March Newsletter
The shamrocks are in the windows, snow is melting (at last), and there is a hush throughout the building as students in third, fifth, and seventh grade take the Terra Nova Standardized Tests. March has arrived at St. John Fisher. A peak at the calendar affirms that it will be a busy month.
The parish mission with Father Ken Velo has been a wonderful success. If you were able to come for all or any part of the mission, I know there was some part of your heart that was touched by the wit and wisdom Father Velo shared so beautifully. The students attended Mass on Monday with Father Velo. Be sure to ask them about his interpretation of the Wizard of Oz story.
Our next big parish event is Saturday's "Passports 2010", the Athletic Board Fundraiser. Great food from around the world prepared by authentic "chefs" representing those corners of the globe will be complemented by exotic drinks (and an open bar for the less daring). The event is a wonderful opportunity to visit with friends and neighbors and supports an outstanding program that benefits all of our students. If you have not yet purchased your tickets, they will be available at the door.
Gavin Coyle, whose concert last year received such rave reviews will return to SJF on Tuesday, March 9th. This is an event you will not want to miss. Gather friends and family and anyone who loves good music for a very enjoyable evening. The concert is free.
The parade will not march down Western Avenue, but we will have a wonderful celebration of St. Patrick's Day on Tuesday, March at 7:00 when we celebrate the parish's St. Patrick's Day Mass. Although our third graders are "hosting", Irish dancers, Irish music, and a delightful soda bread reception after mass are special features of the event. We hope you will be able to come.
Our reading Olympic Project was a huge success! Almost 1/2 million pages were read by the students in this three week campaign. The gold medal was awarded to our second and fourth graders, the silver to our kindergarten and sixth grade students, and the bronze to students from our four-year old pre-school and their seventh grade team mates. Many thanks to Mrs. Funk who organized the event and to the teachers and parents who encouraged such strong participation.
I hope you have heard a bit about our school Lenten projects. Keeping the Olympic theme alive, we are striving to pass the torch of kindness by being more aware of the simple kindnesses we can do for each other. Rather than tallying them ourselves, we have asked each student and teacher to notice these simple acts of kindness and report them to our "central command" where they will be recognized with a "torch" symbol on the bridge. Crossing the bridge between buildings gets to be a longer process each day as I stop to read about some of the kind and caring deeds the students are doing. Please continue to encourage their best efforts.
The Book Fair is coming to St. John Fisher this month with special events that are bigger and better than ever. The Fair officially opens on Sunday after the annual Grandparents Mass. On Wednesday evening, we will have a special guest program. Look for lots of details about the book fair and accompanying programs both on-line and in the students' book bags.
The School Board and Finance Committee have begun to work on the school budget for next year. Today we sent a letter asking about your plans for next year. Since enrollment is the foundation on which the budget is planned, we need to base our numbers on our best guesstimate of how many to expect. Your response to the letter will be most helpful.
As indicated, we are very aware of the sacrifices you are making to provide a Catholic Education for your children and will do our best to keep our school very affordable. More information about our plans will be coming in the weeks ahead.
Although we do our best to inform new families about our early childhood programs, we are very grateful for anything you might do to acquaint families new to the area about these programs. Please encourage them to call for a visit or obtain other information that might be helpful. Thanks for being our ambassadors of good will to the community.
Spring will soon be in the air! Enjoy the promise of Easter.