Dear DeSales Family,

Can it be? Summer is half over already? This is that bitter sweet time for me as summer is coming to an end, but school is starting. Even as a child I looked forward to the Fall as it meant that I was going to see all of my friends again as well as find out who my teacher was going to be. Well, it seems that little has changed for me; I still look forward to Fall and I still get to see all of my friends. So, as we move steadily though August I wanted to reach out and let you all know about some of the changes that will greet you when you come back in September.

When you arrive in September you will be greeted by a host of new faces in our school. While we are still working on a few more positions we currently have the following people joining our family:

 Mrs. Webster ~ First Grade
 Mrs. Rahill ~ Library
 Mrs. Deegan ~ AIS Literacy
 Miss Flynn ~ Spanish

This year we also have quite a few physical changes to our school. The Spanish room will be moving up to the third floor joining Mr. Wilson’s health classroom and the Math AIS room. This will allow us to move our library next to the art room and expand it into a multi-media center as well. The great part about this is that we can now open the library up to so much more use, especially during our bi-weekly club time.

One of the many fond memories that I have from my elementary years are the many different clubs that I could join to explore different opportunities; those not normally available to me. Well, one of the biggest obstacles that we have faced is that we do not have a late bus available to help students take advantage of these clubs. So, with some creative scheduling, we have been able juggle the schedule such that on non-Mass day Wednesdays we will use the last period of the day as a time when clubs can meet and students can still go home on their regular bus. Some of the clubs already being talked about are science Olympiads and a photo journalism club. (Look for more on this in mid-September as we are looking at an October start for this program.)

Additionally, we are making some changes to our daily schedules to continue to exceed the expectations placed on schools today in literacy and math. This year will see daily, dedicated literacy blocks in Kindergarten through grade five of 60-90 minutes. These times will allow for an even deeper exploration of the worlds that abound in literature as well as the chance to provide differentiated challenges to each student. What about the middle school you may ask? Well, worry not as our middle school students will all have a writing/literacy lab worked into their schedule to allow them to get even more time to explore and refine just like their younger classmates.

In the same vein, as we have our advanced math and science courses available for grade eight students we are going to be offering elementary based, accelerated programs in math for those students who really need that extra challenge to excel. These opportunities will be held within the classroom with students moving through developmentally appropriate groups that challenge them to push their bounds and reach their innate potential.

Finally, and I am sure you have been asked this question from your children, as I know mine has asked me, who will be my homeroom teacher for next year? Well, sorry, but I was sworn to secrecy until the opening picnic on Wednesday, August 27th at 6:00 PM. So please do not attempt to bribe me with homemade cookies I cannot be tempted.
God Bless my friends and enjoy the last few weeks of summer fun. I look forward to seeing you all soon.

Peace,
Scott