September 14, 2018
Dear Parents and Guardians,
I want to welcome everyone back to St. John Paul II Catholic School for the 2018-2019 school year. I hope your summer was enjoyable. We have gotten off to a great start of the school year at St. John Paul II.
I have made some changes to the Parent/Student Handbook so I hope you have read it and returned the signature page. We are allowing the students to wear sneakers with their shorts during the warm weather months. Also the lower grade girls can wear a navy blue skort instead of the shorts if they prefer. These changes will keep the student more comfortable in the warm weather.
We have also added a 4
th
day for the lunch program. The lunch is a choice of a hot dog or hamburger with homemade chips which will be served on Thursdays. We will again use the iReady math program to assess our students in math skills. This will allow the teachers to identify a student’s strong and weak areas in math and allow them to adjust instruction in the classroom.
At our “Back to School” night meeting Mrs. Hoover gave a briefing on the STREAM initiative that St. John Paul II will be undertaking over the next few years. STREAM is not a new curriculum, but rather a framework for impactful instruction and meaningful learning. STREAM is the evolution of STEM, which is the integration of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. We have since added the Arts to STEM and in Catholic Schools we add Religion so STEM has now become STREAM.
Lessons based on STREAM principles promote a higher level of critical thinking. Executives of large U.S. corporations have stated that to remain competitive if the future job market employees will need one critical skill: the ability to think creatively. STREAM activities are hands-on, projects based, and have relevant application in the real world. Mrs. Hoover will be the school’s STREAM Coordinator and you will receive more information on this initiative as the year continues.
The first Home School Association (HAS) meeting was held on Wednesday, September 5
th
. I was well pleased with the attendance. I want to thank Kelly Troiano and Meghan L’Heureux for stepping up to be co-presidents this year. Also, thank you to Akbar Coffy as he takes over as treasurer and to Ninette Lapila as she returns as secretary. I look forward to the school working closely with the HSA officers this year as we continue to make St. John Paul II a true learning community.
God bless all of our school families and have a very enjoyable weekend.
