Monday Morning Memo

What a lively show our fourth grade students shared with us last Thursday! Under the direction of Mrs. Fatu, they shared their humor and singing talents with an appreciative audience. Well done, All!  
We will be celebrating our all-school chapel service on Tuesday this week in recognition of Holy Week and because we will not be here on Good Friday.

There will be no classes for students on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of this week – the first two days because of Parent Teacher Conferences and then we will all have a holiday on Good Friday. Care is available on conference days during regular hours and with prior scheduling. Also drop-in care for an hour while conferencing is available.

A reminder to Middle School Parents: Students are asked to be part of their conferences. They do a good job of sharing their experiences during this time so we strongly urge you to conference with your child.

Our fourth through sixth grade math students excel at the Missouri Council of Teachers of Math Contest at Barstow this weekend! 4th grade problem solving: Pacey S placed 2nd and is going to the state contest in Springfield!

5th grade concepts: Honorable Mention for Colin M.,  Gage K got 5th place.

5th grade problem solving: Gage K got 4th place.

6th grade concepts: 4th place went to Will P.; 3rd place went to Jacob K, 2nd place to Caroline S, and 1st place to Zach T. These three are all going to the state contest in Springfield!

6th Problem Solving: Honorable Mention went to Jacob K, and 5th place to Will P.; 2nd place went to Zach T and 1st place to Caroline S and both of them qualified for the state contest in Springfield in this category too!

Others who eagerly participated were : 4^th: Faith A., Mollie D., Henry C., Harrison R.; 5th: Julia K., Gideon K., Easton W.; and 6th Grade: Adam K. Congratulations!

Our search for a part-time Diversity Coordinator has begun and we are delighted to have a good pool of candidates already. The person filling this new position will be tasked in assisting all families and employees feel more welcome in our school, helping us recruit a more diverse population, and ensuring that our curriculum respects many points of view, among other tasks.

There are parents parking on the south side of 41^st St. at carpool time and this is a no parking zone. There has been a larger police presence in our area, primarily giving tickets to those who speed on Main St. but this clear violation may get others ticketed.

Pick up your Auction Catalog at Parent/Teacher Conferences -- Look for the auction table in the long hallway on Wednesday and Thursday, grab your catalog and start making your plans to BID!

Make your Reservations Now for GAME ON!

Send in your reservation cards, or make your reservations online – it’s easy! Tickets are $75 per person, and include tailgating and the silent auction, followed by a team dinner and the live auction. Remember, if you’ve purchased a reserved table, or been invited to sit with friends at their table, you will still need to purchase tickets to the auction. Each table accommodates eight people. The reserved tables are sold out! There will be plenty of grade-level seating available for everyone, and maps on the way into the gym will direct you to those tables. Click here to make your reservation online: https://stpeds.ejoinme.org/?tabid=337897

Here is a taste of one of the sign-up parties (available now!) and one of the live auction offerings:

Kemper Farm Party -- On a warm summer’s eve, venture out to the beauty that is The Kemper Farm. That’s right, Cowboy and Cowgirl Sandy and Christine Kemper have generously donated this fabulous event for a second year in a row! St. Paul’s parents will relish the Kempers' stunning farmstead and barn on the evening of Saturday, June 23, beginning at 7 pm. Finger-lickin’ food and tasty beverages will be served out on the frontier, and that’s not all - there’s live music, too! For your listening pleasure, St. Paul’s parent and lead singer Jenny Murphy will be on stage with her band, the NoJoCo Allstars. The land is far and wide, but sadly there’s space for only 75 buckaroos at $75 per person. Don’t dilly-dally - just sign up! Click here to register online: https://stpeds.ejoinme.org/MyEvents/GameOn2012Auction/SignupParties/tabid/336181/Default.aspx

KC Sports Fan’s Dream Package -- This Kansas City sports extravaganza has it all! Thanks to RED Development, you will get four premium seats for the regular season home games of your choice - any Royals baseball game, AND any Sporting Kansas City soccer game, AND any Chiefs football game, AND YES, any KU basketball game. BONUS: four seats in a suite for a Sunday NASCAR race - including pit passes - are included! This is a real GRAND SLAM! Relax and enjoy the games in style, as upscale food and drinks are included with Sporting KC, Chiefs and NASCAR tickets. You are guaranteed to receive one of your top three choices of games for all teams.

Raffle Tickets -- Look for volunteers selling raffle tickets in the long hallway during parent/teacher conferences this week. Tickets are $25 each, or five for $100, and can be purchased online here: https://stpeds.ejoinme.org/?tabid=336042

The first issue of The Pillar, the 50^th Anniversary Endowment Campaign newsletter, is available on-line at this link http://www.speds.org/alumni/endowment-news/. We hope you’ll check out the early success of this campaign, of which we are very proud.

Ten of the 6^th graders scored high enough on the FLES (French in Elementary School) Contest to have their scores summated for National Consideration. Those students are: Catherine E, Carol-Ann G, Jensen P, Natalie K, Ella L, Caroline S, Anna Louise S, Layne S, Connor T, and Zach T. Congratulations to these students and their teachers, Mrs. Bottoni and Ms. Sambursky.

Veronica L, an eighth grader, was awarded the Sosland Scholarship at Pembroke Hill School for next year. Congratulations to her for the scholarship that won her this award!

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

Our fourth grade showcase is this Thursday, March 29 at 7:00 p.m. in the north wing multipurpose room. Fourth graders, under the leadership of Mrs. Fatu, have worked hard on this program, while also working on their very successful State Fair. Come enjoy the fruits of their labor!

First through sixth graders will enjoy the experience of hearing children’s authors at the Literature Festival, sponsored by Rockhurst University, this Friday. More information on the authors, their books, and an opportunity to purchase any of them for your children, please see Mr. Nerstheimer’s library blog. Order forms should be returned to Mr. N.

Our school is looking for a replacement piano for the first floor commons area and Enrichment program. The need is for a newer (not older than 1980) console type piano in very good condition, because it is used for chapel services, piano lessons, and programs. For these reasons, the school will need to evaluate the functionality of a potential donation. If you have a piano that you are interested in donating, we would appreciate you sending a photo of the instrument to dpennington@speds.org. A letter for tax deduction purposes will be provided, if accepted. Your assistance in this would be very much appreciated.

Extended Day TGIF Fun! We will have a special guest in extended day this Friday, 3/30 from 4:15-5:00. Edward Fujiki, who has recently started a juggling club at the Kansas City Art Institute, will come to do a demonstration class in the gym during extended day for K to 5th grades. There is no charge for this special activity, and you can just drop in to extended day to join the fun. Please contact Christina Lenon at 816-268-6536 if you have any questions.

Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held on April 4 and 5 this spring and we need your help: We have scheduled them to back up to our Good Friday break but we really hope you will schedule and attend your conference at this time, rather than taking a long weekend break. This time is allocated so our teachers have time to talk to you without other teaching responsibilities and making up these conferences before or after school or at their breaks during the day adds a big load to their schedule. Let’s have our usual high attendance at these important meetings, please.

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.

Make your Reservations Now for GAME ON! Send in your reservation cards, or make your reservations online – it’s easy! Reservations are $75 per person. As in the past, you can find a seat at the grade-level tables, which will be marked as you walk in the gym.

Limited Club-Level seating is available! Want to make sure you get to sit with your friends and are in on the action? Reserve a table for eight for $100 - for front-row viewing of the live auction and special service. These tables can be reserved online, too, but remember, the cost of the table is a donation, and is in addition to your reservation.

Click here to make your reservation and to reserve club-level seating online: https://stpeds.ejoinme.org/?tabid=337897

Here is a taste of one of the sign-up parties (available now!) and one of the live auction offerings:

Rock’n Skate Party Sign up with your friends to skate the night away, eat and play! They will have pizza, hot cocoa, party favors and more! Skates will be provided, or bring your own. A fun night for all is guaranteed . . . a little on-ice surprise will help your children get their groove on! Mark your calendars now for Saturday, January 19 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm. Only 30 spots are available at $30 per child, for incoming 3^rd to 5^th graders. Thanks to the Albracht, Aliber, Holewinski and Wolfe families, as well as Carriage Club, for hosting this rock’n good time. Click here to register online: https://stpeds.ejoinme.org/MyEvents/GameOn2012Auction/SignupParties/tabid/336181/Default.aspx

European Extravaganza Kings and Queens, this is Europe at its finest! Two people will have a top-notch experience throughout this ten-day trip. Thanks to Jim and Melissa Carnes, you’ll take Virgin Atlantic for your hop across the pond, joining the upper class on board, with a 6’6” flat bed. Then you’ll hit London in style with three nights at the swanky Metropolitan Hotel on Park Lane, just steps away from Hyde Park. After living it up in London, you’ll head to Paris via the chunnel to live like a Parisian with a six-night stay in the heart of the 9^th arrondissement, donated by Donn Hess and Robin Henshaw. The one bedroom apartment offers a convertible living room sofa, to sleep a total of four. Check out these websites for more details:

Metropolitan Hotel: http://www.metropolitan.london.combo.bz/

Paris Apartment: http://www.frenchyrentals.com/fontaine

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

We will celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of our school beginning in January of 2013 and going through May of 2014. In preparation of that very special event, we are going to have an aerial photograph of all of our students, standing in the shape of 50, taken from a helicopter next month! In order for the numbers to show well from the air, we are asking that each student and member of the faculty wear a white t-shirt (as free from logos as possible) or other white shirt on April 10 (with a back-up, rain date of April 12). One way to make sure that each child has a white shirt for the event, you might want to send one to school to be in your child’s cubby until the event. As we get closer to the time of the photo, teachers will take inventory and let you know if there is no shirt in your child’s cubby. If you don’t have a white shirt and need help procuring one, we’ll send out the word and ask for volunteers as we do not want anyone to have to buy a shirt for just the picture. The excitement is about to begin for this special event and, of course, more details will be forthcoming!

Congratulations to Ms. Laird who has, once again, had an article about a project she did with our children, published in Arts and Activities. Our students’ work is well-represented and we sincerely appreciate the press – and their good work – provided by Ms. Laird and Mrs. Crumpecker!

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

We look forward to welcoming you back tomorrow after what we hope was a great Spring Break vacation. There is much to accomplish in the last two and a half months of school and it is wonderful to have the break to help us gear up for all of it!

We are pleased to announce that we have hired a Middle School Science Teacher and Science Olympiad Coach for next year! Lee Gruss, a colleague of Ms. Twyman in Science Olympiad and Rockhurst summer classes, will join us next fall. She has a Master’s degree in Teaching Math and Science, twenty-two years of teaching experience, and, most importantly, a real passion for working with Middle School students, teaching science and Science Olympiad!

Speaking of Ms. Twyman, the retirement reception for her has been moved to Friday, May 11! The change was made because, if our Science Olympiad students qualify for the national competition when they compete at State on April 14, they will be in Florida competing on our original date of May 18. We sincerely hope we’re not jinxing their chances of making it all the way but, in order to have time to get out the word and make the arrangements, we decided to make the switch. The reception will follow the all-school chapel service on that date.

Ron Morton, a long-time member of our maintenance staff, has been reassigned to another facility by our maintenance contractor, effective immediately. We sincerely appreciate the many events with which Ron helped all of us and will miss his knowledge of our school, students, staff and parents.

The International Festival, a celebration of the studies of our toddler through second grade students, will take place on Wed., Mar. 21 at 8:45 am in the North Wing Multipurpose Room. Students will share songs, dances, and other information they have learned from their study of different countries of our world.

Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held on April 4 and 5 this spring and we need your help: We have scheduled them to back up to our Good Friday break but we really hope you will schedule and attend your conference at this time, rather than taking a long weekend break. This time is allocated so our teachers have time to talk to you without other teaching responsibilities and making up these conferences before or after school or at their breaks during the day adds a big load to their schedule. Let’s have our usual high attendance at these important meetings, please.

Mark Your Calendar for the 2012 Auction! On April 14th, it will be GAME ON here at school. Look for your invitations this week! 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:

Mad for Mad Men Party -- Do you drool for Don Draper? Bow down for Betty? Are you jones-ing for Joan? Welcome to the 1960’s, where a lunch meeting usually means a martini, a manhattan or both. Come spend the evening “Mad Men style” with hosts Melinda & Herb Sih, Courtney & Pat O’Farrell, Tess & Trey Hawes and Amy & Eric Graham. We’ll be open for business on Saturday, November 10, 2012 at 7 pm in the offices of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, located at 1800 Baltimore. Cocktails and canapés will be served, along with plenty of mod tunes. Knowledge of the television series “Mad Men” is not necessary to attend, but an addiction to a good time is a requirement! So, put on that Jackie O shift and don’t forget your Lucky Strikes. $50 per guest, space for only 50 of the coolest cats. It’s sure to be a gas! Click here to register online: https://stpeds.ejoinme.org/MyEvents/GameOn2012Auction/SignupParties/tabid/336181/Default.aspx

The Amazing Race Scavenger Hunt -- Are you ready to race? Ten couples will have the time of their lives as they compete in Kansas City's Amazing Race. Starting at the amazing home of Kama and Rick Moseley, each team will have a car, personal chauffeur, refreshments and a list of assignments to complete. Will you be able to solve the riddle, find the 1952 penny or get your picture taken on a Harley Davidson bike? The clues and tasks will take you all over the Plaza and Midtown. Awesome prizes await the winners, but everyone will enjoy the celebration at the Moseleys’ home afterward, with appetizers provided by Catering By Design, along with dinner and dessert served by the host couples. The clock is ticking. Time is running out, so get your group together and bid on The Amazing Race!

Donate Now -- 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. Remember, this is the Parents’ Guild’s largest fundraiser to support the school, and we’d love to have the support of our entire team! https://stpeds.ejoinme.org/MyEvents/GameOn2012Auction/AuctionUnderwriting/tabid/337898/Default.aspx

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

Congratulations to the Rev. DOCTOR Stan Runnels who just successfully defended his dissertation for a Doctor of Ministry degree! Stan has some edits to do on that dissertation but is considered to officially be eligible for this new title. Well done! And this week he is off to Pittsburgh as a candidate for Bishop in that diocese. We don’t want to lose him but we wish the best for him, whatever that might be.

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 carpool -- those dates to be announced. Now that Spring Break is over, please drop your books off! Thanks to all who have already contributed! Staff Appreciation Committee 

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