MSM Family Connection Newsletter
March 22, 2024
🎲 Thank You For Making Chrysalis 2024 A Huge Success! 🎲
Thank you to all of our MSM families, friends, and alumnae who came together on Saturday, March 16th to support Chrysalis 2024 "Mountie Carlo!" Thanks to YOU, the evening was a huge success!
We would like to extend our deepest gratitude to everyone who generously donated items for both the silent and live auctions and to our many wonderful sponsors. Thank you to our emcees Katie & Jim Spillman and auctioneer Tom Stebbins for hyping up the crowd, as well as our amazing student speakers: Sydney Yost '26, Natalia McCullough '26, and Lilliana Misterkiewicz '27 for representing your classmates and reminding us all that the whole night was truly for our Mounties! Bravo to Mrs. Marissa Palumbo, our Coordinator of Annual Giving and Events for leading this event with our amazing development team. We would also like to thank everyone who so generously gave their time and talent to ensure that the evening went off without a hitch!
A special thank you to our wonderful Chrysalis 2024 co-chairs: Tim and Patty O’Shei, Henry and Christine McWilliams, and Philip and Julie Garland; this event would not have been possible without their tremendous support!
We are thrilled that Chrysalis was such a wonderful success and a night of connection, celebration, and fundraising for our amazing Mounties! Every penny raised from Chrysalis goes toward providing our students with the opportunity to be the best version of themselves, and that's definitely worth "betting" on!
Mounties Create Easter Baskets For Local Students
Students in MSM's Serve Club created Easter baskets for the students at Nativity Miguel, St. Monica's Campus in Buffalo. Mounties worked together to assemble a total of 22 baskets!
Thank you to Elizabeth Allen '27, Amelia Bocketti '27, and Isabel Garcia '25 for serving our community!
Great job Mounties!
Financial Aid Application Deadline Is April 1, 2024
Applications for Financial Aid for the 2024-25 school year are now being accepted. Awards are based on need and must be completely submitted by April 1, 2024. Parents can access the Financial Aid portal at: www.fairapp.com. Please utilize the school code: School code: 113 and the Password: msma113.
Applications that are received after the due date are evaluated over the summer if financial aid funds remain.
MSM Theatre Presents "The Play That Goes Wrong"
Join us for an evening of theatre as MSM proudly presents The Play That Goes Wrong (High School Edition) tonight, Friday, March 22, and tomorrow, March 23, 2024, in the MSM auditorium.
- Doors open at 6:30 PM each night. Tickets for each performance will be available for purchase at the MSM ticket window at that time.
- Tickets are $15.00 for adults and $10.00 for students.
- MSM students can contact Ms. Cefaratti to pre-order tickets. Students should bring payment (cash or check only), along with information about the number of student or adult tickets being purchased. All other tickets can be purchased at the ticket window on the evening of the performance.
- Please note: Tickets can be purchased with either cash or check. Credit cards will not be accepted.
Questions? Contact Ms. Rebecca Cefaratti: rcefaratti@msmacademy.org
MSM Partners With Mentor New York
Mount St. Mary Academy is embarking on a yearlong partnership with Mentor NY, funded through our Oishei Foundation Belonging, Equity and Inclusion capacity grant.
Our employees participated in the Mentor NY virtual conference last Friday, March 15th, attending sessions learning about the best ways to ensure that all students' voices are heard and elevated both in the classroom and in our co-curriculars.
The Mentor NY team now turns their focus to listening and encouraging our students. On Tuesday, April 16, 2024, MSM is offering an in-house field trip for interested MSM students. Here is what the focus of the field trip will be:
On April 16th, students will focus on their experiences of Belonging, Equity, and Inclusion at our school. The day will begin with a large group reflection on the students' experiences in these areas. From there, we will move into an Appreciative Inquiry Design Lab. This will allow students time to collaboratively define, discover, dream, and design an approach to advancing Belonging, Equity, and Inclusion. The day will conclude with action planning on priority areas that the students determine throughout the day.
If your daughter is interested in attending this opportunity, please have her return this permission slip: Mentor NY - Field Trip 4/16/24. Space is limited with capacity at twenty students. We are excited to continue to partner with this wonderful organization.
The Great North American Eclipse
Thank you to MSM's Physics & Astronomy teacher, Mr. Timothy Williamson, for creating this wonderful and informative video resource for the upcoming total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. Take a few moments to watch with your family and learn more about this incredible event; the next total eclipse that will be visible in WNY won't occur until 2144!
Attention Juniors Taking the SAT on May 4, or June 1, 2024!
Leading SAT/ACT tutor Brian Eldridge will be holding an SAT Workshop at MSM on April 22, 24, and May 1, from 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm. To learn more about Brian Eldridge, check out his website here: https://www.couriercollegeprep.com/. The workshop will cover mental readiness, time-management techniques, establishing confident, flexible thinking, study blueprints for self-directed practice, and more.
The deadline for registration is Friday, April 19th, but don't wait, the workshop will fill up fast!
Check out the links below for more information and the workshop registration form:
MSM Sweets & Treats Concert 2024!
Join us for our Sweets and Treats Concert this Sunday, March 24 at 2 PM in the gym featuring the Concert Band, Jazz All Stars, and Baton Twirlers. Concert seating will open at 1:00 pm. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for students with ID. Children accompanied by their parents are free. The gym will be decorated in a Cabaret style setting and set up with round tables that seat 8 and rectangular tables that seat 6.
This event is a fundraiser for the MSM Marching Band Fund and a great opportunity to invite family and friends to an enjoyable concert featuring familiar music and many talented soloists!
Refreshments (sweets, coffee, pop, pizza slices, popcorn, etc.) will be provided and also for sale. There will be a 50/50 raffle and basket auction.
Thank you for supporting our talented Mounties!
We hope to see you there!
MSM's "Me & My Guy" Dance Friday, April 26!
Go Back in Time at MSM's annual "Me and My Guy" dance on Friday, April 26th! This beloved event will be held from 6:30 PM - 10:00 PM at Banchetti by Rizzo's. For more information about attire, payment, and seating information, and to print the RSVP form, click HERE.
Form and payment are due by April 19, 2024.
Questions? Contact Mrs. Suchan-Reitz at esuchan-reitz@msmacademy.org.
Join Us For MSM's Mother-Daughter Mass & Brunch!
Please join us for our annual Mother-Daughter Mass & Brunch on Sunday, April 28, courtesy of the MSM Parents Association! Mounties are encouraged to bring a sister, an aunt, a grandmother, or any woman who is a mentor or guide in her life if her mother is not available. Please click HERE to RSVP by Wednesday, April 17.
We hope to see you at this beloved MSM event!
Service Mission Trip To New Orleans 2024
From the Desk of Ms. Monica Saltarelli:
MSM is offering a high school game changer - a service mission trip to New Orleans, Louisiana from June 20- 26, 2024! There is no question that the NOLA experience is a meaningful way for students to meet their service hour requirement by working with kids and moms or at the Second Harvest Food Bank. We will be exploring the Whitney Plantation, the Katrina Museum, and sipping iced coffee while enjoying NOLA's world-famous beignets at the Café du Monde. A student highlight is the Jazz Mass at Our Lady of Guadalupe and so much more. It is a trip of a lifetime! The cost of the trip is an all-inclusive $1200; life lessons learned on this amazing trip are priceless!
Questions? Please contact Ms. Monica Saltarelli at msaltarelli@msmacademy.org.
Check Out Our Awesome MSM Summer Camps!
Summer is coming and as our Mounties and future Mounties know, MSM Summer Camps are the best! Registration is open for girls going into grades 5 - 8 (Fall 2024) for a variety of summer fun including: Flag Football, Cooking, Photography, STEAM, Entrepreneurship, Musical Theater, Taylor Swift Camp, and SO much more!
Use the QR code below or click HERE to register and to learn more about dates, times, descriptions, and locations for our awesome offerings for Summer 2024!
Counselor Connections
Counselor Connections provides the Mount St. Mary Community with a weekly communication tool from our Wellness Department. The newsletter will be published and sent to your inbox every Tuesday morning. You will also find a link here each week in the Family Connection Newsletter. Please click on the link below for this week's Counselor Connections.
Transportation Requests Due To Student's Home School District By April 1, 2024
Attention Parents/Guardians:
School transportation requests for MSM students requiring bus transportation for the 2024 - 2025 school year must be submitted in writing to your student's home school district by April 1, 2024. Below, please find forms and information concerning transportation from each district for the 2024-25 academic year. If you do not see your student's home district listed below, please visit your home district's website and click on the transportation link to locate the necessary information.
Please contact Mrs. Kimberly Adam: kadam@msmacademy.org with any questions.
Host A German Exchange Student In 2024!
Mount St. Mary is thrilled to have 9 interested German exchange students who are hoping to spend the fall semester with us! If you would like to host a student please read the attached letter from the program director, Lynn Engle. MSM has proudly participated in the Buffalo-Dortmund Student Ambassador program for over 20 years. Mrs. Elizabeth Suchan-Reitz is the program coordinator on-site at Mount St. Mary, and can answer some of your questions, as well. The 9 student bio/profiles are available if you are interested to learn more about these awesome young women hoping to join our Mountie family!
Be a Mountie for a Day!
Please contact Elizabeth Suchan-Reitz for more information esuchan-reitz@msmacademy.org
MSM Thunder Athletics Calendar
Click the link below to visit the official Mount St. Mary Academy Thunder Website for a calendar of upcoming athletic events. Come out and support our Mounties in action!
Archived Family Connection Newsletters
Mount St. Mary Academy
Mount St. Mary Academy, founded by the Sisters of St. Mary of Namur, is a Catholic, private, college preparatory school for young women. Within a nurturing and academically challenging and inclusive environment, the Academy strives to develop the whole person’s gifts and potential. Guided by our Catholic tradition, and rooted in Gospel values, we empower scholars to be leaders dedicated to lifelong learning, moral integrity, social justice, and service to and inclusion of others.
We Believe in You!
Email: information@msmacademy.org
Website: https://www.msmacademy.org
Location: 3756 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo, NY, USA
Phone: 716-877-1358
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/msmacademy
Twitter: @msmacademy