November 2, 2014
Dear St. Raphael School Families and Parishioners,
We had a very busy week at school, with Red Ribbon Week activities, the 5 ^th Grade Living Saints Museum, and Halloween parties. Many thanks to STUCO, the 5 ^th Grade, and our wonderful Room Parents for helping to make all of this happen!

Have you read our school Mission Statement lately? It was revised last summer, and we are super excited about the direction this statement gives to our school. The Mission Statement is broken into three sections, for the development of Faith, Character, and Academics. We are talking to our students daily about how to live out the mission of St. Raphael the Archangel School, and we kicked off these conversations with an assembly a couple of weeks ago on a Friday afternoon. Mr. Simpson and Dr. Schisler led the assembly, challenging students to ROCK THE MISSION! Students were in their Family Groups and discussed specific things they could do to Rock the Mission. These ideas are displayed in our school hallway, and include: “ think before you speak”; “ listen to what others have to say”; and “ give and expect nothing in return.” Students will be earning “rocks” whenever they Rock the Mission, and we will all work to fill up the beautiful glass vases in our entry way before the end of the year. Once those vases are filled with rocks, we will celebrate our Rock the Mission theme with a Dress-Down Day and Ted Drewes for all!

Our featured teacher this week is Mrs. Mary Pat Hennicke, our 4 ^th Grade teacher. Mrs. Hennicke earned her Bachelors and Masters degrees in Elementary Education from UMSL and Saint Louis University. She is certified in Elementary Education Grades 1-8, and Early Childhood Education Grades PK-3. Mrs. Hennicke is known for helping students learn how to organize themselves in preparation for the upper grades. She works diligently to teach them how to outline, take notes, and use folders and organizers for getting work back and forth from home to school. Mrs. Hennicke teaches English, Social Studies, and Science to all of the 4 ^th Grade and to all of the 5 ^th Grade, in addition to teaching Vocabulary/Spelling and Religion to her 4 ^th Grade Homeroom. Over the years, she has established two wonderful field trip traditions for 4 ^th Grade: participating in multiple sessions of the ABC Arts in the Curriculum program at the Saint Louis Art Museum; and performing a reenactment of the Dred Scott trial at the Old Courthouse downtown. One of Mrs. Hennicke’s 4 ^th Grade students told me recently that she never liked Social Studies until she got to 4 ^th Grade. In the student’s words, “Mrs. Hennicke makes Social Studies fun!” Many thanks to Mrs. Hennicke for her years of devoted service to the students at St. Raphael!

Please continue to keep our teachers and students in your prayers, and we thank you as always for your unwavering support.
Peace and Blessings,
Kim Vangel
Principal