Saints Speak from Mrs. Marshall - We Journey Together - 9/17/2020

If you look closely at the emails you’ve received from Mrs. Bajek lately, you’ll see that she updates her tagline each day to mark the number of days of school we have had together so far this year. Today we completed our 21st day of school! In past years, we may have taken our school traditions and this time with our students for granted. One positive outcome of the pandemic is now we recognize that every day we get to spend with your children is a blessing. We are grateful for the 21 days we have had with our students so far, and we look forward to many more in the weeks to come as we journey through this year TOGETHER! 

Last Friday, Karen Udell, Assistant Superintendent of the Diocese of Joliet Catholic Schools Office, surprised us with a visit. She visited our classrooms, spoke with faculty and staff, and observed our students at lunch and recess. She shared very positive feedback, not only about our compliance with all COVID-19 precautions outlined in our reopening plan, but also regarding the energy and positive spirit among our students and staff. It was evident to her, as it is to me each day, how happy our teachers and students are to be in school and sharing in the learning experience together. 

We also celebrated our first school mass yesterday! This was my first mass at All Saints, and it was a beautiful celebration of the Eucharist, the central focus of our Catholic faith. Our 8th, 5th, and 2nd grade students attended in person, and we did a test run of streaming the mass to a few classrooms so we can soon provide streamed school mass to all classrooms as well as our virtual learners. I look forward to future masses with our other in-person learners and to soon being able to share this virtually with our entire ASCA community. 

This week has been especially busy as our students participate in their standardized assessments, the CogAT and IOWA tests. The students have done a great job throughout testing, always trying their best and showing continued patience as we adapted to a new testing format this year. I have had the pleasure of testing the sixth grade virtual learners the last few days and have enjoyed getting to visit and get to know them a little better during our breaks between tests. They have shared great insight about virtual learning from a student’s perspective and have been very complimentary of their teachers. It’s wonderful to hear from students how responsive and helpful their teachers are throughout the day and even after school hours! 

I’d like to recognize our students who have performed Saintly Acts recently. We thank these students for their acts of kindness and respect here at school! Congratulations and thank you to Rhett S. (4th grade), Jacob B. (1st grade), Jencarlo C. (5th grade), Payton M. (5th grade), Finn M. (1st grade), Luna T. (3rd grade), Edgar M. (1st grade), Hannia G. (1st grade), Oliver H. (7th grade), Stephen V. (7th grade), Ian M. (2nd grade), Andrew W. (2nd grade), Ella H. (Kindergarten), Tallula M. (4th grade), Amelia N. (Kindergarten), Hannah B. (6th grade), Jenna J. (6th grade), and Kate T. (6th grade)! 

Lastly, I want to share a prayer I came across recently from Fr. Mychal Judge. Fr. Judge was Chaplain of the New York City Fire Department and lost his life in the 9/11 tragedy. His prayer reminds me that God has a plan greater than each one of us, and we must trust in His plan and turn to Him for guidance. It is especially fitting for us throughout these unprecedented times: 

Lord, take me where You want me to go; 

Let me meet who You want me to meet; 

Tell me what You want me to say; 

And keep me out of Your way. 

I hope this prayer helps guide you, as it has helped me, in the coming week. 

Warm regards, 

Margie Marshall 

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