SMCS Elementary Family Newsletter

Content in this newsletter is relevant for all three of our elementary campuses. Information that is specific to one building can be found at the links below. We hope this makes important information easier to find for our families.

Click here for St. Gabriel Elementary News

Click here for St. Mary Elementary News

Click here for St. Margaret Mary News

You can always visit the news page on our website for past newsletters.

Preparing and inspiring students to lead meaningful lives, rooted in the teachings of Christ and our Catholic tradition.

Dear SMCS families,

Happy Catholic Schools Week! Thank you to all the families who helped with masses and breakfast last Sunday in showing our appreciation to our parishioners who support us financially and prayerfully! Today’s responsorial psalm, “Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all my being, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul and forget not all his benefits” (Psalm 103: 1-2) sums up very well the opportunity we have as a Catholic school community to partner with our parishes to bless the Lord with our lives. May all that we do each and every day in our schools, in our churches, and in our homes be done in praise and honor of our Lord!

Mrs. Anna Cihlar

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

In addition to the activities below, middle school administrators Mrs. Ahles and Mr. Dahlberg will be visiting our elementary schools to greet students before school! What a great way for students to get to know their future principals!

Monday, Jan. 30 @ SM

Tuesday, Jan. 31 @ SMM

Wednesday, Feb. 1 @ SG

Friday, February 3rd from 5:30 - 7:30 pm: All elementary school families are invited to a Sock Hop in the SMM Gym and Cafeteria! The kiddos can dance the night away with a DJ in the gym, and we'll be serving a fun dinner of hot dogs, hamburgers, chips and milkshakes in the cafeteria. Sock Hop attire is encouraged but not required. This is a family event, so we ask that all children are accompanied by an adult.

The cost is $5 per person or $20 maximum per family. Please sign up using this link:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C44AAAE22A0FF2-2023

Turn in payment (checks made out to SMCS or cash in an envelope labeled Sock Hop) to the school office by Thursday, February 2nd. We also need a few volunteers (both adults and students 6th grade and older) to make this event a success, so if you are able to help, please consider signing up for a volunteer slot via the SignUpGenius registration link above.

February 14 will be an out of dress code day - please wear red, pink, and/or white!

The young ladies of St. Margaret Mary, St. Gabriel, and St. Mary's, and the men they admire, will be able to dance the afternoon or evening away in the SMCMS Commons. Attendees will have the opportunity to choose either the 3:30 - 5:00 pm afternoon session or the 5:30 - 7:00 pm evening session. Professional photo opportunities will be available, and snacks and desserts will be served. Watch for a registration link coming next week!

Parents may claim the tuition payments for 5-year-old kindergarten through grade 12 on the state of WI Schedule PS tax form. To access payments made from 1/1/22 to 12/31/22, log in to Blackbaud/Tuition Management: https://parent.smarttuition.com/ and select Family Year End Statement at the right. Please consult a tax professional to inquire about claiming payments on P3/4K tuition. For Part 1 on the PS Form you will enter: St. Mary Catholic Schools, 1050 Zephyr Drive, Neenah, WI 54956. The federal ID will print on your statement as the School Tax ID. Contact Shelley Wautlet if you need help with logging in to your tuition account. swautlet@smcatholicschools.org

Parent~Teacher Conferences will be on February 17 from 8:00-11:30 a.m. and February 21 from 3:30-6:30 p.m. Please see the SignUp Genius for your school in the campus specific link at the top of this newsletter. Please sign up for a 15-minute time slot to meet with your child's teacher. Art, music, PE, technology, library, counseling, and learning/reading specialists will be available in an "open house" format and it is not necessary to sign up to meet these teachers in advance. If this time frame does not work for your family, please contact your child's teacher to schedule a time that works. Thank you!

There is no school for students on February 17 due to parent-teacher conferences.

Si Usted necesite intérprete durante las conferencias por favor, llame a su escuela.

Save the date for 5th grade recognition:

St. Gabriel: 5/24/23

St. Margaret Mary: 5/25/23

St. Mary: 5/26/23

Click on flyer below to register!

Our elementary breakfast program started Tuesday of this week and was a hit with many of our students! As a reminder, if you are interested in having your child eat breakfast at school, here are the details:

• Breakfast is from 7:30-7:45 a.m. in the cafeteria. No late arrivals, please, with the exception of students who arrive late due to bussing. These students will receive a "breakfast to go" bag and will eat in the classroom.
• Breakfast costs $2.00 for three items. Students may also just take individual items (one breakfast bar, for example). There will be an itemized charge for those individual items.
• Please see link below for the February breakfast menu.

We are entering the time of year where illness may keep your student from school, or weather might keep us from being able to safely open school for the day.

Here are some helpful reminders as we enter the winter season.

Weather Closures and Delays: SMCS utilizes a text message notification system for emergency notifications, weather-related closures and delays, and other information. If you are new to the SMCS system, or have not previously received our text messages, please enroll your phone number, at no cost, to the SMCS emergency alert system. To enroll your phone number, please text SMCS to (844) 947-5948. You will receive a confirmation text and a text indicating that when you want to opt out of this service you simply need to reply STOP. You may enroll multiple cell phone numbers using that same process.

With winter nearly here, a reminder that as soon as a weather-related delay or cancellation is determined for school day or activities, information is posted on the SMCS Facebook page, SMCS email, text notification mentioned above, and local TV and radio stations.

Absences from School: If your student will not be in attendance on a day school is in session, please call your school office as soon as possible to make staff aware, and please let the campus administrative assistant know the reason for the absence. It is required that students are fever free for 24 hours and symptoms are mostly resolved before returning to school.

Outerwear: Please send students with coats, snow pants, hat, waterproof mittens or gloves, and boots to play in the snow. If they do not have snow pants or boots, they must stay on the blacktop.

Snow: Students are encouraged to enjoy the snow. They can make snowmen, forts, snow angels, etc. Students will not be allowed to throw snow at each other or have snowball fights.

Indoor recess: If the "feels like" temperature is 0 degrees or colder, students will stay inside for recess.

Please click here to review the SMCS 2022-23 Covid protocol.

Girls from Kindergarten-8th grade are invited to a one day Softball Camp on March 4th. This fun camp is designed to teach the proper skills and fundamentals of the game of softball. Throwing, fielding, base running and hitting will be developed at this camp. The cost is $20 and you can register here.

Parents of 4th & 5th Grade Girls:

We are organizing our annual 4th & 5th grade volleyball program.

The intramural teams will be formed by combining a mix of students from our three SMCES campuses (St. Gabriel, St. Margaret Mary and St. Mary). This will allow us to balance the number of students on each team. Each student will receive a t-shirt for participating.

The program will begin on Tuesday, April 11 and will run through Thursday, May 18. The teams will practice on Tuesdays and Thursdays (6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.). All practices/games will take place at SMC Middle School Gym

There is a participation fee of $25.00. Please register online:

St. Mary Catholic 4th/5th Grade Girls Volleyball

Deadline is Friday, March 31. No late registrations!

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 the After School Care Provider position 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

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

• Jan. 29 - Feb. 4 - Catholic Schools Week

• Feb. 1: Pajama day (no slippers, blankets, or stuffed animals)

• Feb. 2: Dress like your favorite saint or Catholic college/institution apparel

• Feb. 3: Zephyrs Spirit Wear and all-school mass at HS for grades K-5

• Feb. 3-4: Z Cabaret

• Feb. 7: Zephyrs Spirit Day

• Feb. 14: Out of dress code day: wear red/pink/white

• Feb. 17: No school for students. Parent-teacher conferences 8:30-11:30 a.m.

• Feb. 20: No school

• Feb. 21: Parent-teacher conferences 3:30-6:30 p.m.

• Feb. 22: Ash Wednesday

• Feb. 25: Middle school sole & ensemble

• Mar. 7: Zephyrs Spirit Day

• Mar. 16: End of quarter 3

• Mar. 17: No school (staff development day)

• Mar. 20-24: No school - spring 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