Last Friday was "one of those days," and I mean that in a good way! The planets must have been in alignment as we had several BIG happenings occur on the same day, which made for a jam-packed and memorable October Friday!

First, we had an assembly with all grades so our teachers could share their "Uniquely St. Francis" Gala auction items with our students. Leading that assembly was my alter ego, Hannah Jones, who took over as "Mr. Gabhart for a Day," which she won from last year's Gala. Hannah was up to the task and even "grew" a mustache overnight to complete her outfit. I hope you enjoyed the pictures from last week's newsletter. I still have a job, so we're off to a good start. (Seriously, she was fabulous in every way!)

Secondly, it was also St. Francis Day! This is one of our favorite days of the year and the weather almost always cooperates with us. After a short outdoor assembly highlighted by animal poems from our 4th graders and the singing of the Prayer of St. Francis, we joined the usual animal menagerie on the field hockey lawn. Under a gorgeous fall sky, our special guests, the Rob Harvey Director of Strategic Pastoral Initiatives at St. Stephen Church, and Fr. Jim Trimble of St. James had their work cut out as they blessed dogs, cats, hamsters, lizards, and all manner of creatures, including a stuffed baby Wyvern. This day is a very special celebration of our namesake saint and the values he and we espoused.

Finally, we had our annual Halloween Dance that night with a new twist: the debut of the "Haunted Trail" in our wooded paths behind the school! Having lost our annual LISC dance revenue for our 8th grade glass gift due to the gym construction, the Student Council had the idea of a haunted house to help make up the difference. Up to the plate stepped 8th grade parent Kay Chandler, who took this "frightening" task on with the help of many others. Kay spent countless hours in the woods setting up her trail of terror during the two weeks leading up to the dance. And what a smash! Some kids couldn't even get through the trail! We sold many tickets and the kids couldn't wait to get their turn. To put it in perspective, one of our small dances usually raises around $250 or so. This dance approached $700 and that was due to Kay's work on the trail. It may be a "keeper!"
I enjoyed Friday so much partly because it reminds of how we all pull together for our kids. While Kay took this project on, she had help from many: the ever-ghoulish Walter Denham drove the victims out to the trail sitting on haybales in the back of the school truck. Many parents helped Kay either with set-up or as "actors" spreading the mayhem. Special thanks to Pam Jones, Michelle Jurige, Chris Chandler, Claudia and Stephen McCrocklin, Kim Aberle, and Ken and Laura Crawford. And many students, past and present, were in on the carnage, including Gray Thurstone, Alma Herovic, Lucia Burton, Graham Cote, Aaron Lattis, Matt Siciliano, Chris Kessler, Al Schneider, Hayden Jones, Sean Denham, Will Cole, Eli Jaffe, and Gary Jurige.

And the dance itself was its usual success. It was decorated in ghoulish fashion by parent Al Kirby who practically single-handedly transformed our Multi-Purpose Room into a crypt. Bob Smedley and daughter Gabby were, again, our expert disc jockeys, and thanks go to chaperones Heather Varda and Ann Mundt for helping me out. Tim Fogarty and Ebonne Jones stuck around for good measure too. The kids had a ball and always anticipate the costume contest. This year's winners were Izzy Payne, Eli Jaffe, Arabella Maki, Maggie McGraw, Angus Middleton, Kyle Chandler and Natalie McClain. But I actually think the whole school "won" on Friday as one long, successful day came to an end, thanks to the help and devotion of many true St. Francis folks! Enjoy the pictures below!

Picture day was a success! Flyers were sent home today with instructions on how to view and order your child's picture. Click here for a copy of the flyer. If you have any questions, please contact Rosanne Conlan.

The next BoxTops4Education submission date is coming up very soon. Please send in your Box Tops to school before Wednesday, October 17th so they may be included to help us reach our goal of $500! They may be dropped off in the Main Office.

Natalie will be emailing a link for parent-teacher conference sign-ups early next week. Be on the lookout!

This week the 5th graders had a special guest from the Union Army circa the Civil War. Bob Jones, the High School Chinese teacher, came dressed in blue and gave a demonstration of a soldier's life during the Civil War. The kids were impressed with the "living history" presentation. Thank you, Mr. Jones!

The St. Francis Drama Project needs your help with furniture, set pieces, and costume items for our fall production of

Harvey! This whimsical comedy is set in the 1940s, and we are looking for nice living room furniture, office furniture (a desk, old water cooler, office chairs, etc.), period props, and any costume items you can lend or donate to us. Harvey is fairly "sedate," so no harm will come to them! If you have anything you think might work, please contact Reed Gabhart. And please mark your calendars for November 1st - 7th for our four-show run of Harvey!