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Dear St. Rose Families,
Greetings from our buzzing hallways and classrooms where fun, learning, and the holidays are all colliding in some of the best experiences of the year! We have Christmas Concert practice in the music room, fall art creations in the art room, decorating pumpkins in the 4th grade class, Student Council class representative speeches and elections all around, and a lot of exciting science and STEM activities with our littlest to oldest learners; with a lot more on the horizon in the weeks ahead. Yes, those are December dates you are already seeing on the list of dates to circle on your calendars; which just proves the saying, "time flies when you're having fun."
As you can see by the pictures captured in the classrooms, science and STEM are being delivered by our teachers on many different topics through creative hands on lessons. This is just a peek of the engaging learning that is happening with determination and diligence and a lot of collaboration and smiles.
Lessons aren't the only thing our students are diligent about; in the past few weeks, as I've been reviewing and meeting with our 8th graders about their Capstone Projects; and getting emails or visits from our middle schoolers, we have a lot of students eager to, not only do service, but to get others involved as well. Thank you to Ethan in 7th grade for bringing a service project idea to me; which in turn has become our starting point for a new initiative we are going to call, "Sunrise Service". Ethan's family is generously donated items for us to create snack bags for a shelter in Bridgeport. Our days being so busy, and after school filled with clubs and team practices; we decided to select an early morning to work on this project; so Sunrise Service has begun at SRS. In the hopper right behind it is a candy drive from which we will make Thanksgiving treat bags for the food pantry. This will also be a Sunrise Service activity; thank you to Megan, in grade 7, for taking the lead on this service project.
I was not surprised, but was so impressed by the Capstone projects that are being proposed by our Class of 2024. Everything from service projects that serve those in need, pet shelters, and the environment; to hosting Chess and Basketball competitions for charity. These are just some of the amazing ideas coming from our students. It is evident that they see the need to make the world a better place; and are finding creative ways to expand the list of opportunities for student participation based on the likes and passions of their peers and the SRS student body. I am filling up our school calendar with their ideas and projects and look forward to having them present their ideas to our school community. This is the first year for Capstone and I am confident this class is going to blaze a trail for future years.
We are happy to announce that beginning in November, we are bringing homework club back on Mondays and Tuesdays. Thank you to Mrs. Latham for taking on the overseeing of this club; we will be inviting our middle school students to volunteer as peer tutors to help assist those students who attend the
club on those days. The registration form link is included at the end of this newsletter.
We are almost to one of the most anticipated events of the year; the HSA Trunk 'R Treat. This Saturday promises to be not only a beautiful fall day; but the evening will be filled with ghosts, goblins, superheroes and a big cast of characters; oh and candy, yes let's not forget the candy and of course just a fun-filled night for our SRS families!
Speaking of candy, we will be collecting bags of individually wrapped candy for our Thanksgiving treat bags; so if you find you purchased one too many bags at Target, please consider donating it to our Candy Drive, November 1 through November 6.
What else is just around the corner, hmmmm....do I hear gobbling? I think so! Yes it is the annual Turkey Trot Food Drive!! We begin November 1 and will collect until November 15; with plans to deliver the food and Thanksgiving treat bags to Faith Food Pantry between November 16 and 18 so they will have full shelves in time for Thanksgiving pick up. Please consult the front office before you drive U-Hauls and Semi Trailers into the parking lot with your donations! ;) Will we surpass last year's total of 4,228 items? It wouldn't surprise me!
Before I end I just have to share a quick little story, as nothing warms the heart and puts a smile on your face than overhearing our little ones talk. So on Tuesday, kindergarten and first grade did a little pumpkin picking in our "St. Rose Little Pumpkin Patch." Thank you to Mrs. Phillips who set up the hay bales, scarecrows, and pumpkins; and to Mrs. Ellis who loaned us the bales of hay to get that pumpkin patch feel. The children were of course thrilled with this event and were so excited carrying their prized pumpkins around to show each other. It was then time for first grade to return to class. They were all lined up, hugging their pumpkins ready to go when one turned to look back and noticed that kindergarten wasn't lining up but was instead playing on the playground. So the first grader says to their classmate, "Hey, why are they getting to play and not going back into the school?" The answer from the classmate went something like this, "That's because they're little kids, they need their playtime and to run around for a while; we have work to do." We forget how quickly they grow up and age when they move across the hallway!
Wishing you some time to play and just run around this Halloween weekend!
Warmly,
Mrs. Mary Jo Bokuniewicz (Mrs. B)
Dean of Student Life
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