Sunday Information
February 21, 2021
Happy Sunday,
These first few days of Lent are so critical in determining how the rest of our Lenten journey goes. We are asked to focus on three pillars during Lent, prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, in order to grow closer to God. However, the idea is that we use these 40 days to create habits that will last beyond Easter. That our growth during Lent will carry over and become a part of our regular daily routines. This is what makes the first few days so important. Habits are formed from repetition. If we do something two days in a row, we are 150% more likely to continue. The longer we stick with something the more likely it is to become a habit.
If you think about your day, you can probably see a number of habits that you have. We sometimes call these routines, but they become routine when we form a habit. How you get ready in the morning, what you do when you get to work or get home, how you go to bed. All of the little things we do every day have become habits. Lent offers us a chance to break negative habits and create more positive habits. I for one found that my biggest habit throughout the day was reaching for my phone to open social media. I realized this habit was taking away from many different aspects of my life. So, my goal during lent is to break that habit. However, breaking the habit isn't enough if we use that time to form other bad habits. If instead of opening social media I open a game, I am just breaking one bad habit to form another. We need to fill that void with something more positive.
The other thing that we should consider as we break and form habits during Lent is that we must want these habits to continue. For me, I have often gone into Lent with a goal, but also I see an end point. "If I can just make it to Easter, I can go back to doing the things I want." That defeats the purpose. I am trying to change that mindset this year by saying to myself, "If I can just make it to Easter, imagine how much easier it will be to continue these habits!" I want my new good habits to permanently take the place of my old bad habits. Will I stay away from social media forever, of course not. Yet, if I get out of the routine of checking it all the time, and create habits to fill the void, then I will have a healthier relationship with it once I go back.
So much of our relationship with God revolves around our mindset and our habits. If your mindset is that God must be central to everything you do, then you will be more likely to form positive habits. If you attend mass for two straight Sundays, you will be that much more likely to go a third. If you pray before every meal for a week, then you are so much more likely to continue that habit. However, the opposite is also true. If we ignore our relationship with God, we tend to form habits that pull as away from him. So use this Lenten season to form habits and to develop a mindset that will help you grow closer to God. Then hold on to that mindset and those habits after Easter and make them a permanent part of who you are.
God Bless,
Mr. O'Neill
What's Coming Up at SHS?
Tuesday, February 23rd: PTO Open Meeting at 6:30 pm
Wednesday, February 24th: Last day of the 2nd Trimester
February 25th & 26th: No School
Wednesday, March 3rd: Spring Pictures
Tuesday, March 9th: Kindergarten Round Up
Friday, March 12th: No School, teacher faith formation
Tuesday, March 16th: Dining Night at Mr. Goodcents from 4-9
March 20 - 28: Spring Break
Thursday, April 1st: Holy Thursday, no school
Friday, April 2nd: Good Friday, no school
Monday, April 5th: Easter Monday, no school
We will have our PTO Open Meeting this Tuesday, February 23, at 6:30.
This meeting is mandatory for all families to attend either in-person or virtually.
As a reminder, there is no child care available for the meetings this year, so if you must have your kids with you it would be preferable that you join virtually. Please respond to the poll below indicating how you plan to attend the meeting. This will help us prepare materials. All materials will be available in the parish hall and will also be emailed out with the meeting link on Tuesday.
How do you plan to attend the meeting on Tuesday?
In-person
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Virtually
- View Details
Both (1 parent in-person, the other virtually)
- View Details
Spring Pictures on March 3rd
Students will have Spring Pictures on Wednesday, March 3. For this round of pictures, students are permitted to wear whatever you would like them to wear. Obviously, anything they wear should be school appropriate. We will also be taking our class pictures that day. Order forms for these pictures will be sent out with proofs later in March. There is no retake option for Spring Pictures.
We will be having our Kindergarten Round-up for all prospective Kindergarten students and their parents on Tuesday, March 9th. If you or someone you know is interested in attending, please register using the school website or by calling the school. Deadline to register is March 3rd.
*The child must turn 5 by August 31, 2021 to be eligible for kindergarten next school year.
End of Trimester 2
The second trimester end this Wednesday. Teachers communicated any concerns a few weeks ago at conferences. Students must have any second trimester work completed by Wednesday in order for it to be included on the Report Cards. Report Cards will be sent home Wednesday, March 3rd. As in the past, all materials inside of the Report Cards are for you to keep, please just sign and return the envelopes.
Students will be attending Stations of the Cross every Friday that we have school during Lent. These will take place at 3 in the afternoon and will be available to view on Sanctuary Views. Further, Stations of the Cross with Exposition and Benediction will take place every Friday evening at 6 for the duration of Lent in the Church.
Covid Update
There are currently no students or staff members in quarantine or isolation due to COVID-19. I want to again thank you for your diligence in sticking to safety protocols. While numbers are down locally and more and more people are getting the vaccine, it is still important that we not let up. Our children have benefitted a great deal from being in school all year and we want to continue to give them this advantage.
While numbers are down, it does not mean that it has gone away. If you or someone in your family is feeling sick, please take advantage of the rapid tests we have available at the school. It is a simple test and you will know results in 15 minutes. However, remember that these tests are much more accurate if you have symptoms. Please only schedule a test for symptomatic individuals.