In our final week of school, we celebrated the accomplishments of our nursery, K1, and K2 students through end-of-year celebrations and graduations. Our 5th graders delighted us with two outstanding performances of Rip Van Winkle. Also, Fr. Evans and Fr. Garza celebrated grade level masses to conclude the year. It was a nice way to end what has been quite a year.

Thank you to all of our faculty and staff for their tremendous work and endless optimism this year. We would not have had a successful school year without each and every one of you. Thank you to our students for making each day special. In addition, I'd like to thank our parents for your support and cooperation this year; this year was a true community effort. Finally, I would like to thank our Home & School Association for their tireless work and enthusiasm for Holy Name. Their fundraising efforts will help Holy Name adopt a new literacy curricula next year.

As a final writing assignment, one of our classes was asked to "Write about what your principal would enjoy doing this summer." If only their dreams could come true, I'd be riding dolphins in Hawaii, surfing in the Bahamas, or racing across Antarctica." It's safe to say that our students' imagination and creativity expanded this year. I'll settle for one of the more likely options - "take a day off and go to the beach." Sounds good to me.

I hope everyone has an enjoyable summer and has the chance to reconnect with family and friends as well as celebrate some of the usual summer traditions.

Shortly after the inauguration in January, second grade students practiced their letter-writng skills by composing letters to President Joe Biden. In their letters, students introduced HNPS and shared a bit about themselves. They also offered bits of wisdom and advice to our new president and identified policy areas for the president to address. Just a few days ago, we received a response. In his response, President Biden encouraged our students to "remain curious, creative, and fearless." He also reminded our students to "Study hard. Keep challenging yourselves. And be kind."

Through My Eyes is an important work on Mr. Gordon's 6th Grade syllabus. The autobiographical work tells the story of Ruby Bridges who integrated New Orleans public schools in the 1960s. After reading the text, 6th graders wrote to Ms. Barbara Henry, Ruby's teacher, about their experience and reaction to reading the book. Ms. Henry responded to our students. She was delighted with their writing skills. "I am so grateful and appreciative for whatever empowering effect this story may have for students today - for whatever they achieve to make the world a better, more just place, will also help to preserve the gains of the past," Ms. Henry wrote to Mr. Gordon.

In their backpacks, students have brought home summer work packets. Students have made steady growth this year. While not the only measure of student growth, the NWEA MAP scores for our spring administration were excellent. To continue the momentum we have created this year, we would like the students to complete summer work to sharpen skills and prepare them for the beginning of the next school year. The packets will also be posted on the website. We will send a notice once they are uploaded.

LEtGO Your Mind, a summer STEM and robotics camp, will be hosting its program at Holy Name for two weeks. The camp and program is operated by LEtGO Your Mind; Holy Name is just the site. The camp is a good option for anyone looking for early summer activities. For more information or to register, please visit LEtGO Your Mind's website.

Catholic Memorial is hosting a number of summer programs including athletic clinics and enrichment workshops. You can find more information on their website.

"What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.”