SMCS Cougars - Cougar Weekly

Saturday, May 24 – 8^th Grade Athletic Dinner; Deanery 8^th Grade Graduation Dance at Holy Family

Tues., May 27 – 1:30 p.m., Kindergarten program in gym; 8^th Grade graduation practice from 2 to 2:40 p.m. – ALL ACCOUNTS/FEES TO BE PAID IN FULL

Weds., May 28 – 8^th Grade graduation practice from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m.; Gr. 5 to Mount St. Francis, 8:30 to 2:30 (parents drop off and pick up their child); 7:00 p.m. - 8^th Grade Graduation Mass in Church, (parents and students need to be at church by 6:30 p.m.); Domino’s Dough Raiser Night

Thursday, May 29 – 8:15 a.m. – Last Student Mass, Gr. 5 to participate in liturgy; 9:30 to 11 a.m. – DeeAnne Stein Retirement Open House, all parents and community invited to attend

Friday, May 30 – Last Day of School for K through 8 (snow makeup); NO FAMILY FRIDAY; Student Awards, 9 a.m. in church; 12 to 2:40 p.m. – 7^th and 8^th Grade Pizza Party; NO EXTEND-A-CARE

Tuesday, July 1 – School Office open 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. for Tuition Payments for those paying in full

A BIG THANK YOU goes out to Julie Harper for heading the Rosary all year with our students! Your dedication and service is very much appreciated!

NEW PROJECT PEACE MEMBERS – Our new Project Peace Members for the 2008-2009 School year are: Lloyd Lashley; Chelsea Endris; Mallory Lucas; and Anna Wingate. Congratulations to these students!

RETIREMENT OPEN HOUSE FOR MRS. STEIN - There will be an Open House in the Cafeteria from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Thursday, May 29, to honor Mrs. DeeAnne Stein for her years of service to the school. Students will be attending during the following timeslots: 9:30 to 10:00 - Grades 6, 7 & 8; 10 to 10:30 - Grades K, 1 & 2; 10:30 to 11 - Grades 3, 4 & 5. Parents and extended community are welcome to attend to share in this celebration.

REMINDER – The St. Mary’s Board of Education policy requires that ALL outstanding fees must be paid in full by Tuesday, May 27, in order for students to receive recognition awards and report cards. This includes cafeteria accounts, Extend-a-Care, library fees and books returned, and field trip charges.

MATH PACKETS are being sent home today with students. Please check those backpacks. Additional copies will not be provided if lost, so please keep in a safe location.

School Supply Lists for the 2008-2009 School Year are coming home today with your child(ren). These are also posted on the school website.

2007-2008 YEARBOOK – Parents, if you have any photos you’d like to submit for the yearbook from any classroom activities, field trips, or school assemblies, please send these in to Tracey Meador by May 30th. Unfortunately, the pictures can not be returned but will be immortalized in the yearbook.

SUMMER TUTORING - Does your child dread their Math Packet? Do you dread it more than your child? Well, relief is here. Ms. Meador will be offering tutoring sessions this summer for incoming Kindergarteners up to Eighth Grade. Ms. Meador can also work on sight words as well as reading comprehension, depending on your child’s needs. If you are interested, you may call school at 944-0888 ext. 70 or 812-697-2064. Please leave a message.

St. Mary’s Street Dance Weekend – If you haven’t already scheduled your time to work the Street Dance weekend, contact Kathy Schroeder at 949-1302. Help is needed with set up and clean up, as well as during the event itself. All school families are expected to work to support this event.

PARENT TO PARENT: PEACEFUL SOLUTIONS – My kids used to fight over everything. They’d squabble about which television show to watch and who would take a shower first. I knew it was time to step in when I caught Beth and Matt swinging at each other. I figured out a system to handle their arguments. To start, I asked each of my kids to write down their favorite television shows, how much time they wanted on the computer, etc. Then I told them when I would want to use the TV or the computer. When there was a conflict, we flipped a coin to decide who had first choice. Finally, we agreed on a schedule and pinned it to the bulletin board in the kitchen. The kids still bicker sometimes. But they know that when I say, “Take a look at the schedule,” the arguing is over.

WENDY’S – Future Wendy’s Spirit Dates are: June 17, July 15, and August 19 – all at the Charlestown Road Wendy’s from 5 to 8 p.m. St. Mary’s will get credit for dine-in and carry-out orders. Drive-thru orders don’t count. Mark your calendars, and thanks for your support!

KROGER GIFT CARDS – Don’t forget to recharge your Kroger Gift Cards before making your grocery or gas purchases at Kroger. The school receives 4% back on all recharged cards purchased through our program. If you are in need of a card, you can purchase them at the school office. We have them in $5 and $25 increments. Thanks for your support!

FOLLOW THE LEADERS! - Your child’s successful path in life begins with a quality education at St. Mary’s Catholic School, a trailblazer in quality Catholic education for over 135 years. The last 6 years our ISTEP scores have surpassed the state average – 2008 results are 18% over state average. St. Mary’s offers need based financial assistance to qualifying families; a student-teacher ratio of less than 10 to 1; a state-of-the-art technology lab; very affordable before and after school care and award-winning student activities, including speech/drama team, art, music and athletics. Tell your family, friends and neighbors about our school and Cougar Academy Preschool. They can learn more by calling 944-0888 to schedule a tour or visiting our website, www.smcsonline.com.

VOLLEYBALL: Mrs. Jakoby is pleased to announce the winners of this year's Spirit Awards. The 5th grade recipient is EMILY COE and the 6th grade recipient is KELSEY RODGERS. Each of these young ladies will receive a special volleyball signed by their teammates.

All girls going into 5th thru 8th grades: Don't forget to sign up for the Providence and New Albany High School Summer skills camps. It's a great way to get ready for next year's team. Ask some friends to go with you and share your love of a great game. August will be here before we know it....so keep up the good work over the Summer. Congratulations to all of my team from this past Fall. I'm proud of everyone's hard work and team spirit!

Summer Acrylic Painting Classes - Mini Monets Studio is offering classes to learn acrylic painting. Each student will complete an acrylic painting on a canvas. All supplies included. Cost $75. For registration call Lisa Hunter at 945-9905 or Susan Cooper at 944-9841. There will be 4 sessions offered.

Catholic VBS Power Lab – Discovery Jesus’ Miraculous Power – St. Mary’s of New Albany VBS 2008, July 6 – 10, 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. Call to register: Carla Sandifer, 812-951-0044; Eva Corsaro, 945-7337. Register online at www.groupvbs.com/ webtoybox/myvbs/stmary2. Deadline to register is June 2, 2008. Questions? Contact Carla Sandifer, VBS Director; Lisa Wright, VBS Assistant Director; Eva Corsaro, VBS Crew Leader.

JR. JAZZERCISE JAZZERKAMP – July 14 through July 18, noon to 3 p.m., Ages 5-10, $90 (siblings $80) *Save $5 when you register by June 20^th. Children will learn how to take care of their health, select nutritious snacks, have fun engaging in daily aerobic activity, have fun! Featuring Nutrition Speaker, Dental Hygienist, Escape School/Stranger Danger! Speaker, Handwashing Expert, and Fire Safety Speaker. For more information, contact: Janette Slone, 246-1464.

FLOYD COUNTY HEALTH DEPT. CHILDREN’S IMMUNIZATION CLINIC – 1917 Bono Road, New Albany, IN 47150, (812) 948-4726, Tuesdays, June 10, 17 and 24 from 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.; Wednesdays, June 4, 11 and 25 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. and Wednesday,

June 18 from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. An updated shot record must accompany each child before vaccines can be administered. An administration fee of $5 is charged for all shots unless the child is on Medicaid.

New Albany-Floyd County Public Library – The World Of Spiderwick Invades the Library - On Thursday, June 19 at 6 p.m., a fantastic discussion of The Spiderwick Chronicles books, written by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black, will take place in the Storyhour Room of the NA-FC Public Library. Jan Applegate and the Children’s Department staff will discuss the unusual experiences the three Grace children have while staying in their Great Aunt Lucinda’s old Victorian house. Registration for children 8-12 years old is REQUIRED and will begin May 22. Children, who want to attend, will need to have read all five books in the series before June 19 in order to maximize their participation. This program is free, and books will be available to check out at the Children’s Service desk.

On Tuesday, June 24 at 6 p.m., the movie The Spiderwick Chronicles will be shown in the Children’s Storyhour Room followed by a brief discussion comparing the movie and the books. There will be another showing of The Spiderwick Chronicles on Saturday, June 28 at 11 a.m. in the Strassweg Auditorium. Parents are welcome to attend. The library is located at 180 West Spring St., New Albany. For more information please call 949-3528.

From the Principal’s Desk - “POUNCE to a PAWS-I-TIVE Performance” God has blessed our Cougar family with the gift of this school year, as we have achieved great things in our school community. The year has been filled with grace and blessings, with challenges and opportunities, joys and sorrows. All of these experiences have come forth from God’s hand and have made us stronger in our faith and our knowledge. This growth is a reflection of the deep- rooted support that exists at Saint Mary’s between the parish, the school and the home. We have so much to be proud of! Thank you for the privilege of teaching your child. It is the children who teach us that our work as educators really does make a difference. There is no greater reward to an educator than to know that our efforts have made a difference in the life of a child. The students have worked so hard all year and are ready for a little fun in the sun.

Don’t forget to Read, Read, Read! Reading exercises our brains and keeps our skills sharp. On behalf of the faculty and staff, I want to wish you all a safe and fun-filled summer! We will see you on Father’s Day weekend at the Street Dance! Don’t forget those summer math packets! We would love for all of our students to return these completed at registration so everyone may participate in the celebration to be held in the fall.