We have been in school for almost a month and I am still seeing smiles on the faces of our children and hearing laughter in the halls. The greatest compliment we receive as a school is when people from the outside comment on how happy our children are. This is only possible because of the amazing faculty and staff at our school. We started the year with two in-service days to ensure that we as a staff were all moving in the same direction. We are, and our goal is still to live our Mission Statement which is as follows;

St. Michael School, while partnering with parents and community, provides opportunities for students to embrace a rigorous program of studies and practice, to model strong faith through community activism. We realize that by embracing individual differences and creating a sense of mutual respect, compassion, and understanding, we will instill in all students an enthusiasm for learning and a realization of their Christ-guided place in the world. In the next few weeks, you will hear of two new programs which will put an even greater emphasis on living our Mission Statement.

        Our current enrollment is 165 students, up nine from where we ended last year. We are still giving tours and receiving requests for shadow days, which means we may still grow throughout the year. This shows that people are speaking about St. Michael School in a positive way. You the parents, families, and students, are the best people to speak up for our school, and whenever you do, you are helping us grow. This is a truly great school filled with great students, and a great supportive group of families who are passionate about educating their children at an amazing faith-filled school.

         Our sports teams have begun the year in earnest and we are very competitive in all of our sports. For us to field teams in all of the fall sports we offer, we need participation from almost all of our students in grades 5-8, and we have that. We offer boys and girls soccer, girls field hockey and co-ed golf. At last count we had about 54 students participating in sports this season. Most schools our size have only one sport for boys, and one sport for girls in the fall, but we offer more. This is also a reminder to all parents to enjoy watching your children play sports. The time goes by way too fast, and the parents who are the most supportive and best cheerleaders tend to have children who have the most fun. When your children are through playing school sports, all you will have left are the memories. I hope that those memories are all positive. I will do my best to get out to at least two or three games and show my support for each of our teams.

         Another important part of our school is fundraising. We are already into our second fundraiser of the year. The money raised from these fundraisers support our ability to offer extracurricular activities, field trips, and enrichment activities in the classrooms. Throughout the United States the average cost to educate a student is $12,296.00. In Maine the average cost is $12,707.00. At St. Michael School our cost is about $7,200.00. The difference between our tuition and this cost is made up for by the Parish and the Parent Association, so every time you help out by purchasing wrapping paper, cookie dough, or attending Comedy Night, the Christmas Fair, or the Auction, you are helping our students, and our school.

         We have begun using our new Chromebooks, and it is very exciting. This is an additional way for our students to be engaged when learning. While we are only using the Chromebooks in middle school, we will assess how this is helping our students and decide how we will move forward next year. These decisions will be made in conjunction with the teachers and how they can be used in each of their classrooms. These Chromebooks came with an important letter of agreement, which prohibits any use of social media on the devices. These are exclusively for school/academic use only.

        At each of our school assemblies this year, I have been focusing on respect, beginning with respecting ourselves, our families, our church, our school, and our country. It is impossible for us to agree on everything, but it is important that we show respect. I am very proud of my military service, and I respect other peoples right to protest, as long as they show respect. This is near the beginning of Desiderata and I think it relates, "As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others...they too have their story".

        In closing I want to remind everyone that our second annual Dinner and Comedy Night takes place at the school on October 15 ^th . Please attend this fun event. It is a night out and a great chance to support the school and the Parent Association. I continue to feel blessed that your children are here at St. Michael School, and that you entrust us with them. It cannot go without saying how lucky and thankful we are to have parents who are so supportive of what we are doing.

I ask for God's blessings for all of us.

Kevin Cullen