Let the
Festivities Begin – and they have! Yesterday the celebration of our Fiftieth
Anniversary began with a church service in our multipurpose room that brought
together church and school families from the past and present. Many thanks to Jill Watt, Chair of the 50th
Anniversary Celebrations and Amy Graham, our church/school liaison, and the
recruits they mustered for making it a joyful time and to Fr. Stan for putting
it all in context for us. Now
here is the
scoop on the upcoming events.
January
25th:
All
School Chapel at 8:30 with a parade immediately following the service.
We would
love to have everyone join us after the chapel for a “50th Anniversary All
School
Parade”. Weather permitting, we will process from the church to the flag
pole
along Walnut Street and through the playgrounds. At the flag pole, we will
raise the
official 50th Anniversary flag which will remain flying high for the entire
celebration
year. This is sure to be a fun event in which to participate and there may
even be a
few surprises!
Please
note: Our seating in the church is limited and we must make sure students and
faculty
can sit where they normally do during the service. There will be some
additional
seating at the back of the church for parents and guests, or you may just
want to join us for the parade where EVERYONE will
have room! We’d love for parents to cheer the parade
participants, take pictures, make noise, and participate in other celebratory
ways! Students, faculty, and parents
are encouraged to dress in Spirit Wear and are welcome to wear colorful hats
for the parade.
Week of
Feb 11-14:
Part of
our outreach for this special year is to the businesses along Main Street and
in our
immediate neighborhood that have supported the school during these years.
We will
select 50 businesses to which we will deliver a commemorative drinking
glass filled with 50 kisses and a thank you note
written by one of our students.
Thanks also to our parent and student volunteers who
made our Open House such a success on Saturday morning! Our student ambassadors wowed the parent
visitors with their knowledge of and enthusiasm for our school. Parents were so helpful in stepping in where
needed – to register families, lead tours, talk to parents, and man the
refreshment table. We sincerely appreciate
your help and the work of our teachers who were also here to answer questions
and represent our program. It was a
great morning!
If
you are planning on applying for tuition assistance for the 2013-2014 school
year, the deadline is tomorrow!
· -
Applications
will be accepted November 1 – January 15. Priority will be given to
applications that are completed (including supporting documentation) by January
15.
·
- After
completing the online portion of the application, you will need to mail or fax
in all required supporting documentation.
St. Paul’s will
try to answer questions regarding the online application process, but, since this is not our program,
may be unable to do so. If
you need assistance with the online application, help is available from FACTS
via telephone (866-315-9262) or email (info@factstuitionaid.com) Monday – Thursday, 10:00 – 7:00;
and Friday, 10:00 – 5:00.
Sex
Education Classes -- it’s that time of year.
We are pleased to offer two different classes to the families of 4th,
5th and 6th graders. These classes can
be taken more than once because students will get something different from it
every time. This is an ongoing
conversation with our children not a 'one time' class or 'talk'. Note enrollment is limited to 15 per class. The classes are:
“Bodies
and Boundaries” for 4th and 5th graders - This co-ed, two-week class covers puberty
and the changes that boys and girls experience.
Classes will meet on Sundays -- 2/10 and 2/17 from 3:30-5:30. A mandatory parent only session will be held on
2/3 from 1-3. All classes meet in the
Garden Room at the church. The cost is
$50.
“Plain
Talk” for 5th and 6th graders - This three week co-ed class covers puberty,
reproduction and many other issues. It
will meet on Sundays -- 2/10 from 1-3, 2/17 from 1-4 and 2/24 from 1-3. The
mandatory parent only session will be held on 2/3 from 1-3. The cost is $60.
TO
REGISTER, CLICK HERE... https://stpeds.ejoinme.org/?tabid=416523
Each
year at this time, I ask faculty to let me know if they are planning to make a
change for next year. This year I was quite surprised by some of
the people who let me know their plans:
Pam Bauer Nolan, our Chaplain, plans
to retire (please see letter at bottom of this message)
Lauren Hruby,
one of our preschool associates, plans to devote all of her time to her other
job – real estate
Patty Ives, one
of our toddler associates, plans to spend more time traveling with her husband
Olivia
Sambursky, our part-time French teacher, plans to spend a year in France
working to improve her language skills.
We
will miss these ladies very much, enjoy their skills through the remainder of
this year, and wish them well in their new ventures. We will also begin the work of finding the
people to fill these positions and those of the other teachers who will be
retiring.
A
parent contacted us about a concern that we have shared with you often: parents or guardians talking on their cell
phones in the carpool line. The parent was very concerned, as are we,
that this is so unsafe for the children to be picked up, those waiting, and all
involved in the carpool process. Please,
please help us keep your children safe and be available to them in person when
they get in your car by staying off of your cell phones when carpool is in
process. Thank you.
There will be no classes next Monday, Jan. 21, as we celebrate Martin Luther King Day.
Dear
St. Paul’s Friends,
This
fall I have been prayerfully listening to my life and have discerned, with the
support of family and dear friends, that this would be a good year for me to
retire from St. Paul’s. In many ways,
this is a poignant moment because I have so loved working here and can’t
imagine leaving.
I
want to thank each of you for honoring me with this opportunity to serve with
you as chaplain. I depart having been
shaped in new ways by the pieces of God’s abundant grace that I have experienced
over and over again through the students, teachers, parents and administrators.
You
have been the reason my heart has been happy at St. Paul’s.
For
students who have been “lifers” at St. Paul’s, it takes 12 years from toddler
through 8th grade to ready oneself for graduation. It has taken me 13. And while I leave with pockets stuffed full
of memories that make me smile, I predict that my favorites will involve the
faces of our students during chapels, for there I have seen over and over again,
the indelible love mark of our creator.
I
will eagerly look forward to bumping into you, my St. Paul’s family, out in the
Kansas City world.
Grace,
Pam
Bauer Nolan
