Monday Morning Memo

What a tremendous group of students we took to the YMCA of the Ozarks last week!  They were cooperative with everyone, encouraging to their peers, enthusiastic participants in everything, and truly delightful young people with whom to work and play.  We were and are very proud of them!

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.

It’s time for Family Fun Fest!  The fun begins this Friday, September 20th at 3:45 and goes until 6:30, weather permitting.  There will be food and treats galore as our eighth graders and their parents will be selling hot dogs, hamburgers and grilled sausages (all cooked by our wonderful 8th grade dads), chips, popcorn, cookies and drinks.

One of the highlights for the children is the Cake Walk for which we will need at least 75 cakes or other baked goods like cookies, brownies, pies or other fun sweets.  If you would be willing to bake for this event, or even pick up a treat at the store, please drop off your donation in the morning carpool line on Friday, September 20th.  Volunteers will collect in both carpool lines. 

Tickets can be purchased on line in advance with a credit card (for which you will receive free bonus tickets) at     https://stpeds.ejoinme.org/MyEvents/Family Fun Fest2013/Family Fun FestTicketSales/tabid/473229/Default.aspx until Wednesday, September 18th at 3:00 pm.

Pre-purchased tickets and day of tickets sales can be picked up and/or purchased on Friday, September 20th from 8-10 am and 1-3 pm in the foyer of the main building to avoid standing in line at the field.  Tickets sales between these hours at school can be charged to your credit card.  Tickets being purchased on the field will have to be paid by CASH or CHECK ONLY.  No school charges or credit cards will be permitted on the field.  Please note that purchasing or picking up tickets on the field will result in standing in line. Avoid the lines and purchase your tickets before 3:00 pm on September 20th!!

A note from the administration about Family Fun Fest:  Students will not be allowed to go to the Family Fun Fest if unaccompanied by an adult.  So please be sure the school office and your child’s teacher knows if another parent will be accompanying your child.  Also, if your child goes to after school care, he/she will have to have your permission if another adult is going to take your child from that program to the Family Fun Fest.  Students are also not to leave the upper field to go to Starbucks or return to the school without being accompanied by a parent, once they have been dismissed and/or gone to the event.  Please know that these are only meant to keep your child safe.  Teachers and administrators will NOT be supervising students during this family event.

This Friday is “Feed the Need Friday” in chapel.  If you and your family would like to contribute a non-perishable food item to the pantry, please bring something to our all-school chapel service.

High School Night is Thursday, September 26, beginning at 6:00 p.m. in the third floor commons.  Eighth grade students and their parents are invited to first hear from Mr. Van about the high school application process and how teachers and administrators help in that process.  Then at 6:30, they will go to the new multipurpose room to talk with representatives from local high schools about their program and application process.  If you do NOT want your child’s address given to local high schools, please let Mr. Van know, so that he can remove your child’s name from the mailing list that the schools request. 

When I contemplate the last ten years of my life, I am warmed by the generous spirit of  St. Paul’s families.  Your willingness to step forward to volunteer when needed, the energy and enthusiasm that goes into everything the parents undertake and the amazing support of our fundraising efforts have never ceased to amaze me.

One of my greatest pleasures was working on the capital campaign and seeing the fruits of our labors in the Early Childhood Center.  The North Wing is a true testament to the commitment of every family to the future of St. Paul’s and I will always be grateful for the way so many people dug deeply and gave from their hearts for the future of our school – even though the children of most of these donors were no longer young enough to benefit from the new building!

Like the North Wing Capital Campaign, we are asking all of you to consider carefully an additional gift over and above that which you already do annually.  This is our opportunity to ensure the future of St. Paul’s for our children, our grandchildren and beyond by making a commitment to our endowment campaign.  Please take a moment to watch the video if you have not seen it already and spend some time thinking about how you might make a “stretch” gift over time to support this special campaign.    

Success in securing gifts and pledges of $3 Million for the Endowment Fund will allow all of us to know that St. Paul’s stands on firmer financial footing for the future.

If you haven’t taken a moment to see our video, please do: http://www.speds.org/support/endow/

We are off to an amazing start to the 2013-14 school year, and the Admissions Office is already busy preparing for 2014-15!  The online application for students applying for the 2014-15 school year is now available on our web site or can be accessed here: https://go.speds.org/application.  (Please note that this is slow to upload.)  The deadline for priority consideration for siblings and church members is Friday, November 8^th.  The deadline is earlier this year because we will be screening students as early as mid-November for available positions.  All parents are encouraged to apply at their earliest convenience so we can ensure their inclusion in our admissions process.

Please encourage your friends to contact Jill McGee in the Admissions Office (816-268-6542, or Jmcgee@speds.org) for a tour and introduction to our school.

Community Learning Event -- Bill Severns, coach and author, has written a compelling book titled, Keepers of the Sandlot, where he provides insight and perspective into what our children truly seek through their participation in team sports. Bill played professional baseball for six years in the Brewers organization, but his true passion came from the twenty-three years he spent coaching youth baseball. Through Bill’s life experiences, he has valuable insights and perspectives to share with our community. On October 2^nd, 2013, Bill will be at St. Paul’s for a community discussion at 6:00 PM in the north wing multi-purpose room.

We strongly encourage all coaches and parents of children who play sports to attend. There is no charge for this event but please RSVP by contacting Linda van Thullenar at Lvan@speds.org. Copies of Keepers of the Sandlot and the Sandlot Strategy are available for check out from the Early Childhood office. If you would like more information about Bill or the books please visit:  http://billseverns.com.

Some of our alums from the Class of 2010 who attend Pembroke Hill School were named National Merit Semi-Finalists this week!  Teddy T., Jon C., Quint U., Peter T., and Grant F. have distinguished themselves by being a full one-third of those so honored at PHS!  Teddy, Jon, and Quint were also named to the Pembroke Hill Cum Laude Society last May.  They were among the top ten in their class on the basis of grades.  We are so proud of these former students and hope other parents will share the accolades their children/alums receive so we can publish them, too!

Get ready to Get Your Groove On ... The October 4th Buddy Run is quickly approaching.  Remember this is the Parents' Guild's only fundraiser until the spring auction.  Bronze, Silver, and Gold sponsors will have their names on the back of the Buddy Run t-shirt.  The deadline for names on the back of t-shirts is September 16th - Today!  Please follow this link to make a donation.  https://stpeds.ejoinme.org/MyEvents/BuddyRun2013/Registration/tabid/484794/Default.aspx  Please note that the 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.
To help us gear up for the Buddy Run, SPIN Pizza will be donating 10% of sales all day long every Tuesday in September with the attached flyer or by mentioning St. Paul's school.   http://www.speds.org/file/download/SPINSept2013_sm.pdf  Get ready to shop at STUFF on Thursday, September 26th.  STUFF in Brookside will be hosting a donation day with 15% of sales going to the Buddy Run.