Dear Stella Maris Academy Community,
 
I pray this finds you with the joy that comes from spending time with family and friends and remembering God's love for us through the birth of Christ. We welcome 2019 with a renewed, joy-filled commitment to our Stella Maris mission and a deep appreciation for the Stella Maris community who play a vital role in our success. How grateful I am for you. Our blessings come in many forms, especially in witnessing the exceptional ways our students grow spiritually, intellectually, humanly and in ways of stewardship through service. Please take a moment to read this newsletter and learn about the great blessings and happenings at Stella Maris Academy. 

God bless,

Mrs. Hilaire Hauer
Reflecting on Our Blessings
As we move into the new year, we reflect on our holiday service and giving

Food Drive at St. John's campus.
Food Drive: The St. John's campus students collected over 1,000 food items over three weeks for the food drive. 

Bake Sale: The Holy Rosary campus second graders raised money for the Giving Tree by selling baked goods and treats during lunch time.

Toy Drive: The St. James campus students collected many toys for the Salvation Army during the advent season.

Bell Ringing: SMA students helped ring bells for the Salvation Army at SuperOne Foods.

Salvation Army: Fourth graders at the Holy Rosary campus saved money from doing chores around the house and donated $92 to the Salvation Army during advent.

Operation Christmas Child: Eighth grade girls packed boxes with Christmas gifts and prayed over them to send out to children around the world.

Spreading Cheer:  Kindergarten students shared joy with others by singing Christmas carols to residents of the Pines, third graders visited and sang to residents at St. Ann's, and middle school students sang and played games with residents at North Shore Estates.

Upcoming Events
Important happenings in the upcoming months
This year's Catholic Schools Week will take place the week of Jan. 27-Feb. 1. We have a lot of fun activities planned, including:
  • Spelling bee
  • Middle school dance
  • Student-led Mass
  • Family fun night
  • Middle school Olympics
Remember to check your calendar as the date gets closer for  more  activities and details!

Keep an eye out for these upcoming fundraisers!
  • Catholic School Raffle
Our Catholic Schools Raffle tickets go on sale Fri., Jan. 11. Buy your ticket from a SMA student for a chance to win  one of these awesome prizes.  All proceeds benefit Stella Maris Academy.
  • Stellabration
We will host our annual Stellabration on Friday, March 1, beginning at  5p.m. at the Greysolon Ballroom. Join us for delicious food, drinks, music, a silent auction and more at this Kentucky Derby themed fundraiser. Our goal is to raise funds for this school year's operations to bridge the gap between our tuition and the true cost of educating each child. 

Principal Highlights
A peak across our three campuses

St. John's Campus
  • The St. John's campus now has a Gaga Pit near the playground. Gaga is a variant of dodge ball and a popular recess activity for all ages. Thanks to the Adamski family for the donation and the 6th grade boys and their dads who built and set it up over Thanksgiving break.
  • The 6th graders attended a beautiful advent retreat at the Monastery where they got to see the St. John's Bible and have lunch with the Benedictine Sisters.
  • Our Christmas celebration started the day before break with a Jingle Ball tournament. Students returned Jan. 2nd to start the new year with a Christmas Mass where the band played the prelude music and 5th graders led the music during the liturgy. After Mass, donuts were served and an assembly to remember the special liturgical days of the Christmas season and to recognize the servers and lectors took place.
-Mr. Jesse Murray

  • After saving for 5 years, we are installing new windows on one side of our campus building. The new windows replicate what was installed in the original building when it was first built in 1914. They are beautiful, tall, energy efficient windows that will serve the building well in the long run.
  • The St. James' middle school students visited the North Shore Estates during the Christmas season and spread holiday cheer by singing Christmas carols and playing games with the residents. It was a beautiful afternoon.
-Mrs. Julianne Blazevic

Holy Rosary Campus
  • Students had quiet time to prepare for the birth of Jesus Christ through adoration, praise and worship during the Christmas season. They joined in joyous song and quiet prayer in front of the blessed sacrament.
  • The Holy Rosary campus was blessed to receive a beautiful 7 by 8 foot painting of the Virgin Mary commissioned by Mr. Tom Vecchi. This stunning painting is displayed in the entrance of Holy Rosary for everyone to admire. You can read more about this gift here.
- Mrs. Peggy Frederickson

The Gaga pit at St. John's campus.
Toy Drive at St. James campus.

Volunteer Corner
Highlighting a few of our outstanding volunteers

Wanda Brimbaum is a community volunteer from the St. John's parish. She visits St. John's campus once a week and supports the teachers, classrooms and school building. She presents student work in the hallways, sets up art shows for the kids, helps with mass mailings, and will step into the classroom when short staffed as she was a certified teacher and has worked individually with students with academic needs. Wanda is flexible and always happy to help.

Beth McShane has been an active room parent for many years, stepping into a leadership role when the Room Parent Ambassador structure was developed. Recently, she managed the transition from a one-campus parent association to an Academy-wide association. She's always willing to lend a helping hand, whether it is coordinating student dances, parent events, spirit wear, science club or a tennis team, robotics, sign up genius coordinator, or movie night.

Linda Lenard has established a successful box top competition at SMA, bringing in prizes for the kids each week and coordinating the submission of box tops. SMA has raised approximately $1,000 due to these efforts. She is active in the Family Association and has started a Gymnastics team here that serves all ages. For many years, Linda coordinated the book drive; she has raised thousands of dollars of credits toward purchasing book and school supplies through this effort. 

Grandma Shelly is a community volunteer who reaches into students lives and talks, prays and plays with them. She is constantly helping children with their projects, assignments, tying shoes and zipping endless jackets. She is a huge help to our teachers, whether it's stuffing folders or cleaning tables. The help, love and encouragement that she shows in the classroom is greatly appreciated by both students and staff.
A big thank you to all of our wonderful volunteers!
Meet Our Board
Introducing our newest members

The Stella Maris Academy Board, appointed by Bishop Paul Sirba of the Diocese of Duluth, governs the Academy's strategic direction. From its inception in the spring of 2017, the Board has been blessed with priest, religious, and lay members who volunteer their expertise. We've highlighted our newest members below. View a complete list of current Board members here.


Sharon Mollerus | Tweed Museum of Art Staff Member
Sharon joined the Board in August 2018, bringing her skills in communications and non-profit leadership, as well as a passion for the Catholic Liberal Arts. She is a former English instructor at St. Scholastica and has great respect for the love and dedication of our teachers. Sharon enjoys photography, writing, and singing with the Cathedral choir and DSSO chorus. In her words, "children are the best... I love to see their faces at Mass and events and to watch them thrive and grow."


Barry Bigelow | Lead Advisor for Great Waters Financial
Barry joined the Board in August 2018 and prior to that served on the Board Finance Committee. He now leads the Board Development Committee where he can share his gifts in building relationships with people in support of their philanthropic goals. Barry believes "our school is instilling a love for Christ and neighbor that brings peace and joy everywhere our children and families go. I'm grateful to be a part of Stella Maris Academy."



Father Richard Kunst | Pastor at St. James and St. Elizabeth Parishes
Fr. Rich has a passion for Catholic school education that is best witnessed in the celebration of Mass with the students and in the classroom. He is a champion for our teachers and their formation as educators dedicated to this important ministry of the Church. Fr. Rich is the curator of the Papal Artifacts Collection and regularly brings artifacts into the classrooms to engage the students with amazing history lessons.

A Message from Your Board
The Stella Maris Academy Strategic Plan brings intentionality to several key areas including program advancements in Catholic Liberal Education, building financial strength, and expanding the continuum of Catholic school education through 12th grade. The Board supports these initiatives through active committees that develop recommendations for board approval.

In September, we received a generous boost to our financial needs with the receipt of a million-dollar donation from the Lorraine Casshie Trust. The Board designated $550,000 of the gift for operational reserves, $100,000 as contingency for facility improvements, and $50,000 to start a Stella Maris Academy endowment designed to complement the wonderful support from established legacy endowments managed by the Cathedral of Our Lady and St. John's Parish. 

Over the past several months, other key accomplishments included:
  • Establishing the 2019-2020 operating budget which will serve as a guide for adjustments to the tuition policy and employee compensation
  • Offering guidance and support to faculty and staff as they diligently explore the richness of Catholic Liberal Education
Over the next several months, the Board will:
  • Evaluate campus infrastructure with parish leadership under the guidance of the Board Facilities Committee in order to develop a facilities improvement plan that can guide future capital investments
  • Continue to review the work of the High School Task Force designed to expand the continuum of Catholic school education through 12th grade. Next steps include refining the business plan and timeline with opportunities for stakeholder engagement.
I am thankful for the investment of time from our Board and all the wonderful volunteers and staff
working every day to make Stella Maris Academy an exemplary learning community. We welcome all families and community members to attend a Board meeting if they have further interest in or questions about the goals we are working toward. 

Multas gratias! (many thanks)

Bob Lisi - Board Chair


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