September 28, 2014
Dear St. Raphael School Families and Parishioners,
Thanks for all of your prayers and good wishes – I am happy to report that I am off the “Scooter of Doom” and walking again – Thanks Be To God!

We have some important events coming up next week, so please mark your calendars. On Monday, Sept. 29 ^th we celebrate the Feast of the Archangels, and most especially our patron saint, St. Raphael the Archangel. After our 8am Mass, the PTA will treat our students to juice and donuts on the school parking lot. This is always a fun morning, and an SRA tradition.
On Wednesday, October 1 ^st, we have the Blessing of the Pets at 2:30pm on the school parking lot. Mrs. Hennicke and her 4 ^th Graders will lead a short prayer service and then Deacon Roger Kreitler will bless all of our furry friends. All are welcome to bring their pets for this time-honored tradition!
One more calendar note: our Picture Re-Take Day has been rescheduled for Tuesday, October 28^th. More information will come about re-takes when the original pictures are delivered and sent home.

This week’s featured teacher is Mrs. Chris Federspiel, lovingly known as “Miss Chris” to her 4 and 5 year old Preschool students. Miss Chris is new to St. Raphael this year, and comes to us with a Bachelors Degree and Teacher Certification in Early Childhood Education from Fontbonne University, as well as a number of years of Preschool teaching experience. We knew from the moment we met her that Miss Chris would be the perfect fit for our St. Raphael Preschool Family!

The “Bears” in Miss Chris’s class are always busy learning and doing – they are learning all of their letters and numbers, and are so proud to tell me how many words they have for their letter of the week – it’s always at least 100! Miss Chris has a wonderful rapport with the children. Her classroom is calm and happy, and she puts great emphasis on learning for these young students. The children sing Bible songs for me, proudly show me their work for the day, and very clearly feel safe and loved in Miss Chris’s classroom.
Some of the “Bears” will go to Kindergarten next year, and Miss Chris and her helpers make sure that these students get all the PreK preparation that they will need to make a successful transition to Kindergarten. We are so blessed to have Miss Chris in our Preschool, and part of our SRA School Family!

I hope that you enjoy this beautiful Autumn weather, and please continue to pray for the success of this year’s Angel Appeal.
Peace and Blessings,
Kim Vangel
Principal