Sister Patricia's Newsletter

St. Peter School
35749 Center Ridge Road
North Ridgeville, Ohio 44039
September, 2010

Dear Parents and Guardians,

If you were able to join us for Spirit Sunday on August 15, I think you would agree that it was great!    It was so delightful to be with you, to share the news of your vacations and summer activities, renew friendships and just experience the beautiful family we have in our school.  The PTU Board members deserve much thanks for all the energy and time given to make this day such a wonderful event. 

The teachers and staff also deserve a GREAT BIG THANK YOU for all the hours and effort they have put into decorating their classrooms, making attractive and creative name cards, preparing lessons, charts, displays, and completing hours of paperwork in readiness for the first day.  Special thanks to our maintenance crew, Ron Green, Rich Miller, Dave Becks, Chuck Butkowski, and Jenny Becker, who made our school clean and bright for the new school year!

We thank Fr. Bob for the focus and forethought he put into our moving St. Peter School forward. His direction and care have assisted us in a vision for our future.

Our school year theme is: All Are Welcome. Our main hall bulletin board, created by Miss Hice, first grade teacher, with assistance from Mrs. Schneider, second grade teacher, will provide a great daily reflection for all of us during the school year!  Watch the board evolve as our theme does!

Today your children will be bringing home the following information.  Please check that you have everything:

a) Emergency Medical Authorization Form
b) Emergency Dismissal Form
c) Applications for Free and Reduced Hot Lunch
d) Hot Lunch Menus and guidelines for ordering either hot lunches or milk only
e) Volunteer Form
f) Usual Means of Transportation Form
g) Parent/Student Handbook  (tear out, sign, return the signature page)
.          
Please return ALL forms by Friday, August 27, so that all our records for your child’s welfare are current and complete.  We ask that you return the Parent/Student Handbook form by Friday, September 3.  This gives you some time to read the handbook over.

All the teachers and staff of St. Peter School would like to warmly welcome all the new families who have joined us this year!  We are so happy to have you among us, especially our new preschool and kindergarten families! 
                                         
Remember that our Hot Lunch/Milk Only program begins on Tuesday, September 7.  Anyone wishing a lunch or milk must follow the directions on the order information sheet. This is necessary so that
Mrs. McCullough can place her order for the Hot Lunches and/ or milk.  Please refer to your handouts for more details regarding this. Lunch orders are due on Wednesday, September 1.

We look forward to seeing parents/guardians (gr.1-8) at our PTU meeting and Parent Orientation on Tuesday, August 24, beginning at 6:30 PM in the gym. Please do not skip the meeting in the gym! This is a great opportunity to meet the parents who coordinate so many of our school activities as well as to meet with the teachers. You will hear about our school plans for the year and then we’ll go to the school building for the classroom orientations.

Our teachers and staff would like to thank the PTU Board for their terrific support already this year.  We have a new PA system, a Spanish teacher for grades 6,7, and 8, and laminating film for creative projects. The PTU is
also launching a campaign to install a new computer lab in our school!  Ambitious?  Not for them!  We only need about $80,000!  Piece of cake!)

A generous donor provided the funds for our school to get a new website hosted by Edline.  (We are keeping our old one at this time.) This website will enable each teacher to communicate with you more frequently. Each teacher will be able to post grades.  (Up to this time, Mrs. Van Dyke had to post them all and post all communication. Mrs. Knoth, a creative and skilled parent, helped with the general site.) We are grateful for what has been and we look forward to what will be a streamlined form of communication in the very near future. (We are learning the system now.)

September 8 marks the beginning of our magazine drive.  Our magazine drive profit was a little under $6,000 last year. This profit contributed to the preschool aide’s salary this past year.  We hope to do the same this year. Please renew (or try some new) magazine subscriptions through our school during the drive.

Picture Day is on Monday, September 13.  This is a DRESS UP DAY for the students. NO JEANS, no spaghetti straps, no shorts, no bracelets, no dangling earrings, no make-up, etc. We need to assist the students to dress as students. These are school pictures, not dress up family portraits or casual dress shots. Detailed information will be coming home soon regarding this day. Be sure to send the picture envelope in to the photographer on this day.

We are still collecting used inkjet and laser cartridges at school.  Feel free to send them!

Please take time to read all the materials that are being sent home today. It is VERY IMPORTANT that the EMERGENCY MEDICAL AUTHORIZATION FORMS, THE EMERGENCY DISMISSAL FORMS, THE USUAL MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION FORMS, and the HOT LUNCH FORMS all be returned as quickly as possible.  Also, if you should notice a mistake in the spelling of your child’s name, or any other kind of error, please let us know so that we can make the necessary corrections.

Mrs. McCullough, our hot lunch coordinator, is looking for volunteers to work with her this school year.   Please call her at school  (327-3212) if you can help. 

May we have a wonderful beginning to our school year!  We look forward to seeing you Tuesday night, August 24, at 6:30PM in the gym.  May God bless you with His love and peace always!

Thank you for being here!  It is our privilege to work with you and your children!  Happy school year as we all focus on welcoming everyone!

Lovingly,

Sister Patricia, S.N.D.