November, 2008

Dear St. John Fisher Families,

The early morning rattle of the heating pipes, the first collection of single left-handed mittens in the lost and found, and bags of Halloween candy ready to be sent to local shelters. . . November is here!  

We begin the month with a day of great celebration for the parish as we launch events that will mark the 60^th Anniversary of our Faith Community.  We hope you will be able to attend the Anniversary Mass at 4:00 on Sunday, November 2.  It will be a wonderful gathering of family and friends to celebrate the history and heritage of St. John Fisher.  This event is the first of many to celebrate this momentous time.   Watch the bulletin and future newsletters so that you can plan to be part of the festivities to follow.

Our students have become a very informed electorate over the last several weeks.   In addition to projects students are doing at various grade levels, we have conducted three straw polls at lunchtime and on Monday will have our own version of the presidential debates.  Students from grades five through eight have researched the position of each candidate on key issues and will present their platform to the student body.   Moderated by Mr. Dunkle and Mrs. Nitsche, the debate promises to be lively and informative.  All of the students have been invited to register to vote in our election on Tuesday.   It should be an exciting day.  

Spookfest was a great success.   Kane Hall was transformed for the day and the Student Council under the guidance and leadership of their moderators, Mrs. Caffrey and Mrs. Sullivan entertained hundreds of our youngest ghosts, goblins, super heroes.   Many thanks to all who worked so hard to entertain our very excited guests.

You will need to check the November calendar daily so that you will not miss any of the events that are planned for the month.  On Saturday, November 1, the fifth and sixth grade football team plays at St. Rita in the first rounds of the playoffs.   Saturday is also the day to “Pack the House” to celebrate the many accomplishments of our girls’ basketball season.   Both events will be lively and spirited.  Know you are welcome to come to cheer our athletes to victory.

November 7 marks the end of the first trimester of the school year.  (Can you believe it??)   Report cards will be distributed on Friday, November 14.   Our students make such great strides each year.   We have much to celebrate as we watch their curiosity and creativity grow; so many are excellent writers and fine mathematicians, others are future scientists and artists.   Please continue to encourage their best efforts.   If you have questions or concerns about any area on the report card, please remember to discuss it at the parent teacher conferences scheduled for the end of the month.

Mrs. Nealis has done an incredible job of scheduling all of our students for conferences and trying to honor all of your requests.    You will receive your “appointment schedule” the week before conferences.   If it is impossible for you to come at your scheduled time, please email your child’s teacher so that another time can be arranged. 

November 16-21 is National Children’s Book Week.   Mrs. Funk has planned several events to celebrate the week including our Partner Reading Day on Thursday, November 20.  That evening, all are encouraged to participate in Family Reading Night when, for an hour, all things digital are turned off and families are encouraged to read.   Given how very busy all of our families are, this hour to relax together could be very rewarding for all.

The Family School Association and Women’s Club have also planned some lovely events for the month of November.  On Thursday, November 13, they will host a Boutique Night in Kane Hall with local vendors sharing a variety of items for early Christmas Shopping.   On Sunday, November 16, Mothers and Daughters are invited to Mass followed by a breakfast fashion show in Kane Hall.  Last year’s party was a great success.   Watch for details about both events in your children’s book bag.

Families need not cook on the following Sunday, November 23, because the Boy Scouts will be hosting their annual Pancake Breakfast.  If you are looking for a delicious breakfast at a very affordable price, you will not want to miss this event.

Among the many things we have to celebrate this month, I am proud to announce that our school was awarded a grant for a proposal we submitted.   Mrs. Shannon and Mrs.Reed wrote the proposal to demonstrate how digital video photography could be used to help our students learn. The 7^th graders are delighted to be selected as the “pilot” group to participate in a project called “Whose Earth Is It?”  These young scientists are using scientific inquiry to propose solutions to real-life environmental problems and create digital artifacts showcasing their findings.   Our school was awarded over $6,000 in equipment, including MAC Book Pros, digital video cameras and software.   The student projects will be presented to administrators at the Office of Catholic Schools. 

We are grateful for all who have already been so generous with this month’s Student Council Fundraiser, “Dimes for Dollars”.  We have had many, many requests from very worthy organizations and individual causes to sponsor an out of uniform day. In fairness to all, we have decided to try this project and share your generosity with so many who can use our help.  Perhaps your child can earn a few dimes by doing a special chore.  Perhaps dessert could be sacrificed in order to help someone who might need a helping hand. Our school is noted for unlimited generosity.   Thanks for your help with this project.

Thanks to all who have been so supportive of our efforts to make our students more responsible young men and women.   As you know, we have initiated a new policy that discourages already busy moms and dads to come to school with forgotten assignments, lunches, gym shoes and other items that forgetful students should have remembered. 

Please know that no student will go hungry!  Our lunch program now offers peanut butter and jelly sandwiches every day for $1.00.   If a student does not have the money with him, we are happy to float a loan.   We also know that given the size of the lunches students do bring to school, most friends are willing to share a sandwich or snack. 

We are also grateful for your cooperation with the homework policy that we initiated this year.   As a reminder; if a student misses one or two days of homework because of illness, upon his return, he should ask the teacher for the essential work missed while he was gone.   The teacher will determine what needs to be accomplished and give the student a reasonable time for completion.   If a student will miss more than three days, please email the teacher so that arrangements can be made for the essential work to be completed in a timely way.

Next week, all of the families in our parish will receive an important survey.   We are in the process of forming a Parish Council that will act as an Advisory Group to our Pastor, Father Kyfes, and help set the direction for the parish as we plan for the future.   In order for them to be most effective, it is important that every member of the parish have an opportunity to reflect on their own vision of and goals for our parish.  Please take the time to complete the survey and return it either to school, church, or the rectory.   We would ask every member of the family from high school up to do a survey.   Additional copies are available or can be downloaded from the school website.  Please return your survey(s) by Thanksgiving.   THANK you for your valuable help with this most important project.

After all of these years, many of you know that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year.   Since I am not the cook in the family, (that alone is something for which my siblings are grateful!)  I enjoy every aspect of the day.   The day begins with the 9:00 Family Mass, a rich tradition of our parish.    Please try to come.   I promise it will inspire you to capture the real meaning of the day and set the tone for the busy holiday season ahead. 

I also love Thanksgiving because too often we are so busy with so many things that we are unaware of the many, many blessings in our lives.   A stroll down any corridor in our building to see the faces of our students, to hear the “tales they tell” in the primary grades, to listen to the insightful questions of our older students, to appreciate the pictures they draw or the songs they sing. . . How could one not have a grateful heart? 

Thank you for the privilege of working with your children.   Thank you for your generous support of all of our school programs.   Thank you for giving us so many reasons to be thankful!