From Mrs. Pudelko:
August is upon us and it feels like the school year is right around the corner! Several of our teachers will be back in the building on Monday for training on our new math curriculum, Big Ideas! This new program will be launched in all of our classrooms K-8 beginning this school year. We are very excited about the opportunity to have an innovative text book with balanced approach of inquiry and traditional math concepts. The new program also includes a digital platform for all grade levels. Thank you to our generous donor's who made this purchase possible through unAuction last year, as well as to the committee of teachers and Board Members who vetted several options as we made a final decision to support our students' learning opportunities! Look for more information to come home from teachers as they explore the program.
We also are welcoming two new faces to our school community. Our middle school team is welcoming Sydney Theis, as our Middle School Language Arts teacher. To learn more about Sydney, click her bio
here. We also hired a Communications and Enrollment Specialist, who will be supporting in the school office. Kay Rooney will be joining our staff next week. Kay will become a familiar face in our school office each afternoon, and you will see Mrs. Barnum at the front desk in the morning. Click
here to learn more about Kay! I'm excited for all of you to meet Kay and Sydney - I have shared with them that the best part of being on our staff is the St. Anthony community!
I'm anxiously preparing for the arrival of Baby Pudelko! There have been several planning conversations with Mr. Wieber, Father Mark and many of the staff members about the shared responsibility during my maternity leave. Although my due date is September 20th, I know that God's plan may be different! During my absence, Mr. Wieber (cwieber@saparish.com) will be handling the day to day needs within the building and Tamara Mason (tmason@saparish.com) will be supporting with any financial questions. While I plan to take 12 weeks to be home with the baby, I will only be a phone call away and feel confident that everyone will be supported as I adjust to "mom life!"`
As we ended last year, we really hoped that COVID would not be the center of our conversations. While we enter this school year knowing much more than we did last year, COVID is still very present in our conversations. Last Friday I joined a webinar with the Kent County Health Department. Yesterday, MDHHS released guidance, which Kent County indicated they would follow. Since the release of those plans, I have had several conversations with our Board Chair, Father Mark, and Mr. Wieber to solidify our plans for the school year based on the recommendations that were shared. We are in the final stages of drafting our Back to School Plan, and plan to share those within the next couple of days. As with all things related to the pandemic, we know that plans can change at any time!
Class lists will be sent to you in a separate email no later than tomorrow! As a reminder, supply lists can be found in the parent portal on the website along with dress code information. There will also be a uniform and spirit wear link ready to go in the next few days.
Don't hesitate to reach out with questions - continue to enjoy the summer weather! August 25th will be here before we know it!
God bless,
Jenny
