Another Exciting Week in the Lower School

We would like to welcome Head of School candidate Byron Lawson to St. Paul's! He will be with us this Monday and Tuesday.

Upcoming Events

Monday, October 21 ~ Meet & Greet with Byron Lawson for Parents 2:25-3:15

Tuesday, October 22 ~ Kindergarten-8 New Student Lunch

Wednesday, October 23 ~ 1st Grade Program at 9 A.M.
Thursday, October 24 ~ Parent Teacher Conferences 12 P.M. - 8 P.M.
Friday, October 25 ~ Parent Teacher Conferences 7:30 A.M.- 12 P.M.
Monday, October 28 ~ Mrs. Cowan Returns, Meet & Greet with Dr. Gray Smith for Parents at 2:25-3:15, Lower School Pumpkin Parade Begins
Thursday, October 31 ~ All School Chapel, Toddler - 2nd Halloween Ball at 9 A.M., 2nd Grade to Bishop Spencer Place, & 1st-5th Grade Halloween Parties
Friday, November 1 ~ Chapel by Divisions

1st Grade Music Program

If you have a child in 1st grade please join us at 9 A.M. on Wednesday, October 23 to see your child's grade level musical performance. We look forward to seeing these students share their gifts and hard work with us.

3rd Grade Oregon Trail Days
Third graders will celebrate the beginning of their Westward Expansion unit on Wednesday, October 23 from 9-11. This will take place in the second floor commons and will be followed by lunch. Please see the third grade blog for more information.


Fire, Lock Down, & Tornado Drills
Part of getting back into the school routine is knowing how to handle emergency situations. Though we never anticipate having a fire or being in a lock down or tornado situation, we always want to make sure that our students would know how to handle these events. In order to prepare students and teachers we practice these drills throughout the school year. In the past two weeks we have had a fire drill and lock down drill.  We will also practice a tornado drill by the end of the calendar year.

Lower School Pumpkin Parade

Students in first through fifth grade are invited to participate in the annual Lower School Pumpkin Parade. They may bring decorated, uncarved pumpkins Monday, October 28 - Thursday, October 31. Students may bring carved pumpkins on Wednesday, October 30 or Thursday, October 31. All students will bring their pumpkins home Thursday evening so they can be used for Halloween evening. Every child who participates will receive a small Halloween trinket. We can't wait to see all of the creative ideas the students come up with!

Halloween Costumes

Students are invited to wear their costumes to school on Thursday, October 31. We ask that students not wear anything scary, bloody, or gory in order to avoid frightening our younger students. We also ask that students not bring any weapons that serve as accessories to their costumes. Thanks for your help with these endeavors. Students will be attending all school chapel and sitting with their buddies this day. Students are always welcome to bring a change of clothes in case their costumes become uncomfortable or interfere with learning.

Halloween Class Parties

Thanks to our hardworking room parents and all the parent volunteers they recruit, class parties will be Thursday, October 31.  The first and second grade parties will be from 2-3 and the third through fifth grade parties will be from 2:30-3:15. You're welcome to come enjoy the festivities with your child. We ask that parents refrain from bringing younger siblings to the parties. Thanks again to all who are helping with these preparations. The students truly enjoy and appreciate these events.

Parent Teacher Conferences

Teachers are looking forward to meeting with you to discuss your child's growth this school year. Parent Teacher Conferences are Thursday, October 24 and Friday, October 25. Please see the "Upcoming Events" section above for specific times. Teachers have asked all parents to sign up for a time slot using the Sign-up Genius for their classroom. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact your child's teacher.

Grit: An Essential Ingredient for Success

Two weeks ago I had the opportunity to watch a webinar conducted by Angela Duckworth titled "Will Power: Grit, Self-Control, and Achievement." This webinar was hosted by Independent School Association of the Central States (ISACS) and was purchased for teachers, administrators, and parents in our community who might be interested in this topic. If you would like to view this webinar please visit http://www.isacs.org/page/472128_Learning_Bridge_Webinar_Login.asp. Scroll down to the bottom of the page, select “10/9/13 Will Power: Grit, Self-Control & Achievement” and use the password humid. The webinar is one hour long, will be available until November 7, and provides information on what grit and self-control are and how these two variables affect achievement even more than intelligence or academic ability. Helping our students to develop grit and self control are two of the most important things we can do as their role models, educators, and parents. If you're interested in learning more about Mrs. Duckworth's research you can visit her website at https://sites.sas.upenn.edu/duckworth/pages/educators and even take a survey to see your personal grit score.

Community Learning Events

We hope you've enjoyed the recent community learning events.  Our next event will be a book discussion on Tuesday, November 12 at 6 P.M.   We'll be discussing Bully Nation: How America's Approach to Childhood Aggression is Bad for Everyone by Dr. Susan Eva Porter. If you are interested in checking out a copy of this book please see Linda Van Thullenar. You can also register with her if you plan to attend the book discussion. The November Love and Logic session will be Thursday, November 14 at 4 P.M. Thanks to Cristi Williams for helping make these events possible!