O Come O Come Two Thousand Twenty-one

 2020 is certainly the year that keeps on giving.  Let me bring you up to speed on its latest act of kindness.  I will explain this as I understand it, but I'm sure John could give a more technical version of the story.  Friday morning around 4 a.m. our data/systems/files/etc. were attacked by sources unknown using ransomware.  When you google ransomware, this is what you find, "Ransomware is a form of malware that encrypts a victim's files.  The attacker then demands a ransom from the victim (in this case St. Stephen) to restore access to the data upon payment."  John saw that the extensions (.docx, .txt, etc.) on our files were being changed or encrypted Friday morning.  This is why he came and shut everything down, to stop them in their tracks.  How far they got is unknown at this time.  It also turns out that this is a relatively new virus so John has enlisted the aid of the FBI to provide a tool that will decrypt the files back to what they were.  The plan is to first verify that our backups were not damaged.  Then John and his team of helpers will wipe all our window devices clean and hopefully restore our data from the backup.  Please pray that he is able to do this.  I cannot say how long this will take but at least we have our Christmas break coming so for now we just need to get through the next five days.  

This is the most important thing I can tell you.  DO NOT turn on any windows device.  John is going to school this afternoon to ensure everything is turned off -- desktops, laptops on carts, etc.  Anything with windows on it may not be turned on until we get the all-clear from John.  The good news is that there is wifi and you may use Chromebooks and iPads.  I've asked Charles to help with providing Chromebooks to office staff so they can continue to work.  This does mean that printing may be a challenge.  If you have something you need to print, put it on a flash drive at home and we can help you print it out in the office on the copier.  We may also be able to connect your Chromebook to a printer with a USB cord.  Charles is going to round up some of them too.  

It's a pretty quiet week and ends with a day of fun on Friday.  Thank you all for your patience and sense of humor, both of which are very much needed this year.  I will end this blog with something to make you laugh.  Friday afternoon and evening were both a lot of fun.  I enjoyed meeting the football team from St. Thomas Aquinas.  The coaches were some of the nicest people I've ever met and even I was inspired listening to their head coach speak.  I also enjoyed our Evening with Santa.  The students had a great time and Rich did an amazing job as Santa.  Some of you may know I keep a list of funny quotes that I hear from staff and students.  Two of my favorites are (from a teacher) "I'm at my second job." and (from a student) "He didn't cry the first time I punched him."  Now I have a new one - "And it's happening now!"

• Me:  Gina, come meet the football team (Gina and I go to the FLC)
• HS Coach:  Are you ladies with the church?
• Us:  Yes
• HS Coach:  The team is about the change
• Me: Yes, I know.  The bathrooms are over there
• HS Coach:  No, they will change right here, out in the open.  You ladies may feel uncomfortable.
• HS Coach (as he looks around):  And it's happening now!
• Us:  OH!  Bye!  (exit stage right)

Have a great week!  

 

O Come O Come

 Today begins the second week of Advent and while it's sometimes difficult to find joy right now, I found great joy watching our students on Friday.  While I may have put the words on paper, you all brought it to life.  Thank you all for making the day special and helping our students know Faith without Fear.  

A BIG shout out and thank you to Christa.  While I was not able to be there for the entire time, I could see what an amazing professional development she prepared for you.  I'm excited to see how you all incorporate that into your curriculum.  

Please stop by the 6th-grade homeroom this week and welcome Christine Sanchez who joins the middle school team tomorrow.  We also welcome her son, Samuel, to 5th grade.  

This year we will not be having our traditional staff Christmas party.  With the increase in positivity and how large our group is, Father Dermot and I felt it was not a good idea.  Dec. 18 is still a half-day with no extended day, the only difference is you may all leave right after carline.  All I ask is that your classrooms are clean and tidy before you go.  We are planning to do a top scrub and re-wax of the hallways and classrooms the week after Christmas.  We typically do not do classrooms over Christmas, but the hand sanitizer has made a mess of the floors.  When we return from break, please help your students with how to use the hand sanitizer so it does not drip all the way back to their desks.  They should stay in one place until it dries.  We can brainstorm some ideas at our next faculty meeting.  The cleaning company will move all the furniture (mostly desks and chairs) but there will need to be some preparation before the break.  I will speak with Duffy and give you the details.  My hope is also that middle school will move back into Angel's Wing the last week before the break so that when we return you will be back out there.  

On Dec. 18 we will not have a Middle School breakfast or a movie in the FLC.  Think about what we can do to celebrate with our students.  I suggest a movie, Christmas trivia games, students bring their own breakfast or snacks, reindeer games, etc.  We can also talk about this at our faculty meeting.  

Please remember to check the calendar, lots happening this week: Gingerbread Holiday Shop, Mass on Tuesday (not Wednesday), Marvelous Mustang, Gr. 6-8 Reconciliation on Wednesday, and Evening with Santa on Friday.  Have a peaceful week.