SMCS Elementary Family Newsletter

St. Mary Catholic Schools is blessed to have three amazing elementary campuses to serve our families, each with their own exciting happenings and unique cultures. We seek to honor the things that make each school family special while also celebrating our unity as one school in five buildings.

With that goal of unity in mind, we've started off the school year with an Elementary Family Newsletter to replace the campus specific newsletters of years past. Much of the information shared in our newsletters applies to all elementary parents, regardless of campus. In addition, a joint newsletter allows us to invite all of our elementary families to take advantage of resources and events available in other buildings.

With that said, we recognize the Elementary Family Newsletter can feel overwhelming. Is there such a thing as too much of a good thing? Maybe! So, we've done some reorganizing starting this week. Every family will still receive the same newsletter with a message from Mrs. Cihlar and other items that apply to all families, but we've linked the items that are specific to each campus. So if you're short on time, you can simply click and find what most applies to your family. Hopefully this makes the newsletter more useful and efficient for all of our families. And when you find yourself with some free time, take a few minutes to check out the other campus links so you can celebrate all of the great things happening within our SMCS family!

Click here to view St. Gabriel Elementary news.

Click here to view St. Mary Elementary news.

Click here to view St. Margaret Mary Elementary news.

And remember, you can always click here to view past newsletters from our elementary, middle, and high school campuses.

As always, thanks for your excitement and support for St. Mary Catholic Schools!

Stephanie Homburg

Director of Communications and Hospitality

Dear SMCS families,

I look forward to seeing you at student-parent-teacher conferences this week. The students, teachers, and I are excited to connect with you and share the progress that is being made this year! I have been so impressed with the learning that I am seeing in the classrooms!

I have also enjoyed seeing many of you around school over the past few months! My typical weekly schedule has changed since the beginning of the year. Moving forward, my typical weekly schedule will be:

Mondays: Alternating weeks between St. Mary and St. Gabriel

Tuesday: St. Margaret Mary (mid-morning meetings at high school)

Wednesday: St. Gabriel

Thursday: St. Margaret Mary

Friday: St. Mary

This schedule is subject to change as needs arise at various buildings. I am always available by email as well (acihlar@smcatholicschools.org).

In closing, I'd like to share a quote that I recently read from one of my favorite Catholic authors, Matthew Kelly, in his book Difficult Teachings. "Prayer is a simple expression of trusting God. Turn your worry into prayer. Trust. Surrender. Believe. Receive." This quote really spoke to me this week, as I believe we are all on a journey of learning to more fully surrender ourselves to God as we strive to discern His will for us. I pray that we all may increase our faith and trust in our loving God through constant prayer. May we receive the goodness and graces He so much desires to pour upon us.

Many blessings,

Mrs. Anna Cihlar

Principal ~ St. Gabriel, St. Margaret Mary, St. Mary

You're invited to attend a new monthly get together for SMCS parents. On the first Tuesday of every month, SMCS President Dan McKenna, SMCS Elementary Principal Anna Cihlar, SMCS Middle School Principal Jill Ahles, and SMCS High School Principal Patti Fouts will be available in the SMCMS Commons to share a cup of coffee with you and chat about whatever is on your mind.

Put in on your calendar: coffee with our principals, 8:15-9:00 A.M. next Tuesday October 4.

Students in grades K-12 from all five SMCS campuses will have the opportunity to celebrate mass together on Friday, October 7 at the high school. Elementary students in grades K-4 will take a bus to the high school, celebrate mass at 9:30 a.m. and return to school by lunch time. Students in 5th grade will take the bus to the high school in the morning, attend the all-school mass, and then walk to the middle school for "5th Grade Visit Day." They will attend an assembly, have lunch, and then be bussed back to school around 1:15 p.m. This is a great opportunity to get a feel for middle school.

October 7 is also a Zephyr spirit wear day!

Sunday, Oct. 2: 6:00 p.m. prayer service with a pep rally on Zephyr Field to follow. All are welcome; children must be accompanied by an adult.

Monday, October 3: Pajama day - wear your school-appropriate pajamas to school (No slippers, blankets, or stuffed animals, please.)

Tuesday, October 4: Tie dye day - wear tie dye colors to school

Wednesday, October 5: Jersey day - wear an athletic jersey to school

Thursday, October 6: Neon colors day - wear neon colors to school

Friday, October 7: Zephyr Spirit wear day - wear Zephyr apparel or school colors to school, parade, &

homecoming football game

We're just over two weeks away from our second annual ALL ABOARD event, a casual evening for the adults of SMCS to gather to celebrate and support all of the things that make our school special. Click the image above to register to attend ALL ABOARD on Saturday October 15. Tickets are $50 each and include dinner, drinks, and live entertainment. While you're registering, don't forget to pick up Out of Dress Code passes for the students and teachers in your life.

An email with ALL the latest ALL ABOARD details went out earlier this week. In case you missed it, click here.

Ms. Christine Cedergren is our Technology teacher on all three campuses. This week she is sharing information for parents and students to better understand the goals and exciting things to look forward to in Technology class this year. Click the links below to download the PDF in either English or Spanish.

Dear SMCS Families,

As part of the St. Mary Catholic Schools accreditation process, we are asking our students, employees, and families to complete a number of surveys to provide stakeholder input regarding the SMCS experience. These surveys are not long and are anonymous. Your participation is completely voluntary. We ask that the surveys be completed by Wednesday, October 12.

As a SMCS family, we would truly appreciate your help with the following surveys:

SMCS Family Survey Fall 2022

https://eprovesurveys.advanc-ed.org/surveys/#/action/200149/p64805

SMCS Family Catholic Identity Program Effectiveness Survey Fall 2022

https://eprovesurveys.advanc-ed.org/surveys/#/action/200161/p64805

SMCS Family Catholic Identity Defining Characteristics Survey Fall 2022

https://eprovesurveys.advanc-ed.org/surveys/#/action/200159/p64805

When you begin the surveys, you will be able to choose St. Mary Catholic Schools OR you may choose one of our school buildings. If you prefer to complete the survey for a particular building, you are welcome to complete the survey again for other buildings. This will be advantageous for families with children in multiple school buildings.

Again, your help with these surveys is greatly appreciated and will provide us with necessary data for our accreditation process. Please reach out if you have any questions or concerns.

Kelly Beisenstein-Weiss, PhD

Director of Academic Excellence

St. Mary Catholic Schools

Interested in driving the school bus for SMCS? We are in need of drivers for the morning and afternoons routes, as well as activity/field trip drivers. This is a paid position that offers great benefits! If you have a child enrolled in our schools, you will receive 50% off their school tuition. Also, if you do not have your Commercial Driver’s License (CDL), we may be able to reimburse you for obtaining your license.

To apply for admission at Fox Valley Tech, please click here for more information. The program to obtain your Class B CDL license takes about 4-6 weeks, however the classes fill up quickly, so be sure to register soon!

Our After School Care Program is hiring! We have openings at our Elementary and Middle School Campuses. If you or someone you know is looking for a part-time job, join SMCS! The schedule will be Monday – Friday from 2:45 – 5/5:30 p.m. This is a paid position that offers great benefits! If you have a child enrolled in our schools, you will receive 50% off their school tuition and while you work in the after school care program, you can bring your child with you for free!

If you are interested in learning more about either of these positions or would like to apply, please contact the Human Resources Department by calling 920-722-7796 and ask for HR or email pfoulks@smcatholicschools.org or ckind@smcatholicschools.org

As we approach the month of October, please note the following items from the elementary dress code policy:

• Navy blue or khaki shorts and capris in solid color may be worn in August & September and May & June

• Sandals may be worn in August & September and May & June. Sandals must have a strap across the ankle. Flip-flops of any kind are not allowed.

• Boots without a heel are allowed during the school day. Boots of any kind are not allowed on Liturgy days.

• Navy blue or khaki skorts, skirts, or jumpers should come just above the knee or longer.

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!

St. Gabriel contact Mrs. Richards, srichards@smcatholicschools.org

St. Margaret Mary contact Mrs. Schira, kschira@smcatholicschools.org

St. Mary contact Mrs. Barraza, dbarraza@smcatholicschools.org

St. Gabriel Picture RETAKE Day: October 13

St. Mary Picture RETAKE Day: October 12

• Sept. 29 - 3:30 - 6:30 p.m. Parent-Teacher Conferences
• Sept. 30 - NO SCHOOL - Preschool - 12th grade Parent-Teacher Conferences from 8:00-11:30 a.m.
• Oct. 4 - Zephyr Spirit Day
• Oct. 7 - Field trip for grades K-5 to SMCS high school for all-school mass & Zephyr Spirit Day
• Oct. 7 - 5th grade visit day at middle school following all-school mass
• Oct. 7 - Homecoming parade, cookout, and football game at SMCS high school
• Oct. 15 - All Aboard
• Oct. 20-22 - SMCS high school musical performances
• Oct. 28 - End of quarter 1
• Oct. 31 - No school for students. Professional development day for staff.
• Nov. 1 - Zephyr Spirit Day
• Nov.11-13 - High School Play - CLUE
• Nov. 21-25 - NO SCHOOL - Thanksgiving break

• Lunch calendar
• SMCS systemwide calendar
• SMCS Elementary calendar
• SMCS Elementary Family Handbook
• SMCS Staff & Teacher Directory

St. Gabriel: 920-725-4161

St. Margaret Mary: 920-729-4565

St. Mary: 920-725-5351

Elementary Principal: Mrs. Cihlar, acihlar@smcatholicschools.org

St. Gabriel Associate Principal: Mrs. Giombetti, jgiombetti@smcatholicschools.org

St. Margaret Mary Associate Principal: Mrs. Lutz, jlutz@smcatholicschools.org

St. Mary Associate Principal: Mrs. Cendejas, acendejas-ruiz@smcatholicschools.org