Weekly Newsletter
December 11-December 15, 2023
Principal’s Corner
The final weeks of the semester are flying by! Our students worked diligently preparing for exams, shopping for their Advent Angel, and learning about gratitude and giving. Watching them excited about the spirit of giving and anxiously waiting their turn to receive is a blessing.
I am very excited to announce that Mr. Donald Foley will be joining the faculty at the Academy in January as our counselor! Mr. Foley is a licensed school social worker with classroom experience and experience working with marginalized youth and trauma.
An Academy Community “Reaching Out to Help” Opportunity
Please bring in your Gift Cards by Tuesday!
During this time of year, our Academy family reaches out to a family in need. This Christmas season, our Academy community has a chance to reach out to one of our school families facing challenging circumstances. Their child, one of our students, is grappling with serious medical issues and trauma and could benefit from our collective support. We’re starting a collection of various gift cards — including those for gas, groceries, Amazon, etc. — to assist them during this challenging period. Please send your gift cards to the office in an envelope labeled “Christmas Blessings.”
Participation is entirely voluntary. We understand that despite its beauty, Christmas can bring its own stresses and financial challenges. Above all, we ask that you keep this family in your thoughts and prayers.
Academy of St. Louis Clubs
Yearbook Club
We celebrated our last semester meeting with a Christmas party this week. We also worked on some collaging of our yearbook pictures. We will continue to meet again in the second semester! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Drama Club:
Thank you to all the friends and family who came out to support our students in our annual Christmas Program on Thursday! The kids did an amazing job, and we are all very proud of the effort they put in during our drama club rehearsals this semester. We added a few extra last-minute rehearsals this week and all the club members rocked it.
Upcoming Events
- Wednesday, December 20– Early Release for Christmas Break 11:30 a.m.
- December 21- January 2– Christmas Break
- Wednesday, January 3- Classes Resume
2024 Family Auction Contributions
Goal: Sign up for (3) bottles of liquor (Bring Liquor in January to Ann Dunn’s house)
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0548A8AF29A4FA7-44421570-2024
NOVEMBER:
Goal: Obtain $250 in gift cards.
Please send gift cards to the office marked “Auction.”
DECEMBER–
Goal: Sell 25 $10 Raffle Tickets
All tickets are online at the link below. Please have your friends and families note your family name in the box when they purchase the raffle tickets. This will give your family “credit” for the tickets sold.
https://Acadstl24.givesmart.com
JANUARY:
Goal: Obtain 3 Ads/Sponsorships (See Donation Form)
FEBRUARY:
Goal: Obtain items for 5 Silent Auction Baskets
($150 min/basket) and 1 Extraordinary Item (>$250)
Click below to purchase items off the Amazon Wish List
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/OCL1222TGWW4?ref_=wl_share
MARCH:
Goal: Sell (2) $100 “Best of Live” Raffle Tickets
https://Acadstl24.givesmart.com
This year please note that ALL Silent Auction Baskets and Extraordinary items MUST be turned in by February 28 or you will be asked to purchase $1000 worth of items on the Amazon list to fulfill the February Auction Expectations.
On Monday, we were very excited, we had ants in our pants as we waited and waited. Finally, after lunch, Mrs. Cantareira walked in with the package we had been waiting for. Our Ant Farm had arrived! Throughout the week, we watched the amazing behavior of ants as they dug several tunnels, working all day long. On Thursday, we could watch a future musician, Ezekiel George, as he performed in A Christmas Performance, presented by the Drama Club. One day when Ezekiel is famous, we can all say we knew him when! Our very own, Theo Schneider, assisted Mrs. Hodge in directing the performance. Congratulations to Ezekiel and Theo and to all the very talented students who made this performance so special!
Congratulations to everyone in the Drama Club for putting on a spectacular performance! We are so proud of our friends William, Eva, and Isaac for their parts in the show. You all looked like stars, and we loved seeing you share your amazing talents with the school!
I was so proud to hear our class being praised for their cooperation and kindness during their Social Skills class on Wednesday! It can be challenging to play games with other students – it requires patience, collaboration, understanding, and being a good team player. I have seen them practice these skills by supporting, comforting, and encouraging their classmates in daily interactions. Our intermediate group has been working very hard academically as we learn about Advent, the life cycle of living things, the meaning behind the Pledge of Allegiance, and their focus skill for their reading stations. I am proud of all their hard work this semester!
Our upper groups pushed through their first semester exams this week! We had oral presentations in our Environmental Science class and completed our first essay on character analysis for ELA and Writing. It was a very busy week for all of us, but the kids did a great job with their academic prowess. Next week, we will have a holiday-themed focus on both ELA and Science. We will be reading some classic Christmas literature by American authors and putting some of the season’s best scents to the test in Science!
Student Focus: Welcome Austin Obert to the Upper Group classes at the Academy of St. Louis. We have enjoyed getting to know you these past two days and look forward to having you with us for the rest of the year!
In History, we took our first semester final and have been working on a research project. Students got to choose any topic that we have studied so far, research that topic, and create a presentation to share with the class. In Personal Finance, we have also been working on a project where students consider the costs of living.
Your copy should address 3 key questions: Who am I writing for? (Audience) Why should they care? (Benefit) What do I want them to do here? (Call-to-Action) Create a great offer by adding words like “free” “personalized” “complimentary” or “customized.” A sense of urgency often helps readers take an action, so think about inserting phrases like “for a limited time only” or “only 7 remaining”!
This week was full of so many activities! This week we worked on grocery shopping and cooking skills, took a History Museum tour, and ended the week with our Advent Angel gift exchange. We made 2 different trail mixes and enjoyed sharing them with classroom teachers. The History Museum was full of architecture and soccer history. The students enjoyed learning about how soccer came to St. Louis and its importance to our city. They also enjoyed exploring the architectural history of St. Louis. What a great and productive week!
LUNCH ACCOUNTS
Each day, the entree includes fruit and chips.
You can select additional items a la carte.
Please be sure to place your order by midnight the night before.
Please call Mrs. Cantareira with any questions at 636-534-5099.
SNACKS
DON’T FORGET SNACKS!
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