01/27/08

             A Note From the Principal - Friday, August 31, 2007

Wow!! What a first week of school we had!  We welcomed many new students in Grades 2 through 8 along with the bustling Kindergarten class.  Our PreK children will start on Tuesday and we are anticipating having a total of 20.  After listening to the horror stories of bus incidents around the state I must compliment the Shelton Board of Education and Laidlaw Bus Company for the efficient manner that they took care of our children during the first week of school.  When we have half days and the Shelton Schools are on full days, we know that the last two buses will be late, as they transport Shelton Kindergarten youngsters.  There are only a few of those days in our calendar, mostly Holy Days of Obligation so we are usually prepared.

I'm sure that the children told you all about our Fire Drill.  It was unannounced and very successful.  The building was empty and the children lined up in the back parking lot in less than two minutes.  The new alarm system completed our emergency plan. 

Spirit Day was an amazing success.  As always, thanks to the great number of volunteer parents, alumni and friends, the children had a wonderful time.  If I started to list all the helpers, I'm sure that I would miss someone, so let it suffice to say THANK YOU to Vera Blade who coordinated all the efforts and to all of you who volunteered.

Gentle Reminder - If you have not yet sent in all the papers that we need, please do it now.  (Please check your summer packets for forms needed and/or your child's backpack).

The "Box Top Club" is in full swing.  Send in your box tops to Mrs. Zunski and they will turn into money for Library Books.

Any used cartridges that you may have access to are also very welcome here.  Contact the school office for the chairperson.  We will recycle them and the money gotten from that enterprise goes into the "Technology Fund."

Our new Interactive Smart Board is installed and ready to be used.  We are waiting for someone from the company to come and give us instructions in its best use.

Once again, welcome to all our new and returning students.  Remember that my door is always open and I am available to hear your concerns.  I may not always be able to resolve the issue in the way that you would like, but I do listen and do my best.

This spring, Saint Joseph School will celebrate it's 80th birthday.  A friend of mine gave me a booklet from the 1928 dedication, just yesterday.  Of course my mind started planning for that wonderful Birthday Celebration.  Any ideas?

Have a great weekend and remember that we start a "normal" week on Tuesday, September 4th. 

Love and prayers,

Arlene Clancy

   SCHOOL NEWS :

(taken from St. Joseph Bulletin - 9/2/07)

"The 2007-2008 school year at St. Joseph's opened very smoothly.  Our wonderful sixth grade students served the 'First Day Mass' in every way, as a greeter, lector, altar server or gift bearer.  I was very proud of their reverence as they introduced our returning and "new" students to our Mass tradition here.

You may recall that our school was evaluated by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges last spring.  In their final report there were several recommendations: one was to purchase lockers for the upper grade students so that they would not have to carry the heavy books up and down the stairs so often.  I have received several donations to help pay for the lockers, but the bottom line is that each locker costs approximately $75. A wonderful ALUMNA of our school suggested that we ask our parishioners to memorialize a locker by contributing $75 to our locker fund.  She put her 'money where her mouth is' and handed me a check for $75.  If you would like to do the same, please drop a check in the mail or better yet, stop in to the school office.  By the way, when the lockers arrived, they were in flat boxes containing all the pieces and 105 bolts and nuts per locker.  Three dads spent many hours building them and I am most grateful to them.  My special thanks to John Batten, Sean McMahon, and Jay Murphy for their effort.

One of the many reasons our parish school is so great is the spirit of volunteerism that prevails.  So much of what we do could cost a lot of money and our great volunteers do it for "free"!

                                                                   Love and prayers,

                                                                   Arlene Clancy"

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