Notes from the Head

Dear St. Michael’s Parents and Families–

I hope all of you are doing well, especially those of you who have been experiencing seasonal illnesses at home.

Please join us for the school-wide STEM and Science Fair tomorrow, Friday, from 5:30-7:30 pm. We’ll have interactive activities for students (and siblings) of all ages, plus the impressive research presentations (science projects) on display from the fourth, sixth, and eight graders. Food and non-alcoholic beverages will also be available for sale. The price of admission is free.

The Math-a-Thon is in full swing. Please support this event with a generous pledge.

Please also consider stopping by our Coffee Corner tomorrow morning from 7:30-8:30 am to meet familiar friends and new families as well.  This event is hosted quarterly by our St. Michael’s Angels group, and we thank the entire SMA community, especially Mrs. Amy Huether, SMA President this year, for their hard work and care coordinating this fun social time.

Enrollment agreements, along with a cover letter from me outlining our initiatives for the coming year and information regarding financial aid, are printed and will be mailed tomorrow, Friday, February 7.

Though you are all aware, here is another reminder for the upcoming Rodeo Week break, which begins next Friday, February 14, after our regular afternoon dismissal.

Thank you to those parents and families who have been inquiring about Dr. Sandi Thompson’s health and recovery after her bicycling accident three weeks ago. She is expected to be back on campus the week after Rodeo break.

I look forward to seeing you on campus!

All good wishes,

Brendan Sullivan
Head of School
bsullivan@stmichael.net

 

Math-a-Thon

Here’s the latest update on Math-a-Thon!

Mrs. Sanders is killing it! Just sayin…

PLEASE help the students get excited about the competition – talk it up when you can. We all want to see Brendan, Jennifer, Mandy & Alex dance in front of the entire school, right?! Not to mention a bonus party in the top earning classrooms.

Thanks so much!

Marnie

Math-A-Thon is in FULL SWING! 

This is the last weekend to reach out to friends and family to secure donations for Math-A-Thon! Packets are not due until Wednesday, February 12, but online donations have been trickling in. So far, $1,258 has been collected through the web site.

Here are the current standings:

Top Lower School Classroom – KA, Ms. Sanders, with $700!

Top Lower School Students:

#1 Ralph Silberschlag with $600!

#2 is a 3-way tie between Ella Lientz, Liam Street & Eva Tristani-Christiano at $100 each

Top Upper School Classroom – 7th, Coach Santucci with $100

Top Upper School Students:

#1 Virginia Kimme-Hea & Ethan Ackerman tied with $100 each

#2 Colton Rebert & Isa Rebert tied with $50 each

We have a LONG WAY to go to earn school-wide prizes!

$14,000 – FREE DRESS for the whole school!

$16,000 – FREE DRESS for the whole school – PLUS – Eegee’s Party for everyone!

$18,000 – FREE DRESS for the whole school – PLUS – Eegee’s Party for everyone – PLUS – a Fornite Dance-Off

Math-A-Thon information was mailed to all grandparents, so be sure to follow up with them before Wednesday, February 12th! Go, Mathletes!

 

Coach’s Corner

Winter sports update

Congratulations to our coed soccer team on a great season! Our “A” team made it all the way to the league championship! They lost a close match (2-1) to a very skilled Pusch Ridge team. Great job Eagles!

The winter sports assembly is Tuesday, 2/11 at 2:30PM in the gym. All of the kids who participated in a winter sport (coed soccer and winter intramurals) will be recognized for their participation.

Spring sports

Our spring sports season is about to start! We will have boys and girls basketball for any interested 6th-8th grade students. Practices begin the week of February 10th, and all of the kids playing should plan on being in the gym every day until 5:00PM. An after school permission slip and current physical must be on file in order to participate. Permission slips are on the school website, in the front office, and also on the bulletin board outside of the athletic office. This form only has to be filled out once per school year, so if your child already has one on file from a fall or winter sport, there is no need to fill out a new one.

Spring Intramural dates 2020

We will also offer intramural track for any interested 4th-8th grade student. Practices will be on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30-4:30PM beginning March 2nd. Our track program does not compete against other schools, but the kids set goals, work on improving their running skills and, most importantly, have fun!

Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions at kgreene@stmichael.net

Go Eagles!

 

In Our Community

Eighth grader Riley Egan received notification that she is a winner of the Tucson Festival of Books Young Illustrator/Artist Competition sponsored by the Friends of Western Art organization.  Riley will receive a $100 gift certificate to Sarnoff Art Materials store as well as a book and poster featuring the art of the winners.  Great job, Riley!

Coffee Corner

Be sure to stop by Coffee Corner this Friday, February 7th at 7:30 am.  It is sponsored by Tucson Smiles Pediatric Dentistry.   February is National Children’s Dental Health Month.

Notes from the Head

Dear St. Michael’s Parents and Families—

Since our return from the Christmas break, we have been busy with a number of activities in the life of our wonderful school, on and off the St. Michael’s campus: our Upper School Day of Service, the musical-theatre production of Into the Woods, our third-grade trip to Tubac, the completion (almost!) of our lower-school remodeling and air-conditioning improvements, our annual spelling bee, hosting of the regional math competition, scheduled safety-and-fire practice drills, the initial visit from Chris Gunnin for our upcoming SAES self-study visit in late March, and much more.

We also are thrilled about recent news from the National Council of Teachers of English of a deserved recognition—only one of four awards presented in the entire State of Arizona, and the only K-8 school to have earned the award in Arizona—for our outstanding student literary and art magazine, Eagle’s Quill. Thanks to Mr. Hawes and Ms. Burnson, and above all to our talented student artists and writers, for their great work! Please see Mr. Hawes’ note below as well.

And as we look ahead, there is still so much more to come: upper-school soccer playoffs (this week!), our school-wide Math-a-Thon, the start of the interscholastic basketball season, our science-fair and STEM week next week, the upcoming Rodeo Week break, our annual Declamation Day, our four-day self-study visit, our new vision for a community ‘gala’ in late March (our March 28 Block Party), our upper-school trips to Crow Canyon, Catalina Island, and Washington, DC, in April…and so much more.

One of the more important ‘events’ for us at this time of the year is hosting parents for academic conferences, devoting ample time to talk about the deeply engaging work of teaching and learning in the classroom. An integral piece of the work of teaching and learning is assessment, which is defined, in simplest terms, as how we as a community of learners—students, teachers, parents—know and understand that our students are learning and growing. In short, assessment helps answer the question, “Are we moving the needle with student learning at St. Michael’s, specifically in reading and math?”

The more recent school-wide results from our Renaissance assessment for reading and math are encouraging. Yes, we are indeed ‘moving the needle’ for your sons and daughters. The Renaissance results encourage us to celebrate the great academic success of our students and, at the same time, to challenge our assumptions about student academic growth, to embrace what we call a growth mindset—our capacity to understand that learning is never ‘fixed,’ per se; that learning and the needs of our students do, in fact, change over time, significantly so, and certainly within the course of each academic year.

A competitively normed measure that we can administer as we desire throughout the year helps us—namely, me and our division directors and faculty— understand in-depth the changing needs of our students. Our new Renaissance assessment, in turn, encourages flexibility with planning and instruction throughout the year, which is essential to excellent teaching. Our shift to the Renaissance assessments in reading and math has already generated lots of good discussion, among parents and teachers and students, and we look forward to continuing the conversation for this second half of the academic year and beyond.

I would like to share a few additional notes:

Dr. Sandi Thompson, our school psychologist in her first year at St. Michael’s, is recovering from a rather serious bicycling accident two weeks ago. She is doing well overall. I ask that you keep her in your thoughts as she recovers. We hope she is back soon.

-We are experiencing a relatively high number of student illnesses—mostly colds and flus—which is somewhat common at this time of the year. Nurse Erika Huff, our wonderful school nurse, has included a brief message below about basic preventative efforts for these common illnesses, and she has added a note to allay any concerns about the coronavirus.

-I encourage all families to attend our upcoming STEM and Science Week, which begins with our edible car race at school-wide assembly and chapel this coming Monday, at 8:20 a.m. All are welcomed to attend.

-Ms. Tracy Holsinger, our Director of Communications and Faculty Support, will be sending the enrollment agreements for the coming 2020-2021 academic year. All that families will need to re-enroll for the coming year will be sent this coming week, along with instructions for applying for scholarship aid. As always, I am happy to discuss any questions you may have for the coming year.

Thank you, and I look forward to seeing you on campus!

 

Brendan Sullivan, Head of School
bsullivan@stmichael.net

Math-A-Thon 2020 is happening now!

Math-A-Thon is an annual tradition where our student “mathletes” actively participate in fundraising for a cause while sharpening and sharing their math skills with family and friends! This year, students are aiming to raise $18,000 or more in support of St. Michael’s comprehensive STEAM program – Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math – the foundation of equipping our students with 21st century skills.  The tests have been taken and scored. A complete packet will be sent home on Friday, January 31 so that the competition can begin! Prizes will be awarded to the top 3 individuals in upper school and lower school, as well as a party for the top fundraising classroom in upper school and lower school. There will be school-wide prizes once we reach $14,000 and above. Share the word with family, friends and grandparents! Donations can be made online at www.stmichael.net/mathathon. The race is on and will continue until Wednesday, February 12. Go Eagles!

Math-a-Thon Packet 2020

Save the Date! March 28, 2020

Mark your calendars and book your babysitter for the St. Michael’s Block Party! This adults only party will be an indoor-outdoor meandering party around campus with tasty bites, festive drinks, live music, shopping and mingling! More information coming soon!