Parent Letter - Feb 8

Dear Parents,

Catholic Schools Week was great fun and very successful and although the week
is over for this year, we continue to celebrate this very special Catholic School
community. I thank all those who contributed to the success of this week and to the
everyday success of our school. Anyone who was able to be here at school for any of the
week’s activities was witness to the joy and caring that is felt upon entering our school.
You are truly a vital part of this environment as you continue to support our school, its
mission, and its staff. I extend my sincere thanks for all that you do!

Our 7th and 8th graders will be selling Easter candy for the benefit of their New
York theater trip. As I told the children this morning, we put away our “Alleluias” on
Ash Wednesday and take them out again at Easter. While we know that many “give up”
candy for Lent, we all purchase some for Easter. If you are able, please give your
support to this project.

Our Book Fair was very successful this year and earned approximately $1500 to
be spent on Library books. We thank you for supporting this effort once again this year.

Our Wine Tasting event, the newest Home-School activity and fundraising
attempt takes place this Saturday night, February 11th at the Thames Club. If you haven’t
purchased your ticket yet, you must do so prior to the event. Please do so as I am sure it
will be an enjoyable evening.

Upcoming events also include our Shamrock Tea on March 10th, our annual
Basket Social on May 5th, and of course our annual St. Joseph School Golf Tournament
on May 19th. Please make plans ahead of time to participate in these activities.

You should have received a letter and packet of papers regarding the Office of
Safe Environments for the Diocese. Each child was given one packet. We realize that
some of you may need additional packets or have already completed the process due to
coaching responsibilities. Whatever the case may be, it is necessary for anyone
volunteering with children in anyway to complete the coursework and the paperwork in
order to be eligible. Paperwork will not be processed for anyone who has not completed
either the workshop (available in September) or the online course. To complete the
online course, you must be registered by the school’s child advocate. We will need your

birth date and email address. If you have been registered previously and have not
completed the course, you will need to notify the office of this. Once you are registered
we will send the information for access to the web site to take the course. Only when the
course is completed will the Diocese process your paperwork. As mentioned in the cover
letter with the packet this comes at a great expense to the school ($41 per person being
screened). Therefore, we will not forward any paperwork for persons who have not
completed the course. The deadline for completing the course and submitting the
paperwork for this school year is March 9th. After this date you will have to wait until
the next school year. This means that you will not be eligible to chaperone field trips or
participate in activities during the school day.

As indicated prior to the New Year, we are sending home the questionnaire
associated with our self-study to be completed by all parents. This is a supplementary
part of the self-study and it is important that everyone complete the survey. Please feel
free to include narrative comments as well on the form provided by the New England
Association of Schools and Colleges. The survey is anonymous and the results will be
compiled into a report along with the actual responses. Both this letter and the survey
will also be sent through the Home-School email address.

I thank you for your patience with this Diocesan requirement and for your prompt
attention to the work before you.

Please keep all who are in need in our school community in your prayers. You
are in ours daily.

Sincerely,

Marianne Cote
Principal