St. Mary Elementary Newsletter
08.23.2023
ST. MARY ELEMENTARY FAMILY NEWSLETTER
August 23, 2023
Greetings from the Principal
Dear Families,
I am so honored to be joining you here at St. Mary Elementary School as your new Associate Principal. We are going to have a WONDERFUL year together! I am coming to you from a large Catholic school in Green Bay and I am so excited to learn about what makes SM Elementary the special place that it is.
I am honored to be here because Our Lady has a big place in my heart and in my life. My three daughters each have something in their names attributed to our Mother Mary (Maria, Marie, Lily Rose). Personally, Our Lady of Mount Carmel is special to me because my husband and I met while teaching at Our Lady of Mount Carmel School on the island of Saipan in the CNMI. Today I honor Mary in her various appearances, with the work I do in Catholic schools, and by praying the rosary whenever I can. My drive to school each day is going to give me a great opportunity to do that in a more routine way!
Finally, I am grateful to be here with you, and with Mary by our sides this year, we will surely be building the kingdom of God here on Earth.
With Gratitude and Faith,
Mrs. Crystal Blahnik
Associate Principal
School Forms and PowerSchool
All school forms are in the parent account of PowerSchool. Parents must have an updated and active PowerSchool account to sign and acknowledge forms. PowerSchool is our primary resource for emergency numbers and mailing addresses for important school documents. We are asking every family to log onto their parent account in PowerSchool to view and sign all school documents. If you do not have a parent account, please create an account. Powerschool can be accessed online and/or by downloading the Powerschool app.
If you have any questions or need assistance, please reach out to Martha Barraza at mbarraza@smcatholicschools.org.
Orientation
This event is for all students and parents 3K-5th grade. We hope you are able to make time to come to this important event. Orientation is a time for students to meet their teacher, drop off school supplies, and become familiar with their classroom and school. You can make a deposit on your child's lunch account at this event, get information about PowerSchool, visit the Uniform Exchange Table, and meet our new and returning staff. For new students, the classroom preview can be extremely calming for those first-day jitters!
Monday, August 28th
8:00-11:00 a.m.
or
4:00-6:00 p.m.
Planning for the 2023-2024 School Year
IMPORTANT MASS DAY CHANGE
Our Mass day has changed from Fridays at 8:10 am to Tuesdays at 10:00 am. ALL families are invited and encouraged to attend these liturgies. Children love to see their families at Mass on Fridays. It is okay to bring your littlest ones too if you would like! Babies are the voice of the future of our church!
Please do not worry if there are slight changes or additions to the supply list from when it was initially sent out in June. Simply bring what you purchased and we will make it work. We did add an optional iPad stylist to the list this summer.
Welcome New Staff!
Welcome back to our veteran teachers and staff! We also welcome the following people to the Zephyr Family:
Ashley Van Groll - 3K/4K
Wendy Werch - Counselor (1st-5th)
Christine Corrigan - 4th Grade (coming from SMMS)
Additionally, I would like to welcome Mrs. Maria Nieto into the Administrative Assistant role here in the main office at St. Mary Elementary! She is moving from classroom aid into this new role and we couldn't be more thrilled!
Interested in Volunteering?
We are so grateful to all our volunteers who contribute so much to our schools! If you are considering volunteering or chaperoning any school field trips or events, please complete Virtus training, a background check, and the code of conduct through the Diocese Green Bay. Please contact your schools' administrative assistant to get the process started. Thank you!
Contact Mrs. Nieto at mnieto@smcatholicschools.org
A Look Ahead...
Monday, August 28: Orientation Day
Tuesday, August 29: First day of school & First Day of Busing
Wednesday, August 30: Parent Information Night (all schools) SMHS
Monday, September 4: NO SCHOOL
Tuesday, September 5th: First Mass of the Year (10:00 am)
Friday, September 8: All System Mass
Contact Information
Call (920) 725-5351
Associate Principal: Mrs. Blahnik, cblahnik@smcatholicschools.org
Elementary Principal: Mrs. Cihlar, acihlar@smcatholicschools.org