St. James Catholic School Living Out The Weekly News Spiritual Works of Mercy School Goals from Mrs. Smith Volume 13 October 29, 2015 Now that we are in to 2 nd quarter, I believe that I have a very good understanding of our school; both our strengths and in areas where we can grow. We have so much to be proud of here at St. James School. We are surrounded by committed families, passionate teachers and children eager and willing to share of themselves and are ready to learn. The teachers, administration and I meet weekly to discuss where we are at in terms of a building and how we can get better. We have also spent time reviewing data from the previous years and are working on ways to improve ourselves academically, socially and spiritually. One of our sayings is, As good as we are, we can always get better. As a building we have talked about the following areas and how we can improve upon these items this school year- Increase student learning and achievement in language arts by reviewing current instructional practices. Students will continue to be actively engaged in the enhancement and further development of their writing and reading skills. The teachers will concentrate on improving the students' grammar skills, spelling skills, and on developing their vocabulary skills and understanding. Increase student learning and achievement in math-both in basic foundational skills and also computation. This will include teaching strategies for the students to better understand the concepts being taught. Teachers will require students to do more writing and vocabulary within the mathematics class in order for the students to gain an understanding of the mathematical operations. Increase student learning by fostering a positive school climate that promotes responsibility, accountability and fosters a sense of community. The staff and I expect our students to come to school ready to learn and be aware of their responsibility as learners. Our children will be challenged as long as they are willing to accept the opportunities given to them at St. James. We are working towards a curriculum that is rich with academic rigor and high levels of critical thinking. Our curriculum allows for maximum challenge for all students at all times. The teachers are dedicated to providing the best educational opportunities for your child. They spend time planning and working together to ensure that students gain from the insights and expertise of all of the staff. Parents are a big part of our school s success and we look forward to continuing a strong partnership with parents. It is imperative to St. James success that we have the support and commitment of our parents and families. If you ever have any questions about our standards, curriculum or any of our programs, please do not hesitate to call or stop by and ask.
IMPORTANT DATES: Friday, October 30th 9:00 AM ~ All School Mass - 4J (4C Choir) 12:00 PM-2:30 PM ~ Penny Carnival Out-of-Uniform ~ Happy Halloween ~ The St. James staff would like to wish all our school families a fun and safe Halloween! We hope you have a BOOlast! Monday, November 2nd 3:00 PM ~ Mad Science 6:00 PM ~ School Board-St. Therese Room Tuesday, November 3rd 2:45 PM ~ Chess Club-Library Wednesday, November 4th 12:00 PM ~ 1st Grade study Trip to Woodneath Farms Yearbooks Student yearbooks are now on sale! All orders will be taken online again this year. Please see the attached flier with prices and information! Thank you! PENNY CARNIVAL Tomorrow, Friday, October 30th, the school will celebrate Halloween with our middle school students hosting our annual Penny Carnival! The carnival will be held during the school day in lieu of individual classroom parties. Students may be out-of-uniform wearing fall colors. Below is a classroom schedule for the day. We ask that you please send in a monetary donation (pennies) as the Penny Carnival is the only event we have to raise funds for the families we adopt from the parish Advent Giving Tree. Thank you in advance for your generosity. Penny Carnival Schedule 11:30 AM-12:30 PM ~ Pre-school, Pre-kindergarten and Kindergarten 12:30 PM-1:30 PM ~ 1st-3rd Grade 1:30 PM-2:25 PM ~ 4th & 5th Grade Be Safe & Be Seen! The autumn leaves are falling and the colors are beautiful. Halloween is a fun time to dress up in costumes, go trick-ortreating, attend parties and eat yummy treats. Mrs. Hannah shared some safety tips with students in pre-school-2nd grade this week during Red Ribbon Week. She reminded them to eat nutritious snacks, get some fresh air, exercise and focus on safety. Thank you Mrs. Hannah! MyStudentsProgress News! Report Cards The above graphic shows what you should see when you sign into MSP. Be sure that you are clicking the Academics Tab and then Report Cards tab to view your student's report card. Following are a few reminders about viewing report cards online: Please make sure your computer has the following: 1.Latest version of Adobe Reader installed - Version XI (11.0.13) 2.Reader set as the default viewer for PDF documents 3.You will not be able to view your report cards on an ipad or iphone Please send an email to stjames-school@stjames-school.org if you have checked the above items and are still not able to view your child's report card. 2
ARTIST OF THE WEEK Londyn Lanio: 6th Grade Project: Ancient Greek Columns Londyn and her classmates went to the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art on their 6th grade study trip. Prior to going, Londyn learned about Ancient Art and the Greek columns. There are 3 types of columns and Londyn decided to focus on the Doric column. She created a unique and colorful drawing representing Ancient Greece and her specific column choice. Londyn used the LIFESKILLS of Pride and Problem Solving while creating her artwork! Scholastic Book Fair Monday, November 23rd (Students preview during the school day) Tuesday, November 24th 7:30 AM to 7:30 PM (Sale hours) All purchases benefit the school. Scholastic returns 50% of total sales to buy books for our library and classrooms. All items from Scholastic will also be available on our online Book Fair. All orders will be shipped free to the school within two weeks of when you place your order. We are in need of volunteers to help with the book fair! If you are able to help, please click on the link below to find a time that works best for you! Thank you! http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c044fafae2ca13-stjames Welcome Bishop Johnston With great anticipation, we have awaited the announcement and arrival of our new bishop, Bishop James V. Johnston, Jr. Bishop Johnston will be welcomed to our diocese with Vespers at 5:00 PM on Tuesday, November 3rd, in the Co- Cathedral of St. Joseph and Rite of Reception of the Bishop in His Cathedral and the Mass of Installation at 2:00 PM on Wednesday, November 4th, in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. Welcome Bishop Johnston! SPX Open House St. Pius X High School will be hosting their annual Open House on Sunday, November 8th from 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM. (last tour begins at 1:30 PM) St. Pius X High School offers students a faith based, value-centered curriculum along with exceptional academic and athletic achievement. All 6th- 8th students are encouraged to come explore all the fantastic opportunities St. Pius X High School has to offer! Basketball! Online registration for basketball is now open! Basketball is open to boys and girls in 2nd-8th grade. St. Pius X League Boys and girls in 2nd 4th grade will participate in the St. Pius X league which runs January through February. Games are played on Saturdays with a weekend tournament at the end of the season. PLKC Boys and girls in 5th-8th grade will participate in the diocesan PLKC. Games are played at schools throughout the metro area on both Saturday and Sunday with games beginning in January. Please refer to the St. James sports website for additional information at http://www.plkc.org/ or contact: Richard Kapetanovich, richard.kapetanovich@stjames-school.org or Cindy Compton, cynthia.compton@stjames-school.org. 3
26th Annual St. James School Auction Saturday, November 14th, 2015 @ Embassy Suites-KCI Please visit the auction website at www.stjamesschoolauction.org for special hotel rates, ticket information, deadlines and more! Forever & Ever Amen! Auction Deadlines Family Requirements Thank you to all the families who made the auction deadline for family requirements. Adequate time is needed to properly streamline the auction process. Family Requirements As part of the auction family agreement that is signed at registration, your family agreed to one of two options. Participate, which includes: purchase two ticket, volunteer for one hour and make a donation of $100.00 or buy-out for a fee of $400.00. At this point, if you have not fulfilled your commitment to the auction you have two choices: 1.You may take the buy-out option of $400.00. If you choose to take this option, please stop by the school office and we will make the proper changes to your auction agreement form. 2.You can purchase auction tickets, sign-up to work a volunteer time slot at the auction and turn in a donation by Friday, October 30th. Please feel free to contact Vicki Milano at 816-781-4428, ext 261, with any questions or concerns. AUCTION TICKETS Tickets are NOW sold on-line! Jr. Rodeo Packets We are excited to KICK off the 26th Annual St. James School Auction! What better way to begin, than with the 1st ever JR. RODEO PACKET! As our auction guest, this is your first opportunity to begin placing bids on school items before the night of the auction! This packet is customized to your family, so no two packets are alike! If you are not planning on attending the auction, or if you have family members who would like to contribute to the auction in some way, this is a great way to get involved without even attending the night of the auction! If you are planning on attending the auction, you can place your bids and pay now, or pay the night of the auction! Packets are due back to the school office by, Friday, October 29th. Hee Haw! Deadline to purchase auction tickets is Monday, November 2nd. Please visit the school website to purchase tickets online or stop by the school office. *Please take special note: If you have purchased an auction ticket and do not intend on attending the auction please notify Vicki Milano. This will help prevent us from paying for a seat that will not be used. Thank you.
!!! Tonight!!! 5