From the Desk of Mrs. Tiezzi
Dear St. Rita Parents/Guardians,
We are so pleased to introduce a new program for our kindergarten students called the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. Sr. Barbara Matazzaro will be the facilitator of this program. Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS) is a method of helping children enter into a relationship with God. It was developed based on the educational principles of Maria Montessori, an expert who studied early childhood development. CGS takes place in a room called the "Atrium" located in a newly created room located in the back of the library. The Atrium is "more like a church than a classroom"; a sacred, “hands on” space where catechists and children hear, ponder, and celebrate the most essential mysteries of our faith as revealed in Sacred Scripture and Liturgy. Materials are child-sized and are carefully prepared to foster in children the inherent longing for a relationship with God and curiosity about the elements of our faith.
Thank you for your patience over the past month as we have worked out the issues with our on-line system for before and after care registration and payment. We expect to have the new automated on-line registration portal up and running this week and will send out a separate message alerting you to the sign-up procedure. Please note that aftercare will be open on the Friday, October 7, an early dismissal day, until 3:00 P.M. only.
If you haven’t already received an email from your child’s teacher regarding the upcoming conferences please expect one this week. The parent-teacher conferences are scheduled for October 17 from 3:30-6:30 and October 18 from 1:00-3:30. Both these days are early dismissal days. Parents must register for conferences using the link provided by the teachers. All parents are strongly advised to sign-up for a conference to review your child’s NEWA MAP assessments, learn more about your child as a learner and have any of your questions or concerns addressed midway through the first marking period.
Next Wednesday, October 5, St. Rita School will be closed for a district-wide teaching and learning conference. Teachers from our area Catholic schools will be hearing from a nationally acclaimed speaker, educator and literacy expert, Dr. Beverly Ann Chin, on “Bridging Instruction to Achievement-Reading and Writing Across the Curriculum.” Teachers from our early childhood programs will have a special Lego Education hands-on STREAM workshop geared for our youngest learners.
Thank you for entrusting your child/ren to our care. Please keep the people in the path of Hurricane Ian in your prayers. Be sure to get outside and enjoy the beautiful fall-like weather.
God Bless,
Mrs. Tiezzi
Principal
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