Letter from Father John

Dear parents and faculty of the Basilica School and pastoral staff of the Basilica,

I wrote to you a month ago to inform you that Mrs. Elizabeth Harris explained to me that she felt the time is right for her to retire as Principal at the end of this academic year.  Though this was not my will, we need to respect her God given free will.

With the help of  the Archdiocese of Miami Catholic Schools’ Office and a Parish committee, Mr. Robert M. Wright has been selected to be the Principal of the Basilica School beginning in the academic year 2013-2014.

Mr. Wright is presently at John Paul II Catholic High School in Tallahassee where he  has served as a teacher, tennis coach, technology director, administrative assistant and vice principal.  His list of accomplishments is remarkable as is the quality of his service.   Mr. Wright has served as the High School Youth Director at the Co-Cathedral of Saint Thomas More in Tallahassee since 2005 and has an accounting background from his service as Office Manager at an Architectural and Construction Company.

Last but not least, Robert is married to a sixth generation Conch, Jessie Jones,  who attended our School as did her mother and her grandmother. They are blessed with three children ages four, three and one years old.

He wrote in his application: “I desire with my whole heart to live in obedience to the will of God and strive to live out the Gospel in my daily life. I have been led to this particular ministry, Catholic education, through much discernment and grace. I envision a school culture that respects the dignity of every human person and inspires greatness in each young life. Be it God’s will, I look forward to bringing this vision to the Basilica School.”

Sincerely with gratitude and hope,

Rev. John C. Baker
Rector

The Navy League Brings STEM Education to The Basilica School

School Survey

Dear Parents,

We need your help and it will take only ten minutes. 
What can be accomplished so quickly?  Complete a survey for our school.

The Basilica School of Saint Mary Star of the Sea, like all Catholic schools in the Province of Florida, is accredited by the Florida Catholic Conference (http://www.eas-ed.org ).  The Florida Catholic Conference requires schools to engage in a continuous process of school improvement.  The process is based on research by the National Study of School Evaluation, a nonprofit educational research and development organization.

Director of Faith Formation for the Archdiocese, Dr. Kim Pryzbylski, met with teachers, parents, School Board of Management members, parishioners and other stakeholders on December 14, 2012.  At this meeting she explained the School Improvement Process (SIP).

During the School Improvement Process a school creates a detailed profile which gives an overview of the school, its history, its context within the broader community, and a snapshot of the achievement of its students.

As part of this process, parents, faculty, parishioners, and students in grades 5-8 are asked to participate in a survey to gather information.  The survey results help identify strengths and areas for improvement within the school.  The areas identified for improvement will become our goals, as required by the SIP. 

The Basilica School survey will be available online at SurveyMonkey® starting: 

Monday, February 11 and closing Sunday, February 24, 2013

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/3WBCDJ8

We need every parent to participate in the survey.

You will also receive the website link via an email to be sent out on Tuesday, February 5, 2013. Additionally the survey link will be on the school website (www.basilicaschoolkeywest.com).

Thank you for your participation.  Your input will help The Basilica School provide the best education possible for our children in partnership with you, their first and foremost teachers.

Grace,

Beth Harris
Principal

Italian Dinner this Saturday Night – 5 to 8 pm

The Knights of Columbus are hosting their annual Italian Dinner this Saturday, January 12, 2013. This group of incredible men make homemade sausage, fresh tomato sauce, salad, Italian bread, drinks and homemade desserts.  Every penny of profit is donated to the school for the education of your child/ren. 

Our responsibility is to provide the work force for setting up, serving desserts, cleaning up the tables and putting the cafeteria back in order at the end of the event.  We need at least 4 parents to help from each class during their assigned work time listed below.

3-4:30 (4^th and 5^th Gr)  4:30-6:00 (Pre K 3 and Pre K 4) 6:00 to 7:30 (2^nd and 3^rd Gr) 7:30-9:00 (K and 1^st Gr)       6-7-8  Need 2 parents to sign up forr each hour to do the 50/50 raffle. Older students are encouraged to help please. Sign up with your homeroom teacher or homeroom rep please.  Adults only $12.00 and children $6.00.  Please attend.

We also need all families to bake one HOMEMADE dessert and drop it off at the school on

Friday or cafeteria on Saturday, January 12^th. 

Fingerprinting and Background Update

The Archdiocese of Miami requires that all persons involved with the students at The Basilica School complete a State and National Background Check (Level 2) through the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).  This process can now be completed in Key West at Pak Mail located at 1200 4^th Street (behind Burger King).

The directions are on the back of this sheet and we need EVERY PARENT to complete the process.  There is no cost!  Thank you so much for your cooperation. Considering the recent events I am sure everyone understands the need to take every step toward striving to keep our children safe.