Mr. T's Blog @ SKS

May 13, 2017

Dear St. Katharine of Siena School Families,

Some updates on things at SKS.

Almost Home !

The ship is coming into port shortly and it's the busiest time of the school year. Families are scurrying around trying to balance school, children's activities, family, and work as the school year approaches the last few weeks.
At school, we are busy too. I lean on teachers/staff to do their day to day plans, end of the year work, and plans for next year. Like you, they have a lot at their plate. The other day in church, I reminded the students that they need to take care of their parents and teachers as you and the teachers take care of them. What a journey each school is!

May Procession

Thanks for your help and participation in the May Procession. Many schools have stopped doing this for varying reasons. We see this religious community event important to our Catholic identity. The grotto with our Blessed Mother is a perfect setting to start and Msgr Brouwers, the teachers, and I appreciated greatly your reverence and participation Wednesday night. There are some pictures below of the night.

Continuous Improvement Survey for SKS

Over 120 families filled our the Continuous Improvement Survey (CIP) for our school community that was sent out (a few different times) by the OCE (Office of Catholic Education) through email. I want to thank all those families who participated. It was an excellent response. I was given a full report on the responses, and gave Msgr. Brouwers a full copy. Feedback is important to the growth of any organization. We received high grades in many areas and there were areas that we can grow. There were many comments that people took the time to write. As in any survey, there were some positive comments ( "Mr. Tosti for president") No thank you! There were some very critical ("It's time for the principal to retire"). That's okay, I have thick skin and some day I will. There were many comments that fall in between these two. We need to look at this with an open mind and use the survey as a tool for us to improve. We will.

Eighth Grade Parent Dinner

The Eight Grade Parent dinner, which will be held this coming Tuesday night, is annual tradition that is very close to my heart. At that night, we pay tribute to our 8th grade parents who have poured so much into this school community: Their time, treasure, and talents; their hearts and souls. In particular, we honor those families whose last (or only child) is graduating from SKS. It is a bittersweet night for the families and for us. In many cases this night and graduation is the culmination of many years of faithful support to our St. Katharine of Siena Parish & School. It's a debt we never can repay. We have families such as The Boccella's , whose son, Matthew, is the 7th child ( preceded by Nick, Joe, John, Mark, Patrick, Maria) to graduate. Their relationship with our school spans a 25 year association with the school. That's an amazing commitment.

Here are the 19 families we will say so long to: John & Kathy Boccella, Eric & Renee Bowen, Bruce & Jane Bradley, David & Patty Clerkin, John & Bernadette Dickson, Chuck & Carolyn Evans, Mark & Katie Jones, Kristen Hayes, Brennan & Deirdre Kelly, Brian & Jackie Kloss, Jon & Mary Kate Hatcher, Tim & Colleen Maguire, Mike & Terry McClatchy, Jacinto & Beth Oliver, Mark & Jeanne Mulvanerty, Joe & Jayda Orsatti, Patrick & Jessica Ohlin, Ed & Alisa Pawelec, Steve & Meg Shreiner,

SK5K & GO RUN

A huge thanks go to Nora Brennan, Tracy Barausky for running the SK5K, and to Megan Hope and Jim Sharkey for overseeing the SKS Go Run Program. Tremendous leadership by them, with support from many super volunteers. Our Go Run Program and The SK5K continue to be such wonderful successes for us.

First Eucharist

This weekend completes our 3rd graders receiving their first holy communion - a special day their families and them. Thank you Sr. Mary Elizabeth , Kim Peppers, our 3rd teachers, Anne Bondi and Mike Gavin, and to you, the parents, for preparing the children for this sacrament.

Happy Mother's Day

Yesterday, I met the Kindergarten Mothers prior to the Mother's Day Picnic Luncheon with their children. I told them that this weekend, I would be spending Mother's Day with my family, and fortunately for me, with my dear Mom, who was 94 in January. From my perspective as a loving son, there is nothing more special or deep as the love of a mother for her family. May God bless all of you honored to be called "Mother." May you enjoy a day of love, joy, and peace with your loved ones. Thank you Moms for your constant sacrifices and gift of unconditional love.

Take care,

Bud

KG Mother's Day Luncheon