Monday Morning Memo

There will be a large funeral this Friday for former parent, Bob Keatley, at 4:30 p.m.  In order to allow for the large number of people expected and to prevent those attending from being hampered by our carpool dismissal, we will be dismissing early this Friday – at 3:00 p.m. 

Stanford Achievement Tests will be administered on Monday through Thursday mornings this week to 3^rd – 7^th grade students.  Please do not come into the classrooms during testing time.  If you need to leave a message for your child, please leave it at the receptionist’s desk.  We hope all students who are feeling well enough to be at school will be here on time and ready to take the tests.

Southern Teachers Agency will be here today and tomorrow to conduct focus groups to determine the qualities the school seeks in its next Head of School.  We hope you have either signed up for a focus group or will complete the survey to assist in creating the profile for the next Head. 

Speaking of which, a number of you have begun to bid me farewell and I wanted to remind you that this is premature, as I will be here through the next school year – retiring at the end of June, 2014.  I know that it doesn’t seem possible that this much work would be happening now for that retirement date, but this is standard operating procedure for independent school Head searches.  Nothing has slowed down for me and I doubt that it will in the next 15 months!

Eighth graders will be hosting us for World Culture Night this Thursday from 4:30 – 6:30.  The students select a country with which to become more familiar, create a website with their information, dress in costumes of the country, and serve food represented of that part of the world.  It is a celebration for the whole family to enjoy!

If you will have a toddler, preschool, or pre-kindergarten child at St. Paul’s in 2013-2014 and are planning to register for either A-Team or Lunch Bunch, please don’t forget that registration for the 2013-2014 school year is online! Note that, as was the case this year, A-Team drop-ins are not available—you must pre-register your child by April 30. More information about both programs and the online form can be found here: http://www.speds.org/current-parents-and-students/inside-st-pauls/student-forms/. If you have questions about either program, please contact Linda van Thullenar, lvan@speds.org.

Middle school parents and students are reminded that this is mid-point in the quarter and a review of  student grades would be appropriate.  There are still several good weeks ahead during which students can make good progress, so let’s help the students stay on task.

It's time to order school supplies for next year!  You may pre-purchase a school supply pack for next fall.  The packets are ordered through Innisbrook School Supplies and are priced at the school’s cost.  Kindergarten – 8^th grade art supplies are included in the packets or you may order them separately using the order form in option 2.  This opportunity is offered as a convenience for St. Paul’s families.  Parents are free to choose the supply pack or shop on their own. Order dates:  Monday, April 15 – Friday, May 3.  There are two ways to place your order:

1)  Order online at www.ordermypack.com , select Buy School Supplies, and enter our school number: 120688.  Pay with a credit card at checkout.  A convenience charge of $1.50 per pack will be added to all online orders.

2)  Complete and return an order form to the school front desk.  Charges will be billed to your school account in August.  Click here to view lists and order supplies: http://www.speds.org/current-parents-and-students/inside-st-pauls/school-supplies/  If you are unable to print what you need, please contact Linda van Thullenar and she will send them to you.

All supply packets will be delivered directly to school and distributed to students at Open House on Wednesday, August 14^th.

Service Club Dates:  Calling all St. Paul’s students and parents.  We have two service opportunities for the remainder of the 2012-13 school  year.  This is a great opportunity to have fun, connect with others and participate in meaningful community service.

   Tuesday, April 23:  We will go to the St. Paul’s Food Pantry and work to re-package items.  Let’s gather at the church after school. Snacks will be provided and then we’ll get to work.  Students in ECC and Lower School are asked to have a parent. (Parents may chaperone their child plus a friend or two.)  Middle School students may come alone.  Please RSVP at pbauer@speds.org

    Tuesday, May 14:  3:30-5:00 TBA. But please save the date!

Lynnette Rempel has let us know that she will be taking a Sabbatical from St. Paul’s in order to devote more time to her family.  While St. Paul’s does not have a Sabbatical per se, this is our way of saying that we don’t want to say “good-bye” to Lynnette and she does not want to say “good-bye” to us.  The plan is that, in the near future, she will be able to return to bring her gifts and talents to our school but, right now, she needs to take a break. 

One of our graduates, Aaron B., is the star of the current production at The Coterie, “Bud, not Buddy”.  The production runs from April 9 – May 19 and this experienced actor, who is still in high school!, is making quite a name for himself as an actor/comedian.  We’re very proud of this talented young man!

We will be honoring Celeste Haas at Friday’s All School Chapel. Celeste is with the Childrens’ Spot and has worked with our students in Speech Therapy at St. Paul’s for 25 years. It has been a wonderful collaboration and we look forward to working together for many more years.

Monday Morning Memo

MONDAY MORNING MEMO
January 28, 2013

What a glorious celebration of our first fifty years we enjoyed on Friday!  It was cheerful, colorful, full of surprises, and well-attended by friends and family.  There were so many people who made it this special that I am sure to overlook someone in this list but I have to be sure to thank: 

1.  Jill Watt, Chair of the Fiftieth Anniversary Celebrations for – 

• All the sporting mascots and Chiefs cheerleaders 
• The mounted patrol
•  The noisemakers for each child 
• The Mardi Gras beads for everyone 
• The volunteer pool of parents, students and graduates 
• And a hundred different ideas to make it such fun! 

2.  Jane Pennington, Development Director and another member of the Steering Committee for –

• Designing and creating the large puppets of the five Heads and five Rectors who have led our school and church in the last 50 years 
• The press releases that brought our media friends 
• And work on all of the details of the event 

3.      Pam Bauer Nolan for a fitting chapel service that featured –

• Kindergarten singers 
• Second grade singers 
• Former teachers, Mrs. Hendricks and Mrs. Linn and current teacher, Mr. Kurt, to share their histories at the school 
• And, of course, our chapel leadership team

4.      Mrs. Haskamp for writing lyrics to “Hey Look Me Over” for our 50th anniversary and teaching kindergarten through second graders to sing it

5.      Mrs. Graham for providing the birthday cake that each student, faculty, and staff member enjoyed at lunch

6.      The Tomasics for additional security in such a majestic fashion – horse patrols!

7.      The many middle school students who truly led our parade with the grade level banners and large-scale puppets

8.      Mr. Raney, our bagpiper, and Mr. Ronan, our drum teacher who provided the instruments, and taught and assisted student drummers Reece J, Gibbs M, Luke W, and Andrew B

9.      Our hardworking maintenance crew of Larry Maddox and Terry Hayes, plus Carlos Pantoja who helps with special events

10.  All of the parents who volunteered in so many ways, who came and cheered, and ensured a lively fun experience for all of us.

If you had to miss it, you can see 185 pictures at https://mingle.kansascity.com under “community faces” taken by a professional photographer who joined us for the event.  Thank you, thank you, ALL for a great start to our birthday!

We will dismiss at noon today for professional development.  To continue the excitement we started generating last week, Pat Bassett, Executive Director of the National Association of Independent Schools, will be here to address faculty, trustees and heads of area independent schools and we’re hosting this event!  Extended day is available for families who would like to take advantage of this service by contacting Karen McDonald, Director of Enrichment Programs, at kmcdonald@speds.org or calling 268-6536.

Our sixth grade students will be presenting their showcase to parents and friends this Thursday evening in the south wing multipurpose room at 7:00 p.m.  Mrs. Everly and the students have been and will be working overtime to perform for you so we hope you’ll come enjoy the fruits of their labor!

Forty-two seventh and eighth grade students met this weekend at Kearney for our third preliminary Science Olympiad tournament.  They all worked together as an outstanding team to take second place overall in the tournament.

Seventh graders Ben S., Ella L., Jonah W., Jensen P., Daisy B., Layne S., Roy W., Anna Louise S., Oliver C., Max M., Adam K., Natalie K., Catherine H., Caroline S., Zach T., Grace C., John R., Will P., Caroline R., Sydney H. , Carol Ann G., Faith O., Zach J., Sean W., and Connor T.  along with the leadership of our eighth graders, Lilly L., Monty L., Claire M., Meg B., Ashley B., A’starr M., Elyse C., Meghan L., Cora M., Drake R., Lilly H., Clayton F., Taylor N., Annie S., William L., Sydney W.  and Danny T. were fun and fabulous to spend the day with.

The students' behavior, willingness to work hard, individual responsibility and determination were all outstanding.

Individual winners were:
Drake R. and Roy W. 4th in Road Scholar, Drake R. and Lily L. 5th in Shock Value, Zach J. and Roy W.  2nd in  Dynamic  Planet,  Caroline R. 2nd in Heredity, Carol Ann Gibbs and Caroline Rooney 3rd in Sound of Music , Caroline R. and Natalie K. 4th in Write it Do it, Natalie K. and Caroline S. 2nd in metric Mastery, A’Starr M. and Sydney W. 1st in Anatomy, Meghan Long 2nd in Crime Busters, 3rd in Water Quality ,  and 2rd in Disease Detectives, Claire M. 5th  in Meteorology and 5th in Keep the Heat,  Ella L. and Catherine H. 2nd in Reach for the Stars, Connor T. and Zach T. 2nd  in Experimental Design, Elyse C. 1st in Food Science, Layne S.  and Sydney H. 3rd in Mission Possible.

Congratulations to all of these students and to the St. Paul’s community for their excellent representation! As always, thanks to our Science Olympiad sponsors, Lee Gruss and Ken Stewart, for all the work they do getting the students prepared and cheering them on.

Coffees will be held next week, beginning with the ECC Coffee on Monday, Feb. 4.  Each will be held in the Garden Room of the church, beginning at 8:30 a.m.  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.
           Lower School Coffee – Tuesday, Feb. 5
           Middle School Coffee – Wednesday, Feb. 6.

February Service Club Activities:  Calling ALL interested k-8th grade students/parents for two Service Club Opportunities that are in honor of St. Paul’s 50th Birthday!  The purpose of these activities is to distribute St. Paul’s cups loaded with 50 kisses to 50 area businesses.
Activity one:  Cup Assembly:  3:30 – 4:30 pm, Tuesday, February 5:  Kindergarten through 8th grade students will gather in the  North MPR, aka: the lunchroom.  There we will put the kisses into the 50 ST. Paul’s cups and attach a note to each one. Kindergarten through 5th graders are required to have a parent or adult with them.  Middle Schoolers may enroll without an adult.
Activity two: Cup Delivery: We need ten drivers at 3:30 pm  on Tuesday, February 12 to deliver five cups each.  Volunteer drivers will  go to five area business to deliver a cup of kisses. This would be a great (and fun) activity for a parent and children.

To enroll, please e-mail Pam at pbauer@speds.org.  Indicate whether you are enrolling for “cup assembly” or “cup delivery” or BOTH!  Thanks so much.

Monday Morning Memo

For those of you who are new to the school, you may have been able to ascertain that our auction and its related activities are big here! It all begins this weekend with the kick-off party so there is a lot of information here about all of the fun and opportunities associated. Please read through it all and see how you and your family might become involved. We’re going to have many opportunities to be physically active, financially supportive, and happily entertained, thanks to the leadership of Amy Holewinski and Sarah Telford, and the amazing group of volunteers they’ve assembled. Please read on…

Game Night – The Auction Kick-off Party

Get your GAME ON at Game Night! On January 28^th, join other St. Paul’s parents at the home of Dave and Krista Peterson, and support the auction at the same time. The evening will be full of fun and games, good food and great camaraderie. Complimentary valet parking will be available and the dress is sporty casual.

Fans of St. Paul’s will be able to bring their donations to the party (both cash and in-kind items are appreciated).

Schedule your sideline help now, and reply to Katie Gregg if you’re able to play: kgregg@speds.org. We really need to know whether you’re coming, so that adequate valet service will be available.

Also at the party, you will be able to purchase raffle tickets, sign-up to enjoy extra innings at the auction after-party and register for Benefit Games.

2012 Raffle

There will be a special raffle at Game Night for those that purchase tickets - ALL-STAR SEATING at the live auction! You and seven friends can enjoy special accommodations with a reserved table on the fifty-yard line (sold for $150 apiece, normally). TOUCHDOWN! Your ticket will then go back into the mix for the raffle items that will be drawn at the auction. You need not be present to win. Check out our fabulous raffle offerings: http://www.stpaulsauction.com/raffle.htm

Auction After-Party

Ready for some extra innings? New this year! On April 14^th, get your GAME ON at the auction - then head to the auction after-party at the lovely home of Jeff and Mary Morris. Space is limited so sign up early at Game Night!

Family Advertising

In February, the auction committee will again offer 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. Contact Gina Penner, at ginaandcharlie@aol.com for more details.

Benefit Games 2012 – Let the Games Begin!

Sign up now for the Second Annual Benefit Games, an auction fundraiser created by our very own Randy 
Kurt. St. Paul’s parents will compete against one another in fast paced dodgeball and basketball tournaments for men and women on March 2nd and 3rd. Get your GAME ON and register NOW. The fee/donation per player is $100. Sign up with a team or on your own and we will put you on a team. Players and spouses/dates are invited to celebrate post game at the home of Mike and Julie McCann.

REGISTER NOW! https://stpeds.ejoinme.org/?tabid=337672 

Contact Amy Graham at beninggraham@gmail.com or Katie Moreland at katiem@kc.rr.com for more information.

Campbell R. will be the Head of School for the Day on Wednesday, February 1^st. Campbell’s parents purchased this opportunity for him at last year’s auction and he is now prepared to take charge! His first decree is that Wed., Feb. 1^st will be PAJAMA DAY for all students, faculty and staff. Students are encouraged to bring outdoor and/or P. E. shoes for recess, P. E. and carpool but are welcome to wear comfy slippers inside. Mark your calendars now to be dressed for the day and to acknowledge the new leadership for this day. You’ll see Campbell at carpool times and observing classes throughout the school during the day.

The school, in conjunction with the church, provides sex education classes for our fourth through eighth grade students each year. For those of you who would like more information about the offerings and more information about the curriculum, there will be an informational meeting held here this Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. in the Garden Room of the church. If you have questions, please come address them to the leader of this program, Mrs. Coco McAtee. To register for the classes, for which enrollment is limited, please go online at:

https://stpeds.ejoinme.org/?tabid=339378. All dates and registration information is at this link.

Prayer Vigil for Laurie Robinson: On Tuesday, January 24 we will be inviting all St. Paul’s families and friends to the St. Paul’s church chapel for a brief time of prayer. There are “group” and individual options that hopefully accommodate everyone’s schedule:

a. You may join us at 7:30 am in the church for a ten minute collective intercessory prayer.

b. Or you may stop by the church chapel at will anytime during the day. The chapel altar will be set up, a prayer will be provided and you may pray privately for as long as you’d like to stay.

Additionally, the usual Tuesday noon-time Eucharist will be offered in the church. As a routine piece of that liturgy, intercessory prayers will be spoken on behalf of Laurie and others within the school and church community. As we are increasingly understanding, intercessory prayer can make a tremendous difference in one’s recovery. I know that many within our school family have been praying without ceasing for Laurie and that your acts of care have been gifts of grace to the Robinsons. If you have any questions, please contact Chaplain Nolan: pbauer@speds.org.

St. Paul’s science Olympiad team finished the preliminary competition rounds on Saturday at Kearney Middle School. The team placed 3^rd out of 16 schools and was only one point out of 2^nd place. Much fun was had and much food fueled the great brains at work. We are proud to prepare for the regional competition on February 25^th at Penn Valley Metropolitan College. Congratulations to the competitors and their hard-working leader, Sherry Twyman and her able assistant, Ken Stewart.

Beth Chu and Patricia Shackelford are our Cultural Arts Chairs for the Parents’ Guild this year and they have brought many great events to the students and arranged great field trips for them. On January 12, all students and faculty were treated to a program by dancers with the Alvin Ailey Company. Students at different grade levels have gone or will go to the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, The Repertory Theater, and many other venues for wonderful programs. Thanks so much to these ladies for the great opportunities for our students – and to all of you parents who, as members of Parents’ Guild, fund these events.

St. Paul’s Episcopal Day School won a SmartBoard, thanks to your participation in this HyVee promotional event! Dominga Levin, parent of Langston B in first grade, was the driving force behind this effort – notifying us of the contest, checking to make sure we got registered, and then buying products that helped up earn the points! Her son also won an iPad in this promotion! Thanks so much and we look forward to adding this to our technology this year!

The SPEDS Lunch Committee would like to thank those who came to see FOOD INC as well as the parents, faculty and students who took the time to fill out the lunch program survey last semester. We really appreciate you taking the time do to this. We would like to provide a review of answers to the parents, faculty and student surveys. You can find the review in the next monthly newsletter.

Colette Rousey was the Grand Prize winner in the Grandview Parks and Recreation Annual Chili Cook-Off on January 19! Besides a nice picture and write-up in the Jackson County Advocate, Mrs. Rousey won Royals tickets, a Chili Cookoff apron, and a subscription to the Jackson County Advocate. The faculty and staff look forward to benefitting from her chili cooking skills in the very near future! For those of you who have not met her as yet, Mrs. Rousey is my Administrative Assistant and our Drama Teacher for grades seven and eight.

Spring sports sign-ups will begin on Wednesday, January 25th. Practices begin on Tuesday, Mar. 20. Here is the link to the schedule:
http://spedskurt.blogspot.com/2012/01/spring-sports-schedule.html

Service Club: For Parents and Students: On Tuesday, January 31 the Service Club will be making cookies for our local firefighters. Please meet in the main hallway of the south building after school. We will provide a snack and then we’ll start baking. This is open to kindergarten through 8^th grade. Students through 5^th grade need to have a parent (or adult friend) along! To RSVP, please e-mail pbauer@speds.org.

Have you returned your re-enrollment contract? They are due back to the school on Feb.3. Please let us know if you have any questions. Applicants for tuition assistance should expect their re-enrollment contracts with the grant award the week of Feb. 6.

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.