Dear SMA Community,
Happy new year, happy Epiphany, and welcome back to school as we begin 2025!
In the life of the Church, we are still in the Christmas season, though stores and many homes have pretty much sold out of, taken down or put away their Christmas merchandise and decorations. This past Sunday, we celebrated the Feast of the Epiphany, which recalls the visit of the three wise men/kings/magi to the infant Jesus in Bethlehem.This Sunday, we celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of our Lord Jesus by John the Baptist in the Jordan River. After this Sunday, January 8th, we enter the liturgical Season of Ordinary Time (during which the liturgical color is green).
Speaking of Epiphany, the school continues this week to honor the visit of the three wise men to the infant Jesus. Msgr. Mark and I will be visiting each classroom to bless and dedicate the space for the new year–part of a long-standing Catholic tradition in which homes are blessed by writing the letters C, M and B and the numbers of the new year on either side of the three letters above the main door: “20+C+M+B+25”. The letters represent the three wise men: Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar; the “+” represents the cross of Jesus.
Additionally, the theme of our school Mass this Friday is the Epiphany, during which the TK students will be the living Nativity scene and the K and 1st grade students will participate as readers (our 8th graders will provide the music). Please join us!
For the next 6-8 weeks, we have 12 Korean exchange students joining our school. They are spread out in almost every grade. SMA partners with Columbus Junior, a foreign exchange student program for students from South Korea. These students and their parents come to our country for a short period of academic and cultural opportunity–typically when their schools are on a break. This is a great opportunity for our students to interact and make friends with children from a different country. For a list of the Korean students who are with us, please see this newsletter.
We also begin a new season of sports: soccer and basketball. Each week, we will highlight the achievements of our student athletes. THANK YOU to the parent volunteers (and our own Mr. Christiansen) who are coaching the teams. Please see this newsletter for further information, including a link to the website for the weekly game schedule.
Looking forward to next week, please note that we will administer the second cycle of our Star Math and Reading assessments on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, immediately following our schoolwide morning prayer and announcements. We have made it a priority to designate a quiet testing period that supports all students and ensures they are focused and do their best. In this regard, please ensure your student is at school on time (and well rested) on Tuesday, January 14th, and Thursday, January 16th.
Finally, remember that there is a four-day holiday weekend beginning Friday, January 17th, to commemorate the Martin Luther King, Jr., federal holiday on Monday, January 20th (Friday is a professional development day for SMA teachers). (There will be Cub Care after school on Thursday, January 16th.)
Thank you sincerely for your continued support and partnership.
With blessings and hope,
Mr. James Brandt
Principal