Welcome to the 2011-2012 School Year at St. Mary’s School!

The summer has just flown by and here we are, ready to begin a new school year! Whether you are a new family coming to St. Mary’s for the first time or have been with us as part of our St. Mary’s School Family for many years, welcome!

Over the course of the summer I had the opportunity, as I hope all of you did, to play, pray, read, and learn! While it may sound funny to some of our students to hear this, their principal actually got two chances to go back to school – and jumped at them!

One of these opportunities was to be part of a “teaching team” for a summer reading camp conducted as part of the annual week-long Constructivist Workshop which was held in July on the St. Lawrence University campus. It was wonderful to work with two fellow colleagues, Ms. Margaret Trainor and Miss Ginger Thomas, along with eight of our St. Mary’s students, for one solid week as we learned about the Adirondacks through books, personal interviews, research, and even a field trip! The culminating product of our efforts was a student- produced video which may be used for future professional development workshops for teachers, and as part of an Adirondack project involving other schools in this area in cooperation with The Wild Center in Tupper Lake! As a teacher, it reminded me how exciting and energizing it can be to really dive into a subject and work toward a specific goal. Learning can and should be fun as well as focused and productive!

The other educational opportunity I had was attending the 22nd Summer Institute on Catholic Education which was co-sponsored by the Warner School of Education at the University of Rochester. This was the third time I have attended the Institute and this particular conference focused on preventing bullying and increasing emotional literacy in our schools. During one of the presentations the speaker referred to the passage in the Bible from Exodus (3:2-5) where God was calling to Moses at the burning bush: “Moses! Moses!” “Who is it?” Moses asked. “ Don’t come any closer,” God told him. “ Take off your shoes, for you are standing on holy ground…”

As I reflected upon the words “holy ground,” I found myself thinking about our school. St. Mary’s School should be considered to be holy ground. Once a person enters the building, he or she should be aware of a difference. It should feel different from any of a multitude of other places we may go during the day. St. Mary’s is first and foremost a Catholic school, one that teaches our children to see the face of Christ in each other as well as in themselves. When this happens, there is no fear of bullying, there is no fear of disrespect, or ridicule. St. Mary’s School is holy ground. But it doesn’t stop with our children. After all, they will only mirror what the grown-ups in their lives reflect. As adults, we must also remember to honor the holy ground, and remind ourselves how lucky we are in this community to have
this protective, special place where everyone, regardless of age, is cherished and valued. Holy ground. What a wonderful way to see your classroom, your school, and your work place!

While both the children and Mr. Crawford might want us all to “take off your shoes” when we enter the building, I won’t be asking for that! I do ask, however, that over the next couple of weeks, as we prepare to begin a new school year, we consider looking at our school with this new perspective in mind. St. Mary’s has always been the “School with the Heart,” so we haven’t really had the problems that some of our public schools have had to face. Still, the thought of “standing on holy ground” not only directs how we are to behave but also reminds us of what a privilege it is to be able to be part of such a special place. Now our hearts can become on fire as we celebrate the gift of another school year together. What a different way to view the beginning of school!

Once again, welcome or welcome back, thank you for your children, and may God bless your families. I’ll see you all in just a short time on the holy ground that is St. Mary’s School!
 
Mrs. Marianne Jadlos
Principal