Dear Families,

I am happy to report that our Program Visit for our NEASC accreditation went very well. The committee who came had many positive things to say. We will not officially receive a final report until February, but we will update you when we do. I can share that the the members of the committee commented on how friendly, welcoming, and polite our students were to them. I always tell people that we have the best students.

Our faculty spent Friday afternoon in professional development learning about the new IEP put out by DESE. Mrs. Ford provided teachers with information about the new form, accommodating students with learning needs, and ways to best collect data to track student progress. This is part of our ongoing efforts to make the curriculum accessible to all students.

This week we celebrate Halloween and All Saints Day. We will be walking up to Mass at Holy Name Church on Friday. Mass will be at 9 a.m. Family and friends are welcome to join. Please see details about dressing up on Halloween and All Saints Day below.

Sincerely,

Megan dos Santos

Principal

October

31 - Halloween - dress down (see costume policy above)

November

1 - All Saints Day (Mass at 9 am)

5 - No school (professional development)

7 - School Life Committee Meeting @ 6pm

11 - No school (Veterans Day)

12 - Picture retake day

15 - Field trip: Junie B. Jones performance (grades 1-4)

15 - Diman presentation for 8th grade @ 10:30

27 - Early release at 11:30

28 - No school (Thanksgiving)

29 - No school

All Saints Day and Halloween are just around the corner. On October 31st, students can wear their Halloween costumes. Instead of having a fundraiser for this event, we are asking each family to donate a bag of candy for our All Saints' Day celebration. On November 1st, All Saints Day, students will walk up to Holy Name Church to celebrate Mass at 9 am. Families are welcome to join us for Mass. We ask all students to dress as their favorite saint. After Mass, we will have a All Saints' Day celebration back at the school. Please help us make this celebration a success and consider donating a bag of candy on the 31st. Any extra candy will be saved for other student celebrations and events throughout the year.

All students are also encouraged to dress as their favorite saint on All Saints Day. The goal is for students to be creative and learn more about the lives of the saints. Below I have included some resources on simple DIY costumes to keep this event fun and affordable for families. Any students who does dress as a saint on November 1st will be given a dress down day pass to be used at a later date.

Please note the Halloween costume policy. Students may not wear clothing that is overly scary or has demonic/satanic imagery. Students may also not wear masks or bring toy weapons. General dress down rules also apply. Please note that the administration reserves the right to determine if a costume is appropriate and parents will be called to bring a change of clothes if needed.

Are you interested in becoming Catholic or receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation? This Sunday, Oct. 27, classes in our OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) program will begin at Holy Name School Please come at 9:30 on Sunday, or email Fr. Williams at frwilliams@holynamefr.com, if you are interested.

Our next School Life Committee Meeting will be on Thursday, November 7th at 6pm.

Our virtue of the month is studiousness. Below are our saints our students will be studying. Attached are some ideas for carrying over these lessons at home.