The Paw Print
for Parents
What's Happening @ SME in February?
Important Dates
Wednesday, February 7
Early Release @ 12 for Teacher Inservice
K-6 Students will be served lunch!
Friday, February 7
SMC Homecoming - Blue/White/Panther Tops with Uniform Bottoms
Tuesday, February 13
St. Valentine Parties @ 2:30
Wednesday, February 14
Ash Wednesday
Friday, February 16
Stations of the Cross @ 2:30 in the Church
Monday, February 19
No School - President's Day
Wednesday, February 21
President's Day Presentations by 5th Grade @ 8:15 in the Commons
Thursday, February 22
4th Graders to Greenbush
Friday, February 23
4th Grade Retreat with Sr. Mary Grace and Fr. Chris
Wednesday, February 28
First Reconciliation - 2nd Grade @ 6pm
Thursday, February 29
Leap Day!
SME in January
Changes in our Application/Enrollment/Registration Process
Beginning February 20, we will open up the registration process for the 24-25 school year.We will send out an "Intent to Return" form to all of our current families.
On March 1 we will open up the Application for Admission for all new families. We encourage you to complete the Intent to Return by March 1 in order to ensure a spot for the 24-25 school year. Registration/enrollment will take place later this spring/early summer. Look for more details coming soon!
2nd Semester Parent Teacher Conferences
Teachers will be contacting you if they would like to have a conference with you about your child's progress at school. We appreciate your attendance at these conferences. Anytime a question may arise or you need clarification, please don't hesitate to contact your child's teacher. We are here to partner with you to help your child have a successful school experience!
Every Child Can Read Act
The Kansas State Department of Education is beginning a new initiative that requires 3rd grade teachers meet with parents two times per year. The goal of this initiative is to be sure that parents are aware of their child's progress specifically in literacy. If you have a 3rd grader, Mrs. Clawson and Mrs. Lord will be reaching out to schedule conferences with all of the families!
6th Grade Promotion
Our schools will begin the transition this school year to 6th Grade Promotion instead of 8th Grade Recognition. We believe, in our schools, the transition from 6th - 7th grade is bigger than the transition from 8th - 9th grade. For the next two years, there will be both a 6th Grade Promotion and 8th Grade Recognition so that no students are left out of this tradition.
On Thursday, May 16 we will have our 6th Grade Promotion. It will take place at the 8am Mass. We invite families and guests to join us for Mass and then a reception in the St. Mary's Elementary Commons immediately following Mass.
After Mass and the reception, students will also be visiting the junior high school to hear from
Mr. Conrad, Mrs. Krusich, and a panel of students. The 6th graders will submit questions they have about junior high in advance of the visit and the panel will share answers. There will also be Field Day in the afternoon.
Thursday, May 16 will be the LAST day of elementary school for the 6th graders. They will not attend on Friday, May 17.
More details will be coming soon!
Social Work Practicum Student @ SME this Semester!
We are pleased to welcome Miss Abby VanHercke to our school this semester. She is completing a social work practicum at Pittsburg State University and will be working in our school. She comes to us through a partnership with Children First - a non-profit organization who helps place social workers in schools throughout the diocese. Miss Abby will be working with students in the whole class, group and individual setting. If we believe your child would benefit on individual time with Miss Abby, we will contact you for permission.
A Little Bit About Miss Abby:
I am from Olathe KS and came to Pitt State to be on the Dance team. After my freshman year, I fell in love with social Work. My mom is a teacher and I wanted to connect social work with my interest to work with children. I am very excited for the opportunity to continue my education at St. Mary's Elementary!
5th Grade Server Training
Father Mike will soon begin working to train our 5th graders to serve Mass. After training is complete, they will begin to take on small responsibilities at Mass through the end of the school year. It is also our tradition, that the 5th graders serve daily Mass in the summer months. You can expect a schedule to come home close to the end of the school year. This is a great opportunity for them to practice Stewardship!
Battle of the Books
Some of our 5th and 6th grade students are competing in Battle of the Books. Last semester, the students were given a list of 20 books to read. Once a month, students are meeting for lunch with
Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Kannarr to talk about what they are reading. In May, we will have a Battle of the Books. Students will be placed on teams to answer questions about the books on the list. We are looking forward to the Battle!
Lunch Account Balances
Please be sure to check your child's lunch balance in PowerSchool and stay up-to-date with payments! Mrs. Dana Thompson is our Food Services Director. If you have any questions, you can email her at thompsond@ollsmc.com. Mrs. Kim Scripsick, in the parish office, can answer questions you may have about paying your balance. She can by reached by email at scripsickk@ollsmc.com.
St. Mary's Elementary Spring Musical
Under the direction of Mrs. Lola Wade and Ms. Angela Suarez, the elementary students will be performing the musical Peter Pan! You can find a full cast list here:
Lost and Found
We have lots of school uniform sweatshirts in our Lost and Found. Come take a look if your child is missing something.
Cold Weather Wear
If the weather requires your child to wear something more than their uniform polo, please be sure that you are only sending them in school uniform hoodies or crewneck sweatshirts. Because hoodies and crewnecks are available to us as a school uniform piece, students should be wearing those. They are also welcome to wear zip up jackets and coats!
Also, girls may wear leggings. They must be plain without any embellishments or cutouts. Leggings can be grey, navy, or black.
Virtues in Practice
If you are interested in more information about the program, you can find it here...
https://www.nashvilledominican.org/apostolate/evangelization-and-catechesis/virtues-in-practice/
VISIBLE LEARNING
Mass Schedule
Tuesday: 1st through 6th grades
Wednesday: Kindergarten through 3rd grades
Thursday: 4th through 6th grades
Friday: 1st through 6th grades
**Change this year - Kindergarteners are attending Mass on Wednesdays!
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