Dear Parents/Guardians,
I wish all of you a blessed and merry Christmas.
Just a couple of reminders:
• Christmas program is December 20th in the gym at 7:00
• School is dismissed for the holidays at 11:30 on December 21st
• Students return to school January 9th
Sincerely,
Jeri McInturff
12/7/12
11/2/12
Principal's Corner November 2012
Faith is a supremely personal act. But precisely because it is supremely personal, it transcends the self, the limits of the individual... Pope Benedict XVI
Dear Parents/Guardians,
Another month has flown by. October was a very busy month, and it looks as though the trend will continue through November.
First of all, thank you to everyone who helped with the various activities this month: Ram Run, Oktoberfest, 75th Anniversary Celebration, and Trunk or Treat. Without our parent volunteers, none of these events would have been so successful.
Thank you, also, to those of you who attended the parent-teacher conferences. If you did not get a chance to meet with your teachers, please set up a time to do this. Conferences are not only for those who have a problem or for those who are struggling; they are for all of our parents and their children. Conferences are set up so that we (school and parents) can work together for the success of all. We are now in the second quarter of the school year; the academics are becoming more challenging, and we want to continue that partnership with you. This year we are implementing the new national common core standards which are more rigorous and require more critical thinking skills, increased writing, more challenging texts, and more effort; so, our school-parent partnership is even more important. One of the necessary tools to help students learn and the most controversial topic of parents and teachers is the assignment of homework. Our philosophy on homework is posted on page 6 in the handbook and states: Homework is one of the most influential school-based factors contributing to student learning. It reinforces academic lessons and is meant to be a positive tool for instilling the virtues of responsibility and discipline. Homework gives students an opportunity to master the materials presented to them and may also be used as a means of communication between parent and teacher.... We post our homework on boards in the classrooms and on ParentsWeb. Also, we ask that your students (grades 3 through 8) write all homework in the Student Planners we provided at the beginning of school. If your student is having a problem with homework or anything else in his/her classes, please talk to the teacher. We prefer to be proactive rather than reactive.
We are in the midst of our soccer season, and the students are playing well.
November's activities start off with day one as we celebrate All Saints Day. Our first and second grade students will be representing their favorite saints at our all school mass. All Souls Day is not a holy day of obligation, but it is on Friday; so, we will celebrate it at all school mass. Our Virtue Mass will be the following Friday; the virtue for November is "gratitude". Please join us at our masses if you can.
Wednesday, November 14th is our next $1 out of uniform day. Remember that beginning November 1st shorts and skorts are no longer allowed.
Also on November 14th is a Home and School Meeting. This should be a fun, as well as an informative, meeting. It will begin with a Chili Cook Off Contest. Please plan on attending this meeting. Our Home and School Association is so vital to our school and your input and participation is necessary to keep it such a great and successful organization. Tuesday, November 20th, will be our last day before the Thanksgiving break. There will be an all school mass on this day. We will return on Tuesday, November 27th. Monday, the 26th, is our traditional Bishop's Day. I wish everyone a wonderful and safe holiday.
God bless,
Jeri McInturff
Dear Parents/Guardians,
Another month has flown by. October was a very busy month, and it looks as though the trend will continue through November.
First of all, thank you to everyone who helped with the various activities this month: Ram Run, Oktoberfest, 75th Anniversary Celebration, and Trunk or Treat. Without our parent volunteers, none of these events would have been so successful.
Thank you, also, to those of you who attended the parent-teacher conferences. If you did not get a chance to meet with your teachers, please set up a time to do this. Conferences are not only for those who have a problem or for those who are struggling; they are for all of our parents and their children. Conferences are set up so that we (school and parents) can work together for the success of all. We are now in the second quarter of the school year; the academics are becoming more challenging, and we want to continue that partnership with you. This year we are implementing the new national common core standards which are more rigorous and require more critical thinking skills, increased writing, more challenging texts, and more effort; so, our school-parent partnership is even more important. One of the necessary tools to help students learn and the most controversial topic of parents and teachers is the assignment of homework. Our philosophy on homework is posted on page 6 in the handbook and states: Homework is one of the most influential school-based factors contributing to student learning. It reinforces academic lessons and is meant to be a positive tool for instilling the virtues of responsibility and discipline. Homework gives students an opportunity to master the materials presented to them and may also be used as a means of communication between parent and teacher.... We post our homework on boards in the classrooms and on ParentsWeb. Also, we ask that your students (grades 3 through 8) write all homework in the Student Planners we provided at the beginning of school. If your student is having a problem with homework or anything else in his/her classes, please talk to the teacher. We prefer to be proactive rather than reactive.
We are in the midst of our soccer season, and the students are playing well.
November's activities start off with day one as we celebrate All Saints Day. Our first and second grade students will be representing their favorite saints at our all school mass. All Souls Day is not a holy day of obligation, but it is on Friday; so, we will celebrate it at all school mass. Our Virtue Mass will be the following Friday; the virtue for November is "gratitude". Please join us at our masses if you can.
Wednesday, November 14th is our next $1 out of uniform day. Remember that beginning November 1st shorts and skorts are no longer allowed.
Also on November 14th is a Home and School Meeting. This should be a fun, as well as an informative, meeting. It will begin with a Chili Cook Off Contest. Please plan on attending this meeting. Our Home and School Association is so vital to our school and your input and participation is necessary to keep it such a great and successful organization. Tuesday, November 20th, will be our last day before the Thanksgiving break. There will be an all school mass on this day. We will return on Tuesday, November 27th. Monday, the 26th, is our traditional Bishop's Day. I wish everyone a wonderful and safe holiday.
God bless,
Jeri McInturff
10/1/12
October, 2012
Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will receive. --Matthew 21:22
Principal's Corner
Dear Parents/Guardians,
Happy Fall and Happy Anniversary. October is not only going to be a very busy one, but one of significance and celebration. Pope Benedict XVI has designated this year (October 2012 to November 2013) as the "Year of Faith". For us at OLPH, this is so appropriate as we begin celebrating our 75th anniversary of being a parish and school. Faith is the foundation of who we are and what we do.
The school has been very busy researching and finding out what the past 75 years have been for the former students at OLPH. Each grade has taken a decade to investigate beginning in the 1930's and going through 2012. Please check out the timeline in Holy Family Hall. Every classroom has its door decorated to reflect our anniversary, and each class is working on something special for our designated "Retro Day" on October 31.
On Thursday, October 4th, we are having the blessing of the animals in honor of St. Francis Assisi. We are also having a $1 out of uniform that day. All money collected will go to Father to pay for a new crucifix for the children's mass as a 75th anniversary gift from the children. We are purchasing what is commonly known as the "St. Francis Crucifix", but is officially the "San Damiano Crucifix". The money will be presented to Father at the blessing; so, even if you do not have an animal to bring, you may want to attend.
On Friday, October 5th, all former students and staff members are invited to visit us for "Alumni Day". We tried to send out invitations to as many as we could. However, if you know of someone we missed, please apologize for us and extend the invitation. Alumni Day will begin with 8:15 mass (it is first Friday). We then ask you to join us for a brunch in our cafeteria, and follow that with touring the school and visiting classes. Some classes will have something special going on, and others will be in their regular routines. No matter what they are doing, they welcome your visit, and would love to hear some of your memories and/or experiences at OLPH.
Saturday is our big parish celebration. Mass will be a little earlier than usual (4:00), and it will be celebrated by Bishop Stika. Afterwards, there will be food and all kinds of activities. Please plan to join--it is not a celebration without celebrants.
The following week (beginning October 8th) is our Fall Break. I hope you have a wonderful and safe break. This year, school will not start back until the 16th because of a Deanery in-service on the 15th.
Unfortunately, our Ram Run and Oktoberfest is the weekend of the 13th & 14th. We did not plan it this way; it is just how it fell on the calendar. So we ask all of you who will not be out of town to help us with making this a success. This is the biggest fundraiser we have for our school. It is a lot of fun, but we need a lot of help. Please contact Cissy West (cwest@catholicweb.com) for more information. October 17th was already designated for a $1 out of uniform day; therefore, the students will have three out of uniform days this month: two of them $1 days and the third will be "Retro Day".
October is also the "Month of the Rosary", and we will have the "Living Rosary" on the 19th. Please join us for that in the gym at 2:40. Also, October 19th marks the end of the first quarter. Can you believe how fast this time has gone?
Report cards will be given at the Parent-Teacher Conferences on Wednesday, October 24th. As we have done in the past several years, these conferences will be scheduled from 3:00-7:00 P.M. so that we can accommodate all parents. The Deanery calendar designates Friday afternoon (October 26th) for these conferences. We have found from past experiences that people do not show up on Fridays, and secondly, that there is not enough time to have the conferences in a short afternoon. Hence, we have ours on Wednesday afternoon and evening. But we do adhere to the ½ day designated for October 26th. So, Friday, October 26th is a half day and will be "Awards Day" for the 5th through 7th grades in the gym at 9:15 directly after mass. School will dismiss at 11:30, and no lunch will be served.
On October 25th the eighth grade students will be going on a two day retreat at Camp Lookout. We ask you for your prayers that they have a wonderful and faith filled retreat.
On Saturday, October 27th, the Home and School is sponsoring their second "Trunk or Treat". This was a huge success last year, and we expect it to be even better this year. Look for more information to come out soon.
The Creative Arts Guild will have a meeting on October 29th. This wonderful organization continues to help support our wonderful arts program as well as help our students to attend artistic productions such as plays and museums. They would love for you to join them and become involved in this organization. They meet at Longhorn Steakhouse at 6:00; you do not have to eat, although you are invited to do so if you wish.
Picture retakes from September will be done on October 30th; more information will be going home.
October 31st, is "Retro Day". We are still working out some of the plans and ideas. Your children will be coming home with information, plus there will be emails on this and other ideas, plans, and activities for our 75th year.
Soccer begins on October 22nd. Look for the schedules in the Fanfares.
Have a wonderful October, and as always I appreciate your support.
God bless,
Jeri McInturff
9/5/12
September, 2012
How great are your works, Lord! How profound your purpose! Psalm 92:6
Principal's Corner
September 2012
Dear Parents/Guardians,
Already we are in September and our fourth week of school. Incredible! I think we have had a good beginning except for some schedule problems. Hopefully, all of that is straightened out by now. Other than that, all classes are running smoothly, and our sports and other after school activities are in full swing.
After two years of planning and hard work, we are happy to announce that OLPH Nature's Place has been certified by the Arbor Day Foundation. I want to thank Mr. Matt Stovall for bringing this project to our attention and for following through with us to the bitter end. I hate to think how many hours he has invested in this. In addition to Matt, there are so many other people who need to be recognized and thanked. Of course, someone had to coordinate and follow through with everyone and everything thank you, Kathy Sumrell. Additional donations of time, labor, and materials were a must to make this happen thank you, Tripp Brown, Jack & Kary Berry, Bob Corte, Donnie Covey, Rob Summitt, and my husband, Larry. I know that I am missing a lot of people who have helped make this a reality, and if you are one of them I apologize. The fact is that Nature's Place would not be if it weren't for donations and volunteers. We have many ideas for the future of this space. Right now, we have a wonderful volunteer who is working with a couple of the grades to incorporate the gardens as part of a pilot wellness/healthy living program.
This is Our Lady of Perpetual Help's 75th anniversary. Although the original date of the beginning of the parish and school was in July, we have saved the month of October for the big celebrations. The Bishop will be here for the parish mass and celebration on Saturday, October 6th. The school will be doing all kinds of activities throughout the year, but particularly in October. On October 5th, we are having "Alumni Day". We are inviting all alumni to join us at mass which will be followed by a light brunch in their honor. We then welcome them to tour the campus and walk into classes. The students would love to hear what OLPH was like during their day. We do realize that the most recent alumni will not be able to join us due to school, work, and other commitments. We are hoping; however, that many of the older ex-Rams will be able to take us up on this.
At the beginning of the school year, it is always important to address the drop-off and pick-up procedures. We are a small elementary school with approximately 260 families and no bus service. This equates to a lot of cars transporting 325 students. Our number one concern is the safety of all. The procedure for the morning is to drop the children off at the pre-school door, kindergarten door, or the ramp outside of the gym. If you do not drive to those areas, then the students should not be walking by themselves across the parking lots and drive ways. If a parent is walking his/her child/children, then the car needs to be parked in a legitimate parking area and walked to the proper building/s. When driving out of the area, the 5 mile an hour needs to be adhered to there has already been a close call with someone speeding through the archway. If you get to school and the red light is on in the office window, then you are late. You need to park the car and walk in with the student to sign him/her in. We will get the student safely to his/her classroom from there. If we know of a traffic problem, we hold off on tardies until a reasonable time. When picking students up, please be patient. We are working on the backup. If you are entering the church parking lot and see that the cars are backed up, please make a loop with the car line so more can fit in. Regardless if you are picking your student/s up in the carline or walking to get them, you need your name plate. This is, again, for the child's protection. I know you have read horror stories about students being released to unauthorized adults. Although we are a small school, not every teacher knows every student and/or his/her parent/guardian/driver. We have several students who have restrictions regarding to whom they are released. Therefore, these name plates are important because we know they have been approved by the legal guardians. In addition, these name plates help expedite the procedure. I do appreciate all your help and support in this. I know that we get into a hurry sometimes, but the safety of our children is much more important than being someplace at a particular time. Also, if we, as adults, don't follow rules and procedures, then how can we expect our children to?
Reminders for September:
• Sept. 5 School Committee Meeting
• Sept. 7 Author visit for grades 5th-8th
• Sept. 10 $1 out of uniform
• Sept. 20 8th grade will be visiting Notre Dame High School
Sept. 21 8th grade students will receive Focus Shirts.
• Sept. 27-28 Teacher In-service. No school for students.
• Football, Volleyball, and Cross Country events will be on-going and the dates can be found in the weekly FanFares.
As always, I appreciate you and your support. Enjoy the month of September.
God Bless,
Jeri McInturff
Principal's Corner
September 2012
Dear Parents/Guardians,
Already we are in September and our fourth week of school. Incredible! I think we have had a good beginning except for some schedule problems. Hopefully, all of that is straightened out by now. Other than that, all classes are running smoothly, and our sports and other after school activities are in full swing.
After two years of planning and hard work, we are happy to announce that OLPH Nature's Place has been certified by the Arbor Day Foundation. I want to thank Mr. Matt Stovall for bringing this project to our attention and for following through with us to the bitter end. I hate to think how many hours he has invested in this. In addition to Matt, there are so many other people who need to be recognized and thanked. Of course, someone had to coordinate and follow through with everyone and everything thank you, Kathy Sumrell. Additional donations of time, labor, and materials were a must to make this happen thank you, Tripp Brown, Jack & Kary Berry, Bob Corte, Donnie Covey, Rob Summitt, and my husband, Larry. I know that I am missing a lot of people who have helped make this a reality, and if you are one of them I apologize. The fact is that Nature's Place would not be if it weren't for donations and volunteers. We have many ideas for the future of this space. Right now, we have a wonderful volunteer who is working with a couple of the grades to incorporate the gardens as part of a pilot wellness/healthy living program.
This is Our Lady of Perpetual Help's 75th anniversary. Although the original date of the beginning of the parish and school was in July, we have saved the month of October for the big celebrations. The Bishop will be here for the parish mass and celebration on Saturday, October 6th. The school will be doing all kinds of activities throughout the year, but particularly in October. On October 5th, we are having "Alumni Day". We are inviting all alumni to join us at mass which will be followed by a light brunch in their honor. We then welcome them to tour the campus and walk into classes. The students would love to hear what OLPH was like during their day. We do realize that the most recent alumni will not be able to join us due to school, work, and other commitments. We are hoping; however, that many of the older ex-Rams will be able to take us up on this.
At the beginning of the school year, it is always important to address the drop-off and pick-up procedures. We are a small elementary school with approximately 260 families and no bus service. This equates to a lot of cars transporting 325 students. Our number one concern is the safety of all. The procedure for the morning is to drop the children off at the pre-school door, kindergarten door, or the ramp outside of the gym. If you do not drive to those areas, then the students should not be walking by themselves across the parking lots and drive ways. If a parent is walking his/her child/children, then the car needs to be parked in a legitimate parking area and walked to the proper building/s. When driving out of the area, the 5 mile an hour needs to be adhered to there has already been a close call with someone speeding through the archway. If you get to school and the red light is on in the office window, then you are late. You need to park the car and walk in with the student to sign him/her in. We will get the student safely to his/her classroom from there. If we know of a traffic problem, we hold off on tardies until a reasonable time. When picking students up, please be patient. We are working on the backup. If you are entering the church parking lot and see that the cars are backed up, please make a loop with the car line so more can fit in. Regardless if you are picking your student/s up in the carline or walking to get them, you need your name plate. This is, again, for the child's protection. I know you have read horror stories about students being released to unauthorized adults. Although we are a small school, not every teacher knows every student and/or his/her parent/guardian/driver. We have several students who have restrictions regarding to whom they are released. Therefore, these name plates are important because we know they have been approved by the legal guardians. In addition, these name plates help expedite the procedure. I do appreciate all your help and support in this. I know that we get into a hurry sometimes, but the safety of our children is much more important than being someplace at a particular time. Also, if we, as adults, don't follow rules and procedures, then how can we expect our children to?
Reminders for September:
• Sept. 5 School Committee Meeting
• Sept. 7 Author visit for grades 5th-8th
• Sept. 10 $1 out of uniform
• Sept. 20 8th grade will be visiting Notre Dame High School
Sept. 21 8th grade students will receive Focus Shirts.
• Sept. 27-28 Teacher In-service. No school for students.
• Football, Volleyball, and Cross Country events will be on-going and the dates can be found in the weekly FanFares.
As always, I appreciate you and your support. Enjoy the month of September.
God Bless,
Jeri McInturff
5/7/12
May Principal's Corner
May 2012
Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you!
Dear Parents/Guardians, It is May!!
This month is significant for many reasons, the most obvious being: The month of Mary; spring flowers and weather; the end of the school year. Yes, the end of the school year is definitely here, and we are going to have a very busy few weeks. But, before I talk about this month's activities, I want to give you some exciting information from last month.
First of all, we have the results from our accreditation visit from AdvanceEd (SACS/CASI). I have attached the complete report for your reading. We received four very good commendations which are (quoted):
• The school's mission/purpose reflects its Catholic identity, and it is prominently displayed throughout the school and community and has been consistent throughout the school's history.
• The individualization of meeting student needs is designed so that no student is allowed to fail due to lack of effort on the part of the school.
• The ethos of the school is that of safety, warmth, family, and genuine caring for each individual and in the community at large.
• Parental/family involvement and support of OLPH is outstanding with very high levels of participation in all areas of the program.
We are very proud and pleased with these commendations. The full reports gives also required actions and how we scored in each standard. It is a very good report. For those of you who do not understand the accreditation process, I will briefly try to explain. This process takes place every five years. We spent months gathering, writing, and submitting information that is required by AdvanceEd. Through self-assessment, we came up with a school improvement plan. A team of four people (not involved with this school or any Knoxville Diocesan school) trained by AdvanceEd came for a two day on-site visit. They received all of the submitted information beforehand. During this visit, they looked at artifacts and evidence to support our self-assessment as well as did interviews with teachers, students, and parents. They also visited classrooms and observed teaching, transitions, and every day happenings. They sequestered themselves for a while to do a rough draft of their findings and reported the brief summary to us. Yesterday, I received the full report. The scoring of each standard is one of four options: highly functional, operational, emerging, and not evident. We received 4 highly functionals and 2 operationals.
Also, last month we received scores from the various tests our students took. The T-CAP Writing Assessment was taken by 5th & 8th graders in February. Both grades did well, but our 8th grade blew it out of the water. These assessments are scored on a 1 through 6. 6=outstanding; 5=strong; 4=competent; 3=limited; 2=flawed; and 1=deficient. Thirty-seven 5th grade students took the test and received 2 (5%) sixes, 14 (38%) fives, 4 (49%) fours, 3 (8%) threes. Forty-two 8th grade students were assessed and their scores were 8 (19%) sixes, 17 (40+%) fives, and 17 (40+%) fours.
The 5th & 8th grade students also took the NCEA ACRE (Catholic Religion Assessment) test. Again, the 8th grade blew it out of the water. There are many parts or categories to this test, and I cannot give all of the data. However, I am happy to say that 5th grade met national averages on most parts. There were a couple of areas that we need to improve on. The 8th grade students scored way above the national in every category.
The IOWA's just came in, and I have not had an opportunity to really look at them yet. At first glance is looks as though our National School Percentiles are at 90% and above in every grade level except in 2nd where they are in the 82nd %. As a staff, we will be analyzing the data and seeing how we compare to the past and how much our students have grown. All of the data for your student will be sent home with report cards.
Now about May. Right now we are in the midst of transition meetings with parents. You should have gotten information from the teachers on your child's/children's next year teachers for a meeting. These meetings are to give you some information of what to expect in the new year. If you were/are unable to attend, please fill free to contact any of the teachers for any information. One piece of information that all teachers are giving is that there will be no summer AR testing this year. The students will have summer reading, but they will be responsible for another type of accountability rather than come in for the tests. The reasons for this are the rising gas prices as well as the high utility bills for power on the computers and the air conditioning the building.
Upcoming events this month are:
• BVM (Blessed Virgin Mary) Awards will be given out after mass on Friday, May 4.
• Author and Notre Dame Alum, Chris Grabenstein, will be presenting to 5th-8th grades on Monday, May 7.
• Booster Club meeting on Monday, May 7, 6:00.
• Band concert including our students at Notre Dame on Tuesday, May 8, 7:00 P.M.
• Last $1 out of uniform on Wednesday, May 9.
• May Crowning after mass on Friday, May 11.
• Eighth Grade Notre Dame Transition meeting and celebration rehearsal on Monday morning, May 14.
• Eighth Grade Class Night on Monday May 14, 6:30 P.M.
• Eighth Grade Celebration Mass (graduation) on Tuesday, May 15, 6:30 P.M.
• Pre-K4 Celebration Luncheon on Wednesday, May 16.
• Kindergarten Celebration on Wednesday, May 16, 7:00 P.M.
• Seventh Grade Growing in Faith on Friday, May 18.
• Field Day on Monday, May 21. Last day of school, and it is a full day. Awards for 5th-7th at 2:15.
Exciting News: Kathy Sumrell submitted a grant to the Recyclebank Green Schools Program and originally was awarded part of the money she applied for. They have now come back and stated: We shared each school's Green Plan with our partners at Coca-Cola Live Positively, and they were so moved and impressed with the green initiatives and innovation, that they have generously decided to fund the remaining portion of the grant goal amount! We will be receiving a check for $1,565.97. This presentation will take place Tuesday, May 15, in Nature's Place at 1:00. Congratulations and thanks to Kathy.
There will be other events and happenings coming up in individual grades; you will be notified by your teachers on these.
As I close this last Principal's Corner for the school year of 2011-2012, I want to thank all of you for trusting us with your children and for all of your support. I personally think that OLPH is one of the best schools in this city; however, we could not be without you. As I reflect on the seven years I have been here, I am very pleased with our many accomplishments, but I realize there is so much more we can and should do. For those of you who are leaving this school, I wish your students and you well?our prayers will always be with you. For those of you who will be back, I look forward to working with your children and you again next year. I wish all of you a wonderful and safe summer.
God bless,
Jeri McInturff
4/4/12
April, 2012
Principal's Corner
April 2012
Dear Parents/Guardians,
I just realized that I did not send out a March Principal's Corner. I am so sorry; this month has just flown. March has been extremely busy, and I just got caught up in it. It is now the last week of March and we just finished our IOWA Basics Skills testing; the 3rd, 5th, and 7th, grades will be taking the CogAt (cognitive aptitude) portion of it this week. Also going on this week is our SACS accreditation. The Advanc-Ed team is here now, and we will be getting our results tomorrow. Friday of this week is our Living Stations. This year will be even better than the past as we are incorporating some of the choir into it. If you cannot come for the 2:00 presentation, please try to make it for the 5:30 P.M. one.
Next week our 8th grade students will be at Tybee Island; please keep them in your prayers. On Thursday of next week, our 5th, 6th & 7th graders will be in Nashville. All will be home in time for Thursday evening services. Thursday will be our last day of school before Easter Break which starts on Good Friday. Please see the Fanfare and Parish Bulletin for the Holy Week schedule.
After we come back from Easter Break, we have a full and busy calendar. First of all there is a Home and School meeting on Tuesday evening, April 17th. We haven't had as many of these this year to accommodate everyone's busy schedules. Please, make an effort to attend this last one of the year. Your presence and input is so very important.
On the 18th, the Home and School is sponsoring the $1 out of uniform day. Please make sure your student comes appropriately dressed. Although shorts will be allowed, they must be the correct length--no higher than 2 inches above the knee. Although sleeveless blouses are allowed, there can be no spaghetti straps or tank tops. Refer to the handbook if you are not sure. Now strangely enough, the following Monday is also out of uniform, but this is due to Spring Pictures. On this day we expect the students to be less casual as their pictures will be taken.
Our Spring Book Fair will be the week of the 23rd. Also during that week we have two very important days. On April 27th is Grandparents' Day. You will be getting more information on this very shortly. However, I will tell you that the students are already preparing for this. On April 28th the 2nd grade will be receiving First Holy Communion.
Whew!!! Before you know it, I will be writing the May Principal's Corner and wishing you a happy summer. But, meanwhile, I do hope you all have a wonderful April and a very Blessed Easter Season.
God Bless,
Jeri McInturff
April 2012
Dear Parents/Guardians,
I just realized that I did not send out a March Principal's Corner. I am so sorry; this month has just flown. March has been extremely busy, and I just got caught up in it. It is now the last week of March and we just finished our IOWA Basics Skills testing; the 3rd, 5th, and 7th, grades will be taking the CogAt (cognitive aptitude) portion of it this week. Also going on this week is our SACS accreditation. The Advanc-Ed team is here now, and we will be getting our results tomorrow. Friday of this week is our Living Stations. This year will be even better than the past as we are incorporating some of the choir into it. If you cannot come for the 2:00 presentation, please try to make it for the 5:30 P.M. one.
Next week our 8th grade students will be at Tybee Island; please keep them in your prayers. On Thursday of next week, our 5th, 6th & 7th graders will be in Nashville. All will be home in time for Thursday evening services. Thursday will be our last day of school before Easter Break which starts on Good Friday. Please see the Fanfare and Parish Bulletin for the Holy Week schedule.
After we come back from Easter Break, we have a full and busy calendar. First of all there is a Home and School meeting on Tuesday evening, April 17th. We haven't had as many of these this year to accommodate everyone's busy schedules. Please, make an effort to attend this last one of the year. Your presence and input is so very important.
On the 18th, the Home and School is sponsoring the $1 out of uniform day. Please make sure your student comes appropriately dressed. Although shorts will be allowed, they must be the correct length--no higher than 2 inches above the knee. Although sleeveless blouses are allowed, there can be no spaghetti straps or tank tops. Refer to the handbook if you are not sure. Now strangely enough, the following Monday is also out of uniform, but this is due to Spring Pictures. On this day we expect the students to be less casual as their pictures will be taken.
Our Spring Book Fair will be the week of the 23rd. Also during that week we have two very important days. On April 27th is Grandparents' Day. You will be getting more information on this very shortly. However, I will tell you that the students are already preparing for this. On April 28th the 2nd grade will be receiving First Holy Communion.
Whew!!! Before you know it, I will be writing the May Principal's Corner and wishing you a happy summer. But, meanwhile, I do hope you all have a wonderful April and a very Blessed Easter Season.
God Bless,
Jeri McInturff
1/10/12
January, 2012
Dear Parents/Guardians,
Happy New Year!! I hope that 2012 will be a wonderful year for you and yours. Do you remember last January and the snow? This beginning of the second semester is quite different, and I like it so much better. I only hope we are not in for a major storm later.
In case you have not heard, Mrs. Katie Workman (8th grade language arts and 7th grade social studies teacher) had a baby girl December 21st. Mrs. Carole Miller is taking her place during the maternity leave. We are always thrilled to have Mrs. Miller back with us.
I went to most of the classes today and told the students that I am giving them next Monday off. I tried to tell them it was because I am so nice, but most of them knew it is the holiday of Martin Luther King. Oh well, you can't blame me for not trying.
Basketball season has begun, and we have a full schedule. All the games will be posted in the Fanfare as well as our website.
Other events coming up this month are:
· Booster Club Meeting on Monday, January 9 (6:00)·
· School Committee Meeting on Wednesday, January 11 (6:00)·
· Report cards go home Thursday, January 12·
· Awards for 2nd nine weeks (5th-8th grades) in the gym on Friday, January 13 (2:30)·
· CAG (Creative Arts Guild) meeting on Monday, January 16, at Longhorn Steakhouse (6:00)·
· $1 Out of Uniform Day on Wednesday, January 18·
· Open House for new interested families in our pre-k or kindergarten for Fall 2012 on Thursday, January 26 at 9:00·
· Fifth grade Virtue Mass on Friday, January 27·
· Kick-off mass for Catholic Schools Week on Sunday, January 29 (10:00)
As stated above, Catholic Schools Week begins on January 29th. We will have a week of activities and celebrations going on this week. Look for more information to be coming out on this.
On February 18th, OLPH with St. Jude, Notre Dame, and the Knights of Columbus will be hosting Chattigras, a city-wide event, to raise money to support our Catholic Schools and the Catholic Schools Scholarship Fund. Tickets are $50 per person, and the venue is at the Marriott Convention Center. This will be a "Chattanooga Style" Mardis Gras and should be fun for all. For tickets and/or additional information, call Kathy Sumrell. We hope to see you all there.
As always, I appreciate all of your support.
God Bless,
Jeri McInturff
Happy New Year!! I hope that 2012 will be a wonderful year for you and yours. Do you remember last January and the snow? This beginning of the second semester is quite different, and I like it so much better. I only hope we are not in for a major storm later.
In case you have not heard, Mrs. Katie Workman (8th grade language arts and 7th grade social studies teacher) had a baby girl December 21st. Mrs. Carole Miller is taking her place during the maternity leave. We are always thrilled to have Mrs. Miller back with us.
I went to most of the classes today and told the students that I am giving them next Monday off. I tried to tell them it was because I am so nice, but most of them knew it is the holiday of Martin Luther King. Oh well, you can't blame me for not trying.
Basketball season has begun, and we have a full schedule. All the games will be posted in the Fanfare as well as our website.
Other events coming up this month are:
· Booster Club Meeting on Monday, January 9 (6:00)·
· School Committee Meeting on Wednesday, January 11 (6:00)·
· Report cards go home Thursday, January 12·
· Awards for 2nd nine weeks (5th-8th grades) in the gym on Friday, January 13 (2:30)·
· CAG (Creative Arts Guild) meeting on Monday, January 16, at Longhorn Steakhouse (6:00)·
· $1 Out of Uniform Day on Wednesday, January 18·
· Open House for new interested families in our pre-k or kindergarten for Fall 2012 on Thursday, January 26 at 9:00·
· Fifth grade Virtue Mass on Friday, January 27·
· Kick-off mass for Catholic Schools Week on Sunday, January 29 (10:00)
As stated above, Catholic Schools Week begins on January 29th. We will have a week of activities and celebrations going on this week. Look for more information to be coming out on this.
On February 18th, OLPH with St. Jude, Notre Dame, and the Knights of Columbus will be hosting Chattigras, a city-wide event, to raise money to support our Catholic Schools and the Catholic Schools Scholarship Fund. Tickets are $50 per person, and the venue is at the Marriott Convention Center. This will be a "Chattanooga Style" Mardis Gras and should be fun for all. For tickets and/or additional information, call Kathy Sumrell. We hope to see you all there.
As always, I appreciate all of your support.
God Bless,
Jeri McInturff
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