Fall Conferences
The dates for our Fall Goal Setting Conferences have been set for Thursday, Oct. 24th with the first conference being at 11:30am and the last conference starting at 7:05pm. Friday,October 25th with the first conference being at 9am and the last conference starting at 3:15pm. Please note, while students in 1st - 8th are expected to attend conferences with their parents, there is no school on these days.
- Families with students in PK-5th Grade will be receiving an email from their child's teacher asking them to sign up for their child's conference; each conference is set for 20 minutes; please sign-up for one slot only. As a reminder, in grades 1st - 5th, students lead at least some portion of the conference, so please choose a time that works for both you and your child.
- Middle School (6th - 8th) Conferences will be held in the Gym, but no sign-ups are needed. In the next couple of weeks, middle school students will be identifying two classes that offer them the greatest opportunity for growth (e.g., language arts, math, Spanish, music). The students will use data (e.g., test scores, grades, number of missing assignments) to help them make their selection. After identifying the two classes and confirming their choice with their homeroom teacher, that information will be sent on to the teachers they have identified as well as to you, their parents. During middle school conferences, parents of middle school students must meet with the two teachers their child identified and may meet with any others that they choose.
As always, if you have questions/concerns, are uncertain about something or need help, please do not hesitate to contact your child's teacher(s) anytime by phone or email.
- Mr. Burroughs and Ms. Gray
Bullying Definition
We are in the process of updating our handbook and one of the items we looked at first was our definition of Bullying. The guidance program Mrs. Boyd has developed and supported in the classroom comes from the Committee for Children. We felt it was important to have a definition that was "student-centered", so what we came up with is, "Bullying is mean or hurtful behavior that keeps happening. Bullying is not safe, respectful, or kind and it is against Sacred Heart School rules." As Mrs. Boyd is working with her students, she is also reminding them that that they are capable of Recognizing, Reporting, and Refusing bullying; students at Sacred heart School are asked to pledge to be powerful bystanders who can make a difference in our community.
- Mr. Burroughs and Ms. Gray
ITBS/CogAT Testing
We are preparing for our standardized testing, the Iowa Test of Basic Skills in grades 2nd - 8th and CogAT in grades 3, 5 and 7 and I want to make sure everyone is aware of the testing days. We will be testing Tuesday, Oct. 15th thru Wednesday, Oct. 23rd and Monday, Oct. 28th thru Wednesday, Oct. 30th. Please try to avoid making any appointments during this time period, we have a limited testing window and it can be difficult to find time to make up tests that were missed. Thank you in advance for your help. - Ms. Gray
PK-3 All Saints Day Parade
In an attempt to put some minds at ease, we have made some changes to our annual All Saints Day Parade for students in PK-3. Each year we ask the PK-3 students to pick a saint that they would like to "dress-up" as. Over the years we have seen some wonderful costumes; however, the goal of the parade is for students to learn a few things about a saint and to share these with the school community.
This year, since are focusing on the lives of the saints as a school, we have asked each teacher to create a Sign-Up Genius for their Saints Parade; parents will be asked to log-in and indicate which saint their child will be coming as so that there will be no duplicates in a class (i.e. 2A). This year, we encourage you, as the parents of these wonderful saints, to think of simpler, but equally clever, ways for your children to represent their saint. Create a simple sash with the saint's name using a fabric marker or glitter pen. Students do not need to wear costumes, but if they would like to, have your son wear a bathrobe or your daughter wear their princess costume from Halloween. Students can also carry a prop that represents their saint - a stuffed animal for Saint Francis of Assisi or roses for St. Therese of Lisieux.
What we would like all students to have is 3 facts about their saint; this might be 3 words or 3 sentences, depending on the age. We will begin our All Saints Day celebration this year with Mass at 8:45am in the church on Nov1st, after mass our PK-3 students will "parade" in front of the altar and share the facts about their saint.
- Ms. Gray
Safe Environment Training "Called to Protect" Class
Kari Boyd will be teaching a "Called to Protect" class in the Moore Theatre on Wednesday, October 9th, at 6:30pm. All parents who volunteer at the school and have contact with children must take this class within 90 days of beginning their service. All volunteers who have previously taken this class must complete an annual online update. To register for this class or complete an online annual update click here.
Memorial of Saint Francis of Assisi
Please join us on Friday, October 4th as we celebrate the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi. Saint Francis (1182-1226), "As the son of a wealthy Assisi merchant was destined for grand homes, exquisite clothing, and fine food. After a conversion experience he relinquished the trappings of this world to minister to lepers and preach to the spiritually hungry. His home was the earth; his clothing was humility; and his identity, that of an impoverished beggar seeking God. Many young men joined Saint Francis in this new way of life, leading to the foundation of the frati minori ('lesser brothers'), which eventually became known as the Friars Minor. He is perhaps one of the most popular saints in Church history, due to his love of creation exemplified in his famous 'Canticle of the Sun.' Pope Pius XI described Saint Francis as alter Christus, meaning 'another Christ.'"(2013 Sourcebook for Sundays, Seasons, and Weekdays, 288).
Blessing of Animals
Fr. Steve will celebrate a Blessing of Animals on Sunday, October 6th, at 1:00 PM. You are invited to bring your household pets-on leashes, in carriers, cages, boxes or fishbowls. This blessing is traditionally done on or near the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi (October 4th) since he is well known for his love of animals. The blessing will take place on the plaza in front of the church (in case of bad weather, the blessing will take place in the narthex).
Update on Archbishop Brunett
As you may have heard from your children, Archbishop Brunett, retired Archbishop of Seattle, suffered a stroke on September 13th. He was recently transferred to a facility where he will receive nursing care and rehabilitation. News from the Archdiocese is that Archbishop Brunett is progressing in his recovery and the doctors remain hopeful about his recovery. Each of our classes sent beautiful cards letting him know we were praying for him. He still has a long way to go, but is grateful for all the prayers that have been offered on his behalf.
- Mr. Burroughs and Ms. Gray
October is the Month of the Holy Rosary
Take this opportunity to pray together as a family. What if you've never prayed the Rosary or haven't in a long time? Do you feel like you can't make the time? Try this simple guide. Try praying together one decade each night. The best way to teach our children about the importance of our faith is to pray together with them. - Mr. Burroughs and Ms. Gray
Welcome to the Yi Family
We are so excited to announce we have a brand new family that joined our SHS community this week! The Yi Family just moved here from California and we are blessed to welcome Ryan in Kindergarten (Mrs. Davis' class) and Taylor in 2nd grade (Ms. Elsner's class.)
Occupational Therapist
As part of supporting the needs of our students we have a variety of professionals who are part of our teaching team. One of them is the Occupational Therapist or "OT". This year on campus we have Jessica McMurdie OTR/L owner of Stepping Stones Occupational Therapy and Alexa Anderson OTR/L.
- An Occupational Therapist helps children in the following areas of school functioning:
- Handwriting skills: holding a pencil, handwriting legibility, speed and writing endurance.
- Fine motor skills: moving objects within the hand, drawing and cutting.
- Gross motor skills: running, jumping, ball skills and general participation in physical activities.
- Sensory processing abilities: Could problems interpreting and organizing sensory input cause the child to behave inappropriately or cause other difficulties in school, such as disorganization and inattention? Is he/she overly sensitive to things or doesn't seem to notice?
- Self-care skills: dressing for outside, using utensils, organizing backpack and materials, opening snack containers and shoe tying.
Your child's teacher will talk with you if she has a specific concern about your child's progress in the above areas and a referral can be made for further assessment and treatment. Individual student screenings will be provided only when a teacher or parent specifically requests that the occupational therapist screen their student. Screenings are free of charge. How would I know if my child may need occupational therapy? Click here for checklist. Also, a parent consent form will need to be signed in order for the occupational therapist to talk to your child's teacher and interact with your child during this initial assessment.
Visit the Stepping Stones website to learn more or e-mail Jessica directly or call 425-502-9440(office), 425-443-4831(direct)
Uniform Clarification on Pants and Shorts
With our first Free Dress Day behind us, we received there were a couple of things we need to clarify. Leggings can be worn on Free Dress days if they are worn with a long top or under shorts, a skirt or dress. Sweatpants cannot ever be worn unless there is a health exemption on file.
Family Life Program Information
To learn more about the Family Life program and some of the resources available, you can go to the RCL Benziger website. Off to the right there will be three photos, starting with a picture for Program Director. If you scroll down, there is a picture for Parent/Family, if you click on that picture, it should take you to the resource page. The username is: flfamily and the password is: flrclbf01.
New Directory Insert
We are working on the new 2013-2014 School Directory and anticipate that it will be finished soon. We will let you know ASAP when the inserts are complete and how they will be distributed.
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