Monday Morning Memo

Our eighth graders have returned safely from a memorable, fun four days at the YMCA Camp of the Ozarks! The teachers were pleased with the cooperation, diligence, and enthusiasm of this group. The weather cooperated until the last afternoon but it was deemed a very successful trip.

The first program of this new school year is the kindergarten program on Wednesday, Sept. 28 at 9:00 in the north wing multipurpose room. Come witness the joy of performing that these students portray, under the leadership of Mrs. Haskamp.

High School Information Night will be this Thursday, Sept. 29 for eighth grade parents and students. The evening begins at 6:00 in the middle school commons where parents will learn about the deadlines, expectations, and assistance offered by St. Paul’s in the process of applying to area independent high schools. At 6:30, representatives from the area independent high schools will be available in the north wing multipurpose room to greet parents and students and to talk about their programs. It’s a very important night for eighth grade families who are considering independent high schools.

Remember the noon dismissal for all students on Friday, Sept. 30! This is to allow professional development time for our faculty. There will be no lunch served, and the 11:45 carpool will occur at 12:00. Please be patient with us, as dismissing all the students at one time takes more time. Arriving at 12:15 or 12:20 will preclude the waiting in such long lines.

Friday is also Spirit Day and Feed the Need Friday! Wear your St. Paul’s spirit wear with pride and, if you want to help, the following items are in great need at our church pantry:

Fruit, cans, 15-16 oz. size

Corn and other non-green vegetables, cans , 15-16 oz. size

Spaghetti-Os, chili, lasagna, or other canned meals, 15-16 oz. size

Jelly, 16± oz. size

Vienna Sausages, sardines, salmon, Spam, or other canned meats

Toilet tissue

Personal Hygiene - dental, shampoo

Paper or plastic sacks.

Our coffees will take the form of brown bag lunches this fall! We offer parents the opportunity to come talk to me and the division head for the level in which your child is working this year about the issues that are on your mind. We have had coffees in the past but thought we would try a lunch time to see if other people could join us. Bring your lunch, if you’d like, and come chat with us about your child’s (and YOUR) experience to date. All meetings will be in the church’s Garden Room at 11:30 a.m.:

Tuesday, Oct. 4 -- Lower School (grades 1 – 5)

Wednesday, Oct. 5 – Middle School (grades 6 – 8)

Thursday, Oct. 6 – Early Childhood (toddlers through kindergarten).

Prayer Opportunity: In response to a request, we are providing the church chapel, located next to the church sanctuary, for private prayers of petition on behalf of others this Tuesday from 8:30 a.m. until noon. We have been alerted of two specific circumstances that invite prayers of intercession, but undoubtedly there are many others. The chapel will not be staffed but it will be prepared for anyone who stops by. Please let us know if you would like to add a name to the intercessions by e-mailing: pbauer@speds.org.

Service Club: Last call for families of k-8^th graders interested in participating in our monthly Service Club at 3:30 pm on Tuesday, September 27. We will meet in the main hallway of the south building. Our project: rock painting for our Pocket Park. To enroll, please e-mail: pbauer@speds.org

The Oct. 14th Buddy Run is quickly approaching. Have you registered your children? Please visit our online registration today, https://stpeds.ejoinme.org/buddyrun2011. There are many donation levels - families who donate at a higher level will have their family name on the back of the Buddy Run t-shirt. With the $25 registration per child, students will receive a St. Paul’s water bottle and a chance to win a SPEDS Prize Pack full of our new Spirit Wear! All students will get a colorful Buddy Run t-shirt to wear the day of the event. For more information on the Buddy Run, visit our website, http://www.speds.org/current-parents-and-students/get-involved/buddy-run/. There are awards for children who obtain sponsors. Sponsor forms can be printed from the Buddy Run Website. Students will have opportunities to raise money with sponsorships. We will give prizes for students with 5 or more sponsors. Those will be distributed before school when students turn in their sponsor forms.

The Spirit Award will be given to the buddy classes that show the most spirit at the Buddy Run. The winning classes will have a picnic lunch and play games together on Friday, Oct. 21 on the upper field. In case of inclement weather, the picnic will be held in the ECC Commons.

The Class Award will be given to the class with the most collective sponsors (not most money raised) -- teachers can participate, too! The winning class will have lunch in the Garden Room with several of the KC Sporting players and coaches. The date will be mutually agreed upon when the KC Sporting season ends.

Monday Morning Memo

Thank you to all the bakers, buyers, ticket sellers, booth operators and participants who made our Family Fun Fest such a great success! We were so delighted that the rain stayed away this year and allowed the children to enjoy this special event. Thanks to Brittany Harris and the many volunteers who assisted her in leading this effort. It was a joyful occasion.

The New York Times Magazine this Sunday is the Education Issue. It has several good articles that I would encourage you to read – the lead one being “What if the Secret to Success is Failure?” http://nyti.ms/nLBqp4 I highly recommend this article for your review.

Our eighth graders will be going to the YMCA Camp of the Ozarks, near Potosi, MO, on Tuesday! This very special trip gives the students opportunities for personal and group challenges, to set goals for their last year here, and to enjoy each others’ company for four days and three nights. Mr. van Tullenar, Mr. Stewart, Ms. Glass, Ms. Twyman and I plan to accompany them for this adventure. We return at 4:00 on Friday.

Admissions News: Now is the time to submit sibling and St. Paul’s Church member applications for the 2012-2013 school year! Siblings of current St. Paul’s students and active St. Paul’s church members receive admissions priority until the first Friday of December (Dec. 2nd).

Please contact the admissions office with names and addresses of families who may be interested in attending our annual Open House on Sat., January 7^th.

Do you need a St. Paul’s sticker for your car? They are available in the school office.

September Service Club for K-8^th students and parents is being held at SPEDS on Tuesday, September 27. Meet in the south building by the brick wall. We will be painting designs on large rocks which we will deliver to our Pocket Park at October’s meeting. We need to know you’re coming. Please e-mail Chaplain Nolan at pbauer@speds.org

Last call for the Middle School Bible Study scheduled to begin at 3:30 pm on Wednesday, September 21. We need two more students to meet the minimum so please to enroll ASAP, if you haven’t already done so (pbauer@speds.org). A number of families have expressed interest but could not participate, due to the timing. If there is a more optimal time for us to consider in the future, please send your suggestions to Chaplain Nolan: pbauer@speds.org

High School Information Night is Thursday, Sept. 29^th at 6:00 p.m. It begins in the third floor commons with an explanation of what the school does and recommends for the high school selection process. At 6:30, representatives from area public high schools will visit with students and their parents about their particular school. Eighth graders and their parents considering independent high schools are strongly encouraged to attend.

Feed the Need: Friday, September 30. This is our monthly chapel collection which assists our pantry. All items are appreciated. Don’t forget to send travel-size toiletries and plastic/paper bags, if you have them.

Our half day closing for Faculty Professional Development is Friday, Sept. 30. We will dismiss all classes at noon on that Friday and no lunch will be served.

The Buddy Run is Friday, October 14! This wonderful new tradition at St. Paul's celebrates the Buddy Program while emphasizing the importance of fitness and friendship. Besides the Auction and the Annual Fund, the Buddy Run will be our only fundraiser for the 2011-12 school year. We will not be selling greenery or trash bags. Last year was our first year for the Buddy Run and it was a great success! School spirit and enthusiasm were contagious throughout the day. This year, all children will receive a t-shirt to wear the day of the Buddy Run - they will be distributed in the classrooms. With a donation of $25 per child, students will receive a SPEDS water bottle and be entered into a drawing for a chance to win a SPEDS Prize Pack full of our new Spirit Wear. There are other levels of giving with the opportunity to have your family name printed on the back of the t-shirt. Register your children online today, https://stpeds.ejoinme.org/buddyrun2011 or visit our Buddy Run web page to print out an entry form. Registration closes on September 29th.

Be sure to participate in our Buddy Run Sponsor Days! STUFF, Yogurtini and California Pizza Kitchen will donate 15-20% of all St. Paul’s purchases on a designated day. Simply mention the St. Paul’s Buddy Run or hand them the attached coupon when you pay!

• October 4 - STUFF - mention that you are shopping for St. Paul’s

• October 7 - Yogurtini Buddy Run Sponsor Day - mention St. Paul’s at the register

• October 11 - California Pizza Kitchen Buddy Run Day - click here for the coupon

More reminders and request for volunteers will be coming through your Room Parents. If you have any questions about the Buddy Run, contact Ashley Pindell, aepindell@me.com.

Monday Morning Memo

Thanks so much to all the Lower School Curriculum Night attendees! We have learned one thing that we promise to fix for next year – we need more seating in the early presentation. We appreciate your participation that makes that necessary and want to reinforce your effort and commitment so we’ll do better next year.

K-8 picture day is Tuesday and Toddler-PreK will be on Wednesday of this week! We will start about 8:45 or so and be finished before lunch time on both days. Pre-orders (either on-line or by returning payment in the envelope that went home) will be due BY their picture day (Sept 13^th for K-8 and Sept. 14^th for T-PK). If you want to wait until you see the pictures, you can do so but the cost is a bit higher and there are not as many options. More detailed information is on Ms. Laird’s blog ( http://spedslaird.blogspot.com ).

This Friday one of the favorite events of our students is scheduled to happen: The Family Fun Fest! Barring unforeseen and unpredicted weather complications, we will meet after classes are dismissed to share in a carnival-like atmosphere with our families. This is a very special event for our students that seems to be worth the challenges it brings to the adults. We urge your cooperation in making it the most fun. Some reminders:

- No students are to be unsupervised at the FFF, so, if your children are in after care, they must be checked out with a parent who has your permission to be the supervisor of the children.

- Students are not to leave the FFF and go to Starbucks or anywhere else. This is a safety issue.

- Faculty and administrators will not be supervising the children for this family event so please know that we need your attention to the children.

- Please do not park at Starbucks during the FFF as we have been called by them in the past to remove the cars so patrons can park in the lot!

- Carpool will be a little more crazy but if you will stay in the carpool line, pick up your child and then park to go to the FFF, you will find more parking available as faculty and others vacate their spots. Some people go home to change clothes (if they live close by) or go get a soft drink to allow things to settle before returning.

- Please do not park on Walnut St. at any time during the day as we have a permit from the city to have this area “car free” during the hours of the FFF for food preparation, train rides, etc.

Thank you for your help! And those who can keep it from raining are very much needed and appreciated!

Please remember today is the last day to order tickets online for the Family Fun Fest! Tickets will be available the day of the event if you miss the online deadline. Please help donate items for the cakewalk! We will appreciate “store bought” as well as homemade items. All donations will be collected at morning carpool on Friday. Thanks again for all of your help and support...FFF would not be a success without the parents! We look forward to seeing everyone at FFF!

Looking for a fun place to volunteer during the FFF? The Spirit Store would love our help. You can sign up at Sign Up Genius at http://www.signupgenius.com/go/spirit89. New sweatshirts and other special spirit wear will be sold here!

Our monthly newsletter will also be moving to a blog format after the issue that is published this month. We will send it via email and blog this month but hope you’ll sign up to get an email or RSS reminder so you won’t miss any of the news and pictures that are shared there.

Parents have asked about the “bump-out” that has been constructed at the corner of Main and 40^th Sts., which makes turning onto 40^th St. more difficult for parents. The city is working to make this area more pedestrian-friendly and studies showed that this “bump out” would reduce speeds and create a better environment for pedestrians. This should make it safer for students and adults who are walking in the area but I know that it is causing more difficulty at carpool time and I am sorry about that.

The church pantry is in dire need of some items that, if you are so inclined to donate, would be most appreciated by some hungry families. Special needs include:

Fruit, cans, 15-16 oz. size

Corn and other non-green vegetables, cans , 15-16 oz. size

Spaghetti-Os, chili, lasagna, or other canned meals, 15-16 oz. size

Jelly, 16± oz. size

Vienna Sausages, sardines, salmon, Spam, or other canned meats

Toilet tissue

Personal Hygiene - dental, shampoo, etc

Grocery bags – either plastic or paper.

Thank you.

Monday Morning Memo, Tuesday Edition

What a gorgeous Labor Day weekend we were able to enjoy! If you left Kansas City for the break, I do hope your weather was as glorious! What a great way to celebrate the successful completion of the first two weeks of school.

Lower School Curriculum Night is this Thursday, Sept. 8th – Specials Teachers would like to meet you at 6:15 in the gym for a brief presentation that will also include a few words from our new Division Head, Gingie Watt. The regular presentations by the classroom teachers will begin in those classrooms at 6:45, but the rooms will be closed until that time as teachers will be preparing for you!

Thanks to all who came to ECC Curriculum Night! Our faculty sincerely appreciated your attendance and involvement. If you were unable to attend, the curriculum night packets are attached to the grade level blogs this week.

We had another very successful celebration of the Eucharist last Friday, thanks to yours and the teachers’ preparation of the students and the students’ usual stellar behavior. We have made notes on how to improve it for our next Eucharist which will be right before the Christmas break.

The 2011 Progressive Dinner will be held on Saturday, September 24 from 6 - 11 pm. If you signed up at the Auction last spring, you should have received a "Save the Date" card by now. If you did not, please call Tess Hawes (816.668.2513) or Melinda Sih (816.695.4372). Invitations will be mailed out the week prior to the event with appetizer assignments. If you did not get the opportunity to sign up for this year's dinner and you still wish to attend, call Melinda or Tess to be added to the wait list. It is sure to be another fun night seeing old friends and meeting new ones!

Jeans..Jeans…Jeans: Grand Avenue Temple has a special need for men’s jeans so we would welcome donations in the front hallways of either the north or south buildings through September 16. This is a follow-up response after learning of Grand Avenue Temple’s ministries to the homeless at our August Service Club. Thank you for your help.

Drinks for purchase will be available to 3^rd-8^th graders during lunch beginning this Friday, September 9. This is a fund raiser of the Student Council, the proceeds for which are used to purchase something for the school at the end of the year. We offer a variety of flavors of a Gatorade-type product for 75 cents per bottle. If interested, remember to bring your money this Friday.

Service Awards for 2010-2011 will be presented in All School Chapel, Friday, September 9. Those who achieved 50 hours or more of service will be recognized.