St. Mary Newsletter
11.29.2023
St. Mary Elementary Newsletter
January 24, 2024
SMCS Mission
Preparing and inspiring students to lead meaningful lives, rooted in the teachings of Christ and our Catholic tradition.
Greetings from the Principal
January - Celebrating Catholic Schools
Dear SMCS families,
We are back into the calm days of winter here at St. Mary Elementary. We are busy working on STAR, ACCESS and WONDERS mid-year tests. Our students are showing some impressive growth from the beginning of the school year. It will be fun for you to see their improvements at Parent/Teacher Conferences next month.
Sometimes you just have to stop and celebrate. Here are our recent celebrations:
- Total of $5500 in end of the year donations to our classroom teachers from a variety of generous community members.
- Our new statue of Mary in the main hallway
- The addition of a full-time EL Teacher (Ms. Dori Sanchez)
- A Luncheon Donation for teachers for Catholic Schools Week (the teachers chose Zupas!)
- First Graders began Catechesis of the Good Shepherd on Mondays from now to the end of the year with SM Parish staff and volunteers. CGS Video
- A WONDERFUL calendar of activities for Catholic Schools Week.
- Integrated STEM activities now available in our K-5th classrooms, being piloted by our 1st grade students with Mrs. Kmichik
Sincerely,
Mrs. Crystal Blahnik
Associate Principal ~ St. Mary Elementary
4K & Preschool Preview Day
PK Preview Day at SM Elementary
Please consider joining us next Monday, January 29th for the PK Preview Day here at SM Elementary! The schedule of activities is as follows:
PRESCHOOL PREVIEW DAY
8-8:30 Informal coffee with Mrs. Blahnik in the cafeteria
8:30-8:45: Cafeteria: greeting/introductions/prayer with Mrs. Cihlar and Mrs. Blahnik
8:45-9:15: sit in P3/4K during rug time
9:15-9:45: tour the school and the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Atrium
9:45-10:30: return to cafeteria
- Snack for kids
- Review admissions materials and any questions
Parent/Teacher Conference Sign-ups
Spring Conferences are highly encouraged!
February 13th from 3:30-6:30 pm
February 16th from 8:00 am -11:00 am
First Grade (Postponed to March 26th and 27th with Mrs. Burton)
STEM Pilot
1st Grade
STEM Pilot
1st Grade
STEM Pilot
1st Grade
Upcoming Events
Calendar - February
January 28th-Feb. 2 - Catholic Schools Week
Feb. 7th - 1st Communion Parent Meeting at 7:00 pm (2nd Grade parents)
Feb. 9th - Kindergarten to PAC /đź’ŻCelebrate the 100'th day of school
Feb. 13th - đź’źCelebrate Valentine's Day and AHA Kick-off at 2:20 pm
Feb. 14th - ✝️Ash Wednesday Mass at 10:00 am (families are welcome to join us)
Feb. 13th (3:30-6:30 pm) and 16th (8:00 am - 11:00 am) - Parent Teacher Conferences
Feb. 19th - No School (President's Day)
Feb. 20, 21, 22, 23 - American Heart Association's Wellness Week of Activities
Feb. 29th - Leap Day (Leap into Reading Activities to kick off Read Across America)
MJSD Summer School Opportunities
Nordic Mountain - SMCS- Ski Club
Hello SMCS Elementary Families!
We have an exciting offering coming up that we are excited to bring back to our Elementary students: Ski Club with Nordic Mountain! This fun-filled event will be starting up soon, with the first date being Friday February 2nd. The course will consist of 4 winter Friday nights, where you can meet us at the hill and we can all ski together! Some information you may need:
- This is a Bring Your Own Transportation course.
- All students are welcome to participate, but we will not be providing transportation - feel free to set up any carpools!
- There will be group lessons available on the hill from 4:30pm-7:00pm
- Lessons are included in the price and available for all students, but students in or below 3rd grade must have parental/guardian supervision at all times.
- Don’t feel like you need to participate in the lessons if you don't want to. If your family loves to ski or board already, this is a great way to meet and greet other SMCS families!
- All payment and forms can be filled out on our Nordic Mountain Group Portal
- Register here: shop.nordicmountain.com/groups
- Code: SM24
- Rentals, Ski Lift Tickets, and more are available to purchase on the portal
- If you have your own gear, you do not need the rentals – but still need the Lift Pass
- More information specific to Nordic Mountain is available on the group portal drop down menu for you to reference.
- All payments/registration need to be in by January 30th to ensure their staff have enough time to prepare for our first night.
- We will have an SMCS staff member on site at Nordic each night to assist with anything you may need!
- Micaela Belville is our Kindergarten teacher at St Mary Elementary who LOVES to ski! She is excited to share something fun like this with our families
- Ski Club Dates:
- Friday February 2nd
- Friday February 9th
- Friday February 23rd
- Friday March 1st
More information regarding the meeting place, things to bring, etc. will be sent out to registered families after the January 30th cut off! Please feel free to reach out to myself or Mrs. Belville with any questions (emails below).
Have a great day!
Mrs. Micaela Belville
Kindergarten Teacher
St. Mary Catholic Schools
mbelville@smcatholicschools.org
St. Mary Elementary School
Order now to get your SMCS Hall of Fame T-shirt. This offer is only available until January 30th. This exclusive edition t-shirt is being offered to promote next month's Athletic Hall of Fame festivities.
The Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held February 16th during the Varsity boys basketball game.
Click here to order today!
Zephyrs Gold Raffle
The Zephyrs Gold Raffle is your opportunity to offset the $200 per family fundraising fee. Tickets are $25 each. A family that buys or sells 8 tickets will not be assessed the fee, as the $200 minimum will be met.
If you choose not to participate in the raffle, the “Fundraising Fee (Z-Gold raffle)” charge of $200 will be placed on your Blackbaud tuition statement in March. The $200 fee will be reduced by your ticket sales up to $200.
Click here to request your tickets now.
Tickets should be requested no later than Friday, February 2, 2024. They must be returned to the school office with payment by Friday, March 1, 2024.
There will be one $1,000 winning ticket, which will be drawn via livestream on Friday, March 15th.
Any questions regarding the Zephyrs Gold Raffle can be directed to Kathleen McCurdy, Director of Advancement at kmccurdy@smcatholicschools.org
Helpful Links
Contact Information
Phone: 920-725-5351
Associate Principal: Mrs. Blahnik, cblahnik@smcatholicschools.org
Elementary Principal: Mrs. Cihlar, acihlar@smcatholicschools.org