As per the Gospel during our last school Mass:
LK 6:20-26
Raising his eyes toward his disciples Jesus said:
“Blessed are you who are poor, for the Kingdom of God is yours.
Blessed are you who are now hungry, for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who are now weeping, for you will laugh.
Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you,
and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man.
Rejoice and leap for joy on that day! Behold, your reward will be great in heaven.
For their ancestors treated the prophets in the same way.
But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.
But woe to you who are filled now, for you will be hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now, for you will grieve and weep.
Woe to you when all speak well of you, for their ancestors treated the false
prophets in this way.”
Father Anh’s homily helped us understand that we don’t need riches to be happy and that we should see the goodness in people. When we see the goodness in everyone, we will be able to live in love and not hatred.
Our school is blessed to be back in session. Most of our families chose the option to have their children “in-person”, only a few felt the need to keep their children at home doing “virtual school”. Our “virtual families” were given a set of books, a set of manipulatives for the lower grades so they can join their classmates in math and science lessons, a recorder for the 4th graders to keep up with their class’ music lessons. Our families drive-by every Friday to pick up their packets for the upcoming week and to drop off the work for the week. This new way of learning requires lots of disciple, our students as well as our teachers are navigating the new “virtual learning” way. Since the public schools around us opened we have experienced a few difficulties with the internet, but all and all, we are blessed to be able to provide the same education at school or from home.
Our school is blessed to have small classes. Because of our small classes, we are able to provide a safer environment for each of our students. Desks can be placed apart from each other. Teachers can give the attention students need to succeed.
Our school is blessed to practice our faith. Everyday, our school not only starts with prayer, we also pray the Angelus at 11:00 am and the St. Michael Prayer at 3:00 pm. Every Thursday, our students go to Adoration to spend time with our Lord. Every class takes turn to pray the rosary. In fact, this year we started to host a virtual rosary that you can join from the comfort of your house, job site, car, etc., this month’s virtual rosary is scheduled to happen on Friday, September 25, 2020 at 2:30 pm. Just join us on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/StJohnSchoolNRH.
Our school is blessed to count on the support of our priests, principal, teachers and staff, and families, but most importantly we are blessed to count on the support of benefactors, sponsors, alumni, grandparents, and donors that understand our mission and are ready to help when needed. If you feel the call to join this group of selfless people, we are now raising funds during North Texas Giving Day: https://www.northtexasgivingday.org/st-john-the-apostle-catholic-school, we will be raising funds during #iGiveCatholic Day, December 01, 2020: https://fortworth.igivecatholic.org/organizations/st-john-the-apostle-catholic-school, and during our Soar to Success Campaign until February 05, 2021. There are, of course, many other ways to support our school. Mrs. Kelly can answer any questions you may have at tkelly@stjs.org.
Our school is blessed to have many outdoor learning spaces. Thanks to the way our campus was built, all the doors lead to the outdoors. Students and staff can enjoy God’s creations every time we change class periods. We are purposely using these areas to instill the love of gardening into our students. They take care of the seeds in our greenhouse, keep the compost ready to be used, feed our worms, plant the new grown plants from the greenhouse, collect their fruits, and eat them or share them with our chickens.
Our school is blessed to be able to share our time, talent, and treasure with our community. As disciples of Christ, we teach our students the value of being a good steward. Our school has always provided to our Parish Food Pantry, we will continue when the new Social Services building re-opens. Our students take turns to visit the elderly, we have plans to visit them soon, even if we have to see them through the glass windows. Our students participate in Trash Bash days in our neighborhood and organize donation drives for the Police Station, Fire Station, Animal Shelter, sister parish in Patzun, Guatemala, and more.
Our school is blessed to have you as part of our community!
Catholic Education in the Classical Tradition 