April 1, 2020
Dear Saint Paul School Community & Friends,

Today in our prayers our prayers we remember consumers of media, looking to be well-informed: God, help us find the most helpful local information to equip us to be good neighbors. Keep us from anxiety and panic, and enable us to implement the recommended strategies, even at a cost to ourselves.

Yesterday afternoon Governor Baker extended the stay at home advisory until May 4. I pray that you continue to stay safe and please reach out if you need any support. 

In comparison to our public school system, Saint Paul School is two to three weeks ahead of schedule. Many public schools are not rolling out remote learning until next week and when they do, are not providing students with feedback or required assignments. We strongly believe our students will be better prepared than their public school peers in September. 

Teachers and I will be discussing moving to PASS/FAIL for the last term/semester for our students. I will also continue consulting with high schools on this decision so that it does not penalize our grade 8 students. 

Saint Paul School is committed to ensuring our students acquire the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in September. Nothing can take the place for the classroom learning environment and interaction with teacher and peers but here is one example of Saint Paul School pioneering this new normal:

On Monday, I sat in on Ms. Rohnstock teaching 2-digit divisors to grade 4 via ZOOM. It was truly amazing to witness teacher with a whiteboard and students coming to their device with paper and pencil. She was able to teach a lesson and check for understanding, just like she does on any given day at school. 

Thank you for your continued patience and flexibility. Please reach out with questions and comments and I will respond either via email, videoconference or phone. 

Sincerely,
Principal
DAILY PRAYERS

Deacon Matt Porter, from St. Paul Parish, is thinking of the families and friends of Saint Paul School and shares this special reflection with our community
(please click on the title):


We also want to remind you that resources for support and comfort are available for you through our school and parish. Deacon Matt welcomes you to view his other talks on his YouTube page and invites you to reach out to him with any needs at:  mphingham@yahoo.com

God bless you and the entire SPS family ~ Deacon Matt
IMPORTANT SCHOOL CALENDAR UPDATES
MIDDLE SCHOOL REPORT CARDS - April 2

PTO MEETING - April 2 @ 6:30p via ZOOM
Meeting ID: 514 404 512
Password: 804171

MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR / GRADE 5 SCIENTISTS - Moved to May 20th

GRANDFRIENDS DAY - Cancelled (May 1)

FIRST COMMUNION - (May 2) n ew date to be announced

SPRING MUSICAL - (May 8 & 9) TBD

MIDDLE SCHOOL NYC TRIP -rescheduled to May 11-14, 2021

GR 4 STATES FAIR / GR 5 FAMOUS REVOLUTIONARY AMERICAN - May 27

GRADUATION - June 5

PTO END OF YEAR SOCIAL - TBD
The Nurses at Saint Paul School welcome you to contact them at any time with questions or for resources that may be of support to you or your family:
Maintaining Mental Wellness
EMOTIONALLY CONNECTED
 
These past few weeks we have all experienced a change to our lives that we had never anticipated. Socially distancing from our colleagues, extended family and our social supports has been a huge adjustment. While this continues to be necessary to keep us healthy we also need time
to take care of ourselves and in turn take care of our children and loved ones.  
Families are feeling stressed, anxious and overwhelmed. All this together time at home,
balancing work, home schooling and family obligations can put everyone on edge.  
Check in with your child to see if they are showing signs of anxiety, age regression or anger.  

Here are some suggestions for maintaining our mental wellness:
 
Practice gratitude . Pray. Read inspirational quotes.
 
Stay connected. Phone, FaceTime, Zoom. We have the technology to stay connected. It may brighten someone’s day to hear from you.
 
Breathe to reduce anxiety.  Triangle breath: Inhale through your mouth for a count of 4. Hold for a count of 4. Exhale through your nose for a count of 4. 
 
Reduce screen time as much as possible.  Schedule a time when your child is not around to catch up on the news. Early morning and late at night are good times.  The children do not need to stay informed of any statistics or any daily updates. They just need to know that they are safe and staying home for now will keep everyone healthy.  
 
Have a schedule.   Schedule in frequent breaks and playtime.
 
Take time to get out in nature everyday.  Yes, even rainy days. It can help you relax, refuel and gives you a break from devices.
 
Listen to music.  Music has a positive effect on your physical and mental health, helping with anxiety and depression. Sing. Dance.
 
Pet therapy.  Family pets help people deal with stress and anxiety.  They also need walks and play time, which helps us too. 
 
Bake.  Get the flour out and bake something. Baking is creative.  It helps to relieve stress, improves concentration and increases self-confidence. 
 
Continue to help and support oth ers. Check in on a neighbor.
 
Humor, comedy, jokes. Laughter is the best medicine! Share a daily joke with your family. 
 
While we need to maintain social distancing outside the home our immediate family may need extra hugs and reassurance that all is well inside the home. Remember, we are always here for you. Lastly, this is temporary. We look forward to the day when we can resume our ‘normal’ lives.
 
*****************
We encourage you to examine the following resources available
to support your own mental health and well-being:
 
www.childmind.org     Articles on self care. Supporting kids during Coronavirus crisis



www.mass.gov/   info-details/maintaining emotional health & wellbeing during the COVID-19 outbreak


Stay healthy! All the best, 

Rose Trogele RN.
Florence Richardson RN.
PROJECT GRATITUDE:
Honoring our Healthcare Heros
On behalf of all our SPS families, we want to thank the Hussey Family (Braden, PS) for devising and organizing this thoughtful endeavor and all planning efforts.

Special thanks to Mrs. Emily Andrassy (Elle, PS) for sharing her graphic design talents and Anchor Press(Norwell) for donating all resources to print and produce our signs of appreciation and care.

The response from our SPS has been incredible: 45 families participating from 9 towns!
REMINDERS:
PICK UP of completed artwork starts THURSDAY, April 2nd  @10a from your porch/doorstep.
*If raining - please make sure the art is covered
* Please place the art in the same place where it was dropped off.
* The Husseys will start in Marshfield and work their way to Hingham.


DRAWING GUIDELINES:
  • BE CREATIVE! Use marker (1st choice) or crayon (2nd choice)
  • Keep paper HORIZONTAL
  • Picture can be double sided.
  • Please keep the paper flat - do not fold.


Please share any photos of your artist in action & send to Janelle Hussey at janellekel@yahoo.com or Jean Schnorr.

Any questions - please contact Janelle.

Together, we can continue to make a difference in our community in the midst of the current chaos. Please join Braden and share your artwork for those tirelessly working on the front lines to keep us safe & healthy. 
ONLINE LEARNING
Saint Paul School teachers are creating videos that inspire discovery and creativity for our school community and friends.
OUTDOOR DISCOVERIES
Mrs. Jennifer Lightfoot, our Middle School Science Instructor shares a bi-weekly video series designed to encourage all SPS students to explore and enjoy their yards and neighborhoods.

Check out her Tuesday outdoor adventure! 


ART CHALLENGE


Mrs. Jackie Bruno, our Art Instructor, encourages every SPS student to use their creative talents with items you can find easily in our home.
ZOOM ART CLASSES
SPS Parents will see noted under ART in the LMS that Zoom (live) art classes
will take place starting this Thursday.
Also noted is all log-in information and a listing of the art supplies to have prepared prior to the start
of class is noted.
Tuesday 10-10:30a: Preschool - Kindergarten
Wednesday 1-1:30p : Grade 6-8
Thursday 10-10:30a : Grade 1-5

Mrs. Bruno will take attendance, If classes are too large large, she will split further.
HEARTS CHALLENGE
To show our love and support for people caring for us ....parents, siblings, grandparents, friends, health care workers, and more lets make some hearts!!

Check out these artists hearts: Romero Britto (   https://britto.com/ ), Jim Dine, Simon Bull ,Autumn de Forest and Peter Max.

The Challenge:
  • Create your own hearts with whatever supplies you may have: construction paper, crayons, paint, pom poms, etc.
  • Place in window to share!
  • I will be collecting when we return to school and making a gratitude heart mural!!!
  • Be sure to send pics to us at school, too!
STORYTIME WITH MRS. MONTGOMERY

Mrs. Montgomery is happy to share that she is reading a book a day and uploading it to the SPS digital classroom! We'll also be posting many of these on Facebook and Twitter.

Enjoy this break time and some of her favorite stories! Click on the story # below.


"SPECIAL TREATS" WITH MRS. KNOBLOCH

Every Wednesday is special "treat day" at
Saint Paul School.  Today Mrs. Knobloch shares the special recipe for a treat we all love!

For step by step video directions, click on:



MRS. RYAN'S SHORTBREAD
4 sticks of butter
1 cup of Sugar
4 cups of Flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix sugar and butter in mixer until combined. Slowly add flour one cup at a time until thoroughly mixed . Spread into a sheet pan (18x12)
Bake for 20 mins until lightly browned . Frosting 
Mix 2 cups of powdered sugar with 5 Tbsp of warm milk and 1 tsp of vanilla .
Spread over shortbread .
Finish with a shake of your favorite sprinkle .
Let set for about 45 to give icing a chance to set .
Enjoy!

Thank you Mrs. Ryan !
IMPRESSIVE SCHOOLWORK: Grade 3
Third graders were challenged on Friday 3/27 to get outside and model one of the meanings of division...sunshine required!


Third graders were challenged last week to take advantage of some extra home time to learn a new skill! Ideas ranged from diy hand sanitizer to cake baking, tying a bowline knot, and designing long flying paper airplanes!
(Inspired by the Melcher girls finally learning to french braid their own hair!)

Caela - hand sanitizer
Carrot Cake
Zach - Knots
Mia - baking
The Melcher Girls - braids
Joe - airplanes
PREPOSITION CHALLENGE
Mrs. Woodgate's Preposition Challenge
As we know, a preposition is a word that connects a noun or a pronoun to a verb or adjective in a sentence. Prepositions can be tricky. But, memorizing common prepositions can help us to easily identify them in writing. Grade five has been challenged to memorize the attached list of 49 common prepositions before May 4th. Studies have shown that memorization improves neural plasticity, which helps maintain cognitive functioning (your brain is a muscle - it needs exercise). 

Any student who achieves this memorization goal may choose a prize from Mrs. Woodgate's prize box, and will get his or her name added to the running list. Email a video submission to Mrs. Woodgate's SPS email ( awoodgate@spshingham.org ) to win. 
PRINCIPAL'S CHALLENGE
During this time away from school, it is important for all of us to balance our body and mind. 
Each day Principal Fasano is challenging our students to take a break from their learning and see how many of her favorite childhood activities they can complete!
Below is a Principal Challenge Calendar with activities for all ages - what can you complete this week?

On FRIDAY we will share our April / May Principal Challenge Calendar .
ADMISSIONS UPDATE

Saint Paul School will continue to process applications, render admissions decisions and respond to any inquiries.

During this time of school closure, tours will be postponed. We will plan to conduct screenings and Imagine Days for all prospective PS – Grade 8 applicants upon our return to school.  

We welcome you to contact us with interest and any inquiries by calling: (781) 749-2407 or email the Director of Enrollment, Jean Schnorr, at  jschnorr@spshingham.org
LEARNING IS FUN!
Keep sharing these great ideas and images of our students and families 
making the most of learning opportunities at home! 
Love our pets!
Board Games with Brothers!
Planting & Growing!
For more resources, ideas and school updates from Saint Paul School, watch us on: