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Headmaster
Newsletters
March 26th, 2008
Dear
Parents,
Enclosed you will find your child’s third quarter grades. I must say that I
am impressed with the grades and comments that our students have earned this
quarter. Our teachers know the children, care about them, and encourage
them to do the best they can.
There will be a few changes for next year. Emily Angstreich who has been at
EDS for three years working in the pre kindergarten program will return to
college to complete her degree work. Nancy Thrasher who worked in pre k for
many years at EDS before moving to Savannah will be the three year old
teacher. We are grateful and fortunate to have Mrs. Thrasher back with us.
She served as a mentor for many of our teachers, and her colleagues are very
excited that she is returning to EDS. Teresa Harrison will be on maternity
leave after the start of the year. I am excited that Carol Brown who was so
terrific as our first grade teacher for seventeen years has agreed to
substitute during Teresa’s leave. She will work closely with Mrs. Harrison
and Mrs. Davis on plans for her time here. I will be hiring a fourth grade
teacher to work with Mrs. Crickmore next year as our fourth grade grows to
two sections. We will add to our campus adjacent to the media center,
alongside the field, a 20 by 30 foot mobile classroom which will house the
fifth grade for next year. This will be our biggest classroom to house our
biggest students. This is a temporary situation for this coming year and the
year after.
The
church has been working hard on a space needs assessment for both the church
and EDS. They will make two evening presentations to EDS in May, on Tuesday,
May 6th and Thursday, May 8th at 6:30 PM in the parish
hall, to make sure that all EDS parents have a chance to listen to the
exciting plans for our campus. We are currently in the process of having
Central Security make our doors and entrances more secure for both the
church and school.
The
Board of Trustees has been working on a strategic plan which should be
completed by the end of this school year, and the teachers are preparing for
our five year SACS/SAIS reaccreditation which will take place next October.
We will have a preliminary visit this May by one team member, then the full
two and half day visit in October by a team of three educators to look at
our self study and see the progress we have made since their last visit five
years ago.
Lastly, on a personal health issue, I have shared with the board and the
faculty that due to kidney disease that I have had since childhood I am
hoping to have a kidney transplant. My tests should be completed by May 1st
at UNC Hospital Chapel Hill then hopefully I’ll go on the list for a
transplant. This could be quick or it could take a few years after I get on
the donor list. I am hoping to retire from EDS in about six and a half years
when I’m sixty six. I get a little more tired at times, but I am fine. I am
positive that all will work out the way it is supposed to. I would ask for
you to pray that I would find the knowledge of God’s will in my life. I am
very grateful to be headmaster at this wonderful school with happy children
and caring faculty.
The
Book Fair was superb, and we just had a wonderful Grand Parents/ Special
Persons Day at EDS. The PTA helped tremendously with both events.
Hope you are enjoying the great spring weather and won’t be hearing any
inclement weather closings or delays. We seemed to have dodged a bullet this
year weather wise.
Our
enrollment is up to 202 students for next year, and this letter is going to
all new parents as well as current parents.
Warmest regards,
Jay
St. John
Headmaster
December 2007
Dear
Parents,
Congratulations and thank you to our great parents for putting on a splendid
EDS Auction and 30th Candlelight Tour of Homes. Both of these
events require tremendous volunteer support, and this year we really had the
support we needed.
Let
me single out trustee, Courtney Kilpatrick, and her committees for the
auction and Joanna Mc Dearmon of the PTA and her committees for The
Candlelight Tour of Homes. These two events are critical to the school’s and
PTA’s budget. We sold 250 tickets to the auction, and The Candlelight Tour
was a huge success by the number of cars I saw parked outside each of the
five beautiful homes on the tour. EDS is a special place based, in part, on
the tremendous support of our parents. Thank you all for making these two
events so successful for EDS and so positive to the outside community about
who and what we are.
Mark your calendars for Thursday December 13th in the parish hall
at 6:30 for our Old Fashioned Christmas Concert. Lisa Gessner
does a fabulous job getting all of our students ready to carol their hearts
out. Bring Kleenex for this one. Our new risers purchased by the PTA will
make it easy to see all our students.
The
weather will get colder soon so jackets are a must. If snow or ice should
come remember that we are on the same schedule as Moore County
Schools so listen to the radio on Star 102.5 FM regarding school
closings and watch TV. If Moore County closes, we close. We are
part of the Alert Now system so I will call your home and cell numbers with
an announcement if school is closed or we have a delayed opening.
Lastly, Advent and the Christmas season are joyous times. We as a school,
are blessed to have such wonderful students, faculty, and parents at EDS. I
wish you all a blessed and happy Christmas in the hope that your holidays
are filled with family joy. Thank you so much for being part of Episcopal
Day School.
Warmest regards,
Jay St. John
Headmaster
September 28, 2007
Dear
Parents,
The
cooler weather has been most welcome. We still need rain. Only two days
since the start of school, and one was right before Field Day. Thanks to
Joanne Maysami, Emily Angstreich, and all the parent volunteers for their
splendid work for Field Day which the students love so much. I kept a keen
eye on the tug of war area. I’m happy to report no broken bones, but we
needed two ice packs. You have to have a tug of war. It’s like dodgeball –
part of being a child and growing up. The faculty was also most grateful for
the lunch provided by Anna Rich in the parish hall after Field Day.
I
am very pleased with how the year has begun at Episcopal Day School. You
will be receiving interim reports on your child’s progress for the first
four weeks of school, and the term reports will be out at the end of
October. I love receiving the golden awards, reading them aloud to our
students, and posting them in the hallway for all to see!
October is a very busy month. Awesome Autumn will be in the parish hall from
5:30 to 7:30 on Friday the 26th. Please remember that it’s a half day do our
teachers can work on their end of term grades.Thursday, October 11th
we have three sessions for parents to participate in our strategic planning.
You may attend any one of the three in the parish hall at 8:45 after chapel.
Coffee and doughnuts will be served, at 12:00 PM where a light lunch will be
served, or at 5:30 PM. These sessions are important as we develop our
strategic plan for the future of EDS.The Southern Pines Fire Department will
be here doing a safety program for our students on Friday the 19th.
Don’t the new railings in the amphitheatre look terrific? Thank you PTA for
this wonderful addition to EDS. Thanks, too, to Beth Wenciker and Allison
Melvin for their great work with Innisbrook wrap. Many people have expressed
sadness that I no longer am wearing my special tie! Trust me, I loved the
tie more than the box from last year.
I
have attached an updated attendance policy. The only change from last year
appears in the middle paragraph which is self explanatory.
Again, we’re off to a great start. Thanks to all of you for helping make
Episcopal Day School such a special place for all our students. The
foundation starts here at EDS!
Warmest regards,
Jay
St. John
Headmaster
Dear
Parents, August 2007
Hope you are all
having great summers. We now have 212 students enrolled for next year. We
have two spaces in kindergarten, one in first grade, and a couple in second
and third grade. New carpeting has been installed in the third, fourth, and
fifth grade classrooms in the Chandler building. The outside of the media
center has been freshly painted and the new awning will be installed
shortly. We even have lush green grass on the field! EDS looks terrific, but
it is never the same without our great students! We will see you for our
9:00 to 10:00 open house on August 21st so you can visit your
classrooms and we begin school with a half day on August 22nd.
Betsy Hutson will
be teaching math and science in third grade with Julia Ambersley teaching
language arts and social studies. Betsy joins us from All Saints Episcopal
School in Florence, SC where she worked for many years. Teresa Harrison will
teach second grade. Teresa most recently taught in Columbus, GA, and gave
birth in June to a beautiful baby. Joanne Maysami will teach PE after her
work training children and adults at First Health. Joanne is from Singapore.
Mary Frances Moore will be our librarian hailing from Memphis where she was
librarian of the year. Melissa Ryan will be a four year old aid for Barbara
Yearby and direct the after care and summer program. She previously ran the
after care program at Academy Heights. Shirley Byron will be a four year old
aid to Alice Wilson. Meahgan Kelly is Emmanuel’s new Assistant Rector and
will teach sacred studies and preside over chapel. The children will love
Meaghan who was really sold on Emmanuel when she came to chapel last year.
Julie Mc Donald is our administrative assistant in the front office. She
started in her new position in June and has been great. Sarah Spivey has
decided to pursue other work, and we wish her well so I am in the process of
hiring a part time Spanish teacher who will work from 11:30 to 2:45 five
days a week.
The EDS Auction
will be Friday, November 16th at the Fairbarn not prior to the
Candlelight Tour of Homes on December 1st. The Children’s Center
had to move their Christmas Tree spectacular to December 1st. We
didn’t want to compete with that. I think the change in date will be fine,
and we anticipate another great turnout for the auction.
I am really looking
forward to my third year at Episcopal Day School. I want to provide your
children with the strongest foundation they can have for life long learning
in a Christian environment with nurturing and caring teachers. Ours is a
happy and loving environment. So if you are new to Episcopal Day School,
welcome! If you are returning, we are so grateful to have you and your
children back at EDS.
Enclosed with this
letter are forms which need to be returned to the front office and a letter
from Father John Tampa, Rector of Emmanuel.
Warmest regards,
Jay St. John
Headmaster
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