We have come to the end of our first full week of school! I have nothing but praise for the hard work of our students and staff!

Students in Kindergarten through 8th grade are completing their first STAR math and reading tests this week. We use these benchmark tests to gauge a child’s current proficiency in reading and math and are also used to gauge a child’s growth over the school year. It is not uncommon to see a lower score at this time versus the end of last year due to the “summer slide.” The slide happens for some students because there is no formal instruction during the summer. All parents can access these scores through the Renaissance Portal. (See directions below.)   

On this portal, there are some suggested books for your child to read. Click on the link, have your child read some of those books, and then take the AR (Accelerated Reader) test. The more students read the better readers they become!

"SATURDAY NIGHT LIGHTS" 

I am looking forward to our own version of “Saturday Night Lights” tomorrow evening here at the fields. Join us as our 5th, 6th, and varsity football teams play St. James under the lights. I have been told it is a “white out,” so wear your white, and help our cheerleaders root on our Wildcats to victory. I hear there may be a surprise guest appearance!

Please continue to keep our students, staff, benefactors, and all our families in your prayers! 

In Christ’s Peace,

Angie Heisel

Principal

The website for the Renaissance Portal is located at this website. 

The username for your child’s account is: 

first initial, last initial, and their student ID number.  

For example, Sally Shoestring’s username would be SS1111. 

After you sign in, you can see the scaled score by clicking on AR and then progress (Star Unified Scores are at the bottom). To get a more detailed report, go back to the home page. Click on “get email updates” and enter your email address.  It is at the bottom of the home page if on a computer and the top if on an ipad or phone. Once you do that, all test results will be emailed to you going forward.  

If you need assistance, please contact Ann Shoemaker at ashoemaker@saintischool.org.

If you will not be receiving the EdChoice Scholarship because your child is receiving another state scholarship, (ie. Peterson, Autism, etc,) or you live outside of the state of Ohio, we highly encourage you to apply for tuition assistance. In order to do this, you must create an account and register through FACTS: FACTS log in. Even if you have applied in the past, I encourage you to do so again, as we are finding ways to disperse money to our families who are not eligible for Ed Choice this year. Any questions, please contact Barb Campbell in the parish office, bcampbell@sainti.org, 513-661-6565

Many families have been receiving "Acceptance" forms from ODE. Please fill it out, sign, date and return to Patty Thomas via email or paper copy. Please note that a student will not receive more than our tuition amount, even though the Acceptance form may show a higher amount. Also, it is a lengthy process for ODE to Award these scholarships, and is usually a 4-6 week time period, especially if a family submitted applications in late August or September. If you have not received one yet, please continue to be patient.

After families have been "Accepted", Mrs. Barb Campbell, who handles tuition in the parish office, will be notified of scholarship amounts. You may continue to receive statements every month until tuition is paid in full. EdChoice checks will come monthly through next June, but if you will be receiving the full tuition scholarship, you do not need to make any payments. Monthly EdChoice checks will be made payable to both St. Ignatius School and the primary guardian. If you would like to avoid the inconvenience of coming in each month to sign these checks, you are welcome to sign the attached waiver and return to Patty Thomas so that we can just deposit them. 

Remember, parents are welcome to go into their ODE account to check status of their students' applications and other important information.