Dear Parents and Guardians,

Last week during our Catholic Schools Week Liturgy, we awarded our annual Distinguished Alumni Award. This year the award was given to 2002 alum, Mr. Brendan Male. He is currently in his third year of the Peace Corps, teaching high school English and geography and coordinates the school’s library. We are very proud of his astonishing example of serving others. Here is an excerpt from his acceptance speech that he sent to us. 

“Education is the silver bullet to changing the world. I am honored to be a teacher in Tonga. And I am grateful for all the teachers in my own life, who helped to make me who I am today. I am grateful for my parents for their unconditional love and support throughout everything, as well as my wife for putting up with me and serving alongside.”

We thank Brendan for his service and dedication to education and for being a positive example of St. Ignatius in the global community.    

In addition to the Distinguished Alumni Award, we took time to honor staff who were celebrating special milestones in years of service in Catholic Schools. 

For 5 Years of Service: Mrs. Mandy Finamore, Mrs. Samantha Timmons, and Ms. Elizabeth Telles.

For 15 Years of Service:  Mrs. Kelly Bien

For 20 Years of Service:  Mrs. Tricia Vondenbrink

For 25 Years of Service:  Ms. Patty Thomas

For 30 Years of Service:  Mrs. Beth Siemer

For 40 Years of Service:  Mrs. Sylvia Hudepohl

We celebrate these committed and compassionate staff members and thank them for their years of service.

Have a great weekend,

Mr. Vance

Principal

Beginning in November, a group of 6th, 7th, and 8th graders received training in a new program that addresses one of 6 Core Values of St. Ignatius: A Focus on the Whole Child. St. Ignatius is committed to an education for all children that enable them to discover and practice their unique God-given abilities: academically, spiritually, artistically, physically, and social-emotionally. 

Sources of Strength is a research-based training program that brings peer leaders together in partnership with caring adults. The program uses a fun-filled style of active learning to encourage open discussion about the genuine problems that youth face and about the sources of strength that are often helpful for those problems. This program is focuses on the following eight components: Mental Health, Medical Access, Spirituality, Generosity, Family Support, Mentors, Positive Friends, and Healthy Activities. These components are used to implement a best practice youth suicide prevention program designed to harness the power of peer social networks to change unhealthy norms and culture, ultimately preventing suicide, bullying, and substance abuse. Staff members moderators at St. Ignatius include Mrs. Hartger, Mrs. Lombardi, Mr. Meyer, Mrs. Rowland, and Mr. Vance.

The group of students who were trained in November is commissioned to create school-wide “campaigns” on the eight components of the Sources of Strength program. One of these campaigns will begin this week with the students speaking to other students and staff through a series of student-created TV interviews, visual displays, electronic signage, and a class level PowerPoint presentation in grades 5-8. Throughout the year, several campaigns will be launched so that the entire student body can participate in this educational and wellness program.

Over the last few weeks, re-enrollment and new student applications have been diligently worked on by the office staff. Our Open House during Catholic Schools Week was very successful and busy. Due to the excellent reputation of the school, your positive remarks and marketing, a remarkable student body, and an exceptional staff, I am proud to announce we will once again have a “full house” next year at St.Ignatius. To accommodate the need for more full-day kindergarten spots, only 12 students asked for half-day, we will build a new classroom to accommodate 120 kindergarteners. Our usual size for a grade is 120 students, Our usual limit for a grade level is 120 students and the desire for full day kindergarten has grown significantly over the last few years.

Beginning today, new students and families who applied for the 2020-2021 school year will be notified if they will be offered a seat for next year. Applications for kindergarten exceeded our capacity, and a waitlist has been created. This is also true for some of the levels in the preschool. As of today, the three-year-old 2-day program has some openings, the four-year-old 3-day program is at capacity, the pre-kindergarten class is at capacity with 24, and the kindergarten is also at capacity with a waitlist. 

Please help us to find the owners of student clothing! Please make sure that each clothing item has your child’s name on it. We have many items in the cafeteria that have lost their owners.

Parent letters went out this week with the results of the social-emotional screener for students in grades 4-7. If you did not receive the email or have questions about the results, please contact Mrs. Lauren Hartger at lhartger@saintischool.org.

Report cards for the 2nd quarter were also emailed this past Monday. If you did not receive one, please contact the office, and they will be glad to assist you.