September 21, 2014
Dear St. Raphael School Families and Parishioners,
I am happy to say that our week of standardized testing went well, and we can now turn our focus to more learning for the current school year. Here in the Archdiocese of Saint Louis, our students take the Iowa Assessments – these used to be called the Iowa Test of Basic Skills. The Iowa’s are a nationally normed test of appropriate grade level content and skills, so the results give us a peek into how SRA students perform academically when compared with other students their age all around the country. This information is useful and important; however, I urge you not to get carried away with the importance of these test results. The Iowa standardized tests cannot measure creativity or kindness. They cannot measure smiles and happiness. They cannot measure effort and work ethic. They cannot measure a child’s love for his/her parents, for him or herself, or his/her relationship with Jesus Christ. We use the Iowa testing results to get a glimpse of our academic success as a school, and we make changes where necessary. But these are just one measure of a child. Please try to understand them in that context.
This week there was a meeting at Bishop DuBourg High School to discuss the results of a traffic study done in the St. Louis Hills area. This traffic study included the intersection at Jamieson and Highfield that a number of our students navigate each day as they are walking to and from school. Our School Board meeting was the same evening so I was not able to attend, but I am told that there were many vocal parents there from other schools. If you wish to effect change to that intersection, I encourage you to contact your Alderman, Donna Baringer, at 314-641-8377.There are four options being considered for the Jamieson intersection, and you can view these as well as the full report at: https:/app.box.com/s/b6z5zrzlfgyam24fowxa

Over the next few months, I am going to feature information about our teachers and some of the wonderful work they are doing in the classrooms. I like structure, so I will go in grade order!

Many of you know Mrs. Abby Sarich, fondly called Miss Abby in our Preschool. Abby received her Bachelors Degree and Certification in Early Childhood Education from Saint Louis University, and has been at St. Raphael for four years as a Preschool Teacher, and now also serves as our Preschool Director. Abby and her husband Travis live in the area, and became “parents” this summer to a beautiful kitten named Finnegan. Abby’s husband Travis is related to JoEllen Sarich’s husband, and so yes, Abby and JoEllen are related!

When you walk into Abby’s classroom, you are greeted with warm and gentle smiles, hugs, laughter, and encouragement. But don’t be fooled! Abby’s lesson plans for our youngest students are carefully crafted, and encourage higher levels of thinking all day long. Her students are learning and being challenged through play and creative instruction. You will see students working one on one with Abby or one of the teacher aides; you see small groups of children working together; you see kids exploring up, down, and all around. Once I even saw Abby’s students lying underneath the tables, drawing on paper that had been fixed to the underside of the table! This was part of a lesson on all the different ways we use our bodies to accomplish tasks. Abby focuses on students learning to identify their emotions, talk about how they feel, and communicate their emotions to others in a constructive way. She is friendly, easy to work with, and is loved by her Preschool students and parents. We are so lucky to have Abby Sarich at St. Raphael!

Please continue to pray for the success of the Angel Appeal, and for our teachers and students at school.
Peace and Blessings,
Kim Vangel
Principal