Last Thursday, tragedy struck our little school.  One of our beloved 4th grade students was tragically killed in an over night house fire.  Her parents were taken to the hospital where they remain in ICU, but have now been notified that their precious daughter did not survive.  

I can tell you, you are never prepared for such a tragedy to hit your school.  St. Patrick is a small school. I know all school's call themselves a family and I'm certain they believe that to be true, but when you have a school as small as ours, it IS a family.  We take care of each other, we celebrate each other, we love each other deeply -- and when something bad happens to one of us, it hurts.  

On Friday, we came together to honor our sweet girl with a prayer service.  One nice thing about attending a Catholic school is that when something bad happens, you have the ability to come together and pray.  Our students, staff, and families gathered in the church where our sadness overflowed.  Father Matthew Brumleve led us in prayer, stories, and songs.  He reminded us that grief does not end in one day - it's a journey that will often hit us when we least expect it.

Over the weekend, I spent time reflecting. Why do bad things happen to good people?  Why does tragedy strike such a young sweet girl?  Of course, if I knew the answers to those questions, I'd become rich sharing them with the world. 

I have no answers, I have no words of wisdom.  The only thing I know for sure is that our sweet girl entered the gates of heaven and I'm certain she had a lot. of friends and family who were there cheering for her as she arrived.  I know that she is free of worry, stress, and pain, and I know she is rejoicing in the glory of heaven.  

It's those of us left behind who suffer, but I know we will get through it together.  We always do.

Each Wednesday, our students lead school mass in various ways.  We have lectors, gift bearers, a cross bearer, and now, a wonderful group of cantors and choir led by our music teacher, Mrs. Tomes!  

This week, our 5th grade class stepped up to the challenge as cantors and choir.  They were the first class to serve as the official choir, and they were AMAZING!  This is one of the things I love most about St. Patrick School.  Our students get to take the skills they learn in the classroom and put them to use through real-world situations.  Even better, they're learning to utilize their talents to serve our Lord!

We believe in giving our students hands-on, challenging activities all across the curriculum.  Today, I spied our youngest Panthers learning about "cup stacking" in PE with Coach Donnell.  Not only were they working on hand/eye coordination, but were using hands on, problem solving and creative thinking skills to learn how to stack cups quickly and effectively.  I watched as the wheels were turning in their young minds about what methods they could use to be faster and more efficient!  

This semester, I thought it might be fun to give you an inside look at St. Patrick School.  I'll be giving you a "behind the scenes" look inside our classrooms and the day-to day goings on at St. Patrick!  I can't wait to share the amazing things happening in our classrooms and throughout our school.  I plan to spotlight different classrooms, teachers, students, programs, and extra curriculars, so check back often for a glimpse inside!