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July 17, 2024
Summer Greetings to all of our St. Dominic School community!
I want to be the first to welcome you all to a great new school year at St. Dominic School. Though I hope we all have an opportunity to take full advantage of these remaining weeks of summer, I wanted to touch base with you about the various things in motion as we prepare for the new school year. I also highlight below some key updates and resources to support our boys and families in getting ready for a smooth start to the school year on Wednesday, August 6th.
Our Roots as a School for Boys
First , I wanted to share with you all some of the overarching areas of focus that I’m excited for us to carry into the new school year. We have been engaged in the good work of educating and fostering the growth of young men for almost 70 years at St. Dominic, and I so enjoyed my first year of service to that good cause this past year.
I was grateful to attend the annual conference of the International Boys’ School Coalition in June, and to continue learning alongside fellow educators from boys’ schools across the nation and globe. As I have reflected on lessons learned and the many good relationships formed throughout, I’ve found my thoughts continuing to center on a few defining characteristics of our work with young men at SDS:
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Gentlemen Scholars - The Dominican Catholic tradition of our school centers on education as a ministry in service of others. At SDS we are committed to knowing, valuing, and fostering the holistic growth of each of the boys under our care. We endeavor to support the development of caring young men who are not only prepared for their future, but who are also ready to lead by thought, word, and example.
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Caring Brotherhood - Individual growth at SDS takes place within the context of a caring brotherhood. You will see me emphasizing this aspect, and the fundamental value of individual relationships upon which this brotherhood is built. Our school’s faith tradition teaches us that true community is found when we care for the needs of others as our own, and when we advocate for ourselves and each other accordingly. I am excited for the many ways we will continue reinforcing this with our boys across grade levels.
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Resilient & Strong Young Men - Our world needs good men who care for others, value others, and who are prepared to meet new challenges head on. Such a disposition involves a unique kind of strength built upon thoughtful reflection, resilient character, and a responsiveness to adversity. We as a school can best support the development of these qualities by continuing to provide an educational environment where setbacks and moments of failure are seized as learning opportunities, and where growth is most directly found in the process more so than the ultimate products or performances that result.
All of these aspects will continue to remain at the heart of who we are as a school community. Likewise, they will continue to guide our efforts moving forward in supporting the growth of boys into good, capable, and caring young men.
Looking Ahead to Fall 2025
Growth and progress is not only the focus of our efforts in support of our boys, but also to be found in our preparations for the new school year. I want to highlight some key updates and resources to support each of your families over the weeks ahead:
Welcome new members of our professional community at SDS
Mrs. Brittney Dean - English 7 Instructor
Mrs. Dean comes to SAA-SDS with nearly 20 years experience as a classroom teacher and as a district instructional facilitator. She is highly trained in literacy curriculum and instruction, and has a strong foundation in language arts learning and research-based and data-driven instruction. Her approach to teaching is centered on creating a student-centered environment where students engage in meaningful reading, writing, and discussion-based experiences emphasizing real-world applications of language arts. As a parent of two SAA-SDS students–Ava Claire (SAA 9) and Layton (SDS 7), Mrs. Dean is excited to join our team, working with our 7th Grade students to foster critical thinking skills and mastery of language skills in a supportive atmosphere where all students will thrive socially, emotionally, and academically.
Mrs. Bethany Stewart - Director of Admissions for SDS
Mrs. Stewart comes to us with a bachelor’s degree in education and years of service in both the classroom teaching science and health courses, and also on the courts coaching basketball and volleyball. She and her family were drawn to SDS because of the emphasis on community and the way in which faith and Gospel values are centered in our school identity. Mrs. Stewart values the role of relationship building and the unique strengths of our boys’ school environment, and I’m looking forward to you all getting to know her over the months ahead.
Updated Student-Parent Handbooks now available
Linked here are the updated versions of the Student-Parent Handbooks for both our Kindergarten-6th and Junior High divisions. These collectively house our school-wide policies and expectations, alongside grade-level specific information for each division. We spent a good bit of June carefully reviewing and updating both of these documents, and I wanted to draw your attention to a few significant areas of enhancement in each handbook:
- Attendance expectations - more clearly defined process for responding to and supporting students who are experiencing repeated absences or issues of tardiness
- Academic Review - updated language that more accurately captures our working process for identifying and support academic concerns as they may arise in each division
- Code of Conduct & Disciplinary Actions - more specific breakdown of our expectations in line with our culture of Justice, Respect, and Peace; likewise, a clear outline of levels of accountability in instances of behavioral concerns
- Technology - As with all things at our school, our policies stem from our mission and identity as a Catholic school. We worked to craft a philosophy statement that guides our approach to all issues relevant to technology. Be sure to take special note of the new language regarding advanced technology such as Generative AI, as well as policies surrounding individual devices such as cell phones.
Preparing for a successful start to the new school year
Please be on the lookout for information regarding Veracross, our new Student Information and Learning Management System. Veracross will provide a central platform for:
- Communicating daily lessons, assignments, and assessments on a weekly basis to students
- Sharing course resources with students
- Maintaining up-to-date and accurate records of student progress
- Log-in information will be sent to each family via email soon, as well as information provided in the Wednesday Wire.
Back to School Open House- August 4th
Back-to-School Open House is Monday, August 4th from 3:00pm - 5:00pm.
This is a great opportunity for families to reconnect after the summer and celebrate the start of the year. It’s also an opportunity to visit your son’s classroom and teachers, tour the campus, talk with Athletics, Dominican Community Connections, Extended Day Activities, SAGE Dining Services staff, and pick up your family name card for dismissal.
For Junior High families, in lieu of a separate JH Orientation, SAA Dean Jenn Wojcik, Assistant Dean of Junior High Casey Goff, and I will share a brief “JH Essentials” presentation at 3:00pm and again at 4:00pm to cover a few important items regarding the new JH schedule, handbook updates, and daily operations. We hope our JH families will be able to stop by the Hook Theatre for one of these 10-15 minute presentations as part of their time on campus during the Open House.
First Day of School August 6
First Day of School on Wednesday August 6th will be a full day for all K-12 students
- Please note that since our school year begins on a Wednesday, dismissal will be at 2:15pm rather than the typical 3pm time on other days of the week. Wednesdays are slated as early-dismissal
- Extended Day Activities - any students arriving earlier than 7:30am or remaining later in the afternoon following dismissal must be registered in advance for this additional option for school-based care.
A Bastion of Kindness & Decency
President Hood’s summer update letter to our community in June ended by emphasizing once again the power of kindness. He charged our school community at SAA-SDS to be “counter-cultural, a bastion of kindness and decency.” I hope that theme is apparent in the reflections and updates shared above because it is honestly central in my thinking on our good work with young men at St. Dominic School. We are a special place of individual growth within a caring brotherhood, for the greater good of all.
The start of another exciting school year of progress and growth will be here in a few weeks. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions you may have in the meantime. I hope you all are able to take advantage of these remaining summer weeks otherwise.
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