Dear Parents,
While we are completing these first full days of school, I reflect on the many pieces and people that must come together in order for us live out our mission of Mercy and education at St. Peter’s. Parents, teachers, staff, volunteers, clergy, and students--there’s so much to coordinate! We at school want to be partners in faith and education with parents, so that we can be positive examples of learning and growing. Together, we can model the ways we can live out our KEYS: Knowledge feeds growth. Every accomplishment needs courage. You are love. Service unites. Your partnership is valuable to us, and we hope to strengthen that collaboration as the year goes on!
--Mrs. Sandra Jimenez
WCEA ACCREDITATION
Your partnership is even more valuable this year, as we work towards re-accreditation. The process began last year, as parents and students completed special school surveys and teachers began collecting and writing about evidence of student learning.
This accreditation process helps our school seek the best and most effective ways to educate children for the 21st century, infusing this education with a strong and vital Catholic identity, while supporting parents in their role as the primary educators of their children. Every six years we have the opportunity for a very specific Self Study process leading to the re-accreditation of the school. This year, the school will continue to involve faculty, staff, parents, and students in this process using a specific protocol outlined by the Western Catholic Educational Association (WCEA). This coming March, a Visiting Committee from WCEA will review our Self Study document, including our Action Plan for ongoing improvement, and will determine our accreditation status for the next six years. Throughout the year, we will be keeping you informed about this Self Study and Accreditation process. We welcome your support, your feedback, and your prayers for the success of this process!
TONIGHT! BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT
Back to School Night is scheduled for TONIGHT, Wednesday, August 29, beginning at 6:00 PM.
6:00 – 6:30 à General parent meeting in Church
6:35 – 6:50 à Middle School parent meeting in Church
6:35 – 7:40 à Visit booths on the schoolyard
6:55 – 7:20 à Parents visit K-5 Classrooms
7:10-7:35 à Parents visit Middle School Classrooms
There will be child care available in the Parish Hall from 6:00-7:45 PM. Parking is very limited, so please avoid driving to school, if possible. *Make sure you pick up your Parent-Student Handbook at the table in the school yard tonight!
STAR TESTING
We have begun STAR testing this week, and will continue next week as well. These tests help teachers understand students’ areas of strength and areas for extra growth. Last year, the tests showed the greatest growth average among our students since we’ve begun taking these tests five years ago. Let’s continue this academic growth this year!
CLASS DOJO
We want all parents to be connected to Class Dojo, a school communication app. Please join our school on Class Dojo using the code provided for your child(ren), which will be distributed to parents at Back-to-School Night if you are not yet connected. Each child has his/her own unique code, so if you have more than one child at St. Peter’s, be sure to connect to each of your children’s teachers!
BEFORE and AFTER SCHOOL
The school doors open at 7:30 AM. You may drop off your child as early as 7:15 AM at the Alabama Street gate. If you must drop off your child before 7:15 AM, please bring him/her into Church for the 7:00 AM Mass so that they will be supervised at all times.
The Buena Vista Child Care (BVCC) After School Program is available to students in grades K-8. If your child participates in a CYO sports team, attends after-school computer lab, or participates in another after-school activity, he/she must register with BVCC.
All students not registered for and not participating in the after-school programs must leave the schoolyard by 3:15 PM on regular dismissal days and 2:30 PM on Wednesdays. Students may not leave the schoolyard and return to the campus after dismissal. At no time will a student be allowed to be on campus unsupervised. Parents must also leave the campus at this time, unless they have an appointment with a teacher or administration.
ONLINE TRAINING FOR SCHOOL VOLUNTEERS
In order to be a volunteer at school events (such as a field trip chaperone or a sports team coach), adults must complete the online training on www.virtusonline.org.
Follow these directions to complete the VIRTUS online training:
· Go to www.virtusonline.org
· Click on “First-time Registrant”
· Click on “Begin the registration process”
· Select San Francisco (Archdiocese)
· Create a User ID and Password for yourself
· Fill out the requested personal information
· Select St. Peter Elementary (San Francisco) **DO NOT SELECT St. Peter Parish**
· Provide your digital signatures for downloading and reading the documents: “Standards of Conduct for Those Working with Children and Young People” and “Policies and Procedures Regarding Child Abuse”
· Select the online course “Protecting God’s Children for Adults” (Online Training)
· Once you’ve completed the course, go to your Toolbox and click on “Training Report” to verify the completion of your course.
Upon completion of the online course, please email sjimenez@sanpedro.org or print out the “Training Report” page and submit it to the school office. You will receive 2 parent volunteer hours.
TDAP VACCINATIONS
California Law, (California State Law A354) requires that all students entering 7th-12th grades show proof of a Tdap (Whooping Cough) Pertussis booster shot. If you have not already done so, please submit documentation to the school as soon as possible.
IN THE CLASSROOM
1A - Welcome back 1st grade families! This week we are continuing to review reading and math learned in Kindergarten. We are talking about the responsibilities of a first grader and what it means to be part of a community. Thank you for a wonderful start to the year. I'm looking forward to seeing you all at Back-to-School Night.
2A - We're reading HELP! A Story of Friendship, reviewing addition with regrouping, learning how to choose the best books for us, and praying for others. We’re also having lunch in the lunchroom now! Please pack lots of snacks! We're off to a great start!
3A – Welcome back to school. We're off to a fantastic start. The third graders were all present for the first days of school, the supplies are almost complete, and the uniforms were 100% including their school shoes. Parents and students, you're REALLY exemplifying two of our School-Wide Learning Expectations. You're ACCOMPLISHING and UNITING!
4A – We had a great first week in 4A! This week, we will be reviewing rules and procedures by focusing on topics of growth mindset, respect, and honesty. We will begin STAR testing this week, so please make sure your child gets a good night sleep and eats a healthy breakfast. We will also be practicing our Mass responses this week. Welcome to 4A!
5A - It's been an awesome first week for St. Peter's Class of 2023! 5th graders are doing well learning our classroom routines. We're taking our baseline STAR assessments in both math and reading this week, finishing our 5th grade class constitution, and talking about the growth mindset principles we'll use to challenge ourselves to grow throughout this school year. Check Class Dojo for daily updates and photos!
6A Religion and Social Studies – Welcome to 6th grade, students and families! I (Miss Land) am excited to be your child's homeroom teacher this year as they begin their time in middle school. This week in homeroom we are collecting all emergency forms, connecting parents to Class Dojo, practicing middle school procedures, and enjoying some team building activities to get to know our classmates better. I look forward to meeting you at Back to School Night and sharing more about what this year will be like for your 6th grader! Language Arts – We will begin our ELA curriculum with an in-depth look at the elements of a short story, starting with setting and social context. We will also start practicing our procedures for our rotational learning stations. Math - Hello families, I (Mrs. Hanson) am teaching 6th, 7th, and 8th Mathematics this year. So far we have had some teamwork activities and covered classroom procedures. This week we will look for mathematical patterns and review procedures in the classroom. Science – Welcome 6th Grade Science students and families! I (Ms. Solorio) am thrilled to be a part of the St. Peter's School family and to be teaching science this year. This week we will be reviewing our syllabus to ensure there is clarity about how to create a scientific community that enables exploration, learning, and growth. We are also getting to know each other and I look forward to continue doing that by seeing you at Back to School Night tonight. We will end the week with an introduction to the science topics we will cover this year. See you on tonight!
7A Homeroom - This week we will continue practicing our homeroom routines and procedures. Mrs. Fresnoza will also begin meeting with students to help set goals for the school year! Religion and Social Studies – Welcome and welcome back! I (Miss Land) am happy to be teaching and learning again with your child this year and working with you to ensure their success! See you at Back to School Night! Language Arts - Welcome back! This week we are focusing on getting to know one another, while also learning the importance of 7th Grade. Additionally, students are identifying the types of conflict in a series of literary short stories. All of which will lead to the writing of their own conflict, internal or external, in a short story. Math - Hello families, I (Mrs. Hanson) am teaching 6th, 7th, and 8th Mathematics this year. So far we have had some teamwork activities and covered classroom procedures. This week we will look for mathematical patterns and review procedures in the classroom. Science - Knowing how to start our science class is a key to its success and effectiveness. This week we continue to work on our norms and procedures! We will end our week by looking at the topics that we will cover throughout our academic year.
8A Religion – Students will participate in various introductory activities, focusing on The Apostle’s Creed and using it as a foundation for the rest of the class. They will create their own “Classroom Creed” that will be used to set expectations for the rest of the year. They will also identify and explain the Catholic community and apostolic succession. Language Arts - Welcome back to another exciting year at Saint Peter's! This week we are focusing on getting to know one another, while also looking into the High School Application process. Additionally, students will focus on Personal Narratives, what it means, how it applies to everyday and literature-based examples. Math – Hello families, I (Mrs. Hanson) am teaching 6th, 7th, and 8th Mathematics this year. So far we have had some teamwork activities and covered classroom procedures. This week we will look for mathematical patterns and review procedures in the classroom. Social Studies – Welcome and welcome back! I (Miss Land) am happy to be teaching and learning again with your child this year and working with you to ensure their success! See you at Back to School Night! Science - Knowing how to start our science class is a key to its success and effectiveness. This week we continue to work on our norms and procedures! We will end our week by looking at the topics that we will cover throughout our academic year.
REMINDERS:
Sept. 3-13 STAR Testing, Window 1
Sept. 4 Back-to-School Night, 6:00 – 7:45 PM
Sept. 6 All school forms due
Sept 10 Opening of School Year Mass, 8:10 AM
Sept. 13 Emergency Kit due
