Dear HNPS Families,

The sight of second graders walking to school with carefully constructed adobe houses, longhouses, and teepees is a sure sign that Thanksgiving is right around the corner. The second grade recently completed its annual project that allows them to study the history, culture, and customs of the Pueblo, Powhatan, and Sioux.

I had the opportunity to watch many of the presentations. The students confidently presented their projects, discussed how they constructed their dwellings, and explained what they liked about the project. The other students asked great questions and offered compliments on their classmates' work.

I am sure many are looking forward to Thanksgiving and approaching it differently than last year. We hope the break gives our students a respite and some family time.

Some of the news reports yesterday should give us a few moments of pause though. Massachusetts reached a nine-month high in cases yesterday. Last year, the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas were the busiest for us in terms of mitigating COVID and responding to cases. We have seen an increase in activity in our community in recent weeks. We would like the three weeks that follow Thanksgiving this year to be focused on the season of Advent and preparation for Christmas. So we ask for everyone's continued cooperation to help make the final weeks of this semester safe and healthy for everyone.

Before returning to school on Monday, November 29, please screen your child thoroughly and do not overlook even the mildest symptoms especially if you have gathered with a large group. Even if asymptomatic, we encourage the use of at home testing if you celebrate with a large group of people. The easiest way for us to manage COVID is to prevent it from coming into our building. While many pediatric cases have been mild, it might not be for some students in our community or for family members in our students' households like grandparents, expectant mothers, and newborns. So please help us keep everyone safe. During the weeks following Thanksgiving and Christmas, we will do our routine testing twice during those weeks (Monday and Wednesday).

When we return from Christmas, many of our students will be fully vaccinated. That will add another layer of protection and mitigation. Thank you for your support. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. With the short week next week, the next weekly update will be the Friday we return from Thanksgiving Break.

Best regards,

Mr. Chisholm

Holy Name has an Open House this Sunday, November 21st from 10 - 11:30 am. Please encourage family and friends who are interested in Holy Name to stop by for a tour.

We also encourage current families to submit applications for siblings prior to Christmas break. We would like to give priority to our current families and we will see many applications submitted beginning in January. You can complete the application here.

Holy Name had a special surprise this morning. Mr. Dana Barrett, father of Grace, Natalie, and Rose, presented a framed American flag that he had flown over the Pentagon while deployed to Washington, D.C. Mr. Barrett was grateful for the support our school community showed his wife, Deb, and his children while he was deployed. This was his fourth deployment. This morning he presented the flag to our Student Council. The inscription reads "to the Holy Name Community for your support of military families during extended mobilization." We thank Mr. Barrett for having a flag flown in our honor and we thank him for his service.

    This Month’s Topics: Autobiography, ISEE Breakfast, and Pumpkin Poetry

We are excited for this annual community event and have some amazing vendors joining us! For the full list of vendors, check out the event page here. 

If you are able to bake for the BAKE SALE please reach out to Astrid at astrid.atakovcastillo@gmail.com.

If you are interested in doing a HOLIDAY TRUNK for this event or have Christmas projectors or inflatables to donate reach out to Amanda Chisholm at Amanda.Chisholm.ND@gmail.com.

December Prize Calendar sales are happening now! Flyers and tickets came home in backpacks this week. A $10 calendar entry puts you into a daily drawing for prizes – over $3,000 in total prizes! One winner will be drawn at random from all entries daily in December. If you win a prize, your name is put right back into the drawing – meaning you have the chance to win 31 times! For more details or ticket sheets click here.