June 9, 2010

Dear Families:
            The end of the year is always so bittersweet, particularly this year.  While it’s exciting to move on to the new adventures that await us away from St. Anthony of Padua School, it’s also hard to face change and let go of the familiar.  There have been many good and enduring lessons learned at this school, and I pray that they stay with you and your children always. 
            My four years at St. Anthony have passed like days for me.  They have been seasons of laughter, endearment, tenderness, and growth.  Never has coming in each morning felt like a job, but more of a way of life.  Greeting the children each morning always cheered my heart and made me smile.  They are the hope of our world, and their potential is limitless.  Continue to treasure these gifts that God has given you, for too soon they will be grown and off on their own adventures.
            Our Catholic faith is alive and well in the students we work with.  The results of the Catholic identity survey the fifth through eighth graders participated in last fall reveal that God is important to these children, and they wonder what He wants them to do with their lives.  Continue to reinforce the spirituality that is being shared with your children.  They are hungry for news of how God works and enjoy putting their faith into action.  Receiving the sacraments and participating in adoration are hands-on experiences that serve to nourish our natural inclination toward being in a relationship with our Creator, and the children recognize the benefits these practices have on their burgeoning faith.
            Thank you for welcoming me into the St. Anthony of Padua family with such warmth and openness.  Truly, it is your spirit working in cooperation with the professional educators here that helps make this school the success that it is. I appreciate your support and encouragement through the years, as well as your generosity.  I have been thoroughly enjoying my new laptop; it will come in very handy during my last month at Notre Dame this summer.
            Even  though I will not be walking into the building of St. Anthony of Padua School each morning, all of you will forever be a part of who I have become, and I will keep you in my heart always.  As I write this, I am also preparing for two additional interviews and expect to have an offer of employment within the next week or so.  Your prayers on my behalf have been most effective; I can feel God at work in my life through your intercession.  It always amazes me how our Lord can take something that seems bleak and hopeless and turn it into something more amazing than we could ever fathom.    May God continue to bless all of you and nurture you with his unconditional love.

With Love and Fondness,

Stacy M. Slomski