SMCS Summer Updates
Wednesday, July 12, 2023
URGENT: Scrip on Thursday July 13
Please pick up your Scrip this week at the High School front office from 11am-3pm. The Administrative offices are closed for cleaning.
What is Scrip?
Here’s how Scrip works: Purchase gift cards for your favorite retailers at face value through raiseright.com or the RaiseRight app. The retailers give specified rebates back to SMCS and 80% of those rebates can be directed to family tuition accounts, school programs or our participating parishes. The remaining 20% is shared with the participating parishes and is used as an SMCS fundraiser for tuition assistance.
Enroll today and start earning Scrip credit toward tuition, fees, or programs. Visit the SMCS website to learn more here. If you have questions, contact Liz Uhlenbrauck at luhlenbrauck@smcatholicschools.org.
Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) Outreach
A goal of USDA Child Nutrition Programs is to ensure all students have access to healthy and nutritious meals year-round. While SMCS does not offer summer meals at our campus locations, there are other locations nearby where students can receive a free meal in the summer months.
To learn more about summer meal locations:
- Visit the summer meals locator on the DPI Summer Meals webpage
- Call 211 to locate meals in the area
- Text ‘food’ to 877-877 to locate meals in the area
- Visit the Summer Food Service Program webpage
USDA Free and Reduced Price Meal Application
The USDA Free and Reduced Price Meal Application for the 2023-24 school year are now available in English, Spanish, and Hmong on the Free and Reduced Meal Eligibility webpage. SMCS now offers breakfast in addition to lunch. This would also be free for families who qualify.
Wisconsin is participating in the Summer-EBT program starting in summer 2024. All students who are enrolled in a school that participates in the National School Lunch Program and are eligible for free or reduced price meal benefits in 2023-24 are eligible to receive these benefits.
To see if your family qualifies, fill out an application.
For questions, contact Anne Greif at agreif@smcatholicschools.org.
2023-24 SMCS Tuition Bills
SMCS partners with Blackbaud Tuition Management to bill and collect tuition and fees.
Returning families are encouraged to log in and review their 2023-2024 tuition balance, as all fees and discounts have now been applied. Access your account here: https://parent.blackbaud.school/
New families were emailed a link on June 29th and asked to enroll in Blackbaud Tuition Management and then create a tuition account by July 12. If you are a new family and have not already done this, please be sure to check your email and set up your tuition account as soon as possible.
Blackbaud allows you to update payment settings and make payments online 24/7! If you need help logging in or have tuition or financial aid questions, please reach out to Shelley Wautlet swautlet@smcatholicschools.org.
SMCS Teachers Embrace Summer Classes
Teachers are using their summer break to further enhance their skills and prepare to meet the needs of our students by attending Zephyrs University. Teachers understand the importance of staying up to date with the latest pedagogical techniques, education technologies and subject matter expertise. That’s why many of them have chosen to participate in our summer classes, workshops and professional development opportunities to provide the best learning experience possible for our students.
Our own SMCS teachers, along with educational professional, have been offering these classes through Zephyrs University. Staff have been participating in many classes including classroom management, instructional technology, CPR and first aid training, and using Map data from standardized testing for instruction.
Thank you teachers, for all your hard work and dedication to bringing the best educational experience to our students.
Meet Crystal Blahnik: New AP at St. Mary Elementary
Read more about Crystal here.
Upcoming Events
Zephyrs Connect Kids Fun Run and 5K
When: Friday, October 6, 2023
Where: SMCHS/MS Campus and Zephyrs Field
This annual fundraiser 5K and kids run benefits St. Mary Catholic Schools and the five supporting parishes: St. Gabriel, St. John, St. Margaret Mary, St. Mary, and St. Patrick. Stick around for the varsity football game afterwards.
Register here.
Save the Date
All Aboard for Christmas
When: Saturday, November 11, 2023
Where: SMCMS
All Aboard is a casual evening for adults, bringing together our local community for delicious food, inspired drink, exciting entertainment, and endless camaraderie. Your participation makes a difference. This event supports the educational needs of our students and teachers including technology upgrades, school and classroom updates, exciting experiences outside of the classroom, and so much more.
Zephyrs Community Theater
Zephyrs Community Theater will be performing the musical Oklahoma! on July 20-23. Interested in attending the show? Order tickets here before they're gone.
Dear Edwina Jr.
Junior Zephyrs Community Theater has been working hard on Dear Edwina, which will run from July 28-30. Tickets can be ordered here.
St. Mary Catholic Middle School named PLTW Distinguished School for 2022-23
SMCMS is one of 212 middle schools across the U.S. to receive the honor for providing broad access to transformative learning experiences for students through PLTW Gateway. Project Lead The Way (PLTW) is a nonprofit organization that serves millions of PreK-12 students and teachers in schools across the U.S.
The PLTW Distinguished School recognition honors schools committed to increasing student access, engagement, and achievement in their PLTW programs. To be eligible for the designation, schools had to meet a variety of criteria such as a certain percentage of the student body participating in PLTW Gateway, participate in two or more units during their time at school, offer at least one PLTW Gateway unit at each grade level, and have strategies in place to ensure equitable access to students.
This is the second consecutive year SMCMS has been recognized as a distinguished school.
Discipleship Digest
How is your garden growing? It’s been a challenging season – too little rain, bad air, hungry deer and rabbits, you name it.
Seeds require the right environment to reach their full potential and bear fruit.The seed of the Gospel is no different. If we don’t water it well, if we don’t shelter it, that seed doesn’t have a chance. The Good News – the life-changing message of Jesus – needs to be planted and nurtured so it can produce results in this life and the next.
This means treating our relationship with God as something more than a passing acquaintance. It means carving out time to really listen for the Lord’s voice by eliminating the noise and distractions of our devices, meditating on God’s Word, practicing stillness. Protecting the seed means doing some regular “weeding”. An examination of conscience and getting to confession regularly (ideally monthly) helps pull out smaller habits of sin before they take root. We know how frustrating it is to see weeds grow bigger and even spread more seeds of their own.
Today is a good day to enrich our spiritual soil and ask the Master Gardener to make us more fruitful!
©Steve Pable, Director of Adult Discipleship Formation
Welcome – Worship – Witness
Upcoming Dates
Tuesday, August 29: First day of school
Monday, September 4: NO SCHOOL (Labor Day)
Tuesday, September 5: Spirit Wear Day (all schools)
Friday, September 8: All Schools Mass
Friday, September 22: NO SCHOOL
SMCS Calendar
St. Mary Catholic Schools
Email: rkoepke@smcatholicschools.org
Website: www.smcatholicschools.org
Location: 1050 Zephyr Drive, Neenah, WI, USA
Phone: 920-722-7796
Facebook: www.facebook.com/smcatholicschools/