Glad you asked...One of the areas of concern over the last few years has been the preschool play area. Our School Board and Nativity Parent Association members have studied this, asked for input from various professionals, visited play areas and searched for the best solution. I am very pleased to report that the wood chips/mulch combination that was placed on the play area shortly before school began seems to have been successful. Special thanks to Joe Ladnier for securing the mulch and to John Welter and Steve and Peggy Givens and their young helpers who spread the mulch.

The September calendar is attached to this newsletter. Hopefully, we have included any/all major events for the month. Remember, you are always welcome to attend any of our prayer services or assemblies. We will again dismiss at 2:00 p.m. on the first Tuesday of each month (September 4th this month) in order to provide time for our teachers/staff to meet. Afterschool care will be provided on these days. Children not picked up by 2:30 will be put into the Afterschool Care program.

Our first fundraiser/funraiser of the year is at the invitation of the Biloxi Chamber of Commerce. For the sixth year, we will sponsor a Cakewalk Booth at the Biloxi Seafood Festival on September 15th/16th at Point Cadet. For the second year, our very own Chef Dean Shankland will prepare jambalaya in our food booth. All proceeds from both booths benefit our school. Any of us who have worked at the festival have thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere, music and the company of good folks. Mrs. Josie Gee has again volunteered to coordinate the "work force" and has sent home a volunteer request form. If you did not receive the form (goldenrod) or have found that you are now able to help, please send a note to your child's teacher and we will pass it onto Josie Gee.

Our construction project continues to progress and the building is beginning to take shape. It has been wonderful to see how the teachers have been able to include references to this in their teaching and how children have become more aware of the ways in which measurement and estimation are very real life-skills. I also understand that when asked "to name a noun" recently, one of our second graders said "construction worker."  How wonderful that our students (and staff) are able to have this first-hand experience of what all goes into the construction of a building.

As you heard at School Information Night, our Nativity Parent Association serves as the major fundraising group for our school. Events such as the Seafood Festival (September 15-16), Nativity BVM Golf Tournament (October 6th), Halloween Carnival (October 2Oth) and the Raffle of the Millennium (Spring, 2002) produce significant funds that go directly to the operation of our school. With an annual budget of nearly $900,000, funds raised by the NPA are actually an income line-item in our school's budget. That means that for some years, little is left after that "budget contribution" for other projects/dreams. One dream that we have had is to spruce up our playground equipment. Some of the equipment was removed several years ago because it was basically unsafe. Wooden forts were built which the children have enjoyed. We would like to replace these with multi-activity playground structures. Needless to say, these are very expensive. Early last April we began a project - "Pennies for Playground" - as a way in which to realize our dream. Nearly $300.00 was collected by the end of last school year and donations have continued already this year. A jar is located near the office if you would like to help!

In the next few weeks you will hear more about the ENRICH program which will be initiated in late September. This program for all Kindergarten through 6th graders will take place one afternoon each month. Activities, directed by our own teachers/staff members, will involve our children in various learning activities that will stretch their imaginations and opportunities. Our ENRICH Committee - Mrs. Dawn Lyons, Mrs. Nanette Burke and Mrs. Loretta Bond (Coach) - are hard at work preparing the format of the program. We look forward to this expansion of our curriculum for our students,

Your child's safety is always a top concern of ours at school. Please remember to: provide us with current telephone numbers; alert us of any special circumstances in the family; observe our parking guidelines--- no parking on the grass playground unless picking up a large group of children; remaining in the carline and with the car until the child is brought to the car; notify us if your child is going home with someone else; contact us by 9:00am if your child is absent and ALWAYS check in at the office when in the building.. Although these may seem like very small things, they all contribute to the safe/secure environment that we wish to maintain for the children and staff of Nativity.

During the course of the year we collect the following which help us to purchase or obtain things for the school: Campbell product labels, UPC codes from Community Coffee products and Box Tops for Education. These items can be brought to the school. We are grateful to Mrs. Cook's mother who has clipped and bundled these items for us for many years. This year, the K-Mart corporation has also initiated a program to benefit schools. When using our school code - #5288-- our school will be eligible for a percentage of all sales from that person. Finally, we will not be recycling aluminum cans for the time being because of the construction project and lack of storage. Likewise, we will not be accepting scrap paper, containers, tubes etc.

Mrs. Aimee Aultman and Mrs. Trisha Guttierrez have graciously volunteered to chair the Nativity Bucks Program. Under the guidance of Dr. Debbie, this very positive program continues to flourish. If you would like to be involved in some way or would like to donate to the program, you can send a note to them through the school office.

Your children have been a real pleasure to be with this past month. If you have any questions, concerns or suggestions please do not hesitate to contact your child's teacher or to contact me directly. May God bless us as we work together.