A New School Year, Rooted in Love

There is something special about the first day of school at St. Madeleine Sophie School. After a summer away, our campus comes alive again with the sounds of students greeting friends, teachers welcoming their classes, and families gathering together for another year as one school community.

This year, we began that journey in a particularly meaningful way: gathered together around our favorite tree, in prayer, and centered on a simple but powerful invitation from Scripture:

“Let all that you do be done in love.”

Taken from St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians, this verse will serve as our theme throughout the 2026–27 school year. It is short enough for every student to remember, but meaningful enough to challenge all of us.

During our Opening Day Prayer Service, Principal Mrs. Patterson reminded our community that a new school year brings possibility—new things to learn, new friendships to make, challenges that help us grow, moments that make us proud, and, inevitably, a few mistakes along the way. Through all of those experiences, we are invited to let love guide how we respond.

At St. Madeleine Sophie, love means much more than simply being nice.

It means welcoming someone who feels left out. It means trying again when learning is difficult. It means telling the truth when it would be easier not to. It means forgiving when forgiveness is hard, noticing when someone needs help, standing up for someone, and having patience when others make mistakes.

It also means recognizing and developing the gifts God has given each of us.

“Let all that you do be done in love” is not simply a message for students. It is a call to the entire SMS community—students, teachers, staff, parents, and families.

During the service, our community offered prayers for each of these groups. We prayed that our students would be curious learners, courageous leaders, and compassionate friends. We prayed for our teachers and staff to have wisdom, patience, joy, and strength as they teach, challenge, and support our students. We prayed for our families and for the partnership between home and school. And we prayed especially for anyone beginning the year with worries or uncertainty, asking that every person discover a place where they are welcomed, supported, and valued.

Our response to each prayer reflected our theme:

“Lord, help us do all things in love.”

That response captures something central to who we hope to be as a school. A strong community does not happen simply because we describe ourselves as one. We create it—through our choices, our words, our actions, and the way we treat one another every day.

Whether a child is walking into Pre-K for the very first time, joining St. Madeleine Sophie School as a new student, or beginning the final year of 8th Grade, every person has a role in shaping our community.

As we look ahead to the year, we hope our students will carry this theme with them into every part of their school experience. When someone needs a friend, may we choose love. When learning is difficult, may we choose perseverance and love. When we disagree, may we choose respect and love. When someone makes a mistake, may we choose forgiveness and love. When we have an opportunity to serve, may we choose generosity and love. And when someone succeeds, may we celebrate one another with love.

Our Opening Day Prayer Service ended with a beautiful prayer led by 8th Grader Ethan, asking God to bless our youngest students, our graduating class, and every student in between. We prayed for our teachers and staff, our parents and families, our friendships, our learning, our laughter, our challenges, our successes—and even our mistakes, because those moments can help us learn, grow, forgive, and begin again.

As we step into a new school year, we are excited for all that lies ahead. There will be learning and laughter, challenges and celebrations, growth and discovery. Through it all, we will continue working together to build a community where every person is known, valued, challenged, and loved.

And when we gather again at the end of the year, our hope is that we can look back and say that we learned much, grew greatly, served generously, led courageously—and above all else, loved one another well.

Welcome to a new school year, Seraphs.

Let all that we do be done in love.