Dear Parents/Guardians,
As we come close to the end of school I would ask you to support our teachers by keeping your child/children focused on their studies. It is important that they learn that school is not over until the last day. Over the next few weeks we will be saying farewell to our 8th graders. This Saturday they will be departing for Washington DC for five days to explore the Capital and to see in real life what they have been studying over the past few years about the operations of government. They will be viewing all the historical sites of our nation, and there will be many powerful experiences that the students will be exposed to. We wish them, their parents, and teachers all the best with this trip and pray that they will be safe.
Summer Projects:
During the summer we will be conducting some large projects at the school and parish. Firstly, the school roof is going to be replaced at a cost of $85,000. Once the roof is completed, we will be installing solar panels to the roof for the school and annex, which will be costing $84,000. The parish will be also installing solar on top of the church building. This will be serving the church and the parish offices.
All Souls will be the first church and school in the Archdiocese to provide solar power for the community. We will be in alignment with Pope Francis' views on environmental stewardship. We are very pleased that we will be able to do this project. In the long term the savings will be returned back to the school and the church.
In the cafeteria we will be replacing the age-old ovens and oven warmers. This project is certainly overdue and will make the work for the cafeteria staff easier in the future. It will also be a cost saving, as we will be purchasing energy saving equipment.
In the 7th grade we will be installing sound proofing bats to assist with eliminating the noise factor that has occurred since we changed from carpet to floor tile.
In the future, we will be looking at re-black topping the upper and lower yards.
For these projects to occur, we utilize the funds raised from the Bingo program, where many of our families work as their commitment to the family agreement. The Bingo program needs to be revitalized, and we are looking for assistance for this revitalization. If you are able to assist please let me know.
Key Change
Over the past few weeks we have rekeyed the whole school, preschool, and annex building so that in the event of an emergency the police and fire department will only need a front door key and a master key to enter the building and the rooms throughout the campus.
Finances
I wish to remind everyone that as the school year comes to a close, all tuition, fundraising commitments need to be settled with Mrs. Reidy. The due date for this is May 30th for K-7 families, and by now all 8th grade parents should have paid out their debits.
Shield the Vulnerable
The school office is responsible to ensure the safety of each child at the school by monitoring the "Shield the Vulnerable" program. With the program all staff and parents who some in contact with children need to renew their certificates periodically. Many parents have been very slow with the renewal process, which means they are unable to attend field trips complete their participation assignments if they are with students. I would ask everyone to be attentive to the requests from my staff and not dismiss them. Our priority is for the safety of all children.
Art Show
Our Annual Art Show will be held next Tuesday and Wednesday in the church hall. I would encourage everyone to take time to visit the art show and see the wonderful work of our students. Next year we will combine the art show with the spring musical, which means parents will only need to come out to school once.
Summer Camp
We have the opportunity to offer five scholarships for students to attend a summer camp at either St. Dunstan or Good Shepherd at Pacifica. I have been in discussions with the summer camp company and looking at their program to be offered to All Souls in Year 2017 summer. In the mean time, the company has offered 5 scholarships for our students. There is information at the end of this newsletter
God Bless,
Vincent Riener
Principal
