August 12, 2022
Principal’s Corner
Dear SJCA Families,
May the Lord’s peace be with us as we celebrate a beautiful first week of school!!
In today’s optional Gospel from Saint Mark, we hear the story of Jesus’ mother waiting to see him and his unexpected response, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” And looking around at those seated in the circle he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”
What a beautiful meditation, that by discerning and doing the will of God in our lives, we are able to become the brother, sister, and mother to Jesus! Each day the children pray the Our Father and say ‘thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven’. This is our safe and firm foundation, the will of God.
SJCA 2022-2023 Parent/Student Handbook can be found here. A few important changes:
- Skirt Length: to the knee (please email your student’s teacher if you have skirts on order with the expected delivery date so that we can apply a grace period accordingly). This is an important change to facilitate their activities throughout the day with appropriate coverage and room for growth. I understand that Zoghbys has them in stock (call first), and Lands End is pending shipment.
- Friday Spirit Days: uniform bottoms (navy, khaki), no jeans, no exceptions please.
- There is no expectation of canned goods for wearing a spirit shirt. One of the seven themes of Catholic Social Teaching (CST) is an “Option for the Poor and Vulnerable”. We will be emphasizing CST this year and would like the students to differentiate and cultivate the corporal works of mercy (feed the hungry, clothe the naked, etc.) separately from their clothing choice. So canned goods are welcome and will be donated to Catholic Charities for distribution but they are NOT required to wear a spirit shirt.
As I greeted the students throughout the week asking them how their first days were going, it was amazing to hear ‘great’, ‘best day ever’, etc. There was a palpable sense of life-filled joy in and throughout each and every classroom. Our middle school students have taken the call to be ‘servant-leaders’ to heart and have been brainstorming service projects enthusiastically and I am so grateful for their passionate acceptance of stepping into their important role on our campus. They have helped with walking grades K-2 to and from the carline (which can be a long scary walk at first!) and are beginning to develop proposals for service to the Academy, their families, and the community at large. Please review their options for electives with them this weekend and return their sheet on Monday.
Aftercare has worked through pick-up procedures and the students have enjoyed being in smaller age groups, with appropriate enrichment and activities. They have teachers and aides to assist with their homework and we look forward to ongoing development as the year progresses. Many thanks to Mrs. Overfield for her coordination and commitment to the children’s time being meaningful and supportive.
VPK is off to a wonderful start. This is a big step and adjustment for them and there has been a lot of comfort care as they begin a more structured time at school. We have decided to wait until later in the fall to have VPK attend Wednesday Mass. Once they are comfortable in their classroom routines, we will begin bringing them to the Church for short prayer periods to acclimate slowly. Mrs. Charlotte Dickey will begin CGS (Catechesis of the Good Shepherd) in K3, K4, and Kindergarten in mid-September. I am thrilled that the atrium will be a place for our youngest students to be able to develop their own inner prayer life with Jesus. We know they have a natural connection with God and CGS serves to support and encourage that natural wonder and curiosity.
Our Preschool students began their year on Monday, August 8th and Mrs. Thomas’ dedicated work over the summer was obvious to all as the students discovered redecorated, organized classrooms that were inviting and warm for our most vulnerable students. The teachers had spent time in professional development and their own spiritual retreat and as I visited each classroom the fruit of their labors was apparent. Thank you for adjusting to the new one-hour drop-off window from 7:30 – 8:30. This has allowed the little ones to be meaningfully engaged as a class more effectively and efficiently. I hope you are finding the new Procare App an improvement and please let Mrs. Thomas know of any glitches or questions. We want you to feel confident and comfortable with our new communication system.
Finally, I cannot express adequately my heartfelt appreciation for all of our faculty and staff of the 2022-2023 school year. My prayers for a community of Christ-centered, professional educators and support staff have been answered and a dream and hope on behalf of your children has become our reality. Our theme song this year is House of Lord, by Phil Wickham. We had been praying and discerning for some months and something I believe and had shared with the staff during their retreat was that when we are living in God’s will for our lives, there should be JOY! Yes, life is challenging and hard some (many?) days but we are promised the availability of ‘peace in the midst of the storm’. In St. Paul’s letter to the Galatians, he says “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control..”. Where the Spirit of the Lord is we will see these fruits and I am so grateful to God for blessing us so abundantly this year. Please join me in praying for our teachers and staff this year. I am sure you have noticed this, but they are uniformly dedicated and committed to going above and beyond on behalf of the children. As always, please feel free to reach out to me with any questions, concerns or feedback that you may have. Open dialogue is the best preventative medicine for a healthy community. May God bless you and your family this weekend.
Through Christ our Teacher ~
Sister Grace Ford, Er Dio
sistergrace@sjseagles.org
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