A letter from Valley Catholic School President John Matcovich
Dear Valley Catholic School Community,
It is an exciting time of year as we look forward to longer days, theoretically warmer temperatures, and the natural beauty of the SSMO campus coming to life. At this time of year classroom learning is enhanced by music and drama performances, field trips, spring sports, retreats and, ultimately, graduation and awards festivities. Spring is also a time when we begin looking ahead to next school year. Acceptance letters have been sent to incoming kindergarten, sixth grade and freshman students. We look forward to welcoming these new students and their families into the Valley Catholic School community.
A special March highlight is celebrating SSMO Heritage Month, a time when our campus honors the history and legacy of the Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon. This year, the Sisters are marking their 140th anniversary. The Sisters’ heart is a guiding force on our campus, and this year the Sisters have been forging deeper connections with students and, especially, Valley Catholic staff members. On a recent faculty faith formation in-service day, a group of Sisters gave presentations on their vocation story, on SSMO leadership and how annual campus themes are discerned, shared a “day in the life” of a Sister, as well as the various stages of religious life.
A highlight of the in-service day was group tours of the Motherhouse, including a sharing of its architectural details, the history of the chapel’s stained glass windows, and – a special highlight – going inside of the dome. Sharing this time together was a meaningful support to our staff members in carrying forward the Sisters’ vision, mission and core values within the Sisters entire campus community.
Please join me in celebrating – and honoring – the Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon’s 140 years of doing God’s work in our community.
Finally, something to keep your eye on. Two of our campus signs were just replaced with electronic signs. The sign in the athletic center parking lot will share news of internal campus events, and a new monument sign along SW Murray Blvd. which will promote the Sisters, Maryville and Valley Catholic School to the larger community. We look forward to these upgrades that will allow us to share more information in a timely manner.
Sincerely,
John Matcovich
Valley Catholic School President
