News Around Campus

April 8, 2023

A Message from Ms. B:

Happy Birthday to Scout! What a great day for one of the cutest pups in town! The 3rd grade sang “Happy Birthday”, we watched an Irish jig that the entire school participated in, we saw the “mess” in the Kindergarten and first grade rooms made by Mickey O’Malley, and ate a lot of treats. Someone is going to sleep well tonite! Our 2nd graders fairytale plays were amazing and will be on Facebook soon. We still have IOWA testing next week and hope to finish that soon! Next week should be relatively “normal”. (At least we are hoping!)  

We certainly hope that you receive all of the luck of the Irish and "May your joys be as deep as the valley. Your troubles as light as its foam. And may you find sweet peace of mind. Wherever you may roam." 

Peace,
Ms. B 

Forms are due by March 31st!

A Message from Ms. B:

It felt like spring just earlier this week and now we have a chance of snow. Of course, in true Cincinnati fashion, it will probably snow on Opening Day! Baseball in the snow.  

It never ceases to amaze me how busy we are and just how much we accomplish. We are getting close to the end of the year, with one more trimester left. It is our hope that our students have achieved success in their grade level and have pushed themselves (with our partnered support) to work hard and reach their academic goals. However, in the event a student does not pass one of their classes, they will be required to attend summer school or receive credit by a licensed tutor.  

Unfortunately, if a student should fail two or more classes, they will need to repeat the grade at a school other than Lourdes. Let’s make sure this doesn’t happen to our students! How can you help?  

• Check Progress Book and ensure your student is completing their homework and participating in    classwork.  
• Ask to review your student’s planner or look at their Google classroom.  
• Work on homework with your student, reading aloud or reviewing math facts.  
• Communicate with your student’s teachers by email or phone call.  
• (My personal observation) Limit your student’s use of  technology, including their phone and other devices.  TikTok and Youtube are a “rabbit hole” that waste so much time.

Every student needs review. Speaking of every student needing review, the four-legged students need review of the commands we use. Scout gets ornery at times and doesn’t want to do her commands, so we have to use some rewards such as her treats. Rewards are sometimes necessary to get her to do the things she needs to do.  

Scout turns three this week and we always celebrate on St. Patrick’s Day, which is Friday. Students can wear green tops or dog-themed tops to celebrate. With the help of Ms. Melisa, at lunch students will be able to have an ice cream treat courtesy of Coach Dude and I. We hope that this reward and celebration will keep encouraging students to work hard and complete their homework.  

Peace,
Ms. B 

A Message from Ms. B:

I am so proud to be a Tiger and the principal of such a vibrant and inclusive community! We have many things of which to be proud.  Our academics are competitive with many other schools in the area, as evidenced by our IOWA scores, for example. We consistently meet benchmarks and make one year of growth or more, specifically in Math. We are piloting a testing program that might replace IOWA and provide more individual instruction on skills in both Reading and Math. We are looking to improve our Reading program and have started looking at the various options from each publisher. We are looking into a stronger grammar program, writing program, and phonics (for the younger grades). This is exciting and welcomed news for our students and it allows the principal to get involved with our academics on the classroom level. (And she is so very happy to get her “hands dirty”!) Our 8th graders went to Mrs. O’Connor’s 1st grade class to help with their research project. They were looking up mammals, birds, and reptiles. It was great to see them working together. The 3rd graders today were writing in their journals and they were focusing on animals too!  

Speaking of animals, Scout came to school the other day and invited herself to many classes. When we would go back to the office, she would get “grumpy” and  “demand” to go back into the classrooms! Scout definitely likes to be with the kids.

Our Flex Time built into the schedule, is a great opportunity for our students to work on their classwork/homework, ask for extra help in a subject (I saw an 8th grader working with Mrs. King on Math), look at Progress Book and ask teachers about their grades, or join one of our clubs (Comic Club, Academic Team, or Tiger Leaders).  

Mrs. Routt and her junior high drama classes have been working hard on their speeches in preparation for the Western Hills Speech Contest. She is also helping the 8th graders with their spring production (To Be Announced soon!) that they will produce together from "top to bottom". They direct, act, and create sets and props. This year, Mrs. Ruwe, Ms. Craig, and Mrs. Busam (our resident carpenter), are teaching the 8th grade students in STEAM class how to make the various scenes needed using the tools we have in the STEAM Lab. The things we are doing are amazing and even I can’t believe it sometimes!

We finally feel like we are emerging from a cocoon as the beautiful butterflies we are. Our students are what make Lourdes a vibrant place. I love walking down the hallway and chatting with our students who each bring a different perspective and unique outlook on life. I hope that all of our families are registering! We are starting to fill up and have a Waiting List for a few grades. The good word is being shared to friends and family that Lourdes knows their A,B,C’s (Academics, Behavior, Catholicity) and that We Are Family! 

Peace,
Ms. B