St. Mary's has had another week of inspired learning and fun! We have completed two full weeks of school and things are going well. Students are in the groove of school and doing a great job adjusting to busy days of learning, classroom and school transitions, and lunch and recess times. It is inspiring to see how our older students are helping new classroom friends and younger students along with their school days and lending a helping hand and smile to make everyone feel at home. We have a loving and supportive school community, and I am proud that our school atmosphere is filled with joy, discovery, and love. I hope that your family has a relaxing, fun, and safe holiday weekend. I will be excited to welcome our students back to school on Tuesday morning!

All St. Mary's parents should have received an email from Sr. Julie Brandt, SSND on Thursday afternoon. In her email to parents, Sr. Julie outlined the updated masking guidelines that will go into effect when classes resume on Tuesday. If you have not already read her email, please refer to it to ensure you are informed of the changes for your child during his or her school day. To summarize the updated guidelines:

• Masks will be required indoors in places where 3 feet of distance cannot be maintained between individuals. This includes entering and leaving the school, moving in the hallways, going through the lunch line, or during classroom activities which require students/teachers to be closer than 3 feet from others.
• There may be some specials where masking will remain required due to space limitations such as technology and music. In these classes students will be expected to stay masked when a 3 foot distance cannot be maintained.
• Masks will still be required for all students who ride the JACS bus to and from the St. Mary's campus.
• If you prefer that your child stay masked during the school day, please contact your child's teacher and the school office to make your wishes known.

The JACS masking guidelines will be reviewed each month during School Advisory Board meetings. Our school community is asking parents to be proactive if your child shows any signs or symptoms of Covid, especially if more than a day or so. If in doubt, please consult a health care provider for possible testing. Our goal remains to safeguard the health of our school community while also providing the opportunity for students to learn and grow.

Please make plans to join us on Saturday, September 18 for a fun evening at the movies, right here at St. Mary's! St. Mary's Movie Night will take place on our back playground and is free of charge. Families can spread out on our grassy area behind the school with lawn chairs and blankets and enjoy a fun night with our school community. The movie will begin at dusk (approximately 7:30-7:45 p.m.) and movie snacks will be available. Popcorn will be "on the house" for all to enjoy and 5th grade will be selling glow necklaces and movie snacks to support their annual 5th Grade Trip. We will be showing UP, a wonderful movie about love, adventure, and making dreams come true. This is a new annual event for our school and we hope your family can join us!

The JACS Booster Club is selling beautiful mums to help support Warrior athletics! Not only does the Booster Club support St. Peter's and McCauley athletics, the group also sponsors St. Mary's youth basketball league for 3rd - 5th grades. To help with the fundraising, 3rd - 5th grade students have been asked to help with the mum sales. Students will bring home a flyer and a sales sheet to record and collect payment. Booster Club is very close to reaching their mum's goal and we would like to help them with their efforts. Booster Club is responsible for the uniforms for the youth basketball league, basketball equipment as well as the fees to play in the league. If you have already purchased mums from the Booster Club, please note that by recording how many you purchased on the sheet as that will could towards your student's class total. The St. Mary's class that sells the most mums will earn a pizza party from the Booster Club.

Congratulations to our school community for raising over $400 for the Joplin Humane Society on our first Charity Dress Day of the school year! A special thank you goes to Mrs. Bashor's 2nd grade class who raised the most money this month and we be treated to a frozen treat during lunch this coming week. St. Mary's Charity Dress Days are usually the first Wednesday of each month. All funds collected on the day are donated to the local or national charity of the month. Thank you for thoughtfulness and generosity!

Speaking of thoughtfulness and generosity, Club 609 sponsors First Tuesday on the first Tuesday of each month. On this day, a portion of sales from the restaurant is donated to the JACS Scholarship fund to help assist families. This Tuesday, September 7 is First Tuesday, a great opportunity to not only enjoy a great meal with family and friends, but also help support the JACS Scholarship Fund. Thank you to Club 609 for your support of our school system!

Thank you to all of the parents who attended Home and School's Meet and Greet on Thursday evening! School year planning has started and we are working on forming committees for the the fun events and activities that take place during the school year. If you were not able to attend the meeting on Thursday evening, there is still plenty of time/opportunity to lend a helping hand to support our school community! Home and School is open to all St. Mary's parents, grandparents, and school supporters. More information about St. Mary's Home and School and 2021-2022 Dues will be sent home in Communicator Envelopes on Friday, September 10. Family Dues of $25 per year are the only yearly funds collected to support Home and School's events and each family's dues payment is greatly appreciated.

Home and School has done an incredible job again this year with St. Mary's Spirit Wear! There are all kinds of styles and finish options for you and your child, perfect to show your St. Mary's school spirit! Spirit Wear shirts and hoodies may be worn to school each Monday of the school year with uniform bottoms. Here is the link to the order forms: https://stmarysspiritstore.itemorder.com/sale. The deadline for ordering is Friday, September 30. *Please note that the Warrior pictured on the order forms will be substituted with the current JACS Warrior.

Monday, September 6: No School, Labor Day Holiday

Tuesday, September 7: First Tuesday at Club 609

Wednesday, September 8: The Nativity of Mary

Thursday, September 16: Free Dress Day

Friday, September 17: No School, Ozark 7 PD Day

Saturday, September 18: St. Mary's Movie Night

Tuesday, September 21: VIRTUS Training at St. Mary's, 3:00 p.m.

Friday, September 24: Mercy Day Mass at St. Mary's with Bishop Rice, 9:00 a.m.

Wednesday, September 29: VIRTUS Training at St. Mary's, 6:00 p.m.2

Monday and Tuesday, October 4 & 5: School Photo Days