Ms. Monaghan's Message - May 15
Looking Towards the Future
Dear St. Patrick Families,
When I am feeling stress or anxiety, it always helps me to look towards the future and find the good. Through these challenging weeks, there has been a lot of good in our school. Our teachers pulled together a virtual learning plan with literally one day notice, working through their Spring Break, and never once complaining. Along the way, we listened to your feedback and made changes that I believe made this virtual learning process about as seamless as it could be. This took work and commitment on not only the part of our staff, but from YOU and your children.
Many of our middle school students were home alone, because their parents are essential workers. This created a lot of stress for parents, and left our middle school kids feeling alone and isolated. However, we found ways to stay connected with our students, to keep them engaged in their learning, and guess what...they rose to the challenge! I could not be more proud of our students right now. The world as they knew it was really ripped out from underneath them with no warning, yet they have persevered.
I don't know what our school will look like in the fall, but I am committed to bringing our students back into our building in a safe manner. We will be working with the state and local authorities, along with the Kansas City St. Joseph diocese over the summer to figure out a plan. The most important thing to focus on is that because we are a small school, we have a serious advantage right now. While many schools with packed classrooms are going to have to make serious changes, we will be able to function on a much different level.
Next week, I'll be taking some time off. My daughter has her 6 month MRI check up (we would appreciate your prayers!) and I, like all of you, need a little break so I can recharge and start preparing for the fall! If you need anything, feel free to call the school office, because someone will most likely be here.
I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for hanging in there with us the past several weeks. I know it hasn't been easy, yet you have stuck with us every step of the way. I know that virtual learning had it's challenges, but because your kids worked so hard, they will not start the new school year with a huge gap in their learning. We appreciate you working with your teachers to forge ahead and keep our students learning! Every single day, your work has made me #stpatsproud!
Kaci Monaghan
Principal
St. Patrick School
2020-2021 School Registration
If you haven't returned your 2020-2021 school registration, please click the form below to let us know what your plans are for the fall. This will help us in our planning to maintain the proper health code standards that will be required in the fall, and will allow us to know if we will have openings in any classrooms.
We appreciate your help!
2020-2021 Registration Survey - Click Below
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This year, we are capping our class sizes at 15 to accommodate social distancing protocols (unless the class is currently over 15). So, if you know anyone who is on the fence, please encourage them to get in touch with us today to reserve their spot for this fall! You can share this link with them: https://forms.gle/jHAHgYC2KxqFL7pV7
Classroom Changes in 2020-2021
One of the things we have wanted to do is to enhance our STEM education program even further. We believe that a quality STEM education will better prepare our students for the future and give them tools necessary to be successful in life. Because of this, I am excited to announce the addition of a NEW position/program for the 2020-2021 school year.
New STEM Director: Mr. Prim, our amazing FLL Coach and current 2nd grade teacher, has accepted the position of STEM Director for St. Patrick School. Mr. Prim will lead St. Patrick into the next level of STEM education, bringing Jr. FLL into our K-2 classrooms, and bringing a brand new program - Project Lead the Way - into our upper grades. This is HUGE for St. Patrick School, as we will be one of two schools in the Northland that are a part of the Project Lead the Way program. Mrs. Motta and Mrs. Nolan first brought this idea to me in the fall, wrote a grant to receive funding for the training, and, with Mr. Prim's help, began the groundwork of bringing PLTW to our school. This is a program that Mr. Prim is very excited about and is something we believe will make St. Patrick stand out amongst the schools around us. Next year, Mr. Prim will teach STEM classes to our K-8 students, continue to coach FLL, and he will develop a STEM team of teachers at St. Patrick School who will lead professional development so that STEM education can become an even bigger part of the culture of our school.
As you know Early Childhood Education is vital to preparing students for lifelong learning. We have been fortunate at St. Patrick School to have maintained a strong Early Ed program over the years, but are constantly looking into how we can grow and make it more personalized. By working with our teachers, identifying their strengths and passions, looking at the incoming classes and their specific needs, we are excited to announce the following changes to our primary grades that I believe will enhance our early education program!
2nd Grade Teacher: Mrs. Hamilton, our current 3rd grade teacher, is excited to move into the 2nd grade teaching position next year! If your child has been lucky enough to have Mrs. Hamilton in the 3rd grade, you know that she creates hands on, engaging lessons for her students, while working to meet their individual needs on a daily basis. Her experience in the 3rd grade classroom will give her a unique perspective into the second grade curriculum, knowing what specific skills they need to master before moving onto the 3rd grade. She is excited to work with Mrs. Alexander and Miss Alsbach to add to the amazing Early Education program they have already worked hard to create.
3rd Grade Teacher: Third grade is a BIG year. It is a traditional year, when students first begin to receive letter grades and are first introduced to the Iowa Test. We are extremely excited to announce that Mrs. Motta, our current Inclusive Educator, has accepted the position of 3rd grade classroom teacher next year! Mrs. Motta has worked closely with our current 2nd grade class and Mr. Prim and will be able to create a seamless transition for the students between 2nd and 3rd grade. Mrs. Motta has singlehandedly brought in new reading programs to St. Patrick School that meet the needs of all learners, she has created individual learning plans for students, and has spent the the last quarter of virtual learning working one-on-one with her students to ensure their needs are met. We are incredibly excited to have her join our Early Ed program!
4th and 5th Grade: We have taken a look at our 4th/5th grade program to see how we can best meet our student needs and how we can meet the current health standards and precautions. Currently, our students switch for subject areas throughout the day, but looking towards the future, we feel a change needs to be made. Next year, our 4th and 5th graders will be in self- contained classrooms and will not switch classes for subject areas. It is our hope that creating self-contained classrooms will allow us to do more to meet our students individual needs, while helping us maintain a healthy classroom environment. Miss Ross will continue to teach our 4th grade students and Miss Berry will continue to teach our 5th grade students.
Inclusive Education: This year, Mrs. Nolan and Mrs. Motta split their time between Inclusive Education and STEM classes. While they did a fabulous job balancing these roles, both teachers felt like they weren't really able to give 100% to either role, because it was just so much and so different. This year, we wanted to give our Inclusive Educator a chance to focus on solely on the students involved in the Inclusive Education program! Next year, Mrs. Nolan will take on the full time role of Inclusive Education. She is incredibly excited to continue her work with her students and get to truly focus on each individual student's specific needs! We really believe this will give our students an even stronger learning experience!
Specials Changes in 2020-2021
Music: Mrs. Davis is excited to bring a 5th and 6th grade band to St. Patrick School next year! The hope is that by beginning with 5th and 6th grade, each year can grow into a 5th-8th grade program in the years ahead! She is also looking forward to expanding her Choir and Bell Choir programs, giving our students a well-rounded music education.
Art: We are currently in the process of bringing in some new ideas to our art program! Mrs. Haywood is full of amazing ideas that will be a huge addition to our program. Right now, we are working with her on scheduling (because we share her with another school) and will announce the changes to the program when we have them solidified.
Shout Out to St. Patrick School!
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2020-2021 Calendar (Subject to change if required)
St. Patrick School
Email: kmonaghan@stpatrickkc.com
Website: www.stpatrickkc.com
Location: 1401 Northeast 42nd Terrace, Kansas City, MO, USA
Phone: 816-453-0971
Facebook: facebook.com/St.PatrickKC
Twitter: @StPatrickKc