From the Office of the Principal...

Ms. Barbara Wehnes

"If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it!"

                                                                             Max Lucado

A new school year begins! It's an exciting time for all of us. We say good-bye to the heat of the summer and welcome the cool breezes of autumn. The rooms have been made ready, books purchased, and uniforms cleaned. We gather and wait for the first bell to ring.

This year will be filled with lessons, activities, and events that will challenge and motivate our children to be the best they can be. They will be involved in countless experiences which foster growth in faith and knowledge. We will practice stewardship for our family, our community, and our planet. I look forward to sharing this adventure with you and your child(ren).

September is filled with opportunities to learn about our school and to find new ways to support our school family. Our newest families will attend orientation meetings for Pre-K and Kindergarten. These gatherings, along with the "Meet the Teacher" class meetings, are structured so that each parent has a chance to learn about their child's class and to meet the families of his or her classmates. Please plan to attend.

This year begins our celebration of 100 years of Catholic Education at Saint Matthias School! Our school opened its doors in October of 1909. The School Sisters of Notre Dame were asked to join the school soon after and their dedication continues. This is a very special blessing that is rarely found in schools across our nation in 2008. We are proud of the thousands of students who have worked hard on their lessons, and we are grateful to the many families who have chosen Saint Matthias School to lay the academic and faith foundation for their children. What an exciting time! Think about the ways you would like to celebrate this important centennial. You will receive information in the first few months of the school year that will provide opportunities for you to become involved in planning events to commemorate our 100^th birthday.

The success of our school and our student body hinges on the "team efforts" critical to the home-school connection. Thank you for participating in this year's Bridge the Gap campaign and for beginning to think about the HSA events we will plan for this year. We have committees forming for food sales, candy sale, and the Christmas Show. We are in need of volunteers to assist with lunch duty since some of our most dedicated lunch parents have "graduated." No gift of time and talent is ever wasted here at St. Matthias. Please consider how you might get involved in the life of our school. I guarantee that you will be richly rewarded for every act of service to our children.

I wish you a school year filled with blessings and success!

Barbara Wehnes, Principal