Our virtues of the month for April are Graciousness and Courtesy. These are self-effacing virtues. They are often lost in a culture as self-aggrandizing as our own. But to speak to our children about these qualities and to model these virtues for them is not to mold “wimps” and “losers,” as some might say, but to fortify people of deep inner strength. We use April—the month when Christianity commemorates the resurrection of Jesus, Judaism recalls the flight from Egypt, Islam celebrates Ramadan, and we all celebrate the gentle birth of spring—to speak of quiet characteristics that make for better people and a better world.

In March, we focus on a virtue important for building and strengthening community: Faithfulness. This virtue moves us in the difficult direction of otherness—of getting beyond ourselves and sensing the needs of others. Faithfulness bespeaks being in solidarity with our community. It is closely associated with loyalty and fidelity and, when practiced, fosters social cohesion, something that our country is in dire need of today.

The Virtue-of-the-Month for February is Love of Country. This does not mean “my country, right or wrong.” History teaches the importance of attachment to and solidarity with the finest fruits of one’s country. Schools have been key vehicles for imparting knowledge about and attachment to America. That is still our task. We want our students to mature with a sense of US history, both its triumphs and failings, its heroes and heroines. Historically, our greatest reformers have also been our greatest patriots. One cannot read the speeches of Abraham Lincoln, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Eleanor Roosevelt, or Martin Luther King without feeling their love for America. We seek to encourage a sense of shared identity and citizenship with such people among our students.

The Christmas holidays are such a special time for all of us to be reminded of God’s never-ending desire to see a world of peace and happiness for all His children. As we look back over the activities of the first part of the school year, we would like to take the opportunity to express our appreciation for your support and involvement. Many of you were at our annual Winter Concert last night in support of your children. We hope it was a great experience for you all. In addition, recently we had our annual fall Read-a-thon fundraiser. We will use the funds raised to purchase another Promethean smartboard for one of our classes. We deeply appreciate your support for these activities. We hope that over the winter break your child(ren) have a well-deserved rest and be ready to invest themselves into their academic work in the new year. Please note that school will be in session starting on Tuesday, January 3.

This month we highlight the comprehensive virtue of Charity. We encourage our teachers to guide their students beyond the usual understanding of charity as giving money to the poor. Giving money is but one expression of selfless giving. Another expression of that giving is when every December our choir goes to City Hall to sing for the Mayor of Clifton and his staff as well as at the nearby senior citizens center. We wish to take this opportunity to express our deepest gratitude to Mayor James Anzaldi for his support of New Hope School over many years as he retires this coming January 1st. We wish him well in his well-deserved retirement.

This month’s virtue of the month is Wonder. Wonder is about the appreciation for the beauty and bounty of the world around us. As we celebrate Thanksgiving later this month, it is a time of moving beyond our specific faiths and various ethnic traditions to celebrate the bounty of America’s founding. It is a time to reflect on and appreciate the best about our lives. It is a time also of giving support to those among us who may be less fortunate for whatever reason. To this end, we invite you to participate in our annual food drive running from Nov. 4-22 (see flier this Friday). All donations will be forwarded to St. Peter’s Haven for distribution to those in need in time for Thanksgiving.

October is a month for celebrating Self-Control. This is the virtue that calls us to control our passions, push ourselves, and—through such efforts—ultimately free ourselves to realize our full potential. Please note that throughout the year we will be announcing our Students of the Month at our monthly assemblies.

As you know, our first field trip of the year, apple picking, will be on Friday, Oct. 14. Also, we plan to have our schoolwide Harvest Festival on Friday, Oct. 28, 1:00-3:00 pm. Children are welcome to come in Halloween costumes for that day (but not too scary!). Parents also are welcome to come and support either event.

As principal of New Hope School, it is my pleasure to welcome you to the 2022-23 school year. Our teachers are excited to have students back in their classrooms. We spent all of last week preparing for the new school year while discussing the most effective ways to help students develop themselves academically, socially, and emotionally in the coming year. We reminded ourselves that, above all, our mission is to teach our students God-centered universal values and service to others as the basis for personal integrity, harmony in the family, and peace in the world. We look forward to partnering with you in the coming year to achieve this.

As we approach the end of the school year, we wish to thank all of you for your consistent support over the year. As parents and teachers, we have a joint responsibility to raise and educate our children, helping them grow to become loving and conscientious adults. In a world where family values are under challenge, this task is more critical than ever. Thank you for helping to make New Hope School a safe haven where our students can receive the best possible instruction—morally, emotionally, and academically.

The Virtue-of-the-Month for May is Hope. As parents and educators who are responsible for forming the next generation of citizens, we have a special responsibility to nurture the hope of our children. Much in our culture has the potential to turn children towards cynicism, contempt, and despair. This tendency must be actively combated with its opposite, i.e., hope for the future. To raise people of hope means to form individuals who engage. People who hope are catalysts for constructive change and a brighter future. One of our most important responsibilities is to make sure our children move through life with their hope for a brighter future intact.