Notes from May 10 2019

Posted on May 16, 2019

Dear SJF Families,

The month of May is proving to be incredibly busy, featuring a whirlwind of activities and emotions! There is a great deal of excitement throughout the building as we anticipate warm weather (finally!) and the end of the year celebratory events recognizing the many accomplishments and transitions into our next chapter at SJF. As we move forward, I have much to be grateful for and many exciting announcements to share.

Thank you so much to our Reading Buddies! We are blessed at St. John Fisher to have a group of ladies who volunteer their time as Reading Buddies every Monday afternoon. The Reading Buddy program pairs a first- or second-grader who needs additional reading support with a caring, supportive adult who focuses solely on that child for one half-hour, reading and working on phonics skills. A special thank you to our volunteers: Mrs. Maureen Connolly, Mrs. Debby Dillon, Mrs. Kathy Guinane, Sr. Jean McGrath, and Mrs. Mary Nitsche for their energy, time and kindness!

While we are on the topic of reading, I would like to announce that we have hired Ms. Mary Schiavone as our FULL-TIME reading specialist for next year! Many of you may already know Ms. Schiavone. She has been a dedicated and dynamic third grade teacher at SJF for the past 7 years and is finishing up her MA in Literacy Curriculum this month. Ms. Schiavone attended Mother McAuley High School, Saint Xavier University and The American College of Education. Because Ms. Schiavone has a history with our school, I know she will hit the ground running with her talent and expertise. I cannot wait to see the incredible enhancements Ms. Schiavone and her new position will bring to better support our students, teachers and reading curriculum.

Speaking of support, SJF has had a counselor position posted since the beginning of the year. Through our search process, we were fortunate enough to discover Mrs. Nikki Carey. I am absolutely thrilled to announce that we have hired Mrs. Carey to be our FULL-TIME school counselor for next year! Mrs. Carey comes to us with an extensive wealth of knowledge in mental health services and school counseling and is also an SJF community member and parent to 2 (next year it will be 4) of our Falcons! Most recently, Mrs. Carey was the Director of Counseling at Mother McAuley High School. Prior to her leadership role at McAuley, Mrs. Carey worked in many different facets of their counseling program including college counseling. Before McAuley, Mrs. Carey worked with adolescents and teens struggling with mental health issues at the University of Chicago Orthogenic School. Mrs. Carey attended Mother McAuley and went on to Loyola University for both her BA and MEd. Coupled with Mrs. Carey’s vast and impressive background, she brings an enormous amount of energy, love and commitment to our school and community. I am so excited to welcome Mrs. Carey aboard our ship! Please HELP Mrs. Carey by clicking here and providing your perspective on this needs’ assessment. Your feedback will allow Mrs. Carey to tailor her planning for next year to best fit our school’s needs.

Finally, we have had many accomplishments this past week including First Holy Communion and May Crowning. Thank you to Dr. Chermak, who led our 2nd and 8th grade students and teachers in these beautiful ceremonies. I would be remiss if I didn’t also congratulate our 8th grade A volleyball team on their GOLD BALL VICTORY! Great job, all!

As always, I am so grateful for all of you. Thank you for continued support of Catholic education.

 

Mrs. Maura Nash