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PRINCIPAL'S
CORNER
March 15, 2010
In my first year as administrator at SPX, I am continually impressed with the many PTO sponsored events and the caliber in which the events are executed. A recent example of this was the Health Fair that was held here a couple of weeks ago. What a fantastic educational experience with many, many hands-on activities for kids and adults. The focus of the day was life-long wellness and health, which parallels Mrs. Heisserer’s PE program. Some of the booths featured were the amount of sugar in soda pop, fat content in snack items and fast food, bicycle safety, dental health, hand washing, portion distortion (what equals one portion), NIFS stimulation of Olympic games, heart scans, yoga, and home safety. This is just a partial listing of all the activities of the day. I would like to thank Co-Chairs Christine Marsella and Kathleen Prechtel for this awesome, educational experience for our students and families. Take these great ideas with you on spring break.
Speaking of Spring Break, remember there will be no school this Friday, March 19th, so rejoice, relax and rejuvenate and we’ll see you back here on Monday, March 29, 2010.
Remember to continue to pray for each other,
—Bill and Theresa
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PRINCIPAL'S
CORNER
March 8, 2010
Last week was a busy one for SPX. We concluded the first round of ISTEP Testing. This round covered Applied Skills or open-ended questions in Math, Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies. Multiple Choice questions will be covered in the April Testing Session. The week ended with the school carnival “Under the Big Top” and the Middle School Dance; a great way to reward the kids for their week of hard work! The Athletic Committee also held their Bingo fundraiser on March 6th. It was a very enjoyable evening, and all the proceeds go to helping our kids have what they need in their sports programs.
The Book Fair is taking place in the Library this week. Students will have the opportunity to purchase great literature to have at home for their own libraries. They really enjoy reading books that they have selected themselves. Teachers also will have wish lists of books that they would love to have in their classroom libraries, also.
The 5th and 6th Graders will attend Exchange City on Friday. This educational opportunity takes place at the Junior Achievement Center right over on Keystone. It is a great program to help students understand civic responsibilities and managing a budget. They have been preparing for this day for several weeks and have even chosen elected representatives to run the government for the day.
The 3rd Quarter ends on Friday, March 12th. Report Cards will be distributed to K-2 and uploaded for 3-8 on the 18th. It is hard to believe that we are about to move into the 4th Quarter! Where has the year gone?
Remember to continue to pray for each other,
—Bill and Theresa
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PRINCIPAL'S
CORNER
March 1, 2010
It is ISTEP time again! 3rd-8th Grade students will begin testing tomorrow (Tuesday) , March 2nd in the morning. Tests will take place on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday in the morning hours. As a result, we will not have Mass on Wednesday morning, but on Friday afternoon at 1:30 pm instead. Thanks to Father Jerry for accommodating us to allow for morning testing all week.
Here are a few reminders for the week:
- Get to bed on time—Students can think much better when they are not tired.
- Eat a good breakfast—Keeping the blood sugar level steady helps kids focus. Some suggestions include scrambled eggs for protein, warm oatmeal for protein, fiber, and carbohydrates, low sugar cereals like Cheerios, Crispix, or shredded wheat, whole wheat bagel and cream cheese, yogurt with granola for calcium.
- Get to school on time—kids will be calm and steady, ready to think when they arrive on time and their morning begins smoothly
- Have healthy snacks—apples slathered with peanut butter, cheese cubes and wheat crackers, mixed berries stirred into plain or vanilla yogurt, carrots with ranch dip, trail mix with cashews, peanuts, bagel chips & pretzel sticks, raisins
- Get some exercise and fresh air—playing outside, even when cold, (you can bundle up), helps to ease the tension of the day, increases oxygen levels, and keeps the blood flowing through the brain.
- Have family dinners—healthy meals together with lots of conversation and laughter about the events of the day will help students unwind and relax.
Encourage your children to do their best, but don’t put too much pressure on them. These tests are one snapshot of their progress; we have many other ways to indicate student achievement. Thanks for all that you do to help our children succeed!
Remember to continue to pray for each other,
—Bill and Theresa
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PRINCIPAL'S
CORNER
February 22, 2010
Is it spring yet? This has certainly been an unusual period for schools, hasn’t it? When the calendar is set, we schedule a long weekend in February built around President’s day. This is intentional because everyone needs a little break during these long, gray, winter days. However, having a day mandated by the Archbishop, as well as snow days and late arrivals due to weather conditions all at the same time was not in the plan. We appreciate your understanding!
Speaking of understanding, the administration has tried to be understanding about those families who are continually tardy in the morning. Unfortunately, that understanding is running very thin at this time. We realize that on days of bad weather students are likely to be late. That is why we do not mark them tardy on those days. We also take into account those times when an automobile accident snarls traffic. We do not mark students tardy on those days either. Unfortunately, we have some students (families) who are tardy constantly, some as many as 30 times since the beginning of the year. Now, since our students do not drive themselves to school, who is truly at fault here? It would seem to be the adult who is driving.
Some jobs allow for a window of arrival. If you get there between 8:00 and 8:30, you are on time. Schools do not operate that way. Required activities begin when that bell rings at 8:00. If a student arrives at 8:05 or 8:15, they have already missed something important, whether it is math class or prayer. Besides that, their tardy arrival disrupts all of the other students in their classroom as they hang coats and put away books and papers.
If your child is indeed the cause for the late arrivals, then the principal is ready and willing to have a firm discussion with them. You just need to let him know that you would like this to happen. Punctuality and dependability are Gospel values that we teach and enforce at St. Pius X. We hope, because you have enrolled your children at St. Pius X, that you believe in these values, also. Families who continue to abuse this should expect a call from Mr. Herman to discuss the problem.
Remember to continue to pray for each other,
—Bill and Theresa
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PRINCIPAL'S
CORNER
February 1, 2010
Parent-Tween Night:
A huge thank you to Steve Kelly, a St. Pius X School parent, and Diana Rauschhaupt, a St. Pius X parishioner, who spoke to families and their children last Monday evening. Mr. Kelly highlighted information about internet usage that all parents need to know in order to monitor the safety of their children when using this tool for communication. Mrs. Rauschhaupt informed us of a new program designed to help teens forge healthy relationships that will be initiated with our 7th Grade students.
Several extremely important points were made. First, information and photos sent electronically by cell phone or internet are public forever. They can always be retrieved by someone with technical knowledge. Second, never send anything by cell phone or internet that you would not want your grandmother, school principal, college admissions officer, or future employer to discover. Many colleges and businesses are now routinely checking sites such as Facebook to see what kinds of things their applicants have posted or said. Third, children should not have an expectation of privacy in the home. Parents have a right and an obligation to know what their children are involved with in order to protect them. These are all vital points to consider!
Catholic Schools Week:
This week we celebrate Catholic Schools Week. The theme is Catholic Schools-Dividends for Life. All of our students have been asked to think about how our Catholic school will provide them with dividends in the future. We look forward to hearing their thoughts on what they think their Catholic Education will mean to them in the years to come. St. Pius X School is very proud of our legacy of providing our students with a top-notch education and a love of their faith. We look forward to continuing this wonderful ministry for youngsters well into the future.
Children’s Collection:
Since we have recently had several collections to support relief efforts in Haiti, there will be no Children’s Collection at school next week. We will resume our children’s collection for the parish on March 3rd, the first Wednesday in March.
School Registration:
If you have not yet sent in your school registration information and deposit which was attached to last week’s Purple & Gold Newsletter, please do so as soon as possible. Remember, no Facts payment was collected during January to a facilitate this registration payment. We appreciate your help with this so that we can begin the planning processes for the 2010-2011 school year.
Remember to continue to pray for each other,
—Bill and Theresa
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PRINCIPAL'S
CORNER
January 25, 2010
Parent-Student Meeting Tonight:
Remember that this evening at 6:30 pm in the Church there will be a presentation on Cyber Safety and Building Healthy Relationships. These two topics are very important for our young people today. It is up to us to learn the obstacles and dangers that face our children so that we can provide them the guidance they need in the use of the technology that is available to them. All 5th-8th Grade students and parents are invited to attend, as well as parents of any of our younger students. Parents, we ask that your children sit with you during the presentation.
Catholic Schools Week:
Next week is our annual observance of Catholic Schools Week; a time to celebrate the great things that we have in our Catholic Schools. We have an planned a full agenda of activities for the students (and parents, too).
February 1st - Hobby Show, Pajama Day, Student Appreciation, Bingo
February 2nd - Underground Railroad Storytelling
February 3rd - Parent Appreciation Day
February 4th - Staff Appreciation Day, Math Mania, Spell Bowl
February 5th - Spirit Day, Pep Rally/Volleyball Game, Winter Carnival, and Middle School Dance
Winter Carnival will have a new format. We invite everyone to come and enjoy the fun! Middle School students will have a dance and party in the gym while the carnival is taking place. They will have food and music and fun! This will be a nice perk for them instead of their working the games for the younger students.
Younger students and families will have plenty of games, and food will be available “Under the Big Top” in Ross Hall. What a great way to put the finishing touches on our week-long celebration!
Let’s continue to pray for each other,
—Bill and Theresa
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PRINCIPAL'S
CORNER
January 19, 2010
Many important things are taking place at SPX.
On January 25th at 6:30 PM in the Church, Mr. Steve Kelly, an FBI agent on the Cyber Crime Task Force, talked to 5th-8th Graders and their parents about digital safety. Also Diana Ruschhaupt , Director of Programs for the Ruth Lilly Health Education Center, gave tips on how teens can develop healthy relationships in a digital world. We are so fortunate that each of these speakers is associated with our parish.
We are sorry about the unexpected day off last week. It does appear that the “One Call” system worked well. Only about three or four cars showed up at school, and we did not have the proper phone number for them. This is a good time to remind you to inform the office of any changes in your contact information so that we can always reach you in an emergency situation. Because we had a couple of extra days built into the school calendar, we will not have to make up this day. So Monday, February 15th we will still celebrate President’s Day.
Finally, we will took up a collection at Mass on Wednesday, January 20th from the children to send to Haiti through Catholic Relief Services.
Let’s continue to pray for each other,
—Bill and Theresa
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PRINCIPAL'S
CORNER
January 11, 2010
We are excited to tell you about an informative evening that we have planned for 5th-8th Grade parents and students on January 25, 2010! Mr. Steven Kelly, one of our own parents who is an FBI agent on the Cyber Crime Task Force, will speak to us about how to be safe in the ever changing world of Cyberspace. Parents and students will learn about the do’s and don’ts of internet usage, sending text messages, and posting photos on sites such as Facebook.
The evening will also include a presentation by another of our distinguished parishioners, Diana Ruschhaupt, who is director of Programs at the Ruth Lilly Health Education Center. She will be talking about how to encourage our children to develop healthy relationships and how to spot problems and solve them before they become insurmountable.
More detailed information about the evening will be forthcoming, but we want you to put this evening on your calendar now. The education of our students emotionally, as well as academically, is the reason that St. Pius School is in operation. The safety of our children is paramount. We invite all 5th-8th Grade students and parents, and any parents of younger students who wish to attend, to join us for this important and informative evening. Let’s continue to pray for each other,
—Bill and Theresa
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PRINCIPAL'S
CORNER
January 4, 2010
Happy New Year to all of our families! We hope that each of you had a wonderful holiday and that you had an opportunity to experience the joy that always accompanies the birthday of Jesus.
It does not seem possible that 2010 has arrived! Wasn’t it only yesterday that we entered the new millennium with all of the fears that accompanied it? Now after the first decade, we enter a new year reinvigorated and renewed. As most people do at this time, we all should make resolutions; promises to ourselves to do things in a better or at least a new way for the coming year. Some ideas might be to rely more on God by trusting in His love and care for us; to refresh ourselves more often by taking time to enjoy our families and the happiness that they bring to us; to renew our minds through a few minutes of prayer and meditation each day; and to rejuvenate our bodies by taking time several days each week for a brisk walk or some other exercise.
Students can rededicate themselves to doing their best work and offering it up as a birthday present to Jesus; they can refocus their minds on what the teacher is
asking them to do in the classroom; and they can recommit themselves to learning as much as they can to prepare themselves for the future.
We hope that everyone in our St. Pius X family will have a wonderful 2010, and that God will continue to bless us with His grace and peace. Let’s continue to pray for each other.
—Bill and Theresa
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PRINCIPAL'S
CORNER
December 14, 2009
School Closing Policies:
This week’s inclement weather reminded us that it is time to review the school closing information that you may need to know this winter. Hopefully, we will never need to implement these procedures; however, please keep
them handy in case they are needed. Should it become necessary to close the school or institute a 2-hour delay, you will
receive a call using the One Call System that we began last year. This means that you will receive an automated call on all of the phone numbers that you have authorized informing you of this closing or delay. When you answer the phone, there will
be a quick chime “tone” followed by Mr. Herman’s recorded voice announcing the message. There may be a delay of a few seconds before you hear the voice, so don’t hang up immediately.
In addition, the major TV stations (WRTV 6, WISH 8, WTHR 13, WXIN 59) will be informed, and they will include the information for “St. Pius X School” in the runner that goes across the bottom of the screen. You may also check their websites for confirmation of the closing or delay. Christmas at St. Pius X: With that business being completed, we want to take this opportunity to wish everyone a happy and holy Christmas. Watching the children’s faces light up when they saw the bulletin board with the Christmas tree in the main hall, to the excitement of the 3rd Grade as they completed their play, makes us all remember the joy of being a child at Christmas. Everyone has been so generous in sharing their time and talents. The choir under the direction of Mrs. Kirch, the 5th Grade carolers who visited nursing homes, the 3rd Grade outstanding production of The Mystery of Simon Shepherd, and the 1st Grade Nativity Pageant could not have been so successful without the hard work of all the teachers, (Mrs. Chriss, Mrs. Kavanaugh, Mrs. O’Brien, Mrs. Alonzo, Mr. Doyle, Ms. Mattingly, Ms. Prickel, Mrs. Austin, Mrs. Stocker, Mrs. Kirch, Mrs. Wagner, Ms. Warrick, Mrs. Ritter, the assistants,
Mrs. Schurwonn, Mrs. Winchester, Mrs. Bolt,) and the parents who provided the costumes.
It is in watching the faces of the children as they sing of the greatest Christmas gift of all, Jesus, the Son of God, that we remember the meaning of this holy day. It helps us remember why we sacrifice to work at and send our children to a Catholic school where the love of God for us can be celebrated with joy all year long! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Let’s continue to pray for each other.
—Bill & Theresa
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PRINCIPAL'S
CORNER
December 7, 2009
Last week you heard about the Monarch butterfly project involving the 5th Grade. Several other interesting and highly educational projects are going on in other classrooms. Mrs. Tierney and Mrs. Farrell led the Kindergarten classes in the celebration of “Turkey Day” just before the Thanksgiving break. I’m sure that the students felt like this was a day to play and have fun. Little did they know that great learning was going to take place as they enjoyed new experiences. They participated in music and dancing to work on their gross motor skills; they heard a story about a turkey which increased their listening skills. They made Native American hats and learned how the Native Americans did brave acts to earn feathers for their hats. Cutting the feathers helped them work on their fine motor skills through cutting and on their Math skills through patterning. They made bird feeders and learned about science and helping the environment. They made Thanksgiving cards which increased their writing skills. Could you ever imagine that so much learning could take place while children frolicked and romped?
Mrs. Ritter and Ms. Warrick recently arranged for first and second graders to have a visit from a man who gave them great information on bats. This science presentation provided them great insight into the reason that bats are very essential parts of the environment. They learned about the life cycle of bats, and the ways in which bats are a benefit to our neighborhoods. They learned that many homes have bat houses in their yards to encourage bats to be in the area because they eat mosquitoes which remove these disease producing insects from our environment. Besides the obvious science lesson, these students also increased their listening skills. They read about bats, wrote about bats and used bats in their math activities. Amazing how one topic can provide so many learning opportunities!
The older students also learn in unique ways through literature. Mrs. Taber is such a wealth of knowledge on adolescent literature, constantly bringing in new books that appeal to this age group. After reading a recent book, 6th grade students created a quilt with squares that used drawings to represent and compare and contrast the various characters in the story. This caused them to synthesize what they learned about the character into a representative drawing. 7th grade students were challenged to write poems in two voices. These poems compared characters from two books that they had read. This activity caused them to reflect on what they knew about the characters and to use good vocabulary to create these poems. Both of these skills are essential to good reading comprehension. 8th Grade delves into the events surrounding the Holocaust thorough reading The Diary of Anne Frank, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, and other books of their own choosing. They then are challenged to create a newspaper in which they must prioritize the events that have taken place in the stories, analyze them and apply what they know to write news stories that report on the horrors that occurred and the attitudes of bystanders. Again, the students are learning while facing a challenge and using their creativity. All of these teachers provide authentic learning activities that will allow their students to remember and understand these lessons.
Let’s continue to pray for each other.
—Bill & Theresa
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PRINCIPAL'S
CORNER
November 30, 2009
MONARCHS IN SPACE
As parents, we hear about and even help with many activities at school. Have you ever stopped to think about the authentic learning that takes place when students step away from their books and use technology and real life experiences at school?
Maybe you have heard about the Monarchs in Space project that the 5th Grade is involved in. The space shuttle Atlantis launched into space on Monday Nov. 16 (as the 5th graders watched on NASA TV) to work at the ISS, but they also took 3 live MONARCH CATERPILLARS! Working with Monarch Watch at the University of Kansas, the space crew will be studying the effect of weightlessness on these caterpillars/butterflies. Participating classrooms across the country (like Mrs. Chriss’ class) received 6 caterpillars to raise simultaneously with those in space…with all environmental conditions the same except for gravity. Students will be comparing their monarchs’ growth and development to those in space! They are observing, measuring, collecting and recording data, learning more about gravity, hypothesizing the outcomes of the challenges monarchs will face in space, and connecting to the real world in an exciting way! Check out the website www.monarchwatch.org/space daily for updated photos/videos/articles about this amazing project!
TEACHER OF THE YEAR
This type of learning takes place daily in fifth grade
teacher Mary Chriss’ class. Mrs. Chriss was recently named the Teacher of the
Year for SPX. We are very proud to have Mrs. Chriss represent our teaching staff
as an exemplary teacher. Mr. Caron shared some insight into Mrs. Chriss teaching,
and we too, agree with his words.
Mr. Caron writes, “during my career in Catholic education, I have not met anyone
who has taken her vocation as a Catholic schoolteacher more seriously than Mary.
She assumes such personal responsibility for the kind of education her students
receive. During my time at the school, I asked teachers to submit bimonthly “teacher binders” to showcase effective instructional strategies as well as specific
student work. Mary took this task as seriously as anyone on the staff. She would
submit her binder with a lengthy written reflection replete with rationales for the
instructional decisions she made. She would often ask questions as well, as a way to
receive additional ideas about the lesson.
When confronted with new ideas and practices that have the potential to improve
the quality of teaching and learning for her students, Mary embraces change in a
way that is rare among veteran teachers. Two years ago, Mary was asked if she
would be interested in learning more about the purposes and functions of a Smartboard.
Knowing that others had used it effectively to engage students, Mary’s enthusiasm
was unbelievable! As she does with any new idea, Mary quickly established
herself as one of the leaders in the building using technology to benefit student
learning. Having attended the National Educational Conference for Computing the
past three years, Mary embraces tech-rich ideas as a way to stimulate student
thinking in her English, Reading and Social Studies units.
Mary Chriss embodies all of the possible commitments, attitudes and habits of mind
one could ask from a Catholic educator. She is gentle, funny and compassionate in
her dealings with students. She is smart, thoughtful, resourceful and truly imaginative
in her teaching. Mary speaks to the students in her classroom with respect.
She talks to them with a gentleness and sense of understanding. Her peers and
parents see this as well. As part of a prior survey that was administered to parents,
they pointed out, above all, how much their students had come to love learning in Mary’s class. Her wonderful personality and effective planning had
changed their view toward learning!
Outside the door of Mary Chriss’ 5th grade classroom is a sign that reads “Let go
and let God.” Mary has a deep faith that underscores the reason why she is so
passionate about Catholic education. She believes in every student’s potential
and works with those that need her help the most. She consistently requests to
have the most challenging students assigned to her class as she loves the challenge
of meeting their needs. Her faith-in-action is a model for others on the
staff!”
Congratulations, Mary Chriss,
you are a shining star at SPX and we value what you do for our students!
If you want to observe a true St. Pius X teacher make an appointment to come
observe her in action-you will not be disappointed. Let’s pray for each other,
Bill and Theresa
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PRINCIPAL'S
CORNER
November 16, 2009
This week will be rather calm around the school. So many exciting and wonderful activities have been taking place that it is good for us to experience some quiet. This brings to mind the peace that Father Jerry talked about at Mass last Wednesday; a peace that brings us all together to enjoy the gifts we have been given.
THANKSGIVING MASS
We will celebrate this peace during our Thanksgiving Mass on Wednesday 11-18-09. Miss Mattingly’s students will plan this Mass. We are so thankful for all the gifts we have received from God, especially His peace and love, and we know that not everyone has all of the gifts that we are fortunate to have. As a way of sharing what we have, we will be collecting non-perishable food items to deliver to Anna’s House, which was founded by the late Lucious Newsome. We ask that you check to make sure that the freshness dates on the goods that you so generously send in are not expired.
VETERANS’ DAY THANKS
We want to thank our 1st Graders, their tireless teachers Ms. Warrick and Mrs. Ritter, their assistants Mrs. Schurwonn and Mrs. Winchester, and Mrs. Kirch for the beautiful Mass last Wednesday and the program following to honor our Veterans. It was both spiritual and patriotic and the visiting veterans as well as the entire student body enjoyed their presentation and music!
BATS
On Thursday 1st and 2nd Graders enjoyed a presentation about bats. They learned that these misunderstood mammals are extremely helpful in nature, eating many insects especially mosquitoes.
FIELD TRIPS
We do have some classes taking field trips this week. 7th and 8th Grade PE classes will travel to the Carmel Ice Skadium to enjoy some time on the ice. They will discover that they will use their muscles in a completely different way than they are used to in their usual sports activities! 7th Grade goes on Wednesday and 8th Grade on Friday. 2nd Graders will travel to the Ruth Lilly Health and Education Center on Friday for a program about the five senses.
COFFEE WITH THE PRINCIPAL
Don’t forget to join me for coffee and a casual chat on Friday, November 20th at 8 am in Ross Hall!
It continues to be a busy time. Let’s pray for each other.
-Bill and Theresa
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PRINCIPAL'S
CORNER
November 9, 2009
BLUE JEANS & BLING
Congratulations to the “Blue Jeans ‘N Bling” committee
for a wonderful dinner-dance and auction on Saturday evening. It was a tremendous gala! The “Bling Factor” was off the charts! Seriously, everyone at SPX is indebted to the committee, the entire PTO, and all the members of the St. Pius X
community who contributed gifts and attended the festivities. Without all of your
hard work and generosity, the evening would not have been possible. The St. Pius X
PTO certainly plays an integral part in the success of our Blue Ribbon School. Without
your support, we would never be able to achieve what we do!
MUNDO BEAT!
One of the wonderful benefits provided to our students by the
PTO is an exposure to different cultures. This was certainly evident last Tuesday
when our students were on their feet and dancing to the Latin music of Mundo Beat!
This trio of musicians plus a vocalist explained the origins of several types of Latin
music from “salsa” to the “cha-cha”. The musicians demonstrated how instruments
with which the students were familiar, the piano, bass, and drums when played with
a Latin beat, produced the music of our Hispanic neighbors and friends. You would
be surprised at the great dancers that we have among our students and our faculty!
Thank you so much PTO!! Our students were also introduced to the Hispanic celebration
of Day of the Dead which is akin to our All Souls Day. Mrs. Marcella Burnell
spoke to the students after Mass and explained this wonderful tradition in which
ancestors are remembered with a day of cemetery clean-up, music, feasting, and
telling stories about the deceased family members. Our Spanish teacher, Mrs.
Karen Pollack, had the students make Day of the Dead Altars which were on display
in the Church Narthex. Mrs. Burnell explained this tradition, also.
VETERANS’ DAY CELEBRATION
The First Grade will again be honoring our veterans
on Wednesday, Veterans Day. We will celebrate Mass beginning at 8:30 am and
then proceed to Ross Hall where the students will present a program honoring these
patriotic members of our community. We look forward to welcoming parishioners as
well as other visitors to this celebration. Thanks to the First Grade students and
teachers for their hard work in preparing for this important day!
8th GRADE RETREAT
8th Grade students were out of the building on their annual
retreat at St. Meinrad on October 29th and 30th. This trek has become a highlight
of the 8th Grade year as it provides the students with a glimpse of part of the
Church that they don’t often get to see, monastic life. In addition to attending a
Vespers Service in which they get to hear the monks singing in Gregorian chant as
they pray the Evening Prayers, the students also are treated to a tour of the monastery
in which they get to see the Abbey Church as well as the Benedictine Chapter
Room where the monks conduct their meetings. The students also have the opportunity
for Reconciliation. Receiving this sacrament in this quiet enclave is very
meaningful to them. The first evening concludes with a panel consisting of seminarians
and a sister who talk to the students about their own vocations. The students
are encouraged to be prayerful and open to what God may be calling them to do in
both the religious and the secular sense. The students also participate in activities
in which they think about the foundations of their own lives, leadership qualities
that they will be called on to exhibit, and how their actions toward others affect
their relationship with Jesus. One final piece of the retreat is accomplished when
the students discern their leadership team for the year. This year they chose
Owen Adams, Joe Hoffman, Matt Hoffmire, and Claire Manuszak to represent
them. These leaders will work with Mr. Herman and the Community Council of class
representatives to plan various activities for the remainder of the year.
HALLOWEEN
On October 30th many strange beings could be seen roaming
the halls of St. Pius School. All students participated in Halloween celebrations
as they prepared for the big night on October 31st. Primary students had
their classroom parties and also participated in a costume contest sponsored and
judged by the 2nd and 3rd Grade Community Council Representatives.. All of the
students had outstanding costumes, but some of them were judged to be winners.
They include the following:
| |
Mrs. Ritter |
Miss Warrick |
Mrs. Austin |
| Most Beautiful: |
Colleen Lelle |
Audry Russell |
Meggie McPherson |
| Scariest: |
Brennan Krug |
Joe Calvert |
Wyatt Schrader |
| Most Unusual: |
Isabella Velasco |
Sarah Navarra |
Erin Knutson |
| |
Mrs. Stocker |
Miss Prickel |
Miss Mattingly |
| Most Beautiful: |
Sydney Sorenson |
Megan Moriarty |
Molly Keating |
| Scariest: |
Sarah Ashburn |
Jack Burnell |
Drew Murray |
| Most Unusual: |
Elaine Dorsey |
Grant Clark |
Maddie Lee |
4th-7th Grade students donned their costumes and participated in “Let’s Make a
Deal,” a game show format with prizes and fun that had been planned by the 4th-8th Grade Community Council Representatives. They too had a wonderful time
and look forward to next year’s edition!
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PRINCIPAL'S
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November 2, 2009
Please wish Principal Bill Herman a speedy recovery from his cold and pray that
Assistant Principal Theresa Desautels along with all the SPX 8th Grade students
enjoyed their trip to St. Meinrad. Mr. Herman and Mrs. Desautels will be back for
comments in next week’s newsletter.
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PRINCIPAL'S
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October 26, 2009
H1N1 Information
Many important items need to be addressed today starting with the H1N1 flu. We
are closely monitoring the situation here at St. Pius X and will keep you informed
about our conditions. At this time we are thoroughly cleaning school surfaces on a
daily basis. Teachers are sanitizing desk tops, and the maintenance staff is sanitizing
doorknobs and cafeteria tables and chairs each day. We are also making sure
that children wash their hands or use hand sanitizers regularly. The Board of
Health uses a figure of 20% absence as a guideline for when you begin to consider
closing the school. The following will be considered before making the decision to
close the school :
-- The number of staff members who are ill
-- Sharp increase in the number who are ill
-- Advice to close from the county health department
-- An overall order to close from the governor, mayor, or other official
At this time, we are not even near the 20% figure. Our daily absence rate during
the past two weeks has been 10/6 2.8%; 10/7 4.2%; 10/8 4.2%; 10/9 5.3%; 10/12
7.9%; 10/13 7.2%; 10/14 6.6%; 10/15 5.8%; 10/16 4.8%; 10/19 7.4%; 10/20 8.5%.
No staff members have reported illness due to the flu. We ask that you continue to
monitor your children. Please keep them home when they are sick, especially if they
have a fever. When you call in to report their absence, please let us know if they
are suffering from flu or flu-like symptoms. We want to be very sure that we are
doing what is best for the entire school. The Board of Health has informed us that
there may be several waves of this flu, so we want to stay on top of the problem so
that we can keep our children safe and healthy. Joe Peters, Associate Executive
Director of the OCE is in constant contact with the Marion County Health Department.
He informs us that they are considering how they will do immunizations for
the non-public schools. No conclusion has been derived at this time.
SCRIP Information
We encourage everyone to support our SCRIP program. There have been many rumors
around SPX parish as to why the SCRIP program has changed. As many of you
know, in the past school families were able to purchase SCRIP, and the families
would receive a tuition credit. As of this school year the Archdiocese of Indianapolis
has mandated that we discontinue this practice as it jeopardizes our 501(c)(3)
Charitable tax exemption. All parishes were told to stop this practice. There have
been rumors that some parishes are not enforcing this rule. We do not know this to
be true. The real issue here is that the SPX parish business office is enforcing this
mandate, and we cannot be responsible for how other parishes administer this policy.
As stewards of the Archdiocese, we need to comply when we are given directives
from the Central Office. I realize that this new policy is not favorable with
many, but I want to make it clear that this is not an arbitrary rule by the pastor or
business manager. The parish truly supports the PTO and the SCRIP program. On
Edline you can read two letters that were issued in the spring explaining this SCRIP
change.
So what do we need to do? Continue or start supporting the SCRIP program! Much
good comes to our students from this program. SCRIP is still an excellent program
because buyers purchase cards for services that they are going to pay for anyway.
We are all going to buy groceries, or gasoline, or go to the movies, or shop for
Christmas gifts. Why not use SCRIP cards? The ultimate beneficiary is the students
of St. Pius X, your children. Let’s all work to keep this program as successful
as it has been.
Facility Dedication Recap
We would like to call your attention to the beautiful new art in the entryway of
the school. This art was blessed at the dedication ceremony last Saturday evening.
What a wonderful testimony to the mission of this school! The artwork was
created by Katie Sahm, a 1997 graduate of St. Pius X School, and a graduate of
Bishop Chatard High School and DePaul University with a degree in Fine Arts and
Catholic Studies. It was funded by former 8th grade classes whose charitable
contributions have been accumulating until we needed something very special.
These pieces of art certainly qualify as “something very special” to welcome
visitors parents, and students into the building. We thank both Katie Sahm and
the St. Pius graduates who sponsored this work.
As always, let’s pray for each other.
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PRINCIPAL'S
CORNER
October 19, 2009
With school now back in full swing, many classes are in need of volunteers for various activities. This is a great opportunity for parents to be active in their child/children’s education and school community. Research certainly validates that students are more successful in school when parents are active in their child's school. We in Catholic education support the use of volunteers in our many programs.
Having many volunteers working with our students, it is important that they are protected and safe. It is a requirement that all St. Pius X and Archdiocesan employees and volunteers, who will interact in any way with children, must complete our background check requirements; sign an Archdiocesan policy acknowledgement form; and finally, attend Virtus Training and complete monthly Virtus training bulletins. All requirements must be met, or you will not be eligible to volunteer for St. Pius X activities involving children. This applies to all volunteers for any child-related activity, such as SPX-tras, Scouting programs, Athletics, etc.
We know these requirements may be inconvenient, but please remember, they are in place for the protection of the children. We do not like having to tell parents that they are not eligible to volunteer, but this is an Archdiocesan mandate, and our pastor, Fr. Jerry, must sign off that the school volunteers are compliant. Volunteers are truly an important part of what we do at SPX—we need you to be part of this volunteer force. Thank you all for the many, many valued things you do for the parish community. Let's pray for each other.
Bill & Theresa
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PRINCIPAL'S
CORNER
October 5, 2009
It is impossible to believe, but the first Quarter of the school year will end on Friday, October 9th. Our year has begun with great enthusiasm and energy. We have been blessed this year in so many ways: with great students, great teachers, great parents, and great new facilities. It is truly a joy to be a member of this community!
Eleven of our teachers attended the NECC Conference in Washington, D.C. this year. This conference focuses on ways to use computers and other technological advances in the educational system. Many new ideas come from this conference each year. We asked the teachers to share a comment about the conference with you. More comments will follow next week.
- The biggest improvement in my classroom since NECC has been the use of a classroom blog. Homework assignments and notes are easily accessed from any computer with internet access.
- Vanessa Prickel
- After attending NECC I know that St. Pius is on the cutting edge of technology, and I'm so excited that I'm going to have a Smart Board.
- Gwen Kirch
- The conference opened the doors to possibilities...I came back with many great ideas ( publishing books, global projects, posting video book reviews), found new resources (historical primary sources on-line, document camera), and learned new technology skills (exploring more Smartboard capabilities) that will definitely enhance my teaching and engage the kids!.
- Mary Chriss
- St. Pius is on the cutting edge of technology, and I discovered many new programs, websites ( Thinkfinity, Professor Garfield, Edublogs, Wordle,) and additional Smartboard ideas from the conference. Julie Cook & I made a presentation entitled “Engage the Primary Child with Smartboards”. It went very well, and we reached out to many other classrooms around the nation and the world!
- Jeanie Warrick
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PRINCIPAL'S
CORNER
September 28, 2009
Leadership is a great responsibility. It means so many different things! Our students need to learn this at an early age so that they can become effective, active, participatory leaders. In an effort to prepare our students for leadership we have held Town Council meetings with K-2nd grade classes, 3rd-5th grade classes and 6th-8th grade classes to obtain opinions from all students about things they like and things they would improve here at school.
To continue this development, we are in the process of selecting a representative from each classroom to participate in a school council. These students will help to organize and put into practice new initiatives for the year.
We have also asked the 8th Grade students to help with Kindergarten students at Mass on Wednesdays. Each 8th Grader is paired with a Kindergarten student. They walk to church together, sit together, and walk back to the building together. This is a great opportunity for both groups to learn about each other. 8th Graders also read to kindergarten buddies once each week. As the bulletin board in the lobby proclaims, in Catholic schools you make “Friends for a Lifetime”
We have also instituted a 7th Grade Safety Patrol to help with Morning Drop-off. These students will be helping to direct drivers to the proper stopping point, helping younger students who need assistance exiting the car, and reminding students not to exit the car on the wrong side or walk between the cars because of parking in the front lot instead of the back lot. We have noticed a great improvement in morning drop-off procedures! Thanks you so much for pulling all the way up to the orange cone by Shalom. The line of traffic is moving much faster and not backing up on 71st street as much.
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PRINCIPAL'S
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September 21, 2009
v Parent-Teacher Conferences
Wednesday, October 21st 4:00-8:00 pm
Thursday, October 22nd 7:30 am-12:00 noon
v Dedication & Blessing of the School Addition
Saturday, October 17th Mass 5:00 pm
Blessing and Welcome to follow. Students, Families, Religious Ed
Representatives and Faculty will participate.
v If you have not already done so, you may view your child’s ISTEP+ Scores online for the testing done last spring. Use the website, username and password that were sent home a few weeks ago.
A few words about the ISTEP+ results:
As you remember, last year ISTEP was administered twice, once in the fall and again in the spring. These two tests cannot be viewed as “apples to apples”. The fall test was measured to standards that were taught in the previous year. The spring test was a benchmark assessment of skills taught in the current year. Besides that, some of the questions on the spring test were determined to be above grade level so the state accounted for this in the scoring. Therefore, the results may be a little skewed. It is expected that the state will have worked out these problems for the Spring 2010 testing.
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PRINCIPAL'S
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September 7, 2009
As we enter the month of September, we also enter our new office space. Mrs. Cates and Mrs. Hoffmire may now be found holding court in their new offices. Please be patient as they arrange their needed supplies. Mrs. Davis, Mrs. DeGan, and Mrs. Cook are in the process of organizing their new space, and students will be meeting them in this space very soon. Mrs. Pollack will be using the new Spanish Room as soon as the desks and chairs are available.
Morning arrival is going a little more smoothly. A few reminders:
* Pull up to the orange cone if you are first in the string of cars. Please Do Not Stop in Front of the Main Door. We want to be able to get as many cars as possible into the drop off area to alleviate back-up onto 71st Street.
* Do Not let your kids get out of the car on the driver’s side. They must then cross in front of your car. This can be dangerous!
* If you are going to walk in with your children, please park in the north lot so no one is walking between cars to slow the flow of traffic.
v Hopefully everyone was very successful in learning their Spell-a-Thon words for today’s tests. This weekend students should begin collecting their pledges! This is a true win-win fundraiser: the kids learn their words and the school benefits financially!
v Please talk to your children about “respiratory etiquette”. Make sure they cough or sneeze into their “elbow”, use Kleenex, and dispose of Kleenex properly.
v Please keep students home if they are running a temperature with respiratory problems.
v Please stress good hand-washing techniques at home so that they will do the same thing at school. Mrs. Hipskind and Mrs. Hoffman, who are nurses, will be here the week of September 14th to instruct children on proper hand-washing techniques and respiratory etiquette. More information is available at the CDC website www.flu.gov
v Please remember that you can buy SCRIP at school on Friday mornings during arrival. Please park in the back lot if you are coming in to purchase SCRIP. SCRIP will also be sold this weekend after some of the Masses.
v 8th Graders will be selling Entertainment Books to raise money for their trip to Washington, D.C. in the Spring. These coupon books cost $30, but if you use coupons 2 or 3 times you recoup this investment and can save hundreds of dollars more. They will also be selling gift and food items from a catalogue, as well as wrapping paper Please consider helping them with this sale.
v Please return the “All Inclusive Field Trip Permission Form” that came home in the first take home envelope. This gives your permission for your children to go on every field trip. Details about each trip will come home just prior to the field trip. Without this permission slip on file, they cannot get on the buses.
v Remember that Monday, September 7th is Labor Day. Enjoy this holiday with your families!
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PRINCIPAL'S
CORNER
August 31, 2009
EARLY OBSERVATIONS AND THOUGHTS:
Many wonderful things are happening here at SPX. Because I am fairly new to the school community and am spending a large amount of time observing and witnessing how the school is run, I would like to share some of my thoughts and observations.
<> SPX is blessed with strong school pride. Not only do our students feel proud of their school, but parents also take great pride in the school. It is clear that the community here embraces the traditions and legacy of SPX. Families that no longer have children attending the school speak highly of the parish and school.
<>The Holy Spirit is truly alive here and visitors to our school often comment about the many visible signs of our faith in the school. From the posting of student work, religious art, weekly liturgy, students saying the rosary in the hall to students volunteering to lead prayer each morning and help the teachers and office staff, it is obvious that the SPX community lives what it believes.
<>When entering the school building one feels the “purposeful environment.” It is clear that this is a school of learning. Students and teachers are on task and have a strong work ethic. Students are engaged in a variety of lessons and teachers are willing to try new ideas and teaching strategies. There is a warm, caring and friendly atmosphere in the building with an attitude of working together for the good of our students. It is a quiet, learning environment with appropriate noise when the children are at gym class or relaxing at lunch and recess.
<>The technology at SPX is cutting edge for a Catholic School. Eleven teachers went to Washington, DC, for computer training this summer at the NECC Conference, there is only one room without a smart board, Edline is used for ease of communication between home and school, and video announcements are produced every Friday morning with a class by class rotation so that all children participate.
<>The Resource program at SPX is one for which to be extremely proud. The staff sees many students with Learning Disabilities but also works with students who are not LD. Several students meet weekly with the resource teacher just to receive some extra help.
<>Creative teachers abound here. I am impressed with the many strategies and teaching methods our teachers use daily. Teachers do differentiate their lessons to meet the needs of individual students, and the many years of experience our staff has benefits our students. When meeting with parents, the teachers have been open to modifying student work in order to meet the needs of that student.
<>Mrs. Cates and Mrs. Hoffmire have been elevated to "Saint Mary" and "Saint Melanie." These ladies go above and beyond when it comes to helping around the school. I am amazed at all the miscellaneous. jobs they do to help parents get messages to students, act as nurses, deliver lunches, tell students which dismissal they should use, answer questions, fix the copiers... the list is endless.
<>We have great parent participation through the PTO officers and chair persons but also those parents who volunteer to help in any way they are needed in the classroom. All of them work untiringly for the school. Our students support each other in a positive way, by helping each other in countless areas. The older students are kind to the younger students. They help them in the hallway on the playground, at dismissal; wherever they see someone who looks like they need a hand. There is great positive peer support; they challenge each other to do their best while at the same time helping each other to understand concepts and new lessons.
<>The existing facility was prepared and ready to go despite the construction that created dust and debris all summer. The maintenance staff did an outstanding job. In addition, when the new space is completed, it will make this school an outstanding facility. The safety of our students will be greatly enhanced and the learning environment for the language classes and the resource students will be second to none.
<>As a result of all of these things St. Pius has happy kids! When kids are happy at school, they are much more eager to learn and to participate at school. Yes, good things are happening at SPX. We are a Blue Ribbon School because of examples such as these! Let's pray for each other so that we can continue this important work!
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PRINCIPAL'S
CORNER
August 24, 2009
It is with an “Attitude of Gratitude” that I start the school year here at SPX. Many people have asked how the start of school is going. The staff would tell you fantastic, and I would agree. But I believe it was the many, many things that were done behind the “scenes” that made this a great beginning for the school year. I would like to thank the multitude of people who made it possible for our students to “light a fire for faith and learning” as this year has begun……
* Fr. Jerry and Fr. Rob for the many things they do for the school. They support our school 100% and provide the love and guidance that is needed for our children to grow their faith.
* Sharon Wagner who lovingly oversees so many things that it would be impossible to name them all. She has been like the “Captain” guiding the construction ship all summer long. It looks like it will pull into port earlier than expected.
* The construction crew who did an out standing job the last 2 weeks before the students returned, completing areas where students would be impacted. They worked weekends and late nights and coordinated various subcontractors so that this would happen.
* Brett Fischer, SPX maintenance supervisor, and his staff who went above and beyond moving furniture, cleaning up construction dust and debris, and making the building safe for the return of our students.
* Our school staff who spent countless hours before their contract time preparing their curriculum and room for the school year. We had to restrict the times teachers could be in the building working during the project so that they did not impede the construction crew. You would not believe how creative teachers were at sneaking into their room to do work “undetected” .
* Mrs. Cates and Mrs. Hoffmire who were both instrumental in this smooth start. These wise sages do innumerable, behind the scenes tasks to start the year! Throughout the summer both made themselves available to assist with my transition here at SPX.
* Mrs. Desautels our assistant principal who, in addition to moving the school offices several times, has been extremely helpful preparing for the year.
* Many parents who have volunteered countless hours to prepare newsletters, stuff mailings, sell assignment books, prepare the playground equipment, help with the kindergarten students, and on and on. We can’t thank them enough!
* The SPX PTO which has been hard at work all summer getting ready for the many roles they play here at the school. I have been impressed with their dedication and the many ways they help keep tuition costs down with their volunteer work. They are a well oiled machine! The ice cream social, used uniform sale, school directory, spirit wear, school lunch program, cultural programs, and “Blue Jeans and Bling” fund raiser are just a few of the many projects they have been planning and implementing.
* I have gratitude, too, for the many students and former students who came in and delivered books, moved furniture, and helped around the building. We are blessed to have so many students who volunteer with great attitudes. We truly have wonderful students here, and they have made me feel welcome and part of the SPX community.
Yes-I have an attitude! An “attitude of gratitude” for all the wonderful people that contributed to our school’s 2009-10 opening. Let’s pray for each other as we make it a great year!
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PRINCIPAL'S
CORNER
August 13, 2009
Greetings SPX School Community,
Welcome to the 2009-10 school year! I think this is one of the best times of the school year. The students, parents, and staff seem so rejuvenated and ready to start the new school year. There is so much excitement as the kindergarten students and families begin the educational journey. Many positive things are happening here at the school. We kicked off our staff meetings with a retreat day off campus on Monday, followed by two days of meetings and work time. Our theme for the retreat and for the school community this school term is “Hearts on Fire for Faith and Learning”. What a wonderful retreat day and planning time we had as we prepared for the return of our students!
The building project is outstanding, and we look forward to its completion soon. The new spaces are awesome, and we are grateful to the parish community for providing the necessary updates and improvements. I am truly looking forward to becoming part of the St. Pius X Catholic School community. Our differences make a difference to our students, families, and staff daily.
- As you know, Mr. Pat White, our dear friend, went to be with the Lord after waging a valiant fight against cancer. His love for St. Pius School and all of our children will never be forgotten. Please keep his family in your prayers.
- We welcome Mrs. Jennifer Heisserer as our new PE and Health Teacher. You may remember that she filled in for Mr. White during his recovery from surgery in 2007. We are so blessed to have her with us again. She is excited to reunite with us and to work with our children again.
- We also welcome Mrs. Maura Lee as our 7th Grade Religion teacher. She previously taught at St. Lawrence school. She will work with 7th Graders four days per week. Welcome, Mrs. Lee!
- Our school improvement plan, required by both the state of Indiana and the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, was approved in May 2008. You can find a copy of the plan on the school web site or on Edline (“Principal’s Corner,” see “Contents” on far right side). We will be using this plan as a guidepost for professional development in the coming years.
- ISTEP Testing will take place again this year in the Spring. There will be no ISTEP Testing this fall! Results from the testing that took place last spring will be forthcoming as soon as they are released by the state.
- Our Gospel Value for August will be Faith which is the virtue by which a Christian believes in the revealed truths of God. Faith allows us to accept a truth that cannot be proved by logical thought. We believe because we trust and believe in God.
- Arrival and Dismissal procedures will remain the same as last year with one exception. Until the construction is completed on the main entrance, students will enter the building by the door nearest the Music Room. This door is the one at the end of the hall that goes out toward Shalom House.
- Complete direction for Arrival and Dismissal are printed elsewhere in this newsletter and have been printed on Edline.
- The 2009-2010 Student Handbook will only be available on Edline. You will find a letter in today’s take home envelope stating that you have reviewed the handbook with your child(ren). Please sign and return to the office. For new families who are not yet registered on Edline, please stop in and see our Technology Coordinator, Mrs. Bastnagel to get trained on Edline.
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