What an unprecedented time our school family is living these days. There are so many fun things that we realize we would be doing if we could be together such as celebrating Sacraments, milestone occasions or even everyday school events.  What has truly been heartwarming though is witnessing all the love, work and creativity going on behind the scenes to bring these experiences to fruition in one way or another. Our Parish and School staff truly have our children’s best interests at heart in terms of their body, mind and spirit! Our school proudly helps to develop each child’s sense of faith, wonder and service and even though students are not physically with their teachers, their principal and our Priests, ALL are making sure that OUR children are still receiving the very best. Between the Fast Direct messages and Facebook page activities, pictures and videos, it is easy to feel that sense of community that our school is known for. 

Child of Wonder

Our children have been participating in weekly zoom meetings with their teachers where their academic and personal needs are assessed and met. Maybe you have noticed your child running through the house playing show and tell with things in their room or hurrying to find items on a scavenger hunt list to get back to the class or hearing giggles of delight as pet hamsters, lizards and kitty cats are proudly on display for teachers and friends to see. Through these activities, our teachers are making sure our children are seeing their friends, having a recess with them, taking turns to see and hear their friends share their worlds. Lessons are being taught, hands are raising giving ideas and thoughts, and tests are being administered all through our Google classroom and technology available to families. The pictures of our Virtual Spirit Week flooded Facebook feeds and how about when Mrs. Magill did a live storybook read about pirates and then Mrs. Karandzieff read the next week to us about dinosaurs in our city, so very special!  There are so many things to look forward to as well, like Mrs. Goughenour’s Innovation Brain Break experiment that students will do live “together.” Our little artists have been fortunate to create masterpieces with all types of media thanks to Miss Cooper and her YouTube channel giving them step by step instructions to follow along with her! Our singers are learning how to follow notes with the aid of a computer game as they participate in sing alongs with Mrs. Kaatmann and they were even encouraged to call a loved one and sing together. The children’s physical fitness goals have also been creatively met by Mrs. Walls and the students are challenged to register enough steps collectively through their activity to walk across the country and back! Perhaps the most anticipated event to come is Olympic Day which will be done as families instead of class teams, but promises to still be tons of fun! Our 8^th graders have especially been on our heart as their Confirmations were postponed and because some of their rite of passage activities are being experienced differently. We look forward to each of them being celebrated individually in a special way in the days to come! 

Child of Faith

Families have been encouraged to create a worship space as we experience Mass broadcasting live each Sunday at 9:30am. The staff pray for our children daily in morning meetings and oftentimes in afternoon ones as well. It is not unusual to see a familiar face popping in to pray with our children, like when Fr. Brockland prayed with the 5^th grade and answered questions about loss and Heaven as the children grieved together for Mrs. Johnson. The children were challenged to make art for our community and share pictures of their “stained glass windows” and their chalked drawings and messages of hope and inspiration lining sidewalks and driveways. Our Second graders’ tradition of making banners for First Communion continued and this year the pictures of them holding their banners that will one day line the pews were shared with the whole parish! Our Parish made sure that Stations of the Cross continued through Lent and so the children were still able to participate by seeing it broadcasted live each Friday just as they would at school. The resources shared to create activity while building our faith have been plentiful and as Holy Spirit dove paper plates and faith finger puzzles have been created and as we learned to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet in song, our students were building upon their faith just as they did in their seats at school. What a moving experience it was to see familiar faces in Mrs. Schutz, Mrs. Diehl, Mrs. Fann, Mrs. Rau and Mrs Bolton as two different rosaries have been said live “together.” There have been worship aides provided for each Sunday Mass for families to follow along, but no aide was needed for school kids as some familiar Mass songs have been featured. 

Child of Service

Each day of the school year, our children are called to serve and this time while studying at home is no different. The seeds planted earlier in the school year in the Innovation Station tower gardens have grown and were able to be planted in the Care Service garden recently and they promise to provide produce for the pantry families in need all Summer and Fall! Students were encouraged to “Step it Up” while getting their PE steps by mowing the lawn, walking their dog or picking up litter on a walk.  Our children are used to being witnesses for Christ in their actions and this time is no different. Keep encouraging your little flames to write a note to a loved one they can’t be with or to read a book to a younger sibling or plant a flower for a neighbor and that will continue their learning to serve God’s people. 

We are incredibly blessed to be a part of a community that is working so hard to keep us together in as many ways as possible in these time of separateness. So many children have received one on one calls from teachers checking in, assignments may have been adjusted to honor the circumstances some are in, one on one instruction when needed, parent calls and conferences to check in and see how we are doing in this and prayer circles for our kids just like when they are in the classroom and they share who they would like to pray for. Our incredible leader, Mrs. Schutz has popped into each grade’s Zoom meetings to visit with the kids and although she has said how very much she misses them, it means the world to parents that she values each student so much and that she wants to lay her eyes on each one. 

These may not be ordinary times for our students, but they don’t come from an ordinary school, you see they are students at Sts. Joachim and Ann, where we are anything but ordinary. We will get through these unique times as a community, we will be stronger for it and all of their flames will shine brighter because of this.