January 11, 2015
Dear St. Raphael School Families and Parishioners,
We are back to school and 3 ^rd Quarter is in full swing. We know it’s January because: We’re having lots of indoor recess due to the bitterly cold temperatures; Our 8 ^th Graders are preparing for their pilgrimage to Washington D.C. for the March for Life later this month; Many of our 6-7-8 ^th graders are putting in long hours after school on their History Day projects; All of our classes are preparing for our annual Culture Day celebration at the end of Catholic Schools Week.
One of the most important January events is our Open House to kick off Catholic Schools Week. This year’s Open House will be held on Sunday, January 25 ^th from 11am to 3pm. It’s a fun day of showing off our beautiful school, and enjoying one another’s company with Mrs. Ruggieri’s delicious chili and nachos in the cafeteria. We hope that many of you will join us for this festive day. Beyond the fun, however, this Open House is a huge opportunity for us to market our school to prospective families. In order to keep our enrollment strong, we need your help! Please tell your neighbors, friends, and families what a great school we have, and invite them personally to come to the Open House. Did you know that 38% of our students come from outside the parish, and choose to attend St. Raphael? Working together, we can keep our enrollment strong at St. Raphael the Archangel School, and remain a force for good in the St. Louis Hills community.
Our featured teacher this week is Mrs. Diane Gewinner, our Learning Consultant. Mrs. Gewinner holds a Bachelors Degree in Education and Special Education from Harris-Stowe. She is certified in Elementary Education, Grades K-8. She holds Special Education Certification in Grades K-12 for students with Learning Disabilities, Mental Handicaps, Behavior Disorders, and Orthopedic Disorders. The main focus of Mrs. Gewinner’s job is to be a resource to teachers, parents and students for all matters of learning. Her work typically focuses on students with learning obstacles, but she is often providing support for other issues which affect learning, such as behaviors and classroom environment. She does everything from observing in classrooms, to providing special testing accommodations, to developing teaching strategies with teachers, to advising parents on supporting their child’s education from home. Mrs. Gewinner’s winning smile and cheerful disposition help to remind us that we are called to teach as Jesus did, to teach all equally. She is an advocate for students and works very hard to build confidence and skills in all of our children, especially in our struggling learners. Mrs. Gewinner’s presence in our school is very important, and we are most blessed to have her on our faculty!
Remember that 2 ^nd Quarter Report Cards will be available for online viewing on Fast Direct by 3pm on Friday, January 9 ^th. Thanks so much for all of your prayers and support!
Peace and Blessings,
Kim Vangel
Principal