Congratulations to our hard-fighting middle school athletes who just completed their tournament play! Each game demonstrated the commitment of every student to play his or her best, give it all he or she has got, and leave it all on the court. The students (and their parents!) were also good sports so we were really proud of them all! Thank you to the Student Council leadership, with Mrs. Willets and Chaplain Nolan at the helm, for providing us two Extreme Spirit Weeks that brought out many cheering fans, provided lots of food for the pantry, and gave us great opportunities to show our school pride. Now on to tennis, lacrosse and soccer…!
Parents’ Guild meets this Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. in the Garden Room. All parents are welcome to come see how your Parents’ Guild works and how you might be able to get involved.
Prekindergarteners will show off their knowledge of Native American cultures this Wednesday morning at 9:00 a.m. in their classrooms and the ECC commons. Come join them!
Our third and final coffee for this spring will be for our Early Childhood Parents on Thursday, Mar. 8 at 8:30 a.m. in the Garden Room of the Church.
The Middle School Musical, “Once Upon a Mattress”, will be performed this Thursday night, Mar. 8 at 7:00 p.m. in the north wing multipurpose room. There will be matinee performances on Wednesday and Thursday at 1:00 p.m. for the students in grades 1 – 8. Any parents who wish to attend these performances will be asked to sit at the back so the students will be able to see. These shows are meant to be dress rehearsals with the premiere show for the adults (and students, if they want to see it again) on Thursday night. Thank you for your cooperation on this.
IT IS THAT TIME AGAIN!! Let's show our appreciation for our teachers by giving them a little adventure, romance and even some nail biting horror!! From March 6 – 27, we will be collecting your gently used books to host a book fair for our teachers. The book fair will be held on March 29 - 30. Look for boxes at the entrances of the ECC and the main building to drop your books. We will also be collecting books at car pool, those dates TBA. So get your books read over Spring break and leave them with us upon your return! Thank you! Staff Appreciation Committee
Spring Break begins at the close of the school day on this Friday and goes through Monday, March 19. Our extended day program is being offered to those who need care for their children during this time but we will need more participation to provide this service during the first week. If you need care on Mar. 12 – 16 and/or Mar. 19, please contact Christina Lenon at clenon@speds.org immediately, as the deadline to register is Wed., Mar. 7.
In other extended day news, the Shakespeare Festival is starting an after-school drama program for 3rd – 7th graders on Wednesdays from March 21 to May 2 ($85). And, a friendly reminder to pick up your children from extended day by 6:00. The charge after 6:00 is $1.00 per minute. Please contact Christina Lenon at 816-268-6536 or via email for more information.
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
The National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) Conference in Seattle last week was truly inspirational! It was opened by Bill Gates and closed by Amy Chua, Yale University professor of Economics and author of The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mom. Sessions and speakers in between included a public school teacher of 35 years who has created a World Peace Game that students from high school down to fourth grade have used with astonishing results; ways to make professional development more meaningful to all; sessions on legal issues, admissions, marketing, and fund-raising; and many ideas on the best uses of technology in the classrooms, including the rewards and challenges each brings. There were performances by local independent school choirs and bands to introduce each major speaker; and the “State of Independent Schools” address was given by the President, Pat Bassett. The theme was “Innovation: Imagine, Invent, Inspire, Dream” and it fulfilled its mission!
GAME ON -- Our auction is just days away. Here's the latest news about it:
Benefit Games
On Saturday, many of our own St. Paul’s parents participated in fun-filled basketball and dodgeball games. The stands were filled with lively cheers from our littlest cheerleaders and players got their GAME ON in some very fast-paced games! A special thanks goes out to Randy Kurt, Amy Graham and Katie Moreland for their time in organizing and executing the tournament, and to Julie Willets, who manned the concession table all day. Congratulations to Reachel Beichley and her team and Kris Bruso and his team, for winning their respective basketball championships, and to Phil Taggart and his team for taking home the dodgeball trophy. And a big thank you to Mike and Julie McCann for opening their beautiful home to all participants and their spouses after the Games on Saturday evening, to enjoy gourmet ballpark concessions and refreshments and to celebrate the great success of the day!
Mark Your Calendar for the 2012 Auction!
On April 14th, it will be GAME ON here at school. Look for your invitations just after spring break. We’ll have some great offerings in both a live and silent auction format. Additionally, we’ll have several opportunities to sign up for parties geared toward families, children and parents, alike. Here is a taste of one of the parties and one of the live auction offerings:
The Men's Cigar Night has been a favorite in the past, and we’ve brought it back! Join hosts Jim Carnes, Mark Fountain, Brian Fries, Sandy Kemper, Ron Lockton and Greg Maday, along with other St. Paul's gentlemen, for an evening spent reveling in premium cigars, fine single malt scotches and delicious hors d'oeuvres at the Cigar Club. Enjoy these fine pleasures of life with other aficionados on Thursday, November 15, 2012 at 7 pm. Make your $100 reservation without further ado, because there are only 20 of these coveted slots available. Click here to register online: https://stpeds.ejoinme.org/?tabid=336181
As you’re packing your bags for Spring Break this week, you can relax knowing that Laurie and Robby Robinson have already planned next year's trip for your family! Enjoy Spring Break 2013 at the beautiful private Villa del Palmar Flamingos Beach Resort & Spa, just ten minutes north of Puerto Vallarta. Sun-kissed beaches, championship golf courses, luxurious accommodations and a Mexican/European spa are only a few of the fabulous amenities. The spacious one-bedroom, two-bath unit sleeps four with a Murphy bed in the living area. Furnished balconies give you an unforgettable view of the turquoise water and white sandy beaches of Banderas Bay. You can view it on-line at: www.villagroupresorts.com/resorts/villa-del-palmar-flamingos
Donate Now – You still have time!
Although we’re trying to collect all donations in the next few days in order to give recognition in the auction catalog for the generous donations provided by parents, grandparents, teachers and friends, you may still donate to the auction. If you have not done so, and wish to make a financial contribution, click here to donate online. You may also send checks to Katie Gregg at school, or contact Blythe Robertson at scott.blythe@att.net if you would like to donate an item for the silent auction. But please, act fast if you want to be included in the catalog!
Family, Student and Faculty Catalog Advertising
You still have a little time to submit an advertisement for the auction catalog – but act fast, as we’re trying to collect all ads by WEDNESDAY. Click here or contact Gina Penner, at ginaandcharlie@aol.com for more details.
Raffle Tickets
The raffle items are amazing this year – a trip for two to Chicago (Cubs and Bears and Bulls, Oh My!), a catered party by Connie Mendolia (Tailgating in your Own Home), a David Yurman Pave Diamond Infinity Necklace (Sport the Bling), and a fee-free year at St. Paul’s (Score!). Tickets are $25 each, or five for $100, and can be purchased online here, or at either front desk.
One of our former parents, Kent Mueller, whose son is a senior at Pembroke Hill and continue to participate in Science Olympiad, sent the following results and statistics about our St. Paul’s graduates and their successes in this event. Of course, he attributes Ms. Twyman for a lot of this success since it is where their interest and love of this event began. PHS finished first in the region in the high school division. Our St. Paul’s graduates demonstrated their skills with the following results:
David M placed first in Anatomy and Physiology
Sarah K placed first in Experimental Design
Sarah K placed first in Protein Modeling
Veronica R placed first in Water Quality
Veronica R also placed first in Write It, Do It
Quint U placed second in Astronomy
Sarah K placed second in Disease Detective
Jon C placed second in Dynamic Planet
Veronica R placed second in Forensics
Veronica R placed second in Forestry
Quint U placed second in Helicopter
Sarah K placed first in Experimental Design
Sarah K placed first in Protein Modeling
Veronica R placed first in Water Quality
Veronica R also placed first in Write It, Do It
Quint U placed second in Astronomy
Sarah K placed second in Disease Detective
Jon C placed second in Dynamic Planet
Veronica R placed second in Forensics
Veronica R placed second in Forestry
Quint U placed second in Helicopter
Sarah K placed second in Microbe Mission
Jon C placed second in Remote Sensing
Quint U placed second in Tower Building
Veronica R placed third in Sound of Music
Spencer C placed fifth in Optics
Spencer C placed fifth in Technical Problem Solving
By the way, St. Paul's grads represented 17 out of the 47 who placed fifth or better. That's 36%!!!
Also, of note, of the 15 members of the team, 6 are SPEDS grads – a whopping 40%!. Kent also goes on to state that “my observation is that Sherry (Ms. Twyman) doesn't "teach to the test" as some Science Olympiad coaches do. Rather, she teaches them how to learn and how to succeed. That approach matches Connie Wells' approach at PHS Upper School. We are all better for that.”
Jon C placed second in Remote Sensing
Quint U placed second in Tower Building
Veronica R placed third in Sound of Music
Spencer C placed fifth in Optics
Spencer C placed fifth in Technical Problem Solving
By the way, St. Paul's grads represented 17 out of the 47 who placed fifth or better. That's 36%!!!
Also, of note, of the 15 members of the team, 6 are SPEDS grads – a whopping 40%!. Kent also goes on to state that “my observation is that Sherry (Ms. Twyman) doesn't "teach to the test" as some Science Olympiad coaches do. Rather, she teaches them how to learn and how to succeed. That approach matches Connie Wells' approach at PHS Upper School. We are all better for that.”
Last weekend Olivia S. performed in a celebrity talent show at The Midland to raise funds for an organization that she believes in called The Variety Club. This organization provides devices such as adaptive bikes, wheel chairs and ramps to disabled children to give them mobility. These families cannot afford this equipment without the money. She performed with many Kansas City celebrities such as Chiefs Players, business leaders, news anchors and Mayor Sly James. She picked the song, "Part of Your World" from Disney's The Little Mermaid because these children want to feel part of our world. Through her own fund raising efforts with letters and meetings she raised over $3,000 to give to the charity. It was a sold out show and truly beautiful. Well done, Olivia!
