Mr. T's Blog @ SKS

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

November 23, 2016

” Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of Thanksgiving.

W.T.Purkiser

“ A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue , but the mother of all other virtues.
Cicero

Dear St. Katharine of Siena School Families,

Last Wednesday evening we had the annual 8^th grade Thanksgiving Mass. At this mass, our 8^th graders honor and thank their parents for the many sacrifices that they make for their families. Unconditional love almost always involves sacrifice. Monsignor Brouwers, in his homily, reminded our 8^th grade class that their parents often sacrifice their own needs for the welfare of their children. He also thanked our parents for their unconditional support for our parish and school. Our families, who provide Catholic education for their children, in many instances, give up something to give their children an education that is well -rounded and well-grounded in Catholic values. Teaching our children to give up something for the good of others is certainly a life lesson that is worthwhile and expected for us as Catholics. Our parish/school communities are often asked to help through service. The past few weeks we have emptied out our closets in support for those who will face the cold winter months ahead and need warmth. Cradles to Crayons will once again benefit from your contributions and disperse those goods to those in need. Thank you to those that brought in hats, gloves, coats, and scarves.

I love this time of year, and I love Thanksgiving as much as any holiday! Thanksgiving is a time for love and thanks. It is a great break in the action in the fast paced lives we lead. The early Pilgrims are credited for the holiday, and they got it right. While we should give thanks every day for our blessings, it is good to stop and circle around the family table, break some bread, feast on a wonderful meal, and have a day to be with our loved ones. It’s no wonder that Thanksgiving is the most traveled holiday ever. People want to come home and be with their family and friends.

When I was a child, the time from Thanksgiving to Christmas seemed like an eternity. Now it seems to be a blink of an eye. This stretch from Thanksgiving to Christmas is full of a flurry of fun and favorite school community activities. Here are some dates to be marked in your calendars:

· * Donuts with Santa (Sunday, Dec. 4th ) for SKS Families and Friends

· * Santa’s Secret Workshop (at school, during school, for the children

(Dec 5^th - 7^th).

* Holyday - December 8th is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception - no school

* School Mass December 9th 9 AM by 6th grade

* The KG - 4 Christmas Concert in church on Wednesday, Dec. 14th at 7 PM

* Christmas Bash - KG-4 in cafeteria December 16th

* The Annual 5^th to 8^th Grade Christmas Tableau in church on Wednesday, December 21 at 7 PM

After this week, we move quickly into the season of Advent to prepare ourselves for the coming of the Christ Child. I was glad to see that some stores have decided to close for Thanksgiving to give their employees a break to be with their families. Still the advertising media and the retail world have already both blitzed us with Christmas music and decorations since before Halloween. We need to remind ourselves and our children about the real focus of the Advent season. It is to prepare our hearts and minds for the birth of the Jesus. We are encouraged In Advent season to prepare to spend some extra time on prayer reflection, alms-giving, doing for others,and sacrifice. Try to make some time to reflect on just that.

My thoughtful prayers of thanks are with you and your families this weekend. At the Tosti Thanksgiving table on Thursday, I will give thanks for my many blessings, including the St. Katharine of Siena School community as one of my most cherished gifts. Thank you for care and commitment to this parish and school. Happy Thanksgiving to your family.

A Thanksgiving Prayer

            For each new morning with its light,
            For rest and shelter of the night,
            For health and food, For love and friends,
           For everything Thy goodness sends.
Father in heaven, we thank you. Amen.

Most grateful,

Bud

Danny Ryan was one of our Peacemakers for the first trimester.

Science Investigations in Mrs. Stefan's 4th grade science class. This one was on the law of conservation of mass.

Sr. Maryanne Zacreski met with our 8th graders about her vocation.

The last of four Mulvanerty's, Nick, with parents, Jeanne and Mark, at the 8th grade Mass of Thanksgiving for parents.

Our music teacher, Ross Fry and Mary got married last weekend. Congratulations to them!

SKS Wildcat Day

Veteran's Day Celebration

SKS GOT TALENT

SKS Handbag Bingo

KG Thanksgiving Feast

Thursday, November 10, 2016

November 11, 2016

Dear St. Katharine of Siena School Families,
On this past Monday evening, I joined about 175 parents, teachers, and students from both SKS and SCJN schools for our joint Speak Up! event for 7th and 8th graders. I have probably attended a dozen or so Speak Up! events and each time I learn something more about what adolescents and families are experiencing.
One thing I realize more and more is that today's world is much more complicated than mine or yours was. Their world moves much faster, too fast in fact.
Speak Up!'s Executive Director, Martie Bernicker, did a quick exercise with parents and students before the breakout sessions. She talked about the fact that every student carries with them to school a backpack with their books and belongings. However, along with that regular backpack, they carry with them an invisible backpack . In that invisible backpack is each child's hopes, dreams, fears, and inadequacies that young adults face: Am I smart? Am I good looking enough? Am I popular? What do my peers think of me? The list goes on. Martie went on to mention that parents have invisible backpacks too that they carry with them: Am I doing too much or too little? How do I balance freedom with responsibility? Do I protect my child or let them make their own mistakes? These invisible backpacks can weigh on students and parents. They can get really heavy with one big issue or a lot of little issues. Sometimes families have the same issues, and sometimes the issues differ from family to family.
The essence of Speak Up! is to let adolescents and parents know they are not alone. It teaches our students that they can speak up and ask for help. We as adults can ask for help too. No family needs to walk alone. There is help available. On Friday, November 18, at 8:30 there is a Speak Up! coffee at their home office on 528 E. Lancaster Ave., Suite #50. The guest speaker is Michael Blanche, who is excellent. The topic is Drugs & Alcohol. For more resources and assistance go to www.speakup.org
This evening at 7 pm in cafeteria for our first Home & School Meeting, Drew Bergman from Minding Your Mind will be here to talk about his journey as a youth dealing with attempted suicide and how he overcame it. It's a serious topic and we have sent several reminders along with info about Drew on the Minding Your Mind website.
Tomorrow is Veteran's Day. We invite you and any veterans to join us as we honor those who fought and continue to fight for our freedom at 1:30 in the schoolyard. Students have been encouraged to bring either pictures of family/friends who have or are serving or their names on an index card. The SKS Band will play the national anthem, Msgr. Brouwers will say a prayer and blessing in honor of all who served , and Mr. Ross Fry will play Taps. As a school, we will recite the Pledge of Allegiance. The entire school will assemble outside as our Student Council and a group of students from grades 5 to 8 will help unfurl a large flag and then refold it properly to honor all Veterans. After that Student Council and the 8th grade will go over to Aberdeen Ave. by the rectory, where a tree will be planted to honor a Veteran. We hope you can come.
Friday evening is also our annual SKS Got Talent in the gym. Come see singing, dancing, piano playing, comedy acts, jump roping and more as our students let their talents shine on the bright stage. There might even be a surprise act I hear !?
Every Wednesday morning after the 8 am mass, a group of parents gather in the grotto and pray the rosary. Sometimes they are joined by a class who goes out to pray with them. Consider getting away from the daily grind for about a few minutes and spend some quiet some time with our Blessed Mother. It's good for the soul.
Please know that we can always use volunteers at lunch in the cafeteria and in the schoolyard to monitor the students. There is no sign up involved. If you have your clearances you can just show up any day that works for you.
We are collecting for those who will be cold during the winter days ahead. Send in any hats, gloves, and coats that are sitting in your closets for Cradles to Crayons. We are a blessed community and we have an obligation to help those who cannot help themselves.
There are still some beautiful fall colors in this season of autumn and Thanksgiving is right around the corner from us. Have a great Friday and weekend ahead.

Take care,

Bud

P.S. Get your family to Mass too!

Thursday, October 27, 2016

October 27, 2016

Dear St. Katharine of Siena Families,

Here are some important updates/reminders for you:

* A huge thanks for all those who turned in the SKS Raffle Tickets already. The due date was this past Tuesday. We appreciate your efforts! Remember the raffle is really something we need to do. It's our main fundraiser to get over $50,000 that covers half of what H&S is asked to raise to support the operating budget of the school. If you haven't turned it in as yet please do so by Friday. The Raffle Prize winners will be drawn on Monday at the Halloween-a-thon.

* Friday, 10/28, the Girls' Varsity Field Hockey Team plays at 4 pm at Ditmar Field in the first round of the playoffs. Good luck to the team and coaches.

* This Friday morning is the First Grade Saints Presentation. If you want to see some real live saints, come to church at 9 am. All are welcome as the first grade helps us celebrate the lives of the great saints. Monday afternoon around 1:15 will be the Halloween-a-thon. Track down my previous email from two weeks ago about the expectations for that day.

* SKS Wildcat Day is this Saturday, October 29th from 9 to 1:30 at Bo Connor Field. Come join the festivities: Flag football, Field Hockey , V &JV Football are all playing. Music games, face painting and BYO Food as there will be a grill there to fire up your hot dogs etc. !

On Line Registration and Re-registration for next year begins next Tuesday 11/1 for existing families and Wednesdsay, 11/2 for new families. Please insure you have a spot for your child for school next year by registering.

* Friday is the deadline for signing up for the Parent /Teacher conference on Thursday evening , 11/ 3 and Friday, 11/4. If you wish to meet with your child's teacher(s) please sign up by 12 noon this Friday. I encourage you to bring the older students (grades 3-8, or younger if you wish) to the conference with you. When that happens, nothing gets lost in communication. It also makes a statement that your child needs to be their own best advocate for themselves and that they are taking ownership and responsibility for their own education.

* Speak Up! for students in grades 7 & 8 and their parents is on Monday, 11/ 7 , @ 6 pm. We strongly encourage all students and parents to attend this night at St. Colman- John Neumann School at 372 Highland Lane in Bryn Mawr. We are partnering again with SCJN School and look forward to a great night of open communication between teens and their parents. For more information on Speak Up! and registration on line for the event go to www.speakup.org and find the event for SKS & SCJN. It takes about 2 minutes to register.

* The first Home and School Meeting is on Thursday, November 10 at 7 pm in the cafeteria. The topic is a serious one - Teen Suicide. The speaker presenting on November 11^th, battled depression throughout his adolescent and high school years. Drew Bergman is a speaker from the Minding Your Mind organization and has had an impact on students throughout the area.  Drew’s story involves his personal experience with attempted suicide. We realize this is a very difficult topic. However, because of recent teenage tragedies within our area the last few years, and input from our own students who serve on the Family Life/Education Team , we feel this is a topic we need to address.  Also, we have reached out to an expert in the field of adolescent suicide and prevention on the importance of having such conversations and how imperative keeping the lines of communication open are for such a heavy topic.

We encourage all parents to take the time to hear his story. Students in grades 6, 7, and 8 will view Drew's video next week and have a chance to put any ?'s down on index cards for the assembly.
Drew’s biography and video can be found here: http://mindingyourmind.org/who-we- are/leadership/speakers/andrew-bergman/.

* Mr. T's Parenting Tip #17 :

"Say what you mean;mean what you say."

Don't say things to your child that you do not intend to back up with action. For example, if you say to a child:"Stop that right now or you re going to your room." If the child doesn't cooperate with the expectation and you do not follow up on what you say, you need to change the way you are doing business. You are sending them the wrong message by not acting. If you say there will be a consequence, there needs to be one. Kids are smart. They will realize if you are making idle threats or mean business. Say what you mean; mean what you say and follow up on it. This lets the child know that there is an expected behavior, and if it is not followed, there is a consequence. This is done in a firm but calm way; not by raising your voice and screaming. Follow the law of natural consequences: If "A" happens then "B" occurs as a result. Example: "Mary, if you are bathed and ready for bed , then you can get your ice cream snack. Try this; it works.

Take care,

Bud

Scholastic Book Fair

Juvenile Diabetes Walk with the Principal

7th & 8th Grade Girls Field Hockey Team
League Champs

Philly Opera Comes to SKS in 7th Grade

Halloween Obstacle Course in Gym Class

Besides Respect Life and Breast Cancer Awareness, October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month

Grandparents/Special Friends Day

Monday, October 17, 2016

October 17, 2016

Dear St. Katharine of Siena Families,

A Prayer from St. Therese of Lisieux

May today there be peace within.

May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.

May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.

May you use the gifts you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.

I hope you enjoyed a beautiful fall weekend. It was a busy social weekend for this community. The Parent Social was a fantastic night. Thanks to Rebecca Roe, Marie Starck, Kate Quinn, Erin Buckley and many others who contributed to a fantastic and fun night. Cindy McKernan had yet another great idea with the Teacher Wish Board. You are all tremendous advocates for this school. Fundraising wise we did very well and the night promotes a great spirit within the community. When I left (and it wasn't that early), it looked like the real party was just getting started. The Top Gun theme was hilarious with some great get-ups. I love my aviator sunglasses with the SKS Logo! I'll be wearing them at car line for sure. The SKS Teacher Wish Board will remain open for anyone who wishes to purchase an item. More details will come from Home & School about how you can do that. The WIsh Board had near to $8,000 in teacher wishes granted which is incredibly generous. You'll see some pictures below from the night.

On Saturday, Dan's Down Dog & Dash (pictures below) continued to promote that community spirit as we remembered Dan Schultz and honored Pete Henkel, Allyson's son, who is a very resilient and courageous young man. There was a great turnout on a crisp autumn morning and the mesh of Radnor Schools (Pete attends RMS) and our school was really nice to see. I know both Susan and Allyson were extremely grateful for the support.

From now through Halloween and till Thanksgiving, we have many things going on. Please pay attention to the school calendar and highlight events that are of importance for you. I am looking forward to seeing Grandparents/Special Friends for KG / 1st Grade at the Book Fair this Wednesday.

We are about half way through this 1st trimester of school. How are things going? Remember in every way your child's growth is a process. Rarely is it by leaps and bounds. Taking baby steps is usually the reality, and sometimes it's two steps forward , and maybe a step back. Remember too, it not just about academics. We want the "whole" child to develop: spiritually, socially, emotionally and physically. Contact your teachers with a concern. Sign ups for the Parent /Teachers Conferences are on the Sign Up Genius which I emailed to you today. You have this week and next (deadline Friday 10/28) to make appointments.

Later this week I will be sending out a letter to all parents regarding some concerns expressed to me about class size in the 5th grade At Level math classes. The letter is a product of the teachers input and my classroom observations. Be on the look out for it please.

It's a beautiful fall season with some gorgeous weather as the leaves turn. Here's a final thought for all of us. Take a break sometime soon and go for a walk and pray some along the way. Be thankful for our many blessings, forgive others and be forgiven, and ask Him for help in any special intentions you may have for you and your family.

Take care,

Bud

SKS Top Gun Parent Social