The Trojan Times
Saint Maria Goretti Catholic School September 8, 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,
There is a lot going on over the next several weeks at SMG! Please be sure to read the Trojan Times in its entirety, as well as the emails, class newsletters, Facebook posts, and text alerts, so you are kept up-to-date and informed.
This week, students in grades 1-8 will be taking the IOWA Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) and students in grades 2-8 will also take the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAt). Students will generally be testing every morning this week and will meet in their other academic and specials classes in the afternoons. In preparation for the standardized tests, please:
- Be sure your child(ren) get a good night's sleep and enjoy a healthy breakfast each morning
- Do send a healthy snack with your child(ren)
- Be sure you child(ren) arrive at school on time each morning. Testing will begin promptly at 8:00AM
- Avoid unnecessary absences and avoid checking students out for doctor, dentist, or other appointments
- Parents, please avoid any unnecessary visits to the school, particularly in the mornings this week
Also this week, Religion teachers will present the Empowering God's Children program to K-8 grade students. Information about the program was emailed to all families of K-8 students last week. If you do NOT wish your child to participate in the program, you must complete the Opt-out form that was emailed and return it to your child's homeroom teacher by tomorrow. If we do not receive an Opt-out form, we will assume your child will participate in the program.
The start of our 2019-2020 Annual Fund campaign will kick off next week with North Texas Giving Day on September 19th. I can not stress enough how vital the participation of ALL is to the success of our campaign. Last year, we raised over $43,000 of our $50,000 goal on NTXGD--an incredible amount raised by about 60% of our school families. This year, our goal is $55,000 and we are hoping for 100% participation from our school families! Please see below for ways you can help us promote and participate in this event and help us reach our goal. Remember, funds earned on NTXGD directly impact our school and benefit our students. Please Get Up and Give to SMG on North Texas Giving Day!
Finally, homeroom Households have been meeting each week on Fridays. Households have been a very positive and impactful experience for our students and overall school culture so far. Prayer Bags are an extension of the program and are sent home on a rotating basis with students each week. It is our hope that families will find the prayer bags a helpful addition to their family prayer life. Please be sure to write a reflection (either individually or as a family) in the notebook included in the prayer bag, and then return the bag by the following Thursday (or Friday morning) so it can be passed on to another family.
Enjoy your Sunday evening!
St. Maria Goretti, Pray for Us!
Blessings,
Laura Behee, M.Ed.
Principal
UPCOMING EVENTS & ACTIVITIES
North Texas Giving Day - September 19th!
North Texas Giving Day (NTXGD) is just around the corner--Thursday, September 19th! Funds raised on NTXGD directly support the school. Last year we raised over $43,000 which we used to purchase our Raptor Visitor Management system, curriculum resources such as STEM scopes for our junior high students, plans for the Outdoor Learning Center, and new cafeteria tables, which will be here in the next few weeks.
Afraid the day may get away from you and you'll get too busy or forget to give on
September 19th? We have you covered!
- Schedule your donation! Scheduled giving begins tomorrow, September 9th and runs through September 18th at northtexasgivingday.org
- Or, be reminded to give on September 19th by texting GIVE to 70402
We are also encourgaging families to get involved by creating a NTXGD FUNdraising page.
- FUNdraising pages can be shared with your family and friends around the globe via social media or email. FUNdraising pages enable you to share your story or testimonial about SMG Catholic School, and invites your families and friends who may not be local or directly connected to our school to support us on NTXGD. FUNdraising pages are super easy to create! The faculty and staff have all created FUNdraising pages that they will begin sending out tomorrow. Create your personal FUNdraising page today by visiting https://www.northtexasgivingday.org/saint-maria-goretti-catholic-school
Matching Funds are a great way to make donations go even further! If you or someone you know are interested in providing 1:1 Matching Funds for donations made to SMG on North Texas Giving Day, please contact our Development Coordinator, Cathy Souders at development@smgschool.org, or call (817) 275-508.
NTXGD Watch Party-Join us once again this year for our NTXGD Watch Party, 6-8PM in the Cafetorium. Enjoy refreshments, play some board games, and watch our NTXGD "returns" in real-time on the big screen! There will be several volleyball games happening on campus that evening as well, so this is a perfect opportunity to extend the fun and excitement with our SMG community!
We need 100% participation from our entire SMG community to make this year's NTXGD an even bigger success. No amount is too small, so please Get Up and Give on September 19th!
Get Your Kountry Karnival T-Shirts and Register for the KK Fun Run!
Get your Kountry Karnival T-Shirts! The KK store will remain open through September 15th. All purchases will be delivered to the school and will be ready for pickup the week of September 23rd. 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
NJHS Sponsoring Sports Team T-Shirt Day!
SMG's National Junior Honor Society is sponsoring "Wear Your Favorite Sports Team T-shirt" Day this Friday, September 13th, to raise money to purchase new uniforms for several of our SMG sports teams.
Students may wear their favorite sports team t-shirts with their uniform bottoms. NJHS members will collect $1 at the doors during arrival Friday morning from any students who wish to participate.
REMINDERS
SMG Family Handbook - Signed Acknowledgement Form Past Due!
If you have not already returned a signed Family Handbook Acknowledgement form, please do so as soon as possible! The 2019-2020 Family Handbook is 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 was due back to the school by Friday, August 30th. Please read the handbook and return your signed acknowledgement form on Monday!
https://d2wldr9tsuuj1b.cloudfront.net/12396/documents/2019/8/2019-2020%20Family%20Handbook-1.pdf
Nolan Middle School Night September 13th
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!
LAST WEEK AT SMG.....
SMG Trojans Step Up and Volunteer for the Hometown Huddle!
To kick off the Cowboys Hometown Huddle for 100, Cowboy mascot Rowdy paid SMG a surprise visit Thursday afternoon. He arrived in the official Cowboy bus and was greeted by cheering Saint Maria Goretti Catholic School students and faculty. Mrs. Behee was presented with volunteer t-shirts and a few other items needed to complete our volunteer mission. SMG students, parents, and faculty volunteers worked with the City of Arlington Parks & Recreation Department planting seeds at three different local parks Saturday morning.
This event was part of an NFL-wide effort to commemorate the NFL’s 100th season. This nationwide volunteerism effort challenged one million football fans to volunteer at least 100 minutes of their time to a non-profit cause before Super Bowl 2020 –all in an effort to make 100 million impacts on the community. All organizations that participated received a grant for $1000!
Check out the promo video featuring some of our SMG volunteers:
SMG ROBOTICS CLUB
Robotics Club students are members of the First Lego League (FLL). Our Club consists of 19 students from 5th-8th grades divided into four teams. There are over 500 FLL teams in the D/FW Area and over 33,000 FLL teams in the world. Our Students are working diligently to prepare for the November 23rd competition.
What is FIRST LEGO League?
FIRST – For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology.
Project-based, hands-on FIRST programs introduce students to programming and problem solving in an inclusive, creative, and hopeful environment where students work collaboratively to solve a yearly robotics challenge
The basis of FLL is a robotics tournament in a cheerful atmosphere, where students solve as many missions as possible in 2 ½ minutes with the help of a LEGO® Education MINDSTORMS® EV3 robot. Additionally each team prepares and presents a research project during the competition. This year's theme is City Shapers where students are required to identify a problem with a building or public space in their community, design a solution and share their solution with others and then refine it. FLL is a small microcosmos of real business life in all its respects. https://www.first-lego-league.org/en/general/what-is-fll.html
Field Trip to Monet Exhibit
Seventh and eighth grade students had the privilege of visiting the Kimbell Art Museum to see the Monet Exhibit last Friday. After the tour, they worked on creating their own masterpieces.
This is the first exhibition in more than twenty years dedicated to the final phase of Monet’s career. Through 52 paintings, the exhibition traces the evolution of Monet’s practice from 1913, when he embarked on a reinvention of his painting style that led to increasingly bold and abstract works, up to his death in 1926. Assembled from major public and private collections in Europe, the United States, and Asia, including holdings from the Kimbell Art Museum and the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Monet: The Late Years includes more than twenty examples of Monet’s beloved water-lily paintings. (https://www.kimbellart.org/exhibition/monet)
Clapping Syllables in First Grade
Kindergarten Math
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
- Monday, 9/9-Friday, 9/13: ITBS & CogAt Standardized Testing
- Wednesday, 9/11: 3:15-4:15PM Hospitality Minister Training (6th, 7th, 8th ONLY)
- Friday, 9/13: Progress Reports emailed to parents; NJHS's Sports Team T-Shirt Day; 7:00PM Nolan Middle School Night
- Monday, 9/16: 8th Grade Camp Thurman; 6:00-7:30PM Robotics
- Thursday, 9/19: North Texas Giving Day-Get Up and Give! NTXGD Watch Party 6-8PM in the cafetorium
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/