School News
Safeguarding All God's Family - Important Notice
Holy Apostles School offers many opportunities for all parish members to help our children grow spiritually, intellectually, physically, and socially. Throughout the school year there are numerous activities in need of volunteers; playground supervisors, library aides, lunchroom supervision, chaperone's for field trips, assisting teachers and staff to name a few.
All volunteers must meet the Safeguarding All God’s Family requirements, which are required by the Milwaukee Archdiocese. The requirements include attending an Archdiocesan training session. Go to www.archmil.org and click on the Safeguarding All of God’s Family link to register. Classes are held on an ongoing basis at a wide variety of parishes. The schedule can be found at the website mentioned. Registration is offered online only.
2013 School Pak Sale
The School-Pak sale is here! School Pak is a convenient way for parents to purchase their child’s school supplies for next year as a prepackaged set. School-Paks are delivered to Holy Apostles in August prior to the beginning of the school year. This year, orders will only be accepted online. Please do not send orders to school.
A Message from Greg Young, Principal
Our country experienced unthinkable heartbreak last Friday in Newtown, Connecticut. My prayers and those of our faculty go out to the families and community who have suffered such senseless loss of life. In recent times, violence and crises seem so much a part of our world. At times like this when all seems so scary, and unsure, I know I must renew my prayers to God and ask for His comfort in my life.
Please be assured that within the school we are doing everything in our power to ensure the safety of the children you have entrusted to our care. Each student here is a precious gift from God, and we take very seriously our responsibility to educate and guide them in the Catholic faith and moral values.
Here at Holy Apostles, our expertise lies in education, for this reason we look to other professionals to guide our efforts in response to tragedy. For a number of years, Holy Apostle has had a Crisis Response Plan in place. The following is a section from this plan “In preparing the Crisis Response Plan we have had consultation with the New Berlin Police and Fire Department, the New Berlin School District, local high schools, psychologists, faith leaders, insurance companies, lawyers and parish or school members. For security we will not disclose our plans except for fire and tornado plans. Some emergencies, including threats, may not be communicated to the parents. Most Emergency Response plans are practiced on a regular basis or are reviewed annually.”
I would like to share with you a few things we do to protect the people within our building. First, we keep all doors locked. We remind children and adults to close doors behind them and not prop doors open. All visitors to the building are required to check in at the office in order to be permitted into the building. Students will not open doors to allow strangers/visitors into the building. Additionally, our maintenance staff will do more periodic checking of outside doors.
We are informed of any person(s) who are not allowed in the building, usually in the case of a custody issue. We are so very careful in releasing your child(ren) to specific people. Bus permission slips are critical in tracking your child’s whereabouts. Having a relative pick up your child without written permission is not allowed.
There are so many scenarios we consider. Of course we have monthly fire drills and a tornado drill. For the past three years we have had Code Red drills conducted by the Police Department. This twice-a-year exercise has the students practicing the scenario in which a dangerous stranger has entered the building. Each time we have had this drill, the Police Department has given us high marks with only minor suggestions.
In the event of an actual emergency within our building we will use the internet and phones to communicate with our families. Please do not call us as we would like to keep our lines open so that we can call out. We can communicate best through the HeadMaster school communications program. We have an evacuation plan in place which will be shared when the situation arises.
How do we best communicate with children about crises? We believe parents should have a crucial role in disseminating information about violence to their children. You, as parents, know best your family’s situation and child’s emotional level. Our teachers will go out of their way to be reassuring and calming, but will direct students to ask their parents. Prayer and the ability for children to express their feelings are important components of dealing with loss. School policy is to not show live television at any time. If children bring up the topic we know, “Children need brief, simple information that should be balanced with reassurances that their school and homes are safe and that adults are there to protect them.” As a faith community we have been told it is a, “Perfect opportunity to speak about redemption, grace, and heaven to the children”. One thing we didn’t do during this most recent episode of violence in Connecticut was to control student access to the Internet. In the future we will shut down the student access to the Internet in our school should a similar event occur. This allows parents to communicate the information to their children rather than allowing them to discover the details online. The Internet was turned off for Monday for that reason. A helpful article is "Talking to Children About Violence: Tips for Parents and Teachers" at the following link:http://www.nasponline.org/resources/talkingviolence.pdf.
Student cell phones are also not to be turned on while on school grounds. Student cell phones cause more harm than good and are not part of any crisis plan.
As a faith community we have been told it is a, “perfect opportunity to speak about redemption, grace, and heaven to the children.” We also find this to be an opportune time to talk about tolerance for others differences and the need to reach out to people who need friends.
The tragedies we face challenge our resolve. However knowing that with God we can face these horrors brings us some serenity. Holy Apostles has considered many scenarios and already has plans in place to protect your children. I hope this information brings you additional peace.
Our Catholic faith is a rock on which to build our lives. We know that God has personal concern and care for us. God will bring life out of death and goodness out of tragedy. This dreadful event is an occasion to remember how fragile life is and how death often comes unexpectedly. I know that you all join me in keeping the victims of the tragedy in Newtown, Conn. in our thoughts and prayers.
We welcome Sara Marie Laabs who was born Monday 12/17 at 7.5lbs. Mrs. Laabs is our Middle School Science teacher. Mother and daugher are doing well.
4K Student wish you a Merry Christmas
Did You Know...
Both Holy Apostles Parish and School are on Facebook! Please like us! It's a great way to connect with others from our Holy Apostles family and stay informed about events, sports, activities, ministries, and more! Together, we can create a vibrant online community!
Welcome Mrs. Madeline Lamphear
Our staff is complete with new hire Mrs. Madeline Lamphear as our school secretary. She will replace Cheryl Sobczak who is retiring. Mrs. Madeline Lamphear worked at St. Matthias School in their library and front office. She is a warm and welcoming person. Mrs. Lamphear has strong computer and organizational skills. These are traits we need in our front office. As one person said about her, “Madeline is organized, efficient, extremely competent, and has an excellent rapport with people of all ages." We welcome Madeline Lamphear to our community.
Project Lead the Way Announcement
For the 2012-2013 school year, Holy Apostles is excited to announce a new addition to the middle school science program, Project Lead the Way (PLTW). Specifically, the middle school program is called Gateway to Technology (GTT). The GTT program will spark interest in STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and prepare students to continue these studies in high school. Many of our area high schools have already implemented PLTW. With Holy Apostles adding a middle school section, our students will have the experience and skills necessary for the secondary level of PLTW (Pathway to Engineering and Biomedical Sciences Program). The GTT program implemented next school year involves a project-based curriculum designed to challenge and engage middle school students. Students can visualize, design, and test their ideas using advanced modeling software used already by many large companies. Middle school students will study mechanical and computer control systems, involving robotics and animation. GTT allows students to gain knowledge and acquire skills in problem solving, teamwork, and innovation as well as explore STEM careers. Students will continue to learn the science curriculum currently in place throughout the school year along with the GTT program as a complimentary curriculum. The GTT program will take a few years to be fully installed, but will directly affect the seventh and eighth grades for next school year. In order to sustain the program, Holy Apostles’ GTT program will develop a strong connection with local engineering businesses, maintain advanced engineering equipment, and prepare students for the next level of engineering in the secondary schools. If you are interested in reading more about PLTW, please visit www.pltw.org.
Messenger Access
Parents, access the latest Messenger here, or via the Quick Links.
Refer-A-Family Program
Are you interested in savings $100’s of dollars off next year’s tuition with minimal effort? We need Holy Apostles families to spread the word to relatives, friends, and neighbors. Get more info with the Refer-A-Family form.
Visit HA Parish on Facebook