St. Anthony School
Developing a Child's Mind, Body, and Soul
April 2020
In this time of anxiety and uncertainty it is good to remember that we are a people of faith. Hard as it is, we must place our trust in God, that He is in charge, and that faith in Him implies faith in his timing as well. In the Gospel earlier this week, Jesus tells his disciples and us, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” John 14:1. Not knowing when life will return to normal, how the economy will be affected, whether we or a loved one will get sick, is all worrisome. But we must replace our worries with faith that “All shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.” (Blessed Julian of Norwich), that “Though we walk in the valley of the shadow of death, Thou art with me.” Psalm 23:4.
So practically speaking, knowing everything will eventually be fine and that God accompanies us each step of the way, especially in our suffering, what can we do to get through this in the least stressful way? Here are a few suggestions:
- Someone once said, "When you feel helpless, help others." To this effort, at St. Anthony's we are launching a couple of safe social distancing community service projects. One is to drop by some canned goods (please see Mr. Yorksmith's letter below for details). Another project is to make cards and signs for elderly neighbors, people in convalescent homes and health care workers. (Again, see Mr. Yorksmith's letter below for details, please.)
- Since we are usually at work, take the time to enjoy the gift of time with your kids. Play games, laugh, and actually talk to each other! Try to limit watching the news and time spent on social media and electronic devices. This alone will calm your nerves.
- Spread some hope and love. In the contacts you do have be positive and kind. Convey the idea that things will get better as they surely will. Perseverance is an important Christian trait and one we can all call upon now.
- Keep the faith-all will be well. This will pass and life will return to normal. St Anthony School will be here when it does and we look forward to reuniting in an atmosphere of faith, hope and love.
Sincerely,
Bob Higgins
President - St. Anthony Board of Trustees
A Letter From Mr. Yorksmith
It is amazing how our world has turned upside down in the last 3 weeks! As we are adjusting to our new normal, we pray that the Lord be a guiding presence in all that we do. I take comfort in the words that Bob shared with us that "all will be well". We can continue to Find God in All Things as we push through this new normal in our lives.
I hope you have all been receiving our communications. If not, please make sure you update your contact information with our school office. I am at the school each day from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. so don't hesitate to call. I would like to thank our staff for working so hard to make our transition to at-home learning as easy as possible. It isn't perfect, but from what I have seen, things are going well. The key is to be flexible, understanding, and in regular contact with your child's teacher.
Every Friday teachers send out a communication for school work for the next week. I post the weekly work on our school website at www.stantschool.org under the E-Learning & Home Packets tab. This will be the process going forward until the end of the school year. Again, communication between you and the teachers is very important.
One off the things that sets St. Anthony School apart from other schools is the focus we have in providing community service opportunities to our staff & students. It is something that we need to continue to focus on even in the at-home/e-learning environment that we are in. THANK YOU Mrs. Higgins for coordinating three service opportunities for us that we would like to complete by Good Friday on April 10th.
Food Drive for Love Kitchen & Meals on Wheels - The Love Kitchen needs help! They are making 3 meals a day for people. Sack lunches with PBJ sandwiches are made each day and they need jelly and snacks for those bags. LK and MOW both need cans of fruit, veggies, meat or soup (cans only) too. Originally, we arranged a drop off at the White Mountain Independent, but they needed to close so you can drop off your donations to Mr. Yorksmith's truck which is parked in the school parking lot from 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Monday - Friday.
Cards for Seniors - Students are asked to make cards for seniors that are in isolation. They are asked to: "Write something kind about hope, faith, peace, love, and about what makes you happy to think about or what you like to do when you’re stuck indoors. Draw a nice picture to go with it, and if you want to, pick a Bible verse to put on the card. Please don’t write anything about outside activities, as the senior that this card is for is stuck inside their room and cannot go outside. Please do no include any personal information besides your first name." Families are asked to drop their cards off again to Mr. Yorksmith's truck which is parked in the school parking lot from 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Monday - Friday.
Signs for Hospital Workers - Some of the workers at Summit are feeling a sense of worry and anxiousness as the pandemic is building up. This next week, we would like to create some posters that will hopefully boost some morale. Please create a sign or poster that can be put up at or outside of the hospital. Signs should be clearly visible from a distance and include colorful illustrations. There should not be very many words, and those words should be written in large, clearly visible letters. If you need poster board, you can pick one up from the school or just use any materials you can find at home (cardboard box flap, etc). Signs are to be dropped off to Mr. Yorksmith's truck which is parked in the school parking lot from 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Monday - Friday.
We truly appreciate all of your help! St. Mother Teresa always said, "Do small things with great LOVE". These projects are small things that can really make a difference for others.
God Bless you and your families this month!
Bryan Yorksmith
Principal - St. Anthony School
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Holy Week Resources
- Fr. Dan is working on streaming some live feeds of his Masses & services. He created a wonderful MESSAGE for us and I would encourage you to subscribe to his YouTube channel. St. Rita's also has a new FACEBOOK PAGE that you can follow for updates.
- The Diocese of Gallup streams live Masses on THEIR WEBSITE so you can view from home.
- Ascension Presents has rich streaming content on their YouTube channel including Masses with Fr. Mike Schmitz that you may want to check out.
This will be a new kind of Holy Week for all. Please make time to pray together at home and participate in any live-streaming opportunities that you can find. If you find some great resources on your own, please send byorksmith@stantschool.org your links so that we can share with the entire SA community. God Bless you all!
Easter Break
Take the Tax Credit!
Volunteer Hours
Parent Q&A Sessions
SA School Board Meeting
EASTER Resources for Families
About us...
Email: byorksmith@stantschool.org
Website: www.stantschool.org
Location: 1400 E Owens, Show Low, AZ, United States
Phone: (928) 537-4497
Facebook: facebook.com/stantschool
Twitter: @stantschool