MONDAY MORNING MEMO

It was another amazing week at St. Paul’s, with Grandparents and Special Friends visiting on Wednesday; a highly successful and well-attended Art Fair on the same day; World Culture Night on Thursday night to nourish our minds and bodies; and delightful toddler and preschool music demonstrations on Thursday and Friday!  Thank you so much to all the people who made these events happen – and it took a village for each of them – and to all of you for attending and making it worth the work!

Faculty and staff enjoyed a productive afternoon on Friday, working on curriculum, technology initiatives, and special projects.

Thank you to all of our current families for the smooth re-enrollment process this spring.  This is a reminder that the cancellation policy states that you must withdrawal by May 1, 2012 in order to forfeit only the deposit.  After May 1, you become responsible for 50% of the full year tuition.  After June 15, 2012, families are responsible for 100% of the tuition regardless of whether the student attends.  Please contact Miriam Zavagnin immediately if you plan to withdraw.  Needless to say, we sincerely hope to see all of you return next year!

It's the LAST week to order school supplies for next year!  You may pre-purchase a school supply pack for next fall.  The packets are ordered through Innisbrook School Supplies and are priced at the school’s cost.  This opportunity is offered as a convenience for St. Paul’s families.  Parents are free to choose the supply pack or shop on their own.  Order dates:  4/16/12 - 5/4/12. There are two ways to place your order:  1)  Order online at www.ordermypack.com , select Buy School Supplies, and enter our school number: 120688.  Pay with a credit card at checkout.  A convenience charge of $1.50 per pack will be added to all online orders.  2)  Complete and return an order form to the school front desk.  Charges will be billed to your school account in August. The order form and school supply lists are available on the St. Paul's website.   If you are unable to print what you need, please contact Linda van Thullenar and she will send them to you. All supply packets will be delivered directly to school and distributed to students at Open House on Wednesday, August 15.  New This Year – Do you have trouble finding the required art supplies?  You now have the option of ordering just the art supplies at a cost of $10.00 on the order form. Please don’t wait – place your order today, if you want to take advantage of this opportunity!

Anna Louise S will be the Head of School for the Day on Tuesday, May 1, and that’s this Tuesday!  She has declared this day to be “Crazy Day” in terms of clothing.  You are invited to celebrate your individuality, mix your color combinations, and express your style creatively.  Or you can just come as your “normal” self.  Please stay within the dress code in terms of no flip flops or Crocs and nothing too short or revealing.  (That’s the temporarily deposed Head of School talking here!)  Please watch for her at carpool and visiting classrooms and running the school.

Our third grade students will be performing for their parents in their spring showcase this Thursday, May 3rd, at 7:00 p.m. in the north wing multipurpose room.  We hope you’ll join them as they sing and dance and celebrate the music in their lives.

Ed “Scrappy” Dobbins, husband of our former Admissions Director, teacher, and friend, Mary, passed away on Friday morning.  Mary had asked that I not share through this memo his struggles during the last few weeks, as the family members were having a hard time dealing with all they had to face.  But she has given me permission to let you know of his passing and of the funeral which will be this Thursday, May 3rd, at St. Andrews Episcopal Church at 4:00 p.m., with a reception following at the church.

Mrs. Goutierre, one of our second grade teachers, gave birth to her second child yesterday – a lovely little girl they have named Vienna Elizabeth.  She is 19“ long, weighs 6 lbs., 10 oz., and she and Mom are doing very well!  Kate Hamlin, a certified teacher and the associate in that grade, will take over the lead teaching responsibilities and Karen McDonald, a former teacher with us and a current teacher in our extended day program, will be the associate in that grade for the remainder of the year.  Congratulations to the Goutierres!

The West Garden was renovated last week by our third graders and parent volunteers.  The Garden will be blessed on Wednesday, May 2nd at an 8:45 AM Chapel for Toddler, PreS, PreK, 2nd and 3rd graders in the garden.  Seating is limited (and primarily on the ground!) and the students will take most of the space.  However, parents are welcome, if they don’t mind standing.  The Chapel will have a normal service with singing and a lesson.  It will end about 9:05 AM.

The 5th grade Spanish Mercado will be this Friday,  May 4th from 2 - 3 p.m. in N MPR.   Fifth graders will be representing their selected country in native costume, speaking about the country and selling a homemade craft typical of that country to visitors.  Parents are encouraged to attend to hear our fifth graders demonstrate their skill in speaking Spanish.

Let Your Imagination Soar: Read! The Middle School Book Fair for grades 5-8 is this Wednesday, May 2nd, in the Middle School Commons.  Freshman required reading will be available for the 8th graders, as well as many other interesting titles for all to enjoy. Signed charge slips or cash are required to make a purchase.

Soar into Summer: Read!  The book fair committee is sponsoring a book swap for grades 1-4 on Tuesday, May 8th. Beginning Friday, May 4th, each child may bring up to five books that he/she has read to swap for “new” books. This is a great opportunity to stock up on some new summer reading.

A special thanks to those early childhood parents who attended the Love and Logic Webinars last week.  We were pleased by the favorable turnout and plan to offer additional Love and Logic parenting classes during the last two weeks of June. More information regarding dates and times will be available within the next two weeks.

The results have been sent to us about the excellent performance of our students on the National FLES exam.  All the 6th graders taking French this year participated in the contest in February and nine students had their scores submitted for national recognition.  13,000 students in first to sixth grade participated in the contest this year.  The results they achieved are:  7th place - Ella L, Caroline S, and Zach T;  8th - Catherine E, Natalie K, Connor T; 9th - Carol-Ann G: 10th - Jensen P, Layne S; and Honorable Mention - Anna Louise S.  Félicitations à tous!

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.

MONDAY MORNING MEMO

Thanks so much to Dave and Krista Peterson for opening their home Saturday night for the Game On Gift Gathering Party! What a unique way to gather and prepare for our auction this April – with games, gifts, Karaoke, school spirit, and auction support. Thanks also to all the volunteers who helped make it happen and to all who came, participated, and donated!

Unfortunately, a few hours after the party, a fire occurred in the Petersons’ home! The family got out safely but their lovely home sustained serious damage. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family as they rebuild from this tragedy. Krista tells us that it is a good reminder to practice a fire plan with your family and make sure your smoke alarms are working. How thoughtful of the Petersons to think of us as they work through this!

Service Club Reminder for Parents and Students: On Tuesday, January 31 the Service Club will be making cookies for our local firefighters. Please meet in the main hallway of the south building after school. We will provide a snack and then we’ll head over to the church to start baking. This is open to kindergarten through 8^th grade. Students through 5^th grade need to have a parent (or adult friend) along! To RSVP, please e-mail pbauer@speds.org

Prayer Vigil for Laurie Robinson:On Tuesday, January 31 we will again be inviting St. Paul’s families and friends to the church for a brief time of prayer. As with last week’s, there are “group” and individual options:

• You may join us at 7:30 am in the church for a ten minute collective intercessory prayer.

• Or you may stop by the chapel in the church at anytime during the day. The chapel altar will be set up, a prayer will be provided and you may pray privately for as long as you’d like to stay.

Additionally, the usual Tuesday noon-time Eucharist will be offered in the church. As a routine piece of that liturgy, intercessory prayers will be spoken on behalf of Laurie and other people within the school and church community who need our prayers. As we are increasingly understanding, intercessory prayer can make a tremendous difference in one’s recovery. Please join us.

Wednesday is PAJAMA DAY! Campbell R., Head of School for the Day, has declared it, so dust off your flannels and wear them to school! Remember to bring shoes for playing outside, too.

Re-enrollment agreements and deposits are due to the Admissions Office THIS Friday, February 3^rd in order to secure your child’s space in his/her class for the 2012-13 school year. Thank you to all of the families that have already turned theirs in so promptly! Financial aid applicants should expect to receive their re-enrollment materials this week by mail.

Upcoming Blood Drive! We will be hosting a blood drive for The Community Blood Center on Wednesday, February 8^th from 3pm-6pm in the North MPR, and for your convenience we are offering the ability to schedule your appointment online by clicking the link below. Did you know that 60% of the U.S. population is eligible to donate, however only 5% do on a yearly basis?
Schedule your donation today and Save a Life. Please contact Miriam Zavagnin with any questions. https://www.esavealifenow.org/index.cfm?group=op&expand=35930&zc=64111

Now is the time to help us select the leaders of your Parents’ Guild for 2012-2013! We all know amazing, fantastic, dedicated people who would love to be involved in the Parents’ Guild. Send in their names! Or better yet send the Parents’ Guild YOUR name ~ self-nominations are welcome! Nominations are due February 8th. Please visit the following site for more information, or send your nominations to Blythe Robertson, Nominating Chairman at scott.blythe@att.net

http://www.speds.org/current-parents-and-students/parents_guild/parents-guild-nominations/

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.

Monday Morning Memo

For those of you who are new to the school, you may have been able to ascertain that our auction and its related activities are big here! It all begins this weekend with the kick-off party so there is a lot of information here about all of the fun and opportunities associated. Please read through it all and see how you and your family might become involved. We’re going to have many opportunities to be physically active, financially supportive, and happily entertained, thanks to the leadership of Amy Holewinski and Sarah Telford, and the amazing group of volunteers they’ve assembled. Please read on…

Game Night – The Auction Kick-off Party

Get your GAME ON at Game Night! On January 28^th, join other St. Paul’s parents at the home of Dave and Krista Peterson, and support the auction at the same time. The evening will be full of fun and games, good food and great camaraderie. Complimentary valet parking will be available and the dress is sporty casual.

Fans of St. Paul’s will be able to bring their donations to the party (both cash and in-kind items are appreciated).

Schedule your sideline help now, and reply to Katie Gregg if you’re able to play: kgregg@speds.org. We really need to know whether you’re coming, so that adequate valet service will be available.

Also at the party, you will be able to purchase raffle tickets, sign-up to enjoy extra innings at the auction after-party and register for Benefit Games.

2012 Raffle

There will be a special raffle at Game Night for those that purchase tickets - ALL-STAR SEATING at the live auction! You and seven friends can enjoy special accommodations with a reserved table on the fifty-yard line (sold for $150 apiece, normally). TOUCHDOWN! Your ticket will then go back into the mix for the raffle items that will be drawn at the auction. You need not be present to win. Check out our fabulous raffle offerings: http://www.stpaulsauction.com/raffle.htm

Auction After-Party

Ready for some extra innings? New this year! On April 14^th, get your GAME ON at the auction - then head to the auction after-party at the lovely home of Jeff and Mary Morris. Space is limited so sign up early at Game Night!

Family Advertising

In February, the auction committee will again offer special rates to families and groups that would like to advertise in the auction catalog. These ads are especially nice for sports teams, scout troops and the like that would like to thank a special coach or leader. Contact Gina Penner, at ginaandcharlie@aol.com for more details.

Benefit Games 2012 – Let the Games Begin!

Sign up now for the Second Annual Benefit Games, an auction fundraiser created by our very own Randy 
Kurt. St. Paul’s parents will compete against one another in fast paced dodgeball and basketball tournaments for men and women on March 2nd and 3rd. Get your GAME ON and register NOW. The fee/donation per player is $100. Sign up with a team or on your own and we will put you on a team. Players and spouses/dates are invited to celebrate post game at the home of Mike and Julie McCann.

REGISTER NOW! https://stpeds.ejoinme.org/?tabid=337672 

Contact Amy Graham at beninggraham@gmail.com or Katie Moreland at katiem@kc.rr.com for more information.

Campbell R. will be the Head of School for the Day on Wednesday, February 1^st. Campbell’s parents purchased this opportunity for him at last year’s auction and he is now prepared to take charge! His first decree is that Wed., Feb. 1^st will be PAJAMA DAY for all students, faculty and staff. Students are encouraged to bring outdoor and/or P. E. shoes for recess, P. E. and carpool but are welcome to wear comfy slippers inside. Mark your calendars now to be dressed for the day and to acknowledge the new leadership for this day. You’ll see Campbell at carpool times and observing classes throughout the school during the day.

The school, in conjunction with the church, provides sex education classes for our fourth through eighth grade students each year. For those of you who would like more information about the offerings and more information about the curriculum, there will be an informational meeting held here this Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. in the Garden Room of the church. If you have questions, please come address them to the leader of this program, Mrs. Coco McAtee. To register for the classes, for which enrollment is limited, please go online at:

https://stpeds.ejoinme.org/?tabid=339378. All dates and registration information is at this link.

Prayer Vigil for Laurie Robinson: On Tuesday, January 24 we will be inviting all St. Paul’s families and friends to the St. Paul’s church chapel for a brief time of prayer. There are “group” and individual options that hopefully accommodate everyone’s schedule:

a. You may join us at 7:30 am in the church for a ten minute collective intercessory prayer.

b. Or you may stop by the church chapel at will anytime during the day. The chapel altar will be set up, a prayer will be provided and you may pray privately for as long as you’d like to stay.

Additionally, the usual Tuesday noon-time Eucharist will be offered in the church. As a routine piece of that liturgy, intercessory prayers will be spoken on behalf of Laurie and others within the school and church community. As we are increasingly understanding, intercessory prayer can make a tremendous difference in one’s recovery. I know that many within our school family have been praying without ceasing for Laurie and that your acts of care have been gifts of grace to the Robinsons. If you have any questions, please contact Chaplain Nolan: pbauer@speds.org.

St. Paul’s science Olympiad team finished the preliminary competition rounds on Saturday at Kearney Middle School. The team placed 3^rd out of 16 schools and was only one point out of 2^nd place. Much fun was had and much food fueled the great brains at work. We are proud to prepare for the regional competition on February 25^th at Penn Valley Metropolitan College. Congratulations to the competitors and their hard-working leader, Sherry Twyman and her able assistant, Ken Stewart.

Beth Chu and Patricia Shackelford are our Cultural Arts Chairs for the Parents’ Guild this year and they have brought many great events to the students and arranged great field trips for them. On January 12, all students and faculty were treated to a program by dancers with the Alvin Ailey Company. Students at different grade levels have gone or will go to the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, The Repertory Theater, and many other venues for wonderful programs. Thanks so much to these ladies for the great opportunities for our students – and to all of you parents who, as members of Parents’ Guild, fund these events.

St. Paul’s Episcopal Day School won a SmartBoard, thanks to your participation in this HyVee promotional event! Dominga Levin, parent of Langston B in first grade, was the driving force behind this effort – notifying us of the contest, checking to make sure we got registered, and then buying products that helped up earn the points! Her son also won an iPad in this promotion! Thanks so much and we look forward to adding this to our technology this year!

The SPEDS Lunch Committee would like to thank those who came to see FOOD INC as well as the parents, faculty and students who took the time to fill out the lunch program survey last semester. We really appreciate you taking the time do to this. We would like to provide a review of answers to the parents, faculty and student surveys. You can find the review in the next monthly newsletter.

Colette Rousey was the Grand Prize winner in the Grandview Parks and Recreation Annual Chili Cook-Off on January 19! Besides a nice picture and write-up in the Jackson County Advocate, Mrs. Rousey won Royals tickets, a Chili Cookoff apron, and a subscription to the Jackson County Advocate. The faculty and staff look forward to benefitting from her chili cooking skills in the very near future! For those of you who have not met her as yet, Mrs. Rousey is my Administrative Assistant and our Drama Teacher for grades seven and eight.

Spring sports sign-ups will begin on Wednesday, January 25th. Practices begin on Tuesday, Mar. 20. Here is the link to the schedule:
http://spedskurt.blogspot.com/2012/01/spring-sports-schedule.html

Service Club: For Parents and Students: On Tuesday, January 31 the Service Club will be making cookies for our local firefighters. Please meet in the main hallway of the south building after school. We will provide a snack and then we’ll start baking. This is open to kindergarten through 8^th grade. Students through 5^th grade need to have a parent (or adult friend) along! To RSVP, please e-mail pbauer@speds.org.

Have you returned your re-enrollment contract? They are due back to the school on Feb.3. Please let us know if you have any questions. Applicants for tuition assistance should expect their re-enrollment contracts with the grant award the week of Feb. 6.

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.