October 9-October 13, 2023 - Academy of St. Louis

Weekly Newsletter
October 9-October 13, 2023

FROM THE DESK OF…
Terri O’Daniel, Executive Director

On Thursday, Bhavik Patel presented “Planning for Loved Ones with Special Needs” as a part of our Parent Speaker series. Our next presentation will be in the cafeteria on Wednesday, October 18, at 7 p.m. featuring Dr. John Bruno, Ph.D., “A Deeper Understanding of Autism.” Here is some feedback we have received so far on Thursday’s presentation.

~I’m so glad Bhavik shared his expertise with us last night! Although we have a special needs trust, Bhavik’s explanation of the requirements for obtaining public benefits in the future gave me a lot to think about. Bhavik made this emotional and complex topic accessible with easy-to-understand analogies. I have a few new to-do items on my planning list that I wouldn’t have thought of without Bhavik’s insight.

Kelly Zigaitis, Academy Parent

~Bhavik Patel provided a wealth of concise and understandable information about public benefits available to our kids. He was very open to answering questions, easy to approach, and is a valuable resource for Academy families. Many programs are available to our kids, and Bhavik offered excellent advice about public programs, estate planning, and the pitfalls of not planning for our kid’s future.

Thank you to the Academy and Bhavik!

Lynn Lachance, Academy Parent

PRINCIPAL’S CORNER:

Parent-Teacher Conferences
Parent-Teacher conferences will be held October 23-26. We will review your students’ first-quarter grades and discuss their Individual Development Plan (IDP). Please let me know if you have any problems signing up.

Drop Off and Pick Up Reminders
Please remember to have your child on the vehicle’s passenger side, pull up as close as possible, and wait until a staff member opens the door when dropping off.

Grandparent’s Day on Friday, October 20
Just a reminder…If your child’s grandparent is not available to attend Grandparent’s Day on Friday, feel free to invite a special person in their life to attend this special morning with them. For any questions, please email Kelly Winter at kwinter@acadstl.org

VETERAN’S DAY
We are starting to prepare for the Veteran’s Day Assembly, and we need your help. We will honor Academy Veterans and their families who have served or continue to serve in the military on Friday, November 10, at 10 a.m. If you have a service member you would like to honor, please email a picture with name, rank, and branch. If you know a Veteran who would like to attend our Veteran’s Day celebration don’t hesitate to get in touch with Klagos@acadstl.org

We will be happy to send them an invitation to attend.

We are also looking for any Boy or Girl Scouts who want to help with the flag ceremony.

Thank you to all the family members of students at the Academy who have served or continue to serve in the military.

In our classroom, we all have different talents and learn at different paces. Although we spend much time in small groups or working one-on-one, we love it when we gather to listen to stories. During a read-aloud, everyone is included, benefitting in different ways.

This week our class was introduced to fractured fairy tales. A fractured fairy tale takes a classic fairy tale or children’s story and adds a twist, changes characters, or makes it more modern. After reading the classic fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood, we read the story Red Riding Hood and the Sweet Little Wolf, which tells the story of a little wolf who doesn’t want to be a Big Bad Wolf. The Little Wolf is more interested in kindness and friendship. In another delightful twist, we heard the story of a hungry lion who meets Red Riding Hood as she is going to visit her sick auntie. The setting of this book, Red Riding Hood and the Very Hungry Lion is a beautiful African landscape with gazelles and elephants. Hearing these stories and comparing them to the original version was fun.

One of our favorite things this week was visiting our favorite neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Bell. We admired their fun Halloween decorations, and Mrs. Bell even gave us candy!

This week, we started taking turns being the “weatherman” during morning meetings. We had so much fun learning to read radar and present the weather to our classmates! In science, we have been learning about the states of matter and the processes that change them. In addition to the reading and math skills we are working on individually, we have also been discussing fiction and nonfiction and continue practicing telling time and elapsed time.

We always discuss how to be a good friend and be kind to others. It is so important for our friends to know that we love and support them, especially when they are facing their challenges. I love cheering on our friends, whether it’s to help them push through or celebrate them when they accomplish a challenging task! We have a lot of fun sharing stories and strengthening our friendships!

This week in History, we continued to learn about early American colonies by studying pilgrims and Puritans. We took notes, completed an interactive critical thinking activity over these colonies, and did a video activity.

As we continue digging deeper into our novel study, we examine the pros and cons of the simple Puritan lifestyle versus one with more of life’s comforts and luxuries. Students did an excellent job summarizing the book’s first three chapters so far! In science, we have begun to study the Biosphere and how everything is part of a life support system here on Earth.

Student Highlight: Shout out to Lena Buckholtz for awesome emotional regulation this week! She has worked hard and has come a long way at appropriately identifying and communicating her zones of regulation and applying her calming strategies in the moment. This is no short feat! We are proud of you, girl!

This week, we had the opportunity to volunteer at the World Bird Sanctuary. We were able to help stain some fencing to prepare their environment for winter.

We have also been working hard the last couple of weeks on language skills and using our words to communicate frustrations or needs.

Student Highlight: Jonny did an excellent job communicating his needs and wants this week! We know it isn’t easy, so we are proud of you!

SKYHAWKS/ACADEMY OF ST LOUIS SPORTS STARTS THIS TUESDAY

Based on the positive survey results for afterschool sports, we have partnered with Skyhawks Sports Academy to offer our families a session on Tuesdays after school starting October 17 from 2:50-3:50 on the SJM soccer field. This Multi-Sport session will run for nine weeks, featuring Soccer, Baseball/Softball, and Track and field in one setting. The kids will learn each sport’s rules, essential skills, and vital life lessons such as sportsmanship, inclusion, and teamwork. The cost is $100.

For more information and to register, please visit www.skyhawks.com and search for 63021, then click Academy of St. Louis.

Upcoming Events

Wednesday, October 18– Dr. John Bruno Presentation 7:00 p.m. Cafeteria
Thursday, October 19– End of First Quarter
Friday, October 20– Grandparents Day 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.; Early Release
October 23-26– Parent Teacher Conferences
Friday, October 27– NO SCHOOL
Tuesday, October 31-All Saints Day Parade, October Birthday Pizza party
Wednesday, November 1– NO SCHOOL – All Saints Day
Sunday, November 5 – Open House 12-3 p.m.

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!

LUNCH MENU

Academy of St. Louis

505 St. Joseph Lane

Manchester, MO 63021

Acadstl.org

636-534-5099

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