| April 25, 2024 Feast of St. Mark, Evangelist Dear Saint James School Families and Friends, As we enter the last month of school, I am filled with gratitude. What a wonderful year this has been! This newsletter highlights just a few of the extracurricular events of the past month that we have been able to provide to supplement the daily learning in the classrooms. We look forward in the coming weeks to our end of the year traditions to celebrate the hard work and dedication of our students. Our teachers have been committed to professional learning this year, which has enriched their instructional practices and ability to meet each child’s needs. Mrs. LeAnn Nickelsen, an educator from Solution Tree, has provided four days of professional development this year in literacy instruction. I want to share with you some of her reflections: “I have had the most wonderful opportunity to be on the Learning Journey with St James Elizabethtown educators. They attended my training called the Literacy Triangle about a year ago and were determined to implement the strategies, tools, and processes into their everyday classrooms. They knew this would take commitment and extended, sustained, professional development. They are eager to use this literacy process across all grade levels and subject areas because of the powerful research associated with this process and because it engages students at a whole different level propelling them to love reading and writing. I’m so proud of these teachers – what a blessing they have been. Truly, the students at your school are so blessed to have your teachers educating them daily!” We are grateful to each of our teachers for their continued commitment to academic excellence and for their willingness to pursue their own professional growth. This Friday, we are looking forward to our first annual Faith Rally with Fr. Jewel Aytona and P.J. Anderson. This day-long retreat will give students the opportunity to encounter Christ in the Eucharist and share their faith with one another. Parents are welcome to join us for Mass at 9:00 AM or our Eucharistic procession at 1:15 PM. As always, please do not hesitate to reach out to me with any questions or concerns. It is joy to partner with each of you to form intelligent, courageous and joyful saints for this world and the next. Sincerely in Christ,  Sister Mary Grace Watson, O.P. Principal, St. James Catholic School |
