Well, we had our first full week of school … as in, M-F, all day everyday … and we all survived.

Pretty much, anyway.

This was a week packed with extra- … sorry, that should be “co-” curricular activities. [SIDE RANT: Did you know that was a thing? Seems that if we say we do these things along with the learning part … that sanctifies them and makes them equally as important as the book-learning stuff. And these activities are as important … I just think it sells education short to say outside activities are on the same level, the same priority as education. This seems to give kids and parents the ok to in fact make sports (esp club teams) more important than coming to school on time or getting the work done or being awake in class. Another case of an Alice-in-Wonderland, topsy-turvy world. RANT OVER] .

We had my lovely Senior student government reps meeting with the student life folks to plan out Homecoming Week festivities; they were amazing: not only did most of them make it on time for a before-school meeting, they were bright-eyed and bushy tailed and able to proposed student-directed decisions with clear and rational thoughts. The women with whom they were meeting were duly impressed!

We also had our first Spiritual Circle Activity, hosts by the House of More (the one dh and I run) on the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. The activity seemed to have been well-received and after, each house elected their Homecoming male/female reps from the Senior Class. Both Thomas and his girlfriend (in different houses) were elected to the Court. During Spirit Week the Seniors-only will vote on King and Queen.

On the sports front:

1. THREE days of volleyball games – JV/Varsity played Trinity Episcopal on Tuesday, JV/Varsity played George Mason High School on Thursday (at the same time as a senior-parent/guidance meeting which dh had to attend since I had to be in the gym) and then Varsity finished off the week with a tournament at all-girls St. Gertrude’s in Richmond (a four-team, thus minimum of four games, tournament where one of our starters tore up her knee during the first set of the first game. This was a tough volleyball week on top of which we have strep/bad colds cruising thru the students and so the players who were there (and we down a few) were not playing up to usual level. It was tough, but Coach and I were really proud at how well the girls rose to the challenges (incl defense-changes, changes to line-ups, changes to personnel). Whew!
2. Maggie beat her time on the 5K: she was clocked, at her first race, at 35 min and some odd seconds … that was two weeks ago. She was clocked on Friday at 30 min + odd seconds … So proud of her for running and keeping up and getting better; even with the temps in the upper 80s all week. What a trooper! She got a reward on Friday after practice – slumber/birthday party with some of her best buddies! When she got home on Saturday afternoon, she went to sleep for a few hours!
3. Thomas started and played most of the game against Riverside in Leesburg. Rick and JP went up for the game after soccer practice … but with the tournament on Saturday, I opted to get to bed early while Maggie went to her friend’s bday. Thomas, who has also succumbed to whatever disease has been rampant in the students, said he didn’t play with his usual vim and vigor and that pretty much the whole team were a bit lackadaisical about the game. Next week we play PVI (one of our three-other-Catholic-high-school rivals), so they better all get healthy and focus on winning that one!
4. JP had his first soccer practice. He and a couple of his buddies were tired of not having CYO soccer at their middle school so they talked a dad into coaching, got the administration to approve, and got enough kids to create the first-ever Middle School Soccer team at St. Francis. Friday afternoon practices will go thru the end of October, with games scattered throughout the work-week. The coach is a wonderful soccer player and coach so the boys will learn alot at their weekly 2:30 hour practices.
5. finished the week, all home together, watching LSU beat Mississippi State

Well, that’s our week … how was yours? Hope it was filled with as many memories and good times and challenges!