10 December Letter from Mr. Kelly
Friday of the Second Week of Advent
Dear SJS Catholic School Community,
Our quarantining COVID numbers have not gone up dramatically since Thanksgiving break. Way to go, SJS! Just one more week to go before Christmas break! Let’s focus our efforts on keeping the kids healthy and in school. So, that requires continued vigilance on your part, keeping sick or symptomatic students away from school. And following the guidance of the local and national health leaders is suggested as well. So, we are hosting a vaccine clinic here at SJS next Tuesday, and all the shots are available. If you have had trouble logging in for that appointment online, you can still show up and we will have the forms available for you. Thanks for your continued support.
Sometimes it can be difficult to know when to allow your student to stumble and learn from that situation, and when to step in. It is always helpful to look for patterns of behavior. If your child is too rushed completing homework, or you begin to wonder if you are receiving all school communications, or even if you notice behavioral changes in your child that concern you, it is probably time to get in touch with your child’s teacher. It is wise to contact the teacher before the problem becomes too big. Sometimes a small adjustment can be enough to put your student on the right track.
As you do your holiday shopping you may consider using the parish HOPE gift card program. It is an easy way to help generate income for the parish and school. Feel free to contact the SJ rectory for more information.
Monday is an optional out of uniform day. We want to help the needy in our neighborhood, so a canned good will be your ticket for this out of uniform day. All will then be donated to the St. Vincent DePaul to help those in need in our community. And then Friday is our annual “Red/Green Day” in which students can be out of uniform if wearing something red/green/Christmas themed. It’s always wise to check the Sycamore calendar for all that is going on at school. Christmas break does also provide you an opportunity to look at school uniforms and the hair requirements and make sure all is in order. Thanks for all you do.
We will soon be in the second semester, that progress is exciting! This provides an opportunity for reflection. Are grades suffering due to late work? Has test preparation been thorough enough? Are in-class behaviors hurting the averages? Now is a good time to decide the changes that are necessary for future success. I recently read an article that made some simple suggestions for helping with homework. It was suggested to have a regularly scheduled time for completing the work. Also suggested was a consistent workspace with all needed supplies, yet free of distractions. And parental interest in homework cannot be emphasized enough.
Peace,
William Kelly
Principal
