Thank You to our Family Fun Fest and Buddy
Run Volunteers
Thank you to
all of the volunteers who helped make the Family Fun Fest and Buddy Run such
fun and successful events this year. Special thanks to Courtney O’Farrell and
Laura Perin for their leadership with the Family Fun Fest, and to Ann Fasel,
Amanda Durkin, Sarah Murray, Polly Breitenkamp, and Courtney Fadler who set the
pace for a team of volunteers at the Buddy Run.
Thank you to
everyone who helped serve snacks, organized carnival games, ran with buddy
classes, and cheered for students at these two spirit-filled events – especially
those who helped despite the rain. We are so thankful to partner with such
wonderful parents. Planning and hosting events like these demonstrate many of
our life skills (cooperation, flexibility, friendship, initiative,
organization, problem solving, responsibility and sense of humor), and we are
thankful for parent volunteers who help to model these for our students!
YMCA of the Ozarks
8th
grade creative writing students wrote reflections of their time at the
YMCA. The students shared:
“I realized that I had judged [another classmate], even
though, I had never even talked to him. I had done this to a lot of people,
when I probably didn't know much about them. I promised myself that during the
rest of the trip, I would stop judging a book by its cover and try to get to
know my classmates.” Alex A.
“As much as I missed Thursday night football, and fantasy
football, and, of course, my lacrosse stick, it was refreshing to get away from
all technology and just really bond with my classmates.” Griffin F.
“My arms and legs kept moving up the course. Sure, I was
freaked out, but everyone before me made it all the way. So, why couldn’t I?
Everyone cheered me all the way to the top. I felt so relieved to make it to
the top of the platform! I did a victory dance . . .” Leah D.
Exploring Life Skills
We are
committed to character education, and our life skills were reinforced this
month through active learning as well as individual reflection:
Second Grade
Mrs. Waller
and Ms. Lorfing’s first grade class is learning about communities during our
current theme, “Myself, Others and a Caring Community”. The students have
been working on skills that are necessary to help make a community
successful. The class worked in groups
large and small during two activities that both involved red solo cups.
The goal of
the first activity was to work together to build a pyramid of cups using five
strings attached to one rubber band. Patience, perseverance, good
communication and cooperation were needed to complete this goal.
The second
activity involved the whole class learning the rhythm of the cups to the cup
song, When I’m Gone. Students also had to use our life skills and
problem solving skills to make sure the cup got moved to their neighbors at the
right time. They are still learning, and they are becoming a fabulous
first grade team.
Third Grade
In her
classroom, Ms. Beilharz has posters of life skills themed expressions. She recently asked her students to write
these expressions in their own words.
Ralph Waldo Emerson said: “Be Silly Be Kind
Be Honest.” What does this mean to you?
“It means always have fun. If you do something wrong, tell the
truth. Be nice to everyone like love
your neighbors as yourself. Always be
yourself and have a sense of humor.” Alex T.
“Being
honest means that you should not lie, if you did something back be honest and
tell the truth to everybody. Be nice and include everybody. The whole thing is
to let everybody in. Don’t be the one who is bad. Have fun and do what is
right. Being silly doesn’t mean going
wild all the time.” Mackenna J.
“Being silly
means to laugh, have lots of fun and to tell jokes. Being silly also means to play, goof around
and to make mistakes. Being kind means to respect others and to let someone go
first instead of you. Helping someone up
when they fall down. To be honest is to tell the truth even though it is hard
to say or hear. Be honest with your
friends and family.” Jordan P.
Character – It’s how you live your life when
no one is watching. Explain this
saying. What does it mean to you?
“To me it
means to do the right thing even when no one is watching even if you really
want to do something wrong and no one is looking.” Hannah W.
“It means to
me that you act appropriately when an adult is watching. You should not act crazy because when they
are watching they won’t let you.” Keira G.
“To follow
the rules even when a teacher is not watching.” Sophie A.
Pet Blessing
Every year, in the fall, we take time out to give thanks to
God for the gift of animals in our world: the gift of their warmth, their joy,
their enthusiasm, and their unconditional love.
They are a comfort to us, and it’s only right that we should say thank
you to God for that blessing. This year, students and their parents brought
animals of every shape and size. We
welcomed big dogs, small dogs, tiny dogs, cats, fish, lizards, and even a mini
horse.
The Church has been blessing animals for a long time. Jesus
Christ directed his disciples to consider the lilies of the field, and the
birds of the air, and reminded them that if God provided for those tiny
creatures, God would provide for human needs as well.
And later, there came St. Francis of Assisi, who was known
for preaching the gospel not just to humans, but to roadside birds, and the
occasional wolf as well. Francis
insisted that since God had made all of creation, then all of creation should
hear the good news—not just humans! St.
Francis’ feast day is celebrated on October 5th. Many churches hold special pet blessing
services around this time.
Congratulations Baby Shurtleff
Mrs.
Shurtleff announced the birth of a baby boy, Eli Malnati Shurtleff. Eli was born on September 22nd at
12:50 a.m. weighing 8lbs 6oz and measuring 19 inches long. Mom and baby are doing great!
There’s a New Face Around St. Paul’s
Mr. Casey
Howell will be joining our faculty while Mrs. Shurtleff is on maternity leave
enjoying her new bundle of joy. Mrs.
Shurtleff and Mr. Howell spent a week working together and going over lesson
plans and student learning goals for the next 12 weeks. Mr. Howell is certified in kindergarten
through twelfth grade physical education and is excited to be joining our St.
Paul’s community. He is a graduate of
Northwest Missouri State University and, during his student teaching
experiences, he taught several different physical education courses at Blue
Springs High School and worked with kindergarten through fifth graders at
Cordill-Mason Elementary School. He has
also taught summer school and was a substitute in the Independence School
District for several years. Mr. Howell
can be reached at chowell@speds.org
or at 816.268.6595. We are thrilled to
have Mr. Howell join our team and work with our first through fourth grade
students. Thank you for helping us
welcome him to St. Paul’s.
Admissions
Applications
for the 2015-16 school year are open. As a parent, grandparent or friends of a St.
Paul's Episcopal Day School student, you are our best Ambassadors! Please let friends, neighbors, family-members
and colleagues know that St. Paul's is interested in getting to know them. Here are several ways you can help spread the
word about St. Paul's:
· Ask a friend to visit St. Paul's
· Invite a friend to attend one of our Open
Houses--Oct 16 or Nov 16
· Encourage a friend to schedule a private tour
with the Admissions Office
· Tell a friend about our Admissions page on our web
site
Discussing
St. Paul's with a friend allows you to open the door to a potential student!
And
remember--Siblings and Church member applications must be received by November
7th for priority consideration.
Contact
the Admissions Office for more information:
816-268-6542, Admissions@speds.org
Calendar Notes:
10/16 Open House
5th Grade Showcase
10/17 Feed the Need
10/21 Makeup Pictures
10/22 1st Grade Music Program
10/23-24 NO SCHOOL, Parent/Teacher Conferences
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