St Mary’s School May
Newsletter
The weather has warmed up, flowers are blooming and my students are
beginning to develop a serious case of “summer-itis”. Truth be told,
their teacher is starting to display symptoms of it also. We are down
to the final two weeks of school, not that I’m counting or anything.
Well, actually I am counting the days until the end of school. It’s
part of the math program. As part of the calendar activity, the
children count the days to special events, and well, let’s face it,
what’s more special than school getting out for the summer?
The Northern Area Teacher appreciation banquet was held on May 3. Three
teachers from St. Mary’s were recognized for milestone years of
service. The teachers recognized were Mrs. Diane Blocher for 10 years,
myself for 20 years and Mrs. Carol Henry for 30 years of service. The
teachers, staff and volunteers at St. Mary’s were treated to a special
appreciation luncheon on May 12 courtesy of the Board of Trustees. The
food was delicious and enjoyed by all.
The students and teachers attended the National Day of Prayer on May 5.
Due to inclement weather the service was held at St. John’s Church.
Prayer leaders included Jim Buchy and news anchor John Seibel. May
Crowning was May 6 after Mass.
The eighth graders left on their class trip on May 10 to San Antonio,
Texas. They raised money for the trip with a variety of funds raisers.
One of the librarians told me that the sixth and seventh graders were
already discussing possible destinations for their future class trips.
I expected the school to be as silent as a tomb last Wednesday, May 11.
The fifth and sixth graders went to the Health Fair held at the county
fairgrounds and the third and fourth graders went to the Garst Museum.
I do believe that my classes filled in the “sound gap” quite nicely.
(Excessive joy and talking are symptoms of “summer-it is”, especially
when the teacher announces no more homework for the year.)
Mrs. Foster and the student council are busy planning and preparing for
Field Day, which is on May 23. The eighth graders graduation Mass and
reception is May 24, and on the following day they will meet at school
for one final fun field trip and the traditional “Clap Out”. Students
and staff will line the upstairs hall and clap as the eighth graders
walk out of the school for the last time as the eighth grade class.
And speaking of leaving we have two teachers who are retiring this
year, Mrs. Linda Harsh and Mrs. Carol Henry. Linda has been our math
tutor for many years. When asked how long she has been with us, she
thought it was around 29 years. She has tutored students who struggle
with math and has also helped with the fourth grade math classes. Carol
has taught kindergarten at St. Mary’s since 1990. She began her
teaching career at St. James in Cincinnati and like many of us,
interrupted her teaching career to be a stay at home mother. I first
met Carol as the kindergarten teacher for my two youngest children.
Later I joined the staff at St. Mary’s as the first grade teacher. One
of my first encounters with Carol as a colleague was when we were
preparing our classrooms for the beginning of school. Each year she had
a theme for the beginning of the year, and that year it was monkeys.
She had ordered monkey
hats from Oriental Traders. They were the kind that you have to punch
out and fold and insert the elastic. Wanting to make sure she had put
the hats together correctly, and not having any small children
available, she put one on. That was when I came into her room and
realized that I had found a soulmate! There are many qualities that
good teachers possess, but one of the most important is a sense of fun.
I wish that we had a nickel for all the laughs Carol and I have shared
over the past fourteen years that we have worked together. Both of us
would be very rich ladies. Come to think of it, we really are both very
rich ladies. Carol has been more than a colleague, she’s been a sister
to me. And she has made my job teaching first grade reading a lot
easier. She prepares them so well for first grade. We will miss both
Carol and Linda, and wish them well. Of course we expect to see them
now and again. Nobody ever really leaves us for long.
So on behalf of the students and staff at St. Mary’s, I hope that you
have a great summer and I look forward to writing you again next year.
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