October 26, 2014
Dear St. Raphael School Parents and Parishioners,
I am happy to report that our 1 ^st Quarter Report Card process has gone well, and report cards are available for online viewing on Fast Direct as of 3pm on Friday, October 24 ^th. The teachers have all spent a great deal of time making sure that they are carefully using the new standards-based grading system, making sound evaluations of student learning for this quarter. Their comments are informative and individualized, and I hope you will be as pleased with the dedication and hard work of our St. Raphael teachers as I have been.
Parent-Teacher Conferences are next Thursday, October 30 ^th from 1pm to 8pm. You should have received your scheduled conference time for teachers in Grades K-5; if you have not received your scheduled time, please call the school office as soon as possible. For Grades 6-8, there are no scheduled conference times. All teachers are available during the conference times, and can be seen on a first come, first served basis. I encourage you to make time to see your 6-8 ^th grader’s homeroom teacher, as well as your student’s other teachers in the Upper Department. We encourage students in Grades 4-8 to attend the conference with their parents if they wish. Specials teachers will be available for a limited time, and will be sending specific information about their availability for conferences this week. As always, parents are welcome to schedule teacher conferences anytime during the school year to discuss important issues.
Our Scholastic Book Fair begins on Monday, October 27 ^th and runs through the end of Parent Teacher conferences on Thursday, October 30 ^th. Please visit the cafeteria to support the book fair. Many thanks are due to Mrs. Qi Franz and Mrs. Susan Polson for their tireless efforts to arrange and carry out the Scholastic Book Fair!

Our featured teacher this week is Mrs. Susan Polson, our 3 ^rd Grade teacher. Mrs. Polson has a Bachelors Degree in Education and English from Saint Louis University, as well as a Masters Degree from Webster University in Education and Reading. She is certified in Elementary Education for Grades K-8, English Language Arts for Grades 7-12, and holds a Special Reading Certification for Grades K-12. When I first came to St. Raphael, I loved standing in the hallway and listening to Mrs. Polson teach. She takes students from the “Primary World” into the world of really becoming a student. Her manner is calm and encouraging, and she is constantly challenging students to think bigger and deeper. Mrs. Polson is famous for her “Leaf Project” where our 3 ^rd Graders learn about trees and leaves, but there is so much more going on there! She uses the Leaf Project to teach reading, writing, grammar, science and even math. Students love this project, and our alumni often talk about the Leaf project as one of their favorite memories. Mrs. Polson is a Master Teacher, and truly understands how to teach what students need to learn. She does not rely on textbooks to guide her teaching, but rather, focuses on learning goals and finding interesting and creative resources for teaching. She cares deeply about each of her students, and works very hard to know them as learners and people. I learn something new every time I go into Mrs. Polson’s classroom – we are so fortunate to have this incredible teacher on our faculty!

Enjoy this gorgeous fall weather, and please continue to keep our students and teachers in your prayers!

Peace and Blessings,
Kim Vangel
Principal