Saints and leaders

Guest Blog by Jennifer Luna, 2nd Grade Teacher

This year the Climate and Culture faculty leadership team and the Faith and Mission leadership team are joining forces to make some positive changes in our school.  Last Friday, we kicked off one of our initiatives with the very first meeting of our “Spirit Teams.”  The spirit teams are a mix of students in 4K-8^th grade and are led by a faculty member.  The teams will meet periodically throughout the year to do service together, pray together and have fun together.  Our last spirit team meeting will be on Field Day in the spring. Our spirit teams are a way to inspire the saints and leaders in our community. 

On Friday, we made banners to show our support for Veterans in our community in preparation for Veteran’s Day on November 11^th.  Teams had a lot of fun working together to create the banners.  Older students were naturally leaders for the younger students.  It was wonderful to be a part of this.  As Ms. Dahl said, it was very fitting that we came together as a school community on a day when we lost a beautiful member of our school family, Kate Almond.  Kate was a loving mother, and an incredibly supportive parent to us, the teachers.  She will be greatly missed by all those that knew her. 

During the first week of November, Catholics celebrate two feast days, All Saints Day and All Souls Day.  On November 1^st the adorable second graders inspired us to be more like the Saints, and on November 2^nd we remember those loved ones who have gone before us to be with the saints in heaven.  In our small school community, we have 11 students who have lost a parent in the past 5 years and many more students have lost loved ones.  As a way to show support for each other and in honor of all the loved ones we have lost, we will be having a “saints and leaders” memorial bulletin board during the month of November.  If you would like to send in a picture for the board, please include the name of the deceased, student’s name and relation to the student.  Pictures can be sent to school, attention: Mrs. Luna.  One of the messages I took away from a character conference I attended this summer is “It is more important who you are, than what you know”.  Let’s show who we are this year at St. Robert.  Let’s be saints and leaders. 

D-Day!

Once every seven years, religious and independent schools in the state of Wisconsin are visited by a team of professionals who are charged with validating findings of an intensive self-study, recommending goals for continuous improvement, and (hopefully!) recommending the school for accreditation to the board of Wisconsin Religious and Independent Schools Accreditation.

After a full year of self-study and preparation, our hour of reckoning has nearly arrived!  At 7:15 on Wednesday morning, a team of ten principals and teachers from throughout the Archdiocese will arrive to begin an intensive two-day review of our findings.   The review will include examination of collected artifacts and evidence, observation of classes and other environments in the school, and interviews with teachers, non-instructional staff, students, administration, volunteer leaders, and parents selected randomly from our directory.

The evaluation process used by Catholic Schools in the State of Wisconsin is derived from the National Standards and Benchmarks for Effective Catholic Schools.  It is based on identified best practices and is rigorous, comprehensive, and objective (rubric-scored).  It is also viewed through the lens of nine defining characteristics of Catholic schools.

The Benchmarks are divided into four domains (Mission and Identity, Leadership and Governance, Academic Excellence, and Operational Vitality), thirteen standards, and about 70 individual benchmarks.  These were studied by teams of teachers and School Advisory Board members from August of 2016 through June of 2017, with the final touches put on our digital collection of evidence artifacts just last week.

Final preparations will include putting a shine on our spaces with some thoughtful tidying and displays - and of course planning hospitality for the visiting team.

Your children are the best evidence of a St. Robert education.  You can join our effort to showcase our excellence by reminding them to employ their very best manners, effort, and engagement during the visit.

I am proud of the work we completed and the collaborative nature of the study process we undertook; I'm pleased with our findings relative to rigorous standards; and I look forward with anticipation to the guidance of peers in defining next steps in the growth of our school.

Plan to join us for our annual State of the School meeting on November 7th for a brief summary of the visit, summary impressions of our reviewers, and next steps.

Difficult questions

The aftermath of unthinkable evil and trauma brings awareness of the potential risk in everyday life - and difficult questions for young minds we can't always protect from sensational media coverage or a sea of swirling conversations.   Parents often ask for help determining the just-right balance between protecting their children from and preparing them for the realities of a dangerous world.

In response to the recent concert shooting in Las Vegas, the National Child Traumatic Stress Network has developed resources to help families and communities. I have included some that you may want to consult: 

The Psychological Impact of the Recent Shooting

Parent Guidelines for Helping Youth After the Recent Shooting

Tips for Parents on Media Coverage

Restoring a Sense of Safety in the Aftermath of a Mass Shooting

After a Crisis: Helping Young Children Heal

We are ONE, part 2

Our theme this year, which comes from the archdiocese, was intended to shine a light on the archbishop's pastoral priorities of Catholic identity, evangelization, and stewardship.  For our community in particular, however, it resonates in a uniquely personal way as well.  "Community" was adopted as a core value of our institution when we wrote our current school mission statement in 2009.  We envisioned the ever-present ideal of  "learning, praying, loving, serving, working, and playing - as one."

The St. Robert School community continuously works toward forging a singular identity out of many sometimes disparate parts.  We live in many different kinds of neighborhoods in many parts of the city and its environs. Our families are representative of multiple races, ethnicities, and religions.  Our students bring a wide range of passions and abilities to their classrooms.  But we are united by our values and, most particularly, our values about education.  So, still, we are one.  Our ongoing efforts toward maintaining a singularity of identity and purpose stands as one of our unique strengths.

We can't forget, though, that the strength of a parish school comes also from an identity entwined with its sponsoring parish. This is another area where our school stands apart. Because our population of new students in any given year does not come primarily from St. Robert Parish, we have had to work strategically and continuously to maintain a oneness of community that understands the school as part of this larger parish identity.

There are, of course, many ways that a parish identity is forged.  Few would dispute that foundational among them is worshipping together every week.  If this isn't realistic for our diverse school community, then we do need to work intentionally at other creative ways to strengthen this critical bond.  A meaningful start would be to simply socialize as a larger extended family.  Don't minimize the potential of familiarity and friendship to build a powerful entity that could accomplish great things - and maybe feed your spirit along the way in ways you didn't even realize you were hungry. Whether or not you have previously engaged in the larger parish family, you are afforded an opportunity to do so this Saturday, September 30th.  

Please join us for our first parish-sponsored Family Fun Night from 5:30-7:30 in the parking lot. Food and fun are are the menu, along with the opportunity to meet up with old friends and make some new ones.  All school families are invited - whether you belong to our parish or not; whether you're Catholic or not.  Let's start playing together in a bigger way this year.  Understanding that we're a parish school isn't enough to keep us strong.  We have to walk the talk.

I hope to see you on Saturday night!

We, who are many, are one body in Christ and individually members of one another.

Romans 12:5

Three questions

A blog post by Meg Conley, who writes on topics of motherhood and childhood, recently caught my attention for its relevance to the changing rhythms of family life that come with the start of school. After a summer of spontaneity and adventure, fall brings with it an opportunity to renew the important ritual of the family dinner.  At a table.  With napkins.  And prayer.  And conversation. Real, interactive conversation.

If this routine is foreign, or you think your children are too little or too teenager-y to embrace a ritual of actual interactive talking and listening, Conley suggests a framework of three provocative questions:

• How were you brave today?
• How were you kind today?
• How did you fail today? 

How brilliant!  To talk about these things daily keeps them on everyone's radar and sets them up as expectations. Hearing our children's answers gives us a glimpse into their evolving challenges and keeps us more intimately connected as a family.  Further, conversations framed on values allow us not only to coach, but to model self-reflection. Talking day upon day about our own attempts at bravery and kindness and our own moments of failure affirms our children's experiences and challenges as normal, and, most importantly, sets them on a course to cherishing critical values and honing important competencies. 

Though you could certainly choose different questions to guide your conversation, I really like the package Conley proposes. The definition of bravery does, of course, change with life's stages and is impacted by one's personality as well, but acts of bravery always bring a sense of accomplishment and hope.  Talking about bravery daily gives parents the opportunity to celebrate those moments when a child asked a teacher for help or stood up to a bully or read in front of the class. It gives Mom and Dad opportunities to reflect on the risks we take in learning something new or defending our values or our faith publicly. When we affirm a family's ever-growing diary of these little moments, we form our children's habits and skills and, eventually, their honorable character.

  

Making kindness part of daily conversation is a reminder to all of us that we are surrounded by opportunities to spread goodness.  From a friendly word to the cook or the janitor to including a marginalized classmate (or coworker), hearing a growing list of daily examples will inspire the entire family to make kindness a habit, not just something for an annual "kindness challenge."

Finally, failure is a necessary ingredient in growth and every failure - whether by omission or commission - is an opportunity to become better:  more skilled, more responsible, more holy.  To normalize failure in daily conversation supports a lifetime of reaching high.

We know from research and child development experts that the family dinner in and of itself is an important ingredient in academic success.  Perhaps by adding the structure of three questions it could be a platform for much more.  And I have no doubt that listening to our children's responses will inspire our own personal growth.

Bon appetit!

We are ONE

Looking out at the faces gathered in the gym for our welcome assembly on Monday gave me an overwhelming sense of enthusiasm for the adventure - and potential - that lies just ahead.  If we define our school by its people, the good-byes and hellos just behind us have given us a fresh face and a new identity.  From among these many distinct voices and hearts and minds, we have actively begun the work of forging one community of purpose.

In addition to thirty new 4K students, we welcomed new students in every grade level this year - 26 in all - with ten in the middle school alone!  Seven of our new students are also new to the Milwaukee area, including one from Vietnam and one from China.  We have also been blessed with two new students with Down Syndrome and one student who has returned to St. Robert after four years away.

This is a big year for shifts in staffing as well.  In addition to the moves of Chris Stefaniak to third grade, Katie Dahl and Mr. Fedie to 4th grade, and Ann Schroeder to first grade, we welcomed seven new members to our instructional team:

• 4K: Ms. Byers
• 1st Grade: Ms. Vogler
• Middle School: Mrs. Kinateder
• Reading: Mrs. Lasic
• Aides: Mrs. Klawien and Ms. (Cat) Schroeder
• Piano Mr. Donica

Our new students and staff members come to us with their own stories, their own passions and pathways.  Though they will also have their own distinct futures, for this moment in time and space, we are ONE.  And together we will accomplish much that is good and holy.  

Let us give thanks, for God has indeed been good to us!

We thank you for a safe and comfortable school where everyone is known and loved.

We thank you for inspiring teachers who guide us and learn alongside us.

We thank you for a rainbow of friends with many gifts and many stories.

We thank you for learning tools that bring the whole world to our classrooms

We thank you for fresh rooms and shiny floors; for new pencils and new shoes; for hopscotch and kickball and new friends and new beginnings...

Help us to live and work each day in the glory of God

AMEN

The space between

When the school bell rings for the last time in June, those of us connected to children can be lured into thinking that the approaching season is merely a space between school years; a work slow-down; a respite; time off from more important pursuits.  But how untrue that would be!  My experiences observing hundreds of children return to us every fall, along with a backward glance at my own child-rearing years and reflection on my present role as an elder in a multigenerational household, have formed a deeply-rooted belief that summer is the most important time of the year for children and families.  It's in the altered rhythm of this rich sensory season that we are most immersed in God's beautiful creation and each other and can focus deliberately on the playful and imaginative work that most effectively develops intellect and the meaningful relationships that make us whole. It's in this space between school years that we have the potential to be most fully alive.  And I've found that summers well-lived add up to a deeply contented life.

Summer is, too, the season of most intense productivity for those of us who "make" the school experience that follows.  Back at the schoolhouse, summer work is different - usually quieter - but, in some ways, more pressure-filled as we race against the clock to complete projects that have hard deadlines.  This summer, more than many in recent years, has been defined by special projects that will truly take St. Robert School to the next level of excellence.  We hit the ground running in the first weeks with the final editing and completion of our massive year-long accreditation self-study, which we were proud to submit to the Archdiocese the first week in July.  This rubric-based analysis of our performance on 72 benchmarks in the domains of Mission and Identity, Leadership and Governance, Academic Excellence, and Operational Vitality sets the stage for an October team visit not only to verify our findings and recommend our school to WRISA (Wisconsin Religious and Independent Schools Accreditation) for accreditation, but to recommend next steps in continuous school improvement aligned with evidence-based best practices identified in the National Standards and Benchmarks for Effective Catholic Schools, which was our study tool.

In contrast to this intensely academic work, several creative projects are underway in our school environment this summer.  Your children will return not only to a sparkling building cleaned with ozonated water instead of chemicals, but to some refreshed rooms as well. Students in the north wing of the second floor (second through fifth grade) will enjoy contemporary new carpet planks to replace the tired and tattered carpeting that had served us for decades.  All students - and their teachers - will be inspired by the renovated Media Resource Center, featuring a selection of modular furnishing options to support collaborative project work from brainstorming through production and presentation.  The renovated Center will be available as break-out space for small groups or an alternative classroom.  The updated space and the new technology that will be housed there have been purchased with funds donated at our spring Auction.   It's been fun to collaborate with contractors and designers to bring it to life.  I can't wait for you to see your gifts at work!

Also in the creative realm, substantial effort has been invested this summer in the design and construction of a completely new interactive website enhanced by new brand visuals. Despite twists and turns, we are still aiming for a late fall launch.  The new site will be married to a new student information/learner management system that will greatly enhance your ability to track your children's progress and communicate with the school. And on top of this, our next enrollment season will see an online admissions and enrollment process - complete with online payment of fees and lunch deposits! From vetting and selection to onboarding and integration with our new website, the implementation of these new tools has been an overwhelming process, but one that will belatedly bring our school's workflow processes into alignment with our Technology Integration Exemplary Recognition Award!  Thanks for your patience as we get these new systems up and running.

Summer in the school business characteristically brings staffing transitions - and this summer is no different - but this season's openings lined up in a way that brought us the opportunity to take a systemic view of both new and existing teaching assignments.  A strong enrollment season has allowed us to retain two sections of fourth grade, which will be taught by the dynamic new partnership of former first grade teacher Katie Dahl and former fifth grade teacher Nick Fedie. Former fourth grade teacher Chris Stefaniak will move to third grade to fill the seat vacated by Sarah Yannett.  Our first grade will be led by our former reading specialist, Ann Schroeder, and a yet-to-be named new colleague who will replace Claire Tocco.

We will welcome new members to our team as well.  The middle school math seat vacated by Meghan Biernacki will be filled by Meg Kinateder, who comes to us from six years as a middle school math teacher at a Catholic school in Chicago and three years as a math intervention teacher in the Greenfield Public Schools.  Our most recent hire is an additional half-time 4K teacher, Kristen Byers, who is launching a second career. Her maturity and instincts as a parent of three along with a creative, playful spirit and deep knowledge of child development and best practices in early childhood education make her uniquely qualified for our very special pre-kindergarten.  We are still engaged in searches for a new reading specialist, first grade teacher, instructional aide - and piano teacher!  Pray for good candidates and God's guidance.

Summer is often a time for purchasing new instructional resources, but this year we are particularly enthused to transition back to Investigations Math after a three-year hiatus in which we waited for the publication of the publisher's revised Common Core-aligned materials.  We had used this lab-model approach successfully for six prior years to support the development of strong foundational number sense and applied mathematical thinking in kindergarten and the elementary grades.  Along with our carpeting project and website project, the $25,000 investment in new math resources was funded by our School Society endowment.  Thank you to those who have supported school improvements with contributions to this Fund through the years. Thank you also to the many families who contributed to our Annual Fund, which successfully reached its $200,000 goal!

Perhaps most importantly, summer in the school office is about supporting teachers in moving their practices ever-forward.  After three years of intensive, impressive work on curriculum, many of our teachers have been hard at work this summer completing their unit design work.  Others are studying the plans designed by their colleagues or predecessors, allowing us - for the first time ever - to launch our programs with consistency and continuity despite staffing changes.

Finally, summer is all about the details...databases and homeroom assignments and schedules and budgets and school records and piles and piles of paperwork.  You will get a peek at the results of those efforts at our upcoming Forms and Fees Day on Tuesday, August 8th.  Be sure to carefully review the information in the summer edition of our e-News for details on this important final step in the school registration process.  If you are unable to attend on August 8th, you can finish the process anytime between August 14th and 18th or 22nd through 25th during summer office hours.

Note that the school office will be closed the entire week of August 7th and again on August 21st as we welcome our teachers back and gather the entire staff for orientation.

I hope you have been enjoying a slower, richer kind of family time in these glorious weeks of summer.   I look forward to welcoming you back - or for the first time - to the adventure that is St. Robert School!