Dear St. Thomas Families,
It has been a great start to the school year. The school year began with celebrating Mass with grades K-8 and the children are settling into their classroom routines. The summer really seemed to fly by and it is difficult to believe that the month of August is nearly past!
The parent/teacher/child relationship is a critical one for a successful school experience. Keeping positive avenues of communication open is important. Be sure to stay well connected with your child's teachers and don't hesitate to contact them if you have questions as the year progresses.
ASCEND remains our primary communication tool between school and family. With ASCEND, you are able to check on your child's grades, assignments, homework and serves as a vital tool of communication with the teachers and be notified when there is a calamity day or delay. If you have any questions regarding registration or require other assistance, please feel free to contact the school office.
In early August, emergency contact information and other various forms were sent to school families so we can update our school records/files. It is important that the forms be completed and return to the school office at your earliest convenience. If you already returned the forms, thank you.
"Meet the Teacher Night" began on Tuesday, August 23, for grades K-4. The families for grades 5-8 will have an opportunity to meet their student(s) teachers tonight, August 24 from 7:00 - 8:00 pm in the cafeteria. Doors will open at 6:30 so families can obtain additional information about our extracurricular activities.
Terra Nova test results are in this Wednesday packet. The tests were administered in late April, 2016 to Grades 2, 3, 5, and 7. Should you have any questions, contact your student(s) teacher for the 2015-2016 school year. For example, if your student is currently in the 8th grade, please contact Mrs. Burkhardt.
This year's focus will be placed on Response to Intervention (RTI) with the use of I-Ready Reading software. Teachers during a Professional Development day on August 12th participated in an I-Ready webinar. Mrs. Ankenbauer will implement the RTI program and has been working with the teachers to coordinate a schedule. A tentative start date for students diagnostic testing will be the first week of September.
As a friendly reminder, as the school moves into full swing, and our activities and traffic in the building increases, we want to insure of everyone's safety. Please remember that all visitors to the school, including parents, are required to sign in at the school office and pick up a visitor badge.
Hope your school year is off to a great start and that everyone is settling into the new routines. It is greatly appreciated of all the help and support of the parents. We look forward to an exciting and dynamic school year!
Wishing you a blessed week.
Deborah Flamm
Principal
