Dear Parents,

STM has enjoyed some beautiful religious celebrations this past week. On Saturday morning, the 2nd grade students received the Eucharist for the first time at a special Mass held in St. Thomas More Cathedral. On Monday, the student body gathered to participate in the annual STM May Procession that includes praying the Rosary and crowning Mary. The 2nd grade students processed into church wearing their First Communion outfits and placed flowers at Mary's statue. The 7th and 8th grade students formed a living Rosary and "lit" battery candles for each prayer of the Rosary that we recited. We look forward every May to enjoying this beautiful tradition!

 

Even as we celebrate annual events, teachers and students continue to explore and create new traditions. This year, the 6th grade students worked with Mrs. O'Rourke, STM Librarian, and their teachers to build a Dialogue of Peade w ith students attending school in Alexandria, Egypt. The students skyped with each other and then they created videos introducing themselves and sharing favorite books, food, and hobbies.  It was so successful that we are hopeful this can be repeated yearly. Below are some comments from Deborah Lacroix, Alexandria International Academy Coordinator:

Thank you so very much for your videos. I showed them to my students this morning and they loved them. They were very excited to see  that your students liked many of the same books, films and especially video games that they liked. I asked why did they think this project was called Dialogues of Peace. Their answers just warmed my heart:

 

"When you get to know someone, you are not so afraid of them."

"When you know people are like you, you don't believe steriotypes" 

"You won't believe what people say on the Internet or in the Media if you get to know someone yourself"

"It's fun to make friends with new people."

 

Through these small but important connections, STM  teachers and students put into action this year's theme:  STM Will Turn the World. 

Please remember that this Friday, May 11, is an 11:30am dismissal with Extended Day available. As we head into the weekend, my prayer for you is that every mother will enjoy a peace-filled and Happy Mother's Day!

 

God bless,