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WHAT IS ON YOUR MIND? YOUR QUESTIONS ARE BEING ANSWERED!
The Home & School Association hopes to answer any question you might have by using this general format to communicate the school's response. At the September 2010 HSA meeting we asked you to submit questions. If you feel an additional response is still needed, please email the Home & School Association at qashsa@gmail.com. Check the site daily for updates to your questions.
These question / answers added January 19, 2011:
Why don’t we use risers for the Christmas program?
We found using risers created an increase in the amount of noise and lost time during the program. Keeping both the participants and the audience quiet during the dead time of moving children on and off the risers became an obstacle that took away from the program. Mr. O’Brien created the current system of the participants remaining stationary and his moving to them as a positive solution.
Could the Christmas program be moved to the evening?
That has been discussed in the past. It was even suggested to move the program to the evening and charge a nominal fee as a fundraiser. We are more than willing to consider this option. We would, most likely, keep the day program as a ‘dress rehearsal’ for the students and include an evening performance for parents.
I would like to see the students learn about periods of music and the musicians of that period.
The school agrees wholeheartedly with that suggestion and it is a part of our music curriculum. The seventh grade begins to explore this goal as they look at music from different parts of the world. It is more fully developed in the eighth grade curriculum (Goal #1 – Students will identify, discuss, compare and contrast western music from different historical periods). The younger grades are learning the necessary concepts to bring the goal to fruition. Both the primary and intermediate grades are learning to read and interpret music symbols and the sounds and concepts they represent. In addition, they are learning the necessary vocabulary to successfully hold a productive discussion of composers and their achievements when in eighth grade.
Questions/Answers for Home and School Time with Principle Meetings - 12/15/10
What keyboarding instruction do our students receive?
Students begin to learn keyboarding skills in first grade. They begin to learn the location of the keys by typing the ABCs and their names. Second grade continues this practice by typing their spelling words and simple sentences. In both third and fourth grade, the first quarter is dedicated to keyboarding (Mrs. Crenshaw has used programs such as Jump Start and other internet programs). The focus moves from key location to correct hand position. The students work to maintain correct hand position while increasing their accuracy and speed. Fifth grade students review these skills before moving into MS Word.
Could the length of stay at
The current program (one and a half days) meets the leadership component of personal/group challenge and team building as designed by the school staff. Increasing the length of the program would depend on what additional activities are offered and whether or not they meet curricular goals and/or can further enhance the components that are currently covered.
These question / answers added November 2010:
- Could we get an additional microphone for the audience during the meeting?
Answer: We do have additional microphones that can be used. It would just be a matter of locating the other microphone jacks in the cafeteria, setting up a microphone/stand, and having the person go to the microphone site to address the group.
- Specialty teachers and working hours
Answer: The Art, Music and PE teachers are in the building four days/week
The Spanish teacher is in the building three days/week.
Art (Miss Heumann) and PE (Mr. Meyer) teach Monday through Thursday
Music (Mr. O’Brien) teaches Monday and Wednesday through Friday
Spanish (Mrs. Hoppe) teaches Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday
Mr. Meyer and Mr. O’Brien have no planning periods, they teach eight periods per day. Miss Heumann has planning time on Wednesday and Thursday.
Mrs. Hoppe has planning time on Thursday and Friday.
All teachers, including specialty teachers, are expected to check e- and voice mail messages each day they are at school. E- and voice mail messages from parents are expected to be returned by the end of the next school day from when they message was received. Please note – if the message is sent after school on a day preceding a teacher’s absence or the day a teacher is not scheduled to be at school, that message will be not received until that teacher returns to school and should be answered by the end of the next school day)
- Policy regarding bringing siblings to classroom parties
Answer: Our 2010-2011 Parent and Student Handbook states “Helpers at class parties are responsible for the students; therefore, please do not bring siblings/other children with you when helping at a party.” This specifically refers to parents who have an assigned supervision role during the class party (i.e. supervise a game/activity, hand out party snacks/treats, etc.). While fire codes regarding the number of people in the building were a concern several years ago, that is not necessarily the case now. In an effort to welcome our school families to take part in our celebrations, parents who asked and did not have a supervisory role during the party were invited to bring their preschool children. To address the concern that since parents may bring their preschool children they may choose not to volunteer their time at the party, I am working with our new preschool teacher to provide options for parents with preschool children. When these options become more developed and defined, they will be posted on the website.
These questions / answers added October 2010
- Do the meeting minutes get posted to the Home and School website?
Answer: Yes – the minutes from the meeting are currently on the website.
- Would the lockers be in the hallway or in the classroom?
Answer: The lockers will be installed in the upstairs hallway.
- Will there be one locker per student?
Answer: Yes – one locker per student in the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade. We are also trying to provide “cubbies” for the younger grades.
- What is the school's policy on handling and reporting cases of Head Lice?
Home and School Fall Meeting
September 21, 2010
Question: regarding head lice
Answer: Queen of All Saints School follows the Health Guidelines for Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of St. Louis, developed by the Archdiocesan Health Advisory Committee, the Catholic Education Office, and the SSM Cardinal Glennon Children’s
*Guidelines from the School Health Manual, Prevention and Control of Communicable Diseases, July 2005 – Head Lice (Pediculosis Capitis)
School Attendance: “No Nit” policies requiring that children be free of nits before they return to school or child care have not been effective and are not recommended. Children should not be excluded or sent home early from school because of head lice. When nits are present, the infestation may have been present for weeks to months. Parents of affected children (live lice or viable nits) should be notified and informed that their child should receive treatment with a pediculocide before returning to school the next day. Removal of nits often takes days to weeks.
Contacts/Follow-up: When head lice are found in a setting, all close contacts of the infested child should be examined for signs of itching, redness, nits and lice. All household and other intimate contacts should be examined. Parents/caregivers must be given resources to address the issue of head lice, with attention to literacy and language barriers. Community and school education should be comprehensive and ongoing.
*While Queen of All Saints School may not be less restrictive than these guidelines, we can be more stringent in our procedures. We choose to do so regarding the attendance of a student with a confirmed case of head lice.
Queen of All Saints School Procedures
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