Dear Mater Christi Families,
The start of 2018 has been ushered in here at Mater Christi by a host of events and activities. Let me share a snapshot of the special days we’ve had in January.
1/8 The leadership team from MESA (Mercy Education System of the Americas) visited and spent the day in classrooms, the dining room, and among students with the intent of gaining an impression of the school. They simply loved the students! No surprise there. But they also couldn’t say enough about the instruction and the teachers, commenting on the “quality” of both and the remarkably high level of critical thinking that was being exchanged at every grade level.
1/12 The school GeoBee competition took place in the gym with grades 4-8 spectating. Many schools nationwide participate in the GeoBee, but very few “do it up” like Mr. Tremblay and Mater Christi! The ten finalists performed very well, and after the dust had settled, for the second year in a row, Maris Lynn was our Mater Christi School champion!
1/15 It has traditionally been our way at Mater Christi to celebrate MLK Day not with a day off, but rather in such a way as to honor Dr. King’s work. Our day opened with a prayer service put on by the 5th grade. Following the service, our middle school divided into its Discovery Groups, wrestled with the “I Have a Dream” speech and the idea of “loving one’s neighbor,” and then assembled over 350 sandwiches for the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf. Meanwhile, the rest of the school dove into a C.O.W. project! Color Our World is a non-profit organization run by Mater Christi parents that seeks to participate with student groups in the process of assembling packets of art supplies and shipping them to people in need. 100+ packets were sent.
1/19 Mama Mia! That was the name of the Italian restaurant into which our cafeteria was transformed on that Friday night. Many families turned out to be served by the 8th grade class a 5-star spaghetti dinner with salad and homemade cookies. Delizioso!
1/24 VINS, the Vermont Institute of Natural Science, took over our gym and inflated something akin to a bouncy castle, which was actually a mobile planetarium, for our 2nd graders who are studying space. The constellations they had drawn in preparation could be viewed from inside the black bubble, where all 16 students sat and stared in amazement.
1/29 Today marks the start of Catholic Schools Week, celebrated around the world from Monday through Friday. The 4th grade kicked off the week by leading us in a prayer service, complete with two skits and a very cute sheep! There will be at least one event per day, but you might not want to miss, in particular, the Student Talent Show, which will begin at 1:45 on Thursday.
As I look at the list above I am struck again by the emphasis, even in our special events, upon learning, outreach and community. Month after month, Mater Christi School is a place where students want to be. I think in many ways it feels like home. Thank you for entrusting to us the most precious parts of that family.
In Mercy,
Tim Loescher
P.s. Take note: as a way of showing thanks to our teachers, we have scheduled NO SCHOOL on Monday, February 5th: Teacher Appreciation Day. (This did not make it on all school calendars that were created at the start of the year.)