Dear Middle School Families,

It was a joy to see so many of you at the Very VISTA Christmas concert this past weekend. The girls also had the opportunity to share their musical talents at the Feast of the Immaculate Conception Mass, celebrated with Bishop Kevin Kenney on Monday. Their music is more akin to prayer than performance, and I invite you to watch (or rewatch!) the Christmas program. 

As we begin the second trimester, the girls are staying busy in and beyond the classrooms. Most notably, they are taking grade-level field trips this week: the sixth graders will join other students from around the Twin Cities to participate in Junior Achievement BizTown, learning financial literacy, career skills, and economics while assuming specific roles within a city. The seventh graders from Visitation and Saint Thomas Academy will be visiting the Science Museum before participating in service at Feed My Starving Children. The eighth graders will travel to Junior Achievement Finance Park, where they will be assigned a “life situation” and must apply their knowledge to create and manage a balanced monthly budget.

I also invite you to join our webinar that focuses on technology for grades 5-8: Virtue and Value Driven Technology: Sturdy Parenting Strategies for Technology Use in Tweens and Teens at 7 p.m. via Zoom. During this presentation, Elizabeth Carver ‘00 will join members of the Visitation faculty and staff for an engaging conversation on practical tips and strategies to help students navigate social media and technology. We’re also eager to welcome our eighth-grade students to join the Upper School for a talk by Dr. Jonathan Keiser, Associate Vice President of Academic Technology and Innovation at the University of St. Thomas.

The LEADS help us to celebrate the season and spread holiday cheer by serving as secret "Elves,” putting candy treats in the lockers with signs that read, “I’ve been elfed!” which encourages the receivers to pay it forward to antics! We’re also looking forward to wearing our ugly holiday sweaters with their uniform skirts or pants on Friday.

I hope that you continue to enjoy this Advent Season. Please continue to reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns. It is a joy to work with you and your daughters.

Sincerely,


Anna Bachman Barter, PhD
Director of Upper School