Saint
Basil News & Notes
Recent News St. Basil Bear Tracks
Updated 08-19-08
Office hours are Monday through Thursday, 9 am to 1 pm leading up to the first day of school. Of course we are also available other times by appointment, simply call the office at 637-3529 and leave a message!
Registration for the 2008-09 school year is ongoing. If you haven't registered, please do so as soon as possible. If you have misplaced your forms, there are more copies in the school office. You may also download and print the registration form and registration contract.
Addition to Uniform Options for the 2008-09 school year - Navy blue skirts/skorts/jumpers will become part of our uniform for the 2008-09 school year. These items are readily available in the uniform sections of such stores as Wal-Mart, Target, JC Penney, Meijer, etc. The plaid skirts/skorts/jumpers from Schoolbelles will remain in our uniform policy; we've simply added options for this year!
Campbell's Soup Labels - Please note that Campbell's school support program now requires the bar code portion of the product label. It's a high tech world out there - labels are cute, but barcodes bring the bucks!
It's So Easy, Being Green We're trying to help our environment by recycling. Our newest effort is with printer ink cartridges, so if you have some from your home or work office, please send them to school in a sealed zip style bag. We will even earn some money from the cartridges!
Bear Tracks - Newsletters from the Principal's Desk
08/27/08
Today the teachers at Saint Basil attended a training in Benton Harbor led by Father John Fleckenstein, the Pastor Administrator of Battle Creek Area Public Schools. The topic of the training was the Strategic Plan for Catholic Schools developed by the Diocese of Kalamazoo. The Strategic Plan is an action plan for building strong, sustainable Catholic Schools in the Diocese.
The Strategic Plan is based on four pillars:
> Catholic Identity
> Academic Excellence
> Governance
> Fiscal Responsibility
The first concrete step in implementing the Strategic Plan is a program called Noah's Appeal. You will hear more in the coming weeks about the details of Noah's Appeal.
As Father Fleckenstien noted, building a sustainable future for our schools will not be done with a quick fix. There are many elements that need to be put into place over the course of time, and many of these elements are interconnected. Think of it like a crossword puzzle. You certainly can't have all the answers all at once. You start with the easy ones, As they fall into place, you begin to think more deeply about the more difficult ones. With the easy ones done, you have letter clues to make the harder ones more clear. As you get more and more blocks filled, your confidence builds, and you can concentrate on the most difficult clues.
At Saint Basil, we're starting this renewal process by rededicating ourselves to increasing student learning, building a Christian community, and doing so with proper governance in a fiscally responsible manner. Some changes will be immediate, while others will take much time and thought. The process is beginning, and we are grateful for all the parents, students, teachers, staff, parishioners, and community supporters who are working with us to solve this puzzle.
Now, what's 12 letters and means "airborne pinniped?"
08/26/08
Friday afternoon at 1:00, we will be painting lines for four square, pickleball, and other activities on the blacktop in the play area. Volunteers are welcome to join us.
Some of you may be wondering what our new sport, pickleball, is. It's a variation on tennis with a much smaller court, wooden rackets, and perforated plastic wiffleballs. It's loads of fun and can help children develop skills for racket sports such as tennis and badminton.
Teachers were hard at work today getting their rooms ready for the first day of school. Don't forget Opening Night, which is the evening of September 2. Pizza and drinks will be served in the basement at 6:30, we'll have a short assembly in the church, and then we'll all head to the classrooms.
08/25/08
8/21/08
I have a major announcement regarding our school schedule and program offerings. The full news will come in the mail next week, but here is a synopsis.
At the last meeting of the Task Force looking at sustainability and promotion of the school, an immediate recommendation was made to make a slight alteration to our daily schedule and a major extension of our band & orchestra offerings. Task Force members present at the meeting included the Superintendent of Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Kalamazoo, members of the school board, teachers, Father Bob and I. (A later version of Bear Tracks will have a more detailed description of Task Force activities and accomplishments.) Logistics for this change were finalized today in cooperation with South Haven Public Schools.
> School will begin 15 minutes earlier than originally announced. The first bell will ring at 8:20 am, and the tardy bell will ring at 8:30 am.
> Middle school students who participate in band or orchestra at Baseline Middle School will be able to participate five days per week, rather than three days per week allowed under the previous schedule. (8th Grade will only have four days per week, as their band/orchestra time overlaps with Mass on Fridays) This will ensure our band and orchestra students get the same level of training as their public school counterparts. "Enrichment" programs for non-band/orchestra students will be systemized and strengthened.
> Extra time will be used for weekly prayer services - one on the upper floor and one on the lower floor. These had already been planned, but now they will not take away from any other curricular time.
> Students riding the bus to school may arrive later than the new starting time. Mrs. Cochran (the public school transportation coordinator) is currently working on a revised schedule. If students arrive after the starting time from the bus, they will not be counted as tardy.
> Research has shown that elementary students learn better in the morning than later in the day. For our younger students, this means more time can be devoted to core academic subjects and religious studies at this prime time.
> The end of the school day is the same. However, the middle school schedule has been arranged to minimize class time lost due to athletic activities at Baseline Middle School.
As I mentioned before, the details of this plan will arrive in your mailbox next week. I'm sorry to bring the news so late in the summer. However, the benefits of the change are overwhelming, and we appreciate your cooperation in the adjustment.
If you have any questions, feel free to email me or call the school.
The teachers and I will be out of the school all day Monday. We are attending a meeting of all Diocesan administrators and teachers at Hackett Catholic Central High School in Kalamazoo.
08/21/08
The Saint Basil Youth Choir will be performing the national anthem before the West Michigan Whitecaps host the Dayton Dragons at Fifth Third Ballpark in Grand Rapids on Sunday, August 24. The game starts at 2 pm, so plan on being there early to make sure you don't miss our wonderful singers showing their patriotic pride. This is a tradition that has been going on for several years. Congratulations to Mrs. Wondergem and the Youth Choir for representing us well.
For more information on tickets for game, visit www.WhiteCapsBaseball.com For information on where our group is sitting or other details on the event, please contact the school office.
08/20/08
This is the first of a series of regular emails from the principal's desk to parents and friends of St. Basil Catholic School. As summer winds down, our teachers are busy setting up their rooms and getting ready for the coming school year. Feel free to stop by and say "Hi!" on your way to the beach or the park.
Mark your calendard for Tuesday, September 2. It's the first day of school, and it's also the day of Saint Basil Opening Night. Pizza will be provided, we'll have a big gathering in the church, and the classrooms will be open for touring. There will be plenty of big announcements and exciting news as we kick off the school year. And it bears repeating: pizza will be provided.
Congratulations to Saint Basil grad Liz Utke, who won the South Haven Rowing Championship yesterday. Other Saint Basil students and alums participating included Emily Simon, Robert Heinrich, Audrey Flood, Danielle Maly and J.T. Ovnik.
To sign up or discontinue Bear Tracks email updates, please email KellyFord@SaintBasilCatholic.org.
Saint Basil Scholar (Coming soon for the 2008-09 school year)