March 2, 2016

Dear St. Katharine of Siena School Families,
          The journey through Lent continues with a focus on prayers, doing for others, sacrificing some, forgiving, and asking for forgiveness. We all have things we need to improve on regardless of age. The faculty and I  have continued using the Little Black Book for Lent. There are some real gems reflection wise in that book. I have extra copies if you would like one, just let me know. The rest of this blog is communicating items of school importance. Thanks for reading and staying in the loop.

Take care,

Bud

SKS Centennial     

The first SKS Centennial Meeting was held last Wednesday and plans are in the making for a
year-long series of events next year to celebrate SKS:100 Years! There was a energetic group of people: teachers, parents, at the meeting led by co-chairs Anne Condello and David Heacock.  Our school's legacy of  celebrating one hundred years of existence is a huge deal don't you think?  If you would like to help out please contact Anne Condello at school. Soon there will be a launching of a Centennial Sign Up Genius. Please consider getting involved.

                                                            Capital Campaign
We are officially two weeks into our Capital Campaign - Securing Our Future. If you have not received a phone call as yet , please expect a call soon from your homeroom captain. If you have any questions about anything regarding this please don't hesitate to call me. A brochure has been sent home with the oldest child in the school so please check backpacks. The brochure does a terrific job explaining everything that we do here for fundraising.
                                                 

Spiritual Life Advancement Team 

There is a Rosary Group forming for parents after the 8am Mass here on Wednesdays. For now it will be in church after the 8 am Mass. When the weather breaks it will be in the grotto. Mary is always ready to listen to our prayers and our grotto is sacred pray-ground. I know you are busy, but try to carve out a some time for yourself to pray.
  For more info contact Susan Schuller  at smschuller@hotmail.com

Family Life/Education Advancement Team 

Our Family Life /Education Advancement Team reports that our students on that committee (who represent our upper grades) want to be educated on three specific topics:

- Drug and Alcohol Education: Specifically they would like to hear from young adults who have gone through through addiction and how they can avoid the pitfalls.

- Social Media: They want to hear from someone who is knowledgeable from a  legal standpoint what consequences are to be faced when teenagers cross the line. 

- Suicide Prevention: Students want education on this subject. We realize this is a frightening topic in many ways for many families. We would not have an assembly with the students without first having a night with parents about this. 

The Home & School Board, Youth Ministry (Steph Twohig), and The Family Life /Education Advancement Team are pursuing professional speakers in all three areas.  We are looking to line up an assembly in the spring with one or possibly two of these topics. We will keep you posted on the details of this and communicate clearly what will be presented. In assemblies of any topic deemed sensitive, parents, as primary educators,  have the right to have their child opt out from the assembly. 

 Generation Life will be here to present their talk on Chastity to the 7th and 8th grade on March 22. The 7th & 8th grade girls will be together and the 7th & 8th grade boys will be together as well. The 6th grade presentation will be co-ed and focus solely on understanding your value as a child of God, seeking out good friends and role models, and the importance of being kind and respectful towards others.   

From Mr. T.'s Desk 

I told this true anecdote to the Capital Campaign Captains two weeks ago;

A certain primary grade SKS student approached me a few weeks back and the conversation went like this:

Student: "Mr. T. are you a teacher?

Mr.T.: Yes,  I still consider myself a teacher all the time." 

Student: "But do you still teach a class and have a classroom?

Mr. T.: No, I don't have a class like the other teachers, but I still like to think that I still teach....."

Student: "Well if you don't have classroom and don't teach a class, what do you actually do all day?"

Let's just say in the end  it was one of those moments that I was left speechless..... so funny, every day here is another adventure. 

SKS CYO 

A few weeks ago this CYO article was shared with many constituents within our parish but it was never officially shared within our school. It's a wonderful story of compassion and empathy displayed by many of our graduates from SKS who were playing a high school CYO game. Just in case you didn't see it I hope you will take a few minutes to read it. It's a reason to be proud of our graduates and families. Are there two more important values than compassion and empathy?

http://isscd.org/general-news/transcending-game-philadelphia-area-cyo-basketball-creates-unforgettable-night/​

                                                           All Catholic Festival Band                                                                    

Two student made All Catholic Festival Band from our school. Sophia Di Giovanni performed at a concert at Archbishop Wood  two weeks ago. Sophia Twohig will perform with the festival band students at the Kimmel Center on March 22nd. Congrats to both performers.

Home and School Board 

Next week you will receive information from the Home &School Board asking for parents to run for five positions that will be open for next fall.. Our Home & School Board is an integral part of our school community. If you are thinking about running for any position , then you should. Meetings are only once a month from September through June. You can help us!

March Calendar 

The month of March brings about a flurry of activities on the school calendar. Here are some updates with a reminder that all these events are on the school /parish calendars.

-  2/29 to 3/4: This week our students are taking the Terra Nova  Standardized Testing. We run a special schedule where testing is done in the morning.  Regular classes are held after testing  with abbreviated classes. Typically we get the TN  test results in mid to late May.  The 2nd trimester officially ends March 11th. Report cards will be given out on Monday and Tuesday  March 21 -22.

- Parish Retreat for Lent 6:15 in Parish Center with guest speaker: Megan Cokely and 7:30 Mass

- 3/4 to 3/5   24 Hours for Life: Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in church

- 3/5  First Eucharist Retreat for Grade 3  8:30 am -12 pm Parish Center

- 3/8 Home & School Meeting (rescheduled from February) Sr. Pat Mc Cormack  7 PM in cafeteria

- 3/10  Spring Fashion Show @ Lisiter - This has always been a HUGE event for us and one of our main fundraisers for school. I hope many of our Moms & Friends will be able to attend. I heard the venue is really nice.

-  3/11 End 2nd Trimester, also St Paddy's Day Party: Blarney Bash in cafeteria for grades KG-4  6 to 8 pm

- 3/12 Confirmation Retreat for 6th grade in Parish center 8:30 am to 12 pm

- 3/13 Culture of Life Concert in church  4 pm - all are invited as the music will be outstanding.

- 3/14 begin 3rd Trimester  and  Begin GO RUN Program after school @ 3:15

- 3/16  School Mass by 3rd grade

- 3/17 Happy St. Patrick's Day Dress Down Day given by Mr. O' Tosti for wearing of the green!              The DD Day benefits alumnus, Meghan Jones, for her community service trip.

- 3/18 Living Stations performed by Class of 2016.    Dress rehearsal 1:15   7 pm Performance in Church

- 3/19 -20    Bake Sale after Masses for 8th Grade

- 3/21  World Down Syndrome Day, Report cards given out, Go Run 3:15

- 3/22 Confessions for grades 2 - 8 in church. Reports cards given out.
   Easter Break begins at 3 pm for students/ families. Generation Life presents to grades 6, 7, & 8.

- 3/23 Faculty Retreat at Malvern Retreat House

- 3/24 - 3/27 Holy Week Services in church

- 3/27 Happy Easter

- 3/29  Faculty in Service  - 9 to 3

- 3/30 Classes resume  Go Run 3:15

- 4/1  4th  Grade Field Trip to Crystal Cave

- 4/2 - 4/3   First Eucharist Masses offered

Is this a busy enough March into April ?

SKS Happenings 

The Class of 2012 and their parents had a grand reunion in the parish center. I can't even believe these kids are ready to graduate from high school and off to college next fall.  

How about these two? Sisters? Nope, but they sure look like it!  Third grader Brooke Miller poses with Rosemont student /teacher, Erin Kenny, who has been with us since January in Miss Panaro's class.  Last week, ten other aspiring teachers from Rosemont College  visited our school to watch our teachers in action. 

Winners of the auction for SKS Guys Night Out were: Steve Elliot, Rob Kendall, 

Jim Frohner and Reno deGennaro. We had a great night with an excellent turnout. If you missed it, we'll see you next time or come crash the Fashion Show!

Some of our winners from the famous Scouts' Pinewood Derby are above. Below are some of the cars. Mr. Gavin and his good friend, Jimmie Johnson, would be very proud.

       SKS 8th Grade Business Day

 Over $2800 will be donated to the Make A Wish Foundation thanks to the hard working  entrepreneurs of the Class of 2016.

Reading Olympics 

What's the fastest way to get smarter?  Read, Read and Read some more! The 5th graders here are getting ready for the upcoming Reading Olympics that our school will participate in with the Delaware County Intermediate Unit . Great job Mrs. Jill D'Agostino, her parent volunteers, and our students!

More Fantastic Reading News !

    

Students from Pope John Paul II High School including SKS Alumnus, Mike Shreiner (above) visited our KG-1 grade classes to read to our students.  Dr Seuss was the book theme - excellent choice! 

February 7, 2016


 Dear St. Katharine of Siena School Families,
         Although I was not able to make the SKS Trivia Night , I heard it was a real hoot and the pictures I have seen back that up.  Thank you to Denise Chambers and Cindy Mc Kernan who organized the fun event. Next year we may need the gym to house everyone or the First Union Center.  
        Last week we celebrated Catholic Schools week. I am grateful to  Jackie Sevag and David Heacock and all our teachers/staff , Chris Plasha and Greg Schmidt for the set up help, the Home & School, and our parents for helping us this week. This  year was the second on a continuum of a three year theme:  Catholic Schools: Communities of Faith, Knowledge,  and Service. We mixed those three components during the week. On Monday we had continuous service projects going on by all grades.  On Tuesday,  KG-4 had a their annual Spelling Bee Challenge and new this year for grades 5 to 8 was The Crazy Cranium  Challenge where teams of 5th to 8th graders competed in a Knowledge Bowl.   The winners did not get a trophy like the Parent Trivia Night but they did receive  Championship T -Shirts.  We mixed in a lot of fun as well cause we believe that school can be fun ....and this is a fun place to be.  The annual student /faculty/staff game this year included some surprise special guests: Several alumni came back to help support a veteran (aging?) faculty team and they were inspired by being led in by the Archbishop Carroll  Marching Band. It was like our own Super Bowl.
       Last  week was a celebration of who we are and what we believe.  We believe that Catholic education provides your children with a solid foundation that educates the"whole" child. This starts with a deep abiding faith that promotes values such as respect, compassion, kindness, and mercy.   We also value our commitment to a strong academic program.  Once again this year, our 8th grade class has distinguished themselves with varied accomplishments with academic scholarships and acceptances to many different high schools. Our SKS Spirit Newsletter due out in March we will publicize our many academic scholarships winners from the Class of 2016.   This Thursday,  Kayleigh Doyle and Peter Vitanzo will be recognized as contest winners in the  DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution ) Writing Contest . It marks the 10th straight year we have placed students in this event. We are challenging our students to be the best they can be. It's a credit to our teachers and parents as partners in education that our students achieve to their potential.

       Last year. the Office of Catholic Education asked our school to participate in a national test called the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). NAEP is the largest continuing and national representative assessment of what our nation's public and private school students know and can do in various subjects. Last January, the  Class of 2015 took part in this assessment where nationally students in 4th and 8th grade were tested in reading and mathematics. In late November, I was mailed the results. First , did you know that private schools (which includes Catholic schools such as us) represent about 23% of schools in the nation (almost 1 in 4)?  The results of this test  were an endorsement for Catholic education as students in Catholic schools on average had higher scale scores than the students in public schools in mathematics and reading in grade 4 and grade 8.  I have a more in depth printout of the actual results in my office and I am happy to show them to you.   Also if you wish to know more about this you can visit http://nationsreportcard.gov/  and  for more info about private school participation http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/about/nonpublicschools.aspx.

    Families loving in this area have a number of excellent choices to send their child to school.  We are one those great choices. It is all about which school reflects your family's educational philosophy and which school is the best fit for your child. Thank you for entrusting your children with us.


  Read why many families value their child receiving a Catholic education from the AOP website          Go To:  http://www.aopcatholicschools.org/stories-from-our-families/

    Here is a  letter from Archbishop Chaput regarding Catholic Schools Week 



Take care,

Bud

                    

This was the last place team : E =  MC Hammers at SKS Trivia Night. As you can see finishing last had zero impact on their smiles and self esteem!  

The winning team: "That Was My Second Guess" at SKS Trivia must have been really good at their first guesses that night claiming the first place trophy. 




Pictures from CSW

                                     

The 7th Grade worked well helping out CHOP and Mercy Hospice during this past Monday's Service Day.

Compound Word Day in the 2nd grade is an annual tradition . Daylen Flanagan shows off his many compound words with Mrs. De Petris 

All grades performed a service activity to benefit those in need. Many grades worked with their "buddies." 

R.J.  Day and his family were laughing all afternoon at the Minute to Win It  Games  for  grades 2 & 3 . We want to wish The Day Family all the best as they prepare 

to move to the west coast. 

Emma Canuso (far right ) was The Tissue Box  Champ at the competition .

The annual Spelling Bee had contestants from KG - 4th grade. The contestants were really 
fantastic spellers. Third Grader, Michael Bugler was the champ. 
. 

The First Crazy Cranium Challenge filled the gym with the entire 5th to 8th grade.

The First Crazy Cranium Challenge had teams of grades 5-8 grade testing everyone on what they knew. 

Crazy Eights Day: Every year our students get more creative! That's a real flower growing out of  Angela Salinero's hair. 

Jim Sharkey and Brian Buckley coached students on healthy living  by reaching proper
warm up techniques at the health Fair .

Kim Kendall and Mistie Whelan  helped students though an entire yoga session.

On Blue and White Spirit Day, some upper grades students are  front of the Class of 2016  board which  proudly displayed the Family Tree of siblings , many who have graduated from SKS. 

Emma Maher battled Brendan Hodgens, Maeve Seeger and Jimmy Miller  in the the Hula Hoop competition. 

The Class of 2012 was came as reinforcements to help the faculty at the 
annual basketball game.  

The Archbishop Carroll Marching Band came and played the national anthem with our SKS band before the big game. 

        January 19, 2016

        

        Dear St. Katharine of Siena School Families,

        Many veteran families have heard me preach about the "4 C's"  for education that students need to be successful today : Critical Thinking, Communication, Collaboration and Creativity. These "4 C's" are essential skills for student success in the classroom and beyond.   Twenty-five years ago,  if you were good at memorizing facts of rote material you could succeed in school and beyond.  In today's world you still need rote facts (time tables, spelling words, etc). However, the world has changed and more skills are  needed by students to ensure their success. All educators  need to make these "4 C's"  a part of their teaching process. 

       Last week, grades 6 through 8 attended a technology demonstration by the Uncommon Individual Foundation arranged by Christina Elisio, our technology teacher, and our  6th, 7th, and 8th grade teachers. They were introduced to a 3-D printer and the presentation was very good, showing the students why and how a 3-D printer is being used to benefit many industries, including the medical field. Did you know when the first 3-D printer was invented ? Can you believe 1986? 

       Over the next few weeks the students will be working in teams (think 4 C's here) designing a 3-D  religious cross. The winning design team in each of six homerooms will be chosen and those crosses will be manufactured by.... you guessed it,  3-D printers.  I am excited about the possibilities of using this 3-D printer  as a STEM tool. The 4 C's of Critical Thinking, Communication , Collaboration and Creativity were being used by students in the parish center as the groups started to discuss what they would design.
       The UIF is a unique group of people. Think of them as a group of veteran mentors working with younger, inventive, protege types trying to create new ideas, businesses, and  products.  We are hoping in the future to have some students join an after school club that will involve working with the UIF, quite possibly at their "Think Tank"  offices about 10 minutes down the road in Devon. The Uncommon Individual Foundation was created by SKS parishioner Dr. Richard Caruso,  whose goal in creating the foundation was to provide mentoring to young adults who are interested in invention and entrepreneurship. As it states on their website homepage: "The Uncommon Individual Foundation seeks to unlock the potential of every individual through the applied art, science and power of mentoring." I am excited about a possible partnership with UIF to provide a learning forum for our students. If you want to know more about UIF go to www.uif.org. The video on the website explains their mission more clearly.
        Yesterday, we had over a hundred students from kindergarten to seniors in high school at school for SKS's  Martin Luther King Day of Service. I was touched to see many former alumni come back to their roots and work with our younger students. They were joined by parents and teachers who all helped to perform corporal works of mercy.  Sandwiches  and "Care"  bags were made for those who need help. Our leaders, Steph Twohig and Jackie Sevag, (aided by sons Andrew and Nicholas) did a great job of organizing the morning.  We are grateful to all who brought items in. There is no greater lesson we can teach our youth today than our call to to help those in need.  



Take care and stay warm,

Bud

                                 Uncommon Individual Foundation with 6th, 7th and 8th Grade 

                                                                              3-D Printers 

                                     

                                       

Joe Narke, a 22 yr old entrepreneur from UIF,  explains the inner workings of the 3-D printer to our 6th grade.  

In the foreground,  business owner   Mr John Springrose, a former parishioner whose children attended SKS, explains how a 3-D printer is used in his furniture business to make prototypes , thus saving his company huge expense costs.   

Teddy Wolfington  as fellow students  look in amazement, tests out the small chair prototype that was made by a 3-D printer. 

Dimitri from UIF shows our 7th grade  how the 3-D works to transform an electronic file into an actual  3-D object.                                                            

This is the size of the 3-D printer model that UIF brought to school for us to see in action. 

                                   SKS's  Martin Luther King Day of Service 

January 7, 2016


Dear St. Katharine of Siena School Families,

          Welcome to the first blog of the New Year. Joy, health, and peace to you and your families. I would like to express my sincere gratitude for your generosity and goodness to the faculty/staff and me over the holidays. Not every school is as fortunate as ours to have such caring families .
          We are back into a routine. It's tough coming back from Christmas break, but the kids are smiling and happy to see everyone, including their teachers and even their principal!
          Wednesday morning we had an in-service for teachers as a teacher/coach from the DCIU
(Delaware County Intermediate Unit) worked with our teachers in improving their technology skills with Google Apps for Education.  So what did Mr. T. do with 452 students while the teachers were in the media center?  Thanks to some courageous moms and dads who helped me, we had an  SSR (silent sustained reading) time with the students. Each student in each grade is paired with their older "Buddies" ( KG-6 , 1-8, 2-4, 3-7) and 5th grade has me as their one and only "Buddy."  So throughout the entire school  for a 90 minute block of time students were either reading quietly on their own,  the older Buddy was reading aloud to the younger Buddy, or had the younger one read aloud to them. They read quietly for enjoyment and the older students took great care of the younger ones.  I am exceptionally proud of how our students carried themselves during this entire time.  It made me proud to be their principal.  Pictured below are a few of our students with their Buddies. 
            Finally, one of the keys to being successful as a student is to have a neat, legible, and organized  homework pad. There is a direct correlation  to students who succeed and those who have an organized way of knowing what they have to do.  It's an example of working smarter as well as harder.  To that end , one of Mr. T's New Year's resolutions is to drive that point home. I have communicated to students this week that I would be checking homework copybooks at random. I started it today and checked about a dozen or so, and it raised more than a few eyebrows in the process.  Whatever it takes to get them  moving forward, right? I 'll be back at it tomorrow and the days to come.   

          Thank you for entrusting us with your children each day. We are blessed.


           Take care,


            Bud

                              Pictures from Yesterday's Buddies Reading