26 March Letter from Mr. Kelly
March 26, 2021
Friday of the Fifth Week of Lent
Dear SJS Catholic School Community,
It is the year of St. Joseph in the Church, and we recently celebrated St. Patrick’s Day. One of the blessings of our Catholic faith is the role of the saints. The example that saints provide can be a useful teaching tool for us Catholic educators, and parents. And their intercession for our prayers is an important aspect of our faith. St. Patrick and St. Joseph truly does show the power that true believers can have. We encourage you to make learning about the saints an important part of your home life as well.
We are now in the 4th quarter and this gives us the chance to think about progress being made in Math. As you know, at SJS we also have an expectation that the addition and subtraction facts will be mastered by the end of 2nd grade, and multiplication and division mastered by the end of 4th grade. Mastery means the ability to recall the answer very quickly. If your student does not reach that expectation yet, we will continue to work with them, but your help will be needed, practice goes a long way. Just a reminder, our teachers use the data from STAR testing, Terra Nova testing, our own SJS benchmark tests, and the curriculum, to make decisions that drive instruction. Thank you, SJS teachers and staff.
I want to thank the 6th grade students who have endured the cold these winter months to be our school Safety Patrol. Safety Patrol is an important job, and the students have taken it seriously. No matter the temperature or the weather the Safety Patrol is out making sure the students are safe. And, the Safety Patrol is coordinated and organized by Mr. Potter, which is a big job, and his efforts are much appreciated.
As you make your summer plans there are a few pieces of information that you may find helpful. Our first day of school for 2021-22 will be tentatively planned for August 16th (K-8). School will be dismissed early the 16th and 17th. Welcome Night will be the 13th and Curriculum Night is the 26th of August.
Do not forget to get your school registration materials turned in please. Preschool and PreK in particular are filling up quickly. If you have any issues and would like to visit with me, feel free to call. We are in the process of planning for materials and staffing for next school year. Your registration is an important part—to be honest, the most important part –of that process. So we strongly encourage all registrations to be in as soon as possible.
As you buy uniforms for next school year or the springtime, please remember all uniform items are to be purchased at a uniform store, or uniform section of a department store. So pants, shirts, and shorts should be uniform pants, shirts, and shorts, not just the correct color. Uniform clothing is cut and styled in such a way that makes it appropriate for our school setting. And uniforms give off a silent message of solidarity and respect, and even minor violations of the policy can be subject to disciplinary action. Thank you for your support. It is always best to check the Dennis Uniform site to see if what you are purchasing actually fits our school uniform expectations.
We have been able to tweak our COVID procedures recently as the numbers are dropping in the school community. Please keep up your vigilance, particularly over Easter break, as we would like to continue to make further tweaks at the end of the year. Thanks for all you do.
Peace,
William Kelly
Principal
