February 28, 2023

Dear Preschool Families,

It is hard to believe that we are about to embark upon the final three months of preschool! Where has the time gone??

Recently, I was reminded of this quote from Corinthians: “Let all that you do be done in Love.”  It seems particularly meaningful for February when we were talking to the children about care and kindness, especially as it relates to Valentine’s Day and the beginning of Lent. Our students have spent a lot of time making cards, learning songs, and thinking of ways to express love this past month. You may have noticed all of the hearts hanging on the Collaborative Art Wall outside of Fellowship Hall! As you might imagine, the etiquette focus for February was kindness and compliments. 

At the beginning of the month, we continued showing love of our school with the final days of Catholic Schools Week. Not only were we grateful for all of the books that were collected for WAKE Up and Read, but we were so appreciative of the special concert that Jim Wahl, Director of Liturgy & Music, provided for our students at the end of the week. It’s safe to say that we all got a good workout by singing & dancing with Mr. Jim! Closely following this, we had the visit from the dentist and his sidekick, Ms. Toothpaste. They made sure that everyone knew how to demonstrate love for their teeth!

We are also continually showered with love by you, our families! Many thanks for the ongoing hospitality, kind words, and special treats that you have given our staff this past month. An extra thanks is extended to Jessica Goode and Shannon Hoffman for organizing a special breakfast for our teachers on Valentine’s Day!

Finally, I’d like to share some news that I received recently which ties into our Franciscan identity and love for all that God made. You may remember that in the Spring of 2021, through the generosity of many families and an anonymous donor, we were able to open our beautiful new playground. While grateful for the new equipment, there was a question of what to do with the old pieces. The playground company with whom we worked also partners with an organization called Kids Around the World (KATW). The purpose of KATW is to refurbish old playgrounds that still have usable pieces and install them all over the world to places where kids might not have access to a playground. Here is a video which explains more of what they do.  As it turns out, several pieces of our old playground, including the green dragon, were able to be refurbished instead of being sent to a landfill. The COVID pandemic slowed the work of KATW, but they are fully operating again. The usable parts of our old playground are scheduled to be installed this week in the Dominican Republic! This is such wonderful news, particularly as we look for opportunities to teach our children how to care for our earth!

As we journey through the season of Lent, I hope that you will join me in offering prayers for the health and safety not only of our preschool community, but for all those who suffer violence, sickness, war, and discrimination in our world. May God bring peaceful days to you and others in our world!

With Joy,