October 7, 2020
Dear Parents,
We remind our students daily of the great love that God has for each of us. He calls us to be peaceful and just in our dealings with one another, remembering that He lives within each one of us, and that each of us is His child. When we gather we continue to say our AMEN. We Accept each person as a unique creation in God’s image. We Model Jesus as we make everyone feel welcome in the holy place. We Educate each other for life. We Nurture the diverse gifts of the whole school family. These statements in addition to being mindful of our Catholic faith and traditions are the reasons we call ourselves a Catholic Faith community.
During the month of October, we will be continuing the tradition of the Most Holy Rosary. We will be praying the first decade on Monday or Tuesday of each week on the playground in order to maintain our distance from one another and remain in our “cohorts”. We pray for the health and safety of all in our school, our community, and the world.
We will revert to the formal uniforms on Tuesday, October 13th. This will mean our school uniform shoes for all, and the appropriate uniform pieces as indicated on our website. Please refer to this for the particulars. As the email message you were sent over the weekend indicated, only school sweaters or sweatshirts may be worn in the classrooms. These include the official uniform sweatshirt or sweater from Donnelly’s uniform company, the gray spirit wear shirts, or the basketball sweatshirt. It will be getting colder and the windows will be partially opened for fresh air. An order form for the gray sweatshirt was sent home yesterday, should you wish to purchase those.
Our school has been open for in-person learning for 26 days and we are still going strong! We remain vigilant for the health and safety of all of our children, our families, and our staff. We remind everyone that if for some reason your child is going to be absent from school, it is your responsibility to call the front office and to send a note. Please do not email or text teachers for this purpose. Mrs. Tejera will be checking on students who are absent. If you are traveling out of state for any reason, the school will need to know where you are going and your mode of travel to determine (based on health department regulations and school policy), whether or not your child will need to quarantine and/or be tested prior to returning to school. Your patience and your respect of these policies is for the protection of everyone involved. We assume that for the safety of your families and all in school that you are following healthy practices as well.
Our celebration of the New England States was a great success! I thank the students and teachers for all the work that they put into the project. We also thank our parents for all their contributions to The Big E St. Joseph Style!
Once again, please note that there has been a change in the parent/teacher conference format and timing on the October calendar. Please note that the second afternoon, October 23rd, originally designated as parent/teacher conferences will not be used for conferences, but will be used as professional development for the teachers. On October 22nd parent/teacher conferences will be held by phone or in a virtual format by request of the parent or the teacher. In person conferences will not be held at this time, unless the principal requests such a conference. Both October 22nd and 23rd will be 12:30 dismissal days. Please plan accordingly for child care.
All chocolate bar money is due. Please anticipate our next fundraising effort of Lyman Orchard Pies. The answer to your holiday baking responsibilities will be starting soon! All fundraisers benefit our children.
May Jesus, Mary our Blessed Mother, and St. Joseph watch over us and protect us. I continue to hold you in my prayers, and ask that you keep me in yours.
Marianne Cote
Principal