OCTOBER 16, 2020
Dear St. Louis Families,
Today we celebrate the feast of St. Mary Margaret Alacoque, a Visitation nun and mystic, whose life was devoted to sharing the love and mercy of Jesus through the symbol of his Sacred Heart. In our greatest times of need and affliction, the Sacred Heart of Jesus can provide us with comfort and strength.
Know that in our hallways, our classrooms, and outdoors, I see the joys of our students being with one another. We are reminded daily how much of a blessing this “normal” routine is and the importance of interacting with teachers and one another is for our students. While the rotational model proves to be challenging for all of us, it is allowing the necessary reduced capacity and density within our building which has enabled us so far to remain healthy. I am grateful for the diligence all of you are showing in helping us keep safe and healthy.
As we look to next week in this month of the Rosary, all students (Preschool-8th grade) will be walking and praying the rosary daily for those within our community who find themselves without a home or shelter. Our annual “walk for the homeless” will occur all week, and any family who wishes to send in a monetary donation for United Community may do so in an envelope marked for UC. We will collect all donations and ensure that the monies raised are received by United Community here in Alexandria. St. Louis has partnered with UC for many years in support of their outreach which directly helps those in need. We are grateful for any support you wish to make—this is a wonderful way for our students to actively demonstrate the virtue of charity and friendship while living our spiritual theme #SpreadLoveKnowJesus.
Scantron assessment reports will be sent home at the end of next week to parents of students in grades 3-7. Any virtual students who took the assessments will have their results mailed home. We want to share your student’s academic progress with you now, and please understand your teachers will reference them in our fall conferences at the beginning of November. If you have any questions regarding them, please reach out to your child’s teacher directly. Assessments for students in grades K-2 are ongoing and will also be shared with parents at conference time in November.
We also have two important Coffee & Connections Zoom talks coming up next week—one with the school nurse and one with our school counselor. We hope that you will find these useful and helpful as we seek to connect with our school families over topics that we are identifying within our community as needed.
I hope and pray for joy and health for each of you this weekend and always.
Peace,
Anne M. Dyke
