Dear St. Cecilia Families & Friends,
I hope this note finds you well and getting back into the swing and routine of being back at school. With our first full week behind us, I can officially say that we are off to an amazing start! Your children are adjusting well to their new classrooms, our football team won their first game, we had a tremendous amount of students tryout for volleyball and soccer, we had our first ever Campus Ministry beginning-of-year retreat with seventy 7th and 8th graders, and we are experiencing fantastic turnouts at our Back to School Bash and our Javas with Jeff! Thank you all for your support and positive feedback these last couple of weeks.
As many of us are all too aware, being in school this week feels great for a number of reasons. Yes, it was precisely a year ago this week that our city, our community was ravaged by the effects of a storm and subsequent flooding the likes of which southeast Texas had never seen.
We know this last year has been very challenging for so many families in our community. And, we know for many, those challenges persist. Many of our friends are still not yet back in their homes. Many have moved on to other homes leaving years of memories and belongings behind. And, even for those friends who are back in their homes, the psychological, emotional, and financial strain they endured may still reside just under the surface.
Out of the tragedy and the chaos that was Hurricane Harvey, a glimmer of light, a ray of hope shone on our school and on our community. The way we came together. The way we lent a helping hand. The way we were there for our friends and neighbors in need. In times of struggle and hardship, the true heart of our St. Cecilia community came through and we showed that together we are better, together we can.
Here at St. Cecilia, we continue to hold in our prayers and in our hearts, our friends and community members who were impacted by Hurricane Harvey. We know the impact will be long lasting, and as a school and community, we will to continue to support one another.
We offer our prayers today for those who were affected; that they still feel the support of their friends and St. Cecilia Catholic School community. We also pray in gratitude for the members of our community who came forward in so many ways to support those who lost so much.
If there is anything we can do here at the school to support your family or your child(ren) please do not hesitate to reach out to us.
With appreciation for the community my family is a part of, and gratitude for the opportunity to serve your family,
Warm regards and blessings,
+Jeff Matthews
Principal
St. Cecilia Catholic School
