September 26, 2012

September 26, 2012

Dear Parents/Guardians:

Happy Wednesday! As the fall is upon us, our schedule is starting to get busier every week. Field trips have begun and this Friday our PreK to 3^rd Graders will be going to the Albuquerque Zoo! Next Friday our 8^th Graders will be taking a field trip to the Albuquerque Water Plant to learn how the water processing in our city works and to understand the economic impact of water in our state. On the same day, the 6^th and 7^th Graders will be going to the Natural History Museum. Students on these field trips may wear appropriate jeans (absolutely no skinny jeans) and a San Felipe shirt (school shirt or spirit shirt). I know, as parents, some of you want to accompany the students on these field trips; but you must respect the teachers’ wishes if they are only choosing to have a few chaperones go. As chaperones, you are required by the Archdiocese of Santa Fe to have taken the Sexual Abuse Works hop that they offer during the year. It is imperative that you understand this is not optional. If parents show up to the field trip as chaperones who have not taken the workshop, we will have no choice but to cancel the field trip.

This Friday, Sept. 28^th, the 5^th to 8^th Graders will be having a ‘jeans day’ (again, no skinny jeans) in order to raise money to purchase a water cooler for the Middle School building. Some of the eighth graders came to me with the idea that it would be healthier and more environmentally friendly to fill their water bottles up at a cooler. So, if your student in 5^th through 8^th grade would like to participate in this Friday’s jeans day, please make sure they arrive in the gym in the morning with $2.00, where they will get their hand stamped. Thank you, in advance, for supporting this small fundraiser!

There is a planning meeting for the All Hallows Eve Carnival next Wednesday, Oct. 2^nd, in the School’s Library at 3:30pm. If you are interested in helping in any way, please join us!!

I would like to thank Lucas Gutierrez’s family for generously donating $100 toward the purchase of the popcorn machine San Felipe will be purchasing for fundraisers and classroom activities. It is generosity such as this that makes our school a wonderful, close-knit community, where we all try to help each other out. And thank you to everyone who came after school to our snack sale out on the playground. We were able to raise another $130 toward the popcorn machine!

Each morning, when the students go to their homerooms, they are to turn in their cell phones to the teacher. The phones are all kept in separate classroom bins in the front office during the day and returned to the students after school. I am very pleased to say that the majority of our students are being forthright and turning their phones in. There are, however, some students that are choosing to keep their phones with them. This is a school rule. It is meant to prevent students from texting friends, etc. during the school day. If they need to call home, they have ready access to a telephone at school and may use it any time they need to. Please reinforce this rule with your children at home and ask them to do the right thing!

Each year, every school in the Archdiocese of Santa Fe creates a themed gift basket for the Archbishop’s School Fundraiser Dinner. This year, our theme is Games. If you would like to donate something toward this basket, I would be very grateful. Some suggestions are: board games, electronic hand-held games, Putt Putt gift certificates, gift certificates to Cliff’s, jigsaw puzzles, checkers, chess, backgammon, playing cards, poker chips, badminton set, Frisbees, crocket game, beanbag toss game, tennis rackets and tennis balls, soccer ball, etc. I could go on and on! If anyone could donate a small laptop that we could buy some online game cards for, that would be incredible! I would love for this to be the absolutely most outstanding basket at the Archbishop’s Dinner! Let’s show everyone how we at San Felipe come together as one incredible family!!! Thank you so very much for all your support! Deadline for the game items has to be next Wednesday, 10/3, so we have time to put the basket together.

Many blessings to all of you who give so much of your time, talent, and treasure each and every day.

Jennifer Mason

Principal