St. Margaret Mary Newsletter
11.29.2023
St. Margaret Mary Newsletter
January 10, 2024
SMCS Mission
Preparing and inspiring students to lead meaningful lives, rooted in the teachings of Christ and our Catholic tradition.
Greetings from the Principal
Dear St. Margaret Mary families,
I hope you had a joyful Christmas filled with wonderful memories with family and friends. I want to wish you all a very blessed and joyous New Year!
We are happy to be back to school! Last week was filled with some pretty amazing projects and activities that you will see in this newsletter. Our 4th graders shared their creative cereal box book reports. I enjoyed listening to their reports and seeing their enthusiasm as they shared the summary of their books! After learning about the circulatory unit, our 5th grade students dissected pig and cow hearts. They were very excited for this hands-on learning opportunity!
Last Friday, we celebrated the Feast of the Epiphany. The 4K students made kings after listening to the story of the Epiphany and the 5th grade students visited all the classrooms and blessed them with the Epiphany blessing.
As we move into 2024, I am looking forward to a year of student successes, growth, and creating lasting memories for our students.
Blessings,
Mrs. Jackie Lutz
Associate Principal ~ St. Margaret Mary School
Classroom Spotlight - Mrs. Rivas' 4K Classroom
On Friday our class learned about Epiphany. We learned that Epiphany is a time of
the three wisemen coming from far away to find our savior. They followed the
star of Bethlehem. Another name for the three wisemen is Magi. They brought
special gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. They honored the baby Jesus who
would be king of the Earth. We made a little craft of the three wisemen. We had a
great time learning about Epiphany!
5th grade Science - Dissecting Pig Hearts
The 5th grade students wrapped up the cardiovascular system. They learned about the anatomy, structure, and function of the heart which led to the excitement of dissecting pig and cow hearts! The students were thoroughly engaged and were able to identify valves, chambers, blood supply, and much more. Ms. Stuber did a great job in preparing the students for this wonderful hands-on learning activity!
4th grade Cereal Box Book Reports
The second quarter book report was done in the form of a cereal box project and a class presentation in the form of a commercial for their cereal (aka their book). After reading a fictional story, each student took an empty cereal box, covered and decorated the front of the box with a new title of the book that sounds like cereal. Back of the box, kids designed a game based on the story. Sides included "ingredients" of the book like characters, setting and plot summary. Last, the students came up with an oral presentation as a creative commercial to sell their cereal as a way to tell others to read your book. Extra credit was to add a prize that is included inside the cereal box that was something the main character could have used in the book.
3rd grade Reindeer Barns
The 3rd graders enjoyed creating reindeer barns before Christmas break! They used the engineering process to design their barns. The challenge was to design and create a brand new barn that had a barn door, at least half of the barn had to be covered to provide shade, and the barn had to have an area covered for the reindeer to get sunshine and room to run. They did a great job creating their barns!
Thank You from the SMM Staff!
We extend a heartful thank you for the generous donations from the red envelope collection! We appreciate your thoughtfulness and thank you for remembering us in this kind manner!
St. Margaret Mary Parish Cold Cash Raffle
Teacher Wish List
If you would like to support your child's classroom and teacher, please check out how you can donate to our teacher wish lists here.
4K & Preschool Preview Day
Upcoming Field Trip
Upcoming Masses
January 11 - Mrs. Bergstrom's 3rd grade class
January 18 - Mrs. Oneacre's class will be leading an all school Rosary at 8:05
January 25 - No Mass (Father Nonito out)
Friday, Feb. 2 - 9:00 am Catholic School's Week System Mass at HS
January Staff Birthdays
1/1 - Mrs. Preissner's 1/2 birthday
1/6 - Ms. Hart's birthday
1/6 - Mrs. McKenna's 1/2 birthday
1/9 - Mrs. Horan's 1/2 birthday
1/15 - Mrs. Pizarro's 1/2 birthday
1/20 - Mr. Dummer's 1/2 birthday
1/23 - Mr. Dean's 1/2 birthday
1/23 - Mrs. Lutz' birthday
1/25 - Mrs. Cihlar's 1/2 birthday
1/27 - Ms. Rivas' birthday
FACES Update
FACES (Faith and Community Enriching St. Margaret Mary Elementary) is our school’s official PTO group. We meet monthly and host many events throughout the school year. This year our officers are: President Gretchen Cogswell, VP Kiki McMillan, Treasurer Jen Hildahl, Secretary Kali Sawyer and Parish Liaison Deborah Scott. Please feel free to contact us at our email address: faces@smcatholicschools.org with any questions you may have.
January 2024 SMM FACES Update:
FACES (Faith and Community Enriching St. Margaret Mary Elementary) is our school’s official PTO group. We meet monthly and host many events throughout the school year. This year our officers are: President Gretchen Cogswell, VP Kiki McMillan, Treasurer Jen Hildahl, Secretary Kali Sawyer and Parish Liaison Deborah Scott. Please feel free to contact us at our email address: faces@smcatholicschools.org with any questions you may have.
- FACES Meeting - Thursday, January 11th at 9 am (after mass) - All parents are invited, as well as little siblings. Please sign in at the office and then head downstairs to the cafeteria. Our meeting will start after mass, and meetings usually last about one hour. We hope to see you there!
- Coming up in January:
Thursday, January 11th after mass - FACES meeting in the school cafeteria
Thursday, January 18th after mass - FACES coffee social in the church gathering space
Friday, January 26th - Sock Hop
Sunday, January 28th after mass - Catholic Schools Week Open House
Monday, January 29th - Sunday, February 4th - Catholic Schools Week
Wednesday, January 31st - Preschool Preview Day (8:30 - 10:30 AM)
- FACES volunteering - We are always looking for parent volunteers! If you would like to help FACES with any of the fabulous events FACES sponsors, please sign up using the following link:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C44AAAE22A0FF2-202324
- Lunchroom volunteers - Our school lunch program cannot run without the help of parent volunteers! Remember, you must be current with your VIRTUS documents to volunteer, and every three times you volunteer in a month you’ll get an out of dress code pass for one of your students! Please contact Justine Semrow at 920-209-5209 with questions about helping in the lunchroom, or sign up with the link below. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C44AAAE22A0FF2-20232024
- To stay up to date on all FACES events, and other important school updates, please follow and like the SMM FB group named “St. Margaret Mary Elementary”.
All Aboard for Turkey Bowling!
Don't wait... Registration closes January 25.
Date: Saturday, January 27, 2024, 1:00 p.m. Get ready for some kid-free fun on the ice at Payne's Point Hook and Spear Club in Neenah! Bundle up and get ready to throw some frozen foul on our turkey bowling ice lanes!
Arrive at the Clubhouse at 1pm, and bowling will start promptly at 1:30. Bowling is optional, cheering is required! Warm up in between matches in the cozy Clubhouse where there will be plenty of appetizers and drinks available. When darkness hits, the fun doesn’t end! Head inside for dinner, games and live entertainment by Pat Pedersen.
St. Margaret Mary Parish News
- Join us Sunday, December 3 after the 7:30am & 9:30am Masses for coffee and donuts in the Gathering Space hosted by the Parish Council. Come and spend some time catching up with friends and make some new ones while you are here. All are invited!
- Sunday, December 3, is the First Sunday of Advent. Our Stations of the Nativity are up and ready to be prayed as you wait in anticipation for the coming of Jesus in your hearts. Booklets can be found by the First Station that faces Washington Ave. You can also access the booklet using the QR code on our website at www.smmneenah.org.
- Join us for the Divine Mercy Chaplet in the church on Tuesday, December 5 at 9:30 a.m. The St. Margaret Mary Elementary School children will lead us in this special prayer. Hope you can join us!
Elementary Breakfast/Lunch Menu for January
Helpful Links
Contact Information
Phone: 920-729-4565
Associate Principal: Mrs. Lutz, jlutz@smcatholicschools.org
Elementary Principal: Mrs. Cihlar, acihlar@smcatholicschools.org