CHANGE OF EARLY DISMISSAL DAY:
Due to special events scheduled in the city for Thursday, September 9, (hint: Saints) and Fr. Paul’s surgery, we are moving our early dismissal day from Wednesday, September 15, to Thursday, September 9. On Thursday, September 9, students will be dismissed at 1:45pm. After care will be available until 4:00pm; if you need extended care on this day until 6:00pm please call the school to reserve a place. Dismissal on Wednesday, September 15, will be at 3:00pm.

FYI ON BREAKFAST CEREAL:
Yale University recently conducted a study on kids’ cereal and cereal advertising strategies. The study found that the most heavily advertised brands were also the least healthy. Cereals aimed at kids have 85% more sugar, 65% less fiber and 60% more sodium than cereals for adults. Many of these cereals also contain artificial food dyes. The top ten cereals that fell into this unhealthy category are: Cinnamon Ttoast Crunch, Honey Nut Cheerios, Lucky Charms, Cocoa Puffs, Trix, Frosted Flakes, Fruity or Cocoa Pebbles, Reese’s Puffs, Corn Pops, and Froot Loops.

HOW TO MAKE FRIENDS AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE IN THE CARPOOL?
Don’t cut into the carpool line – from any direction, at any time! Would you cut in line at the grocery store? No, so please do not do so in our carpool lines. Follow the advice you give to your child everyday – do the right thing! Thank you.

ANOTHER THANK YOU!
Thank you to all who attended the Safe Environment seminar; we appreciate your participation concerning this very important issue. If you were not able to attend this seminar and plan on volunteering at school or attending class field trips, please call the school office for time and location of other Safe Environment seminars.

SAS PRAYER BREAKFAST: please watchour web site for information on our Prayer Breakfast which will be held on Thursday, September 23, at English Turn.

PLACES TO BE SEEN:
• Mass (1-4) Tuesday, September 7, 8:30am
• Parent lunch 7R September 7, 7V September 8, 7W September 9
• Mass (5-8) Thursday, September 9, 8:30am
• Mass (1-4) Tuesday, September 14, 8:30am
• First PTA meeting of the year, Tuesday, September 14, 7:00pm
• Mass (5-8) Thursday, September 16, 8:30am
• Community Mass (3 and 4) Tuesday, September 21, 8:30am
• SAS Prayer Breakfast at English Turn

The new school supplies have been labeled and unpacked, name tags on desks are still intact, school shoes are not scuffed, and white school shirts are still very white – all signs that the school year is less than a week old!!
With the arrival of our Kindergarten and Pre-Kindergarten students this week, our SAS family will be complete. Throughout this year, administration, faculty, staff, and students will work and contribute to create an environment that will allow for everyone to experience opportunities to grow and develop the gifts and talents that God has given to each one of us.

Welcome aboard, we look forward to meeting you, seeing you, and sharing with you this school year.

IMPORTANT BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR ALL:
The Archdiocese of New Orleans is requiring that all adults who come in contact with students on a regular basis (teachers, coaches, substitutes, school volunteers, etc) must participate in a Safe Environment seminar that is conducted by personnel from the Office of Catholic Schools. The school will be hosting one of these seminars on Tuesday, August 32, in the cafeteria beginning at 7:00pm. All participants sign in (a record of all those completing this seminar will be kept by both the Archdiocese and the school). Participants will receive a certificate of completion that will be good for three years. Other seminars are offered throughout the city, and if you would like to choose another day and time, please call the school office for this information. In order to work with young children in any ministry, this seminar must be completed.

Substitute Teachers: if you would be interested in being placed on our rooster as a sub, please call the school office for an application.

Easy carpool lines may be coming to an end!! Now that I have your attention, thank you for your assistance and patience as we work through our carpool system. However, if you are a front carpool participant you need to know that beginning next week about 150 students will be added to this line. Monday and Tuesday will still be light days because our new PK and K students will not arrive until after 8:00am and leave by noon. But beginning on Wednesday all students from first grade on down, plus their siblings, will be added to front carpool. Please adjust your schedule and be prepared!

PK and K parking: On Monday and Tuesday morning – only – the back yard black top will be open for parking to allow for these parents to park and walk their children into school. Access this back yard on Hudson St.

PLACES TO BE SEEN:
* PTA Welcome Back Coffee, Thursday, August 26, 7:30am in the Tower
* Opening School Mass and Student Council Induction, Thursday, August 26, 8:30am
* Mass (1-4) Tuesday, August 31, 8:30am
* 8K and 8R Parent lunch, Wednesday, September 1
* Mass (5-8) Thursday, September 2, 8:30am
* First PTA meeting of the year, Tuesday, September 14, 7:00pm

Guest Link to Edline

Make plans to come enjoy the Fun Run; free popcorn, drinks, and snowballs; games; space walks; and numerous other activities.

To download a sponsor form or a T-shirt order form click on the links below:

Sponsors

Tshirt Order Forms

Nancy Hernandez

If you can not pick up your supplies at either of those times, you may pick them up in the office after 1p.m. on Monday, August 16.

The St. Andrew the Apostle P.T.A. will be holding a can drive to help restock the shelves of the United Churches of Algiers Food Bank. You may drop off your donation(s) for the food bank when picking up your Edukit. Thank you in advance for your generosity and support..

Eighth grade graduation was held on Tuesday, May 18th. Following the Mass, students received their diplomas and awards. The recipients of the top awards were:

The Christian Living Award – Victoria LeBlanc and Claire Herwehe

The Salutatorian Award – Amanda Cuevas and Jane Fiegel

The Valedictorian Award – Julia Bindewald

The St. Andrew the Apostle award, which is voted on by the members of the eighth grade class and the faculty, is awarded to the student who best exemplifies leadership, character, Christian example, service, school spirit, self-discipline and scholastic ability – Halie Ducote

The address I delivered to our graduates is posted at the end of this newsletter.

END OF YEAR INFORMATION:

FINANCIAL OBLIGATIONS: All financial obligations must be met by Tuesday May 25th or all school records will be held. The school will not be able to accept payment for any delinquent accounts on Thursday May 27th . Once accounts are paid in full report cards will be available for pick up in the office beginning June 1st from 8:00am until noon.

EDLINE GRADES: Edline class reports will be closed for the year on May 20th but school information is still available for viewing.

LOST AND FOUND: The Lost and Found cabinet will be emptied on Tuesday, May 25th, and all left items will be donated. Please claim items prior to Tuesday.

USED UNIFORM SALE: If you plan to sell or buy items from the Used Uniform Sale, please follow the procedure sent home on Tuesday, May 18th. This information is also available on Edline and on our web site.

SUMMER SCHOOL: If your child will need to attend summer school, registration will be held on Friday, May 28th, from 8:00am until noon and Tuesday, June 1st, from 7:30am until 8:00am. Classes begin on Tuesday, June 1st.

PROPOSED CALENDAR FOR 2010-2011: Calendar highlights for the 2010-2011 school year are posted on Edline and our web site.

PLACES TO BE SEEN:

* Awards ceremony (1-3) 9:00am Tuesday, May 25th
* Awards ceremony (4-5) 10:30am Tuesday, May 25th
* Awards ceremony (6-7) 8:30am Thursday, May 27th
* Closing School Mass 9:00am Thursday, May 27th

Message to Graduates

If we did a word association game with the concept of school, I am sure—books,
teachers, rules, lessons, and tests would be some of the first words chosen. Everyone knows that for you to have reached this point in your education, your first graduation ceremony, you have endured years of books, teachers, rules, lessons, tests and much more.

After all why else would you go to school if it were not to learn something! As students we often realize that we learn valuable lessons that are not necessarily part of the teachers’ plans—and often these outside-the-curriculum lessons stay with us longer than those we gained from our textbooks.

Can you remember the first time a teacher gave you a test and when the test was completed announced, “Do not pass up your papers. Do not exchange your papers. You are going to check your own work.” Wow, what a different concept! You were going to self-check your own test paper. It was a big responsibility–this self checking–but it was also a lesson in itself. You and only you would determine if you had the right answer to a question.

Self-checking is one of those lessons not found in your textbook, but one that you will come to rely on throughout your future, especially in high school. You will be doing a lot of self-checking as you meet new friends, are introduced to new experiences, and gain more independence.

When will you self-check yourself? Every time you are presented with a situation that requires you to take a stand, every time you have to make a decision that goes contrary to your peers, every time your friends say it will be ok but your inner self is saying no it will not!

When your first non-classroom self-check test comes up, remember: stay true to yourself, stick with what is best for you; and you, not your friends, will know the right answer. You will know the right answer; you just need to learn to listen to yourself and believe in yourself.

The foundation you have already established within your faith and all of your experiences here at St. Andrew that have brought you closer to God will help you to know that while you may be self-checking yourself, you are never alone. He is always with you.

Graduates, you will be missed but not forgotten. Congratulations!

Dear Parents,

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT:

The Chinese characters that make up the verb “to listen” contain the symbols for the ear, the eyes, the heart, and undivided attention.

SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT:

We all want to be healthy. We are taught in school and hear on the news, almost daily, the benefits of a proper diet and exercise. But one thing that is often overlooked and not factored into our health plan is the power of positive thinking. This is a skill that needs to be taught. Share and answer these prompts with your child (be sure you both complete the exercise, remember our children learn from our own behavior), and help them understand the power of a positive attitude:

• Name five things that make you happy
• Name five things that you can do well
• Name five healthy foods that you enjoy
• Name five people you love to talk to
• Name five ways you can make yourself feel better if you are mad or stressed

DONATE YOUR ‘GENTLY’ USED TOYS:

Our new three year old program will accept “gently used” toys for their classroom. You may drop off toys during our summer hours in June or again in August. Thank you.

You know the end of the school is getting close when the Places to be Seen list is getting shorter!

PLACES TO BE SEEN:

• 8th grade Graduation 6:00pm Tuesday, May 18th
• PK Closings Thursday, May 20th
• K Closings Friday, May 21st
• Awards ceremony (1-3) 9:00am Tuesday, May 25th
• Awards ceremony (4-5) 10:30am Tuesday, May 25th
• Awards ceremony (6-7) 8:30am Thursday, May 27th
• Closing School Mass 9:00am Thursday, May 27th

Our future leaders are alive and well and can be found at St. Andrew the Apostle School! This past Thursday afternoon, students who qualified to run for Student Council for the 2010-2011 school year presented their campaign speeches to all middle school students.
With the assistance of their campaign managers, the candidates did a superb job. Their speeches were clever, creative, and delivered eloquently. I was impressed by each one!

Congratulations to all the candidates. Thank you for taking your time, and the risk, to run for a student council position!

The new Student Council Officers for the 2010-2011 school year are:

President Maddie Brown
Vice Pres Bert Gilmore
Secretary Ryan Kramer
Treasurer Jack Walker

Commissioners Austin Ashburn
Jennifer Denault
Marissa Mason
Natalie Moll

Executive Committee Blaine Derbigny
Morgan Faust
Mark Jaunet
Sara LeJeune
Abbey Sanders
Savannah Seals
Liza Whitfield

CONGRATULATIONS:

The following students have been awarded academic scholarships for their high schools:

Julia Bindewald Dominican
Anna Sheridan Dominican
Elliott Eaton De La Salle
Nicholas Fraizer De La Salle

Congratulations to these students and their parents.

EDUKITS ARE RETURNING:

Information to purchase pre-packaged back to school supplies will be sent home next week. This is the same program that was offered last year.

TWO FAMILY FUN NIGHTS – now down to one!

Please join us Friday, May 14th for Family Night Bingo in the cafeteria beginning at 6:00pm. Detailed information about tickets can be found on our web site.

CAFETERIA PAYMENT:

Effective Monday, May 3, the cafeteria will no longer be able to accept checks. All payments starting May 3 must be made in cash. Be sure when sending any payment that your envelope includes your child’s name, homeroom and cafeteria account number. Thank you.

CAFETERIA REFUND:

If your child will not be returning to St. Andrew next school year, please request in writing a refund from your child’s account if one exist. Thank you.

PLACES TO BE SEEN:

Recognition Assembly 1:00pm Monday, May 10th
Mass (5-8) 8:30am Tuesday, May 11th
PTA Mtg. Tuesday, May 11th
Mass (1-4) 8:30am Thursday, May 13th
2nd grade Read-In Friday, May 14th
PTA Family Night Bingo, Friday May 14th
Mass (1-7) 8:30am Tuesday, May 18th
8th grade Graduation 6:00pm Tuesday, May 18th
PK Closings Thursday, May 20th
K Closings Friday, May 21st
Awards ceremony (1-3) 9:00am Tuesday, May 25th
Awards ceremony (4-5) 10:30am Tuesday, May 25th
Awards ceremony (6-7) 8:30am Thursday, May 27th
Closing School Mass 9:00am Thursday, May 27th

Here are some interesting statistics. In 2005 a study determined the dollar amount spent by American consumers in their pursuit of self improvement. The dollar amounts listed in the following self-improvement categories are in millions.
* Infomercials - $1,290
* Personal Coaching - $2,400
* Mail Order Catalogs - $70
* Holistic Institutes and Training Companies - $320
* Books - $693
* Audiotapes - $354
* Weight Loss Programs - $3, 970
Total spent on self-improvement products and services: $9,600,000.00 which is approximately 1% of the gross national product!

Here are some self improvement activities that have been proven to work and do not cost millions of dollars:

* Hugging your child
* Laughing with your child
* Watching your child sleep
* Listening to your child’s stories
* Reading stories to your child
* Watching a movie together
* Playing together
* Sitting on a porch swing when the sun is going down
These 8 activities are guaranteed to improve your mood and spirit and though they do not cost millions of dollars their value is priceless!

EDUKITS ARE RETURNING:

Information to purchase pre-packaged back to school supplies will be forthcoming. This is the same program that was offered last year.

TWO FAMILY FUN NIGHTS:

Please join us for one of the following family fun-filled nights: Friday, May 7th is our second annual Father/Daughter Dance in the Tower beginning at 7:00pm and Friday, May 14th is our Family Night Bingo in the cafeteria beginning at 6:00pm. Detailed information about tickets can be found on our web site.

CAFETERIA PAYMENT:

Effective Monday, May 3, the cafeteria will no longer be able to accept checks. All payments starting May 3 must be made in cash. Be sure when sending any payment that your envelope includes your child’s name, homeroom and cafeteria account number. Thank you.

CAFETERIA REFUND:

If your child will not be returning to St. Andrew next school year, please request in writing a refund from your child’s account if one exists. Thank you.

PLACES TO BE SEEN:

* May Crowning (PK-8) 8:30am Tuesday, May 4th
* K Read-In Friday, May 7th
* Father/Daughter Dance 7:00pm Friday, May 7th
* Recognition Assembly 1:00pm Monday, May 10th
* Mass (5-8) 8:30am Tuesday, May 11th
* PTA Mtg. Tuesday, May 11th
* Mass (1-4) 8:30am Thursday, May 13th
* 2nd grade Read-In Friday, May 14th
* PTA Family Night Bingo, Friday May 14th
* Mass (1-7) 8:30am Tuesday, May 18th
* 8th grade Graduation 6:00pm Tuesday, May 18th
* PK Closings Thursday, May 20th
* K Closings Friday, May 21st
* Awards ceremony (1-3) 9:00am Tuesday, May 25th
* Awards ceremony (4-5) 10:30am Tuesday, May 25th
* Awards ceremony (6-7) 8:30am Thursday, May 27th
* Closing School Mass 9:00am Thursday, May 27th