St. Mary School Newsletter
Escondido, California
July 26, 2019

Principal’s Message
Can you believe school starts in less than a month? We are bursting with excitement and cannot wait for the school year to begin!
This newsletter is a long one, so please bear with us as it contains a lot of important information for the start of our year.
Summer Office Hours
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
or by appointment
To set up an appointment, please call the school office during summer hours at 760.743.3431 or email the appropriate contact:
- Amanda Johnston, Principal- ajohnston@stmesc.org
- Lisa Huelskamp, Registrar/ Book keeper- lhuelskamp@stmesc.org
As you may know, the teachers are on 10-month agreements.They return the week of August 12th and will begin responding to emails at that time.
School Schedule Change for 2019-2020
I just want to remind everyone of the schedule change for the 2019-2020 school year. As you already know from last year, our teachers have been immersed in professional development in blended learning and science. For this next school year, we will be adding math. As a result, we have to adjust the school schedule so that the teachers can attend this professional learning.
For the 2019-2020 school year, we will have a 12 PM dismissal every Wednesday. First Fridays of the month will now be full days instead of 12 PM dismissals. Additionally, we have increased our full days by 15 minutes on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday with dismissal time now at 3:00 PM.
The schedule is as follows:
- Monday: 8:00-3:00
- Tuesday: 8:00-3:00
- Wednesday: 8:00-12:00
- Thursday: 8:00-3:00
- Friday: 8:00-3:00
We understand that Wednesday’s dismissal may cause a hardship for some families. As a result, the school will provide extension to families free of charge from 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM on Wednesdays for any family who cannot pick up their child/ren at noon for the 2019-2020 school year. Families with children remaining in extension after 3 PM will then be charged accordingly.
Even with the change, the school is still in compliance with diocesan instructional minutes. This change will not impact student learning negatively. Rather, it will enhance the learning as teachers will use what they learn each week in their classrooms.
First Week of School Reminders
School will begin Wednesday, August 21st, at 8 AM. We will start our day with Mass. All students must come to school in their formal uniform. Formal uniform includes:
Girls:
- navy polo with school logo
- jumper (K-4th), skort (K-8th), or skirt (5th-8th)
Boys:
- navy polo with school logo
- Dennis-brand khaki pants (no shorts)
The Kindergarten students will not attend Mass on the first day of school. Instead, they will head straight in to their classroom (Room 1). Kindergarten parents are welcome to stop in briefly to take pictures before departing for the day.
School will dismiss at 12pm the entire first week of school (Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday). Extension is available for those who need it.
Please send your child to school with all his/her school supplies on the first day of school. Click the link below for a new school supply list.
Back-to-School Events


Kindergarten Meet & Greet
Attention all Kindergarten Families: We are hosting a Kindergarten Meet and Greet on Sunday, August 18th, from 10-11 AM. Please join us for Mass at 9 AM, and then come over to Room 1 to see the classroom, meet the teacher, and drop off your child's school supplies. We hope to see you there!

St. Mary School Back-to-School Ice Cream Social
Monday, Aug. 19th, 5-7pm
St. Mary School Playground
GET THE SCOOP AS WE SLIDE INTO A NEW YEAR! Come join us on the playground for ice cream, socialization, and fun You will have the opportunity to meet teachers and families. Bring the whole family! For the first time ever, we will be bringing in an inflatable slide for the children to enjoy. It will also feature the grand opening of the St. Mary School Student Store! RSVP here.
Click here to see the flyer.
Staffing
Ms. Seymour
2nd Grade Teacher
Greetings, St. Mary Families! I am so excited to be teaching 2nd Grade this year and to meet all of you when school begins! I am a native of Southern California; I grew up in Los Angeles and moved to San Diego where I received my Bachelors and Masters from the University of San Diego. I have a strong passion for working with children and enjoy helping them to discover new passions. I most recently worked as a student teacher in a 2nd grade classroom in Point Loma. In addition, I was a one-on-one for a student with special needs. In my free time, I enjoy baking and finding new yummy recipes as well as spending time outside- whether that’s being at the beach or hiking. I enjoy guiding children as they grow in their God-given talents and hope to provide my students with a meaningful and fun-filled year! I cannot wait to meet the incredible students and families of St. Mary School, and I look forward to a year full of faith, growth, and learning!
Ms. Bernardy
4th-6th Grade Religion Teacher and School Counselor
Hello, St. Mary School Community. My name is Sarah Bernardy. I attended CSU San Marcos and received my bachelor's degree in Psychology. I then attended Point Loma Nazarene University and received my Master of Education in Counseling and Guidance. I have worked as a substitute School Counselor in a middle school and a high school in the San Diego area. At the end of the school year last year, I was the 2nd-grade substitute teacher here at St. Mary School. I am very excited to continue sharing my passion for education with the students and to support them through their educational and faith journeys.
Stay Up-to-Date
- Text 81010
- In the body of the text, write @stmesc
Please note that you do not need to download the app to receive the messages.
Additional Reminders
Immunizations
Please see the attached document below for required vaccinations by grade level.
It is also important to note that we cannot accept personal exemption waivers for immunizations for students who began after the Fall of 2016. We can only accept medical exemptions from a doctor. This is California State Law, and we are not excused even though we a private school. Contact the school office if you have any questions.
Uniforms for 2019-2020
For the 2019-2020 school year:
- All polo shirts must have the crest logo. Old logos (knight) will be considered out of uniform, and the child will receive an out of uniform slip when wearing it to school. 3 out of uniform slips result in a detention.
- We will extend the grandfather rule for outerwear for the 2019-2020 school year. Sweatshirts, sweaters, and vests with both the old (knight) and new (crest) logos will be allowed for the 2019-2020 school year but will not be allowed beginning in the 2020-2021 school year.
- P.E. uniforms- ONLY the new logo (crest) will be allowed for PE uniforms. Students MUST wear the yellow shirt on PE days (except for Thursday when they may choose to wear their spirit shirt instead). The sweatpants have not changed and will still be allowed.
Girls in Grades K-4 may wear the jumper or the skort. Girls in Grades 5-8 may wear the skort or the skirt. On non-Mass days all girls can also wear the girl shorts or pants.
Mass Day Attire:
- All students must wear the school's navy polo.
- Girls must wear the school skort, jumper or skirt (no pants or shorts).
- Boys must wear school pants (no shorts).
Here is the official shoe policy for new families or anyone needing a refresher:
- Shoes on non-PE days must be mostly black, mostly white, or mostly navy blue with only neutral (black, white, gray, tan or brown) accents.
- No open-toed, open-heeled shoes, wooden soles, heels, boots or oversized shoes are allowed.
- Rainboots are not allowed, even when it's raining.
- On PE days, athletic shoes are required. Athletic shoes can be any color, but they may not contain lights, sounds, or wheels.
Socks must be solid white, solid black, or solid navy blue and must cover the ankle. Logos of any form on socks are not allowed.
PE Uniforms
Announcements
Used Uniforms
- Polo shirts with new logos only
- Dennis uniform pants, shorts, skirts, skorts, and jumpers
- PE Uniforms with new logos only
- Outerwear (sweatshirts, sweaters, fleece jackets) with old or new logos
Uniforms may be dropped off during summer office hours.
We would like to have a used uniform sale before school starts.
Have an Announcement?
Volunteer Opportunities
Gala
If you are interested in helping out with our main fundraiser, the gala, email our gala chair, Megan Handy, at gala@stmesc.org. We have volunteer opportunities that are both large and small, so there is something for everyone.
PTG
Upcoming Events
August 18th:
- Kindergarten Meet & Greet in Room 1- 10-11 AM
August 19th:
- Back-to-School Kick Off Ice Cream Social- 5:00-7:00 PM
August 21st:
- First Day of School
- Mass- 8 AM - students must wear formal uniform
- 12 PM dismissal
August 22nd:
- 12 PM dismissal
August 23rd:
- Happy Birthday, Mrs. Coy!
- 12 PM dismissal- Kona Ice
August 28th:
- Mass- 8 AM - students must wear formal uniform
- 12pm dismissal
August 29th:
- Back-to-School Night- 5:30-7:00 PM
August 30th & September 3rd:
- No School- Labor Day
Currently Enrolling
St. Mary Preschool is currently enrolling for the 2019-2020 school year.
Contact the preschool at 760.745.1611 ext. 301, to set up a tour and to learn more information about their program.
Parish Items
For more information about the parish and its events, visit their website here.