Parents’ Association Newsletter, February 2020
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Dear Fellow Parents,
Winter is well underway here at St. Mark’s and, while it has thus far been mild, by New England standards anyway, the anticipation for warmer weather and change is in the air. We have a lot to look forward to over the next few months with all Forms beginning to plan for Lion Term, V and VI Forms thinking about college and next steps, and everything else in between. There’s a lot for us parents to be involved with too. Before we get into those details, we’d like to thank all of the parent volunteers who made the fall, and recent, events so successful.
December’s Exam Bake was a huge hit, thanks to Heather Robb P’18, ’20, Sharon Hornstein P’20, ’23, and Helene Keyzer P’21 who helped organize it and those who donated their time and culinary delights. Kelly Requadt P’21 made Casino Night a big success (see event photos below), along with everyone else who helped out at that event. It’s true the kids really love those Exam Bake treats, but seeing their parents at school events like Casino Night is special for them too, whether or not they’re willing to admit it.
In the stories below you’ll find out about upcoming events and all sorts of ways to stay involved. Whatever you can do to support the Parents’ Association and our School through these activities would be most appreciated. No effort is too small.
We look forward to catching up with you soon, whether it’s at an upcoming competition, music performance, parent phonathon, or other school activity. After all it’s your participation, guidance, and support that helps St. Mark’s foster such a positive and spirited community.
Sincerely,
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Michelle and Tom Davis P’21
Co-Chairs, Parents’ Association
Members, Board of Trustees
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Exam Bake and Casino Night
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Many thanks to Heather Robb P’18, ’20, Sharon Hornstein P’20, ’23, and Helene Keyzer P’21 for running the Exam Bake and the many volunteers who brought their delicious treats on December 17. The students were lined up outside Hinkle Room in anticipation of an array of tasty cookies, cupcakes, and other desserts.
See the event photos
.
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It was a full house at Casino Night on January 11 as parents and students gathered shortly after break for some friendly rounds of blackjack, poker, roulette, and other games. Special thanks to
Casino Night Chair, Kelly Requadt
P’21,
and all the parent volunteers who made the night such a success.
See the event photos
.
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Parent Speaker Series and Chats
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Adria Pavletic, health services director, Jennifer Taylor, director of counseling services, and Carl Corazzini, director of wellness, spoke at the January 18 Parent Speaker Series event about student wellness, including the challenges students face this time of year and how the School and parents can help them. Families also heard Parents
’
Association updates from Co-chairs Michelle and Tom Davis P’21.
Watch a recording of the event
.
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The next Parent Speaker Series event will be April 25. Director of Community & Equity Affairs Loris Adams, and Colleen Worrell, director of the Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning will discuss, "Parents as Partners: Experiencing Community and Equity at St. Mark’s."
Building on the success of last spring’s "Parents as Partners" event, we encourage parents to attend this very informative and interactive event in person to experience how your children learn about community and equity at St. Mark’s.
The presentation will be held in the Center Presentation Room at St. Mark’s from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. A Parents’ Association meeting will follow from 11:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
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Faculty and Staff Appreciation Events
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On February 13, the Parents
’
Association provided Starbucks, Red Barn, and Dunkin
’
gift cards to staff and faculty as part of the Battle of the Brews
.
Thanks to Silvy Brookby P’20, Stephanie Gattuso P’19, ’20, Claudia Liberatore P’21, Missy Winters P’19, ’21, ’23, and Amy Yang P’22 for supporting this special event.
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Faculty and Staff Appreciation Day will be May 5. It is sponsored by the Parents’ Association and is a perfect way to express our gratitude to St. Mark’s faculty and staff.
The one-day event will include:
- Brunch for all faculty and staff
- Generous gift cards and thank you notes
- Chances for our 10- 20 "Grand Prize Items" through raffle tickets
This is our largest event of the year! We fund three events through this ONE TIME ASK. For this event, we're asking for cash, gift cards, event tickets, gift baskets, volunteers, and food items!
Items are needed by April 24
.
Thank you for doing all you do to make this and all of our events around the year such a success!
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The Yerabothu family P’20, ’23 will host the VI Form Potluck on June 4 at 6:00 p.m. following the send-off for the VI Form dance, and the Dawson family P’19, ’23 will host the III Form Potluck on May 9 at 7:00 p.m. Special thanks to both families for hosting these events.
We are looking for families to host potlucks this spring and for future III, IV, and V Forms as well. If you are willing to host this spring or in the future, please contact Michelle Davis P’21 at
St.MarksPA@gmail.com
.
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We are keeping the St. Mark
’
s community informed about the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) through a
webpage
that includes the latest updates and resources from the School.
Please check back
regularly for the latest information as this situation continues to evolve.
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Save the Date! Our Parent phonathons will be March 25 and April 16.
These are great opportunities to encourage fellow parents to participate in the Annual Fund, which is vital to providing financial aid and additional support to our athletic teams, programs, and academic courses. This year we
’
re hoping to have 92 percent of St. Mark
’
s parents contribute to the Annual Fund.
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Parent/Faculty/Staff Book Club
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Our book group generally meets the first Wednesday of each month, but we won’t have a March meeting.
Our next meeting will be April 8 at St. Mark’s in Room 248 of the Center from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. If you are in the area, please stop by for book discussion, a bit of socializing, and a light snack.
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Be a part of one of the most important days of the school year!
On April 16, St. Mark
’
s students, faculty, parents, grandparents, and other supporters will participate in Giving Day, a 24–hour global event when our community demonstrates pride in our School and shows support with a gift to the Annual Fund.
Gifts to the Annual Fund are vital to supporting our mission of
delivering an education focused on the intellectual, character, and leadership development of our students that will ultimately help them lead lives of consequence.
This year our goal is to inspire 800 gifts, and we hope we can count on you for one of them. More information coming soon.
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The
Annual Fund
now stands at $1.5 million, 62.5 percent toward our total goal! Forty-four percent of St. Mark’s parents have made a gift this year totalling $589,840. Special thanks to the many parents who have already made their gift!
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Percentage of parent participation per Form
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Annual Fund III Form Co-Chairs Dave and Camilla King, P’18, ’20, ’23 announced at the recent III Form Parent Chat that the III Form participation rate to the Annual Fund was at 52 percent, giving them the highest participation rate of all four Forms, and keeping them in first place for the Lion’s Pride Award. Permanently displayed in the Admission Parlor, the Lion’s Pride Award announces the Form with the highest parent participation each year.
With just over four months left in the fiscal year, all forms are still in contention for the Lion’s Pride Award, as we strive to achieve the goal of 92 percent parent participation. We know we can accomplish this with everyone’s support!
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Our Annual Fund Parent Chair, Mike Pellini P’20, will continue to work closely with Form Chairs and volunteers on fundraising efforts. If you can help, please email Mike at
St.MarksPA@gmail.com
.
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Pare
nts’ Associ
ation Volunteer Opportunities
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If you’d like to be more connected with the St. Mark
’
s community and your Form, consider becoming a
Parents’ Association volunteer.
Here are some ways to get involved:
- Greet prospective students and families in the Admissions Parlor
- Help raise funds for the School through the Annual Fund
- Host an event for parents in your Form
- Become a student mentor or Lion Term host
- Provide baked goods and/or gifts for faculty and staff appreciation events
- Drive students to/from off-campus health care appointments
There’s something for everyone and all are welcome!
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Stay current on St. Mark
’
s Parent information
Parents
’
Den
- The portal for everything you need to know.
Parent Events
- See details about upcoming events and volunteer opportunities.
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March 25
Parent Phonathon
St. Mark’s School
April 16
Giving Day/Parent Phonathon
April 25
Parent Speaker Series Event
8:30 a.m. at St. Mark’s
April 29
The Olympic Club - City Clubhouse at
6:00 p.m.
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May 5
Faculty and Staff Appreciation Day
May 9
III Form Potluck
Hosted by the Dawson
Family P’19, ’23 at 7:00 p.m.
May 28
June 4
VI Form Potluck
Hosted by the Yerabothu
Family P’20, ’23 at 6:00 p.m.
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Stay Connected! Tag with #smlions
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