When I was walking through my house this morning I was flipping pages on the calendars. This act was exciting and terrifying at the same time.  Last year November and December were a blur. The next thing you knew it was Catholic Schools Week and registration for this current school year was underway.  First things, first …

Happy Friday and Happy October!  Let’s take time to catch our breath now that standardized testing is over and appreciate each day.

As I communicated earlier, we had a successful fire drill today. We will be practicing more scenarios in the upcoming days and weeks, including the Great American ShakeOut on October 21, more fire drills, and an emergency lockdown. With this in mind, Mrs. Tessin is going to “test” our emergency phone blast system sometime next week. That day has not been set, but you will receive an advance notification. We need to know that we can reach all families at a moment’s notice.  More details to follow next week.

Each morning we start the day with PA announcements, which include the Saint of the Day, prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, what’s for lunch, who is celebrating a birthday, and fun facts for the day.  Today we found out that it was World Smile Day. Interestingly enough, there are many benefits of smiling:

• Improves mood
• Lowers blood pressure
• Relieves stress
• Betters relationships
• Boosts the immune system
• Relieves pain
• Increases life expectancy

I have said it many times, I feel blessed to be part of the SSP community. I have a smile every day because I am here. If the above mentioned is true, my quality of life is also improving!  Thank you for all that you do and remember to SMILE!

God’s Peace.