Thursday, February 23, 2012

St. Paul's Community Newsletter


On April 14th, it will be GAME ON here at school, where we transform the multi-purpose room into a cocktail party and silent auction and the gym into - well, a gym. Please make plans to attend this annual event - the largest fundraiser sponsored by your Parents' Guild.

But before then, enjoy a pre-game rally at the Benefit Games, where St. Paul’s parents will compete against one another in fast-paced dodgeball and basketball tournaments for men and women. Come cheer them on, and see who takes home the trophies. If you would like to play, register here.  It’s not too late to support the auction! If you wish to make a financial contribution, click here to donate online. You may also send checks to Katie Gregg at school.

And don’t forget about buying raffle tickets! There are four really great raffle items that you don’t want to miss. Click here to purchase raffle tickets online, or stop by either front desk with cash or check. The auction committee is offering special rates to families and groups that would like to advertise in the auction catalog. Click here or contact Gina Penner, at ginaandcharlie@aol.com for more details. The deadline for reserving an ad, with your payment, is March 2, 2012.

Buddy Families Wanted



The admissions office is seeking buddy families for the new families joining our school for the 2012-13 school year.  If you are interested in serving as a buddy family, please let Miriam Zavagnin know.  Thank you!

 
Our New Choir is In Harmony 
“In Harmony”, the new choir that is directed by Mr. Ah’Lee Robinson, is off to a great start with twenty students enrolled and participating heartily.  The students meet on Wednesday mornings from 7:15 – 8:05 to share their love of singing.  It is hoped that the choir will represent our school at venues outside of and within our school community.  The name of the choir – In Harmony – was offered by Meghan L. as the group brainstormed a number of different ideas, and this one seemed to fit the group perfectly.   We welcome Mr. Robinson and look forward to the opportunities that he and the choir bring to St. Paul’s!

In Harmony Choir Members:  Carol-Ann G., Jessica P., Erin G., Grant B., Elie R., Mia T., Ashley B., Brynn S., Drake R., Grace C., Mimi W., Anna R., Phillip C., Lily W., Faith O., Kam D., Easton W., Julia K., Abby L., Anna H., Kimball G., Meghan L. and Colin Mc.


Seventh Graders Enjoy "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer"
On Tuesday, January 31, the seventh graders went to Kansas City Rep to see its production of "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer".  The timing was perfect as the classes had just reached the end of this novel the night before, so they were well-prepped for the play.  The production was a clever adaptation of Twain’s classic novel and included many of the famous scenes from the book.  The whitewashing of the fence, the murder of Dr. Robinson in the cemetery, and Tom's and Becky’s adventures while lost in McDougal’s cave were all effectively portrayed.  Thanks to the Cultural Arts Committee for this extraordinary opportunity to see a first-rate performance.

Mathcounts Competition
Saturday, February 4, nine middle school students participated in the Missouri Western Chapter Mathcounts competition.  A team of Clayton F., Max S., Philip W. and Jacob K., earned third place honors.  Caroline M., Ellison R., Sophia P., Veronica L., and Caroline S., participated in the individual competition.  Zach T. qualified for the competition but was unable to attend.  Advancing to the state competition in the individual contest on March 10 are Clayton, Max, and Caroline M.




Kearney Preliminary
The final Science Olympiad preliminary competition was held on January 21st at Kearney Middle School.  It was a long, cold trek to Kearney but well worth the effort.  The team took third place out of the seventeen schools participating and we only missed second place by one point.   The parents provided a feast of fruit, snacks, deli sandwiches and even a celebratory best wishes cake for Ms. Twyman’s final preliminary. The team has had such great success this year because of the wonderful students who have participated and their very supportive parents.  Sadly, we now have to compete at our regional  competition on February 25th with only 17 students, but we still rely on the support of all the students who have traveled the path with us and continue to support us within Science Olympiad class. The regional will take place at Penn Valley Community College.


Congratulations to the following Science Olympiad participants:  Elyse C., Clayton F., Meghan L., Monty L., Claire M., Annie S., Lily W., Sydney W., Meg B., Edward G., Lilly H., Lilly L., Taylor N., Drake R., Danny T., Tucker B., Kit F., Veronica L., Chris M., Ethan M., Elliot P., George R., Ellison R., Tommy S., Dominic T., Gregory W., Samantha H., Jack K., Sophie P., Max S., Aidan V. and Philip W. We all wish the team success on February 25th as we compete to qualify for STATE.


Hooray for the USA Participant Recognized at Starbucks


On the way to school one day, Freddie G. stopped by Starbucks and ran into Congressman Emmanuel Cleaver.  As it turns out, Freddie was dressed as Martin Luther King, Jr. for the first grade performance of “Hooray for the USA”. Freddie recited his speech to Congressman Cleaver, which included part of his famous “I have a Dream” speech!


Middle School Health Fair
The St. Paul’s Middle School enjoyed a very informative and successful Health Fair on the morning of Valentine’s Day.   The day started with an assembly presented by the Think First Program -the topic was preventing spinal cord injuries.  The speakers were Jenny Scheve (Critical Care Nurse)  and Madi Cannon who is paralyzed from the waist down and in a wheelchair from an injury sustained from a car wreck.  She told her riveting story about lying to her parents about her evening plans and also about not wearing a seatbelt.

From there the six homerooms went on a six station rotation using the old MPR, commons and four classrooms on third floor for a variety of health related activities.  JoAnne Reardon used a Jeopardy Game format to discuss the hazards of Smoking and Caffeine use.  Catherine Kuhls spoke about Life Threatening Food Allergies.  Miriam Zavagnin did a wonderful session on Yoga.  Rita Kalmus really got things moving with Kickboxing.  Missy Stover from STAR POWER spoke about nutrition and sugar consumption and gave away a $5 gift certificate, an aluminum water bottle, a back sac and a pedometer.  Randy Kurt did a session on disability awareness where half of each group had some sort of temporary disability (blindfolds, crutches, wheelchairs, etc) and the whole group had to complete a series of tasks together.


Trish Madsen Visits St. Paul’s
By: Alec B. and Gage K. 

Trish Madsen came to visit St. Paul’s on January 24th and January 25th to talk about bullying. She spoke about the four main types of bullying: physical, verbal, emotional, and cyber bullying. She spoke of ways to avoid and stop bullying. For example, if someone insults you, you can “agree” with them. She told us all this and when the talk ended we were well informed.

When we interviewed her, we learned a lot about Trish’s career. She loves her job. She has been on some local radio stations and she even wrote a book. She said that she is happy to return to St. Paul’s because she knows that the bullying has decreased since her last visit. Overall, Trish’s visit was a good experience for St. Paul’s.



ATTENTION ALL TARGET SHOPPERS!

Sign up for a Target REDcard (if you don’t have one already) and use the Take Charge of Education benefit program!  Designate St. Paul’s as your school of choice and Target will donate up to 1% of your REDcard purchases!  This information can be found here or at your local Target. 

Congratulations to Elie R. in 3rd Grade! 


Elie R., 3rd grade, is one of 8 winners of the Young Writer’s Contest sponsored by the Kansas City Public Library and the Reading Reptile.  The awards were given at the Plaza Library.  Elie wrote a story entitled “The Pancake King.”  Congratulations, Elie!


Calendar Notes:
2/28:  Lower School Parent Coffee
2/29:  Middle School Parent Coffee
3/1:  Rainforest Open House        
3/7:  Parents’ Guild Meeting
        PK Native American Open House
3/8:  Middle School Musical
        ECC Parent Coffee
3/12-16: SPRING BREAK
3/20:  School in session
3/21:  Toddler-2nd International Festival
3/23:  End of third quarter

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