Principal Update

April 20, 2011

To Our Saint Patrick School Families:

School will not be in session for Holy Thursday and Good Friday. Make sure to cherish this time spent with your family during Holy Week as we all await the upcoming Easter Celebration.

Next week is a very important and opportunistic time for our school. On April 28^th and 29^th, our school will go through an accreditation process.  Every seven years our school is mandated to develop a full self-study report. This report is a self-evaluation of all the day to day functions and responsibilities that our school has throughout the school year.  Our staff, Education Commission, and a handful of dedicated parent volunteers have spent countless hours preparing this report.

Next week, principals and teachers from our Diocese, along with a teacher from Rockford Christian and Union High School, will spend both days in our school validating the information in our self-study report and will make recommendations for improvement. This team of professional educators will make the decision on whether or not to recommend our school for full accreditation from the Michigan Non-Public Schools Accreditation Association (MNSAA).

I cannot thank everyone who participated in the process enough for their dedication and hard work. I am extremely confident that the time and preparation put into this process will help our school shine when the team visits next week.

Thank you all for choosing St. Patrick School for your children. As a community, we will continue to improve our school and strive for excellence for many years to come.

In Christ,

Scott Czarnopys

scottczarnopys@gmail.com

www.stpatrickparnellschool.org

http://www.principalparnell.blogspot.com/

616-691-8833

April Update

To Our Saint Patrick Community:

A child does not care how much you know until they know how much you care.

The most impressive strength of Saint Patrick’s is that we have a community that functions like a family to do what is best for the children in our school. Parental involvement in a child’s education is the number one indicator of student success. We have a responsibility as adults to continue to take interest in all children to support and prepare them to grow to be productive citizens and future leaders in our community. All adults from our parish and school are welcome and encouraged to come in and be a part of the education of our students.

The teachers and support staff at St. Patrick School believe and carry out the mission of the church every day. Our teachers have made significant financial sacrifices to have the opportunity to share Catholic education with the children in our community. We believe that Catholic education provides children with the gift of living and breathing our Faith every minute of each day. Our teachers lead by example and provide a loving, caring and Faith-filled environment that creates a foundation that each child will carry with him/her for a life time. These children WILL be the leaders in carrying out the mission of the church and supporting Catholicism in the future. Thank you to all of our teachers, staff, parents and parishioners who continue to care for and do what is best for the children at St. Patrick School.

Updates:

Education Commission:

The purpose of the St. Patrick School Education Commission is to serve as a consultive body that assists the principal and pastor in fulfilling the mission of the school. The next meeting is scheduled for May 10 at 7pm in the Erin Isle room of the Parish Center. Please check the Shamrock regularly for updates and future agendas for upcoming meetings.

Officers: President – Mike Snarski, Vice-President – Penny Spanbauer, Secretary – Deb Martin

Members: Andrea Gasper, Karen Richmond, Bob Camp

Long-Range Planning:

Members of the Education Commission and a few dedicated parents have been working together to generate ideas and formulate a plan to assure the viability and sustainability of our school. Your input is valued and is certainly welcomed. Next meeting is scheduled for April 12, 6:30pm in the school library.

Enrollment:

40% of our students are enrolled for the 2011/2012 school year. Please communicate with the school office of your intentions for the upcoming year to help us evaluate the situation and make plans to provide the best education for our students.

In Christ,

Scott Czarnopys

scottczarnopys@gmail.com

616-691-8833