3 February Letter from Mr. Kelly
Friday of the 4th Week in Ordinary Time
Dear SJS Catholic School Community,
Way to go, SJS! What a fun Catholic Schools Week we have had! The special events helped highlight the many blessings we have at SJS! Thanks to all the teachers and students for their willingness to participate. Also, thanks to our Home and School Association who worked to make the week special. Let’s do it again, next January.
I have always believed that people pay for what is important to them. It seems like folks are willing to pay for a product that is worth the money. I think that is true for Catholic education as well. Our future is bright because we are producing outstanding results at SJS. Our graduates are prepared for high school and beyond. Our test scores are largely above the national average. We are shaping the future of our community and church. And, we are creating disciples. Thank you for your continued support of SJS. Registration for next school year will begin soon for our current families, online via Sycamore. You will be emailed further instructions. The full day and kindergarten classes have limited enrollment numbers so prompt attention will be beneficial. We open registration to current families first as a courtesy to you, a chance to secure your spot at SJS. Approximately one week later we will open registration to all new families. We want to add as many new students as we can, that simply is how schools work best. (Roundup Feb 17th). Parents who can speak of the value of a Catholic education are our best recruiters. Please spread the word.
We take technology safety seriously at SJS. Every SJS computer is loaded with student monitoring software. But, we need your help. Parents who closely monitor their student’s online and phone activity help many problems to be avoided. There are tools you can download to help, but a close interest and supervision is a very powerful tool. It’s also good to know that no SJS teacher will use social media to contact you or your student. Our staff will use the established emails, Google Classroom, in person conversations, and phone calls to be in communication with you or the student.
Just a reminder that the Spring Fling event is tomorrow night. Hope you can make it to this fun event. If working at Spring Fling or coaching this winter has helped you reach your participation hours, don’t forget to submit a simple email to parentparticipation@sjsomaha.
I sometimes hear the comment, “Schools don’t teach ____ like they used to when I was a kid.” And that certainly can be true. While there are some universal teaching techniques and concepts that will always be effective, one mark of an outstanding school is the ability to adapt and adopt the techniques and technology that best helps the students. Times change, and students learn differently than they did in the past. If we did not recognize that kids indeed change with time, and how they learn best also changes, we would be doing our students a disservice. So, our staff is committed to making our graduates a success and will thus use the techniques and strategies that will make us a success. And, we want to prepare our students for the standardized tests, and how they are constructed, of today. Thanks for your continued support.
Thanks for all you do.
William Kelly
Principal
