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DragonTales Weekly Newsletter
August 11, 2016
Dear St. George Families,
It is so nice to hear the laughter and to see the smiles of the children and staff as we settle in this first week. It has also been a pleasure meeting and getting to know the new families at St. George School. WELCOME!!
It was also a pleasure to see all those who attended the Back-To-School Bash on Monday. The members of our Home and School Association and all the volunteers who sat at the tables did a fantastic job preparing, presenting, and hosting this event. A huge thank you goes out to all of you, not only for the Back-To-School Bash, but for all your time and commitment to the education of the students at St. George School. Thank you, parents, for finding the time to attend the Bash. I would also like to thank the teachers for their preparations in getting their rooms ready for our upcoming Parent Orientation Meetings and for making everyone feel welcome as we continue carrying out the mission of St. George Catholic School. We truly have an amazing group of educators. This realization brings to mind something I read from Archbishop Listecki of Milwaukee said in a letter a couple of years ago. "...
When our vision is so fixed on the future, or when our vision is so fixed on the past, we forget the gift of the present. How many people have entered our lives and are given to us for a short time but have made a lasting impact? We are creating lasting moments right now and we will feed on the memories that are created
."
Our theme for the year is, "
Building the Kingdom of God
." This is right in line with our faith philosophy in preparing our children to head out into the world serving God and others by using the gifts He has given them. Here is what the Bible says about using our gifts to serve others:
1 Peter 4:10
"Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms."
We are off to a great start because so many of you have come together to make this place a place of love - love for learning, and more importantly, love for the children of God.
God bless,
Jack Nelson
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MEET ST. GEORGE SCHOOL'S NEW FACULTY AND STAFF MEMBERS
We are excited to introduce our new faculty and staff members. Please join us in welcoming them to SGS!
Assistant Principal - Lori James
: Mrs. James
has 14 years of experience in education in both the public sector and Catholic sector. Her experience ranges
from PreKindergarten to Middle
school. She has two Masters Degrees, one in Curriculum and one in Educational Leadership along with Early Childhood certification as well as
being a certified
Reading Specialist.
Mrs. James resides in Baton Rouge with her husband of 24 years, Eddie. They share 4 beautiful children, Evan (20), Alyssa (18), Ian (16), and Owen (13) all who attend/attended Catholic School. She
and her family are active members of their church parish, St. Jude, and she looks forward to becoming an active participant in the St. George community in the near future.
1B Assistant - Anna McEvers
: Mrs. McEvers comes from a very large family filled with lots of children. She is the sixth of seven kids and they have 17 grandchildren in the family. She has a two year old named Theodore. She loves kids. She loves teaching them new things and watching their development, from the time they learn to crawl to the time they learn to read. Many of her past jobs have been working with children of all ages, including years working as a nanny, in after-school programs at schools, and as a substitute teacher. She worked at Rollins Place Elementary as a full time substitute with her own 1st grade PE class.
3B Teacher - Melissa Samson
: Miss Samson is a proud graduate of St. George School. She is excited to be returning to her Alma Mater and serve as the new third grade teacher. She has been teaching six years in elementary grades and looks forward to a great school year!
4A Homeroom Teacher - Jennifer Kiley
: Mrs. Kiley is a native of Indiana and lived in South Carolina the past 8 years. She received her bachelor's degree in Elementary Education and Special Education from Ball State University and her master's degree in School Administration and Supervision from Clemson University.
She loves working with children, and teaching is one of her many
passions. Seeing students
'
"light bulbs" go off when they understand a concept for the first time is the most rewarding feeling. She loves being active and doing anything outside. She and her husband, Ricky, and also love to travel.
4C Homeroom Teacher - Melissa Brunet
: Mrs. Brunet is a 2003 graduate of St. George School and is very excited to return to her Alma Mater. She attended LSU where she received a Master of Arts in Teaching. This will be her 5th year as a teacher and she couldn't be more excited to be in a 4th grade classroom.
4D Homeroom Teacher - Courtney Couvillion Alonzo:
Mrs. Alonzo is an alumna of St. George. Both of her sons, Carter & Lovic, currently attend SGS. She is Nationally Board Certified and has 17 years of teaching experience in the EBR public school system. She is so excited and feels blessed to join the St. George family as a faculty member!
5B Homeroom Teacher - Shelley Olsen: Mrs. Olsen
graduated from SELU and she has hopes to return there for graduate school. This will be her fourth year teaching and her second year at SGS. She and her husband, Trey, have an adorable son named Johnny. They also have two dogs and a guinea pig. Her favorite thing to do is spend time with her family and friends. She cannot express her excitement to be back at SGS, working with such phenomenal people in a positive environment!
5th Grade Assistant - Cindy Macha
: Mrs. Macha is thrilled to be working as an assistant at St. George for the upcoming school year. She has three children and nine grandchildren. Her hobbies include spending time with her grandchildren, working in her garden and cooking. Being involved in educating children has always been a passion of hers.
6D Homeroom Teacher - Veronica LeGrange
: Miss LeGrange is a Clinton, Louisiana, native and graduate of Redemptorist High School and LSU with a degree in English-Secondary Education and a minor in Geography. She recently graduated with her masters in Educational Leadership from Holy Cross College along with a cohort from the Diocese of Baton Rouge while teaching middle school English, literature, and Louisiana history at Most Blessed Sacrament School for the past four years.
7B Homeroom Teacher - Lori Gautreau
: Mrs. Gautreau is a graduate of Louisiana State University where she received a B.S. in Elementary Education. She has taught middle school English Language Arts for nine years in the Ascension Parish public school system and at Our Lady of Mercy Catholic School. She is the proud wife of St. George alumnus, Scott, and the mother of two children, Grant (6) and Emma (2). As a long time parishioner of St. George Catholic Church, she is looking forward to joining the school, along with her son, as a Dragon!
6th/7th Grade Catechist - Josie Duke: Mrs. Duke
holds a Master of Religious Education degree from Loyola University New Orleans and is currently pursuing her Master of Theological Studies degree at Notre Dame Seminary. She and her husband, Keith, have been married for over 27 years and have four grown children. The Duke family is an LSU Tiger family: all members of the Duke household are either LSU alumni or are currently enrolled at LSU. Mrs. Duke enjoys reading, cooking, traveling, and loves the pageantry of Mardi Gras. Mrs. Duke comes to us from St. Jean Vianney School and is looking forward to an exciting new school year at St. George.
Technology Coordinator - Courtney Hebert
: Mrs. Hebert is a 2011 (Bachelor's) and 2012 (Masters) graduate of Nicholls State University. Before joining St. George, she taught high school English. She is currently pursuing an Ed.D from Sam Houston University. In her spare time she's passionate about health and fitness and enjoys coordinating virtual fitness challenges. She and her husband have a Maltipoo named Skittles.
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IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
Parent Orientations:
Tuesday, August 16 Gr. 1 - 3 Parent Orientation,
6:00pm, Classrooms
DK/K - Gr. 5 Parent Meeting,
7:00pm, Church
Gr. 4 - 5 Parent Orientation,
Wednesday, August 17 Gr. 6 - 8 Parent Meeting & Orientation,
6:00pm, Church
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Welcome to a new school year! Thank you to all parents for their cooperation and attention in maneuvering the carpool lines.
TRANSPORTATION REMINDERS
Bus Transportation:
- East Baton Rouge Transportation guidelines state that your child should be outside waiting at the assigned location at least 10 minutes before your scheduled pickup time.
- The bus drivers do not have authorization to make any changes to a route.
- Do not ask the bus driver to change the route.
- No food or drinks can be consumed on the bus.
- Electronic equipment, including cell phones, may not be used on the bus.
- Please remember that it will take about two weeks to get the bus routes to run smoothly. We encourage all students eligible to ride a bus to do so now to help make this happen sooner.
Carpool Information:
- DK - 2nd grade students and their siblings/carpool riders who utilzie carpool will use the Church Carpool while 3rd - 8th grade students and their siblings/carpool riders who utilzie carpool will use the Gym Carpool.
- The same carpool line must be used every day even if a younger sibling or carpool rider is absent. Keeping this routine will prevent confusion for the student and teacher at dismissal time.
CELL PHONES AND SCHOOL ZONES
A new law passed last summer prohibits motorists from using any type of hand held wireless communication devices while traveling through school zones during posted hours. The law includes use of a cellular/wireless device for engaging in a voice call, accessing, reading, or posting to a social networking site, and/or writing, sending or reading a text-based communication. The school zone cell phone ban does not apply if the devise is used to report an emergency, is being used in a hands-free manner, or while the vehicle is lawfully parked. Upon first violation of the school zone ban the fine is $175 and subsequent violations can be up to $500.
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NURSE'S NOTES
Please view the Health Policy
EMERGENCY CONTACT & HEALTH INFORMATION
Parents, please be sure to review and update your student(s) emergency contact and health information in RenWeb regularly. Additionally, parents names and contact information must be included in the Emergency Contact section of RenWeb.
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CAFETERIA NOTES
- August payments are due now.
- Please remember to send extra funds for seconds and extra items.
- Full priced student lunch price is now $2.90, breakfast remains $1.80.
- All adult and visitor meals are $5.00.
- August Lunch prices are: Full price $52.20, Reduced price - $7.20
- August Breakfast prices are: Full price - $32.40, Reduced price - $5.40
- Online payments are now being accepted at www.myschoolbucks.com. All families are encouraged to monitor your students' cafeteria purchases with an online account at www.myschoolbucks.com. It is not necessary to pay online in order to set up an account. We still accept check or cash payments at school.
- If you need financial assistance paying for school meals please visit www.myschoolapps.com. Free and Reduced price meal applications are also available at the school office and cafeteria office. All information remains confidential.
CAFETERIA ANGELS ONLINE SIGN-UP - PLEASE CONSIDER VOLUNTEERING!
Volunteers are greatly needed to help serve lunch in the cafeteria each school day. Please consider signing up for a shift each month and invite a friend to join you. Find the link to volunteer
HERE.
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BEFORE/AFTER CARE INFORMATION AFTER CARE FOR THE 2016-2017
SCHOOL YEAR IS FULL
Enrollment will open two weeks after school starts if any spaces become available. We do not maintain a waiting list. There is room in the Before Care program for all grade levels. Please contact Susan Giles, Director (
Susan.Giles@sgschoolbr.org) if you have any questions.
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Although the online volunteer sign-up is currently closed, parents interested in volunteering may still sign up to volunteer by contacting:
Ellen Bourgeois,Volunteer Coordinator at ellenbourgeois@cox.net. The absolute last chance to volunteer by contacting Ellen Bourgeois is Wednesday, August 24th.
Please find the list of volunteer opportunities HERE.
All volunteers must successfully complete the child protection requirements prior to volunteering at SGS.
Successful completion of child protection requirements MUST be completed by Friday, September 16, 2016 in order to be assigned to a class field trip or activity.
Class specific sign-up will take place at either Parent Orientation meetings or shortly after school starts by communication from class Room Parents.
Our faithful volunteers help to make many day-to-day classroom events and special events happen. Please consider sharing your time and talent. St. George School needs and wholeheartedly appreciates all volunteers!
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Help Student Council Raise Money for the New Church Statue
Don't miss your chance to support Student Council and the new St. George Church. Purchase photographs that spell words that are at the heart of St. George: Dragon, Family, Faith. All photos were taken from our beautiful campus by St. George Student Council members! Find the order form HERE.
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HANDBOOK HIGHLIGHT - E-Reader Policy
The wide variety of hardware and software capabilities of available e-readers makes them challenging to monitor and control in a school environment in contrast with school owned technology like computers, etc. Therefore our e-Reader Acceptable Use Policy needs to be specific and clear. A student who violates any portion of the e-Reader Acceptable Use Policy may immediately lose the privilege to use their e-Reader at school.
- All e-Readers must be registered with the St. George Catholic School Computer Lab and accompanied by the Acceptable Use Agreement Form signed by both the parents and the student.
- No I-pads.
- E-Readers are to be used only for the reading of school-approved material (books etc.) and not for other purposes such as communication, entertainment, gaming, music, etc.
- All material on the e-Reader must comply with the spirit and policies of St. George Catholic School. Therefore all e-Reader cameras must not be used during school and should be covered.
- E-Readers must only be used at appropriate times in accordance with teacher instructions. The e-Reader must not be a distraction for the student or those around him/her nor be a source of any classroom disruption.
- All e-Readers must have cellular and network capabilities disabled (turned off) while the device is at school.
- The student is responsible for knowing how to properly and effectively use their e-Readers and this should not be a burden for the teachers.
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SGS BAND NOTES
Welcome Back SGS Band Students! We look forward to seeing all of our talented students and to having the best year ever with the SGS Bands!
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ST. GEORGE SCHOOL PIANO LAB
The SGS Piano Lab will offer two after school group piano classes this school year as follows:
- 4th and 5th Grade Piano Class:
Tuesday, after school, from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.
- Middle School Piano Class:
Wednesday, after school, from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Registration
for Piano Classes will begin on Monday, August 15.
Registration Forms will be available in St. Cecilia Hall and in the School Office.
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NEW AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITY - TENNIS
WE ARE EXCITED TO BRING TENNIS TO ST. GEORGE CATHOLIC SCHOOL THIS YEAR!
Want to join the fun and give your child the exposure to the "sport of a lifetime"? This is your opportunity!
- Start Date: Tuesday, September 6th
- End Date: Thursday, May 18th
- Classes will be offered Tuesday or Thursday and be offered monthly throughout the school year 2016-2017.
- Times: 3:00-3:45pm
- Rate: $45/monthly, check will be made payable to Break Point Tennis or credit cards accepted also.
- Ages: 5 and up
- All equipment will be provided by Break Point Tennis for use during the class.
- Classes will be on-site after school.
- To sign up or have questions, please e-mail or call (225) 803.3361, Diana Vincent, dianatvincent@gmail.com, with your child or children's name, your name, address, contact number, allergies, and any other information that our staff might need to know, and method of payment. You can also send in the registration form HERE.
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