Monday Morning Memo

Andrew and Landis Myler are in town this week, so you may see them on campus.  Their primary objective is to find a home but Andrew hopes to spend some time on campus while here.

The annual St. Paul’s Auction, Great Expectations, is going to be great fun!  Be sure to purchase your tickets by Friday, April 4th.  The committee has assembled great silent auction items such a private wine tasting in your home and family photography session.  The live auction will be exciting with bidding on everything from a trip in the Westport Flea Market Hamburger truck, Chiefs’ Game Day Experience, and weekend getaways to Colorado and Maine.  We look forward to seeing you there!

Auction tickets, sign-up parties and raffle tickets are all available online at www.stpaulsauction.com

Melissa Stark, one of our second grade teachers, has accepted an amazing offer of world travel while providing the education a student needs in this exceptional travel experience.  She very reluctantly has given up her position here, because this is her ideal teaching spot (well, perhaps second to a world travel experience!) and she hopes and plans to return when a position here is available.  We wish her the best!

The Sixth Grade Showcase was a fabulous demonstration of the talent of our students and their willingness to perform, even solo!  The show was a mixture of individual, small group, and all group musical presentations and we, the audience, were astounded by the confidence these middle school students showed in performing – confidence we don’t remember having at that age.  Well done, Students, and Mrs. Everly, their teacher.

Health forms for next year were due on March 20 and we have only about half the forms returned.  They were mailed to you, along with your copy of your executed enrollment agreement for next year. Please note that this is a simple but very important form for you to complete – one that is carried with us on each field trip and used for contact information in case of emergencies.  We know that we are seeking these early this year but our nurse, Catherine Kuhls, is checking to make sure all are completed and in to her for processing before the end of the school year.  If you need another form, please contact Ms. Kuhls at ckuhls@speds.org or call 268-6548.

Middle School Transition Night is this Thursday, April 3, beginning at 6:00 p.m. in the middle school commons.  Parents of fifth graders are encouraged to attend to learn about the developmental changes they can expect to see in their children, as well as the academic program that will be offered.  This will include our new one-to-one iPad initiative which will be in its second year next year, so come hear all about it!

Some advance notice about special events coming up next week:

Preschool students will put on a music demonstration that will include active involvement of their parents, on Thursday, April 10 at 9:00 a.m. in the north wing multipurpose room.

Toddler students will provide a similar music demonstration in the same room on Friday, April 11 at 9:15 a.m.

Kindergarten moms or special friends will be having lunch with their students on Friday, April 11 at 12:15 p.m.

Summer Camp at SPEDS is just around the corner! Classes and traditional camp are filling up! Click on the following link to browse through the exciting brochure and register today to reserve your spot!  https://www.speds.org/Page/Programs/Summer-Program

If you have questions, contact Karen McDonald at Kmcdonald@speds.org or 816.268.6536.

Notes from our nurse:  With Allergy Season in full swing please remember:  PREVENTION IS EVERYTHING.  Here are some basic guidelines to hopefully minimize the discomforts that seasonal allergies bring.   
At the direction of your child's primary health care provider, prevention typically includes:

·         avoiding exposure by limiting outdoor time when the pollen count is high

·         taking a shower before going to bed, especially washing hair

• wearing sunglasses when it's windy outside
• a 24-hour antihistamine taken consistently (daily)
• allergy eye drops following the directions on the package

If symptoms persist, check with your doctor about adding:

• nasal wash
• prescription nasal spray
• prescription eye drops
• addition of low dose, fast acting antihistamines
• allergy testing so you can know what to avoid in the future

For the very worst cases:

• avoid exposure by staying inside (with the windows closed) when the pollen count is high
• a combination of medications under the direction of your health care provider that may include oral steroids

For children who wheeze:

• prescribed preventative inhaler
• prescribed rescue inhaler available at all times, especially during sporting events

Catherine Kuhls, RN, BSN

In preparation for its capital campaign, the church has created a series of videos.  This one is a great historical piece that we wanted to share with everyone.  While we would be delighted for you to assist in the church’s campaign, this is offered because of our shared history.  The link to the video is:  http://vimeo.com/89732515.  We hope you’ll watch and enjoy – and, of course, if moved to contribute, we’ll happily direct you to the right source!  J 

Monday Morning Memo -- Tuesday Edition

Welcome back from what I hope was a wonderful Spring Break for each of you!  Returning from spring to more snow was a bit disconcerting but we keep being promised that spring really is on the way.

We launched into the break with three delightful performances of “Seussical, the Musical” with a cast of talented, enthusiastic middle school performers.  Many thanks to Julie Willets on lights and sound, Shirley Laird on scenery and props, Colette Rousey on acting, and Tamara Everly on the music and dancing – all with help from their very capable student crews!  The show was accompanied by Sarah Oberle, Tamara Everly (on drums and percussion at one show), and Matt Ronan.   We all set off on our break, singing the songs from the show!  Great job, All.

Have you purchased your tickets for our fabulous “Great Expectations” auction on Sat., April 12?  If not, you need to do so!  Mary Morris and Mary Wetzel, along with their huge pool of volunteer assistants, are planning a wonderful evening for us at Starlight.  Tickets can be purchased on line by going to this link:  http://www.stpaulsauction.com/

Andrew and Landis Myler will be in town next week, looking for housing and, when possible, visiting the school.  We have not arranged many official events for them, since their primary purpose is to find housing, but we have invited them to come to campus whenever their schedules permit. 

Some important Community Learning Center events have been planned for you, so please take advantage of all these experts have to offer.

ECC-3rd grade parents, Tuesday, April 22nd, 6:30PM

Join us as Drs. Kevin and Natasha Burgert visit St. Paul's to share their passion for successful "digital parenting." During this program, they will highlight the current research regarding the use of technology with young children, focusing on technology's influence on a child's mental, physical, and academic development. Drs. Burgert will share suggested guidelines for the early introduction of technology to children, including help to define a quality screen interaction. Finally, they will offer practical tips for safety and success as grade schoolers steps into the vast world wide web. 

4th-8th grade parents, Tuesday, May 6th, 6:30PM

Join us as Drs. Burgert continue their conversation on parenting and technology. In this presentation, they discuss how to successfully navigate a child's growing independence on the Internet.  The Drs. will offer foundational boundaries and expectations for a child's early tech devices. From these essential starting blocks, they will discuss tips for avoiding unintentional negative and risky online exposures, teaching first steps in online communications. Finally, they will briefly discuss active monitoring for online safety, and consequences to a child's intentional misuse.  

If you plan to attend either event, email Linda van Thullenar at lvan@speds.org so we can make the necessary seating arrangements.

Sun Safety and Healthy Nutrition – Re-Scheduled for Monday, April 28th, 4:30 PM

St. Paul’s ECC parent and pediatric dermatologist, Amy Nopper, will provide helpful information about how we can protect our children from the damaging effects of the sun and still be able to enjoy outdoor activities. Protective and attractive hats with the St. Paul’s logo will be on display for purchase.

Margo Humenczuk, a pediatric nutritionist, from Children’s Mercy Hospital will also be here to share nutrition information and resources to help our students develop lifelong healthy eating habits. Head into summer armed with information and solutions for keeping ourselves and our children healthy and safe. If you plan to attend, email Linda van Thullenar at Lvan@speds.org so we can make the necessary seating arrangements.

Save The Date: Diversity Coordinator Michelle T. Johnson will host a St. Paul’s Diversity Forum in the North MPR on April 29^th.   The forum will include showing a 30-minute excerpt of the PBS documentary “American Promise.”  The documentary follows the 12-year journey of two African-American students navigating a private school in New York City. The forum will also include a panel discussion after the film excerpt. Everyone is welcome!

Zimmer Real Estate Services, our property managers, have reorganized the staff that serve our school, effective this Thursday.  Eric Koch will be our new building engineer, with Jason Krueger as the assistant engineer.  Eric takes the place of Larry Maddox.  It should be noted that we had no complaints with Larry and the team we had on board but this is a restructuring that the company has chosen to make.  Since Zimmer has served us so well in the years with which we have worked with them, we trust that they are making the decisions that will serve us and their employees well.  It will, however, mean some adjustments for all of us as the new team learn as much about us as the previous team knew.

Google Docs Email Spam. We wanted to let you know that we’ve seen a lot of activity from a Google Docs email scam in the past week. The email messages say something like “An Important Message has been sent to you”, and the from address will be someone you know. Then it says “Click here for your secure doc”. Please don’t click! The link takes you to a fake, but convincing, Google Docs site and prompts you to log in. When you do, it captures your login credentials. It also appears that the address books of the people that click and log in are being used to send more spam. We have seen these spam messages come through with teacher names, parent names and even student names, so be on the lookout. If a Google Docs message has been sent out in your name, or if you have clicked on one of these messages, please change your Google password ASAP. *Disclaimer: Please note that this is in no way related to any St. Paul's website or account. This is a known internet scam that can affect anyone clicking on the link. We are sharing this information simply because we have seen several of these "spoofed" messages from people in our community.