November Update

Dear Parents,

            Saint Patrick School is already a few months into the school year and we have parent-teacher conferences fast approaching next week. Conferences provide a formal opportunity for dialogue between parents and teachers on the progress of each child. This is an excellent opportunity for all parents to ask questions and address any concerns they may have. Feedback helps our school improve and we encourage all parents to voice any suggestions on how we can better serve the needs of our students and their families.  If you are unable to make the available conference dates/times, please schedule another meeting time with the homeroom teacher(s).

All School Mass

With Father Mark away on his trip to the Holy Land, Monsignor Ed from St. Mary’s Parish in Lowell will lead us in worship this Thursday at 9a.m. Monsignor Ed is a strong supporter of Catholic Education and we feel blessed that he is so willing to serve our children when called upon.

NWEA Testing

The first round of our new NWEA testing is complete for our test takers in grades second through eighth. Members from our school staff, as well as partner schools throughout the Grand Rapids Diocese, are confident that this new form of testing will enable us to better meet the educational needs of each individual student. Saint Patrick’s school improvement team continues to meet regularly to analyze the testing results so that we can use the data to drive individual instruction in the classroom. Parent-teacher conferences will provide the opportunity for our teachers to review your child’s scores with you. This is a learning process for students, parents and teachers. We are committed to learning and implementing new instructional strategies that will enable all of our students to maximize their learning potential.

Saint Patrick School Board of Directors

The School Board of Directors, previously known as the Education Commission, continue to take on additional responsibilities as the Grand Rapids Diocese implements new governance models for our schools and parishes. We have added two new members, Terry Cliff and Linne Bunn, and hope to add more as we work together to improve all aspects of our school. If you are interested in getting involved with any of our boards ongoing projects, or have any questions or concerns, please contact the group at st-patrick-school-board@googlegroups.com or simply approach me at any time.

In Christ,

Scott Czarnopys

Principal