Welcome From Head of School

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1 Welcome From Head of School Dear Trinity families, The beginning is always my favorite. The end of the year always feels rushed - - so many things to finish before the final day. The beginning is so very different. It feels as if we have all of the time in the world to devote to learning new things, making new friends and discovering new interests. It is always a joy to watch the new preschool students find their way during this huge new beginning. The older students are comfortable, self-confident and eager to begin another year as the next grade level of student. The 5th grade students are beginning their final chapter at Trinity and enjoying being the leaders on campus. It is a carefree, fun time each year in the life of our school If you are new to Trinity this year, welcome! Trinity is more than just a school. It is a welcoming community of families and great friends. I hope that you will get involved and experience all that Trinity has to offer. I am looking forward to a fabulous year! Peace, Kim Jones Red Ribbon Ceremony On Friday, August 22, 2014, Trinity Episcopal Day School celebrated the completion of the preschool playground with a red ribbon cutting ceremony. This ceremony was dedicated to the memory of a beloved Trinity aide for which the playground is named, Amber Lousteau. Amber s daughter, Jennifer Lousteau (2nd grade teacher), son, Jeffrey Lousteau, and husband, Steve, did the honor of cutting the ribbon. It was a beautiful evening filled with laughter, tears, love and thanksgiving for the families, friends, and alumni that supported the Building for Our Future Fund. Through the hard work of volunteers and staff last year, we were able to raise, in total, an astounding $244, for Trinity Episcopal Day School. It was a record year, and we are grateful for the extreme generosity of our parents, grandparents, friends, and alumni who supported the school.

2 Tech - Knowledge An anonymous donation made it possible for Trinity to purchase Promethean boards in all K-5 classrooms. We are so grateful for this donation which enables students to experience interactive learning. Interactive technology in the classroom is one of the fastest growing segments in education. Lessons may be easily shared enhancing the interaction of the class and engaging them with the visual stimuli. Promethean board instruction motivates student learning and improves understanding of the subject matter, therefore, improving student achievement. As a result of the success of the Building for Our Future Fund campaign, Trinity was able to purchase Learn Pads for grades 1st 5th. Learn Pads work in conjunction with the Promethean board allowing teachers to easily administer the delivery of specified lesson content to students. Teachers control and manage tablet usage, either individually or in groups. Unlike the ipad, the Learn Pad only delivers lesson content that has been provided by the teacher; students cannot surf the web or access additional websites. Tech Know Night On Tuesday, October 7, 6:00pm, we invite you to attend Tech-Know Night the Building for Our Future Fund Kickoff. This evening will highlight the goals and plans for Trinity s future as well as reflect on the many improvements made possible by the campaign. KIDS KORNER Goals (not just the soccer ones!) I love the start of a new school year, maybe it s because as a child I loved getting a new backpack, new shoes, new crayons, and a new box of Kleenex. There is something meaningful about a new start, a fresh approach, and a brand new lunchbox. We put our best foot forward and jump right into something with an open heart. A great way to keep the momentum and excitement constant throughout the school year is to set goals for what we want to accomplish, staying focused by following these tips can aide in our success: be specific; be positive; be realistic, and remember, don t give up! When you are tenacious about a goal you are more likely to achieve it. As we begin a new school year, I asked two fifth graders to tell us what goals mean to them.

3 What goals they have set both personally and as a class for their last year at Trinity. Below are their letters. Goals by: Emma Tsai A goal, to me, is something you do to achieve. When goals are set, you can work hard to reach the goal. Even if you don t achieve the goal, you know that at least you worked hard to try and reach the goal. Goals can be anything you want to achieve. Our goal for the 5th grade is to raise enough money for our trip to Washington, D.C. We also try to get good grades. My goal is to reach my Accelerated Reader goal. I think it s good to have a goal, so you can try to work hard and do better at whatever your goal is. The goal will make you feel good about yourself if you achieve it. If you set a goal on any of your class subjects, it can help you get better grades. A goal can help you a lot, so I hope you set a goal. Goals: by Houston Sullivan Goals are important to me because I think of them as a way to keep achieving higher. You always want to be your best at something so I recommend goals highly. If you want to be a better reader you might set goals to read more books. Doing this will help you get used to doing it better. I believe that it is important to have goals for yourself. I have very many goals for myself in this fifth grade year. I know that we are the oldest and have the most responsibility. It s important to be an example for younger students. Also, I hope to read more books. I m working on grades to try to keep myself as a straight A student. Those are some of my goals for this brand new year in fifth grade! Welcome Fr. Stephen Crawford Hello! My name is Fr. Stephen Crawford, and I am the new chaplain for Trinity Episcopal Day School, as well as curate (that is, assistant priest) for Trinity Church. This position at the Day School will be for me the capstone of many years ministering among the youth: from serving as a teacher in St. Patrick s, Zachary s extended care program (4th through 7th graders), to working as a counselor at Camp Hardtner (Louisiana s Episcopal Summer Camp), as well as having helped with the campus ministry to LSU over at St. Alban s. I grew up in Zachary, before going to LSU to study philosophy. I became a Christian when I was baptized as an infant, but it was at LSU that I became firmly convinced about Jesus around the age of 19. Within a couple of years I was wondering if I was called to be a priest. That sense of call solidified through my work at Camp Hardtner and subsequently through my work at St. Alban s. After four years (during which time I married my wife, Amanda) the Church agreed, and off we went to Durham, NC, where I studied at Duke Divinity School. Durham was the

4 place for us to be during Seminary, but at the same time Amanda and I knew very clearly we wanted to get back to Louisiana when it was all said and done. We just didn t know how close to home we would actually land, as the Bishop of this Diocese, Morris Thompson, would ask us to come back here to Trinity. We were, and are, overjoyed. We have a good vision for Chapel and Christian Education going forward here at Trinity Day School. Amy McRae, Margaret Austin, Kim Jones and I have been working on putting together a program that will not only teach the children things about Christianity, but, Lord willing, invite them into a strange new world: a world not free of struggle, but where Jesus has ensured that all things will be redeemed by his death and resurrection. Our prayer is that the Lord will use these efforts to raise up faithful disciples, that these children would grow up to know, and love, and serve Christ. Godly Play by Amy McRae Our religion classes have gotten off to a wonderful start. We are using the Godly Play curriculum this year for our students. Godly Play understands that all children are born with a strong spiritual connection to God. Through simple story telling with props the children are introduced to the rich spiritual language they need to express their feelings about God in their lives. After hearing a story based on a parable, sacred story, or liturgical action, the children respond to wondering questions. Then they are invited to work time when they can choose to create expressive art or play with the lesson materials. For the first two weeks of school in August, the students heard the story, The Circle of the Church Year. This lesson sets the context for the whole year and teaches the children about the circle we move through during the church year. There are 52 blocks, representing weeks, and they are colored to match the seasons of the church. The three great mysteries of the church are (white) Christmas Day, (white) Easter, and (red hot ) Pentecost. The purple getting ready weeks help us prepare for the mysteries of Christmas and Easter. Easter is such a great mystery, that we celebrate it for six weeks after Easter Sunday, during the season of Easter. This leads us to Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came down and the church was born. The rest of the weeks are green growing weeks, as we move throughout the circle. After hearing the story and wondering about our favorite color of the church, the students were invited to artistic expression time. Some students painted the circle and others made the circle of the church year with colorful beads to represent the weeks. One student drew a picture of God s house and another made a sweet card for his grandfather who is ill. It was a very exciting day to see the students grasp the meaning of the story and see how God mysteriously and faithfully works in the circle of our lives.

5 The Many Faces and Places of Trinity Episcopal Day School

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