October 24, 2025

Dear Holy Name Families,

Thank you for joining us for Parent-Teacher Conferences yesterday afternoon and evening. As we pass the mid-point of the first trimester, we see the signs of fall in the projects and work in our hallways and classrooms:

• 6th graders showed their creativity with their annual "Pumpkin Poetry" Project.
• Our 4th grade poets composed their own poems imitating the style and structure of William Carlos Williams.
• As part of their unit on the human body, 1st graders made skeletons using Q-Tips.
• Nursery students demonstrated their knowledge of different types of lines to construct a pumpkin in art class.



The Student Council has been working diligently on the Halloween Spooktacular Dance scheduled for tomorrow evening in Parish Hall. We are looking forward to the Thriller Dance-Off, games, and other fun and spooky activities planned for the night. We've sold over 300 tickets so far. Ticket sales close tonight - the link to buy tickets is below if you haven't already bought yours.

Next week, we have two casual days. Friday's casual day was already scheduled. We will also have a casual day on Thursday in recognition of students filling our front bulletin board with Eagles. See details about both days below.

Enjoy the weekend.

Best regards,

Mr. Chisholm

Announcements and Reminders

• Player registration for Holy Name Basketball is now open. Click here for more details. Students in grades 1 through 6 can participate in the basketball program.
• Student Council is planning its Halloween Spooktacular Dance for October 25th. We are also in need of volunteers. Click here for ticket information and volunteer opportunities.
• October 31st is our Halloween Parade for students in nursery, K1, K2. On Halloween, N, K1, and K2 students can wear their costumes to school. They will parade outside the school at 11 am. Parents are welcome to attend the parade. Students in grades 1 to 6 will have a casual day - they can wear black, orange, and purple to celebrate Halloween.
• We have two four-day weeks upcoming. There is no school on Monday, November 3rd. It is our fall faculty professional day. There is no school on Tuesday, November 11th in observance of Veterans' Day.
• There is an upcoming VIRTUS Training being held at St. Mary of the Hills. It is scheduled for on November 11th at 9am. This training is open to Holy Name parents. Click here to register. The link shows all available upcoming sessions including ones being held at Boston College and St. Columbkille.

Upcoming Casual Days

Next Thursday and Friday are casual days. Friday's casual day was already scheduled to celebrate Halloween. Thursday is an addition to celebrate students earning 53 Eagles to fill the front bulletin board. Please see additional details about each day below:

Thursday: Blue & Gold vs. Maroon & Gold Casual Day. Notre Dame and Boston College are set to clash on the football field on November 1st. Thursday will be a ND vs. BC casual day. Students can wear apparel from either school or one of the school's colors (ND: Blue/Green/Gold; BC: Maroon/Gold) to show their support.

Friday: Nursery, K1, and K2 students can wear their costumes for the annual Halloween parade. Students in grades 1 to 6 have a casual day and are encouraged to wear Halloween colors: black, orange, and purple.

Family Mass

Throughout the year, we will be inviting a particular grade to serve as the hosts of the 9 am Family Mass - similar to what we do for our School Masses. 6th graders are invited to help at our October 26th Mass.  There are opportunities to assist with greeting at the doors of the church. Please click here to sign up.

• October 31st: Halloween Parade and Casual Day
• November 3rd: No School - Professional Day
• November 4th: Election Day - Voting in Parish Hall
• November 11th: No School - Veterans Day
• November 25th: Mass of Thanksgiving, 8:45 am

EAGLE AWARDS

Congratulations to 6-11 for being recognized for their collective kindness. The following students also earned Eagles this week:

• Aubrey C., N-1 (Responsibility)
• Jack B., K1-3 (Kindness)
• Leo E., K2-5 (Kindness)
• Penny C., 1-1 (Responsibility)
• Thomas M., 1-1 (Kindness)
• Drew F., 2-4 (Perseverance)
• Ainsley S., 2-4 (Empathy)
• Gabriel T., 5-9 (Perseverance)
• Ben S., 6-11 (Cooperation)

Our sixth graders dove into the annual Halloween pumpkin project, an English assignment for Mr. Gordon's English class! Each student creatively designed a pumpkin head using markers, paint, yarn, and more—and wrote a poem to go with it. This wonderful tradition continues to inspire creativity and confidence in our students. Additional photos are on our school's FB and Instagram pages.

Optical Illusions + STEM = Halloween Fun! Students in 2-3 explored the spooky science of optical illusions—learning how our brains sometimes trick our eyes! They examined mind-bending illusions and then got creative by making their own Halloween-themed illusions. It’s amazing to see STEM come alive in such a fun and mysterious way!