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St.
Mary’s School...
April Parish
News
I hope that you are still enjoying Easter. I always tell my children
that Jesus rising from the dead is such a wondrous event that one day
is just not enough time to celebrate. In fact even a week is not long
enough. In the Catholic tradition, we celebrate for fifty days. The
Lenten crosses that hung in our classroom for forty days have been
transformed into Resurrection crosses. On the last day of school before
the break, the children decorated the crosses with flowers and
butterflies as signs of new life. The crosses, along with the surplus
butterflies adorn the room. The Alleluia banners that we buried on
Mardi Gras have also been resurrected and now hang above the classroom
doors.
Backing up just a bit, during the last week of March, the students and
staff drew large pictures representing the fifteen stations of the Way
of the Cross. The Way of the Cross, or Stations, is a very old devotion
commemorating the death of Christ. There are fifteen stations of which
fourteen depict a scene from Good Friday. The fifteenth station, which
is usually prayed in front of the altar, is the Resurrection. Catholics
meditate on each scene. If you visit a Catholic church, you can see
these pictures hanging on the walls. Prayers are said at each picture.
There are many different versions of this devotion. Each Friday during
Lent, the students, led by the eighth graders, participated in the Way
of the Cross. On the final Friday of March, instead of using the
stations that hang in church, the pictures drawn by the students and
staff were used. It is very interesting to see how each age group
imagines the stations. The stations were part of this weekend’s art
show. On Wednesday, April 4, the fifth through eighth graders
celebrated a Seder meal. The meal was prepared by the seventh and
eighth graders who also presided over the meal. Easter break officially
began at 12:30 on April 4.
The spring musical, Freedom Bound, was presented on Friday, March 23.
The primary children were treated to a sneak preview that morning,
having been invited to the dress rehearsal. This past Friday, April 13,
St. Mary’s School proudly presented a Fine Arts Evening. A selection of
songs from the musical was performed by the fourth through eighth
graders. Along with selections from the musical, there was a marionette
puppet show by the seventh and eighth graders, an instrumental
performance by three of the band students, and artwork by the preschool
through junior high students displayed on both levels of the school.
The marionettes from the show were designed and constructed by the
seventh and eighth graders. The play was an original script by the same
classes. The school was opened after all Masses this weekend. There
were many fine examples of artwork.
Kindergarten screening was also held Friday, April 13. Fifteen children
were screened. If you would like to have your child screened for
kindergarten, it is not too late. Please contact the school office and
we will set up an appointment for your child.
On Monday and Tuesday we will be visited by an External Validation
Team. Every five years St. Mary’s, as does every Catholic school,
undergoes a state accreditation process. Catholic schools are required
to meet both archdiocesan standards and state standards to be
accredited. The accreditation process takes about two years to
complete. We begin by gathering information about our school,
curriculum, etc., and doing a self study. This is our internal
validation. The following year, we work with an external validation
team. This team helps ensure that we have met all the requirements for
accreditation by the state. It is a very long, but worthwhile process,
in which we learn how to better serve our students. Before beginning
their work the team members will tour the school and visit the
classrooms to see us in action.
The pace at school is accelerating. We are definitely nearing the end
of the school year. I counted the remaining math tests for my class
Friday and surprised us all by announcing there were only four more
tests. It will be summer before we know it.
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