Tomorrow, at dismissal, we ask the students to leave the school in silence. We do this to mark Jesus’ death on the cross. Please encourage the students by keeping your conversations to a minimum as you pick up your children.
This weekend, through the various liturgies, Holy Thursday Mass tonight, the Stations tomorrow, the Vigil on Saturday and Easter Sunday Mass, we witness the Paschal Mystery unfold. We follow Jesus through His suffering, death, and resurrection. The Paschal Mystery is not just an annual commemoration. Belief in this mystery, that Jesus died for us, and that He conquered death, means that suffering and death have purpose. We too will have eternal life. Goodness wins out. Spring follows winter. Success follows persistence. The Paschal Mystery offers us hope. It reminds us that life is about loving and caring more deeply, but also about letting go, about dying and rising.
This Holy Week we are especially aware of the dying and the rising as we pray for the souls of the mothers of two of our faculty and for their families. Kindergarten assistant, Kris Suarez, and second-grade assistant, Sue Gleason, both lost their mothers. May they rest in peace.
We also had celebrations this week. All classes are now in the main building! On behalf of the students, faculty, and staff, I thank the entire St. John community for their generosity to the Honor the Past, Embrace the Present and Secure the Future Campaign. We are in the final stages of the construction work – we still have a few more jobs to complete in the summer and cubbies for coats and bags to be installed. And of course, the bills have to be paid. Keep fulfilling those pledges! Photos and video can be found on our Facebook page.
Congratulations to the seventh-grade girls’ volleyball team! They won the CYO championship!
We will have a busy, but an informative week when we return to school following the Easter break. On Monday, April 29th, we have a Kindergarten Open House, for new school year kindergarten families. On Tuesday, April 30th there is a meeting about the Washington State trip for 7th-grade families. Wednesday, May 1st, the School Commission meets and then Thursday, there is a very important Parent Education night. Seattle Children’s Prevention WINS Coalition, Liz Wilhelm and Washington Poison Center’s Arti Patel, will help parents address some of the major questions that come up for families as they think about parenting an adolescent (or soon-to-be adolescent) such as “What do I need to know about underage drinking, marijuana, vaping, e-cigarettes, and other substances?” and “How do I stay ahead of the curve and help send prevention messages to my student?” Parents and caregivers will walk away from this event with an understanding of current drugs popular with youth, the dangers of youth use, how to recognize signs and symptoms of youth substance use, strategies for educating their child, as well as ways to get connected with prevention efforts in your community. All parents of intermediate and middle school children will value this meeting.
I wish you a glorious Easter,
Bernadette O’Leary
