Monday Morning Memo

Snow is predicted this week in quantities that could cause the school to close so we need to review the snow calling procedure.  While we change the voice message at the school and alert the media (TV stations) when we close, the best way to get the information from us is through the One Call Now system.  It is not perfect and has let us down on occasion, but, generally, it provides the quickest notification.  Please note that we will use all three systems and our website, but the least effective is calling the school, since no one will be there and the system gets jammed with incoming calls to the voice mail message.  One other option is a delayed opening and, in that case, all of the above systems will be used to make that announcement, too.   Our child care option and sports activities will also be cancelled or delayed when classes are.

As always, we will seek to keep school open and, because we do not have buses, we can often stay open when public schools are closed, so look for our notification.  And, if you feel it is too dangerous to bring your child to school, please stay home.  The conditions throughout the city vary widely and can be treacherous in one area while completely clear in another.  [Having written all this, the snow is sure to skirt around us once again and disappoint the students!] 

Welcome back, Amanda Loflin, our MS French teacher, who is returning from her maternity leave today – as a proud new mom!  Many thanks go to Maryvonne Marshall for her able work in substituting in Mrs. Loflin’s absence.

“Hooray for The USA” is this Thursday, February 6th at 9:15 in the North MPR.  First grade parents and special friends are invited to join the celebration as students share speeches on their famous Americans and perform classic American songs.  Please note:  the teachers feel the children are ready to perform for you so, if we must close on Tuesday and/or Wednesday, they’ll still be ready for you on Thursday!

In Harmony Choir is opening up for the second semester.  If your child is interested in continuing or beginning his/her participation in the choir, please contact Mrs. Everly at teverly@speds.org or Ms. Meli at mmeli@speds.org before next Monday.  The new choir rehearsals begin at 7:15 next Monday, Feb. 10.  Students in grades 1 – 6 are invited to participate.  Attendance at these early morning rehearsals is a requirement for participation in the on- and off-campus performances.    

In last week’s memo, the chairs of the Gift Gathering Party were not recognized and I apologize for this serious oversight.   Amy Holewinski and Tess Hawes did so much of the fundraising and organizing of this event and really deserve the accolades.  Thank you, Ladies!

Special Gathering for School Families - Past and Present:   Please Join us for Coffee and Lattes February 11th right after carpool in the St. Paul's Garden Room.  Join us to learn about the future of the Church and its facilities that our day school community has used daily for many years.  The coffee guy will be there to make your special drinks and Starbucks coffee will also be served, so drop in after you drop off!   RSVP (not necessary but appreciated) to Amy Graham - beninggraham@gmail.com.

Re-Enrollment Agreements for the 2014-15 were mailed over a week ago.  If you haven’t received your large, white, St. Paul’s envelope, please contact Jill McGee in the Admissions Office (Jmcgee@speds.org or 816-268-6542).  Please note that contracts for current families are due this Friday, February 7th. This year, we ARE able to accept payment for your enrollment deposit via the St. Paul’s payment portal.  Please note the following:

1.      You may pay with debit card, credit card, or e-check. (No Visa cards, however.)

2.      As with all payments made via the payment portal, a processing fee will be charged for credit and debit card use. This fee is 2.75% for a credit card, 0.95% for a debit card, and no charge for an e-check.

3.      The tuition deposit must be the only thing on that transaction. You cannot add any other additional school charges to your enrollment deposit payment.

4.      You must print out and include a copy of your receipt with your enrollment agreement.

Here’s the link to the payment portal: https://spedstp5.diamondmindinc.com.

FINAL REMINDER! RESERVE YOUR SEAT TODAY!

The Curriculum Design at St. Paul’s – Tuesday, February 4^th at 4:00 PM

Come hear from the PLC (Professional Learning Community) about the curriculum review process taking place across all divisions. Members of the PLC will provide an overview of the curriculum design process as well information about Common Core, Math and Language Arts essential learning outcomes, and 21^st Century learning objectives. We hope you will join the PLC to hear more about this exciting process taking place at St. Paul’s.

Bill Severns Returns! – Tuesday, February 11^th at 4:00 PM

Author and coach, Bill Severns returns to share his thoughts on what children truly seek and need through their involvement in team sports. Bill shares valuable insights and life lessons through his engaging, true stories gathered from his own life experiences as a professional baseball player and little league coach. Bill was a hit when he came to St. Paul’s the first time and we are pleased that he has agreed to come again and help us kick off our spring sports season. Bill’s book, Keepers of the Sandlot, is available for checkout through Mrs. Van Thullenar or can be purchased at www.keepersofthesandlot.com.

These events will all be held in the North Wing Multi-Purpose room. Please RSVP to Linda van Thullenar at Lvan@speds.org so that we can make sure and have adequate seating available.

Our team of four, Zach T, Caroline S, Will P, and Daniel B, took third place in Saturday's chapter competition at Burns and McDonnell.  Zach, Will, and Caroline placed in the top ten as individual competitors and will advance to the state competition on March 8 at the University of Missouri.  Mathcounts is a national program sponsored by the National Society of Professional Engineers, Raytheon Corporation, Phillips 66, U.S. Department of Defense, Texas Instruments, and others.  Congratulations to these students and their sponsors, Ms. Glass and Mrs. McMullen.

Due to the inclement weather in Atlanta and throughout Georgia, Andrew Myler was not able to join us for the ISACS Heads of School Conference in Chicago last week.  He was as disappointed as I that he could not experience all that the conference had to offer and begin to meet some of the colleagues from our area.  It was, as usual, a great conference with introductions to the new Executive Directors of both NAIS (the National Association of Independent Schools) and ISACS (the Independent Schools Association of the Central States).  Rob Evans was one of the keynote speakers and his knowledge of our roles as independent school heads (his wife was one and he works with heads and boards all over the country), his background and current work in the field of psychology, and his marvelous sense of humor provided informative, poignant and funny insights and anecdotes.  Conclaves with heads in our region also provided a look at the challenges and opportunities with which other schools are dealing.

Monday Morning Memo

Two delightful performances entertained us last week – our first grade “Hooray for the USA” and our prekindergarten Valentine program!  Both were thoroughly enjoyed by large, appreciative audiences and the students were so proud of and excited to share their talents.

The Shrove Tuesday Pancake Breakfast will be hosted by our eighth grade students and parents this Tuesday, Feb. 12 from 7:00 – 8:15 a.m. in the Parish Hall of the church.  Please note that the lines are longer as it gets closer to the start of school so we urge all of you who can do so to come early and enjoy a leisurely breakfast of pancakes, sausage, egg casserole, juice and coffee.  Proceeds from the breakfast go toward the eighth grade class’s gift to the school at the end of the year.  Remember, it’s Fat Tuesday so come indulge a little before Lent begins!

Speaking of the beginning of Lent, Ash Wednesday services will be held in the church at 7:30, 12:00 and 6:00 on Wed., Feb. 13.  As always, all members of St. Paul’s are welcome to join us for one of these services.

Valentine parties will be held on Thurs., Feb. 14.  Parents are reminded to help students include all members of the class or grade level in the exchange of Valentines so that feelings are not hurt.  Middle school students will participate in a Health Fair that morning and one of their three dances in the afternoon.

There will be no classes on this Friday, Feb. 15 or Monday, Feb. 18, as faculty are involved in professional development on Friday and we celebrate Presidents’ Day on Monday.  Child care is available on both days by prior arrangement with Karen McDonald, our Director of Enrichment, at kmcdonald@speds.org. 

During the parent-teacher conference days, sex education classes will be offered to the 8th grade boys and girls. These classes will be taught by Coco McAtee and review basic reproduction, STD’s, and other topics like impaired judgement when drinking.  Boys and girls will be taught separately.  Registration for this important class should be arranged right away, as the classes have filled very quickly this year.  The class for girls will be held on Thursday, March 7 and the class for boys will be held on Friday, March 8.  Both classes will be taught from 9:00 – noon in the Garden Room of the church.  The cost is $40/student.  Register here:

https://stpeds.ejoinme.org/MyEvents/SPEDSSexEd20122013/20122013SexEdOnlineRegistration/tabid/416523/Default.aspx

There will be a lockdown drill this month that will be overseen by a member of the police force.  We wanted to let you know so that, if you happen to be here when the drill is in progress, we will need for you to go into the nearest classroom and be part of the drill.  Or, if you happen to see that a policeman is roaming the building, we don’t want you to be concerned.  We are seeking the advice of the police department to ensure that we are following the procedures that will keep our children as safe as possible.

Re-enrollment contracts and deposits were due into school last Friday. If you have not yet returned your re-enrollment contract(s) and deposit(s) for the 2013-14 school year, please bring them to the school office today or tomorrow.  We will soon begin calling parents who have not yet returned contracts.  To avoid this hassle, and to hold your child(ren's) spots for next year, please return your contracts immediately. 

Families who have applied for financial assistance for next year should receive their awards and contracts in the mail soon.  These contracts and deposits will be due by Feb 22nd.  Please return them by the due date.

If you have any questions regarding re-enrollment, please contact Jill McGee in the Admissions Office at 816-268-6542 or jmcgee@speds.org .

50 & Fabulous Benefit Games!  It’s that time!  Celebrate 50 fabulous years of St. Pauls by supporting and playing in the 3rd Annual Benefit Games to be held Friday, March 8th (afternoon) and Saturday, March 9th!  Mark your calendar and sign up for some fun games of co-ed basketball and dodgeball with a new team plan and scoring system!  Earn points for co-ed teams, “senior” players over the age of 50, student coaches, attending family members, make it-take it and more!  Teams will be grouped by buddy class.  Each basketball and dodgeball team will play 2-3 games of each sport.  It’s going to be fun!  Don't miss a great opportunity to participate in a fun event supporting the school!

We are currently recruiting team captains and team players.  Click on the link below to register.  Fees are $100 per single player and $150 per couple. Contact Jamie Woodbury with questions: swilife@aol.com.  Hope to see you there!  To register:  https://stpeds.ejoinme.org/benefitgamereg

Now you can find St. Paul's on Facebook! Like our school page at https://www.facebook.com/stpaulskc and stay up to date on the latest school events. NOTE: Our Facebook page will respect the media permissions that you set for your child(ren) on the Emergency form this past summer. Additionally, for your information, it is our policy not to use student last names in photos/mentions, and not to feature individual students in photos. If you have questions or would like to opt your child out of media permission, please email spedsonline@speds.org.

In honor of tournament season, Extreme Spirit is returning to St. Paul's, sponsored by our Student Council.   In celebration, we'll be having an "extreme spirit" food drive to benefit our pantry as well as some special spirit days. Here's our schedule:

Feb. 19-Mar. 1                                     Food Drive

Tues. Feb. 26                                       College Fan Day (Bring an item for the food pantry and wear your favorite college attire)  

Thurs. Feb. 28                                     Super Hero Day (Bring an item for the food pantry and dress as your favorite super hero.  No weapons please.)

Fri. Mar. 1                                            Let’s finish the week in a BIG way by wearing your St. Paul’s clothing and bringing in items for the pantry.

Read any good books lately?  Please take a moment to collect any great books you may have on hand and donate them to the Annual Teachers' Book Drive.  Books may be placed in boxes by the ECC entrance and near Mr. Darnell's desk between Mon. 2/25-Fri 3/8.  The books will then be available to the teachers for their reading pleasure over spring break. If you have any questions, please contact Tracy Gordon at trcgordon@gmail.com

Monday Morning Memo

What a delightful, well-attended Gift Gathering Party we all enjoyed at the lovely home of Marian and Joseph Tutera!  We sincerely want to thank the Tuteras for hosting a wonderful party on Saturday night to kick off the celebration of the 50 & Fabulous Auction gala!  About 150 guests enjoyed savory bites and beverages from Lon Lane’s Inspired Occasions while marveling at the playful birthday balloon creations amidst the Tutera’s magnificent home. Another big thank you to Ann Horton and Jenny Murphy for orchestrating a very fun “birthday” party, as well as to 26 host couples and all those who attended for getting the 50^th anniversary festivities off to a fabulously fun start!  Our auction chairs, Ann Long and Mandy Burditt, also deserve a lot of credit for the work they continue to do to make all of this happen for us!  If you weren’t able to attend but would like to donate to the auction, please contact Katie Gregg in the development department. 

Congratulations to our MathCounts Team members who placed third in their competition this weekend!  Three boys, Clayton F, Will P, and Zach T, scored in the top ten and will continue on to the state competition March 9 in Columbia! Our team consisted of these three boys and Caroline Mc.  Also participating as individuals were Drake R, Caroline S, Lilly H, Colin Mc, and Danny T.  We appreciate the fine representation of our school by these math scholars and their teacher/sponsors, Mrs. McMullen and Ms. Glass.

First grade students will present “Hooray for the USA”, their culminating presentation to showcase all they’ve learned about our great country, on Wednesday, Feb. 6 at 9:15 a.m.  The show will be presented in the north wing multipurpose room and will educate and enlighten all of the audience.

Our prekindergarten students are ready to dazzle you with their talents and joy of performing!  Come see their music program on Friday, February 8 at 9:15 a.m. in the north wing multipurpose room. Mrs. Haskamp and these young children are sure to bring a smile to your face!

Re-enrollment contracts are due this Friday, February 8.  Please return your contract and deposit to hold your child’s position in next year’s class.  We look forward to continuing our work and play with you!

Coffees are being held this week at 8:30 a.m. in the Garden Room of the Church.

            ECC this morning

            Lower School on Tuesday, Feb. 5

            Middle School on Thursday, Feb. 7.

Please remember that the coffees are not the place to discuss personnel concerns and that, because there are many grade levels represented, issues that pertain to one class or grade should, as always, be taken to the teachers at that grade level and then the Division Head.  Teachers, Division Heads, and I are always willing to meet with you about your concerns and we sincerely appreciate those of you who come in to share with us your insight in this way.  I cannot overemphasize how much our teachers and we want you to talk first to the teachers about your specific views on their class or grade level.

NEEDED after school on Tuesday, February 12, eight more families to drop off our cups of 50 birthday kisses to surrounding businesses.  This is such an easy, feel-good opportunity for your family.  We’ll deliver to your student’s classroom a bag of five cups with kisses, tagged and ready to deliver.  You’ll drive each of them to a different business, walk it in, smile in an ever-charming St. Paul’s fashion, leave your cup of good will and be on your way.  Please help us!  I promise that you will be a blessing – and you will be blessed!  To sign up, please e-mail Chaplain Nolan:  pbauer@speds.org

Please don’t forget that you should be receiving your monthly St. Paul’s statements electronically, at the email address listed in the directory. We made this transition in June 2012, along with adding online payment options, for the convenience of our families. Paper statements are no longer being mailed, which allows St. Paul’s to save trees, printing, and postage costs. The move to e-statements has proven very successful, but if for some reason you are not receiving your statements, please contact Christina Cutcliffe at ccutcliffe@speds.org.

The Sixth Grade Showcase was a tremendous success, thanks to our talented Mrs. Everly and her energetic, creative students!  A good time was had by all – with much laughter and great appreciation for all the work involved and the joy produced!