Dear School of St. Mary Families,
As we finish the first half of the school year, with Catholic Schools Week quickly approaching, I decided to sit back and reflect on the School of St. Mary, and what makes it so special.  
In my brief tenure here, I've come to realize that ours is indeed a special school.  Ours is a school where we believe each child is a unique creation of God, to be cherished and educated, in an atmosphere of love, discipline and respect.  A school where students and families benefit from a supportive, nurturing environment, and where each student's unique abilities and talents are acknowledged and encouraged.  A school committed to developing well-rounded students who are prepared for their future through a combination of:
  • A challenging academic curriculum
  • Our Catholic faith, its teachings, values and morals;
  • Leadership development and growth expectations;
  • A variety of opportunities for extra-curricular activities, athletics and community service;
  • A dedicated faculty and staff;
  • Small, intimate class sizes;
  • Active involved parents, families and friends.
Granted, there are other schools in the area that offer strong academic programs and activities.  The School of St. Mary offers those as well, but in addition, there is a commitment to the moral and faith development of our young adults at a time in their lives we believe it is most critical.  We are committed to educating the whole child.  Catholic schools are rooted in the conviction that education of the whole person must include the spiritual, intellectual, physical, psychological, social, moral, aesthetic and religious capacities of each child.  The School of St. Mary continually looks for opportunities to help our students further develop in each of these areas.
Starting this January, we will be offering a variety of opportunities for our students to develop and apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to succeed.  These offerings include:
  • A Peer Leadership Group Program for our 7th and 8thgrade students, offered through the school and CROYA (Committee Representing Our Young Adults). This program focuses on teaching students to be better friends and leaders as well as proving them the skills to handle difficult situations.
  • Assemblies, such as The Power of One, that talk about the influence one person can have in the world today. Albert Einstein once said that, "The world is a dangerous place not because of the evil in it, but because of the evil in it, but because of those who watch it happen and do nothing about it."
  • Scheduling common homerooms for students to meet, socialize, work on team-building activities, develop leadership skills, and build self-confidence. 
  • Accentuating and recognizing the positive actions and deeds of our students through
    Crusader Commendations and  Random Acts of Kindness Week . 
  • Offering religious retreats for our students to have the opportunity to reconnect with God through prayer. A retreat refreshes and reviatlizes, gives the opportunity for more time spent in prayer and contemplation, and rekindles and deepens one's relationship with God. Retreats allow our students and staff to leave behind the usual distractions we face for a time to allow us to practice and reflect upon our faith, for relaxation and for an examination of our concious. 
  • Working with teachers, staff, priests, and coaches to meet the needs of our students. Helping them understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.  This is just as important in the here-and-now as it is in the hereafter.
Our entire School of St. Mary community is committed to empowering students to become responsible Christian leaders and citizens, to enable them to achieve spiritual, physical and academic excellence, and to encourage them to develop personal integrity and responsibility.  Helping students fulfill their God-given potential is an important part of our mission. From the academic classrooms to social gatherings, to extra-curricular activities and Catholic service programs, students at the School of St. Mary have the opportunity to live and learn in an environment that encourages them To Learn, To Serve, To Lead.
 
Thank you for your continued support and caring!

Dave Wieters
Principal
School Snapshots
Enjoying recess at the UGC

The winners of the  mata a la piñata contest in our spanish classes at the UGC
Learning New things in class

8th grade basketball competes against St. Norberts
Getting comfortable with the back to school grind

Save the Date: Many Gifts, One Nation January 29-30
Catholic Schools Week All School Service Project
Parents Association Update
You can find the minutes from the January 16 Parents Association meeting here. If you have any questions or would like to get more involved with Parents Association please reach out to Julia Donohoe. Mark your calendar for the last meeting on May 8, 2019 at 6 pm for exciting changes coming to the Parents Association. 
World Language Selection for 6th grade students
Amazon Smile
AmazonSmile  is a website operated by  Amazon  with the same products, prices, and shopping features as  Amazon .com. The difference is that when you shop on  AmazonSmile , the  AmazonSmile  Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price of eligible products to the School of St. Mary. 

To use amazon smile go to smile.amazon.com and then select School of St. Mary Lake Forest, IL as your organization of choice. Then just use amazon as you normally would you will be supporting the school without even thinking about it. 
 



Hot Lunch Orders
Please make sure you are placing your orders for hot lunch by clicking here.  We are happy to again be working with such a great organization to bring our students hot lunches, for more information on this great program please read this story from the AP about how they are changing school lunches. 

If we can assist with anything else at all, please contact us at support@kiddoscatering.com.
Crusader Cafe at Home Basketball Games
We are pleased to announce that at all home basketball games our Cusader Cafe 
will be open for snacks and drinks. The cost ranges from 25 cents to a dollar for the items offered and all proceeds go back to the athletics programs. However, we can only run the Crusader Cafe with the help of our wonderful basketball parents. We would love to thank Karen Mines, Aldona Janusz and Laura Trevino-Baumann for running it the first couple home games. If you would like to sign up to help us keep the cafe open please click here.

Hoopsfest 2019
January 23 from 2:30-3:40pm make sure you are at the Upper Grade Center for our annual Hoopsfest event celebrating the School of St. Mary basketball teams. End the day with fun basketball competition between students and staff as well as recognizing all of the student athletes participating in basketball this season.
Church of St. Mary Sacrament Schedule
Community Events and resources for School of St. Mary Families
School of St. Mary Calendar
January 19 - February 1

Saturday, January 19
  • 5th Grade Boys Basketball at St. Francis Xavier at 9:50 am
  • 5th Grade Girls Basketball at St. Francis Xavier at 11:30 am
Monday, January 21 - No School

Tuesday, January 22
  • ACT Aspire Interim Testing Grades 3-8
  • UGC Mass at 9:00 am at St. Mary Catholic Church
Wednesday, January 23
  • ACT Aspire Interim Testing Grades 3-8
  • PGC Mass at 9:00 am at St. Patrick's Catholic Church
  • Hoopsfest from 2:30-3:40 at the UGC
Thursday, January 24
  • ACT Aspire Interim Testing Grades 3-8
  • Math Matters Club grades 4-6 at 8:00 am at UGC
  • PGC School Open House 6:30-8:00pm 
Friday, January 25
  • ACT Aspire Interim Testing Grades 3-8
Saturday, January 26
  • 5th grade Girls Basketball vs Faith Hope and Charity at 11:30am 
Sunday, January 27 - Catholic Schools Week Begins
  • PGC Choir at 10:00 am Mass at St. Mary Catholic Church
  • UGC Choir at 12:00 pm Mass at St. Mary Catholic Church
  • PGC Open House 8:30 am -1:30 pm
  • UGC Open House 8:30 am - 1:30pm
Monday, January 28
  • The Power of One Assembly at 1:00pm at the PGC
  • The Power of One Assembly at 2:40pm at the UGC
Tuesday, January 29
  • Spelling Bee at 2:30pm at the UGC
Wednesday, January 30
  • All School Mass at 10:00am at St. Mary Catholic Church
  • Geography Bee at 2:30pm at the UGC
  • 7th Grade Girls Basketball vs. St. Athanasius at 4:30pm
  • 6th Grade Boys Basketball at St. Athanasius at 5:30pm
  • 8th Grade Boys Basketball vs. St. Athanasius at 5:30pm
  • 7th Grade Boys Basketball at St. Athanasius at 6:30pm
  • 8th Grade Boys Basketball- Blue vs. St. Athanasius at 6:30pm
Thursday, January 31
  • Math Matters Club 8am at the UGC
  • UGC Career Day 
Friday, February 1
  • School of Rock Assembly grades 1-8 at 10:00am at the UGC
  • Newcomb game teachers vs. 3rd grade at 2:15 at the PGC
  • UGC Volleyball Game - Faculty vs. 8th Grade at 2:30pm
          
    


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