Dear SKS Families,
SKS Advent and Christmas Events
Special Christmas events took place last week and this past weekend. Many thanks to Katie Brogan and her many elf helpers who made our Santa Secret Workshop a fun event for our students. This past Sunday, thanks to Renee de Gennaro, Alexis DiTomasso and many more volunteer elves, our Breakfast with Santa provided another family fun event for our parish and school community. Santa Claus photographer Julie Hayes requests that anyone who wants the electronic copy of their Santa picture to contact her by email.
The KG – 4 Christmas Concert is tonight in Church at 7 pm. Your child has been given specific instructions to wear their Sunday best dress for the evening and arrive no later than 6:45 pm in the Parish Center.
The 5th – 8th Christmas Tableau will be presented next Wednesday evening, December 20th, in church at 7 pm. Both nights will remind your hearts about the “reason for the season.”
First Trimester Report Cards
Report cards were given out yesterday by the homeroom teachers. Review both sides of the report card with your child. Keep the report card and send back the envelope signed, signifying that you have reviewed the report card with your child. This trimester is a summary result of three months of work by your child in partnership with the teachers and you. Stress the importance of consistency, responsibility, and each child being their own best advocate. Praise their consistent effort where shown rather than just grades. Celebrate strengths and accomplishments. Give encouragement in areas where any child can grow.
Morning Car Line
For morning car line: If you need for any reason to get out of the car to help your child, I’d ask you to pull up past the front doors of school and off towards the side so that other cars can continue the drop off and safely pull past you. This will allow the flow of traffic to move more quickly and help us run on time as a school. Thank you for doing this.
Mr. T. will talk to grades 6 to 8
At a point in time soon (yet to be determined), I will be addressing grades 6-8 on three topics that they need to hear about:
- The dangers of Vaping and Juuling (we are looking for a more knowledgeable speaker in this area for the future if you know of anyone.)
- Having a Growth Mindset vs. a Fixed Mindset
- False/Toxic Masculinity as it relates to adolescents and how they are expected to treat their female peers.
Newspaper Journalist /Author Art Carey meets with grades 5 to 8
Last Wednesday morning former Philadelphia Inquirer newspaper columnist and author Art Carey spoke to our 5th to 8th grade students about the writing process from his journalistic perspective. Mr. Carey was a consummate gentleman and scholar in addressing our students. They asked many great questions about his experiences. Mr. Carey acknowledged to students that writing can be a challenge and a difficult process. This is especially true at the beginning of the process, where almost everyone at some time or another experiences a form of writer’s block. He encouraged students to just put any words that come to mind down on paper first to start. He described writing as “thinking made visible.” He said, “The struggle to clarify your thoughts on paper forces you to think, and from that you become a better thinker, learner, and writer.” He encouraged students to be creative and described imagination “as intelligence having fun.” Below is a note he wrote to me after his visit. Bringing outside speakers into our school and providing real world education is an important part of the learning process for our students.
Best regards,
Bud
From Art Carey:
Dear Bud,
Thanks very much for your nice note, kind words and souvenir photographs. It was an honor and privilege to be able to share some of my thoughts about journalism and writing with your admirably attentive and curious students. I was impressed by their knowledge of current affairs and their astute, well-articulated questions. It was evident to me that SKS has a thriving, positive culture, and that is a tribute to your faculty leadership and passion for what they do. I hope you realize and are proud of the fact that you are making a real difference in your particular corner of the universe. May your holiday be full of happy times and fond family memories as well, and I hope our paths cross again soon.
Best wishes,
Art