Throughout the first few days of school, students met together in community with their teachers for orientation to the new school year. As part of this time together, the theme for the school year, Love Your Neighbor, was introduced to our students. This theme was first presented to our school staff following Mass during the professional development days leading up to the beginning of the school year, and it was immediately identified as the theme that should guide this school year.
While we have always encouraged kindness, respect, and love towards one another in our school community, this year provides a perfect opportunity for a renewed commitment to this goal through the lens of our faith. As Christ tells us in the Gospels, the first and greatest commandment is "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heard, and all your soul, and all your mind." And the second is: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." (Matthew 22:34-39).
As Fr. Marc mentioned in his homily during the first school Mass of the year: wouldn't a focus on loving one another, loving your neighbor because God loves us so much, be a great way to begin our school year? And, wouldn't it be great for us to carry this on throughout the year? Of course, the answer is a resounding, "Yes!" As such, in connection with this theme, we have launched the "Love Your Neighbor Project" to encourage, recognize and celebrate the loving, kind, and respectful actions of our students, regardless of whether they are learning remotely or attending school for in-person instruction. Throughout the school year, our staff will be on the lookout for students who consistently demonstrate love, kindness and/or respect to others at St. Cassian School in some way. They will also be on the lookout for students who go out of their way to treat others with love, kindness, or respect. When noticed, these students will be celebrated through recognition in our school newsletter.
Of course, there are times when each one of us needs a reminder to be a little more kind, a little more loving, or a little more respectful. In short, there are times when we all need to be reminded to love our neighbors better. As we support our students in achieving their best in all aspects of the learning experience, a focus on "Love Your Neighbor" will also be emphasized.
We look forward to all of the opportunities that this year will provide for us to grow in community with one another as we all strive to follow God's call for us to love one another as He loves us.