Sally Teague     steague@stdominicmobile.org

Welcome to all of our new students and families this year.  We are so glad to have you all at St. Dominic.  We are always very happy to have new faces here and hope to help your child make an easy transition to our school. One of the ways we try to help with this change is by having our new students participate in friendship groups.  The purpose of these groups is to help children who are new get to know some of their other classmates.  These groups are currently underway and hopefully have been helpful for your child.  However, if your child is having any problems at all, please don’t hesitate to let me know.

Guidance classes have started in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades.  We are reviewing our Steps to Respect Bullying Program, as well as learning about the importance of making healthy and effective choices.  In the 4th and 5th grade, we are also reading “There’s A Girl in the Boy’s Bathroom”, by Louis Sachar.  This book was sent along with our Steps to Respect Program and offered as a supplement to help reiterate the skills taught in the actual guidance lessons, such as showing respect, making friends, and bullying.  We feel it is very important our students learn about bullying – what it is, ways to prevent being bullying, what to do if you are being bullied, even, what to do if you see someone else being bullied.  Please remember that St. Dominic School takes bullying very seriously.  Last month a letter was sent home to further explain our bullying policy.  If you have any questions regarding our bullying policy, please review pages 41-42 of the Parent/Student Handbook.

We have several guests planned for the month of October.  John Aikens, from Mobile Infirmary will be bringing the Drug Bus for our 5th graders.  This is a yearly event for our 5th graders where they learn all about drugs and the damage they do to our bodies.  We will also be hearing from Rebecca Beemer, with the American Lung Association.  She will be speaking to our K, 3rd, 6th, and 8th grade classes about the harmful effects of smoking. 

Sign-up forms for our Rainbows for All God’s Children groups will be sent home next week.  These groups are for children who have experienced a death or a divorce in their family.  The groups are very helpful for children to realize they are not alone and enable them to share their feelings with others going through similar situations.  If you have any questions about your child participating, please feel free to contact me.  Groups will not start up until the end of October.