News

September 28, 2007

Dear Parents,

Tribes: A Process for Learning and Being Together
Last Friday, we held our first Tribes activity in which students met in various multi-age groups to perform an activity. Our first activity was centered on students getting to know each other in their tribe and developing a sense of belonging within their tribe.

I wanted to share a little about our Tribes program. Tribes is a program used by thousands of schools in the United States, Canada, and Australia to develop a caring and nurturing environment so that all students may thrive. A sense of belonging and shared experience is essential in order for students to feel connected to their learning community. One of the many ways we do this at SFX is through our Tribes program.

Our Tribes groups are comprised of two students from each grade level, two eighth grade student leaders, and a school staff member. Tribes operate out of four key values: attentive listening, mutual respect, right to participate or pass, and appreciations/no put downs. Once a month, students work on a shared goal together in their tribes under the leadership of the 8th grade leaders practicing these four core values. The role of the staff members is to promote leadership and cooperation. Students really look forward to meeting in their tribes and getting to know students from other grade levels.

Our eighth grade tribe leaders are commended for their leadership in developing and facilitating the first Tribes activity of the school year. We are off to a fabulous start for our tribes this year!

Auction Quickly Approaching
We hope that all of families will be able to attend our Fall Auction on October 27. It is such a wonderful event that is only possible because of the efforts of our parent volunteers. Three cheers to Traci Donley and Christine Meyer who are chairing the event this year and their team of volunteers. In the newsletter is information on how you can become involved in this important school fundraiser.
New Bookshelves and Chairs in the Library

We are pleased to complete one of our summer projects that was delayed because of items being on back order. The new library shelves brighten up the library and provide easy access to books to our students. The former bookshelves were old and becoming unsafe because of loose shelving. Another capital improvement which was unanticipated was the acquisition of new chairs for the library. The chairs were donated by Mrs. Shrivner, the mother of Ashley in 4th grade. Stop by the library to see the improvements.

CTODP
Families who received a funds availability award through CTODP should have received their award letter this past week. The CTODP award has now been posted to family accounts on Renweb. The funds availability award this year is $475 per child, a significant increase from last year of $295 per child. Because of the generosity of so many people who redirect their tax dollars to this important program, 328 of our school children received assistance. Thank you to Mike Stoffey - our CTODP chair, his dedicated team of parents who work tirelessly on this program, and parents for their contributions. In the coming months, you will hear more about ways you can help promote and participate in this program. Your continued support is vital to our efforts to help make Catholic education available to so many families. Thank you!

Science Olympiad Coach Needed
We are in need of a parent coach to moderate our Science Olympiad team. Last year, our team went to nationals under the direction of Cindy Fernandez and Anne Frederick, both of whose children are now in high school. We are only able to have a team if we can have a parent willing to moderate this activity. The coach would meet weekly with students through the month of March to lead the students in science activities. There is remuneration for this position. If you are interested, please contact Mrs. Elliott.

Parent/Teacher Conferences
As partners in your child‘s education, we are delighted to have this opportunity to discuss your child‘s progress with you. Conferences are the main vehicle for communicating student progress to parents. At your conference, teachers will share with you the following information:

1. Student performance on standardized test (Iowa) – if received from Riverside Publishing by that time
2. STAR / Reading inventory results
3. Two writing samples using 6 + 1 traits rubrics
4. AR reading performance / reading log
5. Writing journal
6. Assessments (outside of the writing samples) that are assessed using student learning expectations
7. Religion / Family Life sample work
8. Grammar work

(In the middle school, where subjects are departmentalized, teachers will cover these items in the respective subjects.)

You will be receiving conference slips in the coming weeks. Please return your confirmation slip to your child‘s homeroom teacher by the requested due date.

The dates and times for conferences are as follows:

Tuesday, October 23 1:00- 6:30 p.m. all grade levels
Wednesday, October 24 1:00- 6:30 p.m. all grade levels
Thursday, October 25 8:00 a.m. – 2 p.m. grades 6-8 (no school for grades 6-8)
Friday, October 26 8:00 a.m. – 2 p.m. grades K-5 (no school for grades K-5)

We are looking forward to meeting with you.

Sincerely,

Lisa Elliott