If I could bottle up time it would consist mainly of early November days. These days and those of late October are really what the fall season is meant to be. It is the time of transition between the warmer late summer days and the cold days of winter experienced at the end of November. The crispness of the autumn air is inviting with an opportunity to enjoy the warm sunshine.

As we roll through the month of November, students can become distracted from their educational goals. The “work” of school has set in and it may become harder to stay focused on completing homework or studying for tests. Parents can help their students by staying involved in their education. Both the PowerSchool Parent Portal and Canvas are excellent ways for parents to check their student’s grades and stay up on what is happening in their classes. Having regular conversations with your student about how school is going also signifies the importance of school and school work. Some questions to spark this conversation include: tell me about the best part of your day; what was the hardest thing you had to do today; tell me about what you read in class; or can you show me something you learned today? These questions can open dialogue about the what is happening in school creating the opportunity for meaningful conversation.

November contains three special days, All Saints Day, All Souls Day, and Thanksgiving. A true connection can be made between the celebration of All Saints Day, All Souls Day, and Thanksgiving. The example given to us by the lives of the saints and the lives of our ascendants on our own Catholic faith and Catholic heritage is a gift for which we should be forever thankful. St. Augustine summarized well the relationship that exists between the lives of the saints and our own lives in these words: Let it not seem a small thing to us that we are members of the same body as these. … We marvel at them, they have compassion on us. We rejoice for them, they pray for us. … Yet do we all serve one lord, follow one master, attend one king? We are joined to one head, journey to one Jerusalem, follow after one love, embrace one unity. All Saints Day and All Souls Day then become a reminder for us as we begin this month of November to give thanks to God for that gift of our faith which will be everlasting.