29 June 2011

Dear Parents:

Thanks to all who continue to check Fast Direct during the summer—while nothing really earth shaking is going on, there are things that need to be shared from week to week.

Lunch Survey: About 75 parents have completed the survey thus far and some patterns are beginning to emerge. Please ask other parents to complete the survey if they haven’t done so already. While we won’t analyze the information until later this summer, I would like to address one misconception that was brought to light in a comment. Neither Food Service Consultants, nor Pat Brennan, our cafeteria manager, decided to take away the ability to check lunch card balances online. During the conversion to the new parish and school websites we lost the ability to automatically update the account balances on a daily basis. Within a couple of weeks of the transition, we worked out how to post the balances on a weekly basis and have been doing so ever since. The balances from 2011-05-19 are currently posted, the last ones we downloaded for the year. Along the same lines, a comment asked that details of daily purchases be made available in addition to the balance. The current state of the technology doesn’t allow this, but Pat Brennan can provide more detailed information upon request. While there surely are some schools doing so, I’ve not seen any instances of such detailed information being available online. As with all things technological, I’m sure we’ll see this at some point in our future.

WE WILL CLOSE THE LUNCH SURVEY ON FRIDAY, 8 JULY.

Tuition: Payments: As of 5 June all families should have signed up for Smart Tuition or paid their tuition in full. Today I am calling all families who have not done so to remind them to contact Sue Barnowski at the rectory to make arrangements or sign up for Smart Tuition. Those needing to enroll for Smart Tuition may do so online at www.enroll.smarttuition.com using school code 11213. Once you’ve done so, Sue Barnowski will complete the process.

Alive in Christ! The second goal of Archbishop Carlson’s Alive in Christ initiative for Catholic schools calls on all parish and school communities to more effectively evangelize to each other and the communities in which they live. The Archbishop desires “to implement an archdiocesan-wide evangelization program that is designed help our parishes, schools and archdiocesan agencies become more effective instruments for preaching the Gospel and handing-on our Catholic faith.” Mary Queen of Peace School and Parish do a good job of this, but there are always opportunities to be more effective. Our various collections, dress out days for St. Patrick’s Center and Stewardship Mission Carnival, for example, take the first step of meeting physical needs, but we might need to ask how we move on to meet spiritual and social needs more effectively. The Archbishop continually calls us to do more to bring the Gospel to others, as does Christ. These are wonderful opportunities for growth for all of us.

I hope your summer continues to be relaxing.


In His Peace,

Gerry Kettenbach, Ph.D.
Principal