FROM MRS. BUHRMAN

Dear St. Luke Parents,
 
Now that we are settled into our routines, it is time to roll up our sleeves and get busy. We have a challenging year ahead, parents. Uniting together to work as a cohesive team will enable us to produce the most progress. We must be aware and open minded to the unique needs that are arising in our new world and come up with creative ways of meeting them.
 
We are aware that everyone has had some degree of learning and emotional developmental loss. We are aware of our educational challenges and have a comprehensive plan to address the learning losses. We have hired additional teachers to support math and reading with our students. These extra teachers are on a 2-year grant through EANS money awarded to St. Luke. Our focus this year will be reading and math. We will use Dreambox and Lexia to support students on a regular basis, utilize the tutors, and continue to address needs as they arise. Together, we can give our students the best support. We ask that you please encourage your children to use Dreambox and Lexia at home, as well. The more consistent use of these programs, the more growth we will see. The challenge is that our students have new skills they need to learn this year, so catching the gaps is necessary for them to move forward on level for the future. If we commit to working together this year on reading and math, we can get our students on track for success in all endeavors.
 
The past two years have been challenging for everyone, but these years have also taught us to be grateful for the little things. Some of our children have only experienced pandemic protocols. Our Kindergarten and 1st grade students don’t really know what it is like to go to school without all of our safety protocols in place. We do this all to keep our children safe and physically present in school. The less the exposure, the more we can give our children a more standard year of education. So, please, continue to keep your children safe and away from potential exposure. Together, we can have minimal disruption to our year, which will enable our children to get the most out of their educational experience this year.
 
We are prepared to deal with the new problems that have arisen due to this pandemic. We know that together, we can do anything. Please have an open mind to new possibilities this year to help our students grow academically and spiritually. We will post articles in the Light to give ideas on how you can support this “catch our kids up” initiative. If we all work together, we can accomplish much for our children and keep them ahead of the game. 

Nadine Buhrman
 

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ON OUR ROAD TO EXCELLENCE

Early Childhood Developmental Milestones

Education is like climbing a ladder, if you have a missing step, it is harder to climb. If you have several missing steps, it can be impossible to climb to the top. This fits in perfectly with developmental milestones for our youngest students. Fine motor skills, gross motor skills, and language skills all play a part in a successful education. 
Gross motor skills are the first skills to develop in our children. They learn to crawl, then walk, then run, etc. The more our students can get up and move, the better their gross motor skills will develop. These skills feed directly into the brain, so developing these skills are crucial to the next step, which is fine motor skills. Some ways to practice  gross motor skills at home:

• Run fast, pick up on object from the floor and run back without falling
• Jump forward and backward with both feet
• Jump over objects
• Standing on one leg at a time for longer periods of time
• Hop on one foot, then another
• Skip
• Throw a ball
• Throw a ball at a target
• Ride a tricycle or bike

Fine motor skills coming next week! Stay tuned!
 

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I am so excited for this school year! This will be my second year as a school counselor, and I absolutely love my job!  I am thrilled to work with 5th-8th grade students this year! This school year will be filled with fun, lots of learning, and new adventures!

Education
I received my Bachelor of Arts degree in interdisciplinary Reading and Language Arts from St. Mary’s University. I earned my Master of Education degree in School Counseling from Lamar University.

Contact Me
The BEST way to contact me is via email: [email protected]

My Favorites
My husband Andrew, our sons Drew (3 years) and Nate (4 months) are my 2 favorite guys.
 

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A LOOK AHEAD…

Noon Dismissal – Fri., Sept. 3, After-school Care available until 6:00 pm; please pack a sack lunch for your child if they are staying for After-school Care
Labor Day Holiday – Mon., Sept. 6
Individual Student Photos – Tues., Sept. 14
Midpoint 1^st Quarter – Wed., Sept. 15
Noon Dismissal – Fri., Sept. 17
 

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