Earlier this summer, I noticed that the clock in my office had stopped working. I replaced the battery without effect, so took it home for my husband to investigate. After cleaning the contacts and trying a different battery, he declared that there was no way to repair it. The cherished memento of fifteen years at St. Robert would likely have to be relegated to life as a fancy paperweight. I moved it to my dresser at home while contemplating how to proceed. Then, ever so mysteriously, it simply resumed ticking in the middle of one night. It's back in my office now, in a new location where I can keep a closer eye on it - and where the rhythm of the tick brings a new kind of mindfulness to my work.
The "Mysterious Incident of the Clock in the Night" has become a bit of a metaphor for the seasons of life: a time to rest, a time to work; a time to scatter and a time to gather. On a personal note, I was blessed with the opportunity to travel this summer. My husband and I took a road trip to the Rocky Mountains, giving us a cherished week to reconnect with each other and immerse ourselves in the grandeur of God's presence. I felt so small, so awed - and so restored. I hope that you, too, have had moments to appreciate sunshine and gentle breezes and to make some new family memories - whether at home or away - as you begin to bring a new school year into focus.
And focus we must. As the school year ahead comes more clearly into view, the projects of summer increase to an almost dizzying cadence. This summer, our work in the school office has centered heavily on five work streams: enrollment and marketing, facility maintenance and improvements, curriculum enhancements, personnel shifts - and as always - bringing financial closure to the year just completed.
This summer, our marketing efforts have been directed not only at active recruitment, but also heavily on finishing the content development for our soon-to-launch new school website. A year and a half in the making, we are both nervous and excited to see how our words and images will align with our developer's vision. We are hopeful that this contemporary new tool will more efficiently serve our current stakeholders, in addition to attracting a growing community of school families to St. Robert through improved search engine optimization as well as an updated look, message, and functionality.
Facility upgrades are almost always on our summer task list and this year has been no different. We're excited to welcome you back to first floor classrooms refreshed by contemporary new flooring and carpeting. We're also grateful to have been awarded a $20,000 grant by the State of Wisconsin toward a planned update of our phone and PA systems. After weeks of cabling and network mapping, our new phone system is due to go online next week Monday through Wednesday. Thanks for your patience as we make this massive transition that will serve us all more reliably. We have also been invited to apply for a second round of state safety grants, which, if granted, would allow us to upgrade our classroom door locks to ADA- and lockdown-compliant standards. Stay tuned!
Summer is always an important time to focus deeply on curriculum work. The year ahead will see us take important next steps in the development of our literacy curriculum. With a major investment from our School Society endowment fund, we have been able to retain two literacy consultants (K-2nd grade and 3rd-5th grade) who will guide us in full implementation of Readers' and Writers' Workshops, the industry standards of excellence in literacy education. We started the summer with two days of professional learning and are in the process of making a significant investment in books and resources to support more personalized and scaffolded reading development. Additionally, we are privileged to be among the first schools to launch a beautiful new Theology of the Body program across grade levels that will supplement our religion curriculum in cultivating a rich understanding of God's plan for humanity and developing a school culture that confidently upholds the dignity of every person. Also in the area of curriculum, we are excited to roll out our first Project Lead the Way (PLTW) course in robotics. And finally, the nine schools in our Archdiocesan deanery (North Shore and Ozaukee County region) are hard at work on a continuous improvement plan and collaborative professional learning that will begin to bring our schools into closer alignment on the journey toward best practice initiatives.
The nature of the school year almost invariably brings personnel changes during the summer months as well. Early this summer, we bid an unexpected farewell to our general music teacher, Thea Janisch, who has accepted a position in her hometown of Stoughton, and just recently, to our reading specialist, Sara Lasic, who has stepped away for personal reasons. We are currently close to closure in the searches for their replacements and hope to be able to announce new team members in our next communication. We thank Thea and Sara for their contributions to our mission and wish them well in their next endeavors. Also in the personnel arena, former first grade teacher Ann Schroeder will be bringing her expertise in literacy to fifth grade, and we are pleased (and relieved) to welcome Alexandra Hoslet to our office team just in time to update the data bases for the new school year and help us put together our first fully digitized back-to-school packet! Ms. Hoslet replaces Administrative Assistant Emily Tanski, who left us in October. She will gradually assume additional responsibilities in the area of communications (newsletter, website, social media, coordination with event chairs, etc.). Be sure to introduce yourself next time you're in the office!
Finally - as always - summer is heavily colored by tasks related to financial closure of the year just ended. Thanks to all of you who have cleared your accounts, allowing us to invest responsibly in personnel and resources for the year ahead.
The ferris wheel at State Fair is about to turn, and so too must we. My clock reminds me that we are fortified by times of respite, just as we are energized by the purpose and rhythm of a return to work. May these last precious weeks of summer bring you fulfillment and rest and may you return your children to us a little taller, a little wiser, and ready to write the script of a new year of learning and growth.
