Dear SJCA Families: HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!!!!
Jesus said:
“My sheep hear my voice;
I know them, and they follow me.
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.
No one can take them out of my hand.
My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all,
and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand.
The Father and I are one.” (John 10:27-30)
As we read this important gospel message at mass yesterday I thought about the hope we have as parents that our children will learn to hear the sound of our voice and follow the direction we give them in the midst of all the competing voices of the world calling them this way and that way. A Mother’s love can break through to a child in a way nothing else can. Today we celebrate the vocation of motherhood and all the many ways our mothers mirror Jesus’ sacrificial love for us throughout our lives. Motherhood comes in many forms: biological, foster, step, adoptive, spiritual and so many more. The heart of motherhood is self-giving by nature. Please be assured that Fr Kevin, Fr Kennell, and I offer prayers of thanksgiving, courage, and hope on your behalf as you dedicate yourselves to the well-being of your children.
A warm and enthusiastic thank you for the extraordinary celebration of Teacher Appreciation Week last week. Our PTO went above and beyond in addition to individual acts of gratitude by students and their families. Every day of the week was aglow with the joy of expressing gratitude for the dedicated work of our teachers and staff. We were all well fed and shared many smiles throughout each day. We are blessed and grateful for your generosity of spirit.
Thank you to our parents who filled the parish hall on Open House night and had a moment to meet one another and hear the vision for our next school year. I announced at that meeting that while we are actively recruiting, we regretfully do not have the human resources to offer summer camp this June and July. We waited as long as was reasonably possible for making this final decision. The Preschool will continue to serve our current infants through 4-year-olds. We DO INTEND to offer After Care beginning in August at the start of the 2022-2023 school year. We are developing a proposal for an aftercare partnership that will include enrichment opportunities and look forward to sharing the details later in the summer as we are able to confirm with area experts. We are recruiting from a variety of sources including Catholic universities and our local colleges as well. I appreciate your patience as we restructure this spring and summer, offering professional development opportunities to new staff members while building a strong community of educators to serve your children.
The SJCA and Preschool calendars for 2022-2023 are in their final revision and diocesan approval process and will be distributed this week on Thursday, May 12, 2022. The Preschool WILL NOT be closed for a third full week before the school year begins. The summer program will have two FOUR WEEK sessions and then roll directly into the new school year. Therefore, the closure at the beginning of June and July will be the only remaining two full week closures for the preschool. We are finalizing the development of a 12 month program for the 2022-2023 school year to better serve our families who rely on the Preschool for childcare in order to work full time. This means we will be shifting Part Time enrollment into Full Time enrollment beginning in August this year. We have evaluated the feedback from our families and hope that this will better meet the needs of the majority of our families. Please look on our website after the close of business on Thursday for the electronic version and beginning Friday 5/13 will have hard copies in the office. Fr. Kennell and I are working together to update our Handbooks and it is important to take the time to collaborate with our families, teachers and staff in casting our vision for the next school year. We are honored to have the opportunity to serve you and provide an environment where our students have the opportunity to be formed in the faith while being prepared for academic success. May we all hear the voice of Jesus, recognize His love for us and follow His example all the way into eternal life.
Please feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns. My email is: sistergrace@sjseagles.org
Through Christ Our Teacher ~
Sister Grace Ford
SJCA and Preschool Principal
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