From the Desk of Sister Christina

Welcome back to a new school year!

All of us at St. Matthew School are excited to begin the school year. We are especially excited to welcome our new staff members: Sister Katharine Mary – copy room, Miss Karen Provencal – 3rd grade, and Deacon Mike as our gym teacher. Please join us in welcoming them to our St. Matthew School family. We ask for your prayerful support as we fulfill our ministry as Catholic Educators. Thank you for having your children dressed in their proper school uniform and ready for school with their needed supplies. It made for a smooth opening.

As we begin anew, I share with you what you can do to establish a good relationship with your child’s teachers. Children are more likely to succeed in school if their parents get involved. Here’s what you can do:

Establish a communication plan. Introduce yourself to your child’s teachers, and make clear you want to stay on top of how they are doing. Use the established communication system of the teacher. Call the school office and leave a message, teachers will return your call promptly.

Attend conferences. If teachers express concerns about your child, ask for suggestions on how you can help. When they have good things to say, find out how you can continue to encourage your child.

Share information. Your child’s teachers will get to know your child well, but they will never know them the way you do. Feel free to share anything you think will help them teach your child, or relate to them in a better way.

Show by your actions that school is a high priority. Encourage good attendance. Help your child set a regular homework time and bedtime. Get involved in school by supporting and attending the school functions.

There seems to be concerns about dismissal. Please make sure your child/ren know clearly their mode of transportation to home. If there is a dismissal change in how your child/ren, a note to the teacher is required in all grades. The teacher then forwards the note to the office so the office staff is alerted to the change and may assist in having your child/ren arrive home according to the directions they received from you.

Dismissal is basically the same this year as last year, with the exception of the children coming out by grade. They are coming out to you by family. We start with the older students and they have been instructed and we practiced having their younger siblings get in line with them as the dismissal line walks down the hall. Our hope is that parents receive all their children as “one” instead of waiting for them one-by-one, get in the car and continue on to your next venture.

Our concern from last year’s observation of students released to their parents, and their running around the parking lot while waiting for their siblings to come out. We ask that all students stay with parents and not run through the parking lot. When the teachers bring students across the street, they are walked in line to the back parking lot where they are to be picked up by their parents. We have asked you to park behind the church, not in front of the church, and not to pull students out of line. The church parking lot affords you the space and facility to leave when you have all your children. Our intention is to entrust your children back to you safely. Thank you for working with us in this regard.

Back-to-School nights went well. We hope you are well informed as to the procedures in your children’s classrooms. If you are in a quandary about anything, remember to verify it on the teachers’ or school’s web sites.

Thank you to all those who volunteered to assist us in different capacities at school. If anyone is still thinking about volunteering, I ask that you send in your volunteer form by Friday September 14th. Those volunteers who will be in direct contact with our students on a regular basis are required to attend VIRTUS Training, our Protecting God’s Children Program and go through background checks as mandated by the Hartford Archdiocese. Any volunteer in need of these requirements will be notified by the SMS school office.

We look forward to seeing you at the Back-to-School picnic sponsored by the Home and School, this Sunday September 9th after the 11:30 AM Mass. Carvel ice cream awaits you!

Know you and your loved ones are always held in our prayers and in our hearts.

Sister Christina Joseph, IHM