.We.Are.Cougar.
The Nerve Center for All Things 8th Grade: Class of 2017 Ed.
And Away We Go!
Welcome to the first communication of the year and to the first of the many “lasts” that you will be experiencing this exciting and exceptional year!
I hope that your summer afforded you time to reconnect, recharge and renew; and that your students have continued to live in wonder and awe at the beauty that we have been gifted: in one another and in the greater world.
I have been looking forward to this year since I met the Class of 2017 during their 7th grade year. Getting to know them in religion class has enriched my perspective as an educator and their friendship has sustained me during my first year at St. Mary. Indeed, they embodied last year’s theme, “Attitude of Gratitude: A Most Grateful Heart” and are well poised to take on the role of exemplars for this year’s theme: “We Are One”.
We welcome Sam Cushman and the Cushman Family into the fold! Sam started at St. Mary in the Summer Program. He shadowed last school year and has already formed friendships with fellow students. Isabel Gajendran left our class to attend her last year at Queen of Apostles School. We will miss her, but she will forever be a part of our community!
THE YEAR AHEAD
Soon, I will be meeting with Room Parents to plan the year ahead. Please join us at every opportunity to share in our joy as we experience retreats, field trips, immersions and outreach, and as we lead the school in prayer at mass and at assemblies. Our room parents--Michelle Blake, Jeri Antonio, Anne Milligan and Paula Mastropolo--will soon be seeking your participation in the many opportunities for fundraising and friend-raising. Our hope is that you will continue to be a part of our journey throughout the year.
PRAYING AS ONE
As Mr. Johnston mentioned in his letter to the St. Mary School community this week, we will begin each school day with prayer on the black top at 8A. Please join us every morning you can so that we can pray together for the needs of our community and our world. At the end of each day, we will join our hearts and minds for a moment of silence. When you hear the church bells toll five minutes prior to dismissal, please pause, wherever you may be, and be still with us: keeping in mind the needs of our world and one another.
Here are a few upcoming prayer opportunities:
- August 18, 9A | First Day of School (led by Student Council)
- August 19, 8:45A | Leadership Installation where we will install PTG and PAB parent leaders (led by Student Council)
- Week of August 22, 8A | Daily Prayer Assembly (led by the 8th Grade)
- August 26, 8:30A | Mass of Commissioning
HIGH SCHOOL ADMISSIONS PROCESS
Linked to this newsletter is the High School Admissions timeline. With Mr. Johnston’s support and the support of the Junior High Faculty, we will guide you through the process and assist your students in preparing for placement exams and admissions essays. I recommend that you print out the timeline and post it on a bulletin board or refrigerator so that you can check things off the list as they become due. Please note that our first parent/student meeting is on October 10th and the first opportunity to attend a High School Information Night is on September 13. (For those of you who have not attended an Information Night in the past, you only need to attend one as they cycle through three presentations in one evening. It will allow you to hear from three high schools admissions teams.) I will send a reminder as the dates draw near and we will cover the timeline during Back to School Night on August 31st. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please let me know.
SCHOOL SUPPLIES
As you shop for school supplies in the next couple of weeks, please pick up an extra notebook, binder paper, folder, binder, crayons, or pencils for a school-supply drive that one of our Catholic Social Teaching groups will be holding this year. More information will come directly to you from the students when school is in session.
In addition to the supplies that will be provided directly to the classroom, please make sure your student has a way to organize handouts. A binder with pocket dividers or a poly-pendaflex folder works well for this purpose. Students will be provided a student planner with built in resources as a way to record homework and schedule out projects or organize information throughout the year.
Students should purchase a single or double-subject spiral notebook with pocket dividers for use in religion and social studies. They will need these by the week of August 22, but they may bring it to school on the first day or week.
Students should have, at a minimum, the following items in their backpacks: red pen, blue or black pen, pencil, organizer (for handouts, as noted above). At home, students should have supplies that will help them complete homework (a set of markers, highlighters, post-it tabs, glue, scissors).
"IT TAKES A VILLAGE . . ."
Taken from the African proverb, "It takes a village to raise a child," I will be including some articles throughout the year that might be of interest to you as parents of adolescents. Usually, these articles come to me from very reputable education sites, colleagues who have vetted and curated the articles, and general interest from reputable news sources. My hope is together, we can learn from experts as we work in partnership towards the positive development of these preteens and teens.
Thank you for entrusting the care and formation of your children to me and to the faculty and staff at St. Mary School. In the meantime, stay tuned and hopefully, we will have the best ride of our lives! I look forward to hearing from you so that together, we can make this a memorable year for our students.
Peace and all good things,
Cecile Mantecón
8th Grade Homeroom | Vice Principal
Coming Soon!
- First Day of School, Aug. 18 | 9A
- Back to School Night, Aug. 31st | 7P
- High School Information Nights, Sept. 13-15, 19-21, various locations | 7P
- 8th Grade Retreat, Sept. 12, Camp St. Francis in Aptos | 8A-3P