Dear St. Patrick families,
As we are all aware, the snow and frigid temperatures have played havoc with the school schedule since returning from Christmas break. At this point in time, we do not need to make up any of the days that we have not been in session. Hopefully, this will not become an issue, even though we have at least another solid six weeks of winter ahead. One thing that creates an issue is when only one or maybe two districts call off, such as on Tuesday this past week. Since we follow Kent City Schools for our snow days we may be in school while a neighboring district is not. When they are closed they do not provide busing for our students in the morning and afternoon, making transportation to and from school your responsibility. Please be sure the necessary arrangements are made, especially after school, and that the students are picked up in a reasonable amount of time after dismissal.
I commend everyone for their cooperation in making our morning drop off and evening pick up run smoothly. Please be sure that you inform someone other than who normally drives the children what the proper procedure is.
We recently conducted a direct mailing campaign to get the word out about our upcoming open house and 2018 – 2019 school registration. On the mailer we offered a $100 tuition credit to a new family if they enrolled and mentioned the mailer. I would offer to our present families the same $100 credit if you recommend a family and they enroll.
The Edchoice program for the 2018 – 2019 school year will be opening on Feb. 1st and closing mid- March. This is for new and renewal families. The necessary paperwork will be available in the office and online at the Ohio Dept. of Education. If you need assistance with any of this paperwork, we will gladly help you in the office. Some of the issues that are encountered every year that hinder the application process – 1) Failure to get the information turned in prior to the deadline. The office literally has to chase families to get their applications turned in by the deadline. 2) Turning in acceptable proof of residency. The paperwork provided is very clear regarding what will and will not be accepted as proof of residency. This is an annual problem. 3) Providing the correct information regarding family finances. Applications get sent back to me because either insufficient or incomplete financial information is provided. This happens frequently. When asking for this information, many times it is not provided in a timely manner. 4) Failure to let the school know if you receive a letter from the Edchoice office regarding an issue with the application. Letters sent directly to our families, in most cases, are not copied to the school, and I only find out that there was an issue when the application is in danger of being rejected. Again, if you are not sure about anything in the application process, please call the school for assistance.
The window is now open for the Cushwa / Wolsonovich Scholarship. Information is available in the office.
The deadline to apply is March 16, 2018. Applications will not be accepted after this date.
There were some postings on the school Facebook page questioning something regarding Catholic Schools’ Week before anything was officially sent home. Always call the office if you have a question. The office does not monitor the Facebook page and therefore would not be able to respond to these questions.
I am including today a listing of our events for Catholic Schools’ Week. Our week will be highlighted with Bishop Murry celebrating Mass for the school and then visiting the classrooms after Mass. I invite everyone to join us that week beginning with our Open House on Sunday, Jan. 28th, from 12 to 2 PM.
Have a great weekend. Hopefully Mother Nature will be a little kinder to us in the coming weeks. And, as always ….. GO PANTHERS!