture day. P.E. will be on Wednesday, October 30, instead of Tuesday, October 29.

Teaching Touching Safety
The week of Oct. 21, the teachers in TK-8th grade will start teaching the “Teaching Touching Safety” program. This program replaces the “Good Touch Bad Touch” program. This year the students will have a lesson on internet safety, and the second lesson will be on creating and following family rules for computer, phone, and internet safety. Enclosed is an internet safety guide for parents to share with your children. A parent handout by grade level on internet safety is enclosed. Please review with your child/ren the 5 Body Safety Rules for keeping children safe that have been taught during the “Good Touch Bad Touch” program. A permission slip will be sent out by the classroom teacher for your child to participate in the “Teaching Touching Safety” program. As a parent, you have the right to choose whether your child/ren participate/s. Students not participating in the program will sit in the school office while the program is taught.

Year of Faith
Last year Pope Benedict XVI proclaimed the Year of Faith which started October 11, 2012 and continues through November 24 of this year. The enclosed Renew Your Faith pamphlet is the third in a four part series. This edition calls us as Catholics to evangelize and “Open the Doors of Faith” with a renewed conversion to Jesus Christ. (Last year parents received part one, “Reflections on Prayer,” and part two, “Reflections on the Mass.”)

Apparel and Exchange
On Wednesday, Oct. 16, Mrs. Campos will sell apparel at 7:30 in the morning and after school at 3:00 p.m. in the Music room. Uniform exchange will also be available.

Please keep in mind that we are not exchanging the old logo polo shirts or sweaters. We have jumpers and gray pants for exchange.

Academic Decathlon
Mrs. Annette Hunt and Mr. John Snyder will be visiting the 6th, 7th, and 8th grades on Tue., Oct. 15, after lunch to promote this extracurricular activity. Sign-ups will take place at noon on Wed. Oct. 16 in the science room. The coaches will give out permission forms to be signed by parents and homeroom teachers, as well as a tentative schedule for Logic and Super Quiz meetings. The first Logic lunchtime meeting will be on Oct. 21 and the second lunchtime meeting will be on Wed. Oct. 23. There is a $20 non-refundable fee so the school can register for the event. The $20 is due on Wed. Oct. 23. The official study guide should be available before November. In the meantime, students can practice logic problems and brain teasers at www.braingle.com

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

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

A committed Catholic who:
  • 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.
  • is self-confident and self-motivated and has the inner strength to make moral, compassionate, and healthy choices.