Angels Events

Auction Tickets

2010-02-15T07:36:00.001-08:00

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?

2010-01-08T07:26:00.000-08:00

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

2009-09-29T10:59:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-02T14:06:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-21T07:44:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-10T14:02:00.000-07:00

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

2009-02-05T10:28:00.000-08:00

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.

Technology Ramblings

2009-01-27T09:15:00.000-08:00

As we approach the eve of our annual Jog-a-Thon, it struck me that we are currently without an active Technology Committee and thus, our Technology Plan is falling out of relevance. Each year we raise a significant amount of money to enhance the school's technology program, and we are doing an excellent job in keeping the students, the classrooms and the teachers up to date. But technology changes so quickly that sometimes a plan can become outdated within a couple of years, so over planning almost seems futile. Its a true Catch-22.

We have a tremendous amount of parent-genrerated energy taking place at the school right now, and it's exciting to see because this kind of energy will result in the goals getting set and these goals being met. We need to re-energize our Technology Committee to ensure that we set realistic goals and that we meet these goals, rather than just wait for another twelve months to roll around and then decide how we should best spend the money we raise. Additionally, we need to gather individuals who are able to view the future of education and where technology fits in, while also realizing that technology does not just include computers and related products.

Consider signing up to be apart of this committee. Let myself or Mr. Jaco know that this is something you are interested in, and lets continue to build upon the momentum that is driving our school into the future.

Being an Accountable Citizen

2008-12-04T10:03:00.000-08:00

We exist in a community that is full of excellent schools. Walk one mile in any direction from Holy Angels, and you will come across several excellent public and private school. It is one of the reason's Arcadia was recently selected as the best city in California to raise a child.

Considering the ample choices for a quality education in the area, the question regarding Holy Angels purpose in the community should be asked. Arcadia does not need another excellent school. However, along with Annunciation, what we do provide that does not exist elsewhere in Arcadia is an excellent Catholic school.

A component of being an excellent Catholic school, which we have included in our schoolwide learning expectations, is developing our students to be accountable citizens. I can say, proudly, that I think we do fulfill this purpose, and quite well. Sometimes I worry that we do not do enough to improve the community that we are part of, but then I take a moment and think back to all that has been accomplished by our parents and students in just the last month, and these worries vanish.

So what have we done? Since the middle of November we have provided a Thanksgiving dinner for 250 senior citizens; while our primary classes put together complete dinners for 18 needy families. We have had students raise thousands of dollars for the homeless and participate in a walk to raise awareness for this crisis in our society. Our parents have committed to purchasing over 150 Christmas gifts for needy children (in just 3 days), while we have students who have opted to forgo a Christmas gift exchange in favor of making gift packs for Maryvale Orphanage. Our CPTA has adopted a needy family in the community to ensure they have a wonderful Christmas.

This is a three week portrait of just some of the activities that are taking place at Holy Angels. While words are good, I have always told our students it is much more important to live our faith than it is to just talk about it. While I sometimes worry that we are too constant in our appeals to our families, we must also remember that helping those who are less fortunate than us should be a way of life, not just a periodic event. I am proud to say our families do this all year long. I think it is one of the aspects of our school that makes us an excellent Catholic school, and it is a strong argument for our existence in such a great community.

On Halloween, Horror and Exposure

2008-10-29T08:42:00.000-07:00

Halloween is just about here, and from a teachers perspective, I can tell you it is one of the worst days of the year. It is amazing how an over energized classroom full of kids can drain all the energy out of anyone 25 or older in a matter of minutes. That being said, we also all know what a great day it is for kids and how important it is to have a fun day once in a while.

I do not agree, at all, with the individuals who view Halloween as an "evil" day or satanic in any way. In fact, the day is very strongly rooted in Christian tradition (see the related article) and is nothing more than a fun day for kids. I vividly remember how absolutely magical Halloween was, dressing up as a hobo or a marine, and going out trick or treating. I never once thought of invoking the devil or summoning evil spirits. It was all about fun.

What I do have cocerns with regarding Halloween is the age appropriateness of some of the costumes children wear. The other day, I was privy to two second grade students arguing the merits of Michael Meyers, not the comedic actor, but the killer from the Halloween movies. I was horrified that these kids not only knew who he was, but knew him well enough to debate him. I refrain from making judgements about parental decisons because I know how difficult and crowded a day can get. Sometimes fast food may be the only option for a meal or a child may see a program that is not "child-friendly." But in this case, I did judge the parents. How is it that children seven years old are allowed to watch multiple "slasher movies" to the point of knowing dialogue? I find it inexcusable.

I never wanted to dress as a killer for Halloween because I was not exposed to killers as a child. I wanted to be a hobo because I read books about hobos (and infact,it was a career goal of mine for many years). Marines were heros and thats who I wanted to emmulate. Now it seems common place for young children to come dressed as some of the most brutal characters ever created for "entertainment purposes". They must be choosing the characters because they are familiar with them. The question then becomes, how are they familiar with them?

Parents can not relinquish their responsibility to monitor media for appropriateness. Children will be exposed to plenty of inappropriate material even with the most vigilant parents. I certainly think in the society in which we currently reside, it becomes more important than ever to limit exposure than we can limit and not glorify that which should not be glorified. It is often these same parents who just don't get it when their child acts out in a n aggresive or violent manner, since they never see that at home.

Truth about Halloween

2008-10-28T10:23:00.000-07:00

Halloween:
The Real Story!
Father Augustine Thompson, O.P.,

We’ve all heard the allegations. Halloween is a pagan rite dating back to some pre-Christian festival among the Celtic Druids that escaped Church suppression. Even today modern pagans and witches continue to celebrate this ancient festival. If you let your kids go trick-or-treating, they will be worshiping the devil and pagan gods.

Nothing could be further from the truth. The origins of Halloween are, in fact, very Christian and rather American. Halloween falls on October 31 because of a pope, and its observances are the result of medieval Catholic piety.

It’s true that the ancient Celts of Ireland and Britain celebrated a minor festival on Oct. 31 — as they did on the last day of most other months of the year. However, Halloween falls on the last day of October because the Feast of All Saints or "All Hallows" falls on Nov. 1. The feast in honor of all the saints in heaven used to be celebrated on May 13, but Pope Gregory III (d. 741) moved it to Nov. 1, the dedication day of All Saints Chapel in St. Peter’s at Rome. Later, in the 840s, Pope Gregory IV commanded that All Saints be observed everywhere. And so the holy day spread to Ireland. The day before was the feast’s evening vigil, "All Hallows Even" or "Hallowe’en." In those days, Halloween didn’t have any special significance for Christians or for long-dead Celtic pagans.

In 998, St. Odilo, the abbot of the powerful monastery of Cluny in Southern France, added a celebration on Nov. 2. This was a day of prayer for the souls of all the faithful departed. This feast, called All Souls Day, spread from France to the rest of Europe.

So now the Church had feasts for all those in heaven and all those in purgatory? What about those in the other place? It seems Irish Catholic peasants wondered about the unfortunate souls in hell. After all, if the souls in hell are left out when we celebrate those in heaven and purgatory, they might be unhappy enough to cause trouble. So it became customary to bang pots and pans on All Hallows Even to let the damned know they were not forgotten. Thus, in Ireland, at least, all the dead came to be remembered — even if the clergy were not terribly sympathetic to Halloween and never allowed All Damned Day into the Church calendar.

But that still isn’t our celebration of Halloween. Our traditions on this holiday centers around dressing up in fanciful costumes, which isn’t Irish at all. Rather, this custom arose in France during the 14th and 15th centuries. Late medieval Europe was hit by repeated outbreaks of the bubonic plague — the Black Death — and she lost about half her population. It is not surprising that Catholics became more concerned about the afterlife. More Masses were said on All Souls’ Day, and artistic representations were devised to remind everyone of their own mortality.

We know these representations as the "Dance Macabre" or "Dance of Death," which was commonly painted on the walls of cemeteries and shows the devil leading a daisy chain of people — popes, kings, ladies, knights, monks, peasants, lepers, etc. — into the tomb. Sometimes the dance was presented on All Souls’ Day itself as a living tableau with people dressed up in the garb of various states of life. But the French dressed up on All Souls, not Halloween; and the Irish, who had Halloween, did not dress up. How the two became mingled probably happened first in the British colonies of North America during the 1700s when Irish and French Catholics began to intermarry. The Irish focus on hell gave the French masquerades and even more macabre twist.

But, as every young ghoul knows, dressing up isn’t the point; the point is getting as many goodies as possible. Where on earth did "trick or treat" come in?

"Treat or treat" is perhaps the oddest and most American addition to Halloween, and is the unwilling contribution of English Catholics.

During the penal period of the 1500s to the 1700s in England, Catholics had no legal rights. They could not hold office and were subject to fines, jail and heavy taxes. It was a capital offense to say Mass, and hundreds of priests were martyred.

Occasionally, English Catholics resisted, sometimes foolishly. One of the most foolish acts of resistance was a plot to blow up the Protestant King James I and his Parliament with gunpowder. This was supposed to trigger a Catholic uprising against their oppressors. The ill-conceived Gunpowder Plot was foiled on Nov. 5, 1605, when the man guarding the gunpowder, a reckless convert named Guy Fawkes, was captured and arrested. He was hanged; the plot fizzled.

Nov. 5, Guy Fawkes’ Day, became a great celebration in England, and so it remains. During the penal periods, bands of revelers would put on masks and visit local Catholics in the dead of night, demanding beer and cakes for their celebration: trick or treat!

Guy Fawkes’ Day arrived in the American colonies with the first English settlers. But, buy the time of the American Revolution, old King James and Guy Fawkes had pretty much been forgotten. Trick or treat, though, was too much fun to give up, so eventually it moved to Oct. 31, the day of the Irish-French masquerade. And in America, trick or treat wasn’t limited to Catholics.

The mixture of various immigrant traditions we know as Halloween had become a fixture in the Unites States by the early 1800s. To this day, it remains unknown in Europe, even in the countries from which some of the customs originated.

But what about witches? Well, they are one of the last additions. The greeting card industry added them in the late 1800s. Halloween was already "ghoulish," so why not give witches a place on greeting cards? The Halloween card failed (although it has seen a recent resurgence in popularity), but the witches stayed. So, too, in the late 1800s, ill-informed folklorists introduced the jack-o’-lantern. They thought that Halloween was druidic and pagan in origin. Lamps made from turnips (not pumpkins) had been part of ancient Celtic harvest festivals, so they were translated to the American Halloween celebration.

The next time someone claims that Halloween is a cruel trick to lure your children into devil worship, I suggest you tell them the real origin of All Hallows Even and invite them to discover its Christian significance, along with the two greater and more important Catholic festivals that follow it.

Essay on Parenting

2008-10-18T06:31:00.000-07:00

For the last twenty years of my life, I have made a living teaching and telling parents how they should raise their children. I was very well schooled in theory and felt like I had a very logical answer for virtually every problem that arose. Slightly over 18 months ago, that all changed when my daughter was born. While I think I have always known this deep down inside, theory is great, practice is a bit more difficult. This new found philosophy was recently confirmed upon taking my daughter to her pediatrician. She too has recently had her first child, and I asked her how rigidly she was able to adhere to her own and advice, and she grudgingly admitted it was not always so easy to do.

As a young teacher, I would get offended when people told me that I didn't understand certain situations and practices, because I did not have kids. It did not deter me, however, from reiterating the theory I was already espousing, and letting them know that what I had to say was really what was best for their child.

Their is an emotional factor to parenting that can never truly be separated from the decision making process. We all want to do what is best for our child, but we also all know that what your child suffer through a bad decision, hurt themselves as they investigate, or sometimes, just the desire to do things the "easy" way cause us to interfere or make bad decisions, even though we know it is not what is in the child's best interest. Other times, we may be so intent on them learning a lesson that we let the lesson override what we know we should do as a parent. Most of them time, it is hard to decipher what is the right thing to do in any situation.

So while I understand, now more than ever, the reality of being a parent, I also hope that my child has some of those theory-driven teachers who can point out to me what I can do to best help my child. I want the teacher who does not let emotion beat out common sense when it comes to my child's development, and I want the teacher who is not afraid to tell it to me like it truly is. I hope I am the parent who is able to listen with an open mind and truly understand that my child's teacher has her best interest at heart. I hope that I am truly able to comprehend that if I truly want what is best for my daughter, I will try to apply the suggestions of that teacher and work with her teachers to ensure that she succeeds. I hope my mind is not closed when I hear things that are difficult to hear about the child I know is wonderful and then I hope I will do everything I can to help make her an independent, successful child. Lastly, I hope I will be compassionate when my child fails and understand that these failures should be turned into the most valuable learning experiences of her life.

And then, on the way home, I will probably buy her an ice cream before dinner and tell her not to tell her mom.

A School for All Ages

2008-09-08T13:07:00.000-07:00

Despite its continual decline in quality and content, I still thoroughly enjoy the Los Angeles Times. I used to consider it the best paper in the nation, whereas now, I think its a good paper. In contrast to my assessment regarding its perceived decline, I am fairly happy with one area of coverage that seems to have increased in recent times, that being articles that pertain to educational issues.

One of these articles recently spoke about a movement in the public schools to eliminate junior high schools and have the schools include grades kindergarten to eighth. As anyone who has been involved in Catholic schools is aware, this has always been our model and a relatively successful model at that.

The irony here is that we have had numerous discussions over the last several years, both at the school level and in principal meetings, about the difficulty of providing programs that cater to all these grade levels. To solidify the point a bit, try considering how you would plan a birthday party that would keep a 5 year old and a 14 year old entertained. The same challenges that you could foresee in this scenario are prevalent in a school environment. We want our school to be inclusive and communal, but the reality is an assembly about Martin Luther King cannot possibly keep all the age groups enraptured to the same degree or teach the same lesson to all these students.

We have discussed the benefits of regional schools, including junior highs and pre-kindergartens and it may be a direction the schools in our area eventually go; but then again, it may never happen. That does not solve the dilemma we are currently faced with in a PK-8 school.

Fortunately, in our meetings prior to the start of school, we as a faculty finally addressed the elephant that has always been in the room. We cannot possibly do everything for every age group and do it well. Some of what we plan for the year may only be appropriate for children of a specific age group or grade level, and that's ok. It will not cause us to lose the community aspect of Holy Angels, thanks in part to programs like our school families. By allowing the children to gather several times a month, as a "family", we will continue to keep our commnity strong, teach leadership and responsibility to our older students, and allow our younger students interaction with older kids who are cool simply because they are older.

As with anything that is kid-generated and run, we will have some bumps in the road. We are aware of this and we prepare for it. By critiquing instead of criticizing, and providing guidance instead of directives, we will help all of our students to grow and become the responsible citizens that are highlighted in our school wide learning expectations.

Lazy Man's Blog (Apologies to Ben Stein)

2008-08-06T10:28:00.000-07:00

I am too lazy to write too much over the summer, but I have had some interesting thoughts sent to me, so I decided to steal them and post them here.

The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.

My confession: I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees.. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are: Christmas trees. It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu . If people want a crèche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.

I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat. Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship Nick and Jessica and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where Nick and Jessica came from and where the America we knew went to.

In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking. Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her 'How could God let something like this happen?' (regarding Katrina) Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, 'I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?'

In light of recent events... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found recently) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK. Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said OK.Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace. Are you laughing yet? Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it. Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us. Pass it on if you think it has merit. If not then just discard it... no one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in.

My Best Regards, Honestly and respectfully,
Ben Stein

Of Primary Importance

2008-06-11T07:45:00.000-07:00

This morning, the results of a new study regarding education were published in the L.A. Times. The findings indicated that a student's probability of passing the public schools' high school exit exam could be predicted fairly accurately as early as fourth grade. The indicators included a student's grades, their scores on standardized tests, and, somewhat surprisingly, their classroom conduct.

The reason a believe this is of particular note is not due to a students ability to pass a high school exit exam. I have never seen one nor its content, (and I have my scepticism about its true value. ) However, I do find that this supports a philosophy I have embraced for many years.

If you consider that these indicators can be recognized as early as fourth grade, it would seem to make sense that everything done prior to fourth grade has contributed to these indicators. I have always said that the primary grades are the most important grades in a child's school life.

Parents of primary aged children: you have the opportunity right now to truly shape your child's scholastic success by establishing good habits, expecting your child to do his or her best, and establishing habits that will lead to a successful child.

I have been preaching this mantra for twenty years. It is only in the last year and a half (which just so happens to coincide with the birth of my daughter) that I have realized how difficult this truly is. The theory is sound, but the practice is much more taxing. However, I continually refer back to this "theory" when it would be much easier to give in to my daughter than do what I know is right. Be it eating vegetables, taking her pacifier away from her, or requiring her to pick up the mess she has made, I try and forgo the easy road so as to better her as a person. The same practices hold true regarding what you expect of your child in school.

If you have ever tried to rid yourself of a bad habit, you know how difficult it is to do. The same is true of good habits. Ensure that you establish good habits in your children, one's that they will take with them into the upper grades of education, and you will ensure your child achieves his or her best. Putting in the earlt work will result in a lifetime of payoff for you and your children.

Summer Schedules

2008-05-29T14:05:00.000-07:00

Ready or not, summer is quickly approaching and the unenviable task of keeping your children occupied is coming along with it. As I have often stated, I am a huge proponent of not scheduling every minute of every day for your child. Instead, allow them time to be creative, to develop their imagination and think up ways on their own to stay occupied. This simple step can have a very positive consequence in the classroom, when they are expected to explore problems, rather than just follow given directions. Not to mention, kids need a break combined with some time to relax.

That being said, Holy Angels will continue with mandatory summer reading for our students. I think this is a component of your child’s development that is crucial to their success in virtually all aspects of life and will be encouraged throughout next year, but not if reading becomes a burdensome task that has to be completed in a very limited time frame. In the coming week, you will be receiving a list of books that are readily available at local bookstores and libraries. I know some people have the habit of waiting until mid-August to look for these books, but do yourself a favor and look into getting the novels a bit sooner. Give them the opportunity to read and enjoy, not just read because they have to!

Our kids live in a world much different than the one we grew up in. However, if we recall the truly great moments of our childhood, we have to remember that our children deserve the same opportunity to enjoy life (and summer.) Keep things balanced and allow children time to just be kids, while giving them the opportunity to stay mentally sharp and engaged .

The Gift of Teachers

2008-05-20T14:57:00.000-07:00

We are a little behind the eight-ball as we honor our teachers and staff this week with Teacher Appreciation Week. I think it is extremely important to take a moment to pay tribute to the faculty and staff of Holy Angels. I have said this often, and am very genuine when I state that we have the best faculty I have ever had the fortune to work with. None of our staff come here slowly to receive a paycheck. They are here because of their dedication to Catholic education and Holy Angels School.

The career of an educator has many misconceptions about it. Some of these include that teachers only work ten months a year. Any teacher dedicated to their profession works during the summer doing their lesson plans for the year, attending professional development seminars, preparing their room and attending classes.

Another may be that their day ends at 3:00 PM. Again, I have never met a teacher whose day ended once the students leave. Correcting papers, preparing for the next day, extra tutoring, and meeting with parents are all part of the work day that takes place after 3:00 PM.

Sometimes, the fact that everyone has attended school often leads to the belief that they have a better way of doing things or, at the very least, the ability to see what a teacher is doing wrong. Anyone who has ever had a birthday party for more than four kids knows that managing a group of children requires more than just telling them what to do!

In order to honor our teachers, the greatest gift a teacher can receive is a letter of gratitude written by his or her student. A card written from the heart has much greater meaning than any gift a teacher could be given.

Holy Angels School is fortunate to have a staff of teachers who spend countless hours of their days dedicated to the students they serve. I am honored to be able to work amongst such a hard working group of individuals. We will honor our wonderful teachers all week with a variety of meals and ceremonies. I challenge each of our families to do the same!

Parish Unity

2008-05-06T10:52:00.000-07:00

One of the strengths of Catholic schools in general, and Holy Angels in particular, is community. I have never been in a Catholic school where the communities were not closely bound and supportive, and I believe Holy Angels embodies this to a greater degree than any of the schools I have been at.

One component of this community that can show weakness, however, is the school's view of where it fits in the parish. It seems often times, we want the benefits of parish support without offering that same support in return. Over the weekend we had the opportunity to be part of a true parish event when all the children of the parish had the opportunity to receive the Eucharist for the first time. Complaints are some times levied that this sacrament should be celebrated with the school and religious education classes as separate entities, but this only furthers the misconception that we are not all part of one parish. We cannot make the claim of being an active parishioner only when it means receiving a discounted tuition rate while wanting complete separation from the parish on other occasions.

We all benefit by being active members of a united parish. Working together, celebrating together and worshiping together allows us to accomplish much more than it would if every ministry of the parish pilots its own ship. Parish support is not a one-sided proposition, nor will it be of ultimate benefit to Holy Angels School or Holy Angels Parish. Our greatest accomplishments will come from uniting together as one.

Authentic Learning

2008-04-21T10:53:00.000-07:00

We recently had a faculty meeting that was focused on standardized testing, scores, and their relevance and validity. I believe that each individual teacher has his or her own opinion regarding these issues, but generally speaking, we see them as one indicator of student achievement, but not the primary indicator, or even an extremely relevant indicator. I could probably spend the next three months writing about thees rationales and the pros and cons supporting them, but more importantly, it got me thinking more about true "learning"

I have written numerous times about grades vs. learning, the difference between the two, and the ideological world it would be wonderful to live in regarding these issues. Standardized tests raise even more of these discussions. But the day after our meeting, the fourth grade class was involved in a project where they built structures and then tested their ability to withstand a simulated earthquake.

Take a moment to think about what is a better representation of "authentic" learning. I would be willing to bet most of those children will be able to discuss this project many years from now and what they learned. (They do so now, with great enthusiasm.) It will never be asked about on a standardized test, it will never be tested on a piece of paper, but it may very well spark a child's interest in engineering or architecture. It may also help a child to understand all that goes into the completion of a project, how to work with others, and how to be responsible to their group. Again, no learning that will show up on a written test.

As standardized tests become more and more the "norm" for gaging a school's success, we need to keep in mind that assessment has many forms, and many of the skills taught in the classroom will never receive a percent, a stanine or a grade.

Diversity of Interests

2008-04-17T11:53:00.001-07:00

Congratulations go out to many different factions of our student body over the last several weeks! Our boys and girls soccer teams recently competed in the CYO Annual Tournament, and both teams played well. Our girls team advanced into the second round, before being defeated on Wednesday 2-1. Watching our teams play was extremely rewarding, primarily because they represented our school well as athletes and as people!

Also taking place on Wednesday was our first ever music recital, which featured performances from over twenty different students or collaborations. I was extremely impressed with all the participants, and floored by the talent that showed itself that evening, ranging form vocal performances, to solo instrument performances and group collaborations and dance. Very impressive, to say the least.

All the Holy Angels students who participated in the recent Civitan track meet must also be recognized, once again for performing well and also for representing the school in a very positive manner.

We have recently seen the reemergence of a cheer leading squad, and Mrs. Bennett's drama and dance classes continue to be extremely popular and well received.

It is so easy to focus on what we "should" have, but I am still impressed by all that we do have. We are fortunate to have coaches, teachers and volunteers who create programs that speak to our children and their diversity of interests. Hopefully this is a trend that will continue throughout Holy Angel's existence.

When Parenting Means Staying Out Of It!

2008-04-07T09:30:00.001-07:00

Several years ago, when I first took the position at Holy Angels, I was on the playground and heard one of the yard monitors telling the kids not to run on the playground. When I asked her why she was telling them not to run, she said it was because they might fall and get hurt. My response was that sometimes, kids have to fall and get hurt.

As parents, we constantly want to "catch" our children, not allowing them to get hurt in any way. This can be taken literally, but it also has a much stronger figurative meaning. We want our children to learn to deal with the world in which they will live. All types of personalities exist in this world. Some of our kids are very passive while others are more aggressive. Some may be bullies while others are constantly concerned with the injustices faced by others. These same personalities exist amongst adults. To be functioning, effective adults, we need to allow our kids to learn how to deal with these different personalities on their own. We should provide the tools necessary, but they must apply their use properly.

Being a relatively shy child made it very difficult when my parents made me handle situations myself. If a child was picking on me, I was responsible for dealing with it. If someone owed me money, (I had paper route, and people loved to ignore a ten year old asking them for money!) I had to collect it. My parents could have easily stepped in to many situations and taken care of them, but they allowed me and all of their children to handle things themselves, and ultimately, helped create independent, self-reliant individuals.

Too often in elementary schools, parents let children's issues become adult issues. When we step in and try to handle situations for kids, we don't allow them the opportunity to grow and become strong, confident teenagers. In fact, we end up holding them captives to ourselves, when the expectation that mom or dad will always take care of their problems. (I have even been told about parents who have accosted their child's college professors over grades!)

As I often say, consider the individual you want your child to become when making decisions involving your child. Momentary discomfort will pass, and the lessons learned by a child dealing with a situation on his or her own is invaluable.

Student Preparation

2008-04-01T13:21:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I received an email form a parent with a link to a YouTube video that really had some amazing implications regarding education, as well as the state of our world. While much of it dealt with the changes or differences in populations amongst some of our most populated countries, what stood out the most to me, as an educator, was the information and implications regarding the labor market in coming years, and how it will effect today's students.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljbI-363A2Q

At the last CPTA, I was talking about our attempt to prepare students for the world in which they will live, not the world we grew up in. However, according to this video, the top ten jobs in demand in 2010 did not exist in 2004! Additionally, we are preparing our kids today for jobs that don't yet exist, using technologies that have not yet been invented, in order to solve problems we don't even know are problems yet. A great deal of additional information regarding world population and technologies is included in the video and is well worth viewing, but, again, it seemed to imply that it was almost impossible to repare students for the world in which they will work.

If we think back to our own childhood, many of us are of the age that computers were just starting to be used, and using them wasa major annoyance. Children today are digital natives, versus most adults who are digital immigrants. Many adults today still struggle with technologies that our children regard as simplistic. While the information contained in the video was initially overwhelming and almost made going to school seem futile, 24 hours later it gave me pause to think and maybe a new perspective as to what we need to focus on in school.

Foundation skills are obviously important and crucial to the future development of any child's success. But in addition to these skills, it seems to becoming more apparent that their is no way we could possibly prepare them for technologies we don't even know about. So maybe what we need to spend much more time on, as educators and as parents is problem solving. On one hand, this is not new information, and we have already identified this is an area we need to improve upon with our students. However, now more than ever, it seems that maybe this will be the number one skill necessary to ensure success in the "world of tomorrow." It is a skill that will be applicable to any career, profession or technology that comes along in the future. Any thoughts?

Bad Televison Habits

2008-03-12T11:14:00.000-07:00

Some things are more difficult to admit than others. I think we all hesitate to admit our mistakes or wrongs we have committed, and I am no different. So it pains me to admit that I was recently watching Dr. Phil. Before you completely discount anything I write from her on end, it was not an episode of Dr. Phil's House. It was, however, and episode regarding sexual predators and it actually had alot of valuable information.

One of the panelists was an admitted child predator and he described how he, in the 70's, would pick up and victimize young children who were hitchhiking. He then went on to state that the Internet is where children hitchhike today. I thought this was a very poignant point.

I have stated my concern over in the past about Internet safety for our kids. I do feel it is one of the greatest dangers our children face today. Not because of content ( although sometimes) but because, as it has been stated, it often times invites individuals with less than noble intentions directly into our living rooms.

To that end, we will be having a duo of speakers coming to discuss internet safety with parents on April 9 at 7:00 PM. Simply stated, no matter how savvy you believe you are when it comes to this topic, children are one up on us. Furthermore, the criminal mind is capable of accomplishing extremely creative ways to further its own agenda. Too much education can never hurt in this realm.

My hope is that this has frightened you a little bit. Be it due to my watching of Dr. Phil, or because of the dangers our children face, we hope it will result in your attendance on the 9th.

Do We Have All We Want?

2008-02-29T06:18:00.000-08:00

Seven of our teachers have been members of WASC teams in the last two years. These teacher work with a committee to ensure our fellow Catholic schools are teaching what they should be teaching, have a plan in place for improvement and and offer as complete a program as possible. The goal for every school is to receive the maximum six year accreditation.

With many of us, what has become glaringly evident is how truly fortunate we are at Holy Angels. We truly have an abundance, in terms of staffing, resources, funding and extra curricular activities. We so often can get caught up in what we don't have, ( Spanish classes, new bathrooms, new asphalt, new sports uniforms), that we fail to see how much we do have.

The first school I worked at, and which I stayed at for twelve years, was one such school. We did not have supplies as basic as paper. Many of our textbooks were hand me downs from other schools. Many of our teachers are going to schools very similar to this. I personally went to a school where the students said, among many other more relevant topics, that they just wanted some playground equipment.

We are a blessed community, much of this due to the hard work of our parents. But we must not forget one of the basic tenets of Catholicism, which is social justice. We have many wants at our school, but our needs are fulfilled. As we move ahead, and continue to improve our school, we must not forget our responsibility to help those who do not have their needs met. I think it might be a good component to add into all of our fundraising efforts as we look for ways to continue to make our school a great Catholic school.

The Saints Come Marching In!

2008-02-28T11:13:00.000-08:00

It's always the most fun to use this space to highlight some of the great events that are taking place at Holy Angels. One of the "rites of passage" every second grade student remembers is their Saint Report and Presentation. Each year, the students get to pick a saint, research them, and present them to classmates and parents, while in costume. It encompasses so many of our Schoolwide Learning Expectations, including "Catholics of Living Faith", Confident Communicators", "Lifelong Learners.

As always, the second graders did a great job, and we are very proud of them as they take another step towards receiving their First Holy Eucharist. Great Job!

Being a Catholic School ( Part 1!)

2008-02-26T07:20:00.000-08:00

I have stated many times, to many people, I don't put a lot of relevance into what school a child goes to. Public or private, inner city or suburban, a "good" school or a "bad" school, it's all irrelevant. I have known students who have gone to school's labeled as "bad" who have received tremendous educations and gone on to great success. Similarly, I know children who have gone to school's that are considered excellent who have dropped out of school.

As an educator, I do feel the most important component of a child's success in school is his or her home life. We always state that parents are the primary educators, and I agree with this statement whole-heartedly. We at the schools have the tools the students needs to learn, but the parent is the one who will make sure a child uses those tools correctly and understands the importance of their use.

That being said, I think one important factor one should consider in choosing a school is the environment of the school. In my twenty years of teaching, I have always been impressed with the environment of the Catholic schools I have worked in, and this includes Holy Angels. It's a good place for kids to be.

Of course we have discipline issues at the school, although they are rarely severe issues. One thing to remember, however, is that they are almost always children's issues. So often, adults look at a situation from an adult perspective, and completely ignore the fact that childhood is a time for kids to screw up! They are supposed too make mistakes, and then learn from those mistakes. That is how they become responsible adults.

We have a responsibility to view what children do from this perspective. As a Catholic not only do we have this responsibility in dealing with kids who are normally well-behaved, but also with the students who may be a bit more challenging. We also need to consider what may be causing such behavior. Jesus did not preach amongst those who did not need him. He concentrated on the sinners, because he knew that is where he was most needed.

Again, we are fortunate to have relatively few discipline issues at Holy Angels. But we must remember the reason we exist as a Catholic school and adhere to these principles instead of just providing them lip service.

41st Annual Jockey Game!!

2008-02-19T13:27:00.000-08:00

If you have never been to our Annual Jockey Game, don't let this year pass without participating. If you have been before, then you know what a great time this is. On Thursday night, our Varsity Basketball team will be challenging the jockeys form Santa Anita for the 41st time! This is a great opportunity for the entire Holy Angels community to come together for no other reason than to have fun, cheer on our kids, and enjoy the evening.

A special thanks goes out to all the participants from Santa Anita, who have been supporting Holy Angels as long as the school has been in existence.

Don't forget...7:00 PM...LaSalle High School...Holy Angels vs. the Jockeys! We hope to see you there!

The Truth About Holy Angels

2008-02-15T10:22:00.000-08:00

Every now and then certain rumors come to my attention, most notably because it is brought up numerous times by individuals who "heard" something, usually in the parking lot. Some of the most prevalent of late include the following:

Myth- It is required of all families to sell two raffle tickets for the auction.
Reality- No one is required to sell any raffle tickets. This raffle is an opportunity for us to raise funds beyond our normal school community. It has the potential to bring in $20,000 for the school if everyone sells an average of two tickets. The prizes are great, the odds are better than most raffles and the outcomes could greatly help Holy Angels School.

Myth- We are eliminating SCRIP at Holy Angels.
Reality- We recently discussed the fundraising situation at a CPTA Meeting. For a Catholic school, we have a very miniscule amount of mandatory fundraising. This is partially due to so many families participating in the non-mandatory fundraising. In any event, we are also aware that is seems from the moment we return to school, we are asking parents to buy something, or give to something else. We know it gets overwhelming. We are looking to make this process less burdensome and less continuous, while maintaining the income we need to maintain our programs. Bringing in extra funds at an event like the auction (i.e. previously mentioned raffle tickets) allows us the flexibility to eliminate other fundraising. SCRIP is a potential fundraiser to overhaul or eliminate, since we know the requirements can be difficult to meet, the amount of work to maintain the program is enormous and keeping track of your totals can be difficult.

Myth-Holy Angels is redoing the bathrooms.
Reality- We are constantly assessing the needs of the school, the children, and their safety. We have identified a plethora of needs in the school, and would love to address each and every one of them tomorrow. The reality is that funding, needs versus wants, and alternate remedies all have to be taken into account before any decisions are made. In addition, Holy Angels Parish is currently involved in a master facility planning situation that may render some changes unnecessary or obsolete in several years. The bathrooms are one area of focus, but are by no means the only area of focus, and no decisions have been made. Final decisions will be made based upon what is best for ALL the students of Holy Angels.

The fundamental purpose of this blog is to adress topics concerning Holy Angels School, and I hope this helps dispell some of the misinformation currently circulating!

Are We A Parish School?

2008-02-13T11:10:00.000-08:00

We have recently been going through the process of testing new applicants for the school and meeting with each family. Probably the number one point I have been making with these new families is the importance of being not just an active school family, but active parishioners as well.

Many years ago, Catholic schools were parish schools, with the population of the school being made up parishioners. More and more, we are seeing Catholic schools become commuter schools, with the population coming from outside the parish boundaries. The result is we have very active school families, and very active parish families, but not as much interaction between the two as in the past. Ultimately, some activities are viewed as "parish" events and others as "school" events. This is not a good situation for either entity.

Holy Angels exists because sixty years ago, a group of dedicated parishioners worked to raise the funds necessary to build the school. We are all reaping the benefits of their labor. It is our responsiblity to continue this tradition for the next generation of Holy Angels students and parishioners The school is a ministry of the parish, supported by the parish and should be comprised of parishioners who are active beyond the $400 criteria used to define an "active" parishioner.

Catholic schools provide a great environmnet for children to grow, academically and morally. Catholic schools will only remain strong if they remain connected to, and involved with, the parish that they are an outgrowth of. It is the responsibility of every parent at Holy Angels who receives a lowered tuition because of their "active" status to truly be active parishioners and strenghten the bonds between the church and school in order to ensure a strong, vibrant and relevant school for the future generations.

Safeguard The Children

2008-02-11T14:20:00.001-08:00

Regarding my inaction on the blog lately, it is not because of a lack of material. In fact, I have an over abundance of topics to cover, but time limitations have prevented me from getting to them!

First and foremost, one of the recent events taking place at Holy Angels has been the reactivation of our Safeguard the Children Committee. For those of you unfamiliar with this committee, it was mandated by the Archdiocese roughly seven years ago for all parishes as a way of ensuring the safety of all the children of Catholic schools and Religious Education from any type of predatory behaviors or individuals.

After accomplishing initial goals, the committees seemed to fade out in many communities, including Holy Angels. Last year, as an end product of an audit process we completed, we made the decison to re-commit to Safeguard the Children.

The focus of this committee has been modified a bit, with our purpose now focusing on identifying dangers throughout the parish and making the entire community as safe as possible for children. While this may include fingerprinting volunteers and educating parents on the dangers of predators within the world we live, it also will include highlighting areas that may be dangerous in a physical sense, or practices we can institute to best ensure all our children's safety.

Currently, the committee meets at 7:00 pm on the first Monday of each month. Parent and parish involvement is the cornerstone of making this committee the most beneficial it can be. Currently, we have a parent information night planned, a booklet to be distributed at the start of next year, and a grounds walk-through to point out potential hazards. Any individuals interested in offering input are welcome to join us at our next meeting.

Parent Input

2008-01-25T15:25:00.000-08:00

I have to admit that many times I awaken at night thinking of topics that I need to pontificate about on this blog. Nine times out of ten, the idea that I consider brilliant at 2:00 AM is forgotten by the time my alarm goes off. Much of the next day can be spent trying to recall what exactly it was that was such a brilliant idea. The reality is, often times what I end up writing about comes at the suggestion of a parent or teacher. These suggestions are often much better than anything I can come up with on my own.

Collaboration between all of us is crucial to the well-being of our school. The other evening at our Parent Meeting, when I stated that I truly did not know how to remedy the problem of absentee parents from these mandatory meetings, I was genuine in my quandary. I know I can charge people who fail to show up, or continue to rewards those who do in some way, but that does not solve the root of the problem. My hope is that maybe a parent has a suggestion or idea that might help the problem.

More to the point, however, is my hope that parents would show up to our meetings because they find value in them. I understand that some times schedules dictate where we can and cannot be, and putting aside my multiple miscues and wise cracks to cover them up, I want parents to leave a meeting with a new perspective on something at the school, a pressing question answered, or a thought provoked. I never want to fill a meeting with useless information just for the sake of having a meeting. I want it to have relevance.

One thing I have learned over my years of education is that my concerns for the school do not always mirror parents' concerns. We view the school from different perspectives often times. This is why I always invite parent input at our meetings. I want to ensure the meetings address what you the parents want to know.

Equally important, I want parents to attend a meeting because it is an important element of their child's education. I would love our parents to leave a meeting feeling like they may be in a position to better help their child succeed in school.

I hope parents continue to offer support, input and critiques of what is going on at Holy Angels. It is the best way we can be sure that our school stays focused on all the needs of all of our students.

Continuing Development At Our School

2008-01-17T09:21:00.000-08:00

We have many different boards and organizations at Holy Angels involved in numerous facets of the school. Some, such as the CPTA, are fairly well known, in regards to their membership and responsibilities. Others, such as the Development Board or Facilities Committee are less visible, but equally important to the school.

Holy Angels School and parish, have been making great efforts to address some of our physical plant issues that may have been overlooked. In some cases, what should have been preventive maintenance issues have become major projects due to neglect.

Just last weekend, one of those projects was the installation of new woods chips in our swing structure, a monumental task that was accomplished through the great efforts of a number of our parents.

Our Development Board has been very active in an attempt to prioritize these needs throughout the school, as well as to find ways to fund them. Major projects that have been discussed recently include renovations of the classrooms, re-doing the blacktop, upgrading the restrooms, and improvements to our field. These are just some of the ideas.

The most important action we can take to ensure that these projects will continue to happen and improvements be made is to ensure that we continue to have a strong enrollment. With new student registration currently taking place, we need the help of our parents to direct new families to our school. Word of mouth from our parents is the best advertising for Holy Angels. Holy Angels has a strong enrollment and a waiting list in most of our grades. But we can never get complacent and rest on our laurels. The community: parents, teachers and administration, has to be proactive in the recruitment of new students.

Nothing is as satisfying for me as a principal than to have a new family apply for the school and tell me what wonderful things they have heard about the school. We do have a lot to be proud of, and we need to let others know about it. Please contiue to direct new families to our school, tellothers about our school, and play a vital role in the further upgrades that will take place at Holy Angels.

Readers Response

2008-01-10T07:23:00.000-08:00

The folllowing are two responses to my ramblings that the writers were unable to get posted:

In response to "Educational Challenge:

As a teacher who has spent now half of my life teaching in Catholic schools, I am mystified by the entire discussion. First off,I want to know how these kids are being compared. What tests/assessments are being used in the comparisons? No one has ever told me this. Secondly, what value is there in this constant comparison? I haven't figured that out either. We Americans are a rather reactionary people. I recall that when we thought the Russians would beat us to the moon (Oh my!) we suddenly decided that every American child needed more science instruction. So there we went. That group is now working at JPL trying to get spacecrafts to far off places in the solar system or trying to contact E.T. (Yes, E.T.)But now, that is just not where it's at for Americans, so in many public schools, science is an afterthought at best. As to math, I agree with Mr. Carroll, why are we pushing our kids to learn a concept, like algebra, before their minds have developed the necessary abstract thinking capabilities. Half the time kids do not even know why we are trying to teach them what we are teaching them. And sadly, we often can not even tell them; but it's in the book, so they better learn it.

It seems to me, as Mrs. Yenny suggests, we are a bit confused these days about what it means to be "educated" or what schools and teachers should be focused on. In fact, a basic tenet of educational practice that does not take much of an education to understand is called "time on task". I learned this as a new teacher. Simply stated it means there is a direct correlation between the time you spend doing something (practice) and the resulting product (learning). Hmmmmm.

The curriculum today is jammed with so much "stuff" (often at the discretion of a non-teaching world) that the teacher and student often feel overwhelmed.
Speaking for myself, on many days I spend time trying to decide what I should focus on for the benefit of my students and what will have to be left out, because there just is not enough time in the school day for it all (Yes, 4:00 dismissal sounds good to me!!). My grandparents and parents did not have this kind of a school experience, that I am sure of. It was the "3 R's" along with a whole lot less "extra-curricular" distraction in their world when growing up.

In any event, I guess it is important to note that our kids today have learned a lot of stuff that I never have and never will.I have a feeling these things will serve them well in the years ahead.

(By the way, no one ever taught me how to use a computer when I was in grade school, or high school for that matter, but I seem to have mastered at least the basics.)
In the meantime, let's keep encouraging our kids to work hard and believe in their ability to learn. Let's challenge them to excellence by expecting them to do their best.
Let's teach them what we know and value and give them real opportunities to use what they have learned. And I'm pretty sure all will be well.

Mr. Kristoff

In response to the "Hidden Accomplishments":

I haven't been successful in commenting on the blog, but wanted to send an email to recognize the teachers in Pre-K and Kindergarten who put on the Christmas program for those grades. Though I'm sure the level of organization pales in comparison to the larger event, it is such a special program and one of my very favorite experiences at Holy Angels thus far. I think it is especially meaningful to the children, because it is so age appropriate. I am so very appreciative of all that Mrs. Mac, Ms. Melinda and the other teachers do to enable our children to shine in their own special way.

Clare Maher

Thank you to every member of the Holy Angels community who offers input!

The Hidden Accomplishments of Our Teachers

2008-01-07T15:38:00.000-08:00

For those of you who attended our Christmas Program, you know what a truly beautiful program it was. Afterwards, it was quite easy to accept all the accolades from parents who were equally moved by the program, but it certainly would not be fair.

The accolades for the evening's program have to go to our faculty. As the students processed in at the program's conclusion, I was wondering how many parents who ever experienced the frenzy of putting together a birthday party for ten children realized what a truly spectacular occurrence it was to move three hundred students reverently into the Church, onto the altar, while singing such a beautiful rendition of Silent Night.

This year, the faculty of Holy Angels worked as a committee to make sure the program went well. I have to admit that some friction existed shoed itself along the way, but I think that's actually one of the strengths of working as a committee. When varying thoughts and viewpoints are considered, heads will bump occasionally, but ultimately, you come out with a superior end product. That's what our faculty accomplished.

Christmas programs are a great deal of work and actually very stressful for teachers. They are expected to continue to keep the students focused on their school work, while practicing and polishing their performances, and try and get the students to ignore the excitement of the upcoming holiday. Our faculty did an excellent job and need to be commended for everything they ALL did to make the program work.

Probably the two staff members who undertook the greatest bulk of the work were Mr. D'Leon, in teaching the students a multitude of traditional Christmas songs, in other languages, and Mrs. Bennett, who arranged the beautiful Nativity Scene and helped choreograph many other aspects of the program.

I think it is often overlooked that our teachers voluntarily take on many extra assignments outside of the classroom. Every one of them has taken on days of significance this year, be it during Catholic Schools Week or events like the Art Show or Grandparent's Day. We need to be thankful that we have a staff capable of working together, while sharing talents that ultimately go towards the improvement of the school experience for our students. Thank you to all our teachers.

What I Did Over My Christmas Vacation

2008-01-06T14:47:00.000-08:00

Virtually every person reading this can identify with the horrors of receiving this, or a like assignment, upon return to school after an extended break. (I have to confess to assigning this paper more than once!) As I began writing this blog, the topic was to recognize our teachers for some outstanding work ( coming tomorrow) but it very quickly ended up going in another direction. I was ruminating over what I wanted to get done at the school during the break and bothered at certain projects I failed to complete, when it struck me that some excellent upgrades have occurred over the break at Holy Angels that could easily go unnoticed by many of our families.

First and foremost, we are pleased to have almost completed the installation of computer projectors and screens in all the classrooms, thanks to the funds raised from our recent Jog-a-Thon. These projectors will greatly aid in bringing to fruition the promise held by having computers in the classrooms. Now, teachers can use the Internet, streaming video, pre-written notes and lessons, along with and more engaging graphics and learning tools in a format that will allow all the students to view them simultaneously. I think it is an exciting upgrade to our classrooms, and will really help our teachers to keep their lessons fresh, relevant and engaging.

Also, at the end of this week, we will be receiving a shipment of long overdue wood chips to replace the ones currently in our swing and slide structure. Maybe not as exciting as computer projectors, but badly needed and a definite upgrade towards ensuring our students remain as safe as possible. This money is coming form Angels Among Us funds, once again donated by friends and families of Holy Angels.

Finally, we have just about completed the input of all our library books into our new cataloging system, allowing all our books to be looked up on computer. This has probably been one of the most labor intensive and completely monotonous tasks any person could undertake, but our new librarian, Mrs. Chowdhary, has been vigilant in this job, and is a excited about it being completed as I am. We have also just ordered over 250 brand new books for the library, with the funds coming, once again, from supporters of the school.

Thank you to every individual who has donated towards are many projects in my last three years at Holy Angels. I am gratified by your generosity and excited by the way it continues to improve the school experience for our students. We have lots more to do, and we will do it, and it continues to be inspired by the holy Angels community. Happy New Year.

(One of) Today's Educational Challenges!

2007-12-18T10:20:00.000-08:00

I was reading an article recently about America's declining scores in math and science and how other industrialized nations test scores have surpassed our own. I have to say I am at a loss for this decline, as it seems we are expecting more and more of our students each year.

I can't imagine any adult has looked at a child's textbook in the past five years and not marveled at what students are learning now versus what we learned at the same grade level. Perhaps that is part of the problem. As we are constantly forced to "up" our curriculum to stay on pace with what other schools are doing, not to high school expectations, we may be exposing our children to too much too soon.

As children's mature, their brains are also developing and it is only at specific developmental stages that they are capable of certain thought processes. This development continues through their teen years, but we often forget this because the child "looks like an adult." If a child is expected to comprehend concepts before they are capable of grasping them, perhaps our students are convincing themselves that they are incapable of doing well in these areas and thus they stop trying.

Another possibility may be what seems like an increased emphasis on athletics over academics. It seems with the advent of club sports, high school sports agents, etc., more and more people are identifying athletics as their child's route to college and beyond and school work is taking a back seat. Similarly, the overly regimented schedules many of today's youth follow allow very little, if any, free time. Children need to be bored if they are going to develop their creativity and imagination, which can be essential elements of understanding specific content in science or higher level math.

Another possibility may be that we have become complacent with our standing in the world, and we no longer feel the urgency to be the best because we already think we are.

I don't know the answer to all this. I know teachers are teaching, students are learning and parents are involved. I think it's a very real issue that we as educators, and as a country, need to consider and search for answers. We still are dealing with incredibly bright, talented children who have the capabilities to be leaders in any field, but we must supply them with the proper tools to accomplish this.

Abolishing Religion at Holy Angels

2007-12-13T13:52:00.000-08:00

That headline had to get some attention! About a month and a half ago, the entire school was asked to respond to a survey about the school as well as share any thoughts or opinions regarding what is going on at Holy Angels. Some of the comments were ones we have received, and responded to, in the past, while others contained new critiques and insights. Probably the most interesting comment, to me, was the survey that called for the elimination of religion classes at the school.

My first thought was why would you send your child to Holy Angels if that was your opinion. If the desire was to obtain an inexpensive "private" school education, Holy Angels is a bad choice. We are first and foremost a Catholic school. (Yes, a significant difference exists between the two.) We provide a strong education, but our faith is the reason Holy Angels exists.

However, I did begin to reflect on what it would mean to the school if we did get rid of the religion classes. We would have the minutes in the day for the Spanish classes or extra P.E. people often speak about. That would be great! But we would also lose what makes Holy Angels the school that it is, and more importantly, it would change the students we produce at Holy Angels.

Teaching our students about our faith provides the foundation for so much of what we do and what makes the school special. We do not view Catholicism as a subject that fills thirty minutes of the students' day. In addition to being the building blocks of the values we pass on to our students, it also becomes the rationale behind our expectation that the students live their faith.

Living your faith may sometimes mean collecting for those less fortunate than ourselves. While compassion and social justice are qualities I would hope every school-aged child learns about, for our students, it is mandatory. Sometimes it may be taught through our school family activities or when classes collaborate on an activity. Responsible leadership, the sharing of knowledge, and community building are all characteristics of the Church that our youngest students should be learning about and participating in.

Even if we eliminated religion classes from Holy Angels, to eliminate the words and teachings of Jesus from our school would be doing our students a huge disservice. Peace, tolerance and love of God and others can only make our world a better place.

We are fortunate to have religion as part of our curriculum. It is an invaluable guide in helping us produce individuals who know that what they do is more important that what they say. As a principal, I'd rather have a Catholic child who only speaks one language than a bilingual child lacking the qualities that make our students who they are.

Parent Teacher Conferences

2007-12-11T13:56:00.000-08:00

Perhaps one of the few things that can add to the stress of all that is going on during the holiday season is the highly anticipated report card conferences! It's ironic that often times, these conferences are viewed with a sense of hesitancy from both the parents' and the teachers' perspectives.

Hopefully, no one is coming into these meetings with a sense of wonder or will be leaving surprised. Everyone should have a pretty good sense of how their child is doing in class, particularly if it is an area of concern. We all should enter these talks with the belief that we are attempting to strengthen the partnership that must exist if our children are to succeed. It is just as important for parents to come into conferences prepared as it is for the teacher.

Before you meet, write down some questions you may have regarding your child's you have concerns, see if they match with he teacher's concerns. Be aware of the difference that occurs with group learning versus working alone with an adult at home. Do not become defensive about your child's school performance, partner for ways to improve it. Make a plan with the teacher (and your child) to do better.

Afterwards, sit down with your child and look over the report card together. Find items to praise and discuss how to improve the areas that need improvement. Now is not the time to get upset about a bad grade, but instead ask your child how you can help him or her do better.

Finally, be careful about rewards for good grades. Again, consider the message you are sending. Do you want to attach a dollar amount to a grade, or prefer your child understand that the most important benefit of acquiring a good grade is the knowledge gained from that grade?

Virtual Zoo

2007-12-07T13:09:00.001-08:00

With the constant barrage of thoughts that filter through my mind regarding kids, education, global warming and how it will all come back to haunt me when my child becomes a teenager, I think its important to consider the rationale behind writing this blog. One of my primary objectives is to celebrate all the great activities that take place at Holy Angels.

Many years ago, at another school, I had a long time parent approach me and say, "I can't believe all the things that take place here that I had no idea about." She realized this as she was going through photographs for the yearbook, and it made me think that often times, the child's response that "nothing" happened at school that day is not altogether accurate. Today was a great example of one of the many fantastic, yet less publicized, events that take place at the school.

Our fourth grade assembled their "Virtual Zoo" in which they researched an animal, dressed like that animal, and presented information about the animal to people who visited the "zoo". Ms. Woehler always does a great job with this event, and the parents and students both loved visiting and participating in it.

Our teachers are constantly providing the students with creative ways to learn, and amidst all the concerns within education, we have to remember that making learning fun is an important component of educating . Congratulations to our fourth graders and to Ms. Woehler for a job well done. I hope one use for this space is to celbrate the accomplishments within our school like this one.

Developing Responsibility

2007-12-05T13:49:00.000-08:00

Probably one of the most difficult aspects of raising or educating children in a society so focused on instant gratification is to make decisions with an eye to the future. Growing up, I am sure we were subjected to regulations that were more important for the lesson they teach than the actual rule they enforce. I am sure more than one parent has instituted some of these same rules. We can't forget that these lessons are vital to ensure that our children develop into the adults we want them to be. The same holds true for some of the regulations in place at Holy Angels. Sometimes they may seem petty in nature, but may have a more far reaching intention than the momentary consequence.

We have been relatively unbending this year in regards to our permission slip policy. Clearly stated at the top of every slip is that it is due no less than one school day prior to the event. More often than not, we could accommodate a child who brings the slip in on the day of an event, and it is extremely difficult to refuse a student the privilege of participating in an event. However, we believe it is more important that the students learn responsibility and its consequences, both good and bad.

This concept can be taken much further, be it denying access to a classroom after school so a student can get the books he forgot to take home or refusing a call home to bring a child's homework. Similarly, parents must insist that a child take responsibility for his or her school or home work instead of intervening on their behalf, not to punish the child, but to help build the responsibility necessary for success later in life.

None of us enjoy seeing a child suffer. Denying a child can often fall into the old, "It hurts me more than it hurts you" adage. But it is extremely important that we make decisions not to alleviate the momentary discomfort of the child, but based more upon who we want all our children to become as adults.

What Has Your Child Learned?

2007-12-04T13:11:00.000-08:00

Today marks the conclusion of our first trimester, and once again the time honored tradition of assigning a letter to represent how a child has done in a class begins.

Thirty years ago, we lived in a society fairly obsessed with grades. Today, we live in a society that is ten times as obsessed. We have gotten to the point where many of our children view anything less than an "A" a failure. God-forbid they receive a dreaded "C", a grade that used to mean the students were performing at grade level.

Now days, it seems that we view the grade as the objective, and not the learning. Any teacher can recount story after story of children who scored 100% on their spelling tests each week, received an "A" in spelling, and misspelled every other word when using the words in a writing assignment. Grades do no reflect learning, and we have to keep this in mind when we view the students' grades. Students come to school to learn.

This trimester, my algebra class will probably receive a very limited number of "A"s on their report cards. But that is in no way a reflection of the learning that has taken place. In fact, I will say this group of students has probably put more effort into and learned more about algebra than any group I have ever taught. We need to keep this objective in mind. Before getting upset or frustrated by your children's grades, remember that it is the learning you should be concerned with.

Butterflies in my Stomach

2007-11-30T11:58:00.000-08:00

A theatrical presentation about puberty and adolescence entitled "Someone Like Me" was put on today by Kaiser Permanente's Educational Theatre Ensemble. I have to admit, I had real trepidation about having them to the school. Despite talking with the director of the program, speaking with principals from other schools that had presented the play, and discussions with my supervisor at the Archdiocese, I still was not comfortable that the content was going to be appropriate for our students. I mulled canceling the production many times.

Before the performance, I talked with the actors and felt a little more comfort about what we were about to witness, but it is still a topic that can be controversial (is this be information taught at home or by the school?) and I have to admit, I was more than a little nervous through the start of the play.

Some of the topics covered included physical changes, pre-marital sex and STDs, hormonal changes and mood swings, changing relationships with friends,and suicidal thoughts. Not really a litany of good times. One of our area principals referred to it as The Little Shop of Pubescent Horrors.

Teachers, staff and parents watched the production with the students and I can safely say that despite a few moments of uncomfortableness, it was an excellent production and teaching vehicle for our students. All of the adults were in agreement. Very real issues that many of the children have or will experience were presented with simple but quality follow up. Students could ask questions. Very current and very important issues were addressed. The actors/facilitators did an amazing job.

I left with the opinion that this play, or at least this information, needs to be presented not to just students, but to parents as well. The high school experience we all went through does not exist any more. Our children are privy to an enormous amount of false information. Often times, this false information can have very damaging consequences for our kids. Our students, and particularly the eighth graders, seemed to feel it was very relevant information.

We push our kids to go further and further in with their academic learning, but when it comes to being educated regarding issues such as sex or drugs, we want to ignore it. Age appropriate education is always a positive, in my opinion. We adults need to present the children in our lives with relevant information that will truly aid them in the world in which they live. To do less is a disservice and a danger.

My Child vs. The Students

2007-11-21T10:30:00.000-08:00

Many times in the career of a teacher or a principal, they must respond to a parent who has a complaint or an idea based upon "My child..." As a parent, you should be your child's number one advocate and speak up for him or her. But often times, when considering your statements from the perspective of "My child..." replace those words with "The students..." and try to consider the situation from the school's perspective.

Our decisions have to be made based upon ALL the students of the school, and not just an individual child. The recent decision to disallow anything but pie from our Pie Feast has to be considered from that perspective, in addition to the purpose of the event.

Having a complete breakfast during this event is an awesome occurrence, unless you are in the class that gets just pie. The event was initially intended for the students to gather and share a moment of thanksgiving as a school. As with many events, each year the need to do the Pie Feast a little bit "better" than last year was becoming a reality. The "event" was becoming more important than the purpose.

The purpose of our Pie Feast is to gather as a community and be thankful for the abundance of gifts we have in our lives. I think by scaling the event down, we get closer to the true meaning of the event, which ultimately makes it more valuable for all our students.

Good Hug Bad Hug

2007-11-20T10:40:00.000-08:00

Last Friday, I imposed a directive upon the seventh and eight grade students that they were no longer allowed to hug one another. Admittedly, the rule was reactionary and came at the end of a long day (Jog-a-thon) and after a particularly trying situation.

Reaction from parents was mixed, with some joking about the directive and some angry about it. While most of the angry reaction filtered back to me from the parking lot, one parent actually took the initiative to meet with me and discuss the situation. (It was greatly appreciated!)

We discussed the decision, and I think both sides shed some light upon the situation. We ended up having a very positive and beneficial discussion.

From the school's side, trying to define what is an appropriate and inappropriate hug is extremely difficult, and virtually impossible to enforce. The majority of our students engage in :appropriate" hugging while some are taking it to an extreme. The hugging, hand holding, etc. is more an expression of a "relationship" rather than a sign of support amongst friends. To alleviate the less than scientific application of such terminology, hugging was banned.

The parent pointed some good points including her concern that we may be sending the wrong message about hugging (it's not a bad thing), that perhaps I did not explain the decision to the students well enough, as well as her child's feelings that she had lost an important privilege.

It's a minor problem that takes on some rather enormous complexities once it is examined. Bottom line, our students know right from wrong, appropriate from inappropriate, and I as the principal need to be comfortable with that fact. The students were spoken to again today, with an explanation of the decision, as well as an addendum that they could still hug one another, but if I or another staff member deemed it inappropriate, then it was inappropriate. The students were asked to not put themselves in a situation that could be determined inappropriate and I am comfortable that our kids can and will make the right decisions.

Jog-A-Thon

2007-11-19T14:28:00.000-08:00

Last Friday, we completed our annual Jog-A-Thon, and it looks to be the most successful one we have ever had. While final numbers have yet to be tallied, it looks as if we will surpass our school goal of $25,000. The next obvious question is, where will all the money go? Here is our plan.

Right of the bat, we spend roughly $6,000 on software licensing. That should leave us with roughly $20,000. As I mentioned earlier in the year, we want to complete our project of installing computer projectors in the Science/Art lab, as well as the 4-PK classrooms. That should run about $10,000, which leaves us with just enough to remain on target with out technology plan goal of upgrading ten computers in the lab, putting the other ten in the classrooms.

As we all know, when it comes to technology, the money goes very quickly. But if you consider the improvement s this will make with our classrooms, it is well worth it. Our students, your children, will reap great benefits from the funds raised. This is a major component of our goal to have all our students learning in a modern and up-to date classroom.

Too Much Too Soon

2007-11-15T11:03:00.001-08:00

The faculty and staff of Holy Angels is struggling with the non-stop requests we seem to make of the parents for donations. From the second week of school and straight through the holiday season, we seem to be asking the parents to be buying items or donating something, be it clothes, money, food or gift wrap! It becomes even more troubling because all of these requests are for very good causes. Sometimes it is for the betterment of our school (Innisbrook, Jog-A-Thon, Angels Among Us) and sometimes it is for socially just causes (clothing drive, mission collections, canned food.) We are aware of what a drain it is on our parents and we are trying to address this issue as we plan for next year. We appreciate the extreme generosity that exists within our community but we also recognize that generosity has its limitations. Any input or thoughts on this matter are always appreciated.

An Inauspicious Beginning

2007-11-14T14:47:00.000-08:00

Our trusted Trumpet editor, Anne Yenny, recently suggested the idea of this blog as a way of better communicating what is going on at Holy Angels. I have to admit I was less than gung ho about it when she suggested it, and may still have a leaning towards unenthusiastic. But I also realize the positive impact this can have on our school community in so many different ways, so I have opted to give it a shot.

What I hope to accomplish is a real dialogue regarding events, ideas and decisions at Holy Angels, while also addressing issues that come up in a more timely manner than than the monthly Trumpet. As of today, I promise nothing other than my best efforts to keep this updated. As I, and I assume many others, learn more about this, I hope to create a valuable tool in the ongoing effort to better communication between all of us at Holy Angels School