Auction Tickets

As was stated in the Trumpet, we are going to include the purchase of two tickets to our Auction as part of our mandatory fundraising for the 2010-2011 school year. This was a decision that caused a significantly larger amount of stress than it should have, as we are very aware of how every dollar spent can effect some of our families. However, after much discussion with the school board we chose to adopt this policy.

As everyone should know, the Auction has become our primary fundraiser, and its success is the number one reason we are able to charge a tuition that is below what we spend each year per student. Despite its importance, we are now into our second year where no one has signed up to chair the event. It is a daunting task with the unspoken implication that “each year must do better than the previous year.” While this is not the case, we do depend on the funding that the auction generates.

It has to be remembered that every family at Holy Angels that pays the parish rate for tuition is, essentially, in receipt of a scholarship and these scholarships are funded, in part, by this event.

Yet, every year, we enter into Auction season with questions about the procurement of items, putting together a successful evening, in addition to the multitude of details that must be addressed. We always seem to approach the final week before auction with questions about attendance, with ticket sales low and the constant nagging regarding the success or the failure of the night. I, along with the school board, feel it is not fair to those who step up and lead this event to always require them to worry if individuals will even attend. Secondly, it is unfair of the school to expect the committee to work without a budget of any sort, based upon lack of ticket sales.

Most importantly, we want our families at the event. We have families who have been at the school for over ten years who have never attended this great event. It is really a great night and a lot of fun, whether or not you bid on items. The community of our school is highly regarded throughout the area and it is important that all our families are part of this. With this in mind, we hope you are supportiveof this decision, and more importantly, that we will see you at the Auction!

What's Up With Those Test Scores?

I have been fortunate enough over my twenty years in education to teach at virtually every grade level, from primary to high school, and in almost every "socio-economic" environment, from the very disadvantaged to the extremely fortunate. Each of these varying demographics has had their own challenges and rewards, but what has always been the most striking thing to me is the similarities they all share.

One of these similarities, which I have said many times, and I may have written it here, is that Catholic schools do a great job of educating our students, ass well as graduating good people. I have been able to state this about the children at every school I have worked in, no matter what the climate in their surrounding community.

In addition to graduating good people, another hypothesis I have formulated during my teaching is that I really don't think individuals are born significantly smarter than one another. Working in primary grades, I often saw a good majority of children who were on relatively equal footing at the start of their school experience. They were not significantly higher or lower than their classmates, in terms of reading or math. Years later, teaching these same children in junior high, it was very apparent that somewhere along the way a gap began to develop regarding their education. Some of those children were now significantly ahead of the same students they were on the same level with in second grade, and vice-versa.

The reason this has been on my mind lately is due to the recent sharing of our standardized tests scores with our parents. Our children do well, and we see that by the time they are in eighth grade they are, generally, achieving well beyond their grade level, according to these tests scores. Most of our students in each grade are testing at similar levels, and thus our school scores are "high".

This seems concerning to the parents who compare them with our second grade scores, and see their children are "only at grade level. I have had numerous parents ask, "What's going on with them?" and I tell them they have accidentally stumbled upon one of the flaws of standardized testing, and particularly, the reading of class or school percentiles.

Because a parent asked specifically about science scores in the second grade, i opted to use these scores as an example to answer the many questions. The second grade class average was in the 51st percentile rank for science. The 50th percentile represents grade level, but it is significantly below what our students score in other grades, and it seems to be a cause for alarm that our kids are "only" on grade level in certain academic realms (according to these test scores). So I disaggregated the information and this is what I found.

The science subtest for the second grade had 31 questions covering four ares of science.

7 questions were on Scientific Inquiry. 85% of the class got the answers correct.

14 questions were on Life Science. 81% of the class answered the questions correctly.

4 Questions were on Earth and Space Science. 77% of the questions were answered correctly.

6 questions were on Physical Science, with 81% of the class answering correctly.

What this tells us is that our students answered the questions with a relatively high success rate. But so did all the other students across the nation who took the test. Thus, it is the "average" for the grade level and comes across as grade level. Most of the second grade students across the country are on the same level as our students in science. So, despite a class that answered most of the questions correctly, the class average appears to be low or bad. Another way to look at it is if the entire nation got all the questions incorrect on the science test, and Holy Angels students got 10% of the questions correct, we would be in the 99th percentile, even though it does not mean we knew the material well. Obviously, this is an extreme example, but it illustrates my point.

Interpretation of test scores is a very tricky thing to do, and misinterpretation is an extremely easy mistake to make. The only scores that truly matter, in terms of standardized testing, is your own individual child's. As one can see, failure to have ALL of the information can lead to a miscalculation of what the numbers mean. Standardized tests are just one piece of a very complex puzzle that add up to academic success for a child, and this must never be forgotten. So, don't get to hung up on our school's perceived success or failure on a test. Stay involved in what your child is doing in the class and how they are achieving there.

The Individual Value of All Our Families

I respect and admire when parents challenge my decisions in a thoughtful way. Often times, they can raise philosophical questions that I may have already struggled with and, having reached my conclusions, it is easy to respond. Other times, they may raise concerns I have not considered, and it can cause me sleepless nights as I mull over their thoughts.

One such situation occurred recently with a parent who views our recent decision to post donations to Angels Among Us at different levels as a subliminal message that the more you give, the more you are valued. Her thoughts mirror discussions we had in our Development Committee meetings when we first started to discuss the establishment of giving levels.

I think everyone is aware of the progress we are making on renovating and improving the school. To accomplish any of this, we need to fund raise and develop. This is difficult, from a Principal's perspective, because education, not fundraising, is my "area of expertise". However, it seems more and more that financial matters are often the issues that take up a majority of my time.

As we continue in our development efforts, we need to be very clear as to what our goal is. We are not raising money to bloat our egos or increase salaries, or to elevate the status of those who are able to give at a higher level. We are raising funds to improve the school environment, and this is a goal that benefits every single child that attends the school. If we begin to treat individuals differently because of their donations, then we are failing in our efforts.

We have all heard the gospel story regarding the old woman who's small donation is a much greater sacrifice to her lifestyle than the wealthy man who gives more. We all understand the message implied in this parable, and by no means is breaking our donations into level meant to imply that one family is sacrificing more than another. I know that every family sacrifices just to send their child to our school, and anything above and beyond what is required is equally appreciated. But I have also come to the understanding that the individuals who are in a situation to give at a higher level are doing so for the betterment of the school for every child. We should also be able to teach our children gratitude. A larger donation does not make an individual a better person, but it does enable us to better the school.

We are all in different situations in our lives. Some days I have a dollar in my pocket and am able to pass it along when someone needs help. Other days I don't, and I feel guilty, but it is my reality. I am not a better person on the days I can give, I have a different reality on those days.

Every dollar we receive for AAU is valued and appreciated. However, we also understand that some families are in a position where they are more able to offer the gift of presence, while still others may be able to offer a service or skill. We understand this and value it all. Financial is just one means of support we receive at Holy Angels. As we move forward our goal will not change, our perceptions of our parents will not change, and our students will ultimately be the beneficiaries of all that we accomplish.

President Obama's Education Address

A parent that I greatly admire and respect called me recently to ask what we intended to do about President Obama's address to the nation's school children next Tuesday. Upon receiving my answer, she stated that she wanted her child to opt out of watching the address, based primarily upon the fact that she and her husband dislike Mr. Obama.

I find this rationale curious. So often, our elected officials use education as one of their primary agenda items to get elected. However, once the election is over, few, if any, continue to see the value in education, despite everyone agreeing it is important. Here is our country's leader wanting to actually address students about education and many want to politicize the act and prevent their children from listening to what he has to say. I don't believe that President Obama is planning on turning this into a subliminal message about health care reform, but I do know that a ten minute address from the president will never supersede the philosophies a parent teaches their child at home. That being said, I believe it is still a parent's right to make decisions about this for his or her child.

Concurrently, I also believe that no matter what an individuals personal opinion about President Obama may or may not be, he is our President and I think he deserves all the respect that goes along with the office. It can easily translate to questioning the values we teach children today. We often hear criticism about "kid's today", but we always seem to forget that we are the ones raising these kids with the values we are complaining about. Respect is a quality that needs to be taught, and it does not work if it is taught "selectively". Teaching children that you should respect this person but not that person, based upon a fairly subjective list of criteria, just does not work. Try responding to that thought process when your child is disrespectful to someone you think they should respect. In that case, simply disliking the school principal would be an adequate rationale for being disrespectful. (and how could that be right!!???)

As I stated, I do not believe President Obama is going to use this forum to push his political agenda, (the text will be published this Monday) but if he says something a parent disagrees with, shouldn't that be an opportunity to dialogue with your child about that issue? In many instances, I think it would give parents an opportunity to further solidify their philosophies within their child, rather than "indoctrinate" their child with liberal rhetoric!

The most influential political leader in the world talking about the value of education seems, to me, to place a high value on education. Removing a child from this scenario seems to have other implications. We all seem to agree education is important, but God forbid our children begin to think that way by hearing a message from our President!

H1N1 Virus

With the marvels and convenience that comes living within the "information age" also comes a great deal of responsibility and rationality. Never before has it been so easy to acquire virtually any type of information about any subject at such a great rate. Additionally, never before has it been so easy to create crisis, epidemic and hysteria. Swine flu is a perfect example. Upon its identification, people were quarantined, confined to their houses for weeks on end and entire schools, offices, maybe even some gated communities, were shut down and identified as modern day leper colonies.

Based upon the assumption that lobbyist for the pork industry objected to the moniker bestowed upon the virus, swine flu has been re identified as the H1N1 virus, and the thinking regarding reaction to it has become more level-headed. We don not have the ability to stop the virus, particularly in environments that are most susceptible to passing germs, but we can control it to some degree.

The flu can be easily spread from person to person. Therefore, we are taking steps to reduce the spread of flu in Holy Angels School. We want to keep the school open to students and functioning in a normal manner during this flu season. But, we need your help to do this.

We are working closely with the Arcadia Unified School District and the Los Angeles County Health Department to monitor flu conditions and make decisions about the best steps to take concerning schools. We will keep you updated with new information as it becomes available.

If the flu becomes more severe, we may take additional steps to prevent the spread
such as:

conducting active fever and flu symptom screening of students and staff as they arrive at school,

 making changes to increase the space between people such as moving desks farther apart and postponing class
trips, and

 dismissing students from school for at least 7 days if they become sick.

For now we are doing everything we can to keep our school functioning as usual. Here are a few things you can do to help.

Teach your children to wash their hands often with soap and water or an
alcohol-based hand rub. You can set a good example by doing this yourself.

 Teach your children not to share personal items like drinks, food or un-
washed utensils, and to cover their coughs and sneezes with tissues. Covering up
their coughs or sneezes using the elbow, arm or sleeve instead of the hand when a
tissue is unavailable.

 Know the signs and symptoms of the flu. Symptoms of the flu include fever
(100 degrees Fahrenheit, 37.8 degrees Celsius or greater), cough, sore throat, a
runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, and feeling very tired. Some people
may also vomit or have diarrhea.

 Keep sick children at home for at least 24 hours after they no longer have fever
or do not have signs of fever, without using fever-reducing drugs. Keeping children with a fever
at home will reduce the number of people who may get infected.

 Do not send children to school if they are sick. Any children who are deter-
mined to be sick while at school will be sent home.

I have been told that the reality is the H1N1 virus is really no more dangerous than any other flu virus. While I don't know the accuracy of this statement, it seems like we should go about our daily lives with a bit more attention to hygene and not let a media -fueled hysteria become a rationale for making reactionary decisions

The New Year

Remarkably, summer is quickly coming to a close, and with it, a flurry of activity is taking place as well. Some of it is very good for Holy Angels, while other occurrences are a bit more concerning.

we have accomplished a significant amount of physical plant upgrade throughout the school. Thanks to the dedication and perseverance of several parents, we have completed the construction of a new lunch structure; we have re-slurried and painted the playground, and we replaced the carpet in both the pre-kindergarten and seventh grade classroom. We are also in the process of renovating our lower grade bathrooms, thanks to the generous support of Murray Plumbing.

A bit more troubling is that, like most Catholic schools, our enrollment will be down this coming school year. While the numbers are far less than what many schools are experiencing, and a final number is still not known (we still get calls daily about enrollment) we will be down.

We are excited by the recent hiring of Ms. Kathryn Di Pietro as our new sixth grade teacher, as well as alumni Sara Canzoneri to help teach math in our 5 through seventh grades.

Finally, we are awaiting word on our WASC outcome, although we have great expectations for our results. Our teachers will soon begin training to use a computerized grade book, and the the eight grade grades will be posted online as an experiment for future grade postings.

As you can see, we have a great deal going on at the school, but most importantly we will be entering another school year where our students education is of primary importance and we will begin to institute the change we identified in or school self-study. I am excited about the upcoming year, as I feel that we continue to fulfill the promise and the mission of Catholic schools. As always, first and foremost I attribute this to the parents of our school who are the primary motivators of all we do at Holy Angels. In particular, we must acknowledge Rudy Castillo for his efforts and dedication to the lunch structure, Clare Maher and Kim Collins for their motivation behind all our development efforts, and Tim Tomko for acting as the conduit between Holy Angels School and Murray Plumbing. They are examples to all about the impact parents have on the quality of our school

Keeping Costs Down

Economics difficulties are hitting most families right now. We see it in our applications for enrollment. We are receiving higher than normal amount of applications for our upper grades from families who may have their children in more expensive private schools.

One of the basic tenets of Catholic school is to provide an affordable Catholic education to families who want it. This is a philosophy I strongly subscribe to and I make it a priority. Some of the ways this has been made possible in past years is to have religious teaching in the schools, receiving subsidies from the parish and having parents do service in the school.

We no longer have religious teaching in most of our schools (none at Holy Angels) most parishes cannot subsidize their schools any more ( we receive financial support form our parish) and parent service has lost its purpose.

Parent service hours is supposed to fulfill roles that we would otherwise have to pay for. This may include aiding in the classroom, supervising at lunch and recess, completing office tasks, and much much more. Some of this still gets done by volunteers, but those numbers are becoming less and less. We have hired staff to do most of these jobs now, and every year the suggestion for many jobs previously done by parents is "Why not just pay someone to do it?". We are fortunate to be able to afford this, but ultimately, it ends up driving the tuition of the school up.
At the same time, we may have thirteen parents volunteer to run a class Christmas party, which may be more than necessary, and, ultimately, does not really serve the purpose for which school service hours are intended (keeping costs down).

We need to decide what we want our school to become. I know what I want it to remain, but it will require our parents to be involved in some roles that may not be as fun or easy as we are becoming accustomed to. Otherwise we run the risk of defeating one of our primary goals.