I begin this letter with a few reminders. There is no school for students this Friday, February 17th and Monday, February 20th. Friday is a Diocesan Professional Day for all Catholic school teachers to meet and discuss larger academic and faith concerns. We have the privilege of hosting this year's day. We expect 400-500 teachers to visit our school. The office will be open this day. Monday is Presidents' Day and the school will be closed. Enjoy your four day weekend.
Further, this week are playoffs for all our sports teams. Please check out the schedule to the right and come cheer on our great students. Our amazing cheerleading squad placed second in the Annual Cheerleading Competition held at Cardinal Newman High School this past Saturday. Way to go girls! You showed great spirit and enthusiasm. You represented our school proudly.
A huge thank you to all our students, parents, and faculty who helped with the St. Patrick Church event for All Saints. We were well represented during the four Masses. It was a great opportunity to thank the parish for its support and to share what we do at All Saints. Our choir also sang at the Sunday 9:30 am Mass. Before the final blessing of each Mass, the administration and Father Lacy invited the parish to join the school in the family center. All clubs, sports, and grades spoke to parish members after each Mass. I do believe the parish now feels better united with our school. It is truly about uniting our six parishes with the school as one community under God. We hope to do further events later at our other five supporting parishes.
Just to let our parents know, Iowa Standardized testing will begin on March 6th at our school. It runs for two weeks. It is imperative no students from grade two (2) through eight (8) are absent for those two weeks. We understand that it is another flu season and students do get ill. We have accounted for this with some make up times during the end of the two weeks. However, it is so important no one takes days off for vacation or tiny trips. Students who are in the regular classrooms and who complete the test sections in an even and spread out manner do so much better on the tests than if it is rushed at the end of the deadline. This is particularly true for our second graders who are taking the test for the first time and are read the majority of the tests. Our school is required by the Diocese to have every student tested and to have the tests post-marked no later than March 17th. Please ensure students are well rested and well fed with good proteins and carbohydrates every morning and lunch. Research shows these two dietary needs are essential for good brain function. During the main part of testing, no homework will be given. Iowas are critical data for our school. It identifies strengths and weaknesses for each child and class. We set many of our learning goals for the end of the year and the following year from these results. For middle school, the tests are critical criteria for entrance into County Choice Programs. We appreciate your assistance in this matter.
I want to let our families know that I will be gone most of the next two weeks. At the start of the school year I was asked to be on an accreditation team for Palmer Catholic Academy. Since the initial request, the dates for the visit have changed twice. I will be gone from Tuesday, February 14th through Thursday, February 16th. This is a great opportunity to learn from another Catholic School in the state which has a similar demographic and size as All Saints. Next week the Florida Catholic Conference will be held in Orlando from Wednesday, February 22nd to Friday, February 24th. Our superintendent, Mr. Gary Gelo, has asked all principals to attend to increase their knowledge of faith, academics, and technology. I apologize for the absence, but I know the school will be in good hands with Ms. Korf and Mrs. Uible. I will not have great access to respond to emails quickly, but I will do my best. These trips give valuable knowledge that will help grow our school.
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