Monday Morning Memo

This Friday, February 10, we will dismiss all students at 12:00 noon for professional development time for the faculty and staff. Child care is available for the remainder of the day through our extended day program, if you contact Christina Lenon, our Enrichment Director, to reserve a spot. She can be reached at clenon@speds.org. The faculty will be observing at other public and private schools in our areas that afternoon to share ideas.

Please note: this carpool takes longer because ALL students (except those in after-care) will be dismissed. Please be patient with us and do not walk across carpool lines as this slows the carpool and increases the safety concerns. Your cooperation is appreciated. If you do not want to wait, coming around 12:20 is a good idea!

St. Paul’s math team placed third in the Missouri Western Chapter Mathcounts contest on Saturday. Team members include Clayton F., Max S., Jacob K., and Philip W. Clayton placed tenth overall and participated in the Countdown Round. Max, Caroline M., and Jacob also finished in the top twenty as individuals. Later this week we will know if our team will advance to state competition. Congratulations to these participants and their sponsor, Mrs. McMullen!

Our Fifth Grade Music Program, under the direction of our new music teacher, Mrs. Fatu, will be this Thursday evening at 7:00 in the north MPR. Mrs. Fatu and the children have worked hard in the six weeks that she has been here to pull together a program that they are enjoying and proud to present. Come watch!

We are hosting a blood drive for the Community Blood Center this Wednesday, Feb. 8, from 3:00 – 7:00. Your participation is encouraged as this life-saving gift is so needed in our community. If, like me, you have a conflict with that evening, donate at the Blood Center across the street on Tuesday or Thursday evening and let the center know that you’re doing it in conjunction with our drive. We’re not making any money on it, of course – we just want our neighbors to know that we’re supporting them in this important endeavor.

Parents’ Guild meets this Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. in the Garden Room of the church. Please know that you are welcome to join these meetings to see what these great volunteers do for our school and, if you’d like, to sign up to help!

Thank you again to Krista and Dave Peterson, who opened their home for the Kick-off Party on January 28^th, and to Scott and Mandy Burditt and Peter and Ann Long for their tireless efforts in planning a wonderful party that was a financial success for the auction. We also thank their “team” of hosts for providing delicious appetizers and desserts, as well as providing underwriting for the auction. And of course, thanks to the judges of the various games and tournaments – Catherine and Eric Shurtleff, James Richman and Missy Haskamp. If you did not get a chance to donate at the party, and wish to do so, click here https://stpeds.ejoinme.org/MyEvents/GameOn2012Auction/AuctionUnderwriting/tabid/337898/Default.aspx to donate online. You may also send checks to Katie Gregg at school.

Family, Student and Faculty Catalog Advertising The auction committee is offering special rates to families and groups that would like to advertise in the auction catalog. These ads are especially nice for sports teams, scout troops and the like that would like to thank a special coach or leader. Click here

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

or contact Gina Penner, at ginaandcharlie@aol.com for more details. The deadline for reserving an ad, with your payment, is March 2, 2012.

Benefit Games Get your team together and sign up for Randy Kurt’s 2^nd Annual Benefit Games today! The Games will be held on Friday night, March 2nd and Saturday, March 3rd in the St. Paul’s gym. Don’t have a team? No sweat! Sign up as an individual, and you’ll be placed on a team for the sport you choose.

New this year: 4 on 4 dodgeball! Recruit your teammates for this fun, fast-paced Friday night showdown. Teams can have from 4 to 6 members and are either all men or all women. The cost per player is $50. Basketball returns this year with 5 on 5 full court games. The cost per player is $100. The registration deadline is February 24th. Click here to register. https://stpeds.ejoinme.org/?tabid=337672

And speaking of the auction, thanks to Campbell R. for leading the school so well last Wednesday! His parents purchased this opportunity at last year’s auction, along with treats for all of the faculty and staff. Campbell and his sister, Tatum, passed out the treats on Tuesday and Campbell led the dress code (pajamas), a tornado drill, carpools, class observations, reading to students, conducting the calendar meeting, and other activities on Wednesday. I took his math class responsibilities that day and thoroughly enjoyed being a student again!

Yoga in PJ's - Hatha for Haiti!

Zen Moms invite you to the first "Yoga in PJ's" event on Saturday, February 18th from 4:30-5:30pm benefitting our sister school in Haiti. All middle school students are welcome, along with a parent/guardian, to do a little good for Haiti while balancing your boogie in a partner yoga class led by Mrs. Z. Wear PJ's or comfortable stretching clothes to Yoga Fix Studio (2000 Shawnee Mission Parkway #100). Class Size is limited to 20 partner pairs. Sign up and send a check to SPEDS att: Chaplain Nolan.

Mark your calendars now for the Pancake Breakfast on Feb. 21st, from 7-8:30 a.m. This is our Shrove Tuesday tradition where eighth graders and their families serve breakfast at five dollars a person. The breakfast includes pancakes, sausage, and egg casserole, juice, coffee, and milk. Proceeds from the breakfast are used by the eighth graders in a gift to the school upon their graduation. Come join us for a feast before Lent begins!

Monday Morning Memo

Our eighth graders have returned safely from a memorable, fun four days at the YMCA Camp of the Ozarks! The teachers were pleased with the cooperation, diligence, and enthusiasm of this group. The weather cooperated until the last afternoon but it was deemed a very successful trip.

The first program of this new school year is the kindergarten program on Wednesday, Sept. 28 at 9:00 in the north wing multipurpose room. Come witness the joy of performing that these students portray, under the leadership of Mrs. Haskamp.

High School Information Night will be this Thursday, Sept. 29 for eighth grade parents and students. The evening begins at 6:00 in the middle school commons where parents will learn about the deadlines, expectations, and assistance offered by St. Paul’s in the process of applying to area independent high schools. At 6:30, representatives from the area independent high schools will be available in the north wing multipurpose room to greet parents and students and to talk about their programs. It’s a very important night for eighth grade families who are considering independent high schools.

Remember the noon dismissal for all students on Friday, Sept. 30! This is to allow professional development time for our faculty. There will be no lunch served, and the 11:45 carpool will occur at 12:00. Please be patient with us, as dismissing all the students at one time takes more time. Arriving at 12:15 or 12:20 will preclude the waiting in such long lines.

Friday is also Spirit Day and Feed the Need Friday! Wear your St. Paul’s spirit wear with pride and, if you want to help, the following items are in great need at our church pantry:

Fruit, cans, 15-16 oz. size

Corn and other non-green vegetables, cans , 15-16 oz. size

Spaghetti-Os, chili, lasagna, or other canned meals, 15-16 oz. size

Jelly, 16± oz. size

Vienna Sausages, sardines, salmon, Spam, or other canned meats

Toilet tissue

Personal Hygiene - dental, shampoo

Paper or plastic sacks.

Our coffees will take the form of brown bag lunches this fall! We offer parents the opportunity to come talk to me and the division head for the level in which your child is working this year about the issues that are on your mind. We have had coffees in the past but thought we would try a lunch time to see if other people could join us. Bring your lunch, if you’d like, and come chat with us about your child’s (and YOUR) experience to date. All meetings will be in the church’s Garden Room at 11:30 a.m.:

Tuesday, Oct. 4 -- Lower School (grades 1 – 5)

Wednesday, Oct. 5 – Middle School (grades 6 – 8)

Thursday, Oct. 6 – Early Childhood (toddlers through kindergarten).

Prayer Opportunity: In response to a request, we are providing the church chapel, located next to the church sanctuary, for private prayers of petition on behalf of others this Tuesday from 8:30 a.m. until noon. We have been alerted of two specific circumstances that invite prayers of intercession, but undoubtedly there are many others. The chapel will not be staffed but it will be prepared for anyone who stops by. Please let us know if you would like to add a name to the intercessions by e-mailing: pbauer@speds.org.

Service Club: Last call for families of k-8^th graders interested in participating in our monthly Service Club at 3:30 pm on Tuesday, September 27. We will meet in the main hallway of the south building. Our project: rock painting for our Pocket Park. To enroll, please e-mail: pbauer@speds.org

The Oct. 14th Buddy Run is quickly approaching. Have you registered your children? Please visit our online registration today, https://stpeds.ejoinme.org/buddyrun2011. There are many donation levels - families who donate at a higher level will have their family name on the back of the Buddy Run t-shirt. With the $25 registration per child, students will receive a St. Paul’s water bottle and a chance to win a SPEDS Prize Pack full of our new Spirit Wear! All students will get a colorful Buddy Run t-shirt to wear the day of the event. For more information on the Buddy Run, visit our website, http://www.speds.org/current-parents-and-students/get-involved/buddy-run/. There are awards for children who obtain sponsors. Sponsor forms can be printed from the Buddy Run Website. Students will have opportunities to raise money with sponsorships. We will give prizes for students with 5 or more sponsors. Those will be distributed before school when students turn in their sponsor forms.

The Spirit Award will be given to the buddy classes that show the most spirit at the Buddy Run. The winning classes will have a picnic lunch and play games together on Friday, Oct. 21 on the upper field. In case of inclement weather, the picnic will be held in the ECC Commons.

The Class Award will be given to the class with the most collective sponsors (not most money raised) -- teachers can participate, too! The winning class will have lunch in the Garden Room with several of the KC Sporting players and coaches. The date will be mutually agreed upon when the KC Sporting season ends.