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DAY BY DAY
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September 2014
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A LETTER FROM THE HEADMASTER  | |
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Fall greetings from St. Richard's!
It is a sun-drenched morning in Indianapolis as I write, and I am eager to finish as I am heading to Waycross Camp to join our 6th grade class for a two-day retreat. I have written about Waycross before and how I value it personally and for our students because of its lack of connectedness and its simple way of life. We can allow our students to really be kids at Waycross, and they love to wander through the creek and explore the camp grounds.
We had a very productive summer at St. Richard's. Those of you who are in town witnessed the demolition of three buildings on our property to the south of the school. We are currently acquiring additional properties, and the stage will soon be fully set for the improvements we are planning for this wonderful space. Our pace for these changes will be determined by the progress of our fundraising efforts, but I am thrilled with our progress to date.
Our traditional summer camp and our new Mini-Dragon camp both experienced strong enrollments this summer. Horizons at St. Richard's, our program to prevent summer learning loss in neighborhood students currently experiencing poverty, served 100 youngsters this summer. We feel strongly about keeping our facility busy year-round, but we are almost at capacity. Our proposed facility enhancements will directly address our space issues and allow us to serve our various constituents more fully.
We kicked off our current school year with 357 students, another positive sign that the school and our programs have strong appeal. It has been a remarkably smooth start to the year, and we have already accomplished a great deal. I am sure you are tired of me saying it, but this will be another busy school year. The good news is we are making significant progress in a number of strategic areas that will impact the school for decades to come. You will be hearing more about our plans soon.
Thanks for supporting our unique and important approach to educating young people. The demand for our programs and our graduates is only increasing.
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Monday, October 6 SRES Pet Blessing for Lower Division Chapel at 8:15 Friday, October 10 Global Readiness Assembly at 8:15 Sunday, November 16 Episcopal School Sunday at Trinity at 9:15 and 10:30 Tuesday, November 25 Grandparent and Special Friend Day Thursday, December 18 Nativity Play at 8:15, Lessons and Carols at 1:30 Friday, December 19 Lessons and Carols at 1:30 |
Know a future dragon? Whether young or old, click here to refer a family to SRES. We will send them an admission packet and invite them to take a tour.
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Development and Alumni News |
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Annual Fund Co-Chairs
We are pleased to announce Aaron Dziubinskyj and Rosalia Morquecho will be chairing the 2014-2015 Annual Fund. Aaron and Rosalia are proud parents of Mathias in Grade 1, and they look forward to working with all current parents as we strive for 100% participation!
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Adults need time to reconnect as well, and this was made possible at the Summer Party at the Lucas Oil Mansion.
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Summer Party
August 22 was a beautiful evening to gather at the Lucas Oil Mansion. While the hot temps encouraged us to retreat indoors for cooler air, the full size gymnasium was not a bad option for the nearly 200 people in attendance. Special thanks to the host families: Scott and Elizabeth Bearby, Glenn and Bobbi Bosch, Greg and Stephanie Genrich, Mark and Meredith Gramelspacher, Tim and Marjorie Maginn, Andy and Clare Morrison, Rob and Jennifer Sloan, and Gil and Lisa Voy.
St. Richard's and Horizons Golf Classic
On September 22, St. Richard's golf pros were on the links at Hawthorns Golf & Country Club to raise more than $30,000 for the St. Richard's Foundation and Horizons. The Dragonettes made a guest appearance to sing the "Star Spangled Banner," setting the stage for a beautiful day on the course. Mark Gramelspacher, Todd Carbrey, Mike Jones, and Jay Sherrill took home the winning honors, including Mark winning the putting contest. Thanks to the Garrison Family for hosting us, and we look forward to next year's outing.
SRES 2010 Reunion
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Members of the Class of 2010 gathered to renew
bonds and stay connected!
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The mission of St. Richard's Episcopal School Alumni Association is to foster the lifelong connection of the diverse St. Richard's community of graduates, past students and parents, and former and current faculty and staff; to build a culture of philanthropy; to promote the educational goals of the school; and to celebrate the uniqueness of the St. Richard's experience. St. Richard's Episcopal School instills knowledge and values for a lifetime. To stay up to date on school activities, update alumni information or to make a gift, click here.
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Watch great films and support SRES through the Heartland Film Festival!
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Faculty Features | |
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Development Director, John Mainella
In some ways, starting a new chapter in John's development career at St. Richard's was like coming home. Having lived at 34th and Central Avenue before moving to nearby Fletcher Place, John notes that the school and its reputation in the community always intrigued him. He appreciated the impact that such a small school could have in making the neighborhood a brighter and better place. It seems serendipitous that a few short years later he has become the Director of Development and Major Gifts at SRES. While once having a more external view of the school, he now enjoys seeing the direct impact that development efforts can have on the future leaders of tomorrow.
Born and raised in West Virginia, John attended West Virginia University and later earned his Masters in Organizational Leadership at Purdue University. John started his career as the Director of Development at Delta Tau Delta National Headquarters in Indianapolis and later became the Director of Major Gifts at the Indianapolis Symphony. A talented pianist, this combined John's love for music with community involvement. As a fundraiser at IUPUI, John continued to enjoy working in the community and making an impact on education.
Just as the transition seemed natural for John to return to the neighborhood, his warm demeanor and expertise in development have been warmly accepted. He has joined the administrative team at a critically opportune time and is making great progress on leading our development efforts. John's thoughts on the demolition project on Meridian Street are as follows: "St. Richard's has wonderful opportunities for growth, and there is an excitement building around that. SRES community is very interested in the growth of the school, both from a physical size as well as the enrollment, while maintaining the charm and tradition and all that is St. Richard's. Finding that balance will be important to the success of our efforts. "
Dragon Fun Facts
-Favorite playlist: Diana Krall (jazz musician)
-Favorite item in the refrigerator: homemade bread and butter pickles
-Last book read: The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
-Favorite quote: "Life is too short to wake up with regrets. If you get a chance, take it. If it changes your life, let it. Nobody said life would be easy. They just promised it would most likely be worth it. " -Harvey MacKay
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Junior Kindergarten Teacher, Tammie Read
Starting her 23rd year at SRES, Tammie jokingly states that she has avoided being featured in an SRES publication for over two decades. It's no wonder this is the case, as she is one of the busiest and most committed employees at SRES.
A graduate from Ball State and born and raised in Indiana, Tammie's eyes widen as she speaks about the joys of being a JK classroom teacher. She loves teaching the children everything from how to read to correctly forming letters. And while all of that is important, her tips on helping them tie shoes, put on jackets independently, solve conflicts and learn which way to tighten a screwdriver might even be more valued. These "light bulb moments," as Tammie describes them, are what keeps her invigorated to teach.
If one walks toward Tammie's classroom, they never know what to expect. Her pet turtle Michael Jackson might be wandering the halls after escaping one of the houses the children created out of blocks. The students might be pretending they are on a pirate ship as they study a unit of water, or perhaps they will be busy feeding the worms in her classroom compost container. If a child is curious as to what is under the mulch on the playground, Tammie is the first to suggest they should get shovels and conduct a "dig" to see if worms are down there. She encourages a love for learning at a young age that graduates speak about long after they leave SRES.
Having taught both Grade 1 and JK, Tammie knows how to differentiate to meet the needs and abilities of her students, and that's what she does best. Long before "differentiation" became the most popular term in education, Tammie was creating individualized books for children to read at their levels. She loves the freedom of teaching at SRES, where she is not bound to adhere to a prescriptive curriculum and bogged down in paperwork. The diversity and makeup of the community is what she says makes it a special place. What Tammie doesn't realize, is she is part of what makes SRES a special place. The love she shows for her students, in addition to her aging mother and nephew with Down Syndrome, is as authentic as you can get. Now if we can only keep that turtle under control during our tours.
Dragon Fun Facts
-Favorite playlist: anything by Sugarland, Michael Buble and Brad Paisley
-Favorite item in fridge: Peak's Tea
-Last book read: To Kill a Mockingbird and The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs to her classroom
-Favorite Quote:
These are the things I learned (in Kindergarten)
1. Share everything.
2. Play fair.
3. Don't hit people.
4. Put things back where you found them.
5. CLEAN UP YOUR OWN MESS.
6. Don't take things that aren't yours.
7. Say you're SORRY when you HURT somebody.
8. Wash your hands before you eat.
9. Flush.
10. Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
11. Live a balanced life - learn some and drink some and draw some and paint some and sing and dance and play and work everyday some.
12. Take a nap every afternoon.
13. When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together.
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Horizons at SRES | |
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A Word from the Director
This summer marked another opportunity to close the education achievement gap in our community. Once again, the St. Richard's and Trinity community welcomed the Horizons students, staff and families onto campus this summer. The program was able to grow to nearly 100 students in the Kindergarten-6th grade, allowing 20 more low-income students the opportunity to learn and grow during the summer months!
Our attendance this summer reached an all time high with a 95% daily attendance rate. In addition, we know that in large part due to the quality of our teaching staff and intern program our students saw consistent growth again this summer in reading and math. Therefore, we are proud to send them to their year-round school better prepared and ready to learn.
As part of this year's theme students embarked on a journey "Around the World," learning about different cultures from around the globe. Along their journey, students focused on reading, writing and math to ensure they are not experiencing the "summer slide" that claims 2-3 months of learning from their peers every year. Enrichment activities enhanced their studies to include activities like French, writing Arabic, science, cooking, gardening, dance, yoga, art and origami. Field trips to the Children's Museum, Rhythm Discovery Center, Holliday Park, Holcomb Observatory and the Indianapolis Zoo further broadened students' Horizons.
Students also benefitted from swim lessons at Butler University three days a week. Swimming is an integral part of Horizons because it teaches a life-saving skill to students 3 times more likely to drown than their peers. It also teaches students life-skills like trusting others, trying new things and self-confidence. Over 80% of our students showed growth in their swimming skills from the beginning to the end of summer.
We are confident that all of these experiences and lessons will propel our students into a positive, new school year. We couldn't have had another successful summer without the partnership with St. Richard's Episcopal School and Trinity Episcopal Church. Thank you so much for your support! SRES in the summer, contact Mariann Bernlohr for a tour.
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The Proud Dragon | |
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The Power of Three
Omne trium perfectum, a Latin phrase meaning everything that comes in threes is perfect, is certainly ringing true for St. Richard's Episcopal School. SRES recently wrapped up another successful Horizons summer program, received the third and final installment of a three million dollar donation, and began the transformation of Meridian Street. Click here to read this article featured on our web page.
Expanding the Classroom
As SRES expands our balanced literary approach, we are opening our doors Steve Harpster, an established illustrator. Steve will show our children how he turns letters and numbers into characters.
In celebrating Disability Awareness week, several classrooms will have speakers who are parents of children with disabilities or those facing disabilities and challenges in their lives. In order to heighten sensitivity, students will participate in activities to simulate living with a disability.
Jon Klassen & Mac Barnett will also be visiting and signing books at SRES on Monday, October 20th starting at 12:45 p.m. Two children's book creators whose books have, collectively, spent 115 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, have teamed up for a second time on a picture book, due from Candlewick October 14. Mac Barnett (co-author of Battle Bunny) and Caldecott Medalist Jon Klassen (This Is Not My Hat), are collaborating on Sam and Dave Dig a Hole.
Founders Day
We took time to honor the founders of our school during chapel with students in Grades 1-8. Mrs. Lausch discussed Reverend Lynch, and Mr. Amstutz talked about special friends of the school, including Dr. Ted Taylor. He and his wife Ginnie Taylor, who recently passed away, have contributed generously to our school during the last few years. Middle Division students Rori Kipfer, Jane Hirschman and Dawson Corea also spoke about stewardship.
Graduate News
Congratulations to National Merit and National Achievement Semifinalists Andrew Hammond of Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School.
North Central's soccer team is full of our Dragon Graduates: Sam Kaefer (V), Keegan O'Donnell (JV), Ricardo Defelice (JV), and Joe Keafer (C Team). AJ Gray is even playing 3 sports at Noblesville High School. Good luck to all of our graduates who have gone on to play at the high school level!
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From the Pulpit | |
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ALL WELCOME TO WORSHIP AT TRINITY
Saturday, October 4 at 10AM - Pet Blessing
Sunday, October 5 at 9AM - Parent ConversationsOn the first Sunday of most months from October to May, parents of children of all ages (young children through adolescents) gather at 9 am in the Crist Room for conversation about parenting. Child care is available during the meeting in the nursery. Leigh Ann Hirschman-parent, writer, and editor- facilitates this group. Oct 5 | Motivation: What to do when children dig in their heels against homework, chores, and other activities we feel are important and necessary.
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Photo Favorites |
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