Dear Families,
Yesterday we gathered in the chapel to pray for another one of our colleagues. It is with a heavy heart that I tell you that Pablo’s mother, Jeri Bostrom, suffered a sudden fatal stroke and passed away on Tuesday. Please remember Jeri, Pablo and his family in your prayers. The funeral will take place on Monday in Wyoming. May Jeri rest in peace and may we find ways to bring comfort to those near and dear to her.
Our Lenten journey begins next week. These forty days leading up to Easter give us an opportunity to look at the paths we are on and to examine our relationships with God. It is more than giving up the chocolate and wine; it is an invitation to look at our choices, attitudes, and behaviors. It is about forgiving ourselves and others. It is an opportunity to pray more and listen to the scriptures which will give us direction as we become empowered disciples who act for the common good of all God’s children.
Wednesday, March 1, is Ash Wednesday. We will gather in the church for Mass at 9am. You are invited to attend with us. Dress uniform is required.
March 1 also marks the first day of the three-day accreditation site visit. We welcome the Visiting Committee back to St. John. Since they were here last they read the Self-Study and now they will spend time in the classrooms, meeting with the faculty, the students, Finance Committee, Parent Association and School Commission representatives, and with Fr. Crispin. In between all these visits, they will write their report, which will be completed and presented to the faculty on Friday afternoon. The report is then sent on to Western Catholic Educational Association (WCEA) for review. We will receive the final copy towards the end of the school year. I am so grateful to the faculty and staff for the eighteen months of hard work in writing the Self-Study and preparing for the on-site visit. Pablo and the Accreditation Leadership Team kept all of us on task and on track. We are so blessed by their commitment of so much extra time after school and by their dedication.
I am sure your children have told you about fire drills and earthquake drills that we practice every so often. Tomorrow, we are practicing a secure perimeter/shelter-in-place drill. This procedure is aimed at keeping everyone safe while remaining indoors. It is used when there is a threat off campus, for example, if we hear helicopters hovering overhead or if the police alert us to a threat in the neighborhood. Teachers will move everyone indoors, lock their doors and pull down their blinds following an announcement from the office. Everyone will remain in place, and listen for further instructions until they hear the all-clear announcement. The students will be assured that this is a practice.
We are very proud of our 8th graders! They received their acceptance letters to the Catholic high schools this past weekend. Many students were accepted with honors and merit awards and also many students were accepted to more than one school. Congratulations, 8th graders and parents! Good luck with discerning which of the schools your children will attend.
Take some time this weekend to review the SLEs with you children! The students recite the Mission Statement every Monday. Do you know it?
God Bless,
Bernadette
