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Thursday Thoughts
February 19, 2009
Carlton Rider, Principal |
On Friday, February 6th,
our students took part in an assembly that
featured two former students from St.
Mary’s, Justin Beck and Elizabeth Shumaker.
Both are involved in service oriented
projects that have included our students.
During the past few months we have been
involved in fundraising projects to help the
people in Cusco, Peru where Elizabeth has
visited on and off during the past year and
Justin has been involved in an on-going
project at Fisher Catholic to help in raise
funds to be given for research into finding
a cure for muscular dystrophy. Both shared
their experiences with the students and the
importance of becoming involved in service
projects, whether the projects be local or
international.
These two
projects and other projects that have
involved our students, faculty, and staff
have led us to presenting the program
“Partnerships Make a Difference” to our
students on February 20th. The program is
presented on grade levels: K – 5 and 6 – 8.
An overview of the program states that
Partnerships Make a Difference is a
non-profit organization dedicated to
providing educators, parents and students
with the tools and inspiration to do great
things. “We are a group of dedicated and
experienced educators whose ultimate vision
is to help young people develop a sense of
passion and purpose and learn to apply it
throughout their lives. Working with and on
behalf of students in teaching,
administration, curriculum development,
staff development and counseling at all
levels, Partnerships consultants have
developed an appreciation for the processes
young people go through in their
development. Our experiences have led us to
identify methods of reaching students in a
way that allows them to achieve their full
potential through the integration of
service-learning, character education,
career development and other curricular
extensions. We believe our programs help
today’s students become the next generation
of capable, caring and involved citizens.”
For the K – 5 level, a description of the program
states that legacy-building can begin as
early as kindergarten. Day by day and deed
by deed, students engage in activities that
strengthen their awareness of their
community and empower them to play an active
role through good deeds and acts of
kindness. By allowing young children to
cultivate a sense of passion and purpose
early on, these resources help students
identify and demonstrate their gifts (things
they have a knack or talent for),
fascinations (topics, issues or activities
that hold their interest), and
positive character traits (ethical strengths
related to “doing the right thing”),
preparing them to go on to bigger and better
things later in school, and in life.
Children in grades 3 – 5 have a growing awareness
of the world and their place in it. With the
right tools, they can tackle issues of
growing complexity, take on greater
leadership roles in school and reach out to
the community in more significant ways.
Building a legacy and becoming a role model
take on greater meaning as students acquire
a deeper understanding of service to others
and the recognition of heroic acts performed
in everyday life. It is an ideal time for
teachers to build on the individual and
collective gifts of their students and
inspire them to engage in social action and
reach their full potential.
The middle school years are full of changes and
challenges. During this critical time, the
benefits of our programs are two-fold:
meaningful, proactive service can help
prevent risk behaviors, as well as nurture
and refine an individual’s sense of
identity. In fact, studies show that
students engaged in service-learning are
half as likely to participate in risk
behaviors. Through a series of authentic
experiences, students can build self-worth
by further realizing their importance to the
world. They can begin to contemplate their
future career paths and the legacies they
are creating day by day through their deeds.
By interacting with their fellow students,
their community and their world, they can
make great strides toward becoming
responsible, involved adults.
Partnerships Make a Difference believes that with
the right inspiration and opportunities,
young people have an incredible capacity to
do great things, and to make a real
difference in our world. Their potential can
be even greater when service-learning,
career development and character education
are integral parts of their school
experience. Their mission is to inspire
students with a sense of passion and purpose
for their own learning, and to enhance their
belief that they can positively impact their
own lives and the lives of others.
I want to thank the parents of our eighth
grade students from St. Mary parish as well
as those from St. Bernadette, St. Mark, and
the other feeder parishes for their
important role in helping prepare our
students for the reception of the sacrament
of Confirmation. The students from Lancaster
St. Mary parish received the sacrament on
Tuesday, February 17th. Fr. Shawn Corcoran,
Chancellor of our diocese, confirmed the
students in the place of Bishop Campbell,
who is recovering from surgery. I know that
those students from the parishes other than
St. Mary’s are still preparing for this
important sacrament but your modeling of the
faith and your participation in the process
of preparing your child for this sacrament
are vital in helping your child make that
final step into full participation in the
Catholic church. We pray that all of us
continue to grow in an appreciation of our
faith and put this faith into action through
service to others.
Registration for the 2009/2010 school year will begin
the week of February 23rd for kindergarten
and those new to St. Mary’s. Registration
for all others will be held between March
2nd – March 13th. Information will be sent
home to each family currently enrolled.
I thank you for your cooperation in arranging to
transport your child(ren) to school this
past Monday when only one district was
transporting. I know what an inconvenience
this can be to families and again I thank
you for making transportation arrangements.
The two hour delay helped us on February
12th when our power was out since 10:00 p.m.
the night before due to high winds. We were
fortunate to have power restored within 45
minutes after beginning classes. I felt that
we would be able to have school even though
we didn’t have power due to the fact that
the cafeteria was prepared to serve lunch,
that we had drinking water and the bathrooms
were operational. Last year we lost power
for over four hours during the school day
and were able to make it through the day. I
guess we are beginning to adapt to what
Mother Nature gives us!
Previous Messages:
February 12, 2009
February 5, 2009
January 29, 2009
January 8, 2009
December 11, 2008
December 4, 2008
November 27, 2008
November 20, 2008
November 13, 2008
November 6, 2008
October 30, 2008
October 23, 2008
October 16, 2008
October 9, 2008
October 2, 2008
September 25, 2008
September 18, 2008
September 11, 2008
September 4, 2008
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