Principal’s Letter

Dear Families,

From September 15 to October 15, we celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month to recognize the contributions and accomplishments of Hispanic Americans who have inspired and shaped us. Throughout this month, Señora Blanca, along with classroom teachers, will share with our students the culture, history and achievements of important Hispanic Americans like Sonia Sotomayor, Ellen Ochoa, César Chavez, whose actions arise from the deep sense of responsibility they have for their community.

Superintendent Dixon read a touching prayer at one of our meetings this week that reminds me of that same mission of caring for each other:

Loving God, you fill all things with a fullness and hope that we can never comprehend. Thank you for leading us into a time where more of reality is being unveiled for us all to see…Help us to have the courage to awaken to greater truth, greater humility, and greater care for one another.

The prayer is reflected in our community. We opened the week with Monday morning prayer and announcements read over the intercom by seventh and eighth-grade students. It has been almost 545 days since students have delivered AM announcements! Soaring Eagle Awards will be back very soon! I walk through classes of busy students as they learn new sight words, research for a science inquiry project, solve geometry problems, create comics, and compose prayers. Mr. Tice’s eighth-grade students are impressing him with how well they are interpreting data and creating conceptual models! The Student Support Team is helping with baseline testing, and teachers are analyzing data from these tests and their classroom observations to inform their instruction. There are moments when we forget about COVID…especially when masks are off for eating. However, this is the greater truth and with greater humility, we realize that along with the academics we have to take greater care of our community, so we remain very vigilant. Please encourage your children to follow the protocols.

To keep our community healthy and safe per CDC and DOH guidance, please do not bring your child to school if they are feeling sick. Follow the Department of Health – Seattle & King County COVID-19 Return to Work/School Flow Chart to help keep our community safe. Submit the attendance form if your child will be absent; please do not email the teachers. Children may return to school if they are symptom-free for 24 hours. The Coronavirus Self-Checker tool is a helpful tool if families are concerned about their student’s illness and the possibility of their symptoms being related to the virus.

As we take care of our community, we must also care for the larger one. As part of the Season of Celebration, the St. Francis of Assisi Ministry at St. John the Evangelist Church is excited to present Jeff Renner as he virtually shares “Climate Change and Faith-Care for Our Common Home” at 7pm on Tuesday, September 21. A few days later, we will have another opportunity to positively impact our community:  Blessing of the Backpacks and Food Drive for Broadview-Thomson K-8 will be on Friday, September 24 at 8:15am. Let’s continue to support our neighbors.

Friday, September 24 is turning out to be a full day with Blessing of the Backpacks followed immediately by our Jog-a-thon runners in grade 6. We are so thankful for your generosity – we have raised over $56,000 toward our $80,000 goal! Parents, mask up and come cheer for our student-runners! Information, including the running schedule, can be found in the Jog-a-thon packet.

Todos Juntos- Sí Podemos.

Bernadette