Letter From Our Principal – December 3, 2021
December 3, 2021
Dear Parents,
It is hard to believe that December is already here! This beautiful warm weather has been a blessing and we are thankful for every sunny day that the students can go outside and get some exercise during recess.
We are preparing for the coming of our Lord during the liturgical Advent Season. We had a wonderful concert by Luke Spehar for the students on Wednesday of this week. His performance was entertaining and spiritual at the same time. He met with K-4th grade students for one concert, and then the older students in grades 5-8th joined him for an additional concert. He was able to address specific questions about faith with each group. The students were very inspired by his music. A special thank you to Father Arisman for inviting him to come and share his talents with us.
We are having special Advent Readings each morning during our prayers over the intercom system for the entire school, and we have an Advent Wreath on each floor of the school. Our faith is the foundation for our Christmas celebrations.
Our stewardship projects for the month of December will again include the “Change Cancer” fundraising event. In the past, our students, parents, and community members have supported this charity in amazing ways. We hope to again help provide funding for needed cancer research.
We hope to see the K-5th parents at our Christmas Program in the Church on Thursday, December 9th at 6:30. It should be a wonderful opportunity for our students to share their gifts and talents with you. We encourage you to wear a mask during their performance.
Our Christmas Classroom Parties will be held on December 17th at 2:00. We would like to invite you to share in that experience with them. If you are interested in attending, please contact your child’s teacher and let them know. As in the past, we would appreciate help with the treats, crafts, and games. Again, we would ask that you wear a mask as you enter the building and classrooms. As a reminder, we would ask that you have younger siblings stay with a sitter that day if you plan to attend. We thank you in advance for your help!
And, finally, we have some sad news to share with all of you. Our beloved Judy Patterson, who was a secretary here at St. Francis for many years, passed away on Tuesday of this week. She retired 2 years ago, but brought love and compassion to the front office every single day. She was joyful, kind, and such a positive person. We will miss her dearly, and will always keep her in our hearts.
Because of our strong St. Francis School Family, we would like to honor Judy and allow anyone who would like to attend her visitation and funeral, the opportunity to do so. She touched the lives of so many students, teachers, and staff members that we have decided to close our school for the services. We wanted to give you advance notice so you would have time to plan for sitters or supervision for your children at home. The visitation will be at Duker and Haugh on Sunday afternoon from 3:00-6:00, and the Funeral on Monday at St. Francis at 10:00 AM. Please keep her family in your prayers.
My Best,
Lori Shepard