It is June. Hard to believe! The business of planning for the 2022-2023 school year is well under way. Although books are being delivered, first we have construction and painting to do. For the first couple weeks of June, the main entrance will be the kindergarten doors until the secure entry is completed. It will be a busy summer at SHOJ.
Of course, before moving on, we need to start by thanking everyone for the hard work and great job during the past school year. Those leaving us will be missed: Carol Tepper, Haley Trautloff, Nora Tripp, Sr. M. Benedicta and Julia Hammond - thanks for being part of our family. Kathleen Hess, although leaving the classroom, is going to continue to be part of our team by helping the resource team next year. We are blessed that this worked out.
I know you will welcome our new staff: Patty Judd in Kindergarten, Michelle Cooney in first grade, Tristan Martin in 2nd, David Gaustad middle school science and Katie Crow middle school ELA. I am excited to have these faith-filled, talented teachers. It will be a great year!
Please note that the one-page calendar and the list of school supplies is on the website under the document button in the menu. The office hours for June and July are Tuesday and Wednesday, 9-12. Please call or email if you need something, these will be checked often and people will be around at other times if you need something.
One change to the calendar is that we will not have school on Holy Thursday, April 6. I would encourage you to get the app and use that calendar, as we update our google calendar, it will be updated there automatically as well. Also, we have added gray in for the option of socks and tights to the dress code. The staff did make the decision to go back to only stud earrings for girls (no hoops).
I know this pandemic has made us all rethink attendance. I am hoping the days of quarantining are over. As I flipped through the report cards, I noticed drastic increases in the number of absences. I know there are many reasons that children need to miss school, but the importance of them being here should keep those days to a minimum. Just a reminder that the state allows for 7 absences during the entire school year. More than that can lead to truancy proceedings or a need to be retained.
Virtus Updates and Training: Summer is a great time to get your Virtus training completed and/or get caught up on the required monthly bulletins. Go to Virtus.org to register for an online training or log in to your virtus account and make sure that you are up to date on bulletins and trainings so your account remains active. If you have questions, contact our Virtus Coordinator, Maureen Reintjes at 913.422.5700, ext. 250.
Finally, our theme next year is Rooted in Christ. I think this is an exciting theme that will help us focus on truth, beauty and goodness. Our world is full of chaos and the devil loves chaos. Now more than ever, we need to be firmly planted in the things that will help us gain eternal salvation.
Until we start the school year in August be assured of my prayers for fun and safety for everyone. God bless you and thank you for being part of the SHOJ family. You are loved.