Monday Morning Memo

What a tremendous group of students we took to the YMCA of the Ozarks last week!  They were cooperative with everyone, encouraging to their peers, enthusiastic participants in everything, and truly delightful young people with whom to work and play.  We were and are very proud of them!

Lifetouch Photos will be taken on Sept. 17^th for students in grades 1-8 and the Tuesday Toddlers and Sept. 18^th for ECC.  We use Life Touch Studios for individual and class photos.

(Your child will be in the yearbook, even if you choose not to order any of the photo reprints.)

There are three ways to order. With this format there are more options, such as your choice of backgrounds, personalizing the photos, and so on.

a)      Pre-order on-line

b)      Pre-order using the payment envelope attached to the flier

c)      Wait until there are proof photos and order from those.   (Please note:  This choice has fewer options and the cost is a bit more.)

o   If you pre-order, PLEASE return either the order envelope or the on-line receipt (Picture Pass) to your homeroom teacher prior to picture day.  The photographer needs this information to process your order.

·         Please keep the Lifetouch flier handy - it has the information that you will need to complete the ordering process. These went home on Thursday, September 5^th.

·         Class photos will not be printed until after make-up day, so the plan is for no one to be missing from the class photos.

·         Please feel free to contact Shirley Laird if you have questions:

o   slaird@speds.org or slaird@kc.rr.com

o   816-268-6507 school or 816-363-2998 home

o   You can also contact Lifetouch at 816-300-4022.

It’s time for Family Fun Fest!  The fun begins this Friday, September 20th at 3:45 and goes until 6:30, weather permitting.  There will be food and treats galore as our eighth graders and their parents will be selling hot dogs, hamburgers and grilled sausages (all cooked by our wonderful 8th grade dads), chips, popcorn, cookies and drinks.

One of the highlights for the children is the Cake Walk for which we will need at least 75 cakes or other baked goods like cookies, brownies, pies or other fun sweets.  If you would be willing to bake for this event, or even pick up a treat at the store, please drop off your donation in the morning carpool line on Friday, September 20th.  Volunteers will collect in both carpool lines. 

Tickets can be purchased on line in advance with a credit card (for which you will receive free bonus tickets) at     https://stpeds.ejoinme.org/MyEvents/Family Fun Fest2013/Family Fun FestTicketSales/tabid/473229/Default.aspx until Wednesday, September 18th at 3:00 pm.

Pre-purchased tickets and day of tickets sales can be picked up and/or purchased on Friday, September 20th from 8-10 am and 1-3 pm in the foyer of the main building to avoid standing in line at the field.  Tickets sales between these hours at school can be charged to your credit card.  Tickets being purchased on the field will have to be paid by CASH or CHECK ONLY.  No school charges or credit cards will be permitted on the field.  Please note that purchasing or picking up tickets on the field will result in standing in line. Avoid the lines and purchase your tickets before 3:00 pm on September 20th!!

A note from the administration about Family Fun Fest:  Students will not be allowed to go to the Family Fun Fest if unaccompanied by an adult.  So please be sure the school office and your child’s teacher knows if another parent will be accompanying your child.  Also, if your child goes to after school care, he/she will have to have your permission if another adult is going to take your child from that program to the Family Fun Fest.  Students are also not to leave the upper field to go to Starbucks or return to the school without being accompanied by a parent, once they have been dismissed and/or gone to the event.  Please know that these are only meant to keep your child safe.  Teachers and administrators will NOT be supervising students during this family event.

This Friday is “Feed the Need Friday” in chapel.  If you and your family would like to contribute a non-perishable food item to the pantry, please bring something to our all-school chapel service.

High School Night is Thursday, September 26, beginning at 6:00 p.m. in the third floor commons.  Eighth grade students and their parents are invited to first hear from Mr. Van about the high school application process and how teachers and administrators help in that process.  Then at 6:30, they will go to the new multipurpose room to talk with representatives from local high schools about their program and application process.  If you do NOT want your child’s address given to local high schools, please let Mr. Van know, so that he can remove your child’s name from the mailing list that the schools request. 

When I contemplate the last ten years of my life, I am warmed by the generous spirit of  St. Paul’s families.  Your willingness to step forward to volunteer when needed, the energy and enthusiasm that goes into everything the parents undertake and the amazing support of our fundraising efforts have never ceased to amaze me.

One of my greatest pleasures was working on the capital campaign and seeing the fruits of our labors in the Early Childhood Center.  The North Wing is a true testament to the commitment of every family to the future of St. Paul’s and I will always be grateful for the way so many people dug deeply and gave from their hearts for the future of our school – even though the children of most of these donors were no longer young enough to benefit from the new building!

Like the North Wing Capital Campaign, we are asking all of you to consider carefully an additional gift over and above that which you already do annually.  This is our opportunity to ensure the future of St. Paul’s for our children, our grandchildren and beyond by making a commitment to our endowment campaign.  Please take a moment to watch the video if you have not seen it already and spend some time thinking about how you might make a “stretch” gift over time to support this special campaign.    

Success in securing gifts and pledges of $3 Million for the Endowment Fund will allow all of us to know that St. Paul’s stands on firmer financial footing for the future.

If you haven’t taken a moment to see our video, please do: http://www.speds.org/support/endow/

We are off to an amazing start to the 2013-14 school year, and the Admissions Office is already busy preparing for 2014-15!  The online application for students applying for the 2014-15 school year is now available on our web site or can be accessed here: https://go.speds.org/application.  (Please note that this is slow to upload.)  The deadline for priority consideration for siblings and church members is Friday, November 8^th.  The deadline is earlier this year because we will be screening students as early as mid-November for available positions.  All parents are encouraged to apply at their earliest convenience so we can ensure their inclusion in our admissions process.

Please encourage your friends to contact Jill McGee in the Admissions Office (816-268-6542, or Jmcgee@speds.org) for a tour and introduction to our school.

Community Learning Event -- Bill Severns, coach and author, has written a compelling book titled, Keepers of the Sandlot, where he provides insight and perspective into what our children truly seek through their participation in team sports. Bill played professional baseball for six years in the Brewers organization, but his true passion came from the twenty-three years he spent coaching youth baseball. Through Bill’s life experiences, he has valuable insights and perspectives to share with our community. On October 2^nd, 2013, Bill will be at St. Paul’s for a community discussion at 6:00 PM in the north wing multi-purpose room.

We strongly encourage all coaches and parents of children who play sports to attend. There is no charge for this event but please RSVP by contacting Linda van Thullenar at Lvan@speds.org. Copies of Keepers of the Sandlot and the Sandlot Strategy are available for check out from the Early Childhood office. If you would like more information about Bill or the books please visit:  http://billseverns.com.

Some of our alums from the Class of 2010 who attend Pembroke Hill School were named National Merit Semi-Finalists this week!  Teddy T., Jon C., Quint U., Peter T., and Grant F. have distinguished themselves by being a full one-third of those so honored at PHS!  Teddy, Jon, and Quint were also named to the Pembroke Hill Cum Laude Society last May.  They were among the top ten in their class on the basis of grades.  We are so proud of these former students and hope other parents will share the accolades their children/alums receive so we can publish them, too!

Get ready to Get Your Groove On ... The October 4th Buddy Run is quickly approaching.  Remember this is the Parents' Guild's only fundraiser until the spring auction.  Bronze, Silver, and Gold sponsors will have their names on the back of the Buddy Run t-shirt.  The deadline for names on the back of t-shirts is September 16th - Today!  Please follow this link to make a donation.  https://stpeds.ejoinme.org/MyEvents/BuddyRun2013/Registration/tabid/484794/Default.aspx  Please note that the preschool through eighth grade students participate in the Buddy Run.  The toddler classes will have a special buddy activity on this day, but they will not attend the Buddy Run as a class.
To help us gear up for the Buddy Run, SPIN Pizza will be donating 10% of sales all day long every Tuesday in September with the attached flyer or by mentioning St. Paul's school.   http://www.speds.org/file/download/SPINSept2013_sm.pdf  Get ready to shop at STUFF on Thursday, September 26th.  STUFF in Brookside will be hosting a donation day with 15% of sales going to the Buddy Run.

Monday Morning Memo

The trip to the YMCA Camp of the Ozarks was tremendous, thanks to wonderful, courageous, energetic, cooperative students and chaperones!  The program offered by the camp was also very well done, as usual.  We are so proud of our eighth graders and look forward to the rest of the year with them!

Picture days with Life Touch will be tomorrow (Tuesday, September 18^th) for grades 1-8 and Wednesday, September 19^th for grades T-K.  Please remember that picture day is the deadline for pre-orders.  Students will need a “Picture Pass”, if they have pre-ordered.  This is the receipt from the on-line ordering or a check in the envelope that was attached to the flyer that went home.   The teachers will give the receipts to the photographer.  Students do not need to order to be in the yearbook.  Ordering pictures is an option for families.  Class pictures will not be ready until after make-up day so we won’t have missing children.

            Parents:  Please remember that the students must not share combs or brushes so, if you want your child to brush or comb his/her hair before the pictures, please send something just for him/her!

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 administration 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 car pool line to pick up your child and then park to go the FFF, you will find more parking available as faculty and others vacate their spot.  

            - Please do not park on Walnut Street 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, preparations and games.

Lastly to pre-purchase your ticket (and receive extra bonus tickets), please click on the link https://stpeds.ejoinme.org/MyEvents/FamilyFunFest2012/Purchaseticketshere/tabid/409494/Default.aspx  Thank you for your help!  And those who can keep it from raining – your help is very much appreciated!!

Friday is also Spirit Day and the day we greet the return of a very special guest.  Wear your Spirit Wear to show you have the St. Paul’s Spirit this Friday.  Also, help us welcome the return of the Rev. Murray Trelease.  Murray was the rector of our parish about 20 years ago and he has fond memories of his time here, including his connection with the school.  He will speak at the beginning of our all-school chapel, tour the school, talk to the eighth graders about the YMCA Camp trip (since he and the Head of School at the time were the ones to move the eighth grade trip to this location and he accompanied them one year), and visit with old friends.  Please help us welcome him.

On your mark, get set and sign up for the 3rd Annual Buddy Run coming on Friday, October 12th!  This fun FUNdraiser celebrates our Buddy Program while emphasizing the importance of fitness and friendship. 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. To have your family name appear on the t-shirt you must donate by Friday, Sept. 28th. With the $25 registration per child, students will receive a St. Paul's water bottle and be entered in a raffle to be the Master of Ceremonies the day of the Buddy Run! All students will participate in the buddy run and receive a Buddy Run t-shirt.  Click here to donate: https://stpeds.ejoinme.org/?tabid=387225.

On Tuesday, October 2nd at 7:00 pm in the north wing Multipurpose Room, St. Paul's Episcopal Church with Rainy Day Books is presenting Ayad Akhtar, playwright, actor and author to discuss his first novel, American Dervish.  This is a compelling coming-of-age story set in the 1980s.  Akhtar's novel adds to a classic American storyline the complexities of ethnic, cultural, and religious dimensions that are a growing part of the American landscape.  This is a ticketed event.  You can contact Father Stan at srunnels@stpaulskcmo.org for tickets or Rainy Day Books.  20% of the proceeds of the sale of books from this event will go to the school library.

President’s Volunteer Service Award Program:  It’s time to enroll students in this year’s President’s Volunteer Service Program.   This program encourages students in k-8^th to offer a minimum of 50 hours of community service during the June 2012-May 2013 year.  Those students who complete 50 hours or more are presented with a certificate, a signed letter from the President of the United States and a pin.  Awards are received over the summer and are presented in all-school chapel the following fall.   We are asking every student who would like to participate in the program to officially enroll.  To enroll, print and complete the enrollment form and turn in to Chaplain Nolan’s office.  Link:  http://www.speds.org/about/community-outreach/

Monday Morning Memo

Our YMCA Camp of the Ozarks trip for eighth graders begins tomorrow!  Mr. Van, Ms. Glass, Mrs. Gruss, Mr. Stewart and Ms. Barnes will accompany our 44 eighth graders on our traditional four-day, three-night adventure in the southeastern part of Missouri.  We will return just after carpool on Friday, Sept. 14, weary, with dirty laundry and full of great stories to tell.

Parents’ Guild will hold its first meeting of the new school year on Wednesday, Sept. 12 at 8:30 a.m. in the Garden Room of the church.  Every parent is a member of the Parents’ Guild and all are invited to the monthly meetings in order to understand the breadth and scope of activities undertaken by this important parent group and to discover ways in which you can be involved.

Milo August Schubert, son of our Technology Director, Ryann Schubert, was born yesterday!  He weighed in at a healthy 8lbs.10oz.  Mom and Milo are doing well, and sister, Ruby, is so proud (as is Dad, Spencer, too)!  Ryann will be out on maternity leave until further notice and we wish the Schuberts well!

The Rev. Todd Bruce, Associate Rector at our church, has accepted a call to be the rector of a parish in Fulsom, CA.  While we are happy for him, we are sad to lose him from both the church and school.  Todd’s fondness for children has given us much happy access to him in the five years he has been here – as a chapel leader and frequent visitor.  Todd’s last church service will be on Sunday, Oct. 7.  We wish him well and will miss him!

Dr. John Ditto, the church organist who also plays for our chapel services and graduation, has also announced his retirement, effective August, 2013.  Dr. Ditto has also shown his love for the mission and ministry of the school by generously giving of his time and talents.  He, too, will be missed but we’ll enjoy this school year with him first!

Thank you for the wonderful participation and feedback from our three Curriculum Nights!  We sincerely appreciate you taking the time to be here and being such attentive audiences.  We are glad that you feel the information shared was helpful and we look forward to our continued work with you and your children.

School Photos will be taken on Sept. 18^th for 1st-8th and on Sept. 19^th for ECC (Toddlers-Kindergarten).  We are using on-line ordering for individual and class photos.  (Your child will be in the yearbook, even if you choose not to order any of the photo reprints.)  There are 3 ways to order. With this format there are more options, such as your choice of backgrounds, and personalizing the photos.  You can:

a)     Pre-order on-line www.mylifetouch.com  

b)    Pre-order using the payment envelope attached to the flyer

c)     Wait until there are proof photos and order from those (This choice has fewer options and the cost is a bit more.)

o   If you pre-order, there are more options and the cost is lower.  (Be sure to bring in the pre-order PICTURE PASS.  Your child will need this for the photographer.  Homeroom teachers will be collecting them prior to or on picture day.)

o   Please keep the LifeTouch flyer handy --  It has the information that you will need to complete the ordering process. The flyer was sent home on September 5th.

o   Class photos are part of the picture packets and your child will be featured in the center (larger) of the composite and the rest of the class and teachers will be around the edges.  These will not be printed until after make-up day, in order to try to include all students in the class photos.

o   Please feel free to contact Shirley Laird if you have questions:  slaird@speds.org or slaird26@gmail.com;   816-268-6507 school or 816-363-2998 home.   You can also contact LifeTouch at 816-300-4022

The Family Fun Fest is quickly approaching!  Room Parents have sent out the link to Sign Up Genius for families to pick their shift to work.  This event could not happen without all the parents volunteering to work a shift!  Thank you in advance for donating your time!!  If you would like to pre-purchase tickets by using a credit card (and receive bonus tickets), please visit https://stpeds.ejoinme.org/MyEvents/FamilyFunFest2012/Purchaseticketshere/tabid/409494/Default.aspx.  More information will be coming next week.  If you have any questions, please contact Brittany Harris at bjhekh@gmail.com, Katie Moreland at katiem@kc.rr.com, or Polly Brietenkamp at plott9954@hotmail.com.

Calling all parents who are interested in helping with the fun and fabulous 3rd Annual Buddy Run on Friday morning, October 12th!  There are many fun ways to help! Click here to sign up.  Next week we will post information on how you can register your child and become a sponsor of this FUNdraiser.  www.SignUpGenius.com/go/10C0F4BA4AE1-buddy  If you have any questions, feel free to contact Buddy Run Chairmen Mary Morris marymorris4@me.com or Amy Graham beninggraham@gmail.com. 

Extended Day Families and those wanting to use afterschool services on Family Fun Fest day:

To ensure a safe transition from Extended Day to the Family Fun Fest, each child enrolled in Extended Day on Friday, September 21^st, will need to be signed out by his/her parent or authorized adult prior to going to the Fun Fest.  If you would like another parent to pick up your child, please notify Karen McDonald with written permission.  Otherwise, children will not be released to anyone other than their authorized pickup.  Thank you for your understanding and cooperation!

Monday Morning Memo

Curriculum night for the Lower School Division will be this Thursday, Sept. 6 at 6:00 p.m.  Doors will open at 6:00 and you will go directly to your child’s homeroom class.  We look forward to seeing you!

Thank you for the tremendous support for our first “Feed the Need” Friday!  It had to be a record-setting ingathering for one of these Friday events and we – and the folks at the pantry – are so grateful for your support.  It was a heartfelt show of St. Paul’s Spirit – decorated in bright spirit wear clothing, too!

Have you filled out your student forms online? Our student forms are now online at: https://go.speds.org/studentinfo . We sent out login information this summer, but if you don’t have your username and password, please call the front desk (816-931-8614) or email spedsonline@speds.org . It is important that you fill out the Emergency Directory and Health Information forms for each student attending St. Paul’s. To save time, much of the info we currently have on file for your family will be pre-populated in the forms once you log in. Thanks to everyone for helping us make the transition to online forms.

Remember to stay up to date on the latest happenings with our school calendar. Bookmark the calendar page on our website and check back often to see what is going on at St. Paul's.

This week we welcome five students from Cristo Rey High School who will assist us each week.  As part of their education, the students at Cristo Rey work in a business within our community in order to learn skills that will assist them in the workplace.  We are pleased to welcome on Fridays these Freshmen:

Galilea C-R

Tay’jah McK

Mia P-M

Andrew Y

And to welcome back on Thursdays, Sophomore Abel M, who worked in our preschool for part of last year and returns to assist them again.  The students will have school nametags so please introduce yourselves to them when you have a chance and join us in welcoming these student helpers!

The Family Fun Fest is a special event that Parents Guild hosts for the children and families of St. Paul’s.  This year the fun begins on Friday, September 21^st at 3:45 and goes until 6:00 (weather permitting).  There will be food and treats galore as our eighth graders and their families will be selling hot dogs and hamburgers, grilled sausages, chips, popcorn, cookies and drinks.  Come try your luck at the popular Cake Walk.   There will be lots more fun and exciting things to do!  We will be asking for baked goods like cookies, cakes, brownies or other fun sweets to stock the Cake Walk.  If you would be willing to bake for this event, please drop off your donation in the morning car pool line on Friday, September 21^st.  Volunteers will collect them in the parking lot and on Walnut.  Other activities include carnival rides, midway games and hair painting.  Tickets can be purchased on line in advance with a credit card (for which you will receive free bonus tickets at https://stpeds.ejoinme.org/MyEvents/FamilyFunFest2012/Purchaseticketshere/tabid/409494/Default.aspx until Monday, September 17^th, or the day of the event with cash/check.

Fall Enrichment Classes -- There are a few openings in each of our after school, Fall Enrichment classes that will begin in September.  These classes are available for all SPEDS students and they do not need to be enrolled in our Extended Day program to participate in the Enrichment classes.  We offer a variety of group classes as well as private music lessons (piano, guitar, drums, violin, voice).  Please note that we have had two instructor changes.  Our new Guitar Instructor is Jim Lammers and he comes with wonderful recommendations.  Jim Lammers earned a Bachelor's Degree in Guitar Performance from UMKC in 1987. He performs extensively as a solo guitarist throughout Kansas City, and is also a dedicated private guitar teacher. He is currently a guitar instructor for the UMKC Community Music and Dance Academy. He is offering guitar lessons at St. Paul's for 1st through 8th graders.  We also have had a change in Chess Instructors.  Mr. Holliman is no longer available to teach, due to scheduling conflicts.  We are happy to introduce Ron Luther who will replace him.  Mr. Luther is a United States Chess Federation Life Master and 9-Time Missouri State Chess Champion. A number of his students have become high school and scholastic state chess champions, both in Missouri and Kansas.   We are excited to welcome Mr. Luther to our Enrichment programs.

 Feel free to contact Karen McDonald, our Enrichment Program Director, with any questions regarding Extended Day or Enrichment Programs. Karen can be reached at kmcdonald@speds.org or 816.268.6536.

Middle school students now have a middle school newspaper (blog): Timeline that is part of the elective program.  There are 12 students on this inaugural staff.  This blog is student written and student edited.   The banner was created by Sean W.  Each student staff member has a column and some have more than one.  You can see bios of each staff member, movie reviews, cartoons, and other features by going to  http://spedstimeline.blogspot.com/. 

Congratulations to the students and their sponsor, Ms. Laird, for a great start on this new project.

An ECC parent reported to us that she saw another parent in the morning carpool with children unbuckled in the car as they were driving through the line. Please keep your children safely buckled in until you come to the person who will assist in getting them out of the car.  An accident, even at the slow pace of a carpool line could seriously injure a small, unbuckled child.