EE, CPR, 1st Aid, Advanc-ED, and De La Salle

I wrote my first blog in 2011 when I was the president of Helias Catholic High School in Jefferson City, MO. That first blog was on St. John Baptist de La Salle's 3rd guideline in his Meditations for the Time of Retreat, which stated: "That those who teach the young are cooperators with Jesus Christ in the salvation of souls." That blog explains why I believe in Catholic education. Seven years later, I feel even stronger about our role as Catholic School educators. If you get a chance, Click on the link below to read that blog.
http://didieraur.blogspot.com/2011/07/catholic-education-de-la-salle-style.html

St. John Baptist de La Salle

Back then, my blog wasn't a weekly blog. I would write when there was something I felt like sharing. Also back then, the blog got 12-35 hits. That number has been increasing as I've published more blogs. Now, my blog is weekly, and averages about 1,200 hits. The purpose of this blog is to create a positive culture of transparency while generating support for St. Ann Catholic School and my students.

Writing a weekly blog isn't easy. I don't develop an outline with the main points. I don't create a first draft, rewrite, second draft, rewrite... I just think about those things you should know about what's happening at St. Ann, and I start writing. When I'm finished writing, my wife reads it over to help find mistakes. Kelley also lets me know if what I'm writing makes sense. I definitely cannot proof read my own writing. We aren't English majors. We just do the best we can on the editing part. When she gives me two thumbs up, I hit the publish button.

New Fences
Campus Beautification

All that to say that I hope you find this blog informative. I hope it gives you a sense of ownership as to what's happening at St. Ann. I also hope that my students are reading the blogs, and it creates in them a desire to start writing a blog. You don't have to be a certain age or in a certain grade to create a blog. If you feel you have something worthwhile or interesting to share, start your own blog. I highly recommend it.

I'm excited about the great things going on at St. Ann. The Extracurricular Exploration (EE) classes have been a hit. The 3rd session of EE classes begins October 10th. Ideas for EE classes keep coming. I believe Mrs. Griffith is going back to the robotics class and combine it with the Robotics Club. The Robotics Club could start during the EE time and continue after-school. This is something she is working on.

I also want to try something new with EE. Our students are bright and creative. Are there classes they could actually teach if we have adults to help supervise? Yes, we do have classes they could teach. Just for starters, Ruby Langford can teach a sewing class and Michaela Crews can teach a baking class. When I mentioned this idea to them, they were super-excited about the possibility. Let's find a way to make it happen.

The girls self-defense class has been a hit. Like to take this a step further and include the boys. Tracy Angotti wants to add a dance class to EE. Maybe we can alternate between dance and self-defense just like the A and B day schedule. We could have the dance class on A days and Anime on B days. That's another possibility.

Our development committee is growing with the addition of Sr. Connie Tarallo. The committee continues to meet every Thursday at 4:00. Our alumni database continues to grow. We are hearing from more and more alumni. The plan for the Fat Tuesday Alumni Party is materializing. We have lots of ideas brewing. But, we are not going to do anything until after the St. Ann Fall Fest. The Fall Fest is everyone's top priority. We will do nothing to distract from the Fall Fest.

Fall Fest Events

Speaking of Fall Fest, if you haven't volunteered yet, my question is: Why Not? To me, every parishioner and school parent should give a little of their time to help. We are all talented people with something positive to share. It is going to be a great event. I hope we can all enjoy that weekend together.  To volunteer to help with the Fall Fest, click on this link.
https://stannfallfest.org/home/contact-us/volunteer/

Since this is a school accreditation year, we are using the Advanc-ED ELEOT classroom observation form. It is a student and not teacher-centered observation. The ELEOT observation identifies seven student-centered areas within the classroom environment. The other observation form we use is teacher-centered. The ELEOT is much more detailed and comprehensive. It also takes twice as long to complete but it is worth it. There is a good short YouTube video on the ELEOT observation form if you are interested in seeing what areas this observation covers. Here is the link to that video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2yx8sfoLig

St. Ann Volleyball Team

The 3rd-8th graders completed the Advanc-ED surveys, which is part of the accreditation process. The teachers will complete the survey this next week. Parents were asked to complete their survey last school year. I will find out if this year's parents will have the same opportunity to give feedback.

On Monday and Tuesday, all St. Ann staff members (teachers, front office, E-Care, administration) will go through CPR and First Aid training with the Bartlett Fire Department. This means that all of our employees will be certified in CPR and First Aid. We want to be prepared. This isn't a part of Advanc-ED certification but is a part of Pre-K certification with the State of Tennessee.

Thank you for taking the time to read this blog. Looking forward to another great week of educating our students, continuing our development work, doing more classroom observations, mentoring the young men in fourth grade, teaching my geography class, working the carpool line, and having treats for the puppies in the carpool line.

Finally, remember that without your support, St. Ann Catholic School would not exist. If you are looking for ways to support the school, please contact me at didier.aur@sascolts.org. Look forward to hearing from you.

God bless you,
Didier Aur, Principal
St. Ann Catholic School