Ms. Monaghan's Message - August 23
Challenge, Inspire, Empower, & Serve
Important Upcoming Dates
Sept. 2: No School - Labor Day
Sept. 4: Sr. Judy's Birthday; St. Patrick Church Night - Celebrating Sr Judy, Mary Ragan, and Jean FolkenSept. 11: Mid-Term; Church Night
Sept. 18: Church Night
Sept. 25: Meet me at the Pole; Church Night
Sept. 27: Spirit Day
Picture Day - Monday, August 26
Students should dress in uniform for pictures, with the exception of 8th grade.
Join Yearbook Club!
Yearbook club is for students in grades 5-8 who will act as St. Patrick School historians by taking and/or collecting photos of activities that happen in their class or school (events, parties, field trips, class projects, etc.). Club members may also help with book design and layout.
Meetings/Work Sessions:
Yearbook Club will meet once or twice a month on Thursday afternoons from 3:15-4:30 in the Computer Lab. Tentative meeting dates are: Aug. 22, Sept. 26, Oct. 24, Dec. 12, Jan. 23, Feb. 20, March 5, April 23, May 7, May 14.
Questions/More Info:
Come to the first meeting on Thurs. August 22 3:15-4:30 to find out more and decide if Yearbook Club is for you! Contact Mrs. Prichard with any questions: maryprich@gmail.com
St. Patrick "Church Nights"
This year, as we prepare for our 25th anniversary in the new church building, St. Patrick is bringing back the idea that Wednesdays are "church nights". Each Wednesday, a light meal will be provided starting around 5:45pm - free of charge. Different groups in the church will take turns sponsoring the meals each week. If you want to bring a side dish to share, that would be great! If you simply don't have time, don't worry about it!
On "church nights", we will come together for a meal, then break off into different activities. Our youth will head to youth group, our groups might schedule a meeting, a group might get together to play a card game or have a bible study or just simply have some coffee and talk. If you can dream it, we can create a group for it!
Mark your calendars, because we are going to kick off "St. Patrick Church Nights" on Wednesday, September 4th. This evening will be a night to celebrate the 80th birthday of the one and only Sr. Judy Hayes and the retirement of 2 beloved parishioners, Mary Ragan and Jean Folken. You don't want to miss this special night!
See You at the Pole - Sept. 25
This year, we will hold monthly "family mass" days during our normal school mass time. We would love for parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings, etc. to attend mass with your child on these special Wednesdays throughout the year. Join us for our first "family mass" day right after the "See You at the Pole" event on September 25th.
Thank You!!
I especially want to send A HUGE shout out our fabulous PTO parents for getting pies and pizzas donated and for setting up and cleaning up last night. You are the cornerstone of this school and make all things possible. We are grateful for each and every one of you! (Side note: If you have not joined our PTO, I highly encourage you to do so today! Reach out to PTO President Vicki Williams at jvwilliams05@gmail.com to see how you can get involved!)
THANK YOU!!!!
Adding Payment to your Sycamore Account
Mrs. Eads will send directions home soon, so be on the lookout!
A Note from Ms. Monaghan
We've finished our first full week of the 2019-2020 school year and I could not be happier with the positive start we have had. It is an exciting time at St. Patrick School! Not only do we have many new faces in our building, but our returning students and families have really stepped in to make sure everyone feels right at home. Every time I walk into this building, I am overwhelmed with a sense of gratitude for the community of St. Patrick School!
This week, we have focused on initial testing and evaluating students, gathering data, and ensuring we are doing what each individual student needs to be successful. Many students have already completed a learning style assessment where he/she was able to see what type of learner he is and what ways she can study to find the greatest success. In the weeks ahead, we will use the data collected along with the student learning style assessment to create Individual Learning Plans for our students. These plans are to help us focus on areas of the greatest need for each student, while making every attempt to cater to his/her learning style. It's such exciting work and so important for our kids....but it takes time! With the help of our Inclusive Education teachers, Mrs. Nolan and Mrs. Motta, we are working hard to get this information gathered as quickly as possible. We're looking at where our students are right now, where they scored on their Iowa tests, where they scored on their diocesan benchmark tests, and for our younger students we are looking at running records and math skills assessments. Hopefully, by the start of next week, we will have students plans in place and be ready to jump in!
I'm exhausted just typing all of that! But what exciting work we are doing for our students!
All of that hard work aside, I truly believe that the #1 key to your child's success has nothing to do with what we are doing at school. The #1 key to your child's success is YOU! Creating a strong home/school connection is the most important thing we can do to ensure your child is staying on the right path and working towards a goal. Each year, I say this, but I'm going to say it again, because it is incredibly important. Communication between parents and teachers is the difference between a positive school experience and a negative one.
We are committed to keeping you in constant communication so that there are no surprises. Every Monday, you should receive an emailed newsletter from your child's teacher. This newsletter should contain all important information for the week ahead. Because we have had some email issues through Sycamore, if you do not receive this email by Monday evening, please contact your child's teacher to let him or her know. Even if you didn't receive the email, however, you can also find the newsletter on your Sycamore classroom home page. If you go to look for that newsletter and it isn't there, please contact your child's teacher.
On top of emails and classroom home pages, many teachers have created other means of communicating with you. This might be a class Facebook page, Class Dojo, or other social media outlets. You should have a variety of places where you can look to find information about your child's classroom. This is our commitment to you.
However, if there is a breakdown, if for some reason you don't receive an email, you can't find the newsletter on Sycamore, or the social media site hasn't been updated, please email or call the teacher to ask. Our teachers are working hard to be their best for your child, but they are human. I can assure you that none of them wants you to feel frustrated by a lack of communication. If you are ever unsure of something or looking for something that you can't find anywhere, please go directly to your child's teacher and voice your concern. Within 24 hours (during the week) or by Monday afternoon (if you've emailed after 3pm on Friday), your child's teacher will get back to you with the information you have requested.
We are all on the same team and we all want to see your child succeed! Not only that, we want to see him/her succeed while being motivated and excited to learn each day. We want to work WITH you to ensure this happens, so please...if there is ever a time you feel as if you aren't receiving what you need, please contact the teacher. Don't wait a few days, don't wait a few weeks. Contact the teacher immediately, so we can resolve the concern before it becomes a bigger problem.
You might have noticed a theme here. I know it seems redundant, but I cannot stress this enough. Don't sit on a concern. I've been there. I've let a little annoyance turn into a huge problem because I waited and waited and waited before I said anything. We don't want you to be waiting on anything! If you have a concern/question, please contact the teacher immediately, so we can work it out together.
Believe me when I tell you that in the blink of an eye, you'll be dropping them off at college and I want you to be able to do that with confidence. I want you to drive away after moving your child in knowing that you were able to provide him/her with an education that didn't just prepare him to be a good student, but to be a good person too. That's what we all want, isn't it? Let's work together to make sure we are on the right path!
St. Patrick School
Email: kcmon4@gmail.com
Website: stpatrickkc.com
Location: 1401 Northeast 42nd Terrace, Kansas City, MO, USA
Phone: (816)453-0971
Facebook: facebook.com/St.PatrickKC
Twitter: @StPatrickKc