Message From the Principal – Family Rosary Time
September 27, 2022
Current Families, Faith, Principal Desk, Service
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I always look forward to the month of October and we are nearly there! October, as you may know, is the month of the Rosary. When I was a child, my family would gather together to pray the Rosary. It’s one of my earliest and favorite memories. Please join all our HFCS families this month, to pray the Rosary. I invite you every night in October to join us for the Family Rosary Across America, the program is sponsored by Relevant Radio. United in prayer, we can gather to support all human life.

Next week is Hawktober Spirit Week – leading up to our Hawktoberfest on Saturday, October 8th. Students participating in the theme for the day may be in Free Dress – as long as it matches the theme. Free Dress regulations apply. If you have questions please reach out to your homeroom teacher or the office.

We have a number of ways parents may be involved at school, last week we sent home a volunteer form. We hope that you will consider serving at an event, on campus assisting, or on one of our committees:

  • Advisory
  • Safety
  • Finance
  • Facilities
  • Wellness
  • Advancement

Have a blessed week.

Pax et Bonum,

Sue Styren

Principal

Message From the Principal – Family SUCCESS Together
September 22, 2022
Faith, Principal Desk
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Dear HFCS Community,

“My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it.” Luke 8:21

How does this happen? It happens when we “hear the Word of God and act on it.” It’s that simple. Fr. Len in his homily at our school mass today helped us to understand more fully the Mass. As he explained it, in the Gospel – we stand – to indicate that we are entering into a covenant with God. We are invited to enter the family of Jesus in a deep, personal and profound way as we listen to the word of God and then act on it.

When God speaks, His words are powerful and transforming. And acting on His words will change our lives.

At Holy Family Catholic School, we are a family and we have the opportunity to act as a family in support of one another as God asks us to do. The SUCCESS program helps to ensure that everyone in our family may have the opportunity to avail themselves of a Diocesan Catholic education if they so wish – no matter the ability to pay. Success is building the foundation on which our students, our children, can become the moral and ethical leaders of tomorrow. Success is our stepping stone to the future and investment in children and their contributions to our world and our communities.

We hope that you think of HFCS during your family prayer and how your gift of time, as a volunteer, and treasure, donating to the SUCCESS campaign will strengthen our community and become an investment in our childrens’ future.

Lord, I accept Your invitation to become a member of Your intimate family. May I hear Your voice speak and act upon all that You say. Jesus, I trust in You.

 

God bless you and keep you safe.

Pax et Bonum,

Sue Styren

Principal

Message From the Principal 9/13/22
September 14, 2022
Principal Desk
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Dear HFCS Community,

We are in to week 2 and everyone is still smiling. Thank you to Fr. Len from Pope St. Pius X for celebrating Mass with us today. And thank you to JJ from St. George for his amazing musical talents supporting our choir and Mr. McDonell at mass. Beautiful voices and a wonderfully educational homily. It was a wonderful way to start out our week at HFCS.

Parents in Education (PIE) had their first meeting last night and we had a large group in attendance. I encourage you to come to the next meeting if you have not gotten involved yet. Lots of fellowship and great information to be shared at these meetings. One of the important notes discussed last night was the necessity to record and turn in your volunteer hours monthly. A sheet is provided to families in your family packet on which to record your hours. If you need help with this please reach out – if you are not sure how to volunteer – call our office or read below. There are many opportunities throughout the year for parents and guardians to fulfill their hours of service.

A few reminders as we begin the new school year:

  • Mass will be on Tuesdays @ 10:30 am, parents and families are welcome.
  • Fridays are Spirit Days, students, faculty, and staff are welcome to wear their spirit T-shirts and jeans. Once a month we will have free dress Friday – see school calendar for dates – usually the last Friday of the month.
  • PE starts September 14th. PE shirt may be worn under the school shirt for ease of changing. Girls may wear their PE shorts under their skirts/jumpers as well.

Thank you to all our families, staff, teachers, and priests for making our first of week of school fabulous. Let’s continue the year with joy, peace, and love of Christ.

Pax et Bonum,

Sue Styren

Principal

Tuesday, Feast of Saint John Chrysostom – Thought for the Day
September 13, 2022
Faith, Principal Desk
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Saint John Chrysostom, the heat of your words burned so hot that you were persecuted for your ardor. Inspire all Christian preachers to light a fire of faith in their congregations, without fear for their own reputations or of recrimination.

Saint John suffered for his zeal. He was exiled by civil power in an age when correct theology was understood as a form of patriotism, and heresy as treason. He crossed the civil powers of his age, did not back down, and paid a severe price for his fidelity. When Crusaders sacked Constantinople in 1204, they stole John’s relics and carried them back to Rome. In 2004 Pope Saint John Paul II authorized the return of some of John’s remains to the seat of the Orthodox Patriarch in Saint George Church in present-day Istanbul, John’s own episcopal city.

1st Day of School 2022 – Message From the Principal
September 6, 2022
Current Families, Principal Desk
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Dear HFCS Community,

What a great first day of school we had today! Our students are smiling, happy, and prayerful. Who could ask for anything more. Our teachers are working hard preparing lessons, learning new technology, and working harder than ever to ensure our children are getting the best Catholic education we can provide.

A special thank you to our Parents in Education (PIE) committee for the welcoming signs this morning and the reception following mass. I know their smiling faces really helped me to face the anxiety of the first day of school – I know it helped many of our new families feel at home as well. Thank you to Lee Lamb for her beautiful yard decorations and photo opportunities that greeted our families as they came to school this morning.

And of course, thank you to our priests that celebrated mass with us today – Fr. Len and Fr. Sleeva. It means so much to our children to be able to participate in mass with their classmates, teachers, and families. We know you have busy schedules and the fact that you take time out for us is priceless. Fr. Anthony and Fr. Remi, who were not able to join us for mass today, took time to come bless our completed outdoor classroom at the Back to School Bar-B-Que last week and came by later this morning to see visit and see how the students’ first day of school was going. Thank you to all our priests for their selfless devotion to their parishes and our school. We appreciate you and are blessed to have you in our community.

Our Student Council will be leading morning opening Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. With such a talented crew of students it is sure to be an amazing year. They are a great team filled with school spirit and energy. We are lucky to have such a talented crew to lead the student body. We gather at 8 am in the gymnasium – feel free to join us in prayer if you are able.

A few reminders as we begin the new school year:

  • Mass will be on Tuesdays @ 10:30 am, parents and families are welcome.
  • Friday Openings will include either a decade of the Rosary or Chaplet, again families are always welcome at our openings.
  • Fridays are Spirit Days, students, faculty, and staff are welcome to wear their spirit T-shirts and jeans. Once a month we will have free dress Friday – see school calendar for dates – usually the last Friday of the month.
  • PE starts September 14th. We have a new PE teacher joining us this year, Anna Taylor. Mrs. Taylor comes to us highly qualified with a number of years in Catholic Education. Please join me in welcoming her to the family. PE shirt may be worn under the school shirt for ease of changing. Girls may wear their PE shorts under their skirts/jumpers as well.

Thank you to all our families, staff, teachers, and priests for making our first of day school fabulous. Let’s continue the year with joy, peace, and love of Christ.

Pax et Bonum,

Sue Styren

Principal

A Note from the Principal
August 18, 2022
Current Families, Events, Principal Desk, Summer

Dear HFCS Families & Friends,

It’s so hard to believe it’s already the middle of August and that school will be starting in just a few weeks! We hope your family makes the most of these last days of summer vacation.

We have an important change to our school schedule this year. To honor a request from our priests, weekly Mass will now be held on Tuesdays at 10:30 am. We hope you are able to join us for worship during this new day and time.

We are pleased to welcome Mr. Lawrence McDonell to our faculty as our new music teacher! He comes to us from the Seattle area originally; however, today he is an active member of the St. Thomas the Apostle parish and music ministry. He’s a music major and has taught at Catholic schools in the recent past. His energy, youth, and musical talents will surely bring joy to our students as they progress in their personal musical skills and appreciation.

If you have not taken year 1 SAFE ENVIRONMENT course with the Diocese of Boise – PLEASE be sure to register for the class being offered August 26th at HFCS. Parents may not volunteer on campus, go on field trips, etc. unless they have take this course. Additionally, each year you need to update your Safe Environment course work on CMGConnect.org. For more information please reach out.

Don’t forget, our School Supply Drop-off and Back to School BBQ is scheduled for August 30 from 5-7:30 pm. This is a wonderful opportunity for you to meet and welcome our nearly 40 new families to HFCS! Hope to see you there!

Pax et bonum,

Sue Styren

Prayers Requested – FR. Riffle Joined Our Father In Heaven August 16th
August 18, 2022
Faith, Principal Desk

Tuesday, August 16th, Fr. Riffle passed and joined our Heavenly Father. Fr. Riffle was a great supporter of Catholic education. We were blessed to have him visit our campus last winter. Students may remember this joyful elderly priest, who while using a walker and on oxygen, took the time to visit students, tour the school and provide the school with a generous and unexpected donation. He was excited about the joy he saw in our students and the faithfulness they exhibited when talking with him. He was also a great supporter of our Chapel relocation effort. I’m only sorry he will not be here to see it completed.

Please join us in prayer for the peaceful repose of his soul. And if you are able, join us for his funeral mass to be held at St. Pius X on Tuesday, August 23rd at 10 am. Bishop Peter will preside.

“Eternal rest, grant unto the Departed O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them.”

God bless you.

Sue Styren

SUMMER BLESSINGS
July 19, 2022
Current Families, Faculty & Staff, Faith, Home, Principal Desk, Summer

I hope this note finds you and your family doing well and enjoying our warmer weather. A special good luck and best wishes to our graduating class of 2022. I’m sure our graduates are busily getting ready for their new adventures at high school – we wish them the very best and hope they come back to visit us and share their many successes.

We were blessed the last week of school to have a little more than a dozen of our graduates who have just completed high school come to visit us and take part in the traditional Graduation Walk. These wonderful ladies and gentlemen shared with our students their future plans, the importance of the education they received at HFCS contributing to their success in high school. My eyes filled with tears when Mrs. Bukowski’s son shared his advice for success to our students, “Always keep Christ at the center of your life.” God bless these young people as they pursue college, the military, and entrepreneurship. And thank you for sharing time with us.

A team of HFCS educators just returned from New Orleans where we spent the last 5 days collaborating with teachers from all over the world. It was an amazing whirlwind of discovery at the International Society of Technology in Education (ISTE), made possible through grant funding. We are excited to share what we learned and open discussions on how we can continue to improve student learning, support social and emotional growth, and empower our children to be Catholic leaders as they move forward in life. It was a blessing to see Mass being held at the convention center Sunday morning when we first arrived to gather our badges. A little unconventional setting for a well needed opportunity to gather with other Catholic educators at ISTE.

You are all in our prayers as we move through this lovely summer.

Pax et bonum,

Sue Styren

Memorial Day
May 31, 2022
Principal Desk

As our nation pauses this weekend to remember those in the military who have given their lives for freedoms we enjoy, we pray You would have us all look to You for strength, comfort and guidance. Be with all who serve in our Armed Forces. Bless them and their families. Grant Your loving protection.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen

 

Dear HFCS Families and Friends,

As the month of May finishes, let us all look to Christ for blessings on our military and those that have served our country. God bless you all and keep you safe this beautify Memorial Day Weekend. Enjoy your time with family and friends – especially taking time to thank God for our many gifts.

Pax et Bonum,

Sue Styren, M.Ed.

MAY CROWNING – WEDNESDAY MAY 18TH
May 17, 2022
Current Families, Events, Faith, Principal Desk

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help, or sought your intercession, was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto you, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. To you do I come, before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in your mercy, hear and answer me. Amen.

One of the most treasured traditions at Holy Family Catholic School is the ritual of honoring Mary the Mother of God with May Crowning Mass. May is the month traditionally dedicated to the devotion of our Blessed Mother. This event celebrates and recognizes Mary as Queen of Heaven. All students are encouraged to bring flowers tomorrow for Mary.

This year May Crowning will be held on Wednesday, May 18, 2022, at HFCS. The second grade class will lead the Mass presided by Father Sleeva and attended by the whole school, many parents, and parishioners. The Mass includes a procession of our second grade First Communicants dressed in their Communion attire, as well as First Communicants from other grades, and the crowning of The Blessed Mother with a floral wreath by our eighth grade crown bearers, Amelia Dach and Ian Rocha. Mary is crowned to symbolize the dignity and beauty God bestowed on her as our Heavenly Queen and Spiritual Mother. A reception for our First Communicants and 8th graders will follow in the Commons.

Congratulations to all of our students that have received their First Holy Communion. We pray for your journey in faith and celebrate your milestone. We are thrilled to have a few students making their First Communion, tomorrow during our May Crowning Mass. Blessings to all our families during this holy month of May.

Missoula Children’s Theater is in full swing. Students will be working on the production all week. We hope you will join us for one of the two performances at the end of the week, Friday and Saturday, more information can be found below.

Thank you again to all our sponsors and volunteers that helped to make the Auction a fabulous success.

Pax et Bonum,

Sue Styren, M.Ed.