Monday Morning Memo

Tomorrow Mr. van Thullenar, Mr. Stewart, Ms. Glass, Mrs. Gruss, our eighth grade students and I leave for the YMCA Camp of the Ozarks (formerly known as Potosi) trip.  Mrs. Willets will join us on Wednesday.  We will be gone through the end of the day on Friday, experiencing challenges on the ground and on high elements, goal setting activities, orienteering, an excursion to Elephant Rocks and Johnson Shut-Ins, a dance, and three nights in cabins by the lake.  It will be a memorable time for all of us!

The first Parents’ Guild meeting of the year will be this Wednesday, Sept. 11, at 8:30 a.m. in the Garden Room of the church building.  All parents are members of the Parents’ Guild and are invited to attend this and all other meetings of the group to hear what is happening in the organization and find out ways in which you can be more involved, if you’d like.

We are very concerned about the parents who are walking their children between parked cars and through carpool traffic in the parking lot each morning.  This puts both adults and children in danger and we want to ensure your safety.  Security officer Aaron Braun is located near the north playground to assist those crossing the street and there is a striped crosswalk closer to the school.  PLEASE use one or the other of these to cross, if you do not join the carpool line (which is, of course, our preference) so we and your fellow carpoolers can know where you’ll be! On another carpool note:  We are also very concerned about parents parking south of 41^st street and walking their children across all of the oncoming and turning traffic at the corner of 41^st and Walnut.  Please use the carpool line.  If your children have after school appointments, please arrive early to be one of the first to have your child load into your car.

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.

Our first session of the Becoming a Love and Logic Parent Curriculum will be on Thursday, September 12^th from  4:00-5:30 in the ECC commons.  Love and Logic facilitators Cristi Williams’ and Lynnette Rempel’s Introduction to Love and Logic session will include: The Two Rules of Love and Logic, Delayed Consequences, Empathy, and Love and Logic One-Liners to Neutralize Arguing.

• Designed for families with children of all ages and will address topics including discipline, chores for all ages, tantrums, and much, much more

• Session fees are $50 per family (includes all adults wishing to attend) or $25/person.  Financial assistance is available.

• Sign up for the introductory session and receive 50% off the next class you attend

• Sign up for all 8 sessions and get $50 off your total

• Contact Linda van Thullenar at the ECC office to sign up today! Lvan@speds.org

• Childcare is available through our Extended Care Program for a small fee

·         Sessions can stand alone so you can sign up for individual sessions, if you cannot commit to the whole program

• Questions about the sessions on Love and Logic? Mrs. Williams can be reached at cwilliams@speds.org or 816-268-6534

Introducing the SPEDS 13-14 Annual Fund Five-Week Pledge Drive Team

Coach – Casey Simmons

Toddler Captain – Katherine Coughlin

Pre-School Captain – Polly Breitenkamp

Pre-K Captain – Laura Brooks

Kindergarten Captain – Micah Hobbs

First Grade Captain – Suzanne Raney

Second Grade Captain – Courtney Angilan

Third Grade Captain – Felicia Bondi

Fourth Grade Captain – Mary Kennedy

Fifth Grade Captain – Audrey Chinnock

Sixth Grade Captain – Lina Dickinson

Seventh Grade Captain – Jeanne Bolinger

Eighth Grade Captain – Melanie Bolin

New Families – Brittany Harris

Grandparents – Ann Long

Get ready to Get Your Groove On ... The Buddy Run is coming.  The October 4th Buddy Run is quickly approaching.  Remember this is the Parents’ Guild's only fundraiser until the spring auction.  Families or companies donating at the Gold ($500), Silver ($250), or Bronze ($150) level make it possible for every St. Paul's student to receive a t-shirt to wear the day of the run.  Families or companies donating at any of these three levels will have their names on the back of the t-shirt.  The deadline for names on the back of the t-shirt is September 16.  Please help us make the 2013 Buddy Run a success by following this link to make a donation.  https://stpeds.ejoinme.org/MyEvents/BuddyRun2013/Registration/tabid/484794/Default.aspx  Thank you for your support.  Please note that 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. 

 REMINDER: Tuesday is SPIN donation day.  Print the flyer and 10% of your bill will go back to the school.   http://www.speds.org/file/download/SPINSept2013_sm.pdf

50th Anniversary Endowment Campaign

Monday Morning Memo

Welcome back!  I hope you and your family enjoyed a wonderful Christmas break! 

Our fiftieth anniversary celebrations begin this Sunday at the 10:30 service.  Since our school began in the church in September of 1963, we are beginning our celebrations with a church service.  Father Stan Runnels has chosen to have the service in our new multipurpose room.  As always, but especially for this new beginning, we hope members of the school community will join us for this special event.

Open House for Prospective Families will occur this Saturday from 10 – 12.  If you know families who are interested in attending St. Paul’s, please encourage them to come.  Thanks in advance to the students, faculty, and parents who will be in attendance to meet, greet, and show off our school!

Parents’ Guild meets this Wednesday at 8:30 in the Garden Room of the church.  Please know that all families are part of the Parents’ Guild and invited to attend the meetings.

If you are planning on applying for tuition assistance for the 2013-2014 school year:

·        Applications will be accepted November 1 – January 15. Priority will be given to applications that are completed (including supporting documentation) by January 15.

·        The application process begins online, at www.factstuitionaid.com.

·        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.

Just a few reminders about our snow day calling procedures:

-         We will call you through our One Call Now system that notifies you at the phone number(s) you have requested.  If you did not hear from us on the Thursday morning before our Christmas break, please contact Linda van Thullenar to make sure she has your correct information.

-         We will post the information on the TV news services but this often takes time, due to the high volume of schools with which they are dealing.  You should receive your One Call Now call first – if their system is working correctly for us!

-         There will be a message on our school phone system.  This is the least effective way of getting our message, as there is only one line on which the message is contained and often many people calling into that number.

-         We will try to get the message to you as early as possible but often road conditions, weather predictions, and decisions by other schools and school systems make this happen later than we would like.

-         If we have school and you feel the roads in your area are too dangerous for you to travel, stay home and let us know.  We do not want you to take risks and the road conditions vary greatly in different neighborhoods.

-         We do NOT contact people on snowy days if we ARE having school. 

We will be having a tornado drill this week to test our new procedures.  It was brought to our attention at a coffee that we should take another look at our tornado procedures and refuge locations and, sure enough, the recommendations have changed.  It is now recommended that all of us get down to the first floor.  We have informed the teachers, created new refuge location floor plan maps with routes to follow, and will practice this week.

In spite of the break, we have a lot of people experiencing the symptoms of the flu and upper respiratory infections.  To reiterate our policy on working to prevent the spread of these illnesses, here is what our nurse has advised and what is stated in our policy handbook.

We are making every effort to minimize the number of illnesses at St. Paul’s this winter and we ask that parents help us in our efforts by considering the following guidelines before sending their children to school.

·         Sick children need to be home until they are well for a 24 hour length of time.

·         “Sick” is a fever of greater than 100 degrees (student must be fever free without the aid of fever reducing medicine for 24 hours). 

• “Sick” is continuing to have a persistent cough even with cough medicine.
• “Sick” is vomiting and/or diarrhea within the past 24 hours.
• “Sick” is a sore throat that doesn't go away with over-the-counter pain medication.

This flu season is already a very active one and we can significantly impact the spreading of germs by frequent hand washing and containing the spread of illness by staying home when not feeling well.  If there are any questions that our nurse, Mrs. Kuhls, can answer, please don’t hesitate to contact her by phone (816-268-6548 or e-mail at ckuhls@speds.org.  Thank you for your efforts to keep our community healthy. 

Former Kansas City Royal and Hall of Fame member George Brett spoke to the St. Paul’s Middle School on the afternoon of Dec. 12.  This was arranged by Mr. Kurt as part of his ongoing Hall of Fame project this year.  Mr. Brett spoke about his baseball career and his growth and development as a young athlete growing up in California.  He delivered a great message about academics and the importance of reading, studying hard and practicing hard.  He also stressed the importance of listening to parents, teachers and coaches and taking their comments as instruction for growth and not mere criticism.  A student Q & A session followed and Mr. Brett engaged the students with many funny and interesting stories about his long career in baseball and his love for Kansas City.  Seventh grader Carol-Ann Gibbs opened the assembly with a video/power point presentation of Mr. Brett. 

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

Another entertaining show from the third graders, led by Mrs. Fatu, brought down the house on Thursday evening!   The enthusiasm of the performers, the humor, and, of course, the talent wowed us all!

Ms. Sherry Twyman will retire at the end of the year and it’s time to celebrate her thirty-five (35!) years of teaching at St. Paul’s.  This Friday, May 11, following our all-school chapel service (at approximately 9:15 a.m.), there will be a reception in her honor in the Parish Hall of the church.  Please come join us in saying thank you for all the students who have benefited from her high expectations and model as a lifelong learner.

Visit Days begin next week with preschool students visiting prekindergarten on Tuesday, May 8.  Visit Days provide opportunities for the children to spend a little time in the grade level to which they will be moving next year.  On Friday the 11^th, toddler students are visiting preschool.   There will be other visits prior to the end of school for students who have not yet had a chance to visit the next grade level.

Join us for TGIF Friday Fun in extended day!  On Friday, May 11, we will have a Mother's Day gift and card making workshop.  Children will have an opportunity to make cards and crafts like bird houses and pennant banners that will be special Mother's Day gifts.  No need to pre-register...just show up in extended day on Friday ready to have fun!

It is official:  Michelle Johnson will be our new part-time Diversity Coordinator, beginning this fall!  Michelle writes a column for the Kansas City Star with the by-line of the “Diversity Diva”.  She has worked with many organizations to help them become more inclusive communities and has written a number of plays, articles, and a book.  We look forward to capitalizing on her enthusiasm, experience, and expertise as we move forward.

Please join the Parents' Guild for the last meeting of the year!  Originally scheduled for May 9, the meeting has been moved to May 17 at 7:00 p.m. at the home of Britton Norden (2221 Drury Lane, SM, KS).  Please join us to celebrate a successful year and to transition to next year's chairmen.  Please RVSP to Britton at Britton3@mac.com.        

Reminder:  Summer is fast approaching, so don't forget to sign up for our great summer camps at St. Paul's!  The dates of the program are June 4-29 and July 9-August 3.  Camps are already filling up, so contact Christina Lenon, Director of Enrichment Programs, at 816-268-6536 or clenon@speds.org for more information or to register.  Click to learn more about our summer programs.

The Spirit Store is still open until the end of the school year. We have water bottles for summer sports; sack Packs for summer camps; canvas totes for the pool; and lots of great t-shirts and sweatshirts are still available. The NOTECARDS are ON SALE at half price (originally $15 now only $7.50 a box) and will not be coming back next year. You can visit The Spirit Store online at http://www.speds.org/current-parents-and-students/spirit-store/. Or email your request to Casey Simmons at casey@pursuegoodstuff.com.

The Auction Chairs, Amy Holewinski and Sarah Telford, are thrilled to report: the total revenue raised by the 2012 Game On! Auction was over $296,000! These results are bigger than we could have imagined - exceeding our goal by $76,000!   As excited as we are about the results, we are most proud of how our community stepped up in every way. Our parent volunteers donated countless hours to make the event a success, and the school provided a wonderful venue for our parents, teachers, staff and church members to enjoy the evening and celebrate our children and St. Paul's. We are truly overwhelmed by the generosity of our community in making the event such a success! 

         We are also excited to report that we have met our goal, and raised over $38,000 for fund-a-need, which enables us to build the asphalt walking/running track, the basketball half-court and the four-seat swing set! We are still accepting donations, which will be used toward benches and landscaping around the field improvements. If you would like to donate and have not yet done so, please click here: https://stpeds.ejoinme.org/?tabid=336071

         Thank you again for your donations of time and talents. We hope you’ve noticed our recognition of underwriters, in-kind donors and party hosts, and fund-a-need donors on the bulletin board in the hall (along with some fun photos from the Auction and Benefit Games). You can also view fund-a-need donors by clicking here.  Finally, thanks to all who “played” at Game On!

And, of course, all of us in the school express our sincere appreciation to Amy and Sarah for the parties that were such fun; an organized effort; the great volunteers they enlisted; their attention to detail; the ease with which they worked with everyone; and that incredible bottom line!

Another important parking notice:  Cars are not to park on the west side of Walnut from 40^th to 41^st St.!  Delivery trucks are not being able to get through and we fear that police will be called by the delivery people, causing our folks to incur a ticket.  You must be in your vehicle if waiting for carpool, so that you can move, if needed, to allow delivery trucks or emergency vehicles to get through.

First grade families raised over $2600 for Haiti with their lemonade and cookie stand!  Thanks to all who baked, served, bought, and lingered to enjoy the happy chaos of this very successful fundraising effort.  Congratulations to the first grade teacher team for their leadership in this great event!

Veronica L received a silver medal for the National Spanish Exam with a score of 93%.  Max S received an Honorable Mention on the same exam.  Congratulations to these Spanish scholars!

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

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 3^rd – 7^th 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!

https://stpeds.ejoinme.org/MyEvents/GameOn2012Auction/AuctionUnderwriting/tabid/337898/Default.aspx

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.

http://www.speds.org/current-parents-and-students/parents_guild/auction/catalog-advertising/

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.

https://stpeds.ejoinme.org/?tabid=336042

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 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.”

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!