Volume 9: Issue 2 October 2017

Volume 9: Issue 2 October 2017

Message from the Regional Director

Ms. Kate Brandley

[email protected]

The school year is off to a great start. Students and teachers are excited to be back and there is a tangible joy and life in our buildings! God’s spirit is alive in the eyes and hearts of our children. Our school theme this year is Peace and Unity. It is a very timely theme in light of the unrest in our country and world. Each day, our students pray the following prayer. Please feel free to pray with us at home or at work. Loving Savior, you send me out to restore peace: with my family, with my friends, and with my classmates. And with your guidance, I will know how to be a peacemaker. I can be courageous when it comes to reconciling with others. Please give me your gift of peace and may we all be united in you as we seek a better world. AMEN “The deepest element of

God’s commandment to protect human life is the requirement to show reverence and love for every person and the life of every person.” -Saint John Paul II

which is usually 24 hours after testing. SJPIICA showed great growth last year and we are excited for this coming year. Currently, grades 1-8 students are finishing up their first This month, Catholic standardized testing schools recognize that benchmark. This MAP October is respect life testing will be our baseline month in our church. We for future testing. We are will remember that all life is excited to delve into the precious in our religious and data and grow as teachers service activities and to continue to challenge and classroom teachings. The educate each child. Our quote of Saint John Paul II early childhood teachers are reminds us that we are all delving into their own data precious in the eyes of God. and working with their We must remember that we mentors to continue to grow are loved by God thus we and give our little ones a must love and understand head start with reading, others. We are called to love numbers and social skills. everyone. We can make a The Academy is alive and difference! thriving. Last year, the Archdiocese May God continue to bless began a new standardized you and your family. Thank testing program that you for your continued love measures the growth of each and support of our schools. student and allows each teacher to make immediate Kate Brandley changes to instruction once Regional Director the testing data is available,

1

October 2017

Campus Corner Calling All Artists

Pre-K Fun At the Lower Mills Campus Early Childhood orientation, the students played with “magic” play dough. If they wished with all their might, their play dough would turn another color, meaning we’re sure to have a GREAT school year! Students read The Day the Crayon Box Talked by Shane DeRolf and learned about tolerance, respect and friendship. The weather has been so warm they had lots of fun painting with ice. Many masterpieces were created!! The class wrapped up this activity with popsicles in the schoolyard.

High School Information Night Saint John Paul II Catholic Academy’s annual High School information night will be held Thursday, October 12th from 6:00 – 7:30 PM at the Lower Mills Auditorium for all Middle School students. This opportunity allows families to learn more about Catholic and Independent High Schools. This is a great time for students and families to speak to Admissions representatives from over 20 schools. Parents can also obtain applications, learn about financial aid, and register their child for the High School Placement Test.

Good Luck, Mrs. Sullivan! It was a sad day at the Mattapan Campus as students and colleagues alike paid tribute to Mrs. Linda Sullivan and bid her farewell. Mrs. Sullivan began her service to Saint John Paul II Catholic Academy in the Regional Office as a skilled administrative assistant. Mrs. Sullivan came to the Mattapan in 2010. She was loved and admired by students, parents and the staff immediately! She welcomed everyone with a warm smile and a helping hand. She embodied the heart and soul of SJPIICA. We will miss seeing her everyday but she will forever be in our hearts. May God continue to bless Mrs. Sullivan and her husband as they enter retirement!

The Academy will be submitting artwork for the Catholic School Foundation’s Annual Christmas Art Contest. This year’s theme is “Christmas Joy.” Four winners will be selected, one from each grade category, and each winner’s artwork will be featured on the cover of the Catholic Schools Foundation Christmas cards this December. Additionally, each student winner will receive a $50 gift card. Our art teachers will be working with students in all grades to create beautiful artwork. Winners will be chosen by a committee and announced on November 3rd. Good luck to our students!

Pinwheels for Peace Lower Mills Campus students of all ages recently participated in a project called Pinwheels for Peace to celebrate International Peace Day on September 21st. Students created and assembled their pinwheels, colorfully decorating them and attaching them to pencils to be planted in a peace garden in front of the school. Pinwheels for Peace was created in 2005 as a way for students to express their feelings about what’s going on in the world and in their lives.

Find Us Everywhere!

SJPIICA is on Facebook! Want to follow us for all the latest happenings? Go to www.facebook.com/sjp2ca and like Please remember to fill out the Free and Reduced Lunch form and us! Only do Twitter? Search for the Title I/ERATE form and return @SJP2CA and follow us! Spread the them to your campus office. These word and see how many new likes and followers we can get.

Important Information!

forms are used to determine the amount of funding the Academy receives through certain grants and programs. Thank you for helping the Academy and returning your forms!

Be sure to check www.sjp2ca.org and your campus homepages for all the important information and upcoming events at your campus!

2

Campus Corner Columbia Pre-K News PreK students at the Columbia Campus have had a great beginning to the school year. They learned about apples, tasting different apples and even made an apple volcano. The class began work on recognizing letters, matching letters and writing letters in shaving cream. They even formed name letters out of play dough!

Do You Dojo? Grade 4 Lower Mills Campus students are using ClassDojo to build community, learn about growth mindset, and include families in our learning each day! ClassDojo is a free app that makes dozens of handy resources available with a tap of a screen. During the school day, the class’ favorite feature of the app is Big Idea videos. The students learn about Big Ideas, such as perseverance, growth mindset, mindfulness, and empathy. They used what they learned about growth mindset to make privacy folders to use during MAP Growth assessments. These folders contain private, individual “datawalls” with MAP goals and inspiration to persevere through the MAP assessment. Families can use ClassStory to see a feed of photos and videos from class so they feel up-to-date and involved!

RenWeb We are excited to announce our new school management system – RenWeb School Management Software. We are in the process of setting up RenWeb’s ParentsWeb – a private and secure parents’ portal and will be rolling out different aspects to ParentsWeb as we are ready. At this time we are ready for you to sign on to ParentsWeb to access your FACTS Account. Through the FACTS section you will be able to see outstanding balances, have direct access to FACTS and if necessary sign up for a Payment Plan for the school year. Here’s how to access our easy-to-use RenWeb ParentsWeb: • Make sure that the school has your email address in RenWeb. • Go to www.renweb.com and click Log In • Type the school's District Code: SJP-MA • Click Create New ParentsWeb Account. • Type your email address and click Create Account. An email will be sent which includes a link to create your ParentsWeb login. The link is active for 6 hours. • Select the Click to Create your ParentsWeb login link. • A web browser displays your Name and RenWeb Person ID. • Type a User Name, Password, and Confirm the password. •Click Save User Name and/or Password. A message displays at the top of the browser, "User Name/Password successfully updated."

October 2017 RenWeb (cont.) • You may now log in to ParentsWeb using your new User Name and Password. Once in RenWeb, click on the “FACTS” link to view and access FACTS services. Accessing FACTS is now very simple as you will no longer need a separate log in. Once you have created and signed in to the ParentsWeb Portal you will be able to view your FACTS balances or access your FACTS accounts. RenWeb has created a 5minute ParentsWeb Overview video, which will give you an introduction to the system. The password to access the video is ParentsWeb. Please note that SJPIICA has only enabled the FACTS area of ParentsWeb at this time. This video demonstrates all that is available to us in the near future. Once you have your ParentsWeb account created and you need assistance with your FACTS account, please call 866-441-4637.

Dates to Remember! There will be no school on Monday, October 9th in observance of Columbus Day. The will be no school on Friday, October 27th for a Professional Development day. This is a change from the original calendar. Please mark your calendars!

3

Fine Arts Updates After School Music Classes are scheduled to begin at each campus the week of October 11th. Please send in a Registration Form and payment if you have not yet done so. Classes being offered include:

Dance – Students in Pre-K – Grade 8 will explore many different styles of dance. Violin – This program has grown to be the largest strings program in the City of Boston. Classes are offered to students in Pre-K – Grade 8. Keyboard – Instruction offered to students in Grades 1 – 8 that introduce the child to fundamentals of keyboard in small group classes. Guitar – A fun introduction to acoustic guitar for students in Grades 2 – 8 as they work together to explore different genres while chords and strumming styles are developed.

Violins and guitars are available for purchase at $120. Limited instruments are available for rent at $75 per year. All instrument classes must meet the minimum requirement of five students per class.

Strings Ensemble The Strings Ensemble takes place every Monday from 6:30 – 8PM at the Lower Mills Campus for all violin students who have six months of experience. There is no charge for this program.

Artists of the Month We are looking forward to our Artists of the Month! Check back in the November newsletter for the wonderful work of our incredibly talented artists. All of the Artists of the Month artwork will be displayed on our website.

To submit stories for the next newsletter, contact your campus office!

A Message from the Business Office FACTS Payment Plan: We are excited that parents are now able to access FACTS accounts through RenWeb – our new school management system! At this time we are ready for you to sign on to ParentsWeb to access your FACTS Account. Through the FACTS section you will be able to see outstanding balances, have direct access to FACTS and if necessary sign up for a Payment Plan for the school year. All families in the Academy must be enrolled in the FACTS payment plan. For more information about the FACTS Payment Plan via RenWeb please visit www.sjp2ca.org or www.renweb.com. Here’s how to access our easy-to-use RenWeb ParentsWeb: • Go to www.renweb.com and click Log In • Type the school's District Code: SJP-MA • Click Create New ParentsWeb Account • Type your email address and click Create Account. An email will be sent which includes a link to create your ParentsWeb login. The link is active for 6 hours.

Please note tuition payments began in July. If you have missed any payments at this time, you must make those payments online or by calling FACTS Management at 800-624-7092. Your child’s continued enrollment in the Academy is dependent on prompt tuition payments. Please refer to the tuition policy on our website at www.sjp2ca.org and available in the Student/Parent handbook. Vouchers: If your voucher is updated or renewed by your ABCD facility, please make sure that you fax, bring or email a copy of it to the Business Office. All voucher families are eligible to participate in all activities in the Extended Day Program at no additional cost beyond the voucher co-payment, provided that the voucher is current and there is class availability in the specific program. The only additional cost could be the cost of an instrument in the Fine Arts Program. If you would like to make an appointment with the Business Office, please call or email [email protected] to make your appointments.

Tuition payments: If you are behind in tuition payments, you must contact the Regional Business Office located at 2200 Dorchester Avenue immediately. At this time 40% of your total tuition is due not including any scholarships and financial aid received.

CONTACT US: Financial aid: 617-265-0019 x7005 [email protected] Tuition Payments: 617-265-0019 x7004, x7005 or [email protected] or [email protected] Vouchers: [email protected]

4