Weekly Pelican Express

Most Blessed Sacrament Catholic School

Educating the Mind, Body, and Soul

Pelican Express

September 15-22, 2016

School Hours: 7:25 am - 2:45 pm with a ssembly beginning at

7:45 am and c arpool ending at 3:10 pm

www.mbsbr.org

A Message from Cheri Gioe

This weekend a friend of mine posted a picture of one of my middle school teachers, Mrs. Sherburne. Mrs. Sherburne taught social studies. She had a husky voice from smoking, her reading glasses were always dangling around her neck, and she LOVED John F. Kennedy. When she spoke of JFK’s assassination, tears would well up in her eyes. She was tough, had high expectations and was called to be a teacher. Mrs. Sherburne changed my life! As I went on to read the comments that accompanied Mrs. Sherburne’s picture, it was evident that she was loved and that she had also changed the lives of many others. What was it that made Mrs. Sherburne such a special teacher? As a lifelong educator there are ten things that I feel she possessed.

She was humble. She was comfortable with what she knew and eager to share it with her students. She not only facilitated learning, she was grateful for the opportunity to help one gain knowledge.
She was patient. No matter how many mistakes we made, she took the time to explain and re-explain.
She was kind and respectful. Mrs. Sherburne recognized the worth and value of each person in her classroom. She tried to understand us and she showed empathy, thus earning the respect of generations of students.
She loved history! Her excitement for history was contagious.
She was willing to learn from us and showed us the importance of being life-long learners.
She was positive. She believed in her students. She smiled with her voice.
She was enthusiastic, and her enthusiasm was contagious, thereby creating an engaging environment.
She provided an environment of acceptance. It was okay to fail and start over again. She was supportive and allowed students to take risks.
She had high expectations. She was not an elitist, but she did understand that God gives everyone the gift of knowledge and understanding. She knew we were capable and held us accountable.
Lastly, she taught as Jesus, The Great Teacher did.

She gave everyone a chance.
She taught with humility and straightforwardness.
She taught by example.
She told stories.
Most importantly, she knew her knowledge and skill were from God.

We are all called to be teachers. Our Catholic Faith reminds us that as a parent we are our child’s first and most influential teacher. As Catholic educators we are called to partner with parents on this journey. As we travel this journey, may we all strive to be the teacher Mrs. Sherburne was, teaching as Jesus, The Great Teacher did.

In Christ,

Cheri Gioe

Important Dates for September

September 16 - Team Colors Dress Day with Uniform Bottoms / Class Coordinator's Meeting 9am

September 19 - Picture Day / Open House 6:00pm

September 21-29 ACT Aspire Interim Testing

September 22 - School Liturgy 8:10am

September 30 - Spirit Shirt Day (rescheduled)

Upcoming Events

Team Colors Game Day Wear

September 16

In celebration of football season, students are invited to wear their favorite team colors to school on Friday, September 16 . Team colors may be worn with uniform bottoms and regulation socks and shoes. No sleeveless shirts, spaghetti straps or halters allowed.

Please refer to the free dress guidelines in the Student/Parent Handbook.

Open House - September 19

In order to accommodate the attendance of ALL parents for every grade in a single evening, Open House will be held in the Gym this year.

Evening highlights are:

Home and School Presentation
A Cyber security presentation by Geoff Smarada
A State of MBS Address delivered by our principal, Cheri Gioe
Classroom Visits

6:00 - Refreshments and Raffle Sign-up

6:30 - Presentation begins

Home & School Dues and Raffle Tickets

Home & School Dues and Raffle tickets, forms and payments are still GLADLY being accepted. As usual, we will have a table set up at the Open House entrance to help you take care of this. Want to skip waiting in line at Open House??? Click this link to print the forms & tickets you need: http://mbshomeandschool.weebly.com/forms.html and send them on in! Raffle Tickets are due Monday, September 19 (winner will be drawn that night) and we will collect Home & School Dues through Friday, September 23. Thank you in advance for your family's support!

Drama Kids - After School Activity

Most Blessed Sacrament is excited to offer another after school activity for our students - Drama Kids.

Drama Kids' mission is to help children grow in confidence, speaking and performance skills through drama exercises and games. Only $55.00 a month, students will receive weekly lessons geared towards speaking with confidence and learning cooperatively. Drama Kids is not about creating the next Broadway star, but is about learning to love the arts and feeling comfortable in groups and in front of people. At year's end, students will share a culminating performance that showcases all of the fun things students learned throughout the year.

Classes are scheduled each Thursday from 3:15pm - 4:15pm . For the ease of parents, an acting coach will meet your child at dismissal and take them to class. Students can be picked up by 4:15 or we will bring your child to after care for you.

Please call us at 225-210-7044 at our studio, LA Arts, if you have questions, or go online to the site below. We provide programming for K-5, so please take advantage of this program for your children at MBS this year! Enrollment is easy: Go to www.dramakids.com/la1 to register today!

ACT Aspire Testing - September 21-29

Students in grades 3-8 will be taking a standardized assessment called the ACT Aspire (Aspire). Like all standardized assessments, Aspire, in conjunction with classroom assessments, projects, and academic practice helps to determine whether students are meeting key academic benchmarks in English, Reading, Math, Science and Writing.

Aspire is given three times during the school year. The first Aspire assessment is called a periodic/interim assessment and is given in the fall via computer. This assessment provides a baseline for what students know when entering a grade. The second Aspire assessment is the full assessment called the Summative assessment It is given in November via paper and pencil and is norm-referenced with other students taking Aspire. The third assessment is another periodic/interim assessment and will provide information pertaining to students' academic growth within a school year.

By assessing students this way, it will allow us to have a true picture of their academic growth in a school year. It will also allow us to provide interventions and enrichments in a timely and meaningful manner. Assessments will begin September 21 and run through September 29 . Grade level (3-8) schedules of testing dates will be sent home next week.

What can you do to help your child do their best on the ACT Aspire?

Ensure your child gets plenty of rest the night before their assigned assessment dates.
Feed your child a healthy breakfast on the days of their assessments.
Get to school on time - Make-ups will only be given for the summative assessment and to students with excused absences if time allows.
Talk with students about listening and following directions closely.
Talk with your child about pacing themselves.
Special accommodations for students with educational evaluations will be provided for the full assessment only.

If you have any questions about Aspire, please contact Cheri Gioe at cgioe@mbsbr.org or mdibenedetto@mbsbr.org .

Important Reminders

Carpool

Carpool has been taking longer than usual. We encourage all eligible families to use the EBR bus service. For those who are not eligible bus riders, we will begin opening doors a few minutes earlier in an effort to end carpool on time. For the purposes of safety, please do not allow your child to exit your vehicle until a safety patrol student or teacher opens your car door.

Book Looks

If your child is in need of book covers, we still have some available. These book covers are stretchable, washable, and student-coverable!! They may be purchased in the school office for $3.75 each.

Athletics

CSAA (Catholic Schools Athletic Association) prohibits spectators from bringing in food and drinks to any and all CSAA sponsored athletic activities. Team ice chests are permitted and team players are permitted to to bring in water bottles and sports drinks. Please support MBS in enforcing these rules.

Cafeteria

Click here pay fees online.

Click here for the September menu.

Uniforms

Students should adhere to the uniform regulations on pages 29-31 of the Student/Parent Handbook. A few reminders:

Jewelry - A watch, one religious necklace, and one religious bracelet may be worn

Skirts/Skorts - The finished hem on girls skirts/skorts must be to the knee

Yearbooks

The 2015-16 yearbooks have been distributed. If you would like to purchase a yearbook, there are additional copies that can be purchased in the school office for $40.

News

Council of Education

The Most Blessed Sacrament Council of Education is an advisory body established to support and enhance the mission of Most Blessed Sacrament School. Members of this Council are appointed by the Pastor to represent ministries of the MBS parish community. Your involvement in our school is important to us. The Council welcomes your ideas; however, your input must be submitted in writing to any of our members.

The members for 2016-2017 are: Fr. Phil Spano, Pastor, Mrs. Cheri Gioe, Principal, Mrs. Janette Saylor, Assistant Principal, Mr. Ed Campanella, Mr. David Ellis, Mrs. Dianne Frazier, Mr. Jay LeBlanc, Mrs. Penne Leier, Mrs. Lynn Mains, Mrs. Jenny Ortego, Mr. Cesar Rico, Mr. Geoff Smarada, and Mr. Wade Weidman.

Congratulations to National Merit Semifinalists

The National Merit Scholarship Program is an academic competition for recognition and scholarships. Two of the nine National Merit Semifinalists at Catholic High School, Matthew Berdon and Brian Long, were from MBS. Congratulations to our former MBS students!

Here is a link to the announcement of the National Merit Semifinalist. http://www.catholichigh.org/news/thirteen-chs-students-recognized-by-national-merit

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