“Being a family means you are a part of something very wonderful. It means you will love and be loved for the rest of your life.”
–Lisa Weed
Greetings from Mr. G
May 29, 2020
If I have to sum up St. Rose School in one word it would be FAMILY! As I looked at the grid of faces during Wednesday night's HSA meeting it occurred to me how strong we are because of each other. In good times and tough times we -- parents, students, faculty -- have stayed connected and gone the extra miles to keep the school spirit and mission alive. We are blessed to have Monsignor Bob as our loving shepherd and Christ at the center of it all. God bless the St. Rose School Family!
Dear St. Rose School Families,
Thank you to all who attended the HSA meeting Wednesday night. I want to say a special thank you to our HSA Board -- Mrs. Kate O'Connor, Mrs. Tara Johnson, Mrs. Diane Lavin and Mr. David Budzynski have worked enthusiastically and tirelessly to keep our families bonded to each other and connected to school administration. The HSA's commitment to helping the school pay back the portable loan is extremely significant to our financial health so my sincere thanks to all for doing this. We extend our best wishes to Mrs. Lavin and Mrs. Johnson as they end their terms as Secretary and Vice President. The many hours you served have made a big difference. I hope that others in our school family will follow your awesome example and step up to help Mrs. O'Connor and Mr. Budzynski.
We covered a lot of important housekeeping details at the meeting; I am including the presentation slides in the newsletter in case you couldn't attend. In a nutshell, the last day of school for grades 1-7 is June 10th. We are finalizing details for the Preschool, Kindergarten and 8th grade graduations and will notify parents as soon as we hear. June 10, 11 and 12th will be drop off/pick up days outside of the school, teachers will be in touch with instructions. You will receive report cards, Edmentum test scores and summer work (including recommendations for specific student focus) in mid to late June. Our goal is to start the school year on site but that depends on state and Diocesan regulations. The first day of school is August 31 for K-8 and September 8 for Preschool. Click here for slides. Thank you for your patience and cooperation.
Please join me in wishing Ms. Elaine Smith a happy retirement! Ms. Smith has served St. Rose School as an upper grade Math teacher, resource teacher, tutor and Advanced Math Club Coordinator for 12 years. She has made an impact on many children's lives, preparing them well for high school Math and she has been an asset to our faculty. We will miss her but are delighted that she will have more time with her family and we look forward to seeing her back in our halls for a visit now and again.
Today we recognized our 8th graders at a red carpet ceremony in the parking lot. The countdown has started until their graduation on June 26th. This is an incredible class of young men and women who are talented, dedicated and motivated for bright futures. Whether they started with us in Preschool or joined in later years, each will leave a lasting mark on the St. Rose School family. Let us all keep them in our prayers and if you have a chance, send them your good wishes.
The weekend's seem to come around quickly. Step away from your desks, venture outdoors and enjoy God's creation.
God Bless,
Mr. Bardhyl Gjoka
8th GRADERS WALK THE RED CARPET
As another tribute to our 8th graders, Mrs. B and Mrs. Petrillo arranged a red carpet walk today in front of the school. Each student alighted from their car to walk the red carpet placed at the Primary school entrance. A masked Mrs. B handed them a certificate while Mrs. Petrillo snapped a photo. It was a pleasure to see their bright smiles, even from a distance. In addition to the red carpet, lawn signs with each 8th grader's photo are placed around the flagpole in front of the gathering hall. Although so many of these events are taking place outside, the class of 2020 holds a special place inside all of our hearts. Click below for photos, more will be added over the weekend.
In the latest virtual learning outreach, Mrs. Pamela Zmek, aka Captain Penelope Zanzibar, visited all 27 of her 3rd graders homes last Monday delivering pirate goody bags in anticipation of Pirate Day. On Tuesday the students donned eye patches and set parrots on their shoulders to embark on treasure hunts and other exciting, pirate adventures. Captain Salustri got involved as well with a music lesson. Creative ways of learning and keeping students engaged are par for the course (or gangplank) at St. Rose School!
What subject/grade levels do you teach and for how long have you been at St. Rose School?
I have been at St. Rose for 12 years and teach Grade 6, 7, and 8 math. I also give math support to 6 and 7 graders in the Resource Room. I have tutored students in math after school for many years. I'm especially proud of the St. Rose Advanced Math Club and how hard students have worked to achieve Gold Levels for 10 straight years!
Tell us about your family
I was born and raised in Waterbury but finished my college degrees in MA and taught there for years. I also was an elementary school principal in 2 Catholic schools in MA for 16 years. I have my undergraduate and graduate master's degree in education and school administration with a minor in mathematical studies.
I am the middle child of my family and I have 3 brothers and 2 sisters. I have 10 nieces and nephews and 8 grand nieces and nephews with 1 on the way, due any day! My favorite days are ones I can spend with them.
What is your favorite book?
I have two favorite books: To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee and The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey.
What is your favorite movie?
My two favorite movies are: Gone With The Wind and Chariots of Fire.
What is your favorite color?
Fushcia
What is your favorite season?
Spring - when nature comes back to life after the winter.
What is your favorite prayer?
I have always felt close to Mary - so the Rosary is my favorite prayer. I've prayed it many times and it has always offered me comfort and clarity in tough times.
Hobbies?
I am a big reader, especially in the summer months. I also like to do crossword puzzles, garden and take nature walks.
What do you enjoy the most about being a part of the St. Rose School community?
St. Rose School has always been a family to me. Through the 12 years I have taught here everyone from Msgr Bob, to the 3 principals I've worked with (Mr. G, Sister Colleen, and Mary Maloney), from the many, many teachers and staff I have taught with as colleagues who have shown me friendship and support, from the hundreds of students I've been honored to teach math throughout the years. - everyone has been kind and helpful, always living the mission of St. Rose.
I have decided to retire at the end of this school year. This decision is not made lightly and I actually made this decision a year ago in May, 2019 when I informed Mr. G of it. After more than 40 years in education I felt it was time to step down and have more time to enjoy my family. Little did I know that our school year would end in the way it has. I think our school rose to the challenge of distance learning and triumphed in many ways! I want to thank each and every teacher, student and parent that I have had the honor to work with since 2008. It has been the honor of my life to teach at St. Rose.
As I told Msgr. Bob, I have taught in a number of schools through the years but there has been no other school that I know of that can compare to SRS in every way - academically, spiritually and socially. I will certainly miss my years here and the family-like atmosphere we enjoy and I wish everyone happy days ahead. I know our paths will cross again. I hope to continue to tutor in math - part time. God bless you!
What advice can you give to students as we live through these uncertain times?
The advice I can give students is to always do your best and dream big - never let anyone tell you that you cannot achieve great things even in small ways. It's not always the destination you should focus on; at the end of the day it's the people and situations you meet along the way that matter. Stay close to Jesus in your life and remember to stay close to your family. Friends will come and go but you can always count on your family to be there.
HSA NEWS
Dear Friends:
We hope you had a relaxing Memorial Day weekend! The weeks are sure flying by as we look toward a rapidly approaching school year end.
If you have not already done so, please vote to approve our proposed updates to the HSA By-Laws and to disburse $20,000 to the school for repayment of the portable classrooms buy-out loan. The proxy ballot can be found here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/6DJYKDM
We are still seeking volunteers to help fill the open HSA Executive Board positions (Vice President and Secretary) and welcome you to contact us if you have any interest. There is information about these positions in the slides from last night and in the HSA By-Laws. Ideally we will elect officers in June given the Vice President and Secretary terms are ending. Please send us an email to let us know of your interest - hsa@srles.com
In this new reality of ours, we are encouraging parents to use SCRIP to purchase e-gift cards for teachers, which can be emailed to teachers instantly. Visit shopwithscrip.com to set up an account and/or purchase. Teacher preferences will be shared with parents this week so that you know which gift card types your teacher(s) might like best. Alternatively, teacher year end gifts should be brought to school for drop-off on the day you pick up your child's belongings (Grade 8 - May 29; Grades K-7 on June 11 and 12.)
Finally, Uniform Exchange items can be left by the preschool steps when you pick up your student's belongings (Grade 8 - May 29; Grades K-7 on June 11 and 12.) Please leave them in a clear plastic bag and donate only those items that are "like new", for the next child to proudly wear. Thank you!
We wish you a wonderful weekend. Thank you for all of your support these past several weeks!
Your HSA Board
DATES TO NOTE
June 4th -- Preschool graduation
June 5th -- Kindergarten graduation (moved
from June 3rd)
June 9th -- Grades 1-7 Moving Up Day
June 9th -- New Family Virtual Meet & Greet
June 10th -- Last day of school Grades 1-7;
If you have a student in Grade 1 and 2, your sign up was sent out via the teacher for drop off/pick up items at school. On this day, you will also get and return items for any older siblings.
June 11 & 12th -- Drop off/pick up day click this link to sign up for a time
