May 11, 2014
Dear St. Raphael School Families and Parishioners,
Parish Picnic Fever has been running rampant in our hallways all week! Hearing the kids talk about how excited they are for the Parish Picnic, which rides they hope to have, when they are attending, with whom they want to “hang out” at the picnic, which goodies they are looking forward to eating – these are all reminders of what a wonderful, old-fashioned, neighborhood community we have at St. Raphael. We are so blessed! Many thanks to all of the volunteers who help make the Parish Picnic happen.
In the same spirit of gratefulness, many thanks are due to Mrs. Jennifer Runiewicz and the SRA Student Council for organizing and carrying out a very successful and well-received Mission Carnival this week at school. They raised over $900 to go to the Latin American Missions. Way to go SRA!
Our Art Teacher of many years, Mrs. Mary Caulley, has announced that she is moving on from St. Raphael the Archangel School. She is hoping to fill up her time with art work, substitute teaching, and spending more time with her beautiful granddaughter. We wish Mrs. Caulley the very best!
I am very close to officially hiring and announcing new teachers to St. Raphael for our 2 ^nd Grade and Preschool teaching positions. Any time we bring new teachers into our community, it is very important to me that I try to find not only a well-qualified teaching professional, but also someone who fits well into our St. Raphael School family. This takes time, of course, but I am happy to let you know that there are many great teaching candidates out there. So stay tuned!
Thanks to everyone who has so graciously followed the parking lot procedures for our school at drop-off and dismissal. Following these procedures truly makes our parking lot safer for our children. Another issue has come to my attention, however. Now that I am out and able to get around a bit easier, I notice that some cars at dismissal are parking close to Jamieson and Highfield, and they are exiting the parking lot on their own before the official parking lot dismissal process. These cars are pulling across the lot and exiting both on Highfield and through the small entrance on Jamieson. These individuals are putting our children at risk. We purposely ask cars to remain still until all children on the lot are safely in their cars. Isn’t that what we all want for our children? Please follow the rules. I cannot be at all corners of the parking lot all of the time, but you will start seeing me in different spots to encourage compliance with our stated parking lot policy. Remember that this policy was put into place with the work of volunteer parents and the School Board. All families sign off on the agreement to uphold the policies in the Parent Student Handbook, and this includes the Parking Lot policy. Please do your part.
And finally, as we near the end of the school year, everyone is getting tired: students, parents, and teachers alike. Let’s all try to be a bit more patient with one another. Be gentle. Be kind. Be understanding. We’ve had a fantastic school year, and we are going to finish strong!
Peace and Blessings,
Kim Vangel
Principal