April 12, 2015
Dear St. Raphael School Families and Parishioners,
We are busy at school, heading into our final weeks of learning before the end of the school year. I am so proud of our students and teachers; this has been a year of many academic changes and challenges, and they have met these challenges head-on, and embraced changes with enthusiasm. As I have said before, the faculty and I will be evaluating our first year of standards-based learning and grading, as well as the new English Language Arts and Math Curriculum. We will approach these topics with a commitment to continuously improve, and we will consider parent feedback as we look for ways to improve learning and reporting. When you receive the Parent Survey in the coming weeks, please take time to answer the questions and help us improve.
Don’t forget that next week we will be hosting a Community Climb as part of our Science in a Tree program. We invite any interested adults in the parish and neighborhood to come on Tuesday, April 14 ^th between 1-3pm, and climb into the canopy of the beautiful trees in front of church. You will be provided with harnesses, ropes, helmets, gloves, and individual tree climbing coaching from the experts. It looks like so much fun – please come and join us!
We have a wonderful program happening in our 6 ^th Grade class that you should know about. We have teamed up with Metro Theater, an educational theater company in St. Louis, to provide a program called “Celebrate St. Louis Stories.” With funding from the Missouri Arts Council, our 6 ^th Grade students are receiving instruction from local professional actors who are Teacher Artists in the program. They use drama, public speaking, storytelling, and writing to help our students get to know themselves and get to know a group of 6 ^th Grade students from Our Lady of Guadalupe School, near UMSL. They write letters to each other (sort of like pen pals), and they prepare artful presentations to tell their own “St. Louis Stories.” The idea is to challenge assumptions that kids from very different parts of St. Louis might have about each other, and to foster appreciation and understanding for one another through the arts. The kids are loving it, and are very excited about the culminating events in May, where they will finally get to meet their pen pals in person! We will visit Our Lady of Guadalupe School for a presentation, and in turn, their students will visit St. Raphael for a presentation. Parents will be invited to attend, and we are looking forward to a meaningful end to the program. Given all that has happened in the St. Louis community over the last 9 months, we believe that this is a perfect time for the “Celebrate St. Louis Stories” program, and we hope this is just the beginning of challenging assumptions about people different from us, and building bridges of understanding.
Looking Ahead…
Sunday, April 12 ^th Bow Sunday for 2 ^nd Grade at 10am Mass
Monday, April 13 ^th Science in a Tree for 1 ^st & 2 ^nd Grades
Tuesday, April 14 ^th Science in a Tree for Kdg, and Community Climb 1-3pm
Thursday, April 16 ^th Chess Team 3:15-4:15pm in Art Room
Friday, April 17 ^th Activity Day for 2 ^nd Grade in Rectory Basement

Peace & Blessings,
Kim Vangel
Principal