Dear Parents,
We made it through our first week of full days! Top that off with Back-to-School nights and that measures up to a very busy week! It was wonderful seeing so many of you on Wednesday and Thursday evening. For those of you that could not join us for our annual Back-to-School Night, I will provide a brief recap of my message from the evening.
After welcoming our new families and introducing our amazing teachers I shared that one of our primary points of focus this school year is the physical and social/emotional safety of our students and staff while they are on our campus.
- Physical Safety
Parents on Patrol Program
Interested parents can sign-up to assist us in monitoring the streets and sidewalks around our campus for 15 minutes before or after school when our gates are open.
So far, we have 5 parent volunteers. This is a great way to accumulate service hours and walk around our beautiful school, all while keeping our children safe. If you are interested in volunteering one or more shifts per week, please contact me I can sign you up.
ALICE Active Shooter Response Training
SMA will be hosting a 2-day training on how to respond in an active shooter situation. The training will take place on November 21 and 22. Myself and coach D will be in attendance along with other administrators from other schools and law enforcement personnel.
Music Class Location
Music classes for TK-8′ 11 will be held in the art/Spanish classroom or the gym. They will no longer be held in the parish hall.
Senior Yard Alley Gates
We are awaiting the final estimate for the cost of chain link gates to secure the alley between the senior yard and sports court during the school day. This work will begin as soon as possible.
New Windows
The total amount of funds raised for safety from last year’s Gala is $103,235. Once we raise 1/2 of this cost we will begin the process of replacing the aged windows in the junior and senior yards.
**Important Note: Please refer to the School Safety Funding and Updates report in the weekly newsletter beginning today and continuing throughout the remainder of this school year.
- Social/Emotional Safety
At Stella Maris Academy, we lead with “Truth and Compassion “in disciplinary situations. We recognize that we are not perfect, but we try our best take the opinions and feelings of all parties involved into consideration when c01mseling, problem-solving, and follow through with consequences. (Draft from proposed SMA Discipline Protocol)
Uniforms
Uniforms create an environment of social safety and security with an emphasis on the importance of rule following within a community. Please refer to the Parent handbook for guidelines. Most importantly…please help us enforce these regulations by supporting uniform requests or recommendations made by teachers and staff.
Unkind Choices…inappropriate Behavior…Hurtful Words or Actions…Bullying
Unfortunately, we have all experienced situations involving these types of behaviors.
This summer I reviewed several different discipline and antibullying policies.
Additionally, I have been working with a New York Times best selling author and nationally recognized speaker Jodee Blanco to develop a discipline and anti-bullying protocol for SMA. This is not an easy task because bullies come in all shapes, sizes and ages(children-adults). A situation that happens in 1st grade would, more than likely, be handled differently than a similar situation that happens in 811• grade. Jodee will be on our campus working with our students, teachers, and parents on September 12.
The parent presentation will take place at 5:30-7:00 PM. Jodee will provide feedback regarding the final phase of our Stella Maris Academy Discipline Protocol during her visit. I will then distribute the document to parents.
My apologies for the lengthy message today. Hopefully it is helpful and assists us all with being on the “same page” when it comes to all forms of safety.
Blessings,
Francie Moss