St. Margaret of Scotland Families:
We are officially at the end of the school year, and this will be my final newsletter. This time of year can be very bittersweet in that there is great excitement for the summer, but also some sadness over the ending of a school year. This feeling is amplified for me as this is my last school year as principal of SMOS.
This summer and next school year will be a time of transition in many ways. We are welcoming new staff members, new students, and a new principal to lead us into the future. As we prepare for this transition, I think it is important to remember some key points:
- As a Catholic school, our primary mission is one of discipleship. We are called as a school to create and form missionary disciples of Jesus Christ. We do this by ensuring that our students meet Jesus Christ every day in the curriculum, in our activities, and in how we treat each other. As a school and parish, it is our responsibility to be the hands and feet of Jesus for our students and our City. Every wonderful thing about our school is not in parallel with this mission, but a result of it.
- We have an excellent school at St. Margaret of Scotland. Our school-wide standardized test scores have consistently shown that we are one of the top academic schools in the area. We are at the forefront of socio-emotional programming and have the capacity to provide programming and services that other Parochial schools do not have the ability to provide. Additionally, we have extra-curricular programs, especially in our middle school electives, that provide a myriad of different learning activities that students would otherwise not have access to.
- It is the mission of Catholic education and the mission of St. Margaret of Scotland School and Parish that we ensure that we provide a Catholic education to any family, regardless of learning or financial need, to the best of our ability. I am incredibly proud of the work we have done in the area of our Learning Lab, and its expansion for next year. I believe that this work is the future of Catholic education and am proud that we are once again at the forefront of these initiatives.
Know that I am incredibly proud of all of the work this school has done in the past three years. We have an excellent staff and kind, dedicated teachers. I am extremely confident that the school is in good hands with our current administration team and Dr. Thomas. It is the honor of my life that you have trusted me with the spiritual, academic, and social-emotional growth of your children.
God Bless,
Patrick Holley
