In January, Ms. Barnes announced her retirement, effective at the end of the 2013-14 school year. She generously gave us plenty of time to conduct a thorough search for her replacement, and a search committee has been established to assist the Board of Trustees in finding the best candidate to fill this position. As previously communicated, the following people are serving on the committee:
Gordon Gee
Dave Hall
Weston Heide
Amy Holewinski
Ann Kennedy
Vernie Nerstheimer
Britton Norden
Ashley Pindell
Laurie Robinson
Stan Runnels
Sarah Telford
The first task of the search committee was to hire a professional search firm to assist us throughout the entire process. After reviewing proposals from eight firms, we selected three firms that were interviewed in person by the committee. Southern Teachers Agency (STA) was chosen because of its stellar reputation for understanding the unique culture of Episcopal schools and producing high-quality candidates.
The consultants from STA hit the ground running. They were on campus on April 15th and 16th to conduct interviews with various constituent groups. We had a very good turnout of parents, faculty and church members, in addition to trustees, parents’ guild officers and school administrators, and the consultants gleaned a lot of valuable information and identified common themes among the groups. Thank you to everyone that participated in one of these focus groups or interviews, or that completed an online survey, which was another important vehicle for gathering information. The results of the survey, as well as the information obtained in the focus group sessions, will be used to create the position profile, the document that will be used to market St. Paul’s Episcopal Day School and the Head of School position and opportunities. This profile will be disseminated nationally and internationally, through advertising media (such as educational leadership organizations) and the consultants’ networks. This position profile will be posted on our website, for all of our community to see, sometime in May.
Our goal is to identify the new Head of School, and make a recommendation to the Board of Trustees in early November, with that person accepting and an announcement made to the school community around Thanksgiving. This will allow for ample transition time between Ms. Barnes and the new Head of School before Ms. Barnes’ retirement in July.
⎯ Amy Holewinski mailto:amydholewinski@yahoo.com and
Laurie Robinson mailto:lauriemrobinson@me.com
Search Committee Co-Chairs
50 & Fabulous was truly fabulous! On April
6th, over 450 guests gathered at the Marriott Muehlebach hotel to
celebrate St.Paul’s 50th anniversary auction gala. It was a
testament to what makes St. Paul’s special…. a celebratory gathering of parents
& grandparents, current and former faculty & staff, church members, board
and vestry members, and friends to benefit the children of St. Paul’s Episcopal
Day School.
Highlights
from the evening include:
· the use
of hand-held electronic bidding devices that generated more than 2,000 bids on over
300 silent auction items;
· the
reinstatement of a favorite and very special raffle item – a tuition free year
for one very lucky winner;
· corporate
underwriting donations received from parent owned/operated businesses, vendors,
MainCore companies, and long time supporters came in at record breaking levels;
· adorable
black & white portraits of every current St. Paul’s student were created,
displayed and made available for purchase so that every family could capture this
moment in time.
The live
auction featured 13 unique and fabulous items offering many once in a lifetime
experiences. News anchor and 8th grade parent, Carolyn Long, served
for the final time as our wonderfully skilled Master of Ceremonies. Two
students shared their incredible musical talents with us; a special video capturing
moments from Then and Now, and the Taxis band took to the stage as guests
kicked up their heels!
A focal
point of this 50th celebration was the 10 foot tall 50 Wishes cake. Father Runnels delivered an eloquent toast in tribute to our school’s founding as
all 50 candles on the cake were lit. We then all joined in singing the St. Paul’s
version of "Happy Birthday"!
The 50 candles on the cake represent 50
Wishes from every grade and department to promote the core values, academic
enrichment, technological advancement, and general betterment of the school.
These wishes replace this year’s fund-a-need. We have already filled a number of wishes and need your help
to fill the remaining wishes! If you can't decide which wish to support, then
please consider funding "Dreams Come True", to be allocated among
incomplete wishes. Donations for 50 Wishes may be made on-line at https://stpeds.ejoinme.org/50wishes or by
contacting Katie Gregg at kgregg@speds.org.
We appreciate your support of St.
Paul’s 50th anniversary auction/gala celebration and look forward to
the next 50 fabulous years!
The Impact of Change
Change is
hard on all of us and some changes make us more nervous than other
changes. When it comes to our children,
we would love to have greater predictability and fewer unforeseen events in
their lives. However, this generation of
children will witness a more accelerated rate of change in their lives than any
who have preceded them, due to technology, security, media exposure, etc. Flexibility and adaptability will be such
critical attributes to success in their future.
One of the
changes we would love to be able to manage is personnel turnover. We expect changes each year but it would be
so much nicer to know that there would be the same number of new faces each
year, rather than more in one year and fewer in the next, then more again. This year we have an unusual situation
because we have:
-
Five teachers who are retiring
-
Four teachers who are making changes because of
their families
-
Internal changes among our faculty.
Each of these changes reflects personal decisions about the
lives and careers of our teachers that we must value and support, in spite of
the fact that we feel the loss of these seasoned veterans and the uncertainty
of who will replace them.
Please know
that the teachers, administrators and I are working hard to find the very best
people to work with you and your children.
In this process, we are discovering, once again, how wonderful our
teaching environment here is and how many people would love to be part of it. We hope you’ll bear with us as we go through
this slow, deliberate process in our search to find the next generation of
teachers to lead and inspire your children, and to work with and support you as
parents!
Deadline Looms for Chris Cakes Challenge
Any grade level that reaches 100% participation will be invited to an all you can eat pancake buffet presented by Chris Cakes KC. If you haven't experienced their high flying pancake flipping, it is well worth the minimum family donation of $25 to see the spectacle and enjoy the buffet.
You can find the family participation percentages in the lower school hallway display case as well as the Annual Fund bulletin board in the main hall. Any grade level who reaches 100% participation by families will get to enjoy these one of a kind pancakes with family and friends!
8th Grade: 47%
7th Grade: 63%
6th Grade: 62%
5th Grade: 68%
4th Grade: 55%
3rd Grade: 51%
2nd Grade: 56%
1st Grade: 73%
Kindergarten: 53%
Pre-Kindergarten: 54%
Pre-School: 50%
Toddler: 58%
Parents' Guild Book Club
Please join the Parents' Guild Book Club on Tuesday, April 30th at 8:30 am in the Garden Room of the church for discussion of the novel The Cutting Season by award-winning author Attica Locke. Michelle Johnson, our fantastic Diversity Coordinator, has agreed to lead the discussion of this book. The Cutting Season is a page-turning mystery that involves intriguing issues of race in Louisiana in both modern times and during the slavery era. It should provide a fun, interesting and thoughtful discussion. We hope you will join us! Questions? Please contact Joanne Reardon at 816-532-6181.
Calling All Hearts for Haiti!
Our students are a living testament to the work of the Holy Spirit for when we talk about “empowered visions” think St. Paul’s students. Our entire school family is gearing up again to work another miracle on behalf of our sister school in Haiti, Holy Cross School.
• And because of the hot lunch program, student academic performance has increased and students have grown more physically.
• And because of the students' academic performance, the reputation of the school has been enhanced.
• And because of their reputation, more students are in attendance.
In just one year, the school has grown from 270 students to 360 students. Some students walk as much as four miles to attend Holy Cross School. Their growth means that the needs are greater. Isn’t that wonderful news?
• The first grade class is hosting their now-annual lemonade stand after school on Friday, May 10.
• A group of sixth graders is sponsoring a potluck/talent show in the NMPR from 6:00-8:00 pm on Friday, May 10.
• The seventh grade class is sponsoring a bake sale on Saturday, May 11.
• Small groups of students are offering their skills to mow lawns or do tasks around the house.
These are only small examples of all that is to come from our student efforts. I am so excited and I trust you will be too. Come join our vision.
Missouri Council of Teachers of Mathematics Contest
The MCTM math contest was held Saturday, April 6 at Barstow and St. Paul's was represented well! Fourth through 6th graders competed in a concepts contest and a problem solving contest.
We have three students who will be competing at the state level Saturday, April 27 in Warrensburg: Julia K., Gage K., and Colin M.
In 4th grade Charlie D. and Grant B. received Honorable Mentions and Jack M.came in 5th!
In 5th grade Mark H. and Pacey S. received Honorable Mentions.
In 6th grade Ethan L. received two Honorable Mentions. Gage K. and Colin M. both placed 3rd, and Julia K. placed 2nd!
What wonderful mathematical minds we have at St. Paul's!
French Fashion Show
Kindergarten Mother's Luncheon
Students Attend Spanish Camp
During the long weekend of April 11 to 14, fifteen seventh and eighth grade Spanish students, accompanied by Sra. Reynolds, traveled to El Lago de Bosque in northern Minnesota to participate in a four day immersion experience. The camp is located outside Bemidji, MN and is one of fifteen language learning programs sponsored by Concordia College.
During the program, adult counselors, many of them native speakers, converse only in Spanish with the students and their teachers or chaperones. The activities revolve around the theme country or civilization, this year the Ruta Maya, which examined the Mayan culture. Students participated in many activities, including games, cooking, singing, dancing, all focused on the target culture and all conducted in Spanish. Even the cuisine for the camp reflects the food of the theme countries.
Several St. Paul’s students successfully participated in the “Super Español” challenge, which involves speaking only in Spanish for a period of about four hours. Two students, Cora M. and Drake R. received counselor awards for “speaking the most Spanish always.” This was the second year for Drake to receive this award. Additionally, during the closing banquet, Sra. Reynolds was presented with a plaque honoring her five years of service to the goal of language learning.
The students who participated were: Haley B., Ashley B., Oliver C., Elyse C., Jade C., Grace C., Natalie D., Zach J., Cora M., Caroline M., Charlie M., Drake R., Rian S., Liam T., and Sydney W.
First Grade Studies Australia
G’Day Mates!!! First graders experienced the wonders of Australia as they studied the amazing Land Down Under. The native people, the Aborigines, are a fascination to all with their unique lifestyle and customs. Their folklore and creation stories are thrilling to hear and the students recreated them through their music, dance, art, and writing. Students presented reports on their animal that included five interesting facts and their habitat. Our study concluded with an original interpretive dance at the International Festival which portrayed a brief history of the continent. Each student made a three-dimensional Australian animal which was proudly used in the International Festival.
Lincoln-Douglas Debates in 8th Grade Speech
Resolved: Year round schooling is the better system. How would you decide this issue? This is one of four resolutions being debated this year in 8th Grade Speech. As part of the 8th grade speech rotation, students participate in a modified Lincoln-Douglas debate. Students research and write both affirmative and negative constructive speeches to prepare for the final debate. Each constructive position is given 3 minutes to make their case, with one and a half minutes for rebuttal and two minutes for a conclusion. Also being debated this year are the following resolutions: The United States should not possess nuclear weapons; an adolescent’s right to privacy should be valued above a parent’s right to know; and finally, the US government should regulate the internet. Students participating in the debates are: Drake R., William L., Monty L., Natalie D., Cora M., A’starr M., Caroline M., Katia H., and Olivia W.
World Culture Night
On April 18th, Mr. Stewart’s eighth grade World Geography classes invited
family and friends to the annual World Culture Night presentation. Throughout
the third floor, the sights, sounds, and fragrances of our greater global community
were everywhere, including cultural “ambassadors” from Tahiti, Brazil, Switzerland, France, Egypt, Mexico, Nigeria, Morocco, Jamaica, Ireland, China, Japan, Sweden, Spain, Cuba, Germany, Greece, Belgium, Australia and Italy. The students’ presentations included traditional costumes and foods, displays, and student created websites. Congratulations to the eighth grade for their hard work in creating such a wonderful evening.
Summer Dreaming
While you can't tell by the weather we have been having, summer break is almost upon us. Many of you are already making plans to keep your children active and engaged. Here is a list of wholesome family fun ideas created last year by twin girls from the first grade. Can you name the family?
A Note from Miss Fate and Mrs. Waller's First Grade Class
To lift spirits during our week of bad weather…..shake it.
Calendar Notes:
5/2 3rd grade Showcase
5/9 2nd grade Music Program
5/10 2nd & 8th Buddy Acknowledgement in All School Chapel
5/17 Retirement Chapel
5/20 Toddler-2nd Field Day
5/21 3rd-8th Field Day
5/22 Baccalaureate & Reception
5/23 Last day of classes
5/24 Graduation
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