The Trojan Times
Saint Maria Goretti Catholic School August 25, 2019
Mission Statement
St. Maria Goretti is a living testament to our Lord's work in His youngest disciples, exemplified by academic excellence, spiritual formation, and compassionate service to others.
Principal's Message
Dear St. Maria Goretti Catholic School Families,
Happy Sunday! In this edition of the Trojan Times, please find the following information:
- Spirit Store
- Kountry Karnival T-Shirts
- Register for KK Fun Run
- School Uniform Updates
- SMG Family Handbook **Note Birthday dress policy
- Scrip Program
- Box Tops for Education Program
- Happenings Last Week at SMG
Car Line/Dismissal: We had hoped to begin our Car Line/Dismissal Procedure last week, but with the heat index being so high, we can not have students outside waiting on the hot concrete for that long. It is forcasted to remain dangerously hot through Tuesday, so we will have indoor/rainy day dismissal and will tentatively plan to begin Car Line/Dismissal procedures on Wednesday.
We are looking forward to seeing all parents at our PreK-8th Grade Back to School Night on Tuesday, August 27th. We will begin the evening at 6:00PM in the Cafetorium. After a welcome and introduction, parents will visit their students' classrooms for brief presentations and information from the teachers. As communicated earlier, this evening is for parents/guardians only. Students should not attend.
I hope you all enjoy the rest of the weekend and we look forward to seeing you this week!
St. Maria Goretti, Pray for Us!
Blessings,
Laura Behee, M.Ed.
Principal
Spirit Store Closes Tonight!
Get your SMG Swag On! The Spirit Store offers many ways to sport your favorite SMG look and show that Trojan spirit! But time is running out.....the online Spirit Store closes tonight at 11:59PM!
Get Your Kountry Karnival T-Shirts and Register for the KK Fun Run!
Get your Kountry Karnival T-Shirts! The KK store will close at 11:59PM tonight! All purchases will be delivered to the school and will be ready for pickup on September 3rd. The KK store will reopen next Sunday, September 1st. Purchase your KK t-shirt at:
https://esixsportswear.com/smg_kountry_karnival/shop/home
There are still many opportunities to get involved with Kountry Karnival! Visit SMG website for volunteer opportunities.
Registration for the Kountry Karnival Fun Run is open! Runners (and walkers) can register for a 1-mile and 5K event and the course is certified. Visit the link below to register and for more information. http://thedriven.net/SMG5K2019
Kountry Karnival Volunteers and Wish List Items Needed
Also, the KK Chairs have created a wish list of items and donations needed to make this year's Kountry Karnival a success. Please visit the link below to view the KK Wish List.
https://d2wldr9tsuuj1b.cloudfront.net/12396/documents/2019/8/KKwishlist2019.pdf
School Uniforms
School uniforms should be purchased from Mills Uniforms. The uniforms for the 2019-2020 school year have basically remained the same, but we have added a mandatory red or blue cardigan sweater (depending on the grade-level) for all students. All students MUST have the required sweater/cardigan by October1, 2019. In addition, girls in grades 4 & 5 may wear the plaid skirts that were listed at Mills for only 6th-8th grade girls. Mills has been notified and should have plenty of the uniform skirts in stock.
Also, there has been some confusion as to which shoes are required for K-5th Grade girls. Girls in K-5th grade may wear solid white or solid black shoes, but the saddle shoe is required on Mass/Full Dress days. Also, girls in 2nd-8th grade MUST have the blue ascot tie as part of their Mass/Full-Dress uniform. We have been working with Mills to correct the error on their SMG uniform page, and apologize for the confusion.
Please visit the SMG uniform requirements on the Mills Uniforms website for specific SMG uniform requirements (http://www.millswear.com). Use SMG school code 3424.
Mills' local store is located in the Arlington/Fort Worth area:
Mills Uniform Company
5460 E. Loop 820 S.
Ft. Worth, TX 76119
Phone: (817) 563-7100
SMG Family Handbook
The 2019-2020 Family Handbook has been posted on the school website. Please read the handbook as there have been some changes and updates.
One of the changes is that students are no longer allowed to have a free-dress day on their birthday. Students who are celebrating a birthday will still be recognized with a ribbon (from the front office) on their birthday (or half-birthday). Parents will be called if their child arrives out of uniform, and will be asked to either bring the child's uniform or take the child home to change.
Once you have read the handbook, please print, sign, and return the acknowledgement form at the back of the handbook. A signed acknowledgement form from each family is due back to the school by Friday, August 30th.
https://d2wldr9tsuuj1b.cloudfront.net/12396/documents/2019/8/2019-2020%20Family%20Handbook-1.pdf
Scrip Program is New and Improved!!
Order forms and information about the new and improved Scrip program was sent home in the Friday Folders last week. Scrip is a Gift Card Program that gives back! Purchase gift cards to your favorite stores and restaurants, and Scrip gives a portion of the sales back to the school and to you! Currently the school gives 75% of the profits back to our families for tuition credit. The program runs April 2019-April 2020. There are 3 ways to purchase: Online, Paper Order Form, and during SCRIP Office Hours.
Please visit the school website for more information, or contact Mrs. Bradley, our Scrip Coordinator at scrip@smgschool.org.
Box Tops for Education!
The Box Tops for Education program is changing the way we can earn cash for our school! Over the summer, participating brands have begun to change their packaging from the traditional Box Tops clip to the new Box Tops label.
Going forward, instead of clipping from packages and checking expiration dates, all Box Tops will be earned digitally by scanning your receipt. The Box Tops for Education team has worked hard to build a NEW-and-improved, user-friendly Box Tops mobile app, available now. The new app features state-of-the-art technology that allows you to scan your store receipt, find participating products and instantly add Box Tops to our school's earnings online.
If you still have traditional Box Tops clips at home, make sure to send them to school. We will still earn cash for all clipped Box Tops until they expire. Better yet, you can “double dip” during the packaging transition by clipping traditional Box Tops AND scanning your store receipt containing participating products.
For more information, including information on downloading the new Box Tops app, please visit https://smgschool.org/boxtops
Thanks for helping our school get what it needs!
New SMG Banner
A banner is something that identifies and unifies a particular group of people. For example, a military flag or standard is sometimes called a banner. The Israelites’ saying, “The Lord is my Banner,” was a way of identifying themselves as the unified followers of the Lord God. A banner also functions as a rallying point for troops in a battle. The altar Moses built in Exodus 17 marked the place where God intervened on behalf of His people and promised to utterly defeat His enemies. (https://www.gotquestions.org/Lord-is-my-banner.html)
Saint Maria Goretti proudly displays our banner in the school hallway. We owe special thanks to SMG parent, Emily Breclaw, for updating the banner with our current crest. Next time you are in the Junior High hall, be sure to admire Mrs. Breclaw's fine work.
Diocesan 50th Anniversary Mass
In commemoration of 50 years of ministry in North Texas, the Diocese of Fort Worth celebrated with a special Mass on Wednesday evening at the Fort Worth Convention Center. A special thank you to all of the Saint Maria Goretti Catholic School faculty, staff, students, and families who attended this special celebration!
SMG Trojans to Step Up and Volunteer!
The City of Arlington and Mayor Jeff Williams have invited the Arlington community to participate in the Cowboys Hometown Huddle for 100 which will take place on Saturday, September 7! This event is part of an NFL-wide effort to commemorate the NFL’s 100th season. This nationwide volunteerism effort challenges one million football fans to volunteer at least 100 minutes of their time to a non-profit cause between now and Super Bowl 2020 – all in an effort to make 100 million impacts on the community. All organizations that participate will receive a grant for $1000!
SMG students and parent volunteers will be working with the City of Arlington Parks & Recreation Department planting seeds at three different local parks. Last Friday, the city sent a crew to SMG to film a short clip which will be part of the media/press release for the event (see pictures below). We will share the completed video once we receive a copy from the city, sometime later this week!
Visit this link to hear more from the Cowboys about this event: https://www.dallascowboys.com/video/fans-huddle-up-with-the-dallas-cowboys
Cheerleader Captain Tryouts
Cheerleader Captain tryouts were held Tuesday. Five SMG cheerleaders competed by showcasing two of three objectives: creating a cheer, choreographing a dance, planning and executing a stunt. The squad and coaches then voted and elected Emelia Marquino and Lauren Vengas as the 2019-2020 Cheer Captains. They are responsible for promoting team spirit, helping lead cheers, creating dances and building morale for the team. Congratulations to Emelia and Lauren.
Ms. Schump's Science Class Studies Components of Soil
The five components of soil feed the world's plant life. All parts of soil are essential to plant development, and each is necessary for plants to survive. The composition of the components inside soil varies to create different soil types. (https://www.hunker.com/12575354/5-components-of-soil)
Kindergarten Partner Work
Hallway Happenings
Virtus Training
All school volunteers over the age of 18 must complete the required Diocesan Safe Environment training, also referred to as VIRTUS training, prior to volunteering.
This training consists of an in person class and a criminal background check. After completing the training, your certification is good for 2 years. After 2 years, you will need to complete a renewal course. You may not volunteer at school until we receive notification of your completion of the training course, and until your background check clears. This includes all school related activities such as lunch monitor, playground monitor, field trip chaperone, class party helper, library volunteer, Kountry Karnival worker, and many other opportunities.
**You may not volunteer in any capacity without first completing this training. You will not receive SPIRIT hour credit for hours completed without training.
Here is the link to set up a VIRTUS account and to sign up to attend a session.
https://fwdioc.org/training-sessions
You may register and attend a session at any parish in the Fort Worth diocese. Please email smalloy@smgschool.org if you have any questions or need assistance. Thank you!
School Website Under Construction
Pardon our reconstruction.....we are in the process of cleaning up and updating the school website. This is a work in progress, and we ask for your patience as we work to improve the site. In the meantime, if you are unable to find information you are looking for on the website, please feel free to call the office.
Calendar Notes
- Tuesday, 8/27: Back to School Night; 6-8PM (PreK-8th Grade Parents/Guardians only)
- Monday, 9/2: Labor Day, No School
- Friday, 9/6: 7th & 8th grade visit Monet Exhibit at the Kimbell Art Museum
- Saturday, 9/7: Cowboys Hometown Huddle for 100. (See information above)
- Saturday, 9/7 & Sunday, 9/8: SMG Parish Stewardship Weekend
- Monday, 9/9-Friday, 9/13: ITBS & CogAt Standardized Testing
Need Prayers?
We all do!! The St. Maria Goretti Catholic School Community would love to pray for you and your intentions. Please send all prayer requests to: smgprays4u@smgschool.org.
Meet Our Priests!
St. Maria Goretti Parish Website: https://www.smgparish.org/
Fr. Jim Angert, T.O.R.
Fr. Mike Ciski, T.O.R.
Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth
Serving the North Texas Catholic community by providing the faithful opportunities to grow in Christian discipleship and strengthen their relationship with Jesus Christ.
St. Maria Goretti Catholic School
Email: development@smgschool.org
Website: https://smgschool.org
Location: 1200 South Davis Drive, Arlington, TX, USA
Phone: (817)275-5081
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StMariaGorettiArlington/