November 1,
2006
Dear
Families,
Today is
All Saints Day and we have been emphasizing how we are called to be light for
the world. In particular, we are trying
to see the ways that we can, in a sense, shine the warm light of caring and
concern on those who might not have that.
One of the most striking moments for me in Africa, after another
traveler, Sean Brennan, and I visited with a group of people in their slum home
was when an elderly woman said, “It means so much to know that there are people
in
Sixth grade
teacher, Kathi Hand, has established a connection over the last couple of years
with alum and Peace Corps volunteer, Zoe Malley, who is working in
Young
people can and should have the opportunity to experience themselves as making a difference. We call them to service in a variety of
ways. Our all school prayers over the
last month have included the following:
- “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is sadness, let me bring
joy. Where there is loneliness let
me bring friendship. And where
there is wrong, let me stand up for what is right.”
- Jesus, you told us that we are the light of the
world. Help us to have the courage
and the willingness to let your love and your power shine through us into
the world. Amen
I encourage you to find ways to call your children’s
attention to people who are that light of Christ in the world and to find ways
that they can reflect that love to others.
You know, there are so many of you who have multiple
opportunities to share reflections about service with your kids because you do
so much. Even selling gift wrap, working
on the Halloween carnival, buying scrip, working on the auction, driving on
field trips, working in the classroom, and doing traffic duty can become
occasions when you help your kids understand that being part of a community is
providing service to the community. The
needs of the community, including funding, you have made “your problem” to
address when you volunteer. You don’t leave
it for someone else to do. That can be
the basis of a very productive conversation with your kids. What would happen if you didn’t respond to
our plea for exceptional participation in gift wrap or if parents did not
volunteer to work at the carnival? How
would our community be impacted? From
here you can move to discussing opportunities for your kids to step up to
leadership and service in their own lives at their own levels. Our faith calls us, including our children,
to make a difference in the community, in society and in the world. It is who we are as Catholics.
An update: the
strategic planning continues. The School
Commission has taken all of the recommendations from the self-study task forces
and the visiting committee and are developing priorities and action items. These will be formalized at the November 7
meeting. From there committees and
timelines will be established and the five year plan will go to
publication. I will keep you updated on
the process.
And I want to make an aside here. Scrip certainly is a direct benefit to us and
we appreciate those of you who are so diligent in using it. And I am especially grateful for those of you
who use it for corporate gift-giving when your generosity to your employees and
clients also benefits ASB. (On that
note, I want to let you know that neighborhood favorites, Valarmos and Sand
Point Grill, are both offering ASB 20%
on their gift cards, so please think about using them for holiday giving.)
Thanks for everything that you do. And special thanks to everyone who made the
Halloween carnival fun and successful.
October 25,
2006
Dear
Families,
In Catholic
social teaching, solidarity speaks to
the belief that we all belong to one human family-beyond the boundaries of
race, culture, nationality, ideology or geography. In an increasingly interconnected world, loving
our neighbor has global dimensions. The social mission of the Church is an
essential part of our Catholic faith. The
central message of Catholic social teaching is simple: We cannot truly be called “Catholic” unless
we hear and heed Jesus’ call to serve
those in need and to work for justice and peace.
As a
Catholic school and community we have a responsibility and an opportunity to
help our students develop a sense of solidarity-that is, to hear the Gospel
call to love as Jesus loves-at home, in school, in the community and beyond our
own local “borders”. This is an
essential part of Catholic identity and formation so we are making renewed and
visible efforts to raise the awareness of our students (and their families) of
ways that we can reach out and stand together with those who need us to do just
that; going beyond simply providing service and deepening our understanding
that being Church means hearing the Good News through Scripture, celebrating
and worshiping through the Eucharist, sacraments, prayer, etc. and undertaking
actions for social justice.
The
challenge is to appreciate the need that surrounds us. For example, some of us from school attended
an auction for the University Food Bank and were astonished to learn that the
food bank fed 39,724 households last year using 1.4 million pounds of
food? Twenty-two percent of the people
served were infants and children. That is right here in our midst. How do we bring ourselves, much less our
children, to understand that this is our
problem? We have several efforts
underway to help us understand and to support our local community.
When word
came that the St. Joseph Baby Corner was vandalized and burglarized,
kindergarten parents mobilized and sent in thousands of diapers. The kindergartners understand the importance
of diapers and experienced themselves as responding to help people. They will
continue this throughout the year. The fourth graders can’t imagine not being
able to go to high school because their parents don’t have the thirty dollars
to send them so they are making cards to sell to raise money to send sixty kids
to high school in Nambitembo. A scout
troop will hold a bake sale to send money to Nambitembo. They are making this problem their
problem. Soccer balls continue to come
in as well because, if the kids of Nambitembo play soccer (football) with balls
made of rags, people have made that their problem. And sixth graders continue to work each week
at Northwest Harvest helping those who provide food to the poor and deepening their
understanding that hunger and poverty are issues in
Help us to
help your children understand that, if people suffer, have needs or lack
justice, that is our problem. We will
support 24 boys at the Children’s Home, six families at Childhaven, and young
adults at Sand Point transitional housing over the holidays. We will have our toy drive for Francis House
as well. Please talk to your children
about how our faith calls us to service and to share what we have. And this is not just because we have so
much. The gospel accounts of the loaves
and the fishes or the widow’s mite were all about people sharing what they had,
not from their excess but from what they needed.
I want to
highlight efforts that we are making in our middle school to help our students
develop a sense of solidarity with others beyond our own community. My son, Kevin, is teaching in a very poor,
urban school located in housing projects just outside
The second
opportunity that we have occurs this week.
The sixth, seventh and eighth graders viewed a documentary entitled the
Paper Clip Project about a little middle school in Whitwell, TN that undertook
a project to understand the Holocaust.
The goal of the school was to open up the worldview of the kids in this
small and very homogenous community. The
documentary shows how, through collecting a paper clip to represent every one
of the six million Jews who died, transformed their worldview, their school and
their community. (That is all that I am
going to say because I really recommend you get this at Blockbuster and view it
yourself). It is a testament to solidarity
and to how kids can make a
difference. On Friday David Smith, vice-principal from Whitwell, will speak to our
students about his transformation and his community’s at 9:00 A.M. in the
gym. You are most welcome to attend. I am hopeful that this will give us some ideas
about responding in solidarity, both here and in Nambitembo.
Finally, I
want to bring another opportunity to your awareness. I have no words to adequately explain to you
the devastation we saw that A.I.D.S. has brought to
The virtue
of solidarity: a firm and persevering
determination to commit oneself to the common good; that is to say, to the good
of all…because we are really responsible for all.” (Pope John Paul II) Think
of what the ASB community will be like among ourselves, in the community and in
the world when we all embrace this virtue and consciously choose to live it
everyday!
Dear Families,
One of the
principles of Catholic social teaching is the call to solidarity with all
people, especially the poor and the disenfranchised across the globe. We certainly only have to look at the labels
on our clothing, the produce in the supermarket and the cars on our freeways to
recognize that our lives and lifestyle depend upon our relationships with and
the work of other people in other places.
If you have traveled to a developing nation,
At the
Elephant Stampede, vice-principal, Kathi Hand, asked Fr. Phillip what he
thought of the event. He commented
something to the effect that “I am overwhelmed to see such a large number of
people coming together to do something so important for people whom they have
never and, most likely, will never meet.”
That event, in fact, is an act of solidarity, not only because it raises
much needed funds, but because it brings our community together to achieve a
higher good than something that simply benefits ourselves. We recognize,
respond to and celebrate our commitment to share our resources, including time,
to build up a community. I would like to
think that this is a recognized and deeply held commitment of our
Do you
think that sometimes it is easier to stand in solidarity with or reach out to
(to love, the gospel would say) the people of Nambitembo, Francis House,
Childhaven, St. Vincent de Paul or Sacred Heart Shelter than it is to try to
understand, forgive, reach out to or try to get to know people in our own
community? Do we teach our children to
have the same compassion for, let go of stereotypes of, reach out to, or try to
get to know all the children in their class or kids in general? Do we show our children that life is not
about entitlement and the expectation to be served but about service to one
another, especially within the community?
Is that how we live ourselves?
After all, our actions and decisions provide our children with their
most powerful lessons. In his first
letter, St.
John says
we really are kidding ourselves, but no one else, when we say that we love God,
whom we can’t see but don’t act with love to the people we do see. (Actually,
he says it a bit more strongly 1John 4:20-21).
In our
school this year, we will emphasize, in different ways, the call to
solidarity. And that will include with
one another. We invite you to make that
a part of your conversations with your children and with one another this year
as well. On a related note: this is National Hispanic Heritage month,
which holds many opportunities to reflect upon and talk about solidarity. And, as an update, the young Mexican teenage
boy whom many of you helped financially this year still has his deportation
case pending but he currently is attending a Catholic university on
full-scholarship. We will continue to
support his living needs. His mother was
moved to
And, on a
much more mundane note: thanks for your
support of the scrip program, which is off to a great start this year. We really would like 100% participation of
our school families. And, please, do all
that you can to sell gift wrap. Bluntly
speaking, we are counting on that money in the budget. We do all that we can to raise tuition as
little as possible and still do all that we think is important to do for our
students.
Finally,
thanks for the support and enthusiasm that we have already experienced this
year. We have had a tremendous start.
Sincerely,
September
12, 2006
Dear
Families,
What if a
12 year old had a bright idea to hold a family dance to start the school year
and to benefit a charity? What if a
couple of parents and a teacher thought it was a great idea and helped him
carry out his plan? What if his
classmates’ parents were asked to provide treats and they responded
generously? What if his classmates,
while disappointed that they could not attend a middle school dance at another
school, focused their energy into decorating and trying to make the dance a
success? Would anyone come?
I guess you
know if you were here on Friday night.
What a great success! The crowd
was huge. Kids and adults had a
wonderful time. Seventh graders were
dancing with first graders and everyone seemed to be smiling and laughing. “We have to do this every year!” exclaimed
more than one person. Thank you, Chris
McCarthy, and seventh graders! Thank
you, Andy and Betsy McCarthy, Jane Davis, and seventh grade parents! Thank you, Kathi Hand and school staff! Now who has a great idea for our next
community celebration? Can each of us
ask: What can I do to make this a great
community?
I hope that
you will find the opportunity to celebrate with the community this Sunday at
the Elephant Stampede at Sand Point at 1:00 P.M. I can tell you from my first hand experience
now that we are doing tremendous good in
Today, Fr.
Phillip from Nambitembo visited our classes and I hope that you will ask your
children about his visit. He will
celebrate the Mass of the Holy Spirit with us on Monday at 1:00 P.M. in the gym
and you are most welcome.
In upcoming
letters I will share with you some ideas that we have for helping to give
children in Nambitembo a chance at a future in ways that our own students can
make a big difference.
August 17,
2006
Dear
Families,
Jambo! (Greetings!)
Habari? (How are you?) Mizuri (I am fine.) And now I have exhausted my
repertoire of Swahili from
While there
are many experiences and impressions that have left and continue to leave their
mark, one of the most significant involves how we were welcomed into people’s
homes, villages, work places and missions.
So many times having someone take (not just shake) my hand, hold on,
look directly at me and repeat, “You are most welcome” made me feel honored to
be in this person’s presence, whether that was the archbishop of Mombassa or
the woman in Kibera slum (one million people) in Nairobi welcoming us into her
corrugated metal home or the leper woman in Bamba village into her mud hut. There is a way that kind of welcome touches
one’s soul. How would it transform our
community if each of us reverenced those who come into our lives by “most
welcoming” them sincerely and completely?
One of the
characteristics of Catholic parishes (which are huge) that we encountered was
the existence of small Christian communities as they are called. People within the parishes form smaller
groups to support one another spiritually, socially, personally, and, if needed
economically. They see and believe that their “success” and happiness depend upon
their working together toward their common goals and dreams. It is so striking because we are talking
about people who have virtually nothing but understand that each person needs
to contribute all that he or she can.
That is a spirit and an attitude that we as a community can enhance
among ourselves. Whether it is your
family, your parish, and, most certainly, the school, unless each member of the
group responds generously and consistently, we will fall far short of doing
what we need to do. In the school this
means to do the work that we need to do to educate our children effectively.
And the
most significant impression all, of course, was left by the hundreds of
children whom we encountered in the schools, in the slums, on the streets, and
in the villages. While you will be
hearing more from me on the children of
So, we
launch ourselves into the 2006-2007 school year with a full six year term of
accreditation from the Northwest Association of Independent Schools/Western
Association of Catholic Schools. We have
many intriguing and challenging projects before us and more will develop out of
the follow up work from the task force recommendations. Frankly, with several of the schools (private
and public) in north
Enclosed in
today’s packet is information about ordering hot lunch this year, Scrip, gift
wrap (60% to the school), auction, school store hours, and the driver
information form. Please take time to
read them all carefully. There is also
a flier for a Back to School family dance.
This great idea is student initiated and will be a delightful way to kick
off the school year. And here are some
other dates that you will want to have.
- Class lists posted Saturday
August 26
- Kindergarten picnic is Sunday
August 27 at 5:00 PM at Bryant Park
- Open house to visit classrooms Thursday
August 31 2-4 P.M.
- Sixth grade orientation
Thursday August 31 6:30 P.M.-7:30 P.M.
- Kindergarten parents only Thursday August 31
7:30 P.M.-8:30 P.M.
I look
forward to this school year tremendously.
My time in
God bless!
Mike
P.S. I did not know where to put this but I need
to say it. We raised tuition very
modestly this year and we are counting on your full and
generous support of gift wrap, scrip, and the auction. We need this revenue to pay our bills. Tuition falls far short of what we need but
we are trying to provide ways for people to contribute outside of raising
tuition. That being said, I would ask
you to revisit your annual fund pledge to determine how close it comes to
making up the difference between tuition and actually educating your
children. Is it possible to increase
your contribution? Are you in a position
to give even more than the difference?
Whatever you can do will help, whether that is your financial support or
your time and I appreciate all of your efforts.
May 9, 2006
Dear
Families,
This week
has been designated as National Teacher Appreciation Week. I want to take this opportunity to recognize
the commitment, the hard work and the expertise of the individuals and community
of professionals who have dedicated themselves to your children.
As we
reflected in our registration meetings in March, we give over our children, who
are the most important focus in our lives, into the care of and under the
direction of teachers everyday. Not only
do we expect our children’s teachers to prepare them for whatever the future
holds, but we also want them to create an environment in which the students
feel safe, valued and supported. We want
our children challenged and motivated to excel.
And we want them lovingly guided and supported as they move through
their studies. We want a rigorous,
meaningful academic program and we want every child to succeed. We want our children to develop the skills
needed to succeed and we want them to have the opportunities to develop and
explore their own interests and potential.
We want high expectations for our
children and we want sensitivity and compassion toward them when they face
struggles or crises. And we want our
children’s particular learning needs, whether that is for acceleration or
remediation or differentiation, addressed effectively. Finally, we want teachers to model and uphold
the values, ethics, and faith that we want our children to develop.
Is that too
much to expect? I really do not think so
because that is what ASB teachers commit themselves to each day. This commitment demands that the teachers
engage in ongoing education and professional development. Most teachers have or are completing at least
one master’s degree. The entire primary
department is engaged in developing a comprehensive program for early
identification of and remediation of reading difficulties. This has meant numerous hours of study and
class work beyond their teaching responsibilities. All teachers participate in professional
growth teams aimed at enhancing instruction, assessment and lesson
planning. These teams not only consult
and study together but they also observe and provide feedback on one another’s
teaching. And they spend countless hours
consulting about their students learning, their struggles, their needs, and
their talents. Not a day goes by that
one or more teachers does not ask me or another administrator for suggestions
or resources aimed at meeting the needs of individual or groups of
students.
I receive
many notes from parents or copies of notes to teachers from parents recognizing
the extra effort that has gone into a child.
What parents do not see so readily are the moments when teachers share
their worries, upset or concern about what is happening with particular kids or
groups of kids. Teachers moved to tears
over kids is more common than you might think.
And it may not have occurred to parents, but many teachers hate to see
their classes go at the end of the school year.
They become very attached because teaching is, in fact, a labor of love.
Now all of
this does not mean that teachers do not make mistakes, do not have failures,
and do not miss the mark at times.
Teaching provides a venue in which one’s mistakes and shortcomings can
receive a very public showing or become fodder for field side
conversations. That is why the
relationship that teachers have with parents is so important. We have to continually reaffirm together our
mutual commitment to what is best for every child. That means that our teachers have an ongoing
involvement in professional development.
And, unlike in public schools, the days and hours that your ASB teachers
put in beyond actual school days and hours are not compensated, e.g. for every
day beyond the 180 school days calendar that a public school teacher works or
for every hour beyond those proscribed in the contract the teacher receives
extra compensation. Your ASB teachers’
commitment to professional growth and excellence is directly related to their
dedication to their students. Their
contract calls for working from 8:00 AM until 3:30 PM for 186 work days but you
can be sure that they work far beyond that.
So, I am
taking a moment to show my appreciation for the outstanding individuals and
professional community with whom I am privileged to work each day. After thirty-plus years and many faculties, I
know how blessed we are here today. I
expect that you do as well so let’s each take a moment to appreciate what we
have, even if it is not perfect or always how we want it to be, because we know
that our kids are the direct beneficiaries of what their teachers strive to do
and be each day.
Sincerely,
May 2, 2006
Dear
Families,
May has
arrived! And we enter one of the busiest
times of our year. ITBS and WASL
testing, overnighters, retreats, graduation planning, learning celebrations,
the reading rodeo, Mariners games, national parks reports, LRS celebration,
American history projects, and more compete for our time as we diligently work
to accomplish all that we have set out to do this year. At the same time, parents continue to give
incredible amounts of time to our efforts including all of the parents working
on the task forces, the plant sale (thank you to Aimee Jacobson and crew who
got drenched on Saturday), in classrooms, driving on field trips, coaching,
preparing the St. Bridget auction, working on the Assumption memorial
garden, and more! And then there are all the things that staff
and parents are doing to prepare for the coming year!
Attached to
this letter you will find forty developmental assets identified by the Search
Institute (www.search-institute.org)
as the “building blocks of healthy development that help young people grow up
healthy, caring and responsible.” These
assets have been grouped into external assets, or those provided by the adults
in the young person’s life, and internal assets, or those that have developed
within the young person as a result of his or her interactions with the adults
in his or her life. I share these with
you because I think they give us some clear and concrete direction in raising
our kids to become the kind of adults Catholic/Christian schools and families
aim to produce. And they highlight the
importance of home, school, parish and community working together in the
development of our children. It has
become cliché to say “it takes a village” but the reality is that, as parents,
we need our children’s lives to be filled with adults who share a commitment to
helping us raise children who grow up to be good people. And we need to actively promote
opportunities, expectations, skills and attitudes that lead to happy,
productive, moral and courageous lives.
More than ever, the need for us to work together in the formation of our
children and that the school, especially a Catholic school plays a crucial
role. And the school needs parents like
you, who have invested themselves in all aspects of our mission.
As you read
over the list of assets you may want to consider which areas are ones that as
parents, as a family, or even as a group of families that you will emphasize or
encourage in your children. You may want
to thank those “other adults” from whom your child receives support or who role
model “positive and responsible behavior”.
And, perhaps most importantly, you could identify and commend your
children when you see or hear of them exhibiting some of those internal assets
like reading for pleasure; acting upon his or her convictions and standing for
what he or she believes; telling the truth even when is not easy; showing
empathy; resolving a conflict peacefully; taking personal responsibility;
planning ahead; or demonstrating a sense of purpose. The examples do not have to be grand or
dramatic. Help them discover these
assets within themselves in the daily activities and choices of their lives.
In looking
over these assets it is important for us as parents and school staff not to
feel overwhelmed about having to do all of these all of the time. These are guidelines and goals to help us to
think about raising our children and about what is most important when making
decisions about time, activities and relationships. And it can provide an opportunity to sit back
for a moment and reflect upon the lives of our kids and where those external
and internal assets are evident and where we may want to make some
adjustments.
In the
envelope this week there is also an announcement for the Catholic schools
celebration at the
We have
hired two new staff members. Michael Szott
(zot) will teach 8th grade block and 6th grade social
studies. He taught for two years at St.
Luke and has most recently been teaching middle school in the Highline District
and completing his master’s degree in special education. He comes extremely highly recommended from
both Highline and
Enjoy these
beautiful May days (and I hope the sun lasts for awhile) and thanks again for
all that you have done, do now and will do for the students at
Sincerely,
Mike
P.S. Our parent ed meeting next Tuesday about
raising and dealing with the issues of teenagers is aimed at middle school
parents, but all are welcome even if their kids are in other schools.
Also, we
have had strep reported in our school and around the area so be aware if your
child complains of a sore throat.
Happy Catholic Schools Week in
We are celebrating 150 years of Catholic
education in the Archdiocese of Seattle!
February 1,
2006
Dear
Families,
And today
we observe the feast of St. Bridget! I
hope that you have had the opportunity to read the winter newsletter, which you
received this week. All of us should
have some basic understanding of the development of our school over nearly
sixty years. We stand on the shoulders
of those who have gone before us and future generations depend upon us to
continue this important work. We live in
a tradition of education that strives for excellence in academics infused with
a commitment for living out the gospel in the world, especially in terms of
peace and for justice for all people.
During the
hundreds of years that Catholic education has touched thousands upon thousands
of students across the world, there have been times that we lost our focus in some
schools, in some places and at sometimes.
Yet, the essence of the Church’s mission to spread the good news of
Jesus through the education of young people with an aim to sending them into
the world to make a difference continues unabated. And this happens through the power of God’s
Spirit inspiring the hearts and minds of adults-teachers, parents, pastors,
parish members, alumni, benefactors, friends-to come together to insure that
the legacy of Catholic education continues.
I know that this sounds very ethereal and all, but I really believe that
is what happens. God’s Spirit is alive
in us.
In our
history, the Benedictine priests were able to convince the Dominican sisters of
Of course,
the school never would have survived, much less excelled, without the
commitment of parents to provide time, resources and talents to the school
community. While the forms of that
service has changed and evolved over the years, the fact remains that the
parents’ energy for and commitment to Catholic education insured the success
and future of our school.
On Thursday
we will host an open house throughout the morning, meeting with a number of the
sisters who taught here, guests who are interested in the school and family
members who just want to celebrate with us.
Please feel free to join us. At
1:15 we will honor the Dominican sisters, who taught in our school, and the
entire Dominican community that answered the call to establish our school and
to provide a superior education for parish children. They represent all of those in our past to
whom we owe a debt of gratitude. We will
also honor the graduating parents of 2005, who have established the graduating
parents’ endowment fund. They represent
all of those in our present to whom we owe a debt of gratitude for working to
insure our future. We would love to have
you join us.
During this
week, I want to take a moment to say that, based upon my experience in
education (which is getting alarmingly long) that I have never worked with a
finer group of educators. I marvel at
the commitment of these people, young and…experienced, who continue to seek
training, knowledge, skills and information to make them more effective in
teaching your children. I have never
worked with a more passionate group. Nor have I worked with people who care
more about their students personally. You are very fortunate to have them with
your children all day.
As for the
kids, I want you to know what a delight they are. In so many ways, they make teaching a joy
because of who they are and what you have helped them to become up until
now. Your influence is the most powerful
force in their lives. Thank you.
And your
insights, experiences and participation are still vital to building the life of
our school. Following up on our notice
in the winter newsletter this week, you will soon receive an invitation to
volunteer or nominate members of the community, parents and non, parents to participate
in the task forces for the developing our next five-year plan. We really need your input.
Finally,
our thanks to Fr. Oliver and Fr. Connole as well as the entire parish
communities for the unswerving support of
Blessings
and thanks to you again and again and again.
And thank God for all that we have together. May that same Spirit that energizes us here,
motivate us to generously share what we have beyond our own community.
Sincerely,
Mike
December
14, 2005
Dear
Families,
As we
scurry into the Christmas break, I want to thank you for your generosity on so
many levels over the past few weeks. We
share an abundance of life in the
The auction
was a huge success thanks to Margaret Newman, Margaret Havens and all of you who
worked so hard to make it happen. Once
again, Sherry Shefts’ magic transformed the gym into a lovely setting for the
evening. Joanne Poggetti and crew
restored the facility to normal as they labored throughout the night after we
all went home. And so many others, who
worked on procurement, set-up, invitations, organization, the bank, and on and
on, contributed hundreds of hours. Thank
you! And your generosity made this our
most successful auction yet with the gross income of nearly $280,000. Fund-an-item is nearing $55,000 so we will
have a new play structure, new laptops and (with the added help of a private
donation) we are able to send $6,000 to
Your
tradition of generosity at Christmas continues with the support that you are
providing to Francis House, Childhaven and Sand Point transitional housing
families. The sixth grade bake sale for
Northwest Harvest made over $526. I want to especially thank those of you who
are helping me with the high school boy and his younger sister that I wrote
about a couple of weeks ago. Your QFC
cards have been a critical help. As we
are also trying to keep their rent and utilities paid any contributions are
most appreciated. If you make them to
I have to
say that working to support this young man has had a tremendous impact on me.
If you were to meet him, you would have no clue about what he labors under each
day. I look at the kids in our school
from a new perspective in that I wonder if they each have the support and
resources that they need. I work not to
assume that I know so much about who they are and what might be going on in
their lives. I want to attempt to
approach each one with a manner that will allow me to be and do for them what
they need from me. For most in our
school it won’t be material things that they need but rather the intangibles
that come from relationships. I need to
develop a generosity of spirit that forces me to strive to see who these kids
can become and what they can contribute rather than simply classifying them by
what they are or are not doing today.
And together, parents as well as teachers, need to understand that we
are mentors and resources for all of the kids who come into our lives. Not to take that role very seriously cannot
be a choice for us. It just is not who we
are as the
Have a wonderful Christmas with all those whom you love.
November
30, 2005
Dear
Families,
December
snuck up on me this year! The auction
is Saturday and we have the highest hopes that it will be a tremendous success
in not only providing the funds that we need to provide all that we do, but
also by enabling us to build a new big toy structure and to increase the
availability of lap top computers for our students. The auction reservations are a sell-out, the
items look tremendous, the auction chairs, Margaret Newman and Margaret Haven,
with their incredibly generous and hard-working team have given it their all. Thanks to each person and family who has
contributed to this important effort.
You all do
so much in so many ways for so many people.
And this year we face so many requests for help and once again I am
turning to you for your support. First
of all, through fund-an-item at the auction, we will ask you to help us not
with just the big toy and technology, but also to help purchase math books for
the students at
St. George
is not the only school in need. In this
150th anniversary year of the archdiocese, the Fulcrum Foundation
(the development arm of the Catholic Schools Department) is in the silent phase
of a $35 million campaign to ensure that all Catholic schools will have a secure
future and that they are affordable and accessible to all who want a Catholic
education for their children, in short, to have what our children have. All Catholic schools have been asked to
participate in this campaign. Teachers,
staff members and I have been asked to contribute to the endowment for schools
in need. Students are being asked to
contribute to an endowment for tuition assistance for students in need. There is a “schoolhouse mite box” in each
classroom. Students are asked to
contribute their own money from chores, gifts, etc., perhaps $1.50 in honor of
our 150 years as a diocese. The school
campaign ends January 13.
These are
not the only requests and needs that have come our way. Francis House once again is depending upon us
to provide new toys from which parents, who have no other resources, can select
Christmas gifts for their children. We
are asking grades K-3 to help us meet this need. Childhaven, which aids families in crisis,
has opened a branch at the
It is
incredible that all of these needs are right here. Yesterday I delivered the
meals that had been prepared for the
So even as
I encourage you to please generously support our auction and provide an
exceptional school environment for our children, I am asking that we not forget
those in need right here at home. As you
anticipate Christmas shopping as well as helping with our charities, perhaps
you could purchase an extra QFC card (which can also be used at Fred Myer) for
Christmas families or one of the young people we are helping this year. There is a scrip party tonight (Wednesday) at
St. Bridget, tomorrow night at Assumption, and next Tuesday at St.
Bridget. Maybe you’ll even get a better
idea of what you could do after seeing what is available from perusing the
available gift cards.
I hesitated
when I first considered laying these needs and requests before you because of
all that you already do and with the auction coming up. However, last Wednesday
when I met with that boy who is on his own trying to hold his family and school
life together and when I looked at those kids in the Orion Center, the abstract
ideal of helping those in need changed to real people, real kids, who need my help,
who need our help, right now. So I am
asking you to be generous at the auction, to be generous with your parishes’
Christmas giving trees, to be generous with our school’s Christmas charities,
and to be generous with all that you have, including your time, with the
poor. It is what Jesus asks us to do.
“Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed
you or thirsty and give you a drink?
When did we welcome you away from home or clothe you in your
nakedness? When did we visit you when
you were ill or in prison?” (Matt. 26:
37-39)
During this
particular Advent maybe all of these needs and requests will actually become a
blessing for us and keep us focused on what is important rather than on what
drives us crazy about Christmas. Maybe
we will benefit in ways that will be totally unexpected.
Sincerely,
Mike
November
16, 2005
Dear
Families,
The
visiting team for our accreditation last week could not stop talking about the
incredible support for and presence that you provide in the school. The team encountered you working with kids in
classrooms; working together for the auction and gift wrap as well as scrip;
collating and distributing the family envelopes; meeting with the team on
Tuesday evening during which time they discovered the breadth and the depth of
the ways in which you involve yourselves in the life and structure of the
school; in providing wonderful meals for the team and for the staff during the
week (thank you!) and in personal conversations throughout their three days
here. There was no question in their
minds why the faculty and staff identified your support as one of the key
strengths of
In today’s
envelope you will find the synthesis of the team’s findings. When we receive the formal report, we will
post it on our website for all to see.
The accreditation team could not have endorsed the school more strongly
noting that, together, we set a very high standard for ourselves as we work to
educate all of our children. The team
affirmed that the collaborative efforts of faculty/staff, parents and parishes
have created a culture of excellence and community. And, most importantly, the team noted that “
Interestingly,
the team questioned several places throughout our self-study which we
identified as areas for growth. Team
members indicated that they perceived those same areas as strengths and asked
why we put them in the growth column.
Simply put, a student who does well in science or in writing needs to be
challenged or encouraged to become even stronger or more skilled in those areas
so as to maximize his/her potential. The
same is true for us as a school. While
we celebrate and enjoy our strengths as a school, resting on our laurels will
never characterize
The work of
the faculty and staff during this process surpassed anything I have seen or
experienced in a school. I cannot
reiterate too many times how fortunate we are to have these people interacting
with our children everyday. Thank God and
thank them for choosing to spend their lives in education. Our kids’ futures depend upon them. And the students themselves brought to life
what we are and do. They saw the quality
of work being produced. They heard
articulate and poised responses to their questions. They watched energetic, engaged and happy
students. And they came to see the
impact of
Speaking of
good schools, I want to wish success to
While the
Villa has successfully operated as an independent school for many years, it has
only recently been made possible for the school to actually purchase the
property and to make the improvements and renovations that are so necessary for
securing its future. This is important
because there is simply no way that
There will
be no envelope next week so let me wish all of you and those you love a very
happy Thanksgiving. I am thankful to be
here at ASB with you. I hope that
everyone can say the same.
November 1,
2005
Dear
Families,
After an
amazingly beautiful fall, we certainly have jumped with both (wet) feet into a
typical November in the Northwest. Not
that I will complain because this past weekend I finally did plant all of those
bulbs and plants that I bought on sale in September and now I don’t have to
water. And it gives me an excuse to
suspend all the weeding that needs doing.
Things move
at a dizzying speed around here on most days but these past few weeks the pace
has actually picked up and we can feel it in the air. The Halloween carnival delighted young and
old(er) last Saturday evening and we thank Maureen Ridgeway and Maria Levis as
well as their crew for all of the hard work that went into this event. It is important to create activities that are
just for fun!
We kicked
off the week with both Halloween and the gift wrap assembly.
Not only
did you surpass our miracle goal, you beat last year’s record sales of
$118,000. With over $122,000 in sales
you surely will remain the top sellers in the country. Thank you so much. And the eighth graders sold the most gift
wrap out of all of the classes. That
says something remarkable when so many schools find it difficult to motivate
middle school students to participate.
We cannot thank Amy Pelly and Liz Suver enough for all of the hours,
creative ideas, hours, tallying, hours, and energy that they have given to us
in chairing this sale again.
In the
midst of all of this we began conferences.
I love conferences because they give me the opportunity to engage in
conversation about learning and goals with the students and their parents
together. I find that I learn so much
from these interactions. This time also
provides the basis for ongoing communication with a more focused plan for each
student. After all of these years, I
still end conference week tired but even more determined to teach each student
more effectively. I know that I share
this experience with the rest of the faculty.
We place a high value on conferences and appreciate the time and effort
that you give to make them productive and meaningful.
Of course,
wouldn’t this be enough activity for November as we look ahead to the
holidays? But noooo, next week the nine
member visiting team for accreditation will come to school from Tuesday through
Thursday. They will observe in every classroom,
meet with teachers and administrators, pastors, students, and the members of
various committees and consultative groups (i.e. School Commission, Governance
Council, Parent Board). They will seek
to verify the findings and recommendations in our self-study document
(available to you on our web page). And
they will issue a report of their findings as well as make a recommendation for
our next term of accreditation (the maximum is six years) to the Northwest
Association of Accredited Schools and the Western Association of Catholic
Schools. Then we can breathe a sigh of
relief and kick-back for the rest of the year, right?
Nope! In the spring we begin the process of
developing our next five year plan in which we will more specifically address the
goals, needs, concerns and hopes that we generated through our surveys of and
meetings with parents, students, faculty and staff, and community. And we will continue to expand on the
progress that we have made in our current plan.
So I hope that you plan to participate in the forums and, perhaps, the
task forces that we will conduct in the spring.
The next
big event on our calendar is Grandparents/*Grandfriends Day on Monday November
21 from 9:00-noon. We moved the day to
Monday at the suggestion of many grandparents who come from afar. This way they can attend this event and stay
through Thanksgiving. That works for us
and it ends the controversy about whether or not to let kids wear their Apple
Cup colors on Friday when grandparents visit!
(Oh, the complicated decisions that we have to make.) The morning ends with our Thanksgiving
liturgy and you are most welcome to attend.
Our liturgies have been awesome this year thanks to Linda Reid, Kathy
Kane, Robin Hendricks, and faculty and student singers and musicians.
Thanks for
all of the support for scrip this year.
It is really picking up and this is necessary for us. The ISC (Incredible Scrip Committee)
continues to dream about and work for participation from 100% of school
families. You have the power to make
their dream come true!
I hope that
every family will do your utmost to make our auction a success as well. If you want to know what more you can do or
if you have a great idea, please contact our chairs Margaret Newman or Margaret
Havens and they will send you in the right direction. They and their procurement teams have been
working extremely hard. The way that we
show our appreciation is simply by making the auction successful.
A lot goes
on around here. And we succeed because
we have dedicated families, faculty and staff, and kids working together to
make things happen. Thanks. Let’s continue to thank and pray for one
another so we stay focused on what the Spirit calls us to be and to do.
Sincerely,
Mike
*I
encourage your child to invite a “grandfriend” if no grandparent is
available. We did this in our family and
it really cemented some bonds between our children and important adults in
their lives. It really became an
unexpected blessing.
October 25,
2005
Dear
Families,
Over the
past few weeks in my letters I have been trying to reflect on the personal
characteristics that we bring to our parenting and to the process of forming
our children. It struck me, in one of my
3:00 a.m. musings, that, perhaps, some may think that I have a vision of our
children becoming kind and saintly adults who willingly give their lives in
service of their communities. Well, that
is right-sort of-but not the kind of saints that we often see depicted in the
art and stories of some of our childhoods.
No one would want to spend any time with some of them!
To quote
Chris Lowney (Heroic Leadership), “…when
do children, students, athletes, or employees achieve their full
potential? When they’re parented,
taught, coached or managed by those who engender trust, provide support and
encouragement, uncover potential, and set high standards.” (p.179) Lowney goes on to say that “innumerable triumphs of humanity occur
every day when parents, teachers, coaches and others invest themselves
selflessly in developing others.” (p. 201).
To what end do we make this investment together? We have in our families and our school those
individuals who have the capacity, the support and the aptitude to fill
leadership roles in the future. How do
we create in our children the passion, the vision and the commitment to the
common good? How do we generate in our
children the ingenuity, perseverance and the openness to new ideas and people
that will help them to eagerly look forward to what lies around life’s next
bend? (Lowney) What I see in our
children are the civic and business leaders, the church and community
volunteers, and the employers and workers who can make a dramatic impact for
good in the world.
Perhaps
there are some in our classrooms cut from the same cloth as Martin Luther King
or Mother Theresa. Some may travel to
faraway places to serve and some may rise to positions of political power. Some may have to face daily decisions that
balance profit margins against the needs of workers or delivering quality to
consumers. My vision for our school very
much presupposes that our children can, should and will make a difference. We face the challenge to help them to develop
a worldview that is rooted in an understanding that all of their gifts,
talents, opportunities and passion are not meant to benefit them alone. Our goal as a school is to intentionally
develop the skills, the attitudes and the commitment in our students to provide
leadership in a world that is and, for them as adults certainly, will be
characterized by on-going and myriad changes.
And that does not mean that they will all have to hold positions of
power or authority.
This
morning, as I write, the headlines in the papers report the death of Rosa
Parks. Mrs. Parks provides us with a
powerful example of leadership. She made
a commitment to respond to an opportunity that life presented her and to take a
moral as well as a civic stand, for her own sake and for the sake of
others. As mundane a setting as the late
afternoon on a city bus in Alabama became the flashpoint for initiating
necessary civic and ethical change for a nation. For most of our kids-as for most of us-the
call to leadership occurs in the daily interactions and experiences of our
lives. Perhaps none of us will be able
to lay claim to anything as revolutionary as the civil rights movement. We should, however, impact the people in our
lives as ethical, compassionate, visionary and able leaders. And we should provide the formation for our
children to be leaders as well.
Each of us
has the opportunity and responsibility for leadership every day in our
families, our workplace, our community and our general interactions with
others. Some of that leadership is
obvious and some a little more hazy but we know that we continually affect
others. So how do we become stronger
leaders and pass on those qualities to our children? I defer again to Chris Lowney, who describes
the four pillars of leadership that he sees, but I add some of my own
observations.
Ø
Leaders
understand themselves. They know their
strengths and weaknesses. Their values
are clear and they can articulate their worldview. Their ethical and critical thinking skills
are developed.
Ø
Leaders
confidently innovate and adapt to embrace a changing world. They welcome challenge and change because
they have developed the problem-solving skills, the intellectual perseverance
and the work ethic to overcome obstacles and to adapt strategies.
Ø
Leaders
engage others with a positive, loving attitude.
They look for the good in others and in the situation.
Ø
Through
heroic ambitions and high standards, leaders energize themselves and
others. They understand the difference
between striving for excellence and becoming mired in trying to be perfect.
Clearly,
this whole process of creating leaders is not about forming children to do
something but rather to become someone.
No, I do not mean saintly people who are simply nice. We need strong “saintly” leaders, who intend
to make a difference and who have the capacity to do just that.
I hope that
you received word about the St. John School parent who volunteered to work in
hurricane relief in Texas. She went into
a shelter in Texas and the first thing that she noticed was that there were
children wearing ASB School shirts. She
was delighted to see Seattle represented. And we can be delighted that the
clothing you pulled together in 24 hours the first week of school made it and
is making a difference! Thank you once
again for all that you do!
October 17,
2005
Dear
Families,
Success. What does that word bring to mind? What attributes does the successful person
demonstrate? What characteristics of the
successful person do others aspire to develop?
Is having a successful football team similar to having a successful
marriage? Are winning and success the
same? What does it mean to have a successful child or to be a successful
parent?
I have a
meeting with a professor at Seattle University next week, who jokingly told me
that I wouldn’t graduate if I received a ticket in the parking garage. I replied that I would now probably have a
dream about being back in school and not having my work finished for
graduation. She responded “Do we ever
really get over our fears.” That is an
interesting question and I know of many instances in my life or Sandra’s where
situations or realities from our growing up influenced how we handled
situations or decisions regarding our kids-not always for the best. And I have had many, many experiences in
education where the pain of parents’ school or growing up experience colored
their perception and influenced their reactions to experiences or situations
regarding their children. Our own past
provides powerful messages and feeds our fears about what it means to succeed
as both a child and a parent.
In thinking
about this it struck me that the work done by Daniel Goleman (Emotional Intelligence and Working with Emotional Intelligence) offers
a way for us as parents and teachers both to limit the effects of our own fears
and hurts and to provide our children with the competencies and strengths to
become happy, productive and self-fulfilled adults. Goleman identifies five core competencies:
ü
Self-Awareness:
the ability to recognize and understand your moods, emotions and drives…
ü
Self-Regulation: the ability to control or redirect disruptive
moods; the propensity to suspend judgment-to think before acting.
ü
Motivation: a passion to work for reasons that go beyond
money or status.
ü
Empathy: the ability to understand the emotional
make-up of other people…
ü
Social
Skill: proficiency in managing
relationships and building networks; an ability to find common ground and build
rapport.
(From “What Makes a Leader?” Harvard Business Review Nov/Dec 98)
If we
consciously work to facilitate these qualities in our children, I think that
they will develop a powerful sense of who they are that will enable them to
withstand the inevitable and ubiquitous comparisons that will occur around the
notion of success. Certainly, Goleman’s
work aims at enabling people to reach their goals and dreams, achieve success
and develop productive relationships. As
a Catholic school, serving a mission driven community, we need to work for
more.
In his
book, Heroic Leadership, Chris Lowney
notes that there are some invaluable personal strengths that also enable a
person to successfully live life to the fullest. However, developing these qualities also aims
to create individuals, who will have a positive impact on the entire
community. He would include:
- the ability to reflect
systematically on personal weaknesses,
especially those manifested as habits
- an integrated worldview-a clear
vision and value system
- profound respect for other
people and all of creation
- appreciation of oneself as
loved and important
- the ability to tune out
everyday distractions in order
to reflect, and the habit of doing so daily
- a method for considering
choices and making decisions
(pg. 110)
Both of
these authors, coming from very different perspectives arrive at the same
conclusion. The skills and vision that
develop from a clear and reflective self-awareness; a deep appreciation of who
one is, including all of the weaknesses; a commitment to valuing and engaging
every person who comes into one’s life; a passion for living and working that
grows out of a sense of personal identify and values; and the ability to make
decisions and actions that reflect all of these are the foundation of success,
however one might define the term. And
none of it depends upon the approval of others or fitting in to someone else’s
definitions.
Interestingly,
both authors provide many examples of the most effective leaders in industry,
politics, religion, civil rights, business, etc. who demonstrate these very characteristics. Ironically, developing these qualities of
“personal success” has a positive impact on the lives of many others. Our vision, then, must be to develop young
men and women, who are “people for others” even as they develop their own
standards for personal excellence. The
service that they will be called to perform could include leadership in any
number of settings.
They will
be the next generation upon whom Jesus will have to depend to be his hands,
feet, and leaders in this world.
Sincerely,
Mike
October 12,
2005
Dear
Families,
We find
ourselves halfway through October already and the weather certainly has been
beautiful. Friday is the mid-term for
our first trimester. Progress reports
will go home next week as our first “official” communication to parents on
their children’s performance so far.
Communication
in all aspects of school life creates an atmosphere that allows parents and
staff to work together effectively for the children in our care. We very much appreciate the ways in which you
as parents keep us posted on what is happening in the lives of your children or
your families that can affect how they do in school. And it allows us to offer needed support and
flexibility when students need them.
And, for our part, we continue to look for ways and means to keep you
apprised of what is happening in school, in classrooms and in your child’s life
at school.
One of the
areas that we have determined to do a more comprehensive job of communicating
what we are doing is in the area of development. This does not include the incredible efforts
that the parents undertake in the gift wrap and the auction. That is the fundraising that the parents’
organization commits to carry out to contribute to the general operations of
the school. The goal is ten percent of
the operating budget, which would be about $280,000 this year. Our development efforts are all of those
additional actions and strategies that we use to finance our school at a very
high level of excellence, while keeping the tuition affordable and the school
accessible, including offering financial assistance. Of all these efforts, the
primary one is called the annual fund, which includes the tax-deductible
donations to the school each year from parents, alums, alum parents,
parishioners, and others who support the mission and vision of ASB School. We are dismayed to discover that so many in
our parent community still do not understand the importance of this fund in
keeping our educational standards and offerings high and our tuition at a
reasonable rate for all that we offer.
As a
strategy for enhancing the understanding of all members of our community about
this critical area, the development committee has established two groups. The first is the annual fund committee, which
is comprised of current parents, past parents, and non-parents, whose
responsibility is to develop strategies and opportunities for enhancing
donations to the annual fund. The second
group of volunteers has a more direct relationship with the parent community
are the grade level development representatives. Their responsibility is to be a conduit for
communication about the development efforts and programs of the school as well
as to solicit information and support for those efforts. Unlike room parents, who organize activities
and engage parents in creating activities for supporting the classroom, the
development reps serve as a communication vehicle to parents.
I cannot
tell you enough how important it is that every parent understands the role of
all of our development efforts, including
scrip, in funding the education of children at ASB School. We never want to move to becoming a school
that needs to charge the full cost of education, which would mean we would
price some families out or have to cut programs or staff or both. So I am asking you to take advantage of all
of the communications that you will receive from your development reps to
deepen your understanding about financing this outstanding education that your
children are receiving.
Now, if you
are the person who reads the family envelope, would you please ask the person
who doesn’t to read this letter? I am
thinking this might be a good first step to ensuring that every parent has all
of the information.
Thanks for
all your hard work on the gift wrap sale.
Preliminary numbers look great and we should know our totals by the end
of the week. Thanks to Amy Pelly, Liz
Suver, Mo Broom and crew for all of the hours of tedious accounting of
thousands of dollars in orders.
Sincerely,
October 4,
2005
Dear
Families,
It is
amazing to think that a week from Friday is our first mid-term with progress
reports coming the following week. The
year has begun to develop the rhythm that will take us through the year. Yesterday at our in-service the faculty met
in “levels” (K-3; 4-5; 6-8) to assess how the year has started and what needs
our attention.
While the
primary teachers and intermediate teachers, shared ideas on curriculum,
teaching reading and strategies for addressing the needs of all learners in
their classrooms, the middle school teachers discussed some issues that I want
to raise for all of you as well.
We are
discussing with the middle school students “the choking game” that you may have
read about in the paper. Several young
people have inadvertently killed themselves trying to get a high by cutting off
oxygen to the brain (this is also done by “huffing”-inhaling aerosols). This “game” has been around for years but the
number of recent deaths may indicate that it is prevalent right now. So why am I addressing this to everyone? One of the kids who died was a ten year old
girl. As parents we need to take every
opportunity that we can to talk with our kids about why they do what they do;
who they listen to; and how they make decisions. Of course, at home or in class they will say
that they would never play this game or do any number of other things that we
might bring up, but the fact is, kids do make dangerous decisions all of the
time. If they know that we understand
that it is hard at times to make the right or safe choice, they are more likely
to let us know when they are struggling.
This week
all of the students will have eighth graders in their classrooms presenting the
“four tests” for making the right (ethical) decision. In second grade, I observed three eighth
graders talk about the rule test (Is it against the rules?); the tummy test
(How does it make you feel in your tummy?); the intercom test (Would you want
Mr. Foy to announce what you did on the intercom?); and the parent test (Would
your parents do it?). Perhaps these
ideas (or your own version) could be the basis of conversations at home.
The second
issue that we are discussing with middle school students is academic integrity
and personal integrity. We don’t have to
go very far to find multiple examples of adults “cheating” in business, in
sports (steroids), in relationships and in myriad other venues as we watch
television, listen to the radio, read newspapers and magazines and so
forth. What makes it so easy for people
to cheat? Does everybody really do it? One report you may have seen on Evening
Magazine noted that seventy-five percent of high school students report that
they have cheated. What is it in our
culture that has created this climate?
Many of our
students report that they are tired of the way that competition seems to
permeate their lives. This includes
competition for time (school, homework, sports, lessons, etc.), competition for
spots on teams and, when the time comes, high school, competition for friends
and the “right” groups, competition for “stuff” that is popular right now, and
all of this is fueled by the pressure to perform and succeed in any number of
areas. It is interesting to note that in
a school like ours, where everyone can get an A if it is earned-we don’t have a
cap on the number that we give-that there is grade competition, that is to say,
the competition to do better than someone else. It is as if some kids can’t
feel any affirmation for what they do unless they “beat” someone else. It would
make sense that the student who feels the most pressure to perform in so many
areas and has the most packed schedule-limited time-may well be the one most
likely to cheat. Or is it the one who
does not feel that he can perform up to standards who is more likely to
cheat? Or is it the one who has had a
parent intervene and do the work for him?
It is probably all of the above and we have to be vigilant as parents
about how we are helping our kids handle the pressures and messages of a
competitive and materialistic society.
It is a matter of preserving their dignity, integrity and, I believe,
their very souls.
The last
area we will discuss is a “call to courtesy”.
We are mounting a campaign to raise awareness in our halls and around
school to create a courteous climate.
This includes greeting people, saying please and thank you, working,
moving and talking in the halls in ways that recognize the needs of other, and
finding ways to be helpful. We would
love to have you do the same at home so that this message surrounds them!
Someone
once said that our jobs here would be so much easier if we only had to worry
about educating their minds. Then again,
that is not what we are about as a community.
Mike
P.S. Thanks
to St. Bridget and Assumption Parishes for funding the $60,000+ electrical
upgrade to the school that occurred as a result of the parish building
project. Please financially support your
parishes.
September
28, 2005
Dear
Families,
On Monday
we welcomed nine educators from across western Washington and the diocese of
Reno for their pre-visit to our campus.
This is the accreditation visiting team that will spend three days on
campus in November assessing the evidence to insure that we do what we say that
we do in our self-study document. This
will bring to a close a two year intensive process undertaken by the faculty
and staff that focuses on school improvement.
In fact, the accreditation process is called the school improvement
process for the Northwest Association of
Accredited Schools and the Western
Association of Catholic Schools.
As I said
at the middle school curriculum night, if we had hired someone to do the investigation,
interviews, surveys, and writing/revising/rewriting for us, we would have had
someone working forty hours a week for nearly eleven months just to complete the work that we did in the
last school year on the self-study.
When you think that the faculty completed this while still teaching our
children, taking professional development classes and workshops (five are in
master’s programs), and tending to the needs of their own families, it is clear
that we owe them a debt of gratitude. It
is very gratifying to have parents note in the parent survey that the greatest
strength of the school is the quality of the staff. And just as important is that the faculty and
staff note the greatest strength of the school is the highly involved and
supportive parent community. This
underlines a partnership that cannot be contrived but grows out of a genuine
mutual respect and support between the adults in this community.
I am often
asked what ASB School’s “secret” is.
Part of it certainly is that relationship between parents, teachers and
students. Part of it may be that the school improvement process is not
something extraordinary but an on-going characteristic of our school
community. Certainly the commitment to
professional development continues to help us to set the bar high for ourselves
as educators. In fact, twelve staff will
attend a workshop on teaching religion in October; on the first Saturday in
November fifteen of us will participate in an all day workshop on how the brain
learns to read and write; and all of us will participate in a deanery-wide
two-day workshop (October and February) on leadership and providing quality
instruction in the classroom. Our three
teachers, who have been trained in Slingerland reading instructional methods,
continue to hone their skills through the Efficacy in Reading Instruction
program. All of this aims to broaden our
ability to meet more diverse learning needs in our students, especially those
with learning challenges. Maybe there is
another characteristic of ASB that we have worked hard to cultivate that gets
more to the heart of our “secret”.
All of the
efforts that we have made over the years in terms of working to understanding
learning styles, differences and modalities; multiple intelligences; brain
research; human development; societal influences and pressures; ADD/ADHA; and
family systems underscore our belief that kids are not, nor should they all be,
the same. Kids learn differently. They take in, process and communicate
information in various ways. They really
do have their own hopes, goals, dreams and plans that affect their lives in and
out of school. And they all have
internal resources that can be tapped for their success. Hopefully, we have a school that is both
human and humane in its approach.
Thomas
Moore (The Dark Nights of the Soul)
notes that “according to a machine image of the human being, we are brought up
to be well-adjusted, to work hard, and to obey the laws and to conform to
expectations. If and when that process
breaks down, we have mechanics at the ready to patch us up. But that story of a human life is minimal and
allows nothing of the soul or spirit, meaning or deep experiencing. An alternative is to see human life as deeply
continuing invitation to be more of what it is capable, to be individual, and
deeply connected.” It is my hope that
the self-study process and our work on developing our next long-range plan will
enable us-staff and parents-to continue to create a formation experience for
our children that does encourage and support them in their struggle to grow and
develop into the people that only they can become; that brings them to know
that they have the capacity to listen to the Spirit and their own spirit
calling from within. What is our
greatest challenge in doing that?
Perhaps it
means that we have to develop a deep and abiding faith that, after all is said
and done, we cannot control every experience and aspect of our children’s
growth and development. We do our best
to give our children the tools to help them to believe in and to utilize their
own resourcefulness. Then we must, as
Moore encourages, “stand back and look at [your child and] yourself from a
distance. See yourself as part of the
same world that changes a caterpillar into a butterfly, a storm into the
increase of life, and a forest fire into an opportunity for new growth. You don’t have to be sentimental about it,
but you can have enough distance from your intensely personal thoughts and
sensations to allow yourself the experience.
The distance doesn’t take away any confusion or pain, but it does make
the experience tolerable.” And it helps
us to understand that education, parenting, and living are not about making
things endlessly smooth for our kids, but about assisting them in discovering
and creating their unique and distinct place in the schema of living, as
individuals and as members of a community.
This is our
great challenge because we surely do live in a society and a culture of
expectations and “rules” for success.
And so do our kids.
P.S. The
self-study document can be viewed on our website. We will be inviting feedback for and
participation in developing our next five-year plan after the first of the
year.
September
13, 2005
Dear
Families,
With only
twenty-four hours notice last week you donated 5500 pounds of clothes that were
shipped on a plane Saturday to a church in Houston serving Katrina
refugees. Thanks to all of you and
especially to Joanne Poggetti, Sue Rockwell, Janet Jones and crew who threw
themselves into this project and made it happen. As one parent overheard Bryant parents who
saw the effort say “Leave it to the Catholic service organizations to get the
job done!” As always, you are amazing.
The effort
to bring order out of the chaos that has resulted from Katrina provides some
food for thought. I wonder if those
struck by the hurricane, not necessarily the destitute but the working,
struggling lower middle class and poor may not have the internal resources to
meet this challenge pretty effectively.
Does the daily effort to make ends meet, to obtain the basic necessities
for life, and to provide their children with the internal resources to overcome
ongoing hardships develop a greater flexibility and resourcefulness in their
children? Does the frank acknowledgement
that life does not always conform to what they want and even what they need
create a realistic expectation that disappointments, regrouping and starting
over is part of life experience? In
fact, is it possible that life might be more fully embraced and lived by those
who don’t have the expectation that it will be perfect?
In his
book, Dark Nights of the Soul: A Guide to
Finding Your Way though Life’s Ordeals, Thomas Moore (Care of the Soul; The Re-enchantment of Everyday Life; Education of the
Heart) writes “ [Children] need a parent who is boldly and caringly
embracing life, and its unusual for life to be both strong and orderly. Chaos is one way in which life renews itself,
and if a parent avoids chaos, the children will not have the energetic care and
modeling they need.” Certainly we see in
the wake of Katrina people literally springing to life-to build their lives and
to give life to others. Does this
contrast with children’s lives in which parents try to make everything so
perfect and orderly for them? How much
time and energy is invested in making sure that kids join the right activities,
have the right associations, play on the right teams and have the right social
group? How much do we care about what other people’s kids can do and have or what
team, camp, activity or friends are parts of their lives? Is that about kids or is that about something
between parents? And how does this kind
of a focus and, consequently, perfectly accessorized life prepare our kids for
the inevitable “chaos” life will deliver?
Tim Muldoon
makes some pertinent observations in his book, The Ignatian Workout: Daily
Spiritual Exercises for a Healthy Faith.
“We
live in a culture in which image often seems more important
than substance, where people need to
have some kind of recognizable false self in order to fit in…We all know about
images-I think everyone
has to learn them while in high
school where everyone has to fit into some
clique. Unfortunately, cliques, while connecting us
to others…can often limit the ways we see ourselves. They can give us a sense of identity, but
they can also limit our ability to develop a unique one…Do people limit
themselves based on the image that they present to the world?”
As parents
we must really ask ourselves in what ways we might limit how we see our kids
and how we encourage them to limit their own view of themselves. What are the standards, the criteria, and
images that provide the framework for us to assess “how are kids are doing” and
how we “are doing” as parents? Tim
Muldoon illustrates a different approach.
“Not long ago my wife and I…visited
her brother in a small apartment he shared with some fraternity brothers. We were making small talk, when all of a
sudden Sue gasped and nearly threw herself on the floor to look at this beat-up
wreck of a table, covered with stains and pizza boxes…I ask-ed what in the
world she was doing. “It’s perfect! Frank, I must have this table,” she said to
her brother. It was the typical coffee
table one might expect in a fraternity house: not much to look at but a good
place to put pizza. But Sue saw in this
table something beautiful…So, we brought the table home, and with a great deal
of work peeling paint and shelf paper, sanding, and staining, we discovered
that it was a truly gorgeous piece of wood underneath layers of decoration.
It seems to me that many of us are
like that coffee table in the state when Sue discovered it. Our beauty has been covered up by the
concerns and worries of our lives, and we allow layers of false selves to cover
us up. These layers happen because we
want to accommodate whatever seems important in the short run: impressing the
right people, being thought important, having the right job or car, looking
fashionable, whatever. But these
short-term priorities don’t sustain us.
Over time our real selves become unrecognizable, even to ourselves…This
teaches me that the perhaps the worst thing we can to ourselves is never to
allow God to move our hearts in ways that our false selves react against. We must allow God to be unpredictable because
God reaches down to the layer of our most authentic self.”
Not only do
we want to live authentically ourselves but don’t we also want to help our
children be themselves rather than fitting into a mold that has somehow come to
live in our midst? Or are we giving them the message that they
should do what they need to do to fit in?
And where will that lead them in high school, college and life?
September
7, 2005
Dear
Families,
Welcome to
the 2005-2006 school year, a year filled with promise, hope, opportunities, and
challenges for us individually and as a school community. This past weekend I enjoyed each day in the
company of family, good friends, good food and cherished company, as well as in
anticipation and preparation for the school year. I suspect that your weekends were much the
same. We have more than ample blessings
in our present lives and have every reason to hope in what the future holds in
store.
As I watch
the seemingly never-ending destruction left in the wake of Katrina and try to
absorb, in some small way, what it would mean to have everything-home,
community, job, friends, family and, quite literally, the known world-ripped
from my life and swept away, I struggle with how to respond. The happy experiences of the past week for me
couldn’t stand in any more of a stark contrast to what I see on television in
Louisiana and Mississippi. What is most
disturbing in those images is to know that those who had the very least to
begin with suffer the greatest. Their
loss is so particularly horrific because they had so very little. Those who had the fewest options, resources
and expectations for the future now have the least reason to hope at all. How many individuals and families now rely on
the “kindness of strangers” we do not yet know.
I do not
believe that God sends suffering in the form of natural disasters, especially
against those whose daily life involves suffering that I cannot
comprehend. And I do not think that God
demands that I feel guilty because I have a secure home, a loving family, good
friends, a community and parish that give me life, a daily life that is safe,
and a hopeful expectation for what the future holds at the same time others
have been crushed under this natural disaster.
I do believe, however, that God does use the events of life and the
world to speak and to renew a call to each of us individually and to us as a
community, locally, nationally and globally.
We have
seen and heard the press conferences, the analyses, the newscasts and the
speculation. We have had the startling
and the (perhaps healthily) humbling yet gratifying experience of having the
global community offer aid and assistance to us. Whatever the reasons
for the delay in governmental response, we see myriad grassroots and
civilian/religious responses attempting to offer assistance and alleviate
suffering. And that will have to
continue. And we will have to learn some
things about ourselves as a people.
What about
us-here-right now? What does God say to
us in all of this? Clearly we are called to help. First and foremost, we need to pray for help
to those suffering and to increase our own understanding. Giving to the second collection at church or
to other designated relief efforts helps.
Perhaps conducting fundraisers will be our response. We might be called to make a more personal
response. Perhaps we will actually send
volunteers to the South to work. What if
we were called to respond in a way that impacts our own established world? Would we be willing to take in displaced
families into our community? This year
would we be willing to welcome into our classrooms Catholic school students
displaced from their own schools? What
if they were public school children?
What if they needed extra academic and personal support?
I certainly
do not know ultimately what will be asked of us. In the meantime I do believe that this is a
time for us to focus very intently and remind ourselves about what is important
in life. What do our choices and our
words show that we most value? And we
really need to help our children understand everyday the difference between
needs and wants; the importance of giving not just getting; and of showing
compassion. (Having your kids watch CNN and telling them that they should be
grateful for what they have and not living in New Orleans will not work any
better than your mother telling you that you should eat your peas because
children are starving in Africa.) We can
affirm what it means to judge people by the color of their skin (or what they
have, where they live, where they go to school, their looks, their talents…)
rather than the color of their character.
And we can give them experiences that help them understand that we live
in community-in relationship to others-at home, in school, in the parishes, the
city, the nation and the world. Help
them find the connections rather than focusing on the differences or
disconnections they have with others.
Both
parishes offer an opportunity for that experience this Sunday. St. Bridget sponsors the annual Elephant
Stampede for our sister school in Malawi, which will take place at Magnuson
Park. Hopefully, enough money will be raised
to complete the trade school and give those young people the tools (no pun
intended) to build a future for themselves and their community. Assumption Parish will hold its parish picnic
at View Ridge Park and this provides all members of the parish with the
opportunity to come together and to affirm the relationships that are the very
foundation of parish life. Take the
opportunity to have your family participate in one or both of these activities
to strengthen their own sense of who they are in community.
Thank you
for all that you do and will do. The
strength of our community is what it is because we have so many people who
“pray like everything depends on them and work like everything depends on God”
(St. Ignatius). That saying is
incorrectly reversed at times. This way
it says that we can accomplish what we are called to do when listen to God and
allow Spirit to fill us and to energize us to accomplish heroic things, large
and small. We need to believe so that we
can do it.