Notes from Sister Therese Marie
St. Francis Day The Feast of St. Francis will be celebrated on October 4th at an all-school Eucharistic Celebration at 9:35 a.m. St. Francis is a saint loved by all Christians and the patron of peace-makers. Please join with us to pray for all those who have given their lives in Iraq and for the safety of all those trying to achieve peace. St. Francis was a lover of animals and we celebrate by having a blessing for our pets. At 2:30 p.m., Father Tobin will bless the animals. It will take place on-the-green in front of the convent. Your children will meet you at that time. Please do not bring your pets into the school building. If the parents are present, you may take your child home after the blessing. Please let the teachers know. The students will go back to the class-room for their books. The other students will be dismissed as usual. In case of rain, it will be postponed. Feastdays There are no classes on the 11th of October. This is in honor of Our Lady of the Pillar, the patroness of our parish, whose feastday is on the 12th and of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron of the Franciscan Sisters, whose feastday is on October 4th.  You can read the stories of Our Lady of the Pillar and St. Francis by clicking on the links above. OPL Website Have you taken the time to look at our web site? It has all the information you would ever need about the many activities at church, school, athletics, scouts, etc. The web site is as good as the information given to the webmaster. Send your data to .jrieke22@swbell.net Cafeteria Update Check out the Cafeteria information on the Cafeteria webpage.  Printable menus are available as well as other information about the program.  Also there is information about the "Buy Your Teacher Lunch" tickets. WANTED!!! ...Coaches and Judges to help our speech team prepare for and attend 4 speech meets throughout the school year. Current judges who do not have a red or green judge’s card must attend a meeting to update cards. New parents interested in judging must attend a meeting too. There are two dates available, Wednesday, September 22 and Saturday, September 25. If interested , please contact Anne LaVigne in the third grade room, or Tina McNulty in the office. Thanks to the Catechetical Sunday hospitality committee, Jennifer Rush, Tricia Sumner and Patty O'Brien for a wonderful reception for the catechists and parish community after mass. A HUGE thank you to all those who helped with the Yard Sale, last Sunday from unloading the trailers, to picking up items from several homes, to organizing the items in the parish life center. Also, thanks to our maintenance staff for helping with the tables. Thank you to Sheila Hackmann and the Fifth Grade for providing and setting up the refreshments for Back To School night.	Innsbrook Fundraiser Appreciation and thanks go to Mrs. Hughes and Mrs. Witterschein, all their helpers and all those who made such generous purchases to make this fundraiser such a great success. The students will receive an ice-cream treat for all their hard work. The monkey had fun visiting the classrooms!!! Grandparents’/Special Persons’ Day October 22, 2004 Companion Day Even though the event is two weeks from today, it is good to review the meaning of Companion Day. Each Pillar student is assigned a companion from another grade. A few students have two companions. They get together and spend time reading to each other. The students are asked to bring a favorite story/book and a small treat (e.g. granola bar, rice krispie treat, cookies, candy bar) for his/her companion(s). The first Companion Day will be Friday, October 8th at 2:05 p.m. Help Wanted to Sell Coupons We are still looking for people to sell grocery store coupons in the car pool line on Mondays and Thursdays. It takes about 30 minutes of your time and we are trying to get enough people so that you will only sell 3-4 times over the entire year. We are considering selling only one day a week in order to keep the volunteer time to this minimum. Thank you to those who have already volunteered. Please call Patti Gealy @ 692-9992 or e-mail her at sybil890@aol.co if you can help. Men's Club The Men’s Club will hold a meeting 9-29-04 at 6:30pm. Dinner and beverages will be included. September School Calendar of Events available in printable form for your planner or refrigerator Save the Date! Saturday, November 6th College Football Festival Chicken BBQ Wear your school colors and bring your alma mater favors! Invitations Coming Soon! Buzz Book We hope to have the 2004-2005 OLP Buzz Book completed in the next few weeks. If your family moved or changed phone numbers over the summer, please contact the school office with the new information. Thank you! Parent Network Mr. John Foppe will be speaking at Saint Louis Priory School, 500 S. Mason Rd. in Town and Country, on Tuesday, Sept. 28 at 7:30 p.m. in the Kevin Kline Theatre. John was born without arms and has faced unique obstacles to living a normal life. But he has always had an indomitable perspective on life and now travels all over the world as a motivational speaker. Through faith, creativity and hard work John tackles life with his toes and teaches us how to confront diversity and discover our own dynamic potential. Once you hear his message you won't be looking at him, you'll be looking at yourself. Admission is free. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me at stm@olpillar.com
Class News and Student Activities
Kindergarten News Sept 24 - This week we learned about our friend, John Tierney Baumstark III, better known as Jack. He drew us a picture of his "very happy family " including three Jacks. Jack shared his collection of lighthouses and love of the beach. We would like to thank Fr. Cahill, Mrs. Barrere, Mr. Stephen, and our Companions for making our first school Mass so meaningful. Sept 16 - We are excited to start our series of star students. This helps us get to know one another. Anthony Boveri is our first star. We learned that he has one sister and two brothers. He enjoys baseball and fishing. Thanks to all who attended Back to School Night. We love to see you. First Grade News Sept 10 - The first graders are learning about each other. They are making large posters that tell "All About Me". It's fun to learn likes and dislikes and thoughts about what the future might hold. Stop by the hallway and take a look. We also have painted lady caterpillars eating their way to chrysalises in our room. We are learning about insects and have started a collection in our room of insects the children are bringing in. And of course, reading is lots of fun!!!! We are getting better at figuring out new words and writing sentences. Second Grade News Sept 24- The second grade is hard at work learning about weather. The recent hurricanes have peeked the children's interest in severe storms. They are both curious and eager to learn about our weather and its many patterns. Testing week is almost over. Thank you to our parents for making sure we are getting enough rest and eating healthy meals. We are looking forward to getting back to our normal schedule. Don't forget the OLP Yard Sale this weekend. Moms and Dads have worked very hard. There is a huge selection of items for sale so please support the school and shop ‘til you drop! Third Grade News Sept 16 - The Honor of Mary Medal moves this week to Grace Winkelmann. Nice going, Grace !! I’m sure that your children have told you that we are experiencing an epidemic in our room. We are missing several children each day to an illness that seems to last several days and often involves a high fever. Please take this into consideration if your child complains of not feeling well. Next week we will be taking the Iowa tests. The children may bring a healthy snack on Monday - Wednesday. Please plan schedules so that the children get plenty of sleep and a healthy breakfast. Also, please make sure that your child has several sharpened #2 pencils and a book to read. The book report for September is to read a book of their choice, that is of grade level and that the child hasn’t read before. Once the book is completed, forms are available in the room with directions for how to write the report. The book reports are due September 27, but may always be turned in early. Sept 10- The Honor of Mary Medal moves to Cooper Hudspeth this week. A classmate caught her performing an act of kindness, and for that we applaud her !!!! We got over the hurdles of the first Math and Language Arts tests this week. We also led our first Mass on Wednesday. The readers were great and the singing very enthusiastic !!! Art News Sept 24- With the start of the new school year, the artists are back in the studio creating. Soon we will see their thoughts and ideas in the pictures on our walls. The subjects that we are now planning are as follows: The first graders are working on drawing the activities of cats. In the second grade we are expressing our ideas of bike riding and where we like to ride. The third graders are discussing working people and how to represent their jobs. Fourth graders are learning how to plan and draw a landscape. In the Lewis and Clark Expedition some artists traveled and recorded their observations by sketching landscapes. Our fifth graders are learning about figure sketching by modeling for their classmates. They will then use these sketches to place in a composition. This is the technique that was used by the well known artist, George Caleb Bingham. Sixth graders are discussing the Cubist movement and the inclusion of Collage in the composition. We are observing that Art is known to be a way of communication that reflects the time and culture in which it was created. The seventh grade class is learning about the use of the Elements and Principles of Design. These are the components and rules that apply to any composition. Wassily Kandinsky is the Russian artist we are studying for our own creations. His ideas became the origin of Abstract Art. Eighth graders must have a lesson in perspective. This is our beginning unit. The idea and discovery of perspective influenced the Renaissance. From this time period many art styles and move-ments have grown. This is our beginning report of what we are doing in Art class. We hope to have an enjoyable time. Music Notes Sept 10 - September will be a musical month here at school. Here is what each grade can look forward to doing in music. In Kindergarten we will be learning a song about meeting people called "Say Hello". We also are learning to count and keep a beat with "Steady Beat Shake-down". "Peanut Butter" was a big hit, because we got to use the instruments! "Get up and dance", showed us how to echo sing and that we could move to the music, something we love to do. There were some great musical opportunities for 1st grade this summer. Since we are excited about the Cardinals, we sang a song called "Barnyard Baseball". Imagine that! We will also learn to sign letters and phrases. Second grade also pictured and wrote about their summer music experiences. Way to go 2nd grade! We listened to "Getting to Know You", from The King and I. 2nd grade loves learning that this musical is based on a true story. We will also learn to sign letters and phases in 2nd grade. Third grade sang a song called "Music Bus". It was a challenge because it is written in three parts. One of the parts is a rap. We had to go fast and keep the beat! We are also going to do signing in the third grade. Fourth grade learned a song called "Music Express". It is very upbeat and jazzy. We even provided our own accompaniment. Next we will learn a patriotic partner song called "Spirit of America ". It will be a challenge to see how quickly we can learn both parts so we can put them together. Fifth grade also learned "Music Express" . They even performed it for Sister Therese Marie! She loved it, especially since it had solo parts too. "All Aboard for Broadway" is another snappy show tune we are learning. "Reach for the Rainbow", shows us we can do anything if we try. Sixth grade will be working on music from other lands. We will find out about a country’s special musical sounds and the instruments they use. We will also learn the songs in the native language. Seventh grade has begun to study musical theater. We will see what it takes to put on a musical. We will also learn about various composers in musical theatre. Eighth is learning about time periods in music. Our study has begun with the influence of African music of long ago. We will then explore ragtime and jazz. The composer of the month will be studied in all grades each month. This month we will learn about Billy Joel! You can learn more about him by visiting the Billy Joel website of Columbia Records.   Girl Scouts at OLP Interested in Scouting? We have 1st through 6th grade troops and would love to add a Kindergarten troop. If you are interested in co-leading a new Kindergarten Daisy troop or would like more information, contact Diana True, 569-9456.	Fourth Grade News Sept 24 - The 4th grade is off to an exciting start. We began our unit on the solar system in science. The students each have a planet that they will be researching in computer class. The children will use the information and pictures they gather to create a kid pix slide show that they will present to the whole class. In social studies we have discussed map skills and are beginning our unit on the Northeast region of the United States. Reminder: If you could please fill out the Introducing Your Child sheet from the “Back to School Night” packet and send it back to me with your child, I would appreciate it. Thank you for your time. Fifth Grade News Sept 24 - First of all we would like to thank our room mothers, Chrisie LaPoint and Angela Mestres for the wonderful time we had with the retired senior sisters at Carbarry Campus. The students are still talking about their “sister”. Julie Dunbar took some beautiful pictures of each student and their sister. We are currently using our letter writing skills to send them a note and the snapshot. We hope to visit them again in the spring. So again, we say thank you to all the wonderful parents who planned the event and those parents who drove us to the campus. May God bless you! October 1st is a very special day for the fifth grade as it is the day we plan the liturgy. We are excited about that and we would like to invite all of you to join us for this celebration. We will be honoring Saint Therese, The Little Flower. Progress Reports were given out this week and they need to be signed and returned. They will be used each quarter. Thank you. D.A.R.E. started last Wednesday and the students really connected with Officer Matt Lakin. The classes are on Wednesday at 9:35. If you are interested you may join us for a class now and again. News from Mrs. Ryan Sept 24- Our TEAMWORKS field trip was T for “ Terrific”, E for “Exceptional”, A for “Awesome”, and M for “Motivating”. Thanks to all the 6th grade parents who supported us in this endeavor. We will do some Writing Process activities for our Literature Unit 1 test, and we have a team of writers preparing notes for the Pillar Prints staff. With four days of testing this week, we have gotten away from the usual schedule. The sixth graders taught Mrs. Ryan a spelling game, “Spelling Sparkle”, a game they’d played in fourth grade with Miss G. and Mrs. S. It certainly was a fun way to work on the new spelling list without having homework! Our Science lessons prepared us to discuss the Autumnal Equinox of our Northern Hemisphere, and what if we get  “ wintery” weather before December 21? We’re also reading Word Eater and wondering what is the best way to use an ink hungry magic worm to benefit humankind? Hint: nothing good happens when the worm eats the word “exam” and the test papers disappear! The fifth grade scientists should be able to distinguish independent and dependent variables in an experiment design, and we have a “Time for Kids” nonfiction selection to complete before our Unit 1 Literature Test. Sept 10 - The sixth graders are looking forward to our TEAMWORKS field day on September 15. Remember to pack only a nutritious sack lunch, a bottle of water, and a light jacket (if the weather turns cooler). Also, do not forget your thinking cap, since every member of each team needs to participate in the problem solving. The 5th grade scientists must demonstrate skill in recording accurate and reliable observations. On Wednesday, students shared lists of quantitative and qualitative observations which we used as clues to identify “mystery” objects. Sixth graders have used topographic mapping skills and have visited farmersalmanac.com to find information about phases of the moon and just why is it called a blue moon. We know what it is, but not exactly why we call it “blue”. Both groups are progressing with Literature assignments, and the fifth graders wrote vivid first drafts about a very unlikable chap named Eustace! The sixth graders are also reading a novel, The Word Eater, and each student will complete a writing assignment about the characters and theme. News from Mrs. Jones Sept 16 - The seventh grade is energetically creating their own colony in Social Studies. They ‘re learning that it may not be that easy to be a colonist, and there is much preparation involved. The finished products look to be very creative.  Action is the byword for Science right now. We are working on experiments in pairs and will be presenting the findings to the entire class, to polish oral presentation skills. Eighth grade is researching specific topics using Pagemaker on computers.  Individual topics may include: Ironclads, Civil War medical practices, Spies, and the new role of photography introduced by Mathew Brady.  In Science be are beginning a new chapter on Elements and their role in the world. The fifth grade will be working on long term goals of essay writing in the historical context.  In math, we’re working on the everybodies favorite: FRACTIONS. Sept 10- The 7th and 8th graders are working hard at this time, adjusting to new classes and bigger expectations. Eighth graders are exploring important current events; such as the upcoming election and the concept of swing states. In Science, we are discussing the ethical issues of cloning animals, and reading current articles on the subject. When parents come for Back-to-School Night, be sure to check out our display of Native American Folk-Tales, near the Science room. The fifth graders used great creativity in these presentations, while expanding research. Eighth Grade News Sept 10 - Father Tobin joined us for a prayer service and signed each eighth grader with holy water, saying, “You are called to be a leader.” Refreshments followed ~ Mrs. Rodway’s wonderful sherbet punchand Mrs. Wankum’s delicious Rice Krispie treats. Thank you both! Computer Bits & Bytes Sept 10 - Greetings! The school year has gotten off to a wonderful start. With two weeks of classes behind us, all the students seem to be settling into their new routines very well. Our Kindergartners are learning how to have better control of the mouse as they practice stamping the alphabet in Kid Pix. The first graders have just completed their Assessment Tests in Jump Start First Grade and are moving into the program this week at their respective levels. Several of them are proving to be very good at math and have won trophies in Turbo Math already! Second graders are learning about the keyboard and using Reader Rabbit 2 to enhance their language arts and math skills. Besides continuing to improve key-boarding skills, third graders have been enjoying the Adventures of Clue Finders while sharpening their language arts and math skills. Fourth grade students are improving not only typing skills, but also grammar as they use Type to Learn and Grammar Games. The fifth grade class has been creating a Kid Pix Slide show describing their summer. Sixth graders have done a review in word processing and are currently creating a “How-to” Hyperstudio stack. Seventh and eighth graders have created colorful schedules in Excel. Seventh graders are also working on a review of Power Point, while eighth graders are doing a review project in PageMaker. I am looking forward to helping the students utilize the computers in their studies during the year. Panther Prints started on Tuesday, September 7th. Thanks to the Mothers’ Club for the generous class gift. God’s blessings.
Fund-Raising Activities
This is the time of the year that we receive a check from Target. Your purchases at Target using the Target Guest Card and/or Target Visa and designating Our Lady of the Pillar School have made possible a check for $298.00. I want to thank our families, teachers and friends who participate in the Target Take Charge of Education School Fund raising program. If you are not part of the program, call Target at 1-800-316-6142 for information or click on the link here to register or shop online to earn $$$ for OLP.   Grocery Store Coupons Dierberg's and Schnuck's gift cards will be sold in the car pool line on Mondays and Thursdays again this year. Both stores now use the convenient gift card; no more paper coupons. Shop-n-Save will no longer be available. OLP earns 5% on all sales and all proceeds benefit our computer lab. Please support this simple fundraiser for our school. The earnings really add up! You can also fill out a form available here, send it in to school with your check and the gift card will be sent to you.  Mother's Club Thank You A big thank you to Patty Winkelmann and Tina McNulty for all their hard work facilitating the Grocery Store Coupon sales during the 2003-2004 school year. Their efforts and those of the many others who sold in carpool line throughout the year brought in $6213.00. This money, which directly benefits the students, was used to purchase new computers in the computer lab. Thanks also to everyone who purchased grocery store coupons and please keep on buying!	Box Tops for Education Please continue to save box tops. The first pick-up will be on September 24th and the three highest classes will have a dress-down day on September 30th. Remember to cut the "box top" coupon along the dotted lines. The box tops we turn in are those that have an expiration date on them. Sometimes the real Box Top coupon is on the back of a label or box. We do not turn in Betty Crocker points. Additionally, OLP earns Box Top funds when you purchase items online through the Box Tops Booster Club. One OLP family just purchased a computer through the Box Tops Booster Club. Log on to the boxtops4education.com website for details on how to support OLP with your online purchases. You'll be surprised at the amazing number of stores participating in this program. Eddie Bauer, Lands' End, Staples, Office Depot, Dell, Barnes and Noble -- check out the Marketplace online!   You can order from Innisbrook directly online or view the many products available by clicking on the link here: http://www.innisbrook.com/index.cfm Innisbrook.com is a great way to raise money for: OUR LADY OF THE PILLAR SCHOOL (#108973) Up to 50% of your total purchase price will be donated. Encourage out-of-town family and friends to supportyour school by ordering online using your school number - (#108973).
News from the Office
Uniform Shoes I would like to thank parents for their respectful feedback regarding our Pillar uniform shoe policy. We understand that there are many factors to consider when purchasing ‘back to school shoes’. Price, fit, comfort, durability and color are all important criteria by which to evaluate your purchases. In an attempt to maintain respectable continuity in our uniform policy, it is important to provide guidelines. However, it is not my intention to create hardship for our parents. Please do not rush out and buy another pair of new shoes for school. However, if you did not purchase your new school shoes for this year, please select a white tennis shoe that is free of fads or decorations (i.e., lights, ribbons, beads, shocks, cartoon characters, strips, color tips, stripes, color heels, etc.) If you have a new pair, please select a white pair for your next purchase. We do thank all those who did follow the guidelines. Thank you again for your thoughtful input on this and all matters that concern our school children.	Dismissal When you make the curve toward the Parish Life Center, please display your car pool number so the teachers and patrol students can readily see it. The two rows of cars near Lindbergh must alternate moving out and merge into one line. Insurance Forms If you are interested in purchasing insurance found in your packet, please return the form to the office by September 10th. Newsworthy Notes Our weekly newsletter comes home every Friday with the oldest child in the family. Please read it carefully to keep up with school news. To submit your important announcements in Newsworthy Notes, please e-mail Mrs. McNulty at tmcnulty@olpillar.com by 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday of a regular week and by 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday of a short week. Anything submitted after those times will be saved for the following week. At the same time, please e-mail Judy Rieke at jrieke22@swbell.net for items to be printed on the school web site.