The Purpose of Lunch

The Purpose of Lunch

October 9, 2023

What is the purpose of Lunch?

Is it for fuel? Is it to get out all the energy and talking before silence envelops the student for the rest of the day?  Is it to give the teachers a break?  These are all good questions.

At St. Mary’s the purpose of Lunch is to provide opportunities for students to sit at table and share their lives with one another.  In order to accomplish that mission and purpose we have extended lunch, which ensures all students have the proper amount of time to relax, eat, and enjoy the company of friends.  In addition we intentionally moved to round tables so that the students could share a meal and life together in a more communal atmosphere.  Lunch is a time for building relationships between the students as well as students and faculty.  This is why we encourage our faculty to join our students for lunch and to share in their interests.

Something new that will be coming to the cafeteria this week is an Administrator led read-aloud.  I have selected a book for each lunch period with the hopes of engaging the students in discussion and reflection.  This activity has a two-fold purpose.  First it will assist us in maintaining order and helping students to focus on their eating during the start of lunch.  This will be a benefit for those students who might get distracted by all the excitement of the lunchroom.  The other, more enriching, purpose will be to model the experience of true leisure. (Not sure what I mean? “Word on Fire: Meet the Bulmans” did an episode on Leisure and Work. There is also an article by Fr. Billy Swan about the importance of rest, here.)

Enjoying a book for the sake of a book and reflecting on its message and implications for our lives is a uniquely human experience and one of the main purposes at St. Mary is to continue to cultivate what makes us human.

 


On the Lookout

Please be on the lookout for the following information soon!:

  1. Parent-Teacher Conference Sign-up
  2. RaiseRight Fundraiser Email
  3. Links to Schedules/Activities for Sports Schedules and Parish Group Activities
  4. All Future Newsletters will be on Wednesdays at 12:00…the ding to your email should be a reminder to pray the Angelus 🙂
  5. FACTS Family Portal is going to be growing in its use for St. Mary’s. It is our hope that the Family Portal becomes the main source of news and information for families in the future.

 


Suggestions?

Mom and Dad,

This newsletter is for you!  Please, if you have events going on or types of information you would like to see in the newsletter email me and we can see how to make this the most effective mode of communication.

I thank you all for your patience and I look forward to growing this newsletter with all the pertinent information to make a parent’s life easier.

Principal Eric Pfeifer

Download the full copy of this newsletter with details via your FACTS Family Portal.

In Christ,
Eric Pfeifer