February 1, 2015
Dear St. Raphael School Families and Parishioners,
We have had so much fun this week celebrating Catholic Schools Week! We had a very successful Open House – thanks to all of the parent volunteers – you all were AWESOME! Some of our activities at school included making blankets for Catholic Relief Services; holding our annual Spelling Bee (Congrats to Spelling Champ Noelle H and Runner Up Kelly F!); a yummy and fun Teacher & Staff Appreciation Luncheon put on by the PTA; 6 ^th Grade at the FOCUS Vocation Retreat; all-school field trip to the St. Louis Science Center; 7 ^th & 8 ^th Grade Volleyball Game; Movies; Family Group Trivia; and Culture Day. Wow, we have much to be thankful for, and we had a wonderful week. THANK YOU ST. RAPHAEL PARISH!
Amidst all the positive things happening at SRA, we also have our share of real world issues. One of the most pressing problems in schools today, including SRA, is the use and abuse of social media by our students. Before the internet and social media, people had to communicate by letter, by phone, or face to face. Certainly people were mean to one another in those times, but experts believe that the internet and social media have exponentially increased mean behavior between people. We hide behind the perceived anonymity of email and social media, and we say things to and about each other that we would be afraid to say in person. Here at SRA we are not immune from this problem. Some of our students use social media inappropriately, I am sorry to say. Taking devices away from kids is not the answer. Again, experts tell us that the best defense here is for parents to monitor their kids’ online activity very closely. Check your child’s apps and conversations. Much of the abusive behavior happens after typical bedtimes. Experts recommend that parents keep their kids’ devices with them at night – parents can even go so far as to put them under their pillows at night! Next week, we will be sending home the newest list of “10 Dangerous Apps Every Parent and Teacher Should Know” in a sealed envelope with all 4 ^th through 8 ^th Grade students. I encourage you to take this list very seriously and to monitor ALL of your students’ online activity. Just as a point of information, we do get involved as a school whenever online activity between students spills over into issues at school. And it almost always does!
Our final featured teacher for this school year is Mrs. Sara Carril, our Art Teacher. Mrs. Carril holds a Bachelors Degree in Art Education, and she is certified to teach Art for Grades K-12. Mrs. Carril has brought a freshness of rigor and creativity to our art program. Students study and learn about the elements of art, and then practice applying those elements to projects throughout the year. They take their study of art quite seriously, and they are extremely proud of their creations. It’s great to see the interesting and varied artwork in the halls, and to see the kids having so much fun in art class. We are so happy that Mrs. Carril is part of our St. Raphael School Family!

Looking Ahead

5. Feb 5^th 1^st Mad Science Class 3:15-4:15pm in Science Lab
5. Feb 7^th Bellarmine Speech Meet

Please keep our students and teachers in your prayers as we continue our 3 ^rd Quarter of school.
Peace & Blessings,
Kim Vangel
Principal