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Principal's Newsletters from the Past
“People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing.” – Dale Carnegie
January 23, 2012
Dear Parents/Guardians, Students and Friends of Bishop Dunn,
Last week’s newsletter was focused mainly on reporting dates for upcoming events and special activities. I needed to start today’s with a correction for one of the events and a more detailed description of another. Both are connected to our Catholic Schools Week schedule for next week. The correction is for Wednesday, February 1st, when I listed a parent meeting as one of the events. The parent meeting I was thinking of is actually taking place this Wednesday, January 25th, and is planned primarily to provide an explanation of our new school-wide anti-bullying program (see below). The additional information that is now available has to do with the “special surprise event” planned for the final afternoon of Catholic Schools Week.
The unofficial theme for our school year, if you haven’t picked up on it yet from all the previous newsletters that have focused on fundraising, might best be described as “having fun with fundraisers.” The event planned for Friday, February 3rd, definitely fits into that category. We are planning a school-wide game of BINGO, or rather our own customized variation on the popular game called BDMGO. Our version will be played in each classroom with the calling going out over our PA system. Parents are also invited to take part in the event by playing along at tables set up in our gym (perhaps playing together with their Pre-K or kindergarten children). We are still working out the final details, but tentatively we are planning to ask students to bring in nickels or dimes, which they will use for markers on the customized cards they pick out in their classrooms. The first child in each classroom to fill his or her card will receive a prize of 100 times the value of the denomination he or she plays ($5 for the winner who is playing nickels and $10 for the first card filled by a child using dimes for markers). Once a card for each denomination is filled in the classroom the game will be over, and all the coins left on the cards will be collected for the school’s fundraising “pot”. Small prizes will also be given out in each classroom when students complete rows on their BDMGO cards. If you would like to play BDMGO on Friday, Feb. 3rd, in our gym, please call 569-3494 to reserve a seat.
***
OTHER CATHOLIC SCHOOL WEEK REMINDERS: Students who are planning to participate in our Catholic Schools Week Talent Show are reminded that the dress rehearsal for the event has been moved to Monday, January 30th, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. The talent show, which was originally scheduled to take place on Friday morning of Catholic Schools Week, will be staged on Thursday, February 2nd, in the Bishop Dunn gym, beginning at 12:30 p.m. All parents are, of course, invited to watch the show.
CLASS GIFTS ASKED FOR AUCTION: Look for a letter that will be emailed by class parents this week asking for donations and ideas for class gifts that be used in our 21st Annual Goods and Services Auction, scheduled to be held on Friday, March 23rd. Also, in connection with the auction, a planning committee meeting will be held on Thursday, January 26th, at 1 p.m. If you can’t make it to the meeting, but would like to help out, please call Mrs. Sue Dennis in our Development Office at 569-3495 to discuss ways in which you can provide assistance for this most important fundraiser.
SUMMER PROGRAM FLIER NOW READY: Believe it or not, in addition to all the “regular school stuff” we are working on, plans are now being readied for our popular Summer FUNdamentals academic, arts, and sports enrichment camp. If you are not familiar with the six-week camp you can download a flier, which is now available on the summer program link on our website, www.bdms.org. Filling out and returning the form on the flier will put you on the list to receive the full application package when it becomes available in February. Bishop Dunn family parents should take special note that in addition to increasing the early registration discounts for all applicants, we will be giving an additional 20 percent discount (the normal discount is 10 percent) to our own students whose applications are received by April 9, 2012.
ANTI-BULLYING PROGRAM PARENT MEETING SET: As I mentioned in my newsletter last week, as a follow-up to the introduction assembly for our students to our school-wide anti-bullying program, we have scheduled an information meeting for all interested parents. The meeting with be held this Wednesday, January 25th, beginning at 6 p.m. If you would like more information about the program before then, please feel free to contact me at school.
“DRESS DOWN” PLANNED: Another “Two-Dollar Dress-Down Day” will be held this Friday, January 27th. As was done in the last one before the Christmas break, students who participate are asked to bring in two dollars. One will be used to help finance a trip that one of our graduates, John Trieste, is making to Nicaragua next month, as part of a mission team from Don Bosco Prep. Last year a mission team from Don Bosco helped build a house for a family in Nicaragua, which is the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. This year, the team will help in constructing a chapel and work in a soup kitchen for the elderly. Last month, the second Dress-Down Day dollar was used to pay for special supplies for our Pre-Kindergarten and kindergarten classes. This month, our 1st and 2nd grade classes will benefit from any donations received.
FOOD DONATIONS CAMPAIGN CONTINUES: Finally, I wanted to remind parents that we are continuing to collect canned and packaged food goods for Mary’s Hope pantry through the rest of the winter. This week we are asking families in our PreK through 2nd grade programs to send in items. Next week, we are requesting donations from our middle elementary families. Donations can be sent in with your child or left in the front lobby.
“Blessed is the person too busy to worry in the daytime and too sleepy to worry at night.” - Anonymous
January 17, 2012
Dear Parents/Guardians, Students and Friends of Bishop Dunn,
Consider today’s newsletter an extended “Save the Date” notice, because while there is nothing planned at the moment for the unusually uneventful short week ahead, there are a number of special meetings and activities coming up that you definitely will want to mark on your calendars. Before I get to the list of “other” upcoming events, I wanted to remind everyone again of the date for our biggest and most important fundraiser of the year, our annual goods and services auction. The event will take place on Friday, March 23rd, at Anthony’s Pier Nine in New Windsor and, of course, we want as many people as possible to attend. As critical to the success of this fundraiser, more than any other of the year, is the amount of participation we get from parent volunteers to get ready for the auction. We had our first auction committee meeting this morning, but there are, as they say, plenty more where that came from. To help you decide how you can help, a “duties list” summary is provided at the bottom of this newsletter. Please look it over and contact our Development Office at 569-3495 to let us know what you are able to do. Because of the difficulty a number of parents had getting to our first auction meeting due to the snow delay this morning, a second one has been scheduled for this week. It will be held on Thursday, Jan. 19th, at 1 p.m. Please plan to attend, if you can. SPECIAL NOTE: We are especially looking for a parent or two who are comfortable working with the Windows Publisher program to help put the ads together for this year’s auction journal. This work can be done at home, so even if you won’t be able to attend regular auction meetings, your help would be greatly appreciated.
***
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK ACTIVITIES SET: At the top of the list of upcoming events is the one connected with this year’s Catholic School Week. The tentative schedule for the week is as follows:
· Monday, Jan. 30 – There will be an extended opening prayer service at 8 a.m. Special school tours will take place today and tomorrow, at 8:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. Also today, there will be a dress rehearsal from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. for our annual talent show, which is scheduled to take place this Thursday.
- Tuesday, Jan.31. - Special school tours will continue today at 8:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m.
- Wednesday, Feb. 1: Our Catholic Schools Week "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" Religion quiz will be staged today, beginning at 12:30 p.m., in our gym.
- Thursday, Feb. 2 - Our Catholic Schools Week Talent Show will be held today beginning at 12:30 p.m. in our gym.
- Friday, Feb. 3 - Catholic Schools Week activities will conclude today with Mass at St. Mary's Church at 9 a.m. In the afternoon, a special surprise event is being planned for our students. Details will be announced next Monday.
ANTI-BULLYING CAMPAIGN FOLLOW-UP: Before the holidays, I mentioned in a newsletter that we would be kicking off our school-wide anti-bullying program as soon as all our staff had received the necessary training. In case your children didn’t mention it this weekend, we had the opening assembly for them on Friday, at which the internationally renowned OLWEUS anti-bullying program, upon which our own program is based, was described. So that parents also are provided details about how the OLWEUS program will work, an informational meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday, January 25th, beginning at 6 p.m. If you would like more information about the program before then, please feel free to contact me at school.
ROCK CONCERT SET: Thursday, March 8th, has been confirmed as the date for one of our most original new fundraisers for the year, a concert starring the nationally acclaimed Christian rock band, Full Armor, that is being organized by one of our parents, Mrs. Laura Sullivan. The concert will take place at 7 p.m. at Mount Saint Mary College’s spacious Aquinas Hall, which we hope to fill. More details about the concert and ticket sales will be available in the coming weeks. In the meantime, check out the band on YouTube, and mark the date on your calendar!
ICE TIME FAMILY NIGHT PLANNED: While the date has not yet been confirmed, you might also set aside time on your calendar for Saturday, March 17, when we would like to stage another family fun/fundraiser, an evening at the Ice Time skating rink in the Town of Newburgh. Plans are now being made to reserve the large rink just for Bishop Dunn families and their guests from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. Details, of course, will follow.
DANCE, DANCE, DANCE: Finally, I am pleased to announce that one of our most popular fundraisers introduced last year, called “Earn ‘n Burn,” will be staged again this spring. For those who are new to Bishop Dunn, the “earn” part of the event has to do with the sponsor money that students will be asked to collect in order to take part in a very exciting day of “burning” calories in a variety of video-based interactive dance contests that will take place this year on Thursday, April 26th. This year we are hoping to get Mount Saint Mary College students as well as more of our own parents to show off their dance moves in the fun event…so start getting into shape…and mark the date!
Auction Jobs and Descriptions
If you can help with any of these jobs, please email auction@bdms.org or contact the Development Office
at 845-569-3496.
Creating Class Craft: If you enjoy crafts you'll have fun working with your child's class creating a craft for auction - one of the most popular and profitable auction items. If you need some ideas, we have plenty. If you have one of your own, go for it! The kids will work on it during art class.
Purchasing Class Gift: Each class collects monies to go towards a gift for auction. Often the parent handling this will ask for ideas from the rest of the class parents. A budget is set and monies collected. Last year, class gifts ranged from a Wii package to tickets to Sting at Bethel Woods.
Auction Journal: Our glossy auction journal is professionally printed and chock full of ads. Over the years we have created a file of these ads - often repeated from the year before with some slight changes. Working with Publisher, a PC program, revising or even creating new ads is quick and easy to do. If you have worked with this program before and don't mind deadlines, we could use your help. Contact is Jean Galli.
Ad Solicitation: Sometimes our best supporters are the businesses our families shop or use, from doctors, to local stores, to dance and karate studios. These ads appear in the auction journal and have a professional presence. If a business needs an ad made, we can do that for them. Business cards are fine, too. Pricing covers all ranges. Stop by the Development Office or download the form here.
Donation Collections: Just like the ads, local businesses often come through with some terrific donations for auction. See the Development Office for forms or download here.
Set Up the Day of: The morning of the auction, all of the items are brought over to Anthony's Pier Nine for set up on tables. This usually takes all morning and into early afternoon. Lunch is provided. Last year we were done before school let out (if we run past 2:15, kids go into afterschool with no charge to the family). We look for anyone with a vehicle big enough to cart over items, but it's not a must.
Decorating the Day of: Along with set up, we prepare the tables in the hall. Often. there are items we put on the table that speak to the theme. This year is our 20th anniversary.
Wrapping Baskets: Usually a few days before the auction, baskets for silent auction are prepared. Depending on how many baskets we'll have, 3 to 5 volunteers are needed.
Clean Up: Any help is welcome. Husbands, too!
“Seek to do good, and you will find that happiness will run after you.” –J.F.Clarke
January 9, 2012
Dear Parents/Guardians, Students and Friends of Bishop Dunn,
It may seem a little early in the new year to be thinking about next fall, especially since our 2012-13 tuition rates have yet to be finalized, but we are now beginning the process of switching our accounts to a new tuition management service, the FACTS Management Company, and I have been asked to pass along information about the changes that will be involved, so that families that are planning to re-enroll their children in Bishop Dunn can become familiar with the new system. To that end, I have attached a letter, composed with assistance from FACTS, that details some of the benefits of using the new tuition payment program, including the ability to register your child or children and to make all tuition payments online. After reading the letter, you can begin the process of switching to FACTS, simply by going to the homepage on this website, and clicking on the FACTS payment plan icon in the left column. Complete re-registration materials, including the tuition rates for next year, will be sent home soon. If you have any other questions about the new company or its payment procedures, feel free to call our business office at 569-3305.
***
GRANT AWARD RECEIVED: Believe it or not, I am still catching up on announcements that I didn’t get the opportunity to pass along before we took our holiday break. At the top of the list, I am very pleased to report that our school has won another grant from the Warwick Savings Foundation. The $3,000 award, which was submitted by Mrs. Donna Perk and Mrs. Bernadette Kleister, will be used to help offset the cost of science-related field trips for our middle school students. Bishop Dunn has now won grants totaling more than $50,000 over the last eight years from the Warwick Savings Foundation. Congratulations to Mrs. Perk and Mrs. Kleister, who have collaborated previously on a number of the winning grants from the foundation.
CHOIR MEMBERS REPRESENT SCHOOL: Very belated thanks, as well, to four of our school’s choir members for responding to a call on short notice to represent Bishop Dunn at a pre-Christmas performance at the Howland Cultural Center in Beacon. Middle School students Nicole Case, Kiana Carver, Klara Fabinjanowski and Isabelle Perez performed, with assistance from our choir director, Mrs. Susan Trieste, and middle school language arts instructor, Miss Brigid Killelea, performed as part of the Brick Town Theatre’s presentation of Mrs. Fezziwig’s Annual Christmas Party.
SCHOOL THANKS FOR FOOD DONATIONS: Richard and Suzanna Campora expressed their thanks in a note I received shortly before Christmas to the Bishop Dunn families for their continued support of the Mary’s Hope pantry. The Camporas noted that because of our donations over the holiday season, nearly 30 families have been helped weekly with the deliveries of food. I also wanted to take this opportunity to remind our school parents that we will continue to collect canned and packaged food goods for Mary’s Hope pantry through the rest of the winter. Donations can be dropped off any time in our front lobby.
CALENDARS STILL AVAILABLE: Finally, you may have already received a call from one of your class representatives, but I also wanted to remind you that we still have a large number of calendars available for purchase in the front lobby. The full-color, 12-month calendars contain scenic photos, accompanied by poems created by each of the classes at Bishop Dunn and were created as a fund-raiser for the school with all the proceeds going to support the arts programs and other enrichment activities this year. The calendars are available for $8 each or two for $15. If you would like a calendar, and can’t stop by at school to pick one up, you can put your request in by calling our front office at 569-3494, or by filling in and returning the order form below.
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“THE FLOW OF SEASONS” PHOTO/POETRY CALENDAR ORDER FORM
(Return order form and payment, ATTN: KC Powles)
NAME ______________ CHILD’S NAME ________________ GR. ____ DATE ________
___ Yes, I would like to order the monthly photo and poems calendar created by Mr. DelViscio and the students and their teachers at Bishop Dunn as a fund-raising project for the school.
(Check one below)
___ Please send the calendar(s) home with my child
___ Hold the calendar(s) for pick-up at school
Number of calendars requested _____ (at cost $8 each or two for $15)
( Make check payable to Bishop Dunn Memorial School)
Payment Type ___ Cash ___ Check ______Ck # Total Payment ___________
“Never lose a chance to say a kind word.” – William Makepeace Thackeray
January 3, 2012
Dear Parents/Guardians, Students and Friends of Bishop Dunn,
A belated Happy New Year greeting to everyone in our Bishop Dunn family! I hope you all savored the holiday break as much as I did, and appreciated the chance to spend some extended quality time with your own families. In addition to relaxing and enjoying the warmth of home and closeness of friends, I confess that I also spent a good deal of time thinking about all the ways that we can continue to build on the school’s fall fund-raising efforts in order to reach the lofty goals that have been set for the year. Before I get to the list of some of the upcoming projects and special activities designed to aid our school, I wanted to thank all those involved in two special activities that involved giving of a different kind before the Christmas break.
The first was our annual Adopt-A-Family gift giving program that was coordinated again this year by Mrs. Danielle Crinieri. Over the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas hundreds of gifts were purchased by parents and students from Bishop Dunn. Thanks to the tireless efforts of Mrs. Crinieri and to the dozens of volunteers who helped collect, wrap and distribute the bags of gifts on Christmas eve, 110 needy Newburgh area families, including 100 children, had a much more joyful holiday season than would have been possible if it weren’t for this wonderful program.
There were probably just as many unexpected gifts under the trees of our own Bishop Dunn families, as well, this year, thanks to Mrs. Suzette Wyant and her own group of volunteer “elves” who ran our school’s Christmas Gift Shoppe the last two days before our holiday break. I do expect to have the names of all those who volunteered their time to work at the shoppe in my next newsletter. In the meantime, I wanted to express my gratitude on behalf of our students to Mrs. Wyant for doing the bulk of the collecting over the course of the year of the more than a thousand gifts that were on display in our library, as well as to all those who helped our students pick out those “perfect presents” for their parents, siblings and relatives!
***
AUCTION ADS A WIN-WIN PROPOSITION: With the distraction of the holiday season now safely behind us, we need to begin focusing our organizing attention on the most important fund-raiser of the year – our annual goods and services auction, which is scheduled to take place on Friday, March 23rd, at Anthony’s Pier Nine in New Windsor. One of the best ways to get us “kick-started” in this fund-raising project is to submit an ad from your own company or the business you work for to be used in the auction journal. In early December, copies of the auction journal ad purchase form were sent home to all our Bishop Dunn families. ANOTHER COPY OF THE FORM HAS BEEN ATTACHED TO THIS NEWSLETTER. As I mentioned in my earlier note about the ads, in addition to having your ad placed in the auction journal, business cards will be included in a directory that we are developing of all area businesses in which members of the Bishop Dunn community are directly involved. The ad purchase form was also sent in early December so that interested Bishop Dunn family members could take advantage of the early sign-up 10 percent discount. THE DISCOUNT RATE WAS ORIGINALLY AVAILABLE ONLY UP TO DECEMBER 31ST, BUT HAS NOW BEEN EXTENDED TO JANUARY 15TH. If you need more information about placing an ad in our auction journal, please call our Development Office at 569-3495.
ROCKING AND RAISING FUNDS: While our annual auction is set up as an enjoyable night out for our parents and their friends, we are hoping that another fund-raiser now being planned for earlier in the month of March will attract a younger but hopefully just as enthusiastic audience. One of our parents, Mrs. Laura Sullivan, is now working to book the nationally acclaimed Christian rock band, Full Armor, to perform in a fund-raiser for our school on Thursday, March 8th, at Mount Saint Mary College’s Aquinas Hall. More details will follow in the coming month, but I just wanted to let you know, so that our younger and young-of-heart school family members can mark the date on their calendars.
CALENDARS FOR SALE: If you are looking for a unique place to mark the dates for all the special events and activities coming up at Bishop Dunn, you should consider purchasing a calendar that I created this year with the assistance of students at our school. The photo calendar project is one that I have done for my own family and friends annually for the last half dozen years. This year, students in each grade at school worked together with their teachers to create special poems to beautifully complement each month’s photo display. I’m biased of course, but if you get a chance to check out one of the calendars on display in our front lobby, I think you will agree, that it is worth the purchase prices ($8 each or two for $15), especially since all of the funds collected will be used to support our school programs. If you would like to order one or more of the calendars, you can put your request in by calling our front office at 569-3494, or by filling in and returning the order form at the end of this newsletter.
TALENT SHOW PREVIEW SET: Any students interested in taking part in our annual Catholic Schools Week Talent Show on February 3rd are invited to sign-up for the “Talent Preview” next Monday, January 9, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Sign-up forms have been sent home, but if you need another one, they will be available at our front desk.
PARENT GUILD MEETING WEDNESDAY: Finally, for now, on the subject of fundraising, a meeting of the Parent Guild will be held on Wednesday, January 4th, at 1 p.m. to discuss project plans for the rest of the school year. Please join us, if you can, even if you have not attended any sessions in the past.
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“THE FLOW OF SEASONS” PHOTO/POETRY CALENDAR ORDER FORM
(Return order form and payment, ATTN: KC Powles)
NAME ______________ CHILD’S NAME ________________ GR. ____ DATE ________
___ Yes, I would like to order the monthly photo and poems calendar created by Mr. DelViscio and the students and their teachers at Bishop Dunn as a fund-raising project for the school.
(Check one below)
___ Please send the calendar(s) home with my child
___ Hold the calendar(s) for pick-up at school
Number of calendars requested _____ (at cost $8 each or two for $15)
( Make check payable to Bishop Dunn Memorial School)
Payment Type ___ Cash ___ Check ______Ck # Total Payment ___________
“Be glad in the Lord, rejoice and sing in joy all who are upright in heart.”-Psalm 32:11
December 21, 2011
Dear Parents/Guardians, Students and Friends of Bishop Dunn,
I mentioned in my long newsletter on Monday, as I did for Thanksgiving, I occasionally look back at things that I have written, and pull from them thoughts and words I had offered about events or activities that we have marked before. Last week, I looked back at a Christmas newsletter that I first wrote four years ago, and still liked what I said enough to want to repeat it again this year – with appropriate editing and updating, of course. Here is what I rediscovered in my search for inspiration.
“I have found over the years that the best way to truly appreciate Christmas is to try hard, especially when stress builds up, to filter out the noise of the season and focus on the music. Unfortunately, each year this gets harder to do. The noise of all the commercials to “buy, buy, buy” starts earlier every year and gets louder and louder as the “big day” nears. The noise of people arguing in print and on the airwaves about what is appropriate to say and how we should act during the season so as not to offend anyone who doesn’t believe in Christmas just won’t go away either. Then there is the noise in my own head screaming at me about the gifts I don’t have time to buy, the cards I can’t find a moment to write and all the other Christmas preparations I worry I won’t be able to complete before the holiday arrives. Then I stop and listen to the music.
Fortunately, at this time of the year at Bishop Dunn, the good sounds of the season have again been more than sufficient to drown out the bad noises. For the last few weeks, especially, any walk through our hallways has provided ample opportunities to stop and listen as students practiced for one Christmas event or another. Last Tuesday I had the pleasure to take a break from the stressful noises of the season to sit, relax, and listen to the joyous sound of our band and choral concert. The following day, if I had any need left to completely filter out the bad noises of Christmas and be reminded about peace and love and God and miracles, it was fulfilled in a day overflowing with the kind of beautiful sights and sounds that could only occur in a school as truly blessed as our own. It began with a heavenly performance in skit and songs about the true meaning of Christmas by our Pre-K and Kindergarten students in the morning, and ended just as beautifully with an evening Christmas Pageant involving the rest of the students in our school, and featuring our third through fifth graders in a performance in song and words of “The Tale of the Drowsy Shepherd,” that was truly outstanding, and completely washed away any seasonal stress that I had left in my soul or spirit. I was able to acknowledge all the stars of the show in my note on Monday. Today I want to again express my gratitude to all the students who took part in this year’s Christmas season concerts and pageants and to all of their teachers who helped them prepare for their performances.”
I am also very grateful for many gifts that our school and I have received through the holiday season. We have been blessed to have had several successful fund-raisers already this year, to be awarded several grants and to receive many large and small donations.
I am just as grateful, at this time, for the simple gift of a song-filled school to help me remember the true meaning of Christmas.”
In my last five Christmas newsletters, I have also offered a wish that all our students and their families squeeze as much love and caring out of the holiday season as they can. To help us all focus better on what’s important to give each other for Christmas, I again have included at the end of this newsletter the beautiful message by an unknown author about the importance of love for family at this time of the year, passed along to me by our former Pre-K teacher, Mrs. Joan O’Neil, that touched me deeply. I suggest that you read it together with your loved ones when you get a chance in the hectic days ahead. I also hope you remember to stop and listen to the sounds of the season as often as you can! Have a warm and wondrous Christmas!
THE MOST PRECIOUS CHRISTMAS GIFT
Author Unknown
If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows, strands of twinkling lights and shiny balls, but do not show love to my family, I’m just another decorator.
If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas cookies, preparing gourmet meals and arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime, but do not show love to my family, I’m just another cook.
If I can work at a soup kitchen, carol in a nursing home, and give all that I have to charity, but do not show love to my family, it profits me nothing.
If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and crocheted snowflakes, attend a myriad of holiday parties and sing in the choir’s cantata, but do not focus on Christ, I have missed the point.
Love stops the cooking to hug the child.
Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the spouse.
Love is kind, though harried and tired.
Love does not envy another’s home that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens.
Love does not yell at kids to get out of the way, but is thankful that they are there to be in the way.
Love does not give only to those who are able to give in return, but rejoices in giving to those who cannot.
Love bears all things, believes in all things,
hopes all things and endures all things.
Love never fails.
Video games will break, pearl necklaces will
be lost, golf clubs will rust, but giving
the gift of love will endure forever.
“Perhaps the best Yuletide decoration is being wreathed in smiles.” - Anonymous
December 19, 2011
Dear Parents/Guardians, Students and Friends of Bishop Dunn,
Talk about getting into the Christmas spirit with a flourish! Students, staff and other members of our Bishop Dunn family had so many opportunities this past week to celebrate the season that it will take at least two newsletter pages to talk about all of them. As I have done at Thanksgiving, I also have a traditional Christmas newsletter to share with you, but I’ll wait until Wednesday, once the last flurry of holiday activities at Bishop Dunn are over, to get to it. In the meantime, here’s a summary list of all the things that have gone on over the last seven days or so.
SOUNDS OF SEASON SET FESTIVE TONE: Our annual Holiday Band and Choral Concert, held this past Tuesday, served as a wonderful introduction to the special season at Bishop Dunn, with our intermediate and advanced bands kicking off the evening with a selection of familiar holiday tunes, ranging from a beautiful rendition of “We Three Kings” to the cheerful closing “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” all under the direction of Mr. Dan Teare, and his assistant, Mr. Harvey Tibbs. Members of the band include: flute players Jordan Crinieri, Alexandra Ellingson, Julia Griesing, Sarah Palmatier, Isabel Perez, Mary Grace Raciti and Michelle U ; clarinetists Justin Conover, Theodore Friedrich, Jamie Griesing, Morgan Hurst, Daniel Katz, Max Labrenz, and Bridget U; trumpet players Nicholas Albano, Caroline Campbell, Analiese Compagnone, Lucas Labrenz, Matthew Mycka and Sara Ann R; saxophone players Joaquin Bagtas, Vincent Compagnone, Jordan Giordano, Lauren Perez, Carrick Sculley and Stanley U ; and drummer Brenden Bready . Following a brief intermission, our choral group, under the direction of Mrs. Ada Margoshes and Mr. Grant Konno, offered up their own beautifully musical Christmas season contributions, ranging from jazzy renditions of “A Swingin’ Christmas” and “We’ll Have a Ragtime Holiday” to the spiritually uplifting “Night of Silence” and “Who Would Imagine a King?” Members of the choral program’s advanced Troubadour singers include: Caroline Campbell, Francesca Chillino, Natalie Cuneo, Juliet Gaba, Jordan Graham, Angelica Hibbert, Rachel Irish, Shannyn LaCroix, Elizabeth Licameli, Alliana Lightbody, Lauren Perez, Mary Grace R, Sara R , Therese R and Leanza Tirado . Other members of the chorus performing Tuesday were: Tamar Adams, Hope Campbell, Schuyler Creary and Tatiana Torres.
PAGEANTS FOCUS ON MESSAGE OF CHRISTMAS: Congratulations to everyone involved in our two beautiful Christmas Pageants on Wednesday that were the highlights of the holiday season for me. The busy day began with a morning performance of “The Story of Christmas” by our Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten classes. Thanks to members of our teaching staff, Mrs. Cathy McLoughlin, Mrs. Karen Powles, Mrs. Colleen Middlemiss, Mrs. TerrieAnn Raciti and Mrs. Elizabeth Shafer for helping our children learn about the true meaning of the season, and to their Pre-K performers and narrators, including: Mason Alencastro, Michaela Ali, Kayden Barrett, Lauren Barry, Griffin Bobnick, Alexander Cestaro, Sofia Cracolici, Quinn Fairbanks, Riley Frederick, Shea Gallagher, Myles Graham, Gabrielle Havercamp, Jayson Hibbert, Simone Maldonado, Michael Mallia, Gracie Murphy, Giuseppe Palladino, Ashley Petrollese, George Rivera, Daniel Robles, Samantha Rola, Ryann Williams-Pregnon, Solet Wolfson, Aidan Wright and Jack Yough, and to the Kindergarten “Angel Chorus,” which included: Daniel Bloom, Sebastian Castro, Chelsea Conover, Adam Cottini, Isabella Cruz, Ava D’Angelico, Kiera Dauerer, Isaiah Davis, Gage Fairbanks, Mackenzie H, Jaden Ludvick, Owen Lynch, Julia Mackey, Ryleigh Maxwell, William Mensah, Jaiden Morris, Emilia Pastorello, Matthew Petrollese, Gabriella Priddis, Ethan Riggle, Diane Rivera, Hunter Roberts, Reagan Sorbello, Max Titolo and Keisie Zeledon..
Christmas pageant day continued Wednesday evening, with a musical holiday “warm-up” by our 1st, 2nd, 6th, 7th and 8th graders, followed by the staging of “The Tale of the Drowsy Shepherd” by our 3rd, 4th and 5th graders. The performance was organized and directed by Mr. Grant Konno, with staging assistance provided by our middle elementary teachers, Mrs. Virginia Albano, Mrs. Nancy Benfer, Mrs. Ellen Casazza, Miss Kim Lynch and Miss Caitlin Stamp. The beautiful costumes and props were provided by Miss Lynch and Miss Regina Ammirati. Thanks for leaving such an indelibly precious Christmas memory for all who had an opportunity to be there, to Mr. Konno, to his talented guest pianist, Mr. Pat Dursi, to the program’s featured student musical accompanists Daniel Katz and Claire Fabijanowski, and Alexandra Ellingson, who accompanied our middle school singers on guitar, piano and flute, and to the featured cast members: Michael Mazzariello, Alliana Lightbody, Ethan Noto, Rachel Irish and Margaret Rogers. Other performers (in order of appearance) were: Elizabeth Licameli, Maureen Casiano, Mary Grace R, Miguel Bagtas, Molly Conyea, James Maniscalchi, Tamar Adams, Gabriella Palladino, Quinn Ratynski, Jordan Graham, Kieran Loughran, Brooke Ferrara, Jackson Lewis, Conor Bready, Thomas Santiago, Hunter Schofield, Emmanuel Davis, Kiara Lambe, Isabella Burke, Francesca Chillino, Analiese Compagnone, Caroline Campbell, Olivia Lynch, Michelle U, Justin Conover, Theodore Friedrich, Chase Godwin, Karissa Mazer, Zachary Pappas, Marianna Pastorello, Anthony Perpetua, Therese R, Rocco Rinelli, Carrick Sculley, Natalie Cuneo, Devin Maxwell, Matthew Bubb, Leo Fagge, Robert Havner, Arian Hadzibrahimi, Michael K, Rebecca Davis, Nayelli Geraldo, Danielle Lozano, Hayden McElduff and Megan Rivera. Holding the play together, finally, were the members of the middle elementary chorus, which included: third graders - Mirai Arthur, Valentina Bloom, Hannah Cestaro, Angelica Hibbert, Connor H, Cameron James, Kyle Macaluso, Samuel Pappas, Sharese Phillips, Raia Wolfson, Joshua Yough and Connor Youngberg; 4th graders - Nicholas Albano, Jared Castro, Guy-Paul Delisfort, Jabari Garcia, Daniel Katz, Liam McQuade, Gabriela Morris, Matthew Mycka, Lauren Perez and Sean Witte; and fifth graders – Colin Berardinelli, Andrew Crinieri, Marc DiVenuto, Philip Fabijanowski, Morgan H, Thomas James, Devin Lambe, Cleveland Lewis, Rory McElduff, Sam Mongelli, Matthew Osborne, Devin Scully and Zachary Thornton.
FUNDRAISERS FEATURED AT PAGEANT: Congratulations to the Guneratne Family, who won our winter Super 50/50 raffle, which was selected at our Christmas Pageant. The Guneratnes, whose daughter, Arielle, attended Bishop Dunn, will receive $6,500 for having the winning ticket! Thanks also to one of our 2nd grade program parents, Mrs. Dorothy Pozo, who created the Lotto tree and wreath that were raffled off at the pageant. Our school benefitted to the tune of $605 from the raffle, which is the highest total in my memory from any raffles conducted by the school, with the exception of the Super 50/50 Raffle. Thanks, finally, to everyone who contributed to our Christmas Cookie Sale, which took place at our concert Tuesday and pageant on Wednesday. Bishop Dunn collected $296 from the sale.
CHRISTMAS MOVIE NIGHT A BIG SUCCESS: Ending the week of holiday activities on a high note was the Christmas Movie Night fund-raiser on Friday, which was sponsored by our 1st grade class parents. The evening, which were organized by Mrs. Laura Sullivan, Mrs. Kim Titolo and Mrs. Victoria Labrenz, not only provided many fun activities, including a visit from “Santa”, but also added another $778 to our fund-raising revenues pot for the year. Thanks to the organizers and also to their “helpers” during the evening, including: Mr. Edward Labrenz, Mr. Sean Sullivan, Max Labrenz and Lucas Labrenz, and 8th grade volunteers Kayli Berardinelli, Cassie Cook, Jordan Crinieri, Alexandra Ellingson, and Mackenzie Wyant.
CHRISTMAS GIFT SHOPPE VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: Volunteers are still needed for the second day of our Christmas Gift Shoppe on Tuesday, December 20th. This wonderful kid’s Christmas gift shop, under the supervision of parent volunteers, features more than 1,000 different gift items from which your children may choose. The gift items range from $1 to $15. The shoppe is open from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Monday and from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
ADOPT-A-FAMILY WRAPPING READIED: Finally, volunteers are also needed on Wednesday, December 21st to finish wrapping and sorting gifts collected in our Adopt-A-Family program over the last three weeks, before delivering them to the area families. Call our front office at 569-3494, if you have further questions about the Christmas project.
“Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy.” –Beethoven
December 12, 2011
Dear Parents/Guardians, Students and Friends of Bishop Dunn,
The holiday season at Bishop Dunn has a busy, if slightly delayed, formal opening this week with the staging of a concert and two different Christmas pageants. Our annual Holiday Band and Choral Concert, which had to be rescheduled from last week due to a conflict in the use of Mount Saint Mary College’s Aquinas Hall Theatre, will be held on Tuesday, December 13th. The festive evening of song will begin at 7 p.m. with a performance by our intermediate and advanced band under the direction of Mr. Dan Teare and Mr. Harvey Tibbs. The choral group, directed by Mrs. Ida Margoshes, with assistance from Mr. Grant Konno, will perform immediately after the band at about 7:30 p.m. For a second major helping of Christmas spirit, please plan to attend our annual Christmas Pageants that will be staged on Wednesday, December 14th. Our Pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students will start off the day with their own play, celebrating the true meaning of the season, in a performance at Bishop Dunn, set to begin at 9:30 a.m. In the evening students in the 1st, 2nd, 6th, 7th, and 8th grades will perform a selection of holiday songs, wrapped around a beautiful, funny and spiritually moving story connected to the birth of Christ, performed by students in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades, under the direction of Mr. Grant Konno. The holiday program will be held at the Aquinas Hall Theatre and is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Special note to parents: Students in the 1st through 8th grades are all being asked to come directly to Bishop Dunn by 6:45 p.m. (but no earlier than 6:30 p.m.) the night of the pageant. They will then be walked over to Aquinas for the performance. Students have been told that they can wear their school uniforms or dress up for the holiday pageant, but no jeans or sneakers are permitted.
BIG CHRISTMAS PRESENT IN STORE FOR SOMEONE: One lucky ticket holder will go home with more than $5,000, when our Super 50/50 Raffle is held Wednesday, December 14th, during our annual Christmas Pageant. At last count, more than $10,000 has been collected, and tickets will continue to be sold up to the time of the drawing. They can also be purchased through our website, www.bdms.org or by calling our Development Office at 569-3496.
COOKIES, CHANCES FOR SALE AT HOLIDAY SHOWS: In addition to the Super 50/50 drawing and several other smaller fund-raising raffles that will held at our holiday concert Tuesday and school pageant Wednesday at Aquinas Hall, Bishop Dunn parents are also preparing for our First Annual Christmas Cookies Sale to take place during both evening events. Any parents or grandparents who would like to add their own best home-made cookies to the sale can drop off plates or disposable platters full of their delicious treats wrapped in clear or colored cellophane at school during the day on Tuesday or Wednesday, or bring them directly to the evening performances.
ADOPT-A-FAMILY REMINDER: I have been amazed to see the Adopt-A-Family Christmas tree in our front lobby cleared of its ornaments by the very generous members of our Bishop Dunn community at least three times since the tree was put up at Thanksgiving. In case you haven’t had a chance yet to take an ornament, which have tags attached to them identifying gifts being requested by needy families in the area, the tree has been decorated with a new batch. If you do take one, simply purchase an appropriate gift based on the information provided on the ornament tag, then attach the tag to the gift and send it in to school. Gifts can be sent in wrapped or unwrapped. Volunteers will be gathering on the last day of school before our Christmas break on Friday, Dec. 21st, to do any final wrapping and sorting of the gifts, before delivering them to the area families. Call our front office at 569-3494, if you have further questions about the Christmas project.
GIFT SHOPPE READIED FOR BUSINESS: More than 1,100 gifts will be available for purchase when our annual Christmas Tree Gift Shoppe opens for business on Monday, December 19th, and Tuesday, December 20th. Details about the Gift Shoppe will be included in A letter sent home with all students today. Any parents who are interested in helping by volunteering to work at the gift shoppe, which will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. each day, should contact Suzette Wyant at 845-831-0939 or 914-275-3355. She can also be reached by email at wyant123@optonline.net.
CHRISTMAS “DRESS DOWN” PLANNED: Finally, a Christmas-themed Dress-Down Day will be held this Friday. Students are invited to dress in holiday colors and wear any “accessories” appropriate to the season. Students who participate are asked to bring in two dollars. One will be used to help provide food and gifts to the needy in the Newburgh area over the holidays. The second dollar collected will be given to our Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten instructors to use for purchasing extra books and other special supplies for their classes. Future monthly dress-down days through the rest of this year will be used both to provide donations for selected charities and also be used to benefit other classes and special programs in the school.
December 5, 2011
Dear Parents/Guardians, Students and Friends of Bishop Dunn,
Over the last few months I have mentioned to a number of parents that we have working to put in place a more systematic program this year targeted to proactively deal with any bullying behaviors exhibited by any of our students. In advance of fully implementing the program after we return from our Christmas break, I wanted to provide an update to everyone on the progress we have made so far.
In August three other staff members and I completed two full days of training in the OLWEUS Method, an internationally acclaimed, research-based program designed upon full implementation to help instill an atmosphere of mutual respect for each other throughout the school while raising the level of vigilance by staff and students alike in identifying and dealing with any bullying or harassing incidents. Following the initial training, two full afternoon faculty meetings and a good portion of the one held this past Friday have been devoted to training all our teachers and staff about the program. A questionnaire, designed to help us to better understand the students’ perception of how prevalent the problem is in our school, was also administered to all third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh graders last month. The next step in the implementation process will take place this Wednesday with an assembly in which a newly developed bullying/harassment incident report form will be explained to all our students. Finally, in early January, we will follow up with a more formal introduction of the program to students and to parents. If you have questions, in the meantime, about the program, please feel free to contact me at school.
***
LOOK FOR IMPORTANT MAILING: Because this year’s ITBS standardized test reports did not arrive at school in time to be handed out at our Parent-Teacher Conferences, they will be sent home by mail this week, along with some other important materials connected to our fund-raising efforts for this year. While the ITBS reports that parents receive are focused on individual student results, the letter that will accompany the reports contains more detailed information about how we plan to use the assessment results to inform and adjust instruction over the second half of the school year, which will begin after our teaching staff meets this Friday for a full-day conference to analyze the results. While there are basic English Language Arts and Math skill areas, identified in the assessments, that need to be strengthened, I am pleased with the overall results, which show steady progress beginning in the first grade, where scores average a half grade above level, to the eighth grade, where the average grade equivalent score was 10.7, which means that our students answered as many questions correctly as an average tenth grader in his or her seventh month of school would be expected to get correct. Perhaps an easier measure of success to understand is the National Percentile Rank, which showed that Bishop Dunn scores for all grade levels was on average better than 86 percent of the thousands of schools around the country that participated in the annual assessment!
NOT TOO EARLY FOR AUCTION WARM-UP: Also included in this week’s mailing is an ad solicitation form for the journal that is now being organized for our annual goods and services auction, scheduled to take place on Friday, March 23rd, at Anthony’s Pier Nine in New Windsor. While a mailing has already gone out to those businesses that have advertized in previous years, the ad request form is also being sent directly to parents this year for the first time with the hope that we can include information about any business that members of our Bishop Dunn family own or work for. In addition to having their ad placed in the auction journal, business cards will be included in a directory that we are developing of all area businesses in which members of the Bishop Dunn community are directly involved. If you need more information about placing an ad in our auction journal, please call our Development Office at 569-3495.
SUPER 50/50 POT TOPS TEN GRAND: With a little less than a month left until the big drawing, more than $10,000 worth of tickets have now been sold for our Fall Super 50/50 Raffle. Last year’s first ever fall Super Raffle winner took home a 50/50 split of more than $5,000, and we are hoping to beat that total this year. Tickets are priced at $50 each or five for $200, with the winner taking home one half of all the monies brought in. The fall raffle drawing will take place on December 14th at our annual Christmas Pageant. If you haven’t received the tickets, or need more, please call our Development Office at 569-3495.
CHRISTMAS COOKIES SALE: Following our very successful Thanksgiving Pie Sale, our Parent Guild’s class coordinators are planning a Christmas Cookie Sale to take place at our Holiday Band and Choral Concert, which has been rescheduled for next Tuesday, December 13th, at 7 p.m., in Mount Saint Mary College’s Aquinas Theatre, and also at our Annual Christmas Pageant, which will take place the following evening, also beginning at 7 p.m. at the Aquinas Theatre. A representative from your child’s class will be in touch with you in the next few days to find out if you would be willing to supply homemade Christmas cookies for the sale.
ALUMNI MAKE HONOR ROLL: I am pleased to report that three Bishop Dunn graduates have been named to the honor roll for the first marking period at Don Bosco Prep School in Ramsey, NJ. Junior David Rameau and freshman Michael Cooke made the First Honor roll list, and John Trieste, who is a senior, achieved Second Honors status for the quarter.
STUDENT SCHOLARSHIP AVAILABLE: The Columbus Citizens Foundation has announced that applications are now available for its 2012 scholarship awards for eligible students in kindergarten through the 8th grade. To apply students must be of Italian heritage, have an excellent academic record (85 average or higher), show evidence of having performed service to their school and community, and be in financial need. For more specific information about the scholarship and to download an application, go to the website www.columbuscitizensfd.org.
COLLEGE RESEARCH SURVEYS STILL NEEDED: Finally, a few months ago, I attached to one of my newsletters copies of a brief survey that is being conducted as part of a research study by Dr. Paul Schwartz, a Mount Saint Mary College professor and long-time supporter of Bishop Dunn. While a number of parents completed and returned the survey, Dr. Schwartz needs additional responses in order to be able to complete the study. To that end I have attached another copy of the survey and would appreciate it if any parents who have not already responded could complete the survey and return it to Bishop Dunn to Dr. Schwartz’s attention as soon as possible.
“Seek to do good and you will find that happiness will run after you.” –James Clarke
November 28, 2011
Dear Parents/Guardians, Students and Friends of Bishop Dunn,
I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday highlighted by warm family gatherings and good food – especially those delicious dessert pies that many of you got to sample as a result of our first Thanksgiving Pie Sale! Before I get to my list of announcements and reminders for the week, I wanted to express my gratitude on behalf of the school once again to Mrs. Christie Fairbanks, who organized the fund-raiser with the help of Mrs. Concetta Cracolici. More than 270 pies were provided by Mrs. Fairbanks from her business, Favata’s Bakery of Newburgh, and another dozen or so homemade pies were also baked by parents and friends of the school for the occasion. What made the sales even sweeter was the more than $1,800 “slice” of the proceeds that Bishop Dunn got to support its operating budget as a result of the fund raiser!
As if putting all her time and effort into preparing all those pies for Bishop Dunn wasn’t enough, I also wanted to make you aware of the donation that Mrs. Fairbanks was able to get on behalf of her business of another 30 pies for the Salvation Army in Newburgh. The pies were served as dessert to more than 100 people who came to the Salvation Army’s annual Thanksgiving diner for the needy last Tuesday evening.
***
WE HAVE A NATIONAL WINNER!: Last week I announced that Bishop Dunn students had won eight of the nine possible awards in this year’s Mid-Hudson Section of the American Chemical Society’s Chemistry for Life Poetry Contest. Following the regional judging, the illustrated poem entries of the three first place finishers for their grade group category were submitted for the national competition. I am extremely pleased to report that one of our students, 2nd grader James Titolo Jr., has been named to 1st place winner in the national competition! The first place award was announced by LaTrease Garrison, an assistant director for the American Chemical Society in Washington, D.C.
SUPER 50/50 POT CONTINUES TO GROW: With a little less than a month left until the big drawing, more than $8,700 worth of tickets have now been sold for our Fall Super 50/50 Raffle. Last year’s first ever fall Super Raffle winner took home a 50/50 split of more than $5,000, and we are hoping to beat that total this year. Tickets are priced at $50 each or five for $200, with the winner taking home one half of all the monies brought in. The fall raffle drawing will take place on December 14th at our annual Christmas Pageant. If you haven’t received the tickets, or need more, please call our Development Office at 569-3495.
ORNAMENTS NOW UP FOR GRABS: Those who visited our school for Parent-Teacher Conferences this past week may have noticed the Christmas Tree set up in our lobby adorned only with a sign “The Giving Tree..Coming Soon.” What was coming were the ornaments that now decorate the tree that have a very special purpose for those in need. For the last seven years, our school has participated in an “Adopt-a-Family” program, organized by one of our parents, Mrs. Danielle Crinieri. In the past, we have had each class adopt an individual family and then purchase gifts for that family based on a list they were supplied. Last year, instead of having each class adopt families, tree ornaments were created with tags on them identifying the individual Christmas gift wishes of members of a dozen needy inner city Newburgh families. Parents are encouraged to select one or more ornaments from this year’s tree, when they visit school, to help with this worthy project. Once you purchase appropriate gifts, based on the information provided on the ornament tag, simply peel off the tag, attach it to the gift and send it in to school. Gifts can be sent in wrapped or unwrapped. Volunteers will be gathering on the last day of school before our Christmas break on Wednesday, Dec. 21st, at 2:30 p.m.to do any final wrapping and sorting of the gifts, before delivering them to the area families. Call our front office at 569-3494, if you have further questions about the Christmas project. You can also contact Mrs. Crinieri at crinieri2@yahoo.com or by calling 857-7515.
FATHER BILL TO BE HONORED: A special event that is being staged to benefit the Salvation Army’s own Christmas Adopt-A-Family Program will be held on Tuesday, December 13th, at Anthony’s Pier 9 in New Windsor. Among the honorees at the annual Advisory Board luncheon will be Father Bill Scafidi, the pastor of St. Mary’s and Sacred Heart Parishes and our school’s longtime spiritual advisor. Tickets are $35 per person and can be reserved by contacting the Salvation Army at 845-562-0413x202 or by sending an email to sgage@use.salvationarmy.org.
PUPPET SHOW BENEFIT REMINDER: As first announced last week, Mount Saint Mary College will present The Puppet People production of A Christmas Carol this coming Sunday, December 4th in the college’s Hudson Hall Auditorium. Tickets for the show, which begins at 1 p.m., are $8 per person if purchased by Nov. 30th, or $10 at the door. There will also be face-painting for children and snacks available for a modest charge at the show. The performance is a benefit to raise funds to help offset the cost involved in sending students involved in the campus chapter of Habitat for Humanity to Huntsville, Alabama, over their spring break to build a house for a deserving family.In addition to their labor, each student will pay $400 towards the cost of the trip. Ticket registration forms for the performance will be sent home with the students today. For more information, contact Deb Waller-Frederick at 845-569-3346 or waller@msmc.edu.
REMINDER ABOUT MOVIE NIGHT WITH SANTA: Finally, I was asked to remind our PreK, kindergarten and 1st grade class parents that a special “Movie Night With Santa” will be held on Friday, December 16th, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in our gym. Cookies and milk will be served and Santa Claus will also be “dropping in” to visit the children during the evening festivities. The cost of the fund-raising event, which is being sponsored by the 1st grade class, is $10 per family. To make reservations to attend contact Tori Labrenz at Twins4us@hvc.rr.com or call her at 845-457-5541. Other class coordinator contacts are Laura Sullivan, lauraphyllissullivan@hotmail.com and Kim Titolo at Ktitolo6@gmail.com.
“If the only prayer you say your whole life is ‘Thank you,’ that would suffice.” – M. Eckehart
November 23, 2011
Dear Parents/Guardians, Students and Friends of Bishop Dunn,
Thanksgiving is a holiday steeped in tradition. One tradition I started eleven years ago was to republish a Thanksgiving newsletter I composed in my first full year as principal at Bishop Dunn that summed up my feelings about this very special holiday. For several years after that I would think, at this time of the year, about composing a different Thanksgiving newsletter, but, invariably, when I look at the “old” message, I couldn’t think of a better way to say “thank you” for the life and career that I have been blessed to have here. I’ve now stopped trying to come up with a better message, and I am more than satisfied to offer again my traditional Thanksgiving letter to my family at Bishop Dunn. Since I have come to know so many people in our school community so well, I remain confident that you will agree with most, if not all, of the sentiments expressed.
“If anyone were to ask me to pick my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving most certainly would be at the top of my list. The reason I like it so much is that it remains in its essence, despite occasional half-baked efforts to commercialize it, a time focused most clearly on the values that I cherish most – those associated with caring and sharing. Thanksgiving is a time for families to catch their collective breaths before the frenzied Christmas season begins in earnest, as they come together to relax and share a special meal and a special bond. It is a time, before we get all wrapped up in buying, giving and receiving gifts, to remember, how important it is to give and share the gifts that we already have with the less fortunate among us.
I have so much to be thankful for in my own life and in my life at Bishop Dunn, and truly appreciate the opportunity at this time of the year to express my feelings. I am grateful, first of all, for having a loving and supportive wife who has come to understand, and to appreciate why I continue to spend so many hours away from home devoted to helping my other family, the children at Bishop Dunn, grow in spirit and knowledge.
I am just as grateful for my own children, who have somehow managed to absorb the values that my wife and I tried to instill, which has resulted in my two sons and my daughter choosing careers of their own that are focused on serving the needs of the disadvantaged and disabled, as well as on addressing the wider needs of the world to find better solutions to the environmental and economic problems that plague us.
I am grateful, as well, to all the teachers, administrators and staff here for the things they do every day to set our school above so many others academically, and, as importantly, for the countless extra efforts they make that demonstrate so clearly how deeply they care for the children under their care.
I am thankful to all the parents of our school for showing their understanding of and appreciation for the special educational, artistic, athletic, and spiritual opportunities that our school offers, by their decision to put their children under our care and by the many sacrifices they make to keep them here, especially in these very difficult economic times. I am grateful to our parents, too, as well as to our many benefactors, for all the candy they buy, tickets they sell, special events they participate in and fund-raising efforts they make to help lessen the financial worries of those who run the school and the financial strain on those who pay to keep it going.
I am grateful especially to our wonderful students, who study so hard, develop their God-given skills and talents so enthusiastically, and who show so often in the way they care for each other, why the character development we work so hard to instill is as important for their spiritual growth as intellectual stimulation is for their academic growth.
Finally, I am grateful, without fear of violating the public school laws that force the separation of church and state, simply to be able to offer up prayers of praise and supplication to God at the beginning and end of each day with our students, as well as in newsletters like this on this special week of thanks.”
Have a blessed, caring, and wonderful family-bonding Thanksgiving!
Prayerfully Yours,
Mr. DelViscio
“Any change, even for the better, is accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts”. – A. Bennett
November 21, 2011
Dear Parents/Guardians, Students and Friends of Bishop Dunn,
Those who aren’t new to Bishop Dunn this year know that I have a traditional Thanksgiving newsletter that I have been sending home for the last ten years. This week, because I have so many other pieces of information to pass along that I didn’t want to save until next week (two pages worth, in fact!), I will hold off sending my Thanksgiving note until Wednesday. Please take the opportunity to read it sometime this holiday break. It says a lot about what makes Bishop Dunn so special.
One of the things that is most special about Bishop Dunn is the close relationship that we have with Mount Saint Mary College. The college provides countless resources and a level of support that is so extensive that it is almost impossible to quantify. I bring this up today, because I have a little bit of bad news that should be followed by some bigger good news that I needed to pass along before we return to school next week. When we do, if plans go accordingly, two very big trees behind our school, including an evergreen that has provided welcome shade for our students as long as I can remember, will be gone! This will be the first visible sign of a major change in the landscape that is being planned behind the school that is the result of the college’s continuing work on improving services for its students. When the dust is settled after all the earth-moving and landscape changing is done this summer, there will be a brand new baseball field at the back end of the property. In the process our playground will also be relocated and the basketball courts/blacktop will be moved. The college students will have more places to “play” in the end – but so, thanks to our connection, will our students! More details, of course, will follow in upcoming newsletters.
***
PIE SALE A SAVORY SUCCESS: Thanks to all those who made purchases in our First Annual Thanksgiving Pie Sale, and to those who will be purchasing more home-made pies in the next two days, we expect to make well over $1,000 as our school’s sweet reward. As of this morning, more than 270 pies had been purchased. We are especially grateful to Mrs. Christie Fairbanks, one of our class coordinators, who not only suggested the great fund-raising idea, but backed it up by providing the pies at cost from her business, Favata Bakeries. Thanks, as well, to Mrs. Concetta Crocolici, one of the other PreK class coordinators who helped coordinate the fund-raiser, and also spent more than seven hours Sunday helping Mrs. Fairbanks bake the pies so that they would be ready today for pick-up. SPECIAL REMINDER: A selection of delicious home-made pies will also be available in our front lobby area today, Tuesday (and Wednesday morning, if there are any left).
SUPER 50/50 POT CONTINUES TO GROW: With a little less than a month left until the big drawing, more than $8,300 worth of tickets have now been sold for our Fall Super 50/50 Raffle. Last year’s first ever fall Super Raffle winner took home a 50/50 split of more than $5,000, and we are hoping to beat that total this year. Tickets are priced at $50 each or five for $200, with the winner taking home one half of all the monies brought in. The fall raffle drawing will take place on December 14th at our annual Christmas Pageant. If you haven’t received the tickets, or need more, please call our Development Office at 569-3495.
ACADEMIC HONORS ANNOUNCED: Congratulations to all the upper grade students who made the first quarter honor roll, and to their teachers and parents for providing the guidance and encouragement to achieve such good grades. Making the Principal’s List for having an average of 95 or higher and no grades below 90 were: 6th grader Joaquin Bagtas and Brielle Maxwell; 7th grader Alexa DiVenuto; and 8th graders Jordan Giordano and Brian Rhee. Achieving First Honors status for having an average of 90 or higher and no grades below 85 were: 6th graders Milena Arroyo, Brenden Bready, Julia Conyea, William Conyea, William Davis, Thomas DeMeo, Trisha Gollamudi, Julia Griesing, Max Labrenz, and Jarrett Rivera; 7th graders Ryan Bayer, Matteo Carrieri-Russo, Kiana Carver, Nicole Case, Andrew Indzonka, Gracie McElduff, Sarah Palmatier, William Snyder and Nicole Wyant-Healey; and 8th graders David Adams, Alex Gormley, Kailey Loughran, Sara R and Sam Schorno. Second Honors awards for having an average of 85 or higher and no grades below 80 went to: 6th graders Vincent Compagnone, Joshua Davila, Nile Garcia, Sarah Goodhill, Lucas Labrenz, Elizabeth Riley, Eleanor Santaigo, Abigail Thurber, and Matthew Wyant; 7th graders Charles Benfer, Joseph Caster, Justin Connolly, Dylan Edge, Nicolas George, Jack O’Brien, Isabel Perez, Joshua Pisano, Mia Serrano, Freddie Watson and William Whelan; 8th graders Cassie Cook, Julie Costigan, William DeTorres, Alexandra Ellingson, Katherine Garcia, Edward Muschio, and Mackenzie Wyant.
COUNCIL CAMPAIGN END IN CLOSE VOTE: Congratulations to our new Bishop Dunn Student Council officers, who were elected this past Friday after a week of campaigning that ended with spirited “election-eve” speeches on Thursday afternoon and a very close final vote in every race. In fact, it couldn’t get closer in the race for vice president, with both candidates receiving the same number of votes. Because we can make up our own election rules, because of the tie, it was agreed that we will have two vice presidents this year. Elected to office were: David Adams, president, Anna Schorno and Will Snyder, vice presidents, Jordan Crinieri, secretary, and Sam Schorno, treasurer. Congratulations, as well, to their worthy opponents, Jordan Giordano, Jake Pappas, and Charles Benfer, who ran for president, secretary and treasurer, respectively.
CHEMISTRY POSTER WINNERS ANNOUNCED: I am pleased to announce that Bishop Dunn students took eight of nine awards in the Mid-Hudson Section of the American Chemical Society’s Chemistry for Life Poetry Contest, which had the theme “Chemistry – Our Health, Our Future.” Winners in the regional competition, which is sponsored by Mount Saint Mary College’s ACS chapter, in the K-2 category were: James Titolo Jr. 1st place; Leone Titolo, 2nd place; and Theresa Gormley, 3rd place. In the Grade 3-5 category, Marianna Pastorello was the 1st place winner, Theodore Friedrich, placed 2nd, and Analiese Compagnone took 3rd place. The Grade 6-8 winners from Bishop Dunn were: Erica LaMela, 1st place, and David Adams, 3rd place. The first place finishers received $35 gift certificates from Barnes & Noble and the 2nd and 3rd place winners got $25 and $15 certificates, respectively. First place winning entries in each category have now been submitted to the national competition.
MIDDLE SCHOOL CONFERENCES EXPLAINED: In case you haven’t checked the middle school bulletin board on our website recently, I was asked to provide information here as well about the parent-teacher conference procedure for grades 6, 7 and 8, which is different than in the other grades because of the number of teachers involved for each student. Teachers in the middle school program will be in their classrooms between 2:30 and 5 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 21st, and between 12:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 22nd. Parents should pick up report cards at the front desk in our lobby and then go to the classrooms to see the teacher or teachers they would like to meet at that time. Since there are no scheduled appointments, please be patient if there is a line outside a particular teachers’ door. If you are not able to meet with a particular teacher or teachers, appointments can be set up before or immediately after school hours next week by contacting your child’s homeroom teacher.
CANDY ORDERS ARE IN: Gertrude Hawk candy orders are now in and can be picked up today, Tuesday, or Wednesday morning.
NO HOT LUNCH CHRISTMAS WEEK: If you didn’t see the note on the bottom of next month’s lunch order list, please be aware that there will be no hot lunches served on Monday, Dec. 19th, Tuesday, Dec. 20th, or Wednesday, Dec. 21st, because the college, which supplies the lunches, will be closed for its winter break.
PUPPET SHOW BENEFIT PLANNED: Finally, Mount Saint Mary College will present The Puppet People production of A Christmas Carol on Sunday, December 4th in the college’s Hudson Hall Auditorium. Tickets for the show, which begins at 1 p.m., are $8 per person if purchased by Nov. 30th, or $10 at the door. There will also be face-painting for children and snacks available for a modest charge at the show. The performance is a benefit to raise funds for the campus chapter of Habitat for Humanity. Each year, students at the college forgo a typical spring break in order to participate in one of the country's largest, alternative spring break programs. The Collegiate Challenge program will give students the opportunity to spend a week, working side by side with a future Habitat for Humanity homeowner. Each day they will be working to help build a house for a deserving family. The total cost of the trip this year to Huntsville, Alabama will be approximately $13,500, which includes food, transportation, tools and participation fees. In addition to their labor, each student will pay $400 towards the cost of the trip. Ticket registration forms for the performance will be sent home with the students today. For more information, contact Deb Waller-Frederick at 845-569-3346 or waller@msmc.edu.
“The way we communicate with others ultimately determines the quality of our lives. –A.Robbins
November 14, 2011
Dear Parents/Guardians, Students and Friends of Bishop Dunn,
If you are already read this note because it was sent to you through our school’s newsletter email address list, you’re clearly well connected to our ever expanding communications network. You’re not as connected as you need to be, however, if your child is a member of one of our basketball or cheerleader teams and you didn’t get the sports email message on Friday that Saturday’s games were cancelled. And if you’re not getting the email messages that have been sent out during the last week by one of the parent coordinators for your child’s class, then there’s another “communications gap” that you definitely need to close, because you’re missing a lot of good information. As part of our school-wide fund-raising efforts this year, grade-level parent coordinators have now been given lists of phone numbers and email addresses of all the families in their children’s classes – or at least all those who supplied phone numbers and email addresses to us in the beginning of the school year. The volunteers have now begun to make regular contact with parents in their children’s classes to remind them about upcoming fund-raisers and special events and, more importantly, to coordinate with other class parents in organizing and running specific fund-raising activities that each class will be asked to develop this year.
If you are not on the sports group email list and don’t want to miss any more notices of schedule changes for games and practices, please contact me to let me know you want to be added. If you aren’t getting email messages from your class coordinators, call our main number at 569-3494, and we’ll make sure that you get connected..
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CLASS DIRECTORIES TO BE AVAILABLE: Another way to get in the communications loop with other families in your child’s class is to pick up this year’s class directory that will be handed out during Parent-Teacher Conferences next week. If you want a copy of the full directory with the names, phone numbers and email addresses of all class families, call our main number, 569-3494, and one will be reserved for you.
HOMEMADE PIES REQUESTED: In addition to the specialty pies that you can order in our First Annual Thanksgiving Pie Sale, we are also looking for contributions of homemade pies for the event. If our class coordinators haven’t already reached out to you, you can expect them to make contact this week to find out if you can make a pie for the event. If you haven’t ordered one of our pies yet, please send in your order form by Thursday of this week. Finally, in case you have lost the order form, I have included another copy at the bottom of this newsletter.
FOOD NEEDED FOR NEEDY: As I first announced last week, we are collecting food again this year to help provide food for needy families that are being served through the efforts of volunteers for St. Mary’s Hope Food Pantry. Food being collected through this week will be used to supply Thanksgiving dinners for dozens of families in the Newburgh area. Items requested are boxes of instant mashed potatoes and stuffing mix, and canned gravy, cranberry sauce, mixed vegetables and sweet potatoes or yam. Please drop of these items any day in our front lobby through Thursday, November 18th .
SUPER RAFFLE TICKETS SELLING FAST: Less than a month into the sale, nearly $7,000 in tickets have now been sold for our Fall Super 50/50 Raffle. Last year’s first ever fall Super Raffle winner took home a 50/50 split of more than $5,000, but at the rate tickets are being sold this time around, a bigger take for the winning ticket seems very likely. Tickets are priced at $50 each or five for $200, with the winner taking home one half of all the monies brought in. The fall raffle drawing will take place on December 14th at our annual Christmas Pageant. If you haven’t received the tickets, or need more, please call our Development Office at 569-3495.
FIRST ANNUAL BISHOP DUNN THANKSGIVING PIE SALE
Bishop Dunn is planning its first fund-raising Thanksgiving pie sale. A choice of delicious specialty bakery pies can be ordered by filling out the tear-sheet below and returning it to Bishop Dunn School, to the attention of Mrs. Sue Dennis, no later than Thursday, November 17th. The pies will be available for pick-up during Parent-Teacher Conferences on Monday, November 21st, and Tuesday, November 22nd. Additional homemade pies will also be for sale. Any pies not sold on Monday or Tuesday can also be purchased on Wednesday, November 23rd, before noon.
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(Return order form and payment, ATTN: Sue Dennis no later than 11/17/22)
NAME ___________________ CHILD’S GRADE ____ DATE _________________
(Select one or more choices below. All pies are $10 each)
TYPE OF PIE QUANTITY COST
9” Apple Pie ______ __________
9” Apple Crumb Pie ______ __________
9” Apple Walnut Carmel Pie ______ __________
10” 46 oz. Pumpkin Pie ______ __________
9” Cherry Pie ______ __________
9” Blueberry Pie ______ __________
TOTAL COST __________
(Make check payable to Bishop Dunn Memorial School)
Payment Type ___ Cash ___ Check ______Ck # Total Payment ___________
“To be interested in changing seasons is a far happier state of mind than to be hopelessly in love with the spring.”- G. Santayana
November 7, 2011
Dear Parents/Guardians, Students and Friends of Bishop Dunn,
What a difference a week makes. Last Sunday, I’m sure everyone woke up wondering what hit us, when they looked at the calendar and then looked outside to see as much as a foot of snow on the ground. This Sunday morning all we had to do is try to remember if we had turned the clocks back or not and then go outside to enjoy a chilly but thankfully snowless and quite beautiful view of the late fall foliage! I only hope that we can continue to enjoy a more gradual and predictable change of seasons as we head toward the holidays and the Northeast region winter to follow.
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SAVE ROOM FOR OUR THANKSGIVING PIES: Speaking of the holidays, if you haven’t already thought about what to have for Thanksgiving Day dessert, I have a suggestion – buy a pie from Bishop Dunn! Among the many interesting fund-raising ideas that have by our class coordinators this year is one to sell pies on the Monday and Tuesday before Thanksgiving, when our annual Parent-Teacher Conferences will be taking place. We already have a promise from a local bakery owner to supply at cost as many varieties of apple and pumpkin pies that we need. Our parent coordinators will also begin reaching out to other families in their assigned classes this week to discover the great cooks we know are out there to donate their own delicious home-made versions of the traditional holiday dessert for the giant bake sale. More details about the pie sale will be sent home in the coming weeks. In the meantime, if you go holiday food shopping, hold off buying any pies until you hear more from us!
FOOD NEEDED FOR SPECIAL DINNERS: To begin our own holiday season of giving to others, we have been asked by volunteers for St. Mary’s Hope Food Pantry to help supply food needed for thanksgiving dinners for the needy in inner city Newburgh. Items requested are boxes of instant mashed potatoes and stuffing mix, and canned gravy, cranberry sauce, mixed vegetables and sweet potatoes or yam. Please drop of these items any day in our front lobby through November 18th .
PARENT GROUP MEETINGS SCHEDULED: Our Parent Guild group will be getting together again this Wednesday, November 9th, to plan for our Thanksgiving pie sale and to discuss other fund-raising ideas. The meeting will be held at 1 p.m. and again at 3:30 p.m. for anyone who can’t make the earlier session. If you haven’t been to any of the meetings yet, please consider joining us. We have a great group of volunteers this year, but we would love the extra help, and any new ideas you could bring with you.
SUPER RAFFLE OFF TO SUPER START: Last week I reported that more than $2,500 had already been sold for our Fall Super 50/50 Raffle. As of this morning, the total for tickets sold has more than doubled to $5,050! Last year’s first ever fall Super Raffle winner took home a 50/50 split of more than $5,000, but at the rate tickets are being sold this time around, a bigger take for the winning ticket seems very likely. Tickets are priced at $50 each or five for $200, with the winner taking home one half of all the monies brought in. The fall raffle drawing will take place on December 14th at our annual Christmas Pageant. If you haven’t received the tickets, or need more, please call our Development Office at 569-3495.
BASKETBALL SEASON SET TO START: Our basketball season opens this coming weekend with home games at St. Mary’s gym on both Saturday, November 12th, and Sunday, November 13th. Saturday’s game times are: Junior Varsity Girls at 10 a.m., Junior Varsity Boys at 11:30 a.m., and Varsity Boys at 1 p.m. On Sunday, the teams play in the same order: JV Girls at 1 p.m., JV Boys at 2:15 p.m., and Varsity Boys at 3:30 p.m. Please come out and support our teams if you can.
SPIRIT DAY THURSDAY: To celebrate the start of the basketball season, on Thursday, November 10th, all members of basketball, cheerleading, and soccer teams will be allowed to wear their uniform jerseys over their gym clothes. Members of our equally popular middle school “Drama Team” will also be allowed to wear their drama pullovers, “Damn Yankees” or “Beauty and the Beast” shirts.
STAFF ILLNESS REPORT- Finally, since I have already discussed this with our students following Mass this past Friday, I thought parents should also have the correct and most updated information about the medical conditions of two of our staff members, Mrs. Maureen Terwilliger, our Development Director, and Mr. Joe Loyas, our middle school social studies teacher. Mrs. Terwilliger, in case you had not already heard, was discovered to have cancer this summer and is now undergoing intensive radiation and chemotherapy treatments. Mr. Loyas had open heart surgery this past Tuesday, but is now home and recovering nicely, I have been told. I know you will continue to keep Mrs. Terwilliger and Mr. Loyas in your prayers.
“Then comes the wild weather, sleet and snow, we will stand by each other however it blow.” - Simon Dach
November 1, 2011
Dear Parents/Guardians, Students and Friends of Bishop Dunn,
Wow, what a weekend! Somehow the Mid-Hudson region has suddenly become the poster child for weather disasters. First the hurricane, then the flooding, and now for your pre-Halloween excitement, an October nor’easter that would rival the worst of deep winter storms that Mother Nature could throw at us! If you managed to get back to some normal October-ending activities Monday, consider yourself lucky, since I’m assuming there were a good number of our families still without power Monday morning. That, and the fact that many side roads were still being cleared of trees and downed power lines yesterday, is the main reason, I am assuming, that Newburgh and a number of surrounding districts decided not to open. For those who never were quite sure that school had closed because their phones as well as their Internet service was still not functioning, this is a reminder that you need to get at least one cellphone linked to our emergency IRIS contact system, or at least purchase one of those hand-cranked portable radios so you can hear future announcements on one of the local radio station. The way things are going this year, weather-wise that is, I have a feeling we have a lot more storms ahead of us before spring arrives! SPECIAL REQUEST: Please try to avoid calling our school number to get updates on any emergency weather conditions. Anything you need to know will be more readily available on our website homepage, or will passed along through our IRIS contact system. Trying to answer such calls, especially in the early morning, is very distracting to the people who are trying to direct the start of the school day and other important activities.
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NEWBURGH GETS WRONG TRANSPORTATION MESSAGE: We are sorry for any inconvenience caused this morning with the delay in busing for Newburgh students. Newburgh Transportation officials unfortunately thought we were closed because it is All Saints Day and apparently didn’t check our annual calendar to see that we were open.
CLASS COORDINATORS NOW HAVE CONTACT LISTS: As part of our school-wide fund-raising efforts this year, grade-level parent coordinators have now been given lists of phone numbers and email addresses for all the families in their children’s classes. The plan is for them to make regular contact with parents in their children’s classes to remind them about upcoming fund-raisers and, more importantly, to coordinate with other class parents in organizing and running specific fund-raising events and activities that each class will be asked to develop this year. I will have more information about some of those fund-raisers in an upcoming newsletter. In the meantime, please do what you can to assist the class coordinators in any way possible.
SUPER RAFFLE POT GROWING: One fund-raiser that is progressing very nicely at this point is our Fall Super 50/50 Raffle, with more than $2,500 in tickets already sold. Last year’s first ever fall Super Raffle winner took home a 50/50 split of more than $5,000, and the spring raffle raised another $4,000 for the school. Tickets are priced at $50 each or five for $200, with the winner taking home one half of all the monies brought in. The fall raffle drawing will take place on December 14th at our annual Christmas Pageant. If you haven’t received the tickets, or need more, please call our Development Office at 569-3495.
“DRESS DOWN” GENEROSITY APPRECIATED: I am pleased to report that our students donated more than $525 for charity as part of their participation in our first “Dress Down Day” of the school year, held this past Friday. Half of the money collected will be given to organizations involved in fighting breast cancer. The rest of the money will be used to assist Kevin and Will McGuire and their family in recovering from a devastating fire that destroyed their home late this summer. The McGuires both attended Bishop Dunn and their mother, Beth, was a long-time employee of Mount Saint Mary College.
ANTI-BULLYING SURVEY SET: In anticipation of the formal introduction of a school-wide anti-bullying campaign following the completion of staff training this coming Friday, all students in grades two and up will be completing a bullying questionnaire this week. The survey is completed before the OLWEUS Bullying Prevention Program is begun to give our staff more information about students’ perceptions about the problem and how it may be manifesting itself in our school. If you do not want your child to complete the survey for any reason, please send a note in to his or her classroom teacher to that effect.
BASKETBALL SCHEDULE ON LINE: The tentative schedule for this season’s basketball games can now be accessed online by checking the sports link on our website, www.bdms.org. Our first games are scheduled for Saturday, November 12th, and Sunday, November 13th, and will be played at St. Mary’s gym. Schedules are now being set up and will be distributed soon to all parents of students on our Varsity boys, Junior Varsity boys and Junior Varsity girls, and also our Varsity and Junior Varsity cheerleaders, to take turns working during the games in the concession and at the admissions table.
HALF DAY FRIDAY: This is a reminder that this Friday, November 4th, we will be on a First Friday half-day schedule with Mass at 9 a.m. and dismissal beginning at 11:15 a.m. PLEASE REMEMBER TO HAVE YOUR CHILDREN DRESS IN THEIR UNIFORMS ON FRIDAY AND ANY OTHER DAY THAT MASS IS SCHEDULED. If they have gym class that day, they can bring in sneakers to change into when their class takes place.
UNIFORM SHOP HOURS CUT: Finally, I have been asked to announce that the Li’l Darling Shoppe, which is one of our school’s uniform suppliers, will be closed on Mondays starting November 7th.
“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.”-Michael Jordan
October 24, 2011
Dear Parents/Guardians, Students and Friends of Bishop Dunn,
While it came as no surprise to me, or anyone, I’m sure, who has seen them play, that our Varsity and Junior Varsity soccer teams both won their Orange County Parochial School League playoff championships this past week, especially following the regular season in which both teams were undefeated and virtually unscored upon, what I think has impressed me most about our players is how well they have comported themselves in game after game in which they could have easily gloated, been cocky, or “rubbed it in” in performing at such a high level against teams with much fewer skilled players than our school is so fortunate to have. Congratulations to all the team members for playing so well together and, more importantly, for acting so “professionally” along the way to their championships. Kudos, as well, to their coaches, John O’Brien, Andy Russo, Michael Mazzariello, and John Scully, for so skillfully keeping their young but very talented team members focused on improving their skills, while continuing to show good sportsmanship in games that could have easily gotten out of control because of the wide gap in abilities levels between them and their opponents. My only regret is that more members of our school community, other than the “soccer parents’ did not get the opportunity to see these two great teams play this fall. The good news is that there is a spring season too with more great games and great performances most surely to come beginning in March.
The players on the two championship teams included: David Adams, Ryan Bayer, Ishaan Brissette, Joseph Caster, Vincent Compagnone, Philip Fabijanowski, Jordan Giordano, Mark Heidman, Davin Lambe, Michael Mazzariello, Jack O’Brien, Matteo Russo, Devin Scully, Lucas Scully, Freddie Watson, and Matthew Wyant, playing for the varsity squad, and JV members Vincent Compagnone, Andrew Crinieri, Philip Fabijanowski, Lucas Labrenz, Max Labrenz, Devin Lambe, Elizabeth Licameli, James Maniscalci, Devin Maxwell, Michael Mazzariello, Danny McLoughlin, Sam Mongelli, Gabriella Palladino, Devin Scully, Zachary Thornton, Michelle U, and Matthew Wyant.
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CLASS PARENTS, VOLUNTEERS SOUGHT: Our second Parent Guild meeting this past week provided a number of additional creative ideas for fund-raising this year, and also one suggestion for coordinating the various events and activities that I plan to take them up on, especially because our Development Director, Mrs. Maureen Terwilliger, who is battling a serious illness, will not be back to oversee operations at least until March. The suggestion made was that each grade in the school, led by parent coordinators, be responsible for organizing and running at least one major fund-raiser project. We are off to a good start in getting ready for this approach to fund-raising with at least one parent from each grade already having volunteered to be a coordinator for their child’s class, but it would be most helpful if we had at least one more parent coordinator from each grade to assist in the fund-raising projects and various other class activities. If you would like to be a parent coordinator for your child’s class and have not already stepped forward, please contact me directly at school and I can fill you in on some of the duties involved.
TEAM VOLUNTEERS NEEDED TOO: Now that fall soccer is over and our basketball and cheerleading teams are gearing up for their seasons, I am looking for parent volunteers from each team who can help with coordinating concessions and other activities, especially related to home games, which are set to start on November 12th and 13th (a tentative schedule of games for the season is now available on the sports link of our school website). If would like to be one of the team coordinators, please let your child’s coach know, or contact me directly at school.
LAST CALL FOR PEP COACHES: In my last note, in case you missed it, I announced we were looking for parents who would be interested in coaching a co-ed basketball team for 3rd and 4th graders. The team would be part of the Pep Division being organized by the Orange County Parochial School League. If you are interested in coaching or helping organize the team please call me at school, and I can provide more information.
SPECIAL SHOW REMINDER: In case you missed the email that I sent out on Friday, I wanted to let you know that there was still some seating available this morning for the special free presentation "Letters to Daddy: The Musical Key to Bully Free, " which will be held Thursday, Oct. 27th, at the Hudson Hall auditorium. The show will start at 4:30 but there will also be a pre-show discussion at 4 p.m. To register go to http://www.msmc.edu/letters. You can also get more information by calling 569-3545.
BULLYING TALK PLANNED: Another program on bullying on Wednesday, November 2nd, will feature Barbara Coloroso, the best selling author of “The Bully, the Bullied and the Bystander.” Coloroso, who is an internationally recognized speaker and author in the area of parenting, teaching, school discipline, non-violent conflict resolution and reconciliatory justice, will be meeting with parents and community members at 7 p.m. in the Highland Falls Intermediate School Auditorium , at 52 Mountain Avenue in Highland Falls. The program is offered at no cost to members of the Highland Falls, Garrison and West Point communities, and at a cost of $5 to the general public. Reservations are required. To make a reservation go to the Highland Falls-Fort Montgomery Central School District website at www.hffncsd.org.
COLLEGE NEEDS SURVEY HELP: Thanks to all those who have completed and returned the survey form that I emailed last week. The survey is being conducted as part of a research study by Dr. Paul Schwartz, a professor at Mount Saint Mary College and a long-time supporter of our school. If you have not sent in the survey yet, please do so as soon as possible. Additional copies of the form are being sent home with our students this week.
“DRESS DOWN” TO AID CANCER FIGHT, FIRE VICTIMS: Our first “Dress Down Day” of the school year will be held this Friday, October 28th. Students who would like to participate are asked to bring in one dollar to be donated for research to find a cure for breast cancer and other forms of cancer. A second dollar is being requested to assist Kevin and Will McGuire and their family in recovering from a devastating fire that destroyed their home late this summer. The McGuires both attended Bishop Dunn and their mother, Beth, was a long-time employee of Mount Saint Mary College.
FORMER STUDENTS HONORED: Finally, congratulations to two Bishop Dunn graduates, John Trieste and David Rameau, for being named to the St. Francis DeSales Chapter of the National Honor Society in a recent ceremony at Don Bosco Prep High School in Ramsey, NJ. Trieste is a 2008 graduate of Bishop Dunn and Rameau graduated in 2009.
“Life affords no greater responsibility, no greater privilege, than raising the next generation.” - Dr. Everett Koop
October 17, 2011
Dear Parents/Guardians, Students and Friends of Bishop Dunn,
In my newsletter two weeks ago, I explained that we would have to charge nearly $7,000 per student in tuition this year if we had no other source of revenue. I have another “operating budget” figure that I think it is important to share with you today. A big part of that “other revenues” that we need this year to help balance our budget will involve reaching a fund-raising goal of at least $160,000. Putting this in more personal terms, if we can get contributions from our various fund-raising events and activities totaling approximately $555 in revenues for each student in the school, we should (all other possible unanticipated problems aside) be able to balance our budget. The good news, and the reason I am bringing this up so early in the year, is that we are now in the process of planning a number of fund-raising “events and opportunities” that we hope will make it easier for you to part with that extra $555 or, better yet, to persuade someone you know to spend their money to help support our school.
As I mentioned in my last note, we had some great ideas for entertaining fund-raising events that were suggested at our first Parent Guild meeting, and I am hoping for an equally enthusiastic and creative brainstorming session when our second Parent Guild meeting is held this Wednesday, October 19th. The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. and I encourage anyone who can help in any way with our fund-raising program this year to come out.
At some point soon I hope to announce a schedule of fund-raising events and activities for the year, which should give you some idea about which ones you might like to be involved in organizing, and more importantly, which ones that you can persuade your family and friends to donate money to, so that we can reach our goal of raising $555 per student. In the meantime, below are reminders about two fund-raisers that are already in place that you can support with your contributions.
SUPER RAFFLE TICKETS OUT: Super 50/50 raffle tickets have now been mailed to all our school families. Last year’s first ever fall Super Raffle winner took home a 50/50 split of more than $5,000, and the spring raffle raised another $4,000 for the school. Tickets will again be priced at $50 each or five for $200, with the winner taking home one half of all the monies brought in. The fall raffle drawing will take place on December 14th at our annual Christmas Pageant. If you haven’t received the tickets, or need more, please call our Development Office at 569-3495.
FRUIT ORDERS DUE THIS WEEK: The deadline for sending in orders for our annual Florida Fruit Sale is this Friday, October 21st. If you need another order form, or have a question about the fruit sale, please contact Sue Dennis at 569-3495.
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COACHES NEEDED FOR LITTLE ONES: While we now have coaches in place for all our JV and Varsity basketball and cheerleading teams, we are looking for parents who would be interested in coaching a co-ed basketball team for 3rd and 4th graders. The team would be part of the Pep Division being organized by the Orange County Parochial School League. If you are interested in coaching or helping organize the team please call me at school, and I can provide more information. SPECIAL NOTE: Practice schedules have now been set for our JV and varsity teams. For times and more details see the extracurricular/sports link on our website, www.bdms.org .
FALL PHOTOS ON WEDNESDAY: A representative from Lifetouch Photographers will be at school on Wednesday, Oct. 19th, for our fall portraits of Pre-K through 7th grade students. Our 8th graders will also have their graduation photos taken on Wednesday morning. Students need to bring in photo package order forms with them on Wednesday in order to have photo packages created. All students will have their photos taken even without an order form, as they will be used for our yearbook. If you don’t have a form, please call our main office at 569-3494, and one will be sent home to you.
SOCCER SEASON IN FINAL KICKOFF: Our Junior Varsity and Varsity soccer teams, which were both undefeated in their regular season games, take part in playoff championship rounds this week. The Varsity team will play two games, beginning at 3:45 p.m. today, October 17th, at the Mt. Airy Soccer Complex in New Windsor, and our JV team will have its tournament on Saturday, October 22nd, on the field behind our school, beginning at 1:30 p.m. If you haven’t seen them play and are interested in seeing two very, very good teams, please try to come out and cheer our players on. For more information and directions to the New Windsor field, go to the website, www.ocpslsoccer.org.
FAMILY SCIENCE NIGHT REMINDER: As first announced last week, Mount Saint Mary College will host a “Family Science Night” on Friday, October 21st, at 7 p.m. for students especially in the 3rd through 5th grades. The interactive science program, focusing on “Chemistry – Our Health, Our Future!”, will be held in Room 216 in Aquinas Hall, and is open to the first 60 students and their families who make a reservation in advance. For more information and to reserve a spot for the evening’s activities, contact Dr. Lynn Maelia at Lynn.maelia@msmc.edu or call 845-569-3131.
DON’T LEAVE CARS AT CURB: I was reminded this past week that some parents are not abiding by the request made at the start of the year to stay in their cars when they drop their children off in the morning at our front door. Parents who want to bring their children into school in the morning need to park their cars in the lot across from our main entrance, where there is usually ample parking in the morning. Leaving your car there not only blocks others from pulling up to drop children off, but it creates a dangerous safety hazard, because visibility is reduced when cars try to pull around the unattended vehicles.
COLLEGE NEEDS SURVEY HELP: Finally, I would appreciate it if you could fill out a short survey that I will be sending out in a separate email later today or tomorrow. The survey is being conducted as part of a research study by Dr. Paul Schwartz, a professor at Mount Saint Mary College and a long-time supporter of our school.
“Complete possession is proved only by giving. All you are unable to give possesses you.”-A. Gide
October 11, 2011
Dear Parents/Guardians, Students and Friends of Bishop Dunn,
I wanted to begin this note by thanking the dozen parents who were able to make it to our first Parent Guild meeting of the year that was held last Wednesday afternoon. It was a very encouraging and productive session in which a lot of great ideas were shared about the school, and especially about ways that funds can be raised this year that will not only be critical in helping us to meet our financial obligations, but that hopefully will also provide a number of opportunities for families to get together to participate in entertaining and enjoyable events and activities that benefit our students. As I mentioned in my last newsletter, the reason for holding the first Parent Guild meeting during the school day was to find out how many parents would be available to meet at that time to help coordinate some of our more important fund-raising projects. There is still a great need this year for other parents, who are not normally available during the day, to be involved in our fund-raising efforts, which is why I would like to have a second meeting next Wednesday, October 19th, at 6:30 p.m. Please plan to attend, if possible, so that I can update you on why our fund-raising efforts will be so important this year, and to provide your own ideas on what can be done to support our school.
Many of you may be aware by now that Mrs. Maureen Terwilliger, our Development Director, has been quite ill the last few weeks, and has not been in school since early September. I did discuss her condition at our first Parent Guild meeting, and will provide another update at our next session. In the meantime, if you could keep her in your prayers, as we have been doing in school with the children, it would be greatly appreciated. If you have any questions concerning Mrs. Terwilliger’s illness or about our Development Office or fund-raising projects in general, feel free to contact me directly at school.
SUPER RAFFLE READIED: In connection with our fund-raising program for the year, look for a mailing later this week that will provide details about our Super 50/50 Raffle. The raffle, which was first run last fall, was so successful that we conducted a second raffle in the spring before the close of the school year. Last year’s fall raffle winner took home a 50/50 split of more than $5,000, and the spring raffle raised another $4,000 for the school. Tickets will again be priced at $50 each or five for $200, with the winner taking home one half of all the monies brought in. The fall raffle drawing will take place on December 14th at our annual Christmas Pageant.
FLORIDA FRUIT ORDERS DUE SOON: Another smaller, but still important, fund-raiser is our annual Florida Fruit Sale. Information and order forms have already been sent home, but I wanted to remind everyone that orders and payments are due by Friday, October 21st. If you did not receive an order form, or have a question about the fruit sale, please contact Sue Dennis at 569-3495.
FORMER STUDENT’S EFFORTS RECOGNIZED: I am pleased and proud to report that Keith Osborne, a 2008 Graduate of Bishop Dunn who is now attending Our Lady of Lourdes High School in Poughkeepsie, was recently selected as one of 12 students attending Dutchess County high schools to be semifinalists in the National Merit Scholarship Program. Keith and the other academically talented high school seniors named as semifinalists now have an opportunity to continue in the competition for approximately 8,300 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $34 million that will be offered next spring. To be considered for the award, semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the finalist level, including having an outstanding academic record throughout high school, an endorsement and recommendation from the high school principal and earn Scholastic Aptitude Tests (SAT) scores that confirm their earlier performance on the scholarship’s qualifying test. Keith, who has had the highest grade point average in his class since entering Lourdes, resides with his parents, Jim and Jeannie Osborne in the Town of Newburgh. His brother, Matthew, is a fifth grader at Bishop Dunn.
FAMILY SCIENCE NIGHT PLANNED: As part of the celebration of National Chemistry Week, Mount Saint Mary College will host a “Family Science Night” on Friday, October 21st, at 7 p.m. for students especially in the 3rd through 5th grades. The interactive science program, focusing on “Chemistry – Our Health, Our Future!”, will be held in Room 216 in Aquinas Hall, and is open to the first 60 students and their families who make a reservation in advance. For more information and to reserve a spot for the evening’s activities, contact Dr. Lynn Maelia at Lynn.maelia@msmc.edu or call 845-569-3131.
“Generosity is giving more than you can, and pride is taking less than you need.”-Khalil Gibran
October 3, 2011
Dear Parents/Guardians, Students and Friends of Bishop Dunn,
Anyone who has heard me talk about our annual operating budget, or who remembers the information provided with our application packet, knows how important successful fund raising is to the financial stability of Bishop Dunn. To put it as simply as possible, if we had no other sources of revenues, we would have to charge nearly $7,000 in tuition per student just to cover our annual expenses! While I fully appreciate that even the $5,400 to $5,800 that we do charge is a burden on many of our parents, consider the fact that public schools in this areas spend anywhere from $11,000 to more than $14,000 for each student they serve.
The reason I am bringing up this subject now is that meeting our fund-raising goals is especially critical this year for a variety of reasons, including, at the top of the list, the fact that we will be losing a large amount of state and federal funding support that we could not have anticipated when we set our tuition rates last spring. How can you help? One way is to become actively involved in one or more of the parent committees that will be spearheading our various fund-raising projects over the course of the school year. To learn how you can become more involved, you are invited to attend our first Parent Guild meeting of the year, which is scheduled to take place this Wednesday, October 5th, at 1 p.m. I realize that many parents may not be able to get to an early afternoon meeting, but the parents who will be most helpful to us in getting some of our biggest projects started are those who would be able to attend future planning meetings during the regular school day. The next Parent Guild meeting, which will be held in a week or two, will be held in the evening, at which time I can provide an update of the specific fund-raising events and activities being planned for those who can provide support, but who are not available to volunteer during the day.
***
SPORTS PRACTICE SCHEDULES SET: Another way that parents can support our school is by volunteering to coach our various sports teams. I am pleased to report that we now have coaches in place for almost all of our basketball and cheerleading teams and that several of them have set their practice schedules. The schedules that have been set are as follows: Junior Varsity girls basketball on Wednesdays and Fridays from 3 to 4:30 p.m., with the first practice planned for this Friday, October 7th; Junior Varsity boys basketball on Tuesdays from 5 to 6:30 p.m. and Fridays from 3 to 5 p.m., with the first practice tentatively planned for this Tuesday, October 11th; and Junior Varsity cheerleading on Mondays from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. and Thursday from 2:30 to 4 p.m., with the first practice scheduled for this Thursday, October 6th. While we have coaches for the Boys Varsity basketball team, a practice schedule has not yet been confirmed. For updates on practice schedules and other information about the sports teams, check the extracurricular/sports link on our website, www.bdms.org.
GIRLS VARSITY SEASON IN JEOPARDY: Not only do we not have anyone who has stepped forward so far to volunteer to coach our Girls Varsity basketball team this year, but we don’t seem to have enough girls to field a team. This is the last “call out” to any 7th or 8th graders who want to play basketball. If I don’t hear from enough girls in the next day or two, and don’t have any indication that there will be a coach available if we do get enough girls, I will have to let the league know that we will not have a Girls Varsity team this year, for the first time since the girls’ division was formed a dozen years ago.
BASKETBALL UNIFORM ORDERS NEEDED: Finally, on the subject of basketball, any students who plan to play on one of our teams this year, who have not already ordered a uniform, need to do so as soon as possible, or they won’t have one to wear when the season starts in early November. Anyone who is playing on our JV teams and purchased a uniform last year does not need to buy a new one. SPECIAL NOTE: All 8th grade boys, who plan to play on the team this year MUST purchase a new uniform, since the one they wore last year, is being replaced by the new style that we began ordering for the JV teams last year.
FAMILY EXPO PLANNED: A Family Expo is being planned for Saturday, October 8th, at Newburgh Free Academy on 201 Fullerton, Ave. Sponsored by Newburgh Enlarged City School District, Center for Youth Development, Liberty Partnerships Program, Newburgh Performing Arts Academy, Boys and Girls Clubs of Newburgh, the event has been set up to provide information about services and programs available for children, youth, and families from community-based organizations and service providers. For more information, contact Ms. Pamela Peterson, NECSD Coordinator of Parent Involvement at 845-563-3458.
“Safety is the seam that joins the fabric of Life. Don’t let a small tear undo everything.”-Anonymous
September 26, 2011
Dear Parents/Guardians, Students and Friends of Bishop Dunn,
While only a small group attended my information meeting this past week, a number of good ideas were shared, as well as suggestions made for fine-tuning policies and procedures for the school year. One of the discussion topics was about changing identification confirmation procedures when children are being picked up on the car line by someone who normally doesn’t do so, and therefore is not familiar to the staff members on duty there. One suggestion made was to have those who do not normally pick up students report to our front desk to get the child, instead of going on the car line. Since we are trying very hard to avoid anyone picking up children from the lobby at dismissal time, because of the distraction this causes to staff members trying to get ready to call down children for buses, I don’t want to try this option. Instead, what I would like to do is to ask that when parents send in a note or call the school to say that someone else is picking up their child on the car line to tell us the make, model, and color of the vehicle, and also to provide the license plate number. This information will then get passed down to the car lines to be used by people supervising the dismissal to confirm that the unexpected drivers have approval to pick up students. This, I feel, with your cooperation, will clear up any confusion about those who are authorized to pick up children. As an added measure, and to make it easier to match cars to children, we are considering taking photos of the students at their family vehicles, which I will report more on in my next note.
Finally, on the subject of car pick-up lines, after observing our new procedures for the first two weeks of school, I am pleased that the lines seem to be moving more smoothly and quickly than in the past. Parents of students in grades 1 and up who don’t have siblings in Pre-K or kindergarten are reminded that we will not begin releasing those students until 2:25 p.m. at the earliest. This allows more time to complete the Pre-K and kindergarten pick-up, which begins at 2:15 p.m., and therefore avoids the bottleneck of two car lines trying to get through the same narrow roadway.
***
EMERGENCY EARLY DISMISSAL DRILL SET: All Orange County schools will take part in their annual emergency early dismissal drill this Wednesday, September 28th. This means that buses are supposed to start picking up students at 2:00 p.m., instead of 2:20 p.m. We will begin dismissing Pre-K and kindergarten students and their older siblings at 1:50 p.m., and the rest of the car pick-up students at 2:00 p.m. As part of the drill, we are also required to send all students home, so, unfortunately, THERE WILL BE NO EXTENDED CARE ON WEDNESDAY. We are sorry for any inconvenience this might cause.
SCHOOL CLOSED THURSDAY: It’s not very likely that your children won’t have already brought this to your attention, but, just in case, this is a reminder that school will be closed on Thursday, Sept. 29th, so that our teachers can attend professional development workshops sponsored by the New York Archdiocese, at the Most Precious Blood school in Walden.
SPORTS TEAMS GEARING UP: Finally, while practices have not yet been scheduled for our basketball teams, any parents new to the program who are interested in having their children participate are encouraged to check the extracurricular/sports link on our website. The sports update site contains information about purchasing uniforms and also the necessary order form. While announcements will be made in school, you should also check the site frequently in the next few weeks for information about practice schedules.
“Communication leads to community, that is, to understanding and mutual valuing.” – Rolo May
September 19, 2011
Dear Parents/Guardians, Students and Friends of Bishop Dunn,
While I have been pleased that our first full week of classes seemed to go relatively smoothly, I suspect that there are parents out there who still have a number of questions and concerns about academic or extracurricular programs, general policies, and procedures related to the start of the school year. For those who are interested in getting answers to any of their questions, or who don’t have any questions but are interested in getting updates on events and activities planned for the fall, I will host a general information meeting for parents this Thursday, September 22nd, beginning at 6:30 p.m. If you do have questions that you would like addressed at the meeting, please feel free to contact me at school in advance of the meeting, so that I can include any responses on the agenda for the evening.
***
MONTHLY CALENDAR ON LINE: In a further effort to reduce copying costs, and save trees in the process, hard copies of our monthly calendar of events will no longer be sent home in student folders or bookbag (we were never sure how many of them ever made it home, as it is). The calendar will be available on our website, www.bdms.org., by clicking on the calendar link in the left column on the homepage and then on the drop-down monthly calendar link. Most of the information contained in the calendar is also repeated in the “Upcoming Events” column on the right side of the homepage. With the updated monthly calendar now posted on our website, parents are reminded that our annual calendar sent home in the summer was only meant to be used for general planning purposes and should not be your primary source for obtaining information about special events and activities, which are always subject to change.
PARTY INFORMATION LEFT OUT OF HANDBOOK: Some important information about student birthday parties was inadvertently left out of our newly updated student/parent handbook. Unfortunately, since we have already had some problems arise in connection with violations of our long-standing policy on birthday party invitations, I wanted to make sure that all parents have the correct information. Invitations to birthday parties outside school should not be brought in and handed out unless everyone in the class is given one. In lower grades, invitations for all boys or all girls are acceptable. Parents/guardians at all grade levels are strongly encouraged to ensure that their children invite everyone in their class to parties, especially if they expect the majority of students in the class to attend. The bottom line, which I wish parents and students didn’t need to be reminded about, is that students should not do anything in school, or social settings connected to students in school, intentionally or not, to hurt the feelings of others.
CSN PARENT REPRESENTATIVE STILL NEEDED: Last week, I sent out an email asking for anyone who would be interested in representing Bishop Dunn on the Orange County Catholic Schools Network (CSN). I received a few responses, but it would be helpful to have at least one more parent on the group. The CSN representatives from all the Catholic schools in the region meet periodically to discuss both state and local political and economic issues that impact directly or indirectly on Catholic and private school education. The first formal function of local CSN representatives would be to attend an information meeting and discussion on Oct. 13th with Dr. Timothy McNiff, who is the superintendent of schools for the New York Archdiocese. The meeting will take place, beginning at 7 p.m., at Our Lady of Lourdes High School in Poughkeepsie. Please contact me at school, if you would be interested in becoming a CSN representative for our school, even if you are not able to attend the Oct. 13th meeting with Dr. McNiff.
SPORTS TEAMS COACHES NEEDED: Coaches have stepped forward and practice schedules are now being set up for most of our basketball and cheerleading teams, but we are still looking for help for our Junior Varsity and Varsity cheerleading programs and also for our Varsity Girls basketball team. If you would like to coach, be an assistant coach or a team manager for the junior varsity team, which is for students in grades 4 through 6, or for the Varsity teams that are open to students in grades 7 and 8, please contact me at 569-3494. Practices for the other teams are expected to get underway in late September or early October. Watch for more details in upcoming newsletters and also on the Sports Update link on our website.
Sincerely,
Mr. DelViscio
“Example is not the main thing in influencing others, it is the only thing.” – A.Schweitzer
September 12, 2011
Dear Parents/Guardians, Students and Friends of Bishop Dunn,
In my newsletter that was emailed home last Thursday, I planned to include a number of opening week announcements and reminders that I wasn’t able to provide at our open house/orientation the day before. Because the newsletter ended up being primarily focused on updating everyone about our emergency communications procedures that was obviously a more important topic in the wake of the unprecedented day off due to flooding following the latest near-hurricane to hit our region, I didn’t get to all the necessary reminders and “re-reminders”. Before I get to the list, I wanted to welcome all our new Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten students on their first full day of school. I also apologize to all of their parents for the problems you may have had finding their way to school, once they got onto the campus, or who get stuck in our “first week of getting all the kinks out” car pick-up line bottleneck this afternoon. I also wanted to suggest VERY STRONGLY that you read the information being repeated one more time in this newsletter below concerning car line pick-up procedures.
***
PLEASE FOLLOW CAR DISMISSAL PROCEDURES: Beginning today, all Pre-K and kindergarten children and their older siblings will be ready for pick up at 2:15 p.m. near the front entrance of our library. ALL OTHER STUDENTS WILL NOT BE DISMISSED UNTIL 2:25 P.M. AT THE BACK ENTRANCE WHERE CARS LINE UP ON OUR BASKETBALL COURT. To help move cars along quickly in both lines, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE make sure to have a sign with your last name on it printed in block letters that are at least four inches high that you can place in your passenger side window. This allows staff to know how to line children up, so that they are ready to come outside when you reach the front of the car line. PLEASE also don’t leave your car to come and get your child from the building or to chat with other parents while you are on the car line. This causes the line to move much more slowly, while everyone is waiting for you to get back to your car.
EARLY PICK-UP IN FRONT LOBBY DISCOURAGED: If you need to pick up your child earlier than the regular dismissal time in the afternoon for a doctor’s appointment, and emergency or any other reason, please come to the front lobby before 1:45 p.m. Because academic instruction is taking place in many classrooms up to 2:15 p.m., children who leave earlier than the regular dismissal time often miss important information. Having to get these children ready to leave earlier than others is also very distracting to the teachers who are trying to finish lessons and last-minute instructions to all the students.
DON’T LEAVE CARS ALONG FRONT CURB: Parents who want to bring their children into school in the morning are reminded that they need to park their cars in the lot across from our main entrance and not leave the cars along the front curb. Leaving your car there not only blocks others from pulling up to drop children off, but it creates a dangerous safety hazard, because visibility is reduced when cars try to pull around the unattended vehicles.
NO PASS, NO PASSAGE THROUGH HALLWAYS: As we get past the first days of helping students bring in supplies for their classrooms, everyone is reminded that only parents of Pre-K and kindergarten students can walk their children to their classrooms in the morning. For security purposes, and also to avoid having teachers distracted while they try to get their students settled in the morning, no parents are allowed in our main hallway during the morning. Anyone visiting the school at any other time of the day must get a pass, which requires approval either from the principal or the development director, in order to walk through the building.
HANDBOOK RULES NEED TO BE REVIEWED: Copies of the extensively updated version of our Parent-Student Handbook should have been given out or sent home to all families in our school by now. A PDF version of the handbook is also available to download from the homepage link on our website, www.bdms.org. If you haven’t done so, please review the handbook with your children, especially the section on discipline policies, and then sign and return the handbook rules acceptance form on the last page of the book. Parents should know that I will be making a concerted effort this year to contact parents if their child receives a referral for breaking one of the
(Continued on back)
rules of the school, which may involve your receiving a telephone call during the school day from your child!
SPORTS MEETING ON WEDNESDAY: Anyone who would like to have their child take part in our school basketball, cheerleading or soccer programs, but who are unfamiliar with how they are organized, is invited to attend a sports information meeting this Wednesday, Sept. 14th, beginning at 6:30 p.m. in our gym. If you can’t attend the meeting, please make sure that your child has turned in the sports participation form that was sent home this summer, and keep checking the extracurricular/sports update link on our website, www.bdms.org, for information about the first practices and the start of the season.
SOCCER PROGRAM ALREADY UNDER WAY: In case you missed our soccer teams’ first practices this past weekend, and you still want your child to take part in the program, you need to download, fill out and return the form now on the sports update link on our website, along with payment for uniforms and the participation fee described on the form.
LAST “HARD COPY” NEWSLETTERS: Finally, for all those getting a hard copy of this newsletter in your child’s bookbag today (Pre-K parents and other new families to the school only), this is a reminder that all further weekly newsletters and many other regular notices will be sent home ONLY by email to those on our address list. The newsletters and notices will also be posted on our website, www.bdms.org, and a few hard copies will be available in our front lobby. IF YOU HAVEN’T GIVEN US AN EMAIL ADDRESS TO USE FOR THIS COMMUNICATIONS PURPOSE, PLEASE DO SO THIS WEEK. This is also a reminder to check our website regularly (daily is best), for announcements, event updates, and other useful school information.
“Don’t pray when it rains, if you don’t pray when the sun shines.” – Satchel Paige
September 8, 2011
Dear Parents/Guardians, Students and Friends of Bishop Dunn,
Normally my “Welcome Back” newsletter is sent home on the first day of school. I decide to wait this year until after both our Pre-K/Kindergarten Open House on Tuesday and our Grade 1-8 Orientation on Wednesday to make sure that I addressed in this note any questions or concerns about the start of the new school year that weren’t adequately covered in the parent meetings. Little did I realize that the focus of the letter would be on weather-related emergency school closing procedures, which normally isn’t a concern until months from now. But, then again, this has definitely not been a normal year as far as weather is concerned! I’m assuming most of you got my somewhat frantic phone and email messages yesterday morning about the last-minute decisions by the Newburgh School District to have a delayed opening and then finally to close school for the day, as a result of severe flooding throughout the city. Unfortunately, a few of the outlying districts, where some of our students reside, didn’t get the message early enough, so we had a small number of them who were dropped off at school and stayed with our staff for a few hours in the morning, before their buses could return to take them home. The good news is that our Immediate Response Information System (IRIS) did allow me to get the messages out quickly enough to keep most of our students off the roads and out of harm’s way. For those new to the school, the IRIS communications system is the main way that we announce delayed openings, early dismissals, school closings, and other emergencies. We will normally try to following the initial IRIS message “blast” with announcements on our website’s home page, a voicemail message on the main school phone number, 569-3494, and with notifications through the region’s radio stations, but that won’t always be possible, especially if we only have a short time to respond. The bottom line, as I emphasized to everyone at our open house meetings, is that if you are not in the IRIS database, you need to immediately return the communications/contact forms that were sent home this summer, so that we can add your contact information. One last note, for now, on emergency notifications. If you hear that Newburgh schools are having delayed openings, dismissing early, or are closing due to any emergency, you can assume that Bishop Dunn is doing the same, even if our name isn’t mentioned. We aren’t technically required to follow the district’s lead, but officials there generally have a better idea of emergency conditions that might exist than I do, so it would take some very special circumstances for our school to go against the district’s decision.
***
COLLECTION FOR HURRICANE FLOOD VICTIMS: One of the important messages I neglected to pass along to parents at our Tuesday and Wednesday meetings, and also obviously didn’t get a chance to share with our students on Thursday, is that Bishop Dunn is collaborating with Mount Saint Mary College to collect clothing and supplies for families in an upstate town, which was completed destroyed by the flooding that took place when Hurricane Irene swept through the region last week. If you can send one or more of the items listed below into school on Friday, it would be greatly appreciated. Things that are needed by the families include: CLOTHING – packaged underwear, t-shirts, socks (men’s women’s and children’s, all sizes); PERSONAL HYGIENE ITEMS – soap, shampoo, combs, toothbrushes, toothpaste, floss, waterless wash cloths, towels, deodorant, hand sanitizer, razors, and shaving cream, tissues, and feminine products; FOOD ITEMS – paper plates, bowls, and plastic utensils; BABY ITEMS – formula, disposable diapers, baby wipes, bibs, and blankets; SCHOOL SUPPLIES – backpacks, pens, pencils, crayons, notebooks, and paper; SAFETY ITEMS – flashlights, batteries, safety glasses, face masks, ear plugs, work gloves, and rubber gloves; CLEANING ITEMS – disinfectant, spray cleaners, dish detergent, paper towels, trash bags, mops, buckets, shovels, and rakes; COMFORT ITEMS – pillows and pillow cases, blankets, small stuffed animals, games (small/travel size), packs of cards, coloring books/crayons, reading glasses, reading materials, small note books.
SOCCER SEASON GETS EARLY START: Another message I didn’t get to share with students Thursday is that there will be an opening practice and information session this Saturday, Sept. 10th, for any students in grades 4 though 8, who are interested in playing on our Junior Varsity or Varsity soccer teams this fall. The session will be held from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. in the field behind our school, or in our gym, if the weather doesn’t cooperate. Participants are asked to bring a fully inflated soccer ball and wear cleats and shin guards. Call me at school if you have any questions about the program.
MASS ON FRIDAY: Parents are reminded that because we will be going to St. Mary’s Church tomorrow for our opening week Mass, all students should wear their uniforms to school. If your child is scheduled to have physical education on Friday, he or she can bring in sneakers to put on during class. The Mass will be held at 10:30 a.m., and all parents are also welcome to attend.
CAR PICK-UP PROCEDURES FINE TUNED: Although I have gone over our car pick-up procedures at both our parent meetings, as well as in earlier newsletters, it never hurts to review them again, especially as we approach the first full week of school, when our Pre-K and kindergarten students will be joining the already-long lines near the library and rear entrances of our school. Because of the newly opened entrance roadway onto to campus that creates a two-way thoroughfare right through the area where we have afternoon car pick-ups, we are going to try staggering pick-up times for different grades to see if we can reduce the amount of cars that line up in the area behind our library. Beginning Monday, Sept. 12th, all Pre-K and kindergarten children and their older siblings will be ready for pick up at 2:15 p.m. near the front entrance of our library. ALL OTHER STUDENTS WILL NOT BE DISMISSED UNTIL 2:25 P.M. AT THE BACK ENTRANCE WHERE CARS LINE UP ON OUR BASKETBALL COURT. To help move cars along quickly in both lines, please make sure to have a sign with your last name on it printed in block letters that are at least four inches high that you can place in your passenger side window. This allows staff to know how to line children up, so that they are ready to come outside when you reach the front of the car line.
GETTING FROM THERE TO HERE: As the first full week of school approaches, I also wanted to remind parents to use the Gidney Avenue gate as much as possible in getting to and from Bishop Dunn. Coming onto campus at the Powell Avenue gate will require you to take the long way around the back of the Kaplan Center, because of a new “pedestrian-only” section of the roadway between the Kaplan and Aquinas parking lots. The alternate entrance next to the Powell Avenue gate is OK to use in the morning for a quicker path to Bishop Dunn, but please avoid trying to get on campus that way during dismissal time in the afternoon for reasons that should be obvious if you already read the car pick-up procedure note above.
HANDBOOKS HANDED OUT: Copies of the extensively updated version of our Parent-Student Handbook were handed out to all those who attended our open house sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday. We will be sending copies home on Friday with students whose parents didn’t attend the meetings. If you don’t get one by Monday, please call our main office at 569-3494 and we will send you a copy. The handbook is also available to download from the homepage link on our website, www.bdms.org. Please take time to review the handbook with your child or children to make sure that you are all familiar with the rules and procedures detailed in the book. A rules acceptance form included at the end of the handbook should be signed and returned to school by Monday, Sept. 12th.
PLEASE SEND IN PINK CARDS/FORMS: A number of parents have not yet returned completed pink medical emergency contact cards that were sent home this summer. These cards provide very important information for our files, so please return yours, along with any other forms you were also given to complete in the summer mailing as soon as possible.
READING PROGRAMS SET TO START: As of Thursday, there were still spaces available in two free after-school reading program that are led by graduate classes from Mount Saint Mary College. One program will be held on Mondays for approximately 10 week and will provide one-on-one reading remediation and enrichment opportunities for a limited number of kindergarten and 1st grade students. A second program for students in 2nd, 3rd and 4th grade will be offered on Thursdays. Please call our main number at 569-3494, if you did not receive a letter and application form for the programs this summer.
USED UNIFORMS HERE FOR THE TAKING: For those still looking to supplement your uniform purchases, recycled new and used school pants, skirts and other uniform items are available free of charge, and are now nicely sorted and displayed in our school breezeway, thanks to the organizing efforts of two of our parents, Mrs. Catherine Godwin, and Mrs. Carmela Davis. The uniform items will be kept on tables in the breezeway through the end of next week.
NEWSLETTERS ONLY DISTRIBUTED BY EMAIL: Finally, the only families receiving “hard copies” of this newsletter are those new to our school this year. Everyone else should know by now that all weekly newsletters, and many other kinds of notes and announcements are only sent home through our email information system. The communications are also posted on our website, www.bdms.org. If you are not on our school communications email list, please contact the school, so that you can be added.
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