"Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success."
– Henry Ford
Greetings from Mr. G
April 24, 2020
Your children inspire me! Their enthusiastic return to the virtual classrooms is a sign of hope in these uncertain times. In teaching them we can also learn many things. One of the greatest lessons is trust -- they trust you as parents and us as educators and we take that very seriously. We are committed to keeping them engaged and on track academically, emotionally and spiritually. And God is our ultimate guide.
Dear St. Rose School Families,
I hope everyone settled back in to the school routine comfortably this week. We continue to fine tune the distant learning process, making adjustments based on your feedback. I am very pleased to hear from so many people that, compared to other schools, St. Rose is doing exceptionally well with this format. My sincere thanks to the teachers for all of their diligent work and hours. They have your children's best interests at heart.
It was good to see SO many of you at the virtual HSA meeting last night. Connections are always important and even more so during this time of distance. My thanks to Mrs. O'Connor and the HSA board for organizing the meeting. As a recap, we are on track academically and have plans in place for either scenario -- a return to school or finishing the year distant learning. In terms of technology, you are not alone. Please contact Mrs. Wong if you are having any issues with logins, programs, etc. Partnering with parents is the key to every child's success. If your child has too much or too little work or if you have any insights or concerns do not hesitate to contact the teacher directly. If you sent an email or left a phone message but haven't heard back, please let Mrs. Wong know and we will be in touch. Count on our continued communication via the Friday newsletter and email updates. Our decisions will be reflective of what is ultimately determined by the Governor and Diocese. Once we hear from them about next steps we will let you know. Whatever happens we will do what is in the best interest of our current families. That is a promise.
You can access the slides from our meeting here.
New times call for new measures. On Sunday we will be hosting a Virtual Open House at 4 p.m. This is a way for prospective families to step into our school virtually, meet Administration, Faculty, some current parents and students. Please share the word. They can register on the website
https://www.stroseschool.com/admissions/register-for-open-house, or email Mrs. Coppola, admissions@srles.com. We are planning for a bright future! Have you seen our virtual tour? Take a look,
https://www.stroseschool.com/virtual-tour
This week we celebrated Earth Day. Happily the signs of Spring surround us more and more each day. I hope you will spend plenty of time outdoors this weekend, enjoying God's gift of nature.
Stay healthy and hopeful!
God Bless,
Mr. Bardhyl Gjoka
ST. ROSE SCHOOL PHOTO GALLERY
Oh the places our students and teachers go to maximize distance learning. Check out some photos!
What grade/subject do you teach: I teach English Language Arts (ELA) for the Middle School, grades 6, 7, and 8. I am also the proctor for the Mock Trial Program at St. Rose School.
How long have you been teaching at St. Rose School? I have been teaching at St. Rose for 2 years My life has given me the benefit of working in a variety of areas such as law offices as a paralegal while working towards my Masters in Criminology and my certification in teaching.
What is your favorite part of teaching this subject/age group?I love teaching ELA because it allows us to open up our minds to a world of imagination. Especially with the middle school age group, you are able to witness those A-HA! moments in a student's mind when the story connects or they learn life lessons through the eyes of a character. I think I enjoy this age group the most because they are growing and willing to take risks with their ideas and in turn help me to grow as a person. It is refreshing to see things from their perspective at this age. Especially as you get older, you forget what it was like when you were a young teen!
Family: I am the youngest of 3 children; both of my parents immigrated from Italy. I have a niece, Serena, and a nephew, Luca, who I absolutely adore -- I spend all of my free time with them.
Favorite movie:Steel Magnolias
Favorite book: How does an English teacher only have one favorite book? I would probably narrow it down to The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton and Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
Favorite color: Royal Blue
Favorite season: Spring because everything is bright and fresh!
Favorite prayer:Angel of God - It puts me at ease during this time.
Hobbies: Reading with a nice cup of coffee, sewing, and enjoying my family
What advice can you give to students to help them make the most out of living in quarantine?We are a family and a team so always remember that your St. Rose teachers are here for you. Balance in all things leads to peace and contentment. I miss you all!
HSA NEWS
Dear Friends:
Thank you to all who were able to participate in our HSA meeting last evening. We had over seventy participants online - a wonderful virtual gathering. For those of you who were not able to attend, you may watch the recording, which can be found here:
The Internet Safety presentation by Scott Driscoll (delivered April 2) is also recorded and available to view. You will note this recording next to the HSA meeting file in the google drive folder above.
We also want to advise you that we are in the process of updating the HSA By-Laws, which were last updated ten years ago. A document showing proposed changes to the By-Laws will be circulated prior to the end of the school year. It is our hope to begin the new school year with a vote on the updated By-Laws by the parent community.
If you recall, we were in the process of gathering a nominating committee to produce an election slate for our open HSA Board positions (Vice-President and Secretary). Please send an email to hsa@srles.com to indicate whether you'd be interested in serving on the Nomination Committee or on our HSA Board. Serving is a wonderful opportunity to be involved in our school community in a meaningful way!
We wish you a wonderful weekend. Stay safe and healthy!
