Dear Saint Ursula Community,
I hope that last week provided some additional times to relax and connect with your daughter during the fall break. This Monday, we started the second quarter, which means one more quarter to go until the Christmas break. This is the time of the year that feels like warp speed. In a few weeks it is Halloween, and then Thanksgiving is right around the corner. Full holiday mode kicks in, and soon it is Christmas.
At the Day of Reflection for faculty and staff last Thursday, we had the opportunity to spend time with Father Bill who provides spiritual guidance to the student athletes at Xavier University. Apparently, he is a little famous around here for a homily last year that had our girls singing a Taylor Swift song. It is curious how a particular message on a day like that can really resonate. For me, one of his most impactful messages was the HALT acronym. HALT comes from the world of addiction work to remind people that stressors like hunger, anger, loneliness, and tiredness can have a huge impact on decision-making. So true. It is hard to operate at our best - or sometimes even adequately - when too hungry, angry, lonely or tired. I mistakenly misquoted the acronym in my Sunday Message to the girls and substituted “anxious” for the “A.” That seems to fit as well.
As we move into a busy time of year, HALT is a great reminder that we need to bring a little extra patience and compassion to our children, others, and ourselves. I keep thinking about how much our students would benefit from recognizing and attending to these triggers as they meet the many demands of their days.
Just a few reminders for the rest of the week: Thursday is an all-school Mass to celebrate the Feast Day of Saint Ursula. Please check for the Mass uniform sweater tomorrow morning. We are all looking forward to the Open House this Sunday, October 22, 1-4 pm. This will be a great event for prospective families to see the remarkable opportunities available at Saint Ursula Academy. There is an early dismissal on Friday at 2 pm to prepare. On Monday we have a delayed start with classes beginning at 10 am.
Enjoy the rest of the week.
Go Bulldogs!
Kathy Restle