Monday Morning Memo

What a delightful time of year it is with five Christmas programs to get us all in the mood! Last week our toddlers and preschoolers charmed us with their sometimes shy, sometimes reluctant, and sometimes dramatic participation in their program. They were adorable and Mrs. Haskamp led them through a delightful program for us. Then Mr. Held presented his last Christmas show at St. Paul’s, as he led the lovely voices of the third through fifth graders in another stellar program. One cannot help but walk away from these performances feeling better about the whole world!

Speaking of Mr. Held, his last day at St. Paul’s will be Tuesday, Dec. 13. The long trip to Seattle begins on Wednesday, as his first performance commitment there is on Sunday, Dec. 18! We wish him safe travels and all the very best.

This week we have the last two Christmas shows: prekindergarten and kindergarten on Wednesday and first and second grades on Thursday. Both programs will be at 9:00 a.m. in the north wing multipurpose room and led by Mrs. Haskamp. If you haven’t joined us for a program yet, come get in the spirit with these lovely programs.

Our chapel service this Friday will be a Eucharist service in the church for grades 3 – 8 and a regular chapel service in the ECC Commons for our toddlers through 2^nd graders. Parents are welcome to attend either service, of course, and there will be more room for lots of visitors in the church for those of you who would like to attend the Eucharist with us.

Mrs. Victoria Fatu will be taking the helm of the 3^rd through 6^th grade music classes on January 2^nd. Mrs. Fatu, who teaches piano lessons in our after-school program, was born in Russia and completed a degree in piano performance and teacher certification at Moscow State Conservatory. She is currently working on a Master’s degree at UMKC. Mrs. Fatu will substitute for Mr. Held on Wednesday and is really looking forward to working with our students. Please help us welcome her.

There will be some happy celebrating with class parties next week toward which we look forward. One very important reminder about our students with life threatening allergies: these students must not eat food that is not brought from their homes. We do not want a room parent volunteer to inadvertently offer a child food that he/she cannot eat. Please be sure to check with the classroom teacher to know of children with any life threatening allergies so critical mistakes are not made. Thanks!

Carpool reminder: the driveway to Walnut St. is usually one way coming into the parking lot! The exception to this is at the end of the day when a security guard is on duty so cars can both enter and exit that way. Consequently, if you seek to leave the parking lot via that route at any other time of the day, stay over to the far right, drive slowly, and be aware that especially church members are not used to that being a two-way drive and may turn into it without expecting to see someone exiting. If you choose to take that chance, remember that the onus is on you to be watchful and stay to the right.

If you miss a call from the school, please check your voice mail before calling the office to inquire about the phone call. It is likely that you missed a call from our automated One Call Now system.

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 auction committee is warming up for the 2012 auction - the Parents' Guild's largest annual fundraiser. Here are some important dates to put in your playbooks:

January 28th, 2012: GAME NIGHT - The Auction Kick-off Party.

The 2012 Auction kicks off at Dave and Krista Peterson's home on January 28th. Join the Petersons and their walk-on hosts for an evening of games, good eats, and the entire St. Paul's team, from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. By attending this party and donating either cash or an in-kind item, you are providing much-needed funds for our students and staff. You won't want to miss this pre-game party!

March 2nd-3rd, 2012: Randy Kurt's Benefit Games.

Lace up your shoes and get ready to play in the Second Annual Benefit Games. New! Men's and women's dodgeball tournaments will be held on Friday night, March 2nd. Men's and women's basketball tournaments will follow on Saturday, March 3rd. On Saturday evening, participants in the Games will be treated to a post-game party at the home of Mike and Julie McCann. Draft your team now! Contact Amy Graham (beninggraham@gmail.com) or Katie Moreland (katiem@kc.rr.com) for details.

April 14th, 2012: GAME ON! Auction.

Schedule your sideline assistants (babysitters) now and get your GAME ON! at school on April 14th. The Silent Auction will get underway at 6:00, followed by tailgating and a lively Live Auction in the gym.

It will be a sad occasion for me when our post offices close and we no longer receive real mail. This time of year is particularly fun because it brings Christmas cards with great pictures and stories – a great opportunity to catch up with old friends and more distant family. I love to cover the mantle with these cards and am one of those who enjoys those long Christmas letters. At the risk of, once again, showing my age, I welcome this more substantial connection to friends – even those with whom I share the emails and texts regularly.

I hope you’re enjoying as many of the traditions of the season as work for you and your family, while still finding time to rest, reflect and rejoice! Have a wonderful Christmas break with safe travels, good food, rest, reading, and plenty of family time. We look forward to your return in the new year!

Monday Morning Memo

Our Pet Blessing on Friday turned out to be the happy chaos and special event we’ve come to know and love! The weather cooperated, as did most of the animals, to make the event successful. Thank you for your help in making it so.

Parents’ Guild meets this Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. All families are part of the Parents’ Guild so we encourage you to come see what’s happening in this important volunteer organization, if you’re interested.

The Buddy Run is this Friday, Oct. 14! There are a few more days to register for is special event – https://stpeds.ejoinme.org/buddyrun2011. With registration, your child will receive a SPEDS water bottle and be entered to win a SPEDS Prize Pack. And, don't forget to have your child get sponsors for The Buddy Run! You can print a Sponsor Form on The Buddy Run webpage and learn more about the prizes. Sponsor forms can be turned in Tuesday-Thursday of this week!

We have had great success with our Sponsor Days. Both STUFF and Yogurtini held special shopping days for St. Paul’s. California Pizza Kitchen is hosting our final Sponsor Day tomorrow! So, let them do the cooking for you on Tuesday, October 11^th. CPK is donating 20% of food and beverage purchases to St. Paul’s in honor of The Buddy Run. Just print the flyer from The Buddy Run webpage or show an electronic image of the flyer using your phone when paying. Schedule to dine-in, take-out or cater dinner at CPK on October 11^th. Participating locations include:

Country Club Plaza                                Park Place

4743 Pennsylvania Ave                         11655 Ash St.

Kansa City, MO                                     Leawood, KS

816-561-2420                                        913-327-5290

Encourage friends and family to cater a workplace lunch or dinner on October 11^th from either location. Just log-on and order at www.cpk.com. CPK will deliver or you can pick-up curbside. There is no need to enter a promotion code when ordering online. Just print the flyer from The Buddy Run webpage or show an electronic image of the flyer using your phone when paying. Anyone can participate so please help spread the word. Thank you for helping to make The Buddy Run a huge success!

 
Please note that, in case of rain, we will have a modified Buddy Run in the gym on this Friday, but we’re really hoping for outstanding weather!

 
Retake/make-up picture day is October 25^th in the morning. If you want your child’s picture re-taken, you must email Shirley Laird at slaird@speds.org and return the original packet on or before the make-up day.

It is with kudos for him but disappointment for us that we will be losing Richard Held, our 3 – 8 music teacher, to Seattle after the Christmas break. Richard has been offered a church music directorship and has been invited into discussion regarding a post as principal pianist for one of Seattle's major choral ensembles. Mr. Held has brought a special music opportunity for students in this age group as he has allowed them to express their creativity through classes and performances. We will miss him. A search for his replacement will begin immediately.

Thank you for your participation in the Brown Bag Lunches last week. Each was unique in its own way but questions were answered, concerns heard, and kudos offered. We appreciate your perspective and value your input.

The ABC Sale will be held on October 20-22, and donations will be accepted October 17-19 during the school day. “ABC” stands for Attic, Basement and Closets – a reminder that this is an opportunity to offer for re-use items that you are no longer using. Please bring your gently used clothing items, toys, housewares, bedding, linens, sporting goods, antiques, books, and collectibles to the Parish Hall of the church building (located on the north end of the parking lot). We are also looking for volunteers to help set up, sort the merchandise, work during the sale, and then clean up after the sale. If you are interested in volunteering for a shift, please contact Jessica Kerrigan, Kelly Groebl, or Jen Martin; you may also volunteer online by following this link: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/abcvolunteer. Thank you!

 
October is National Farm to School Month -- October is National Farm to School Month, a time to celebrate the connections that are happening all over the country between schools and local food! What is Farm to School Month? In November 2010, Congress approved a resolution introduced by Representative Rush Holt (NJ) to officially designate October as National Farm to School Month. The passage of House Resolution 1655 demonstrates the growing importance and role of Farm to School programs as a means to improve child nutrition, support local economies and educate children about the origins of food. Gina from Chartwell’s, our lunch provider, has recently added local “Farm to Market” bread for our school lunches! She is also incorporating fresh and local produce through Good Natured Family Farms, which is an alliance of more than 100 family farms in the Kansas City area. Please join us for a viewing of “Food, Inc.” on Thursday, November 10, 2011 at 6:30 p.m. Afterwards, an on-line survey will go out to parents, staff and students.

 
Gillian R., Ella G., and Carol-Ann G. performed in the children’s choir of “Turandot” at the Kauffman Center this weekend! The performances were all sold out (much to my chagrin but much to the credit of the program!) and received excellent reviews. We’re proud of our young stars.

 
Claire M. will perform with the Kansas City Ballet in “Tom Sawyer” this weekend! Another of our young stars moves to the big stage. Congratulations to Francie, too!

 
The implications of all the media devices (computers, iPads, cell phones, electronic games, etc.) on our brains and lifestyles are being studied more and deserve our attention. The Shallows is one book that addresses this issue and an article in the Kansas City Star magazine yesterday highlights concerns. These implications have greater ramifications with our children as their brains are developing and changing at a more rapid rate than ours. Reduced time on media and more personal interaction and play are considered necessary antidotes for all of us!