Mater Christi faculty and staff concluded their “Workshop Week” of preparations for the school year with a spiritual retreat to St. Anne’s Shrine in Isle La Motte. The gorgeous island setting, on the shore of Lake Champlain and just a few miles from Canada, was the perfect spot for faculty and staff to breathe, bond, be restored, and to remember the important vocation to which they have all been called. They focused on the school theme for 2020-21: “Global Vision and Responsibility,” which will guide the direction and activities with students this year. The application of this theme will center upon (1) celebrating the goodness of our world, and (2) treating others in mercy.
When Mater Christi School welcomed 227 students back to campus, the joy and excitement of being together again after 179 days of absence from school were evident even while learning new routines and protocols during the first few days. The use of masks and observing proper distancing protocols has not impacted students’ enthusiasm for lunchtime conversations, racing around at recess, and sharing a common passion for learning. New to the academic environment was the sound of Spanish in grades K-6, the piloting of a Latin/Greek word roots program, and an outdoor classroom. In short, there is life and learning found in abundance again across the campus at Mater Christi School, for which all are so grateful!