Principal’s Letter
Be alert, stand firm in the faith. Be brave, be strong. Do all your work in love.
Just one week into the school year, and I am already witnessing students living the theme. The kindergarten students are certainly alert as they stand and pray the moment they hear the morning bell. They are up to the challenge as they learn to recite Our Father and the Pledge of Allegiance.
Yesterday, the middle school students attended their first elective class of the year. I am grateful to the parents who are living our theme courageously and offering our middle school students new experiences in pottery, creative writing, speech and producing the Eagle News Network – the school news broadcast. Thank you, Mr. Byars, Mrs. Overland, Mrs. Pierce and Mr. Quiaoit. We welcome you to share your skills and would love to offer coding during the winter trimester. Let me know if you can teach our students on Wednesdays at 2pm. Thank you also to the soccer and cross-country coaches and volunteers who will brave the weather over the next few months! A big welcome and thank you to our Kitchen Team; lunches have been delicious! Tomorrow, remember to send a sack lunch with your child as the team will be preparing for the Back to School BBQ.
The student body exited the building today, timely, silently and respectfully as we practiced a fire drill with all faculty, staff and students. We will be expecting a visit from our local Fire Station soon to observe our safety procedures.
Next week our students will be alert and strong as they begin Fall assessments. The primary students are taking STAR reading tests, and MAP testing will begin for the rest of the students next week. The Measures of Academic Progress helps guide the teachers and you, the parents, as it gives us an indication of the student’s reading and math achievement and growth. The tests are adaptive, adjusting the difficulty of the questions based on the student’s response. Assure students that these assessments are helpful guidelines for their academic journeys. Encourage them to do their best and have faith in their skills and the Holy Spirit; there is no need to be stressed.
I look forward to seeing you all at the BBQ tomorrow. On behalf of the entire community, I thank the PA Chairs, Rachael Groark and Maile Sullivan, Ethan Stowell Restaurants, the Kitchen Team, the PA team, the Maintenance team and all the volunteers who are making this special evening possible! You are doing all your work in love!
Our next big community event is the Jog-a-thon, and it’s coming fast! All students will be jogging Friday, September 15. Keep those pledges coming in. We are quite a ways from our finish line fundraising goal. Thank you to the Jog-a-thon Team and those who have already donated!
See you tomorrow!
Bernadette O’Leary
