Dear Parents, Teachers, and Friends of SSP School,

Happy Friday! Welcome to the weekend—and an admittedly unfriendly welcome back to the polar vortex. 

We did not highlight SSP STARs in this week’s edition. With an already compact five-page newsletter, it was nearly impossible to shoehorn in another blurb. Many flyers were reduced to half or even a third of their usual space. There are simply too many people deserving of thanks, and I didn’t want to risk overlooking anyone due to space constraints.

So, please accept a heartfelt collective thank you to “The Village”: June and Bridget in the office & their volunteers; our marketing gurus; the School Ambassador Family Team; members of PTO and the BOE; Sharkey; SSP alumni; current SSP Student Ambassadors; our Pastor—and so many others. A tremendous amount of preparation and hard work went into our successful showing at the SCCA School Fair and into planning for this weekend’s Catholic Schools Week Open House, scheduled for Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

A special tip of the hat to Mrs. Tessin, who has invested hundreds of hours supporting registration for current SSP families, prospective new families, and new SCCA families. Beyond ensuring a smooth registration process, she has personally reached out by phone to more than 100 families interested in SSP School for the 2026–27 school year. That level of dedication deserves recognition.

As of today (Friday at 2:00 p.m.), we are operating under the assumption that the Open House will proceed as planned this Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Admittedly, I am not a meteorologist. While we know a storm may be on the way and some neighboring Catholic schools have postponed events, unless there is significant accumulation, the show will go on. Parent and Student Ambassadors (STUCO, NJHS, and TTEF) are still expected to assist with tours. Despite the cold temperatures, our boilers are ready to crank out the heat, and we look forward to extending a warm SSP welcome to all of our visitors. Thank you in advance to those who may soon be joining our growing list of SSP STARs!

Finally, we are excited to welcome SSP alumna and kindergarten teacher Mrs. Carol Anne Lorenz back to campus next week. Our school is always a little brighter when Mrs. Lorenz is in the building!