Happy Wednesday!

I hope that everyone is settling in to the new school year nicely. Can you believe that mid-term progress reports go home in just 2 weeks? Here are some good strategies for all students (and a great reminder to the rest of us):

• Get Organized - Do you have a system of keeping papers organized? A binder and dividers for the older kids is perfect!! Maybe a folder works for the little ones!
  
• Know the Expectations - How do you know what is due and when? Do you use a planner?
  
• Designate a Study Area - Do you have a space to study at home where you can stay focused?
  
• Develop a Study Plan - How do you navigate the deadlines that are longer term...i.e. spelling tests on Fridays??
  
• Think Positively - Even if this subject isn't your strength, are you thinking positively and believing that you can always get better...one step at a time?
  
• Create a Study Group - Do you have a group of friends that you can contact in case you need help understanding your homework (in both languages)?
  
• Practice Active Listening - Are you allowing others to help you and listening to them?
  
• Review Test-Taking Strategies - Do you study a little each night, get plenty of sleep and follow other good test-taking strategies?
  
• Read Actively - Are you just skimming the material or do you really dive into what you are reading?
  
• Look to the Future - Do you think about developing good study habits and how your academics can impact future possibilities?
  

These are some good reminders. Beyond these, however, please don't hesitate to stay in close contact with your child's/children's teachers via email or in person. Making sure that everyone is working together as a team is the best way to ensure each child's success!

Blessings,

Katie Dempsey

Principal

Thursday, 9/27 - Communication Envelopes due back to the office, Pay2Dress ($2 per student to wear "free dress") to support our NPH kiddos, Brayan and Kenia. ***Please make sure that "free dress" is appropriate for a Catholic school. For example, students should not wear items that are tight, torn, or have inappropriate sayings.

Friday, 9/28 - All School Mass at 9 am and Student Awards for September (Compassion)

CHOCOLATE:

Each family who hasn't "bought out" of the chocolate sale MUST sell 2 boxes of chocolate.

BIG NEWS: For families who sell 5 or more boxes, the students in those families will get a free dress pass! These will be sent home on Wednesday, Oct. 10th!!

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CATALOGS:

Online Orders Accepted too!

Families can send the online store code to others to buy online and be part of their sales.

Updates regarding Shipping:

• If the family ships to the school, it will be free shipping.

• If the family buys more than $75 worth of products online and has delivery to their house, then it is also free shipping (from the catalogs that we sent).

• If the family orders online and ships to their home address and the order is less than $75 worth of products, the family must pay for shipping.

This is not a requirement. If students fill out those forms with their families and friend's names and address, students will get little prizes. Then, when they place an order, the the school will get a 40% profit, BUT It will not count as a part of the $250 sales.

Reminder: There are three options for the Spring Fundraiser:

• Option 1. Knockout your fundraising now, by participating in the catalog sales with Great American. Families must sell AT LEAST $250 to fulfill the Spring Fundraising commitment. no partial fundraising will be accepted.

• Option 2. Participate in a future Spring Fundraiser in the Spring.

• Option 3. You can just skip it and write a check for $100 (billed in the Spring).

MAP is a computer adaptive test, which means every student gets a unique set of test questions based on responses to previous questions. As the student answers correctly, questions get harder. If the student answers incorrectly, the questions get easier. By the end of the test, most students will answer about half the questions correctly. This is important for students to understand!!

MAP can follow students wherever they are starting from, regardless of the grade they are in. For instance, if a third grader is actually reading like a fifth grader, MAP will be able to identify that. Or, if a fifth grader is doing math like a third grader, MAP will identify that. Both things are incredibly important for a teacher to know, so that they can plan instruction efficiently. MAP covers reading, language usage, and math. You can find more information at: https://www.nwea.org/blog/2016/answers-to-the-top-6-questions-parents-ask-about-the-map-test/

Each child in grades 2 - 8 will take the reading, language, and math test in the fall and in the spring (to show student growth). The teachers are scheduling their testing this week and we will begin next Monday. Please check in with your child's teacher if you have any questions!

I hope that everyone is transitioning well back into the school schedule and routine. If I haven’t met you, my name is Sarah McKinney and I am the Development Director for the school. I am responsible for the school's large fundraising events, which include the Annual Fund Appeal, Gala, and Auction. You will hear more about these major fundraising events throughout the year as I solicit families to help volunteer.

Annual Fund will be kicking off shortly. I will send out more details about this fund via the newsletter and the weekly communication envelopes. This fund is important to our school as it helps fund curriculum, staff training, financial aid, and many other initiatives. As it states in the Parent Commitment Form that each family signed with their registration packet, every family is expected to donate to the Annual Fund (in an amount appropriate to the family’s circumstances). A fee of $50 will be billed to any family who does not make a donation by January 1, 2019. We hope that you will prayerfully reflect on what is the appropriate amount for your family.

If you haven’t done so already, like us on Facebook! We share a lot of great information here along with posting photos of our wonderful students (and emergency closures). You can find us at: https://www.facebook.com/HolyRosaryTacoma/

Any questions or comments, you can reach me at: smckinney@holyrosarybilingual.org.

Notes for this week:

Congrats to all of our Hawks for their hard work at last week's meet!

Practices - We will have practice on Monday and Friday this week from 3-4 PM. There will be NO practice for the 4-8th graders on Wednesday! Please encourage your child to run a little at home on Wednesday!

Our meet for next Sunday Sept. 30th was cancelled due to a scheduling conflict at Mt. Tahoma. It is being rescheduled for Sunday Oct. 14th.