April Newsletter
St. Dominic School 2020-2021
Principal's Message
Dear St. Dominic Families,
Easter will soon be here, and I am ready to celebrate. It feels like we have been in an extended season of Lent for the last year, doesn't it? At heart, though, we are an Easter people, which means that we believe our faith transforms everything, even death. St. Pope John Paul II said, "We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song." Belonging to God frees us to live the life God intends for us. We do not need to live in fear because we believe that Jesus rose from the dead and that we will also have eternal life. Being Easter people doesn't save us from suffering, but it does give us hope, and, at Easter, joy.
As we look ahead to summer, I want to share some exciting news. St. Dominic School will be offering FREE summer learning programming for our students. Using funding from the Emergency Assistance to Non-Public Schools Act, we are able to contract with Invested Learning to offer the following programming:
- The Power of Words: Literacy & Research Skills (K - 2, 3 - 5, 6 - 8)
- Numbers in the World (K - 2, 3 - 5, 6 - 8)
- Science and Engineering (K - 2, 3 - 5, 6 - 8)
- Learning and Organization (5 - 8)
Details and registration information will go out soon. I hope that you will take advantage of this opportunity to help your child reduce summer learning loss and start next school year strong.
As a school, we will be learning this month about St. Francis of Assisi. There is much we can take from his example. Students will learn about his life, and we will pray a prayer that is attributed to him. He is a perfect saint for spring, since he was so devoted to animals and caring for God's creation.
I wish you the very best during the Easter season. Have a safe and restful break.
God bless you,
Mrs. Covington
March Memories
Printable April Dates
Tomorrow's Leaders Start Here
Teachers, parents, and fellow students are encouraged to identify students who lead in worshipping, learning, serving, and connecting. These are students who go above and beyond by giving of their time, recognizing a need, and putting others ahead of themselves.
Learning Leaders
Mr. Weidig recognized the 8th grade Power of the Pen team members who qualified for regionals: Taia Menefee and Avalon Woconish. Avalon placed 12th out of all 8th graders at the competition.
Learning Leaders
Mr. Weidig recognized the 7th grade Power of the Pen team members who qualified for regionals: Claire Fagan, Alaina Longmeier, Cassidy McDonald, and Rosalind Roark. Rosalind placed 9th out of all the 7th graders.
Serving Leader
3rd grade student JAC Currid recognized 2nd grader Skylar Woods as a serving leader. He sent Mrs. Covington an email saying, "Yesterday I got the iPads when I first got to school to bring up to my classroom, but I can only take four. She helped me by carrying extras when she could have just gone to class. It was really helpful!” Skylar is a serving leader.
Connecting Leader
Mrs. Covington recognized Gavin Hurley in 6th grade. He made special St. Patrick’s Day cookies for the Alpha Jump students who were thrilled to have a delicious snack during their meeting. He is a connecting leader.
Serving Leader
Ms. Robinson recognized Quentin Johnson in 3rd grade for his help in the cafeteria. Quentin always makes sure there isn’t food on the floor. He offers to check beneath the tables. Q is a serving leader.
Learning Leader
Ms. Dunagan and Mrs. Wyborski recognized Tuck Hurst in 2nd grade. They asked him to build a 3-D model of a chicken for their classroom. It was way more work than he realized, but with some help at home, he got it built for them, and now the kindergarten students can see it.
AWARD WINNERS
Rockin' Roller Coaster Winners - 7th Grade
As voted on by school students and staff, the 7th grade roller coaster design contest winners were:
Honorable Mention - Caleb Cupp and Rylan Smith
3rd Place - Josie Bagne and Frances Weinberg
2nd Place - Lizzie Covington and Emily Currid
1st Place - Sidney Evans and Lindsey Gary
Each winner received a certificate and a Mitchell's gift card.
Rockin' Roller Coasters Winners - 8th Grade
As voted on by school students and staff, the 7th grade roller coaster design contest winners were:
Honorable Mention - Libby Linihan and Johan Serrano
3rd Place - Ariana Crespo and Avalon Woconish
2nd Place - Nick Iademarco and Ryan Pick
1st Place - Maddy Kuta and Olivia Rogers
Each winner received a certificate and a Mitchell's gift card.
NEOSEF Winners
7th Grade
Honorable Mention – Francesca Centanni
3rd Place – Cassidy McDonald and Rylan Smith
2nd Place ($25) – Josie Bagne
8th Grade
2nd Place ($25) – Ariana Crespo, Kirsten Ward, Taia Menefee, Ryan Pick, Avalon Woconish and Nick Iademarco
Special Awards
Francesca - ASM Int’l – Honorable Mention Certificate
Avalon and Rylan – Cuyahoga Valley Space Society – Honorable Mention Certificate
Nick – Cleveland Clinic – Dept of Psychiatry/Psychology - $50
Ariana – Cleveland Clinic – Dept of Biomedical Engineering - $50
Kirsten – Cleveland Regional Council of Science Teachers - $100
Taia – Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital – Community Care - $100; Holden Forests & Gardens – 2nd Place Award - $100 + 1-year Holden Arboretum Membership + invitation to present at their SEARCH Symposium in July; BROADCOM Masters - Nomination to present in Washington, D.C.
Not pictured: Rylan Smith and Avalon Woconish
Important Messages From the FEA
- Vice-President
- Treasurer
- Secretary
If you are interested or want to nominate someone for one of those positions, send President Leandra Alvis-Jackson an email at kaykay2me@aol.com.
Don't forget to order dinner from Piada on Thursday, April 15. St. Dominic School gets 20% of all proceeds.
Bulldog Club News
A Message from Athletic Director, Tim Sokal:
Hello Bulldogs,
Thanks to all the families that are participating in spring sports here at St Dominic! Our Track, Rugrats Track, Girls Lacrosse and Tennis teams have full rosters and our student athletes will be ready for competition this month. Special THANK YOU to our coaches, assistant coaches and parent volunteers for getting practices going while doing what we can to keep everyone safe as possible. We can always use extra parent helpers with temperature checks, covid questions checklist, or assisting with practice so please follow up directly with the head coach on your availability to help.
We hope all of our athletes stay safe, give 100%, and enjoy themselves!
Enjoy your break!
Support SDS While You Shop
Sign up at your grocery store of choice to earn money for St. Dominic School each time you go to the store.
Giant Eagle https://schools.gianteagle.com/ (note: if you have signed up earlier, you don't need to do it again)
Catholic Education in the News
Teaching is a Vocation
How do you know when something is essential? After almost 20 years in education, this is the first time my vocation as a teacher has fallen in the “essential” category. Since then, I have been pondering a deeper question: What is it that makes Catholic education, in particular, essential?
Partners in Faith Publication
Family Calendar
Here is the link for ical: https://calendar.google.com/calendar/ical/info%40stdominicschool.net/public/basic.ics
The iCal must be periodically refreshed to keep it in synch with the Google calendar.
St. Dominic School
Email: info@stdominicschool.net
Website: www.stdominicschool.net
Location: 3455 Norwood Road, Shaker Heights, OH, USA
Phone: (216)561-4400
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stdominicschool/?ref=bookmarks
Twitter: @StDomShaker