Be filled with the Spirit …always and for everything giving thanks.
Ephesians 5.18,20
The event that Americans commonly call the “First Thanksgiving” was celebrated to give thanks to God for guiding the Pilgrims safely to the New World.  The first Thanksgiving feast lasted three days with a guest list of 13 Pilgrims and 90 Native Americans. The New England colonists were accustomed to regularly celebrating “thanksgivings” which were days of prayer thanking God for blessings. The feast consisted of fish and shellfish, wild fowl, venison, berries and fruit, vegetables, harvest grains, dried Indian maize or corn, and squash.

Thanksgiving Table Prayer
O Gracious God, we give you thanks for your overflowing generosity to us. Thank you for the blessings of the food we eat and especially for this feast today. Thank you for our home and family and friends, especially for the presence of those gathered here. Thank you for our health, our work and our play. Open our hearts to your love.
We ask your blessing through Christ your son. Amen.              by Mary Cronk Farrell

I hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving and a safe vacation.
Sister Carolyn

On November 4th I was awe struck as I stood on the stage looking at the sea of parents attending “Postcards from Paris”.  St Joan of Arc’s 15th annual dinner dance, was a great testament to the hard work of chairperson, Jan Boone, her entire committee and the tireless work of SJA’s PSO. SJA parent volunteers’ dedication is one of our greatest assets! I can not be more grateful for all their hard work! Their tireless effort gives our students great opportunities.  As parents mingled, laughed, and watched the beautifully choreographed video of our Peace Rally, a true sense of community radiated through out the elegantly decorated hall.  Unfortunately, life’s daily schedules often leave little time to relax and simply enjoy.  For this reason, my staff and I so appreciated having the time to share stories and thoughts with parents.

The generosity of SJA parents was by no means surprising, yet still overwhelming to hear their amazing donations during the live auction, only to be followed by the Call for Cash that exceeded all expectations.  This evening was so much more than simply a fundraiser, it felt like a family gathering. Since Friday, parents have been flowing into the office, one after another, telling us what a wonderful time they had had Friday evening.  Once again, our school’s motto “Tradition with Vision” has come to life.

On October 28th at the “Donuts for Dad” celebration for Kindergarteners and their fathers I was enchanted by several things.  As I watched the kindergartners sing the songs they had practiced so hard I scanned the audience. What grabbed my attention first were the dads seated in front of the bleachers as the children sang. They were actually lip-syncing the words to the songs and even doing the hand gestures right along with their children. What a treat!
As they all moved downstairs to decorate the pumpkins I realized that I was looking at yet another generation of my tenure. At least five former students sat with their sons and daughters. To me that says so much. Those young men were once children in the very spot their own children now study, worship and play. A truer testament to Catholic education and the legacy of St. Joan of Arc could not be found.  To send your children to walk the same hallways as you did truly embraces our school motto, “TRADITION WITH VISION.”  The greatest gift our alumni could give us is to allow us to join in the partnership with them to educate their children.

We recently talked with sixth graders about their transition to jr. high. What did they feel about the change? How do they feel they are doing? What do they like about jr. high? After some discussion the students completed a writing assignment putting some of their thoughts to paper. Below is a encapsulated version of their hard work and interesting thoughts. I hope you enjoy them as much as we did.

Sister Carolyn

I walk up the cement stairs to the big, red doors leading to St. Joan of Arc from the north parking lot. I practically skip to my homeroom. Stopping, I ask myself, “What is so special about today? Why am I so excited?” Then I think maybe it’s because junior high has been a blast so far! My schedule is very different every day of the week, and I like the variety. I like the jr. high uniform change; it’s simpler and more comfortable. There are more subjects. There are more teachers. I have new friends, got to start fresh and I’m always learning something new. At first I was nervous, but sixth grade is already going by so fast! My days are full of surprises and I can’t wait to see what happens next!

I’m in classes with a variety of sixth graders.

I really enjoy all the special classes we get in jr. high because they let me experience activities I never thought I would in elementary school.

There are so many great things about jr. high that I can’t choose just one to write about.

I love jr. high gym class. I love the new gym uniforms and that we get to have gym 3 times a week.

I really like having a permanent gym locker and a lock.

After I run the mile in the morning in gym class I’m more awake.

I love jr. high social studies because Ms. Doyle helped us to understand more about ancient cultures.

I like learning about Mesopotamia.

I like the Lisle Loop.

I like having more teachers and more classes.

I like having different teachers who teach a wide variety classes.

I like the jr. high uniform.

Jr. high is harder, but way more fun.

I can’t wait to try out for the drama production.

Independence.

I like to have to depend on myself to study. I can write an intense study guide, or go to the web to look at educational videos to help me understand the hard topics.

I love the difficult tests and challenging quizzes.

The homework is simple and the classes are interesting.

I like learning more advanced math and science.

I like the news show every Friday.

Our teachers are really great.

I love art class.

I love going bowling!

We learn something new every day.

Sometimes I can’t wait for the bell to ring – other times I hope it doesn’t.

I like being in the choir and being a cantor.

We get soda with hot lunch.

I love all the different sports and activities in gym.

Flag football is my favorite thing.

I love social studies and world history.

I feel like I’m being challenged more in jr. high.

I love 6^th grade science. I love labs. I love experiments.

I love to write in pen!

Adventures! I love to move around between classes.

I love the projects we do; they’re fun and everyone participates.

Religion class is the best!

Out of all my classes I like math, literature and tech the best.

I loved building origami jumping frogs’ in tech. They actually jumped.

I like vocabulary and literature.

I like the 10:00 switch.

As is always the case I like to spend time in my new teacher’s classrooms. This year I’ve had quite a thrill as I observed alumni teacher Gina Dirienzo in grade 3 and Viava Laniauskas,  soon to be Mrs. Cyvas in Grade 4.  Both are exceptional young women and their classrooms radiate with energy.  The atmosphere is inviting and exciting and challenges the children to be imaginative, innovative and creative.

I interviewed some of the children and was delighted with their off the cuff and imaginative answers.

Here are just some of what the children told me -
Miss Dirienzo:
-knows her way around
-always has new ideas
t-eaches us a lot of cool stuff
-understands kids
-really knows how to teach!
-teaches us very good things
-cares and helps all of us
-helps us care
-is kind to all of us

The most endearing was the little boy who said, “Jesus told you to pick her, didn’t He?”

Mrs. Cyvas:
-teaches us good lessons
-is very friendly, nice and smart!
-is easy to understand
-teaches us how to take notes
-has a great personality
-teaches us lots of ways to study
-has great style
-is calming
-is helpful
-is kind and generous
-does fun projects
-is very patient – teaches us step by step so we can understand
-is really funny

With rave reviews like these I am most pleased with the selection of these two new teachers and hope they will be a part of the SJA family for a very long time.

Sister Carolyn