Beginning January 26, 2019 Catholic Schools across our nation will be celebrating Catholic Schools Week, an annual celebration of Catholic education in the United States. Catholic Schools Week is sponsored by the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA). The observance of this annual tradition began in 1974. You will find that Catholic schools typically observe this week with Masses, open houses, service projects and other fun activities for students. These events, center on the value Catholic education provides to children.
 
Every year there is a Catholic Schools Week theme. This year’s theme is Catholic Schools: Learn. Serve. Lead. Succeed. The theme focuses on key elements of Catholic education: faith development, academic excellence and dedication to service. These elements set Catholic schools apart from other educational options. Not only are we teaching students to become future servant leaders, faith-filled disciples and enriched citizens in our communities, educators are growing with them. This is why families make sacrifices to provide their children with a Catholic education. In Catholic schools, we are all learners, servants and leaders. These shared qualities are what make Catholic schools work. They are what make Catholic schools succeed. At St. Clare, everyone is excited for this year's celebration of Catholic Schools Week. It is always a fun week for the students and teachers, and this year will be no different. There is so much joy in our school, and we take the time during Catholic Schools Week to share that joy and fun with each other. We are a great school that provides students with an excellent education, and during Catholic Schools Week we deliberately take the time to shout it from the rooftop.
 
Our CSW Committee has put together a whole week of activities planned to show what our students are accomplishing and to celebrate the community we have built to educate tomorrow’s citizens and church leaders. Our activities correlate to the national themes for each day of the week:
 
· Celebrating Your Parish
· Celebrating Your Community
· Celebrating Your Students
· Celebrating the Nation
· Celebrating Vocations
· Celebrating Faculty, Staff and Volunteers
· Celebrating Families
 
To all St. Clare Alumni and Parishioners, I invite you to come by the school on Thursday, January 31st between the hours of 9:00 and 11:30 for a school walk-through and visit. We would love to see you!
 
I am thankful every day for the teachers, staff, school commission members, parents and volunteers who make our school a success. Catholic Schools Week is a good time for all of us to thank them for their dedication and service.