September 26, 2023

Dear Parents,

It is hard to believe that we are completing our first month of school. This month has flown by! It was wonderful to be together with all of you for Back-to-School Night. The students are enjoying using their “smencils” and the HSA appreciates your support of this St. Bartholomew School tradition.

This week, we began administering the MAP tests to students in grades first through eighth. These computer-adaptive tests are the standardized tests mandated by the diocese that are given three times a year. Students will have plenty of time to complete the tests on their school-issued devices. Once all tests are completed and we have permission from the diocese, score reports will be made available to parents/guardians.

This week, students in grades 2-8 will attend Mass on Friday at 10:00 am. As always, families of the class that is “hosting” the Mass are invited to attend. If you are interested in attending the Mass, please contact your child’s teacher for the exact dates and the school office to let us know the day before you attend.

You may have noticed the new school banners in the Church and school parking lots. Our school opened on September 9, 1964, and we are kicking off our celebrations of the great milestone of 60 years of educating children. The banners are green for Msgr. Kelly, our first pastor; the three “Fleur de Lis" symbols are for Our Lady and they were a favorite symbol of Msgr. Alliegro, whose Mother was born in France; the sword of faith for Saint Bartholomew the Apostle and the Book of the Gospels and for education and inspiration; the Franciscan “Tau" Cross for Saint Francis, the patron of our Cathedral and the Heart for our love and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the IHM Sisters were the first teachers in our school. The motto “Always forward” was the motto of Saint Junipero Serra, OFM, who founded the Missions of California. His statue is found in the Chapel of Our Lady of Guadalupe. As the year progresses, you’ll hear more and more about our 60th year celebrations.

October 2nd marks the middle of the first marking period. As you may recall, St. Bartholomew School does not send home hard copies of progress reports or report cards. Only the end of the year report cards are sent home. Parents/guardians are strongly encouraged to log ino PowerSchool to check their child’s progress on a regular basis, but minimally twice a marking period. If you are not able to access your account, please contact the office. Mrs. Tkacenko will provide you with your login information.

As we move into fall, I strongly encourage you to label your child’s outerwear and sweaters or sweatshirts with an indelible marker. Our lost and found is beginning to pile up, and as the season changes, the number of items that are left at school will multiply. It makes things so much easier to return to the student if the lost item is labeled.

With the cooler weather, also comes the increase in illnesses. Please refer to the nurse’s letter for information about healthy habits and when to keep your child home. In line with efforts to keep our school community healthy, we will no longer be rewarding students for perfect attendance. We have found that this puts undue pressure on the student and family to come to school when they are ill or should otherwise not be at school. As a reminder, students are only excused from school for funerals and to attend an official high school visit. Otherwise, students are marked absent from school when they are not present in the building or on a school sponsored trip.

I am looking forward to visiting classrooms and our Month of the Rosary activities in October.

God bless,
Mrs. Theresa Craig, M.Ed.
Principal