SMCMS News 1.18.23

As we begin the 3rd quarter, we are moving forward with Discipleship groups. Our focus for this meeting is “The Woman at the Well.” In this reading, students will explore how our relationship with God is made stronger through God’s grace and the way we are loved by Him even though we are sinners. In addition to our quarterly meetings, students will now begin to meet in Discipleship groups on Fridays as well. At these meetings, students will address the core values of our advisory program, Character Strong. Mrs. Kalaus and I are working together to combine our Christ-centered foundation and our social and emotional program in order to reach the complete fruitfulness of building relationships through our virtues.

Students have been invited to work towards the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Award. This challenge invites students to grow in their faith and make a gift of self to their community through prayer, active participation in liturgies, and service. The challenge runs from December 1 - April 30. Details on the steps needed to complete this challenge, along with the necessary forms, can be found on Google Classroom or on the school website here. Students do not need to be Catholic to complete this challenge. Please email Ms. Christine Corrigan (6th grade) or Miss Maria Schmitz (7th & 8th grade) with any questions at ccorrigan@smcatholicschools.org or mschmitz@smcatholicschools.org.

Parents may claim the tuition payments for 5-year-old kindergarten through grade 12 on the state of WI Schedule PS tax form. To access payments made from 1/1/22 to 12/31/22, log in to Blackbaud/Tuition Management: https://parent.smarttuition.com/ and select Family Year End Statement at the right. Please consult a tax professional to inquire about claiming payments on P3/4K tuition. For Part 1 on the PS Form you will enter: St. Mary Catholic Schools, 1050 Zephyr Drive, Neenah, WI 54956. The federal ID will print on your statement as the School Tax ID. Contact Shelley Wautlet if you need help with logging in to your tuition account.

Builder’s Club will meet on Thursday, January 26th from 3:30 – 4:30 in Miss Schmitz’s room to make fleece blankets! New students are welcome to join.

Sunday, January 29 Celebrating mass at St. Patrick’s Parish at 8, 10, and noon.

Monday, January 30 Jersey Day

Tuesday, January 31 Dress like a teacher, twin, or triplet day

Wednesday, February 1 Loungewear Day (no slippers, blankets, or stuffed animals)

Thursday, February 2 Catholic college/institution apparel day

Friday, February 3 Zephyrs spirit wear day. System mass at 9:15

Catholic schools have a specific purpose to form students to be good citizens of the world, love God and neighbors, and enrich society with the leaven of the gospel and by example of faith.

As communities of faith, Catholic schools instill in students their destiny to become saints. Academic excellence is the hallmark of Catholic education, intentionally directed to the growth of the whole person – mind, body, and spirit. Finally, service is fundamental to Catholic education and the core of Catholic discipleship. Service is intended to help form people who are not only witnesses to Catholic social teaching but also, active participants through social learning. The 2023 celebration week is: January 29, 2023 ~ February 4, 2023

Students in grade 6-8 will participate in MAP testing for math, reading and language usage January 19th. We will schedule three testing days and set aside time to test all students in the mornings. Parents can help prepare their children in the following ways:

· Help your child get a good night’s rest before testing

· Provide a nutritious breakfast

· Try not to schedule appointments on testing days

· Encourage your child to do their best on this test and reassure them it is not a reason to get nervous.

We are starting an afterschool chess club. The club will meet on Thursdays 3:30-4:30, starting Thursday, February 2nd. If your child is interested, they can sign up in the middle school office. We are also in need of chess boards to run this club. If you have a board that your family is no longer using, we would love to take this off of your hands. Boards can be sent to the middle school office.

Hello Middle School Families:

Please read this entire email and make sure you go through both processes to make sure your student will be eligible to start practice on the first day.

REGISTRATION (PAYMENT OF ATHLETIC FEE)

At this time we are offering registration for Middle School Spring Sports. We are working on finalizing game schedules/practice schedules for each of the spring sports we offer and will post those on the Big East website when they are completed.

You may only sign-up students for one sport for the Spring Sport season.

Middle School Spring Sports

Track and Field – Girls and Boys

Start Date - Monday, March 13 and Ends- Saturday, May 20

Participants need to be at practice at least 3 days a week and the practice the day before a meet.

Softball – Girls Only

Practices – 5:30-7:00 p.m. April and May 4:30-6:00 p.m.

Start Date March 13 and End Date TBD (No Practice Week of Spring Break)

Tennis – Girls and Boys

Practices Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:30-5:00pm

Starts Monday, March 27 and Ends Wednesday, May 17

Limited to first 32 players to register due to the number of courts and coaches

The registration site for Spring Middle School Sports is now open. This is where you will register to pay the sport athletic fee and have the option of purchasing a team shirt for middle school spring sports.

Registration will close for Middle School Spring Sports on February 10th. NO LATE REGISTRATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED

SMC Middle School Athletics Registration and Fee Payment – Click Here

ONLINE PAPERWORK

You don’t need to go through this process if your student played a Fall or Winter sport this year.

The online paperwork for the 2022-23 school year is open and must be completed, submitted, and approved by the Athletic Director prior to the first practice. If not completed and approved, your child will not be permitted to practice. If your son or daughter are playing a fall sport, you should have this completed and approved already and do not need to go through this process.

Reminder that all families (Fall, Winter and Spring Student-Athletes) should be completing all athletic forms on line. You will need to have medical and dental insurance information and doctor/dental/hospital information when you go through this process.

All forms (except the WIAA Physical Form) will be completed and electronically signed online. The link to the online system is below. We are using this system for both high school and middle school athletics. The system will take you through the process and you will not be able to move to the next section until all required questions are answered.

The WIAA Physical Form is the only form that will need to be uploaded into the system. The physical form needs to be uploaded because a doctor is required to sign, date, and complete this form at your physical examination. Uploading can be as simple of taking a picture of the form with your phone and uploading. You can also scan the form and upload from your computer.

Make sure you go through the entire process of adding your student. There are many accounts created right now and the process has not been completed. You will get a verification email when you have completed the process.

https://smcatholic-ar.rschooltoday.com/ - Click on Link

1. Click on Athletic Team Registration
2. Either create a new account for first time users or sign into your account
3. Click on Register
4. Click on Students name or Register New Student
5. Click on High School or Middle School Activity Registration 2022-23
6. Complete the entire process and submit
7. You will get a confirmation email or an email asking for more information.

** To ensure clearance for participation, physicals should be completed and uploaded no later than 3 school days prior to the first day of practice/tryouts. **

If you have questions, please contact Matthew Schoultz, Athletic Director at mschoultz@smcatholicschools.org.

We are excited to announce that Teams 1050 A (Jacob, Henry, Colton, London, and Mina) and 1050C (Blayke, Johnpaul, Caruso, and Aiden) have qualified for the 2023 VEXIQ State Championship and the 2023 U.S. Open Robotics Championship! Both teams qualified by winning awards at the Riverview Lutheran VEXIQ Tournament:

Excellence Award 1050 C Elite Eagles

Teamwork 2nd place award 1050 A Voltron

Robot skills Champion 1050C Elite Eagles

Congratulations to Team 1050C (Blayke, Johnpaul, Caruso, and Aiden) who won the Excellence Award and 1050F (Nicolas, Nathan, Anderson and Dain) who won the Judges Award at the St. Mary Catholic Schools VEXIQ Tournament:

Excellence Award 1050C Elite Eagles

Judges Award 1050F SMC Electric

Hi ZBC Families -

We are excited to announce we are doing a "Zephyrs Night" with the Wisconsin Herd on Wednesday, February 1st! With the purchase of tickets, our ZBC families will be able to:

· Pre-game watch (kids can sit courtside and watch player warm-ups + receive an autograph from some Herd players)

· High Five Tunnel (kids can join in the high five tunnel and get a free Herd T-shirt to high five the team on court during starting lineups)

· Post-game (Zephyrs families can come onto the court post game for a group photo, and shoot free throws)

Please click here for more info. Look forward to seeing everyone there! Special thanks to Kristin Billings for organizing for us!

Skills Sessions

We are excited to once again offer 1st & 2nd grade skills sessions for SMCS boys and girls this year! Last year it was a great hit! The sessions will begin in January and February 2023!

We are asking for everyone to sign up via this signup genius to plan and order shirts. Cost is $15 total for all sessions and will be due on the 1st session you attend. Also, if you have a 1st/2nd Grader and are interested in coaching, we are looking for coaches at this level! You can sign up for coaching on the signup genius as well.

UPCOMING TOURNAMENTS - Your Invitation and Looking for Volunteers

During the month of January, we will be hosting all of our ZBC at home tournaments over 3 weekends! If you are participating in the ZBC, please sign up to volunteer as much as you can! We need volunteers to continue to provide a great program!

If you are curious what our Zephyrs Basketball Club is all about, stop by the Middle School on any of the following days and watch the kids play!!

5th-8th Grade Girls Tournament - January 21, 2023

Tournament Signups:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A084CABAB2AA31-zbc5th8th6

Book/Clock:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A084CABAB2AA31-zbc5th8th7

Upcoming ZBC Basketball Youth Nights:

Our very popular ZEPHYRS YOUTH NIGHTS are coming up! Varsity Team Trading Cards Signing, Ball Toss at Halftime, 10,000 Touches/Shots Recognition and LOTS of fun! Mark your calendar now and let's fill the gym!!

All Middle School students are invited for our Lock-In for Life in celebration of the end of Roe v. Wade and for Pro-Life Month! St. Mary and St. John the Baptist parishes invite you to join us at St. Gabriel’s in Neenah for Mass, a pizza dinner, a night of fun games in the new Youth Room, and special prayers for the unborn including Spiritual Adoption!

The Fox Valley Technical College is hosting a special free family event on Tuesday, February 28th from 3-6 pm. This new and exciting career exploration opportunity will be available to middle school students and their families. Please see the attached flyer for additional information.

Mark your calendars for the Youth 2000 retreat at St. Mary in Menasha April 21-23. Led by the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, this retreat helps young people deepen their love and understanding of the Catholic faith, and encounter the power and richness of God's love and mercy.​ Please join us for fellowship, fun, music and spiritual growth! Contact Bethany Doll (bdoll@smcatholicschools.org) for more information! Read more and sign up for the retreat at https://forms.gle/zbksEdN9u9iqMkudA.

Summer Mission Opportunities

Help your son or daughter encounter Christ in a deeper way this summer! Our five area parishes are offering three opportunities through mission trips and a Steubenville Conference; these are life changing encounters!

3 Opportunities:

• Local Mission Trip for Grades 6-12
• Steubenville Conference in Rochester, MN for Grades 9-12 (current 8th graders are welcome)
• Kentucky Mission Trip for Grades 9-12 (current 8th graders are welcome)

Informational Meetings:

• Wednesday, January 11 at 7:40 pm at St. Mary, Menasha
• Sunday, January 22 at 4 pm at St. Gabriel, Neenah

The following link will allow you to find more information, sign up for an informational meeting, or register for a trip (or two!): https://www.smmneenah.org/summer-mission-registration

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0d4fadaf2ba6fdc34-smcms17

7th grade assignment sheet

6th grade assignment sheet

Middle School after school care is available. Please use this link to sign your child up for after school care. A great place to be with the changes in the fitness center hours.

Thursday January 19th: MAP testing

Thursday January 26th: Builders Club Meet

Monday January 30th: Jersey Day, Morning assembly to kick off Catholic School's Week

Tuesday January 31st: Dress like a teacher day, or twin/triplet day

Wednesday February 1st: Loungewear day, no liturgy, moved to Friday

Thursday February 2nd: Catholic College Day (Class shirts or Zephyrs wear will work as well)

Friday February 3rd: Zephyrs Spirit wear day, all system mass at 9:15 a.m.

View our monthly calendar here.

A printable system calendar is available here.