Winter School Safety

Dear DeSales Family,

As I sit down to write to you today, it seems as if winter may be planning to make its first real appearance for this year.  The weather report this morning warned us of the possibility of lake effect snow and, more telling, Mr. Rich spent time today making sure that the school’s snow plow was ready to go.  With these harbingers of impending winter weather, I would be remiss if I did not take a quick opportunity to review a few perennial safety concerns.

• Please remember that all of our little ones walk through the parking lot in some form or fashion and they do not always look before moving on.  As a rule make sure that you enter and exit the lot through the designated lanes and that you adhere to a maximum speed of no more than five miles per hour.
• Please allow some extra time for students to get into class in the morning as they are wearing a few more clothes, and so is everyone else in the school.  If you have never seen an elementary school hall the day of a first real snow, it looks as if a tornado has hit with kids and clothes everywhere.
• With the previous in mind, please be sensitive to the time of teachers immediately before and after school.  The time is designed for daily preparation and brief student questions.  Unfortunately, they often do not have time to accommodate drop-in parent conferences.  It is always best to either call, e-mail, or drop a line to schedule a conference.  As a school, it is our goal to reply to all communication, at the latest, in 24 hours. 
• Please remember that passing a school stopped school bus, even with a permanent divider in the road is illegal. 
• Finally, in the rare case that DeSales Catholic School is going to close because of inclement weather we will publicize this on all major television stations and, in all instances, if the Lockport City School District is closed because of inclement weather, DeSales is closed.

On a personal note, thank you one and all for the delicious cookie and fruit tray as well as the generous Christmas bonus.  Your kindness to me and my family is greatly appreciated today and the whole year through.

Student Safety

I hope this letter finds you all enjoying the aftermath of Thanksgiving and looking forward to a blessed Christmas season.  I know that when we look outside it may not look like December is almost here, but it does start this week and with it, the inevitable snow will fall.

I am writing today as a matter of public service so to speak.  Over the last few months we have been receiving a good number of calls from our neighbors regarding traffic concerns in the morning and early afternoon, particularly along the Ambleside Drive entrance of the school.  Specifically the calls have mentioned cars passing parked school busses and traveling at accelerated rates of speed.  I know that there is some confusion, particularly about passing school busses on Ambleside as there is a permanent partition in the road.  I checked with Chief Deputy Steven Preisch of the Niagara County Sheriff’s Department who confirmed that, under section 1174 (a) and (c) of the New York State Traffic Law it is illegal to pass a school bus if it is stopped with flashing lights regardless of a divider in the street or not.  Additionally, Chief Deputy Preisch informed me that there is a minimum fine of $250 and/or up to thirty (30) days imprisonment. 

I know that you all share my concern for the safety and wellbeing of our children so please remember that you cannot pass a school bus with lights flashing, even if there is a permanent divider in the road.  Also, please let me know if you have any concerns with something you see.  And, as always, please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

New Report Cards

Thank you, thank you and thank you again.  As we have found, there are more than just a few bugs and glitches in the new report card system that we are using.  While the system is used throughout many New York State school districts, this is the first time we are using it to its fullest extent.  And, when you add that it is a completely new version of e-school, our BOCES center is telling us that there are ripples throughout the state. 

So again, thank you for your patience as the teachers and I review and correct any issues we find and we run through all the concerns that you are respectfully raising.  Please rest assured that we will get everyone of them corrected and all students will receive the grades that they have worked so hard for throughout the semester. 

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact either me or the specific teacher involved and we will look into the matter as quickly as possible.

October Newsletter

It has been a little while since I have had the opportunity to write to you this year and to say the least, things have been busy here at DeSales.  With that in mind, I had to find the time to sit down and share the several exciting events that are happening and address a few questions that I am sure that you all have.

As we began this year, with all of the budgetary cuts transpiring in schools and many local private schools bearing witness to this problem with drastically declining enrollment, we at DeSales have the great fortune of an increased opening day enrollment by over 10 students.  With that, I have to say thank you.  Thank you to both the parents for the confidence they have in what we stand for and thank you to our exceptional faculty and staff for the high quality education that is provided each and every day.  But, this is only the beginning of what this year has brought:

 Annual Boosters Fitness Walk ~ This year’s fitness walk was an incredible success with a net increase of 57% raised for the support of our student athletic and physical education programs.  Please join me in offering our kudos to Chairperson Ann Murphy Beaulieu and all of the Boosters.

o   Please join the Booster Club at the Davison Road Inn on Tuesday, November 8^th at 6:30 for a Buffalo Sabres TV viewing party. 

Home School Association ~ This year HSA has already sponsored many successful events, the opening picnic, TGIS, and the chicken BBQ, with their first big fund raiser around the corner, the Cash Raffle.  If you have not already purchased your ticket for a chance at $5,000 in cash and prizes, please do so as November 19^th is fast approaching.  Remember, support of HSA events like the Cash Raffle and the annual Auction helped to sponsor our new computer lab.

Questions/Concerns:

Music ~ It was recently announced that Mrs. Trupo had accepted a new position at Lyndonville Public School system as a music teacher.  While Mrs. Trupo will be missed, we are truly blessed to have an incredibly talented replacement in Miss DiStefano.  Miss DiStefano will begin her career at DeSales in December as she completes her current assignment.  Some of you may know her from her work with our recent musical, Alice in Wonderland, Jr. and this year with Aladdin, Jr.  In the interim, we are very fortunate to have a highly trained and qualified teacher, Miss Hayley Barmasse serve as our long-term substitute. 

Boilers ~ There have been a good number of questions about the boilers and what is going on with them.  I have been promised that the boilers will be fired up during the day on Friday, October 28^th.  I know that some parts of the building have been a little chilly at times, but everyone has been exceptionally understanding and supportive during their installation. 

Parking Lot ~ Please make sure that you keep your eyes open for our little ones in the parking lot.  In addition, we have now closed off the section of the lot along the wall in the morning for arrival. 

7^th Grade ~ Please remember that, because of mass for All Saints Day on November 1^st, seventh grade will have health class November 1st and should dress appropriately.  Their normally scheduled PE class will be held on Wednesday, November 2^nd for that week only.

In the future I hope that you check back regularly, as I will be posting not only DeSales news, but also helpful educational ideas that you can work on at home.

God Bless you all,

Scott