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INTERIM WEEK
January 9-11, 2019
Interim Week is a time of innovation, creation, and discovery as teachers unveil new courses specifically developed for STA students. Interim Week is designed to expose students to new ideas, experiences, and environments, by providing classes that focus on exploratory, hands-on, and interactive learning. The goal is to foster a pursuit of knowledge outside of the normal academic schedule that will allow learners to broaden their appreciation and awareness for the world in which they live.
St. Teresa's Academy is excited to be hosting their first Interim Week and invite you to
click here
to see a list of the innovative course offerings. All students are expected to report to campus at 8:15 a.m. and will be dismissed at 2:30 p.m. each of the three days. Students remaining on campus may bring lunch or purchase Bistro lunch. School attendance policies apply to Interim Week dates.
Your daughters will receive their schedule of courses on Monday, December 10. Parents are asked to review their daughter's schedule of courses and make online payments for any courses that have a fee. Please
click here
to submit payment for your daughter's online courses. Payments are due by Monday, January 7, 2019.
Field experiences are included in several of the courses being offered. Please check with your daughter for the Field Trip Permission Form. She will need your signature on the form to participate in any travel/transportation related to the course. Each instructor will send home the permission form with your daughter.
You may visit the school website for updated information regarding Interim Week by
clicking here
. Please direct any questions regarding Interim Week courses to Mr. Kelly Fast at
[email protected]
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DEAR PARENTS,
As we reflect upon the joys and promises of rebirth the Christmas season brings, your daughters are among our many blessings. The enthusiasm, intelligence, and curiosity they bring to the St. Teresa's campus each day is inspiring and heartwarming. Thank you for sharing their exceptional gifts with the faculty and staff of St. Teresa's Academy.
Have a blessed Christmas and a joyous New Year,
Nan Bone
President |
Barbara McCormick
Academic Principal |
Dr. Liz Baker
Student Affairs Principal |
Snow Day Notification
To receive notifications of Snow Days or late starts due to inclement weather, make sure to download the STA mobile app to your smartphone. The app is free and may be found on your phone's app store. Search for "St. Teresa's Academy," and click "Get" to download. In addition, text messages will be sent to parents who have provided cell phone numbers. If you would like to add or update a phone number, please click here.
Dates to Remember:
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Dec. 1
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Star Shop Christmas Sale
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| Dec. 8 |
High School Placement Test (HSPT) |
| Dec. 11 |
Christmas Concert |
| Dec. 12 |
Opening Doors Christmas Homes Tour |
| Dec. 13 |
Parent-Daughter Mass & Adoration |
| Dec. 17, 18, 19 & 20 |
Final Exams |
| Dec. 21-Jan. 8 |
Christmas Break |
| Jan. 9-11 |
Interim Week |
| Jan. 12 |
High School Placement Test (HSPT) |
| Jan. 14 |
Regular Classes Resume |
| Jan. 21 |
Martin Luther King Day - No Classes |
| Jan. 23 |
Senior Class Mass |
| Jan. 24 |
Junior Parent College Information Night |
| Jan. 27 |
Father-Daughter Dance |
| Jan 28-Feb. 1 |
Catholic Schools & CSJ Heritage Week |
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UPCOMING EVENTS
235 W. 47th Street on the Country Club Plaza
ARRAY offers a collection of
12 boutiques selling thousands of pieces of clothing, jewelry, accessories and shoes! They are excited to be hosting a mom and daughter (siblings, friends, aunts, grandparents all are invited) party for STA. Wine will be served to moms, and drinks, treats, cheese, crackers and desserts will be available. ARRAY will give 10% of their proceeds back to St. Teresa's. A free gift will be given away with purchase and all will be entered into a free drawing! Shoppers will enjoy a festive holiday party!
Kendra Scott will give 20% of their proceeds back to St. Teresa's.
High School Placement Test (HSPT) for 8th Grade Students
Saturday, December 8, 2018, and Saturday, January 12, 2019
8:15 a.m. (arrive at Windmoor Center by 8:00 a.m.)
Calculators are not permitted.
Walk-in test takers are welcome. Walk-in students should bring a $20 testing fee. If your daughter needs any special accommodations for the test, please contact the
Office of Admissions prior to the test day.
Testing will be followed by a complimentary pizza lunch, and the day will end at approximately 12:15 p.m.
Students may pre-register by completing the
Application for Admission
(which contains the Placement Test registration). Call 816-501-0035 for more information.
Tuesday, December 11, 7:00 p.m.
M&A Auditorium
Reception to follow.
Opening Doors Christmas Homes Tour
Wednesday, December 12, 5:00-9:00 p.m.
Wine and Signature Cocktails Served; Food provided by Bread & Butter Concepts
Explore the warmth and beauty of four exquisite homes, adorned in sparkling lights, stunning trees, and elegant décor in celebration of Christmas. Proceeds from the first St. Teresa's Academy Christmas Homes Tour will benefit STA students in financial need.
The generous STA supporters who are opening their doors during the Christmas Homes Tour include:
- Michelle and John Bunch (Mission Hills, KS)
- Bridget Grams ('90) and Alan Gaylin (Mission Hills, KS)
- Ann Fitzgerald Hodes ('83) and Joe Hodes (Kansas City, MO)
- Lisa and Chuck Schmitz (Kansas City, MO)
General Admission Tickets: $25
VIP Tickets: $50 - includes bus transportation and beverages, limited spots available
Addresses for the Opening Doors Christmas Tour will be emailed with the confirmation of ticket purchases.
Junior Parent College Info Night
Thursday, January 24, 5:30pm
M&A Auditorium
Father-Daughter Dinner and Dance
Binge-Watching!
Sunday, January 27
5:30 p.m. - Check-In, Cash Soft Drink Bar, Pictures
6:00 p.m. - Dinner
7:00-9:00 p.m. - Dancing
KC Marriott Downtown
Muehlebach Tower-Imperial Ballroom
1213 Wyandotte
$50 per person
Any father figure is welcome!
Star Parents Association Parent Winter Social
February 2019
Look for your email invitation with complete details coming soon.
March 16 - 22, 2019
COST AND REGISTRATION:
The cost of this trip is $1,100 per student. This fee covers housing, round-trip flights, ground transportation, cultural experiences, and food. Not included are souvenirs and 2-3 meals that we will eat out.
Nonrefundable deposit of $400 will reserve a space.
Monday, January 14th - second payment of $400 due.
Monday, March 4th - final payment of $300 due.
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ACADEMICS
PowerSchool
PowerSchool will be down for maintenance from Monday, January 7, through Monday, January 14, 2019. Your daughter's first semester report card will be emailed to you through School Messenger the week of January 7, 2019. The grade reports will be prepared in a secured document. You will need to use your daughter's student number as the password to open the document. This information is located in the Student or Parent Portal on the "Grades and Attendance" page in the upper left-hand corner. The student number is
not found on the PowerSchool Parent or Student
app. If you have any problems, please contact
Kathy Walters.
Semester Exams
Please
click here to view the
Fall 2018 exam schedule.
Fall exams are scheduled for
December 17, 18, 19, and 20.
Please mark your calendars with the exam dates corresponding with your classes.
In preparing for semester exams, the faculty and administration have outlined the provided schedule, assessing students by discipline. Students with more than three exams on a given day will need to meet with their teachers to schedule a future test date, time, and location.
If students are not testing, they may study silently in the Learning Center or auditorium while on campus. Students may purchase Bistro grab'n go items or bring a lunch if they plan to eat between morning and afternoon finals.
Journalism Awards Presented
Members of both the yearbook and newspaper staffs traveled to Chicago in early November to attend the National Scholastic Press Association/Journalism Education Association national convention. Some individuals entered in write-off competitions, which gave them the opportunity to test their journalistic skills in categories like news writing and review writing. Each competition had three categories of awards: superior, excellent and honorable mention.
The results were:
- News writing: Mary Massman -- excellent
- Editorial writing: Faith Andrews-O'Neal -- superior
- Feature writing: Ella Norton -- honorable mention
- Review writing: Margaux Renee -- excellent
- Commentary writing: Julia Kerrigan -- honorable mention
- Video package editing: Aspen Cherrito -- excellent
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Volunteers are Needed to Staff
Opening Doors
STA's Christmas Homes Tour
The
first STA Opening Doors Christmas Homes Tour on Wednesday, December 12, benefits students in financial need. Volunteer duties will include assisting the STA development team at the home with tidying up between visitors, setting out food, and cleaning up.
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FBLA Community Service Project
Each year Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) members take on the challenge of engaging in competitive events at the district, state, and national level. There are over 50 different events, that vary in type from tests to presentations and
projects. This year three freshmen, Madeleine Sage, Abigail Neis, and Katie Massman, have chosen to compete in Community Service Project. For this competitive event, students must design, promote, and carry out a community service project for a need they see in their community. These students have decided to focus on literacy and are working to collect books that will be donated to underserved schools within Kansas City.
Madeleine, Abigail, and Katie have created a three-part project in which they will be holding book drives at local grades schools with prizes for the school that collects the most. They will also be raising funds through a dinner drive at a local restaurant, and taking donations through a GoFundMe page. All funds raised will be used to buy books to add to the campaign.
These three will write a report and present on their project at the FBLA State Leadership Conference in April.
FBLA National Fall Leadership Conference
In early November, over 800 Missouri high school students attended the 2018 Future Business Leaders of America National Fall Leadership Conference in Chicago, IL. The National Fall Leadership Conference is the premier leadership opportunity for America's business students each fall. In total, over 3,000 members traveled from across the country to the Windy City for four days of leadership development and career planning. St. Teresa's Academy sent 19 students.
At NFLC members attended workshops hosted by student leaders and business representatives from across the country. Exclusive tracks were also available for students who were new to FBLA-PBL, providing them with a chance to learn leadership essentials. Two general session keynotes rounded out the conference, with speakers Brandon Lee White and Carlos V. Spencer.
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Literary Club's Book Drive Recognized
Over a two-week period, the STA Literary Cl
ub held a Boo
k Drive, collecting books or money to purchase books to donate to a fi
fth-grade classroom at Faxon Elementary School. Faxon is located in the Center City neighborhood. At the end of the Drive, the Club collected over 400 books, which the classroom teacher was thrilled to receive. Club leaders Claudia Benge
, Sophia Durone, and Mary Massman (pictured from left to right with Mayor Sly James), organized and executed the Drive. They attended a ceremony at Faxon Elementary in honor of the donation.
The ceremony was led by the Faxon Elementary principal, who talked about a new program they're starting to send home books with children so they can read every day.
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COLLEGE COUNSELING
Parents of the Class of 2021
- Practice ACT scores were mailed home on November 17. Families are strongly encouraged to keep this information and use it as a test prep tool. Original test books were returned to students through advisory on November 19. ACT testing should begin in the winter of junior year - details to follow in the future. Sophomores attended an ACT workshop on November 28 during their activity period as a follow up to the practice ACT.
- PSAT scores will be available online in mid-December. Students will receive an email from the College Board with information on how to access their PSAT scores. PSAT test books will be returned to sophomores through advisory prior to the end of the semester.
- Mark your calendar: Sophomore College Planning Night (students & parents) will be Wednesday, March 27, at 7:00 p.m.
Parents of the Class of 2020
- Junior Parent College Information Night is Thursday, January 24, at 5:30 p.m. in the M&A Auditorium. Parents will be given their registration code and information for Naviance. This is an online tool that allows you to search colleges and track applications. We will discuss calendar planning, college visits, ACT and SAT, hot topics in college admissions, and helpful hints for parents as you navigate the college process.
- Practice ACT scores were mailed home on November 17. Families are strongly encouraged to keep this information and use it as a test prep tool. Original test books were returned to students through advisory on November 19. ACT testing should begin this winter/spring. Juniors attended an ACT workshop on November 28 during their activity period as a follow up to the practice ACT.
- Registration deadline for the February 9 ACT is January 10; go to www.actstudent.org to register. When registering, look for St. Teresa's as Saint Teresa's (school code is 261700). The ACT/SAT registration process was shared with juniors at their October class meeting and in a follow-up email.
- PSAT scores will be available online December 6-12 through their College Board account. Test books will be returned to juniors through advisory prior to the end of the semester.
Parents of the Class of 2019
To date, we have submitted over 750 applications to colleges and universities nationwide. Congratulations to those who have received acceptances and scholarship offers. Please see your detailed College Planning News for more information on scholarships, deadlines, enrollment details, and much more.
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SCHOOL COUNSELING
Freshman and Sophomore Parents
Please join members of the Counseling Department for an informational meeting about course planning and registration on
Wednesday, February 6, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. in the M&A Auditorium. We will discuss courses, the registration process and timeline, as well as AP and college dual-enrollment courses.
Study tips to remind your daughter:
- Avoid Cramming! Start preparing far enough in advance so that you are able to identify any areas you do not understand and can get the help you need well in advance.
- Consider creating a study group with classmates to compare your class notes, listen to and discuss concepts in a new way, and help motivate and encourage yourself in the studying process.
- When studying, ask yourself what questions are likely to be asked and answer them by using ideas from lectures, textbooks, and handouts.
- Get plenty of sleep, especially the night before the exam. Staying up late studying the night before the exam will hurt more than help.
- Eat a healthy meal before the exam. Avoid processed foods, soft drinks, and sugar.
- Have all the materials you will need for the test gathered together the night before the exam and try to arrive at the test location early so that you can relax and mentally prepare.
New Yoga Nidra Instructor Introduction
Ms. Paige Sutherland has joined the STA staff as the new Yoga Nidra instructor. What is Yoga Nidra, you ask? Check out this article featuring Paige for more information. Paige will be coming to STA beginning in December to offer Yoga Nidra classes to students. Click here for more details on when Paige will be on campus. Questions? Contact Amanda Whitcomb at [email protected].
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DIVERSITY & INCLUSION AT STA
The Hate U Give Screening
On November 14, all STA students, faculty, and staff attended a special screening of the movie, The Hate U Give. This movie
is based on the critically acclaimed New York Times bestseller by Angie Thomas.
As a follow up to this experiential learning opportunity, students had the opportunity to participate in advisory circle discussion to process the movie including its themes of empathy, understanding, and tolerance.
We hope that you and your daughter had the chance to have a conversation about what she learned from this movie and the discussion that followed, and that conversations of social justice will continue.
STA Students Attend Community Action Poverty Simulation
Twenty-five STA students and three faculty members attended CAPS (
Community Action Poverty Simulation) at Rockhurst High School on Friday, November 16.
Poverty is a reality for many individuals and families.
But unless you've experienced poverty, it's difficult to truly understand.
The Community Action Poverty Simulation (CAPS) bridges that gap from misconception to understanding. CAPS is an interactive immersion experience. It sensitizes community participants to the realities of poverty.
CAPS is not a game. It is based on real Community Action clients and their lives. CAPS exists to: Promote Poverty Awareness, Increase Understanding and to Inspire Local Change.
Star Galaxy Diversity Committee Conversation Series
Thank you to STA parents, faculty and staff who joined the Star Galaxy Committee's first in a series of conversations on November 18th. The
goal of these gatherings is to provide opportunities for STA parents to build community and to discuss topics related to diversity as the Committee seeks to promote an inclusive environment at STA. Keep your eye out for information on future gatherings coming during the spring semester.
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BUSINESS OFFICE
Tuition and fees must be current through November in order for your daughter to receive her final second semester schedule. In order for your daughter to return for second semester, anyone with a delinquent account must meet with the Finance Committee for approval. PowerSchool will be inactivated for delinquent accounts. |
Wishing You and your Family the Thrill of Hope this Holy Season!
Merry Christmas and blessings to you and your family. May you be surrounded by peace and joy as you celebrate our dear Savior's birth.
During this celebratory time of giving, please consider including St. Teresa's Academy in your year-end giving.
A gift to the Academy Fund helps to fill the gap between the actual cost of each student's education and tuition. This intentional tuition gap makes the premier education available at St. Teresa's more affordable to families, while supporting the mission established by the Sisters of St. Joseph-to love the dear neighbor without distinction.
Thank you for being such a valuable, generous member of the St. Teresa's Academy community!
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The Star Shop will also be open during the HSPT on
Saturday, December 8th and January 12th, from 8:00 a.m. - noon
. Come shop during home basketball games this season too!
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ATHLETICS
STA Student Named Wendy's Heisman State Finalist
Senior
Natalie Telep was named one of the Wendy's Heisman state finalists. The Wendy's High School Heisman Scholarship was created by Wendy's founder Dave Thomas in 1994. Twenty-five years later, Wendy's has honored more than 600,000 of the nation's most esteemed high school seniors who give back to their communities, treat people with respect, continue their education, and excel on the athletic field. Congratulations, Natalie!
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HOLIDAY SAFETY
The Holidays are a great time to be with family and friends to celebrate, however; this time of year has an increase in burglaries and package thefts. Here's some tips for increasing your safety and awareness during this wonderful time of year:
HOME
- Keep vacations off social media
- Try to use timers for interior lights
- If you have exterior lights...use them
- If you have an alarm system...use it
- Keep blinds closed when you're gone or sleeping
- Keep your yard maintained - less hiding places for criminals
- Lock doors and windows
- Get a security camera, such as the "Ring" door bell system
- Have a container by the front door for packages with a lock for the delivery person
- Require a signature for the package so it won't be left at the house
- Have packages delivered to your office or place of work, if possible
- Ask a neighbor to help with deliveries AND watch your house if you leave for an extended period of time
VEHICLES
- Never leave your car unattended when "warming up" in the driveway
- Never leave any personal items or packages visible in your vehicle
- Never leave your garage door opener in your vehicle (this can be stolen and your address is on documentation in the glove box...insurance, registration, etc.)
- Always park in well lit areas of parking lots. The closer to the store the better.
- Try not to shop by yourself.
- Be aware of your surroundings! It is easy to get caught up in the season, but don't make yourself an easy target for those who are looking for victims
- Keep your cell phones charged and always have emergency equipment in the trunk (blankets, flashlights, road flares, etc.)
Have a safe and fun holiday season!
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