|
|
 |
|
The views expressed on this page are soley
those of the author and do not
necessarily represent the views of County
News Online
|
 |
St. Mary’s School
Techno-gremlins
started school year in full force
By Kathy Ayette
The halls of St. Mary’s are once again ringing with the sounds of
students and teachers. This year I am rolling along with the
crowd as opposed to lagging behind. I had my hip replaced this
summer and have been impressing everyone with my awesome walking
skills. One of my students noted I go a lot faster than I did
last year, which isn’t necessarily all that fast. I would like to
thank everyone for their kind thoughts and prayers for my recovery.
School began on August 28 and the techno-gremlins were already in full
force. For several days when my students tried taking
reading tests on the computer, they would go through the preliminaries,
but when they hit the “start quiz” button, there was no starting, just
that annoying little circle that goes ‘round and ‘round and ‘round…you
get the picture. When I returned to my classroom this summer, I found
to my surprise that I have a new SmartBoard, although it technically
isn’t a SmartBoard, it’s a monitor made by Sharp. It has been a
mixed blessing. The ugly projector that used to hang down from
the ceiling is gone and the picture is much brighter. However
this board is so sensitive that if you breathe heavily against the
surface as you write, you suddenly have a myriad of marks.
Last June, Father Boniface, a missionary priest visited our
parish. He told about the need for a well in Ulu Village in
Kenya. The girls in that village cannot go to school because they
spend their days carrying much needed water to their homes. The
Knights of Columbus have started a campaign to raise the $20,000 needed
to dig the well. Students and staff at St. Mary’s School will be
donating to the cause. Our goal is to raise $1000. If you
would like to contribute to this worthy cause, you can send a donation
to Knights of Columbus, Council #1796, marking the check “Well
Donation”.
On September 11, staff and students observed Patriots’ Day with a
prayer service around the flagpole. We prayed for peace and
healing for all those affected by that terrible tragedy. I find it so
hard to believe that it has been seventeen years since the
attacks. My students as well as the rest of the students at St.
Mary’s weren’t even born.
This year the theme for the Spring Spectacular is a tribute to the
armed forces. Throughout the year the students will be learning
about the contributions made and still being made by our servicemen and
women. The “cherubs” contribution to the musical part of the
spectacular will be a program featuring the special songs of each
branch of the military and the Star Spangled Banner. We started
that one last week. The kids are doing great. It’s just a
matter of finding the key in which I can sing it!
A family movie night will be held on Friday, September 14, however by
the time you read this it will have already occurred. The evening will
begin with a kickball game open to players of all ages. (I have
decided not to test my luck with the new hip.) The featured movie
will be The Incredibles. If last year’s movie night is any
kind of an indication, everyone will have a great time.
This coming Wednesday, September 19 is “Talk Like a Pirate” Day.
My class of cute, cuddly first and second graders will transform into a
ferocious gang of scurvy pirates, causing terror throughout the
school. (OK, probably not terror. We might startle a few
people as we make our way, seeking the treasure.) The second graders
will be decoding a series of clues left by a band of pirates, who oddly
enough use second grade math problems for a code. The first
graders will be the navigators leading all the scurvy dogs to the
treasure. I am pretty sure there are going to be a lot of ordinal
numbers and left and right directions. After the treasure is secured
the pirates will “sail” back to their homeport to divide the spoils.
This year the office, library and every classroom has a holy water font
by the door. Staff and students are welcome to bless themselves
as they enter and leave a room. Blessing ourselves with holy
water is a reminder of our Baptism and it is really a nice refreshing
way to connect with the Lord. However, I looked into my holy
water font and it seems that I not only have holy water, but some holy
dirt. I guess that’s what you get with 17 little people blessing
themselves! Have good rest of the month.
|
|
|
|
