Welcome back! We hope you enjoyed your Spring Break and are settling back into your daily routines. While the children were away, we completed several building and grounds projects to enhance our school environment. These include installing new gym lights (more on that below in Advancing the Mission); installing upgraded security cameras; replacing cabinets and sink faucets in some classrooms; re-graveling the Primary Courtyard and school entrance path; and laying new grass on the Elementary Playground. Caring for our school and providing our students with beautifully-prepared environments in which they can freely explore and learn is a foundational principle of the Montessori philosophy and a hallmark of the St. Catherine’s educational experience.
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Thursday, March 21
• AC Market Day,
3:00 PM
(Outside the Welcome Center)
NEW DAY!
Friday, March 22
• Friends of the Garden Teaching Day,
after drop-off
(Welcome Center)
Saturday, March 23
• GHCAA Track Meet,
8:00 AM
(Barnett Stadium)
• Sociable: ¡Fiesta Cubana!,
6:00 PM
(Barfuss Residence)
Tuesday, March 26
• Friends of the Library Work Day,
after drop-off
(Library)
Wednesday, March 27
• Christian Meditation for Parents,
8:05 AM
(Atrium)
Thursday, March 28
• AC Market Day,
3:00 PM
(Outside the Welcome Center)
Friday, March 29
• Friends of the Garden Work Day,
after drop-off
(Welcome Center)
• PSO Spring Meeting,
8:30 AM
(Gym)
• Sociables: Rancho Reid Weekend and Round Top Antique Market
Saturday, March 30
• Sociables: Escape the Room! SOLD OUT
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On Thursday, April 18 we will welcome grandparents and special friends to share the school day and celebrate the love and support they give to the children of St. Catherine’s Montessori. Grandparents will receive their invitations in the mail this week. If a grandparent is unable to attend, and your family would like to invite a special friend (godparent, aunt, uncle, older sibling, family friend) to participate in the day, please contact Kesley Rodriguez at
krodriguez@stcathmont.org
by Monday, April 1 with their name, address and email address, and we will send them an invitation.
We would like to thank everyone who attends Grandparents and Special Friends Day by sending them a photograph taken with their St. Catherine’s student. To help capture those moments, we are looking for 12 volunteer photographers and 12 photography assistants. Please
click here
to learn more and sign up!
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Tips on Combating Climate Change
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Beginning to compost for yourself is quite simple. One easy way to get started is to use a tumbler, as all the maintenance required is turning the tumbler a couple times a week. It is suggested that the tumbler be filled with three parts carbon-rich brown material (dried leaves, straw, cardboard,etc.) and one part nitrogen-rich green materials (vegetable waste, grass clippings, etc.). Food waste such as meat, and pet waste
should not
be added into the compost.
Finally, composted soil helps plants to grow big and strong, meaning they sequester more carbon, reducing your carbon footprint as well! All in all, composting is just a great idea.
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The AC Market Has Moved to Thursdays!
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St. Catherine’s Montessori is a unique learning environment where we partner with families to guide children to learn, grow, and explore as they discover the inner wisdom inherent in all human beings, develop self-confidence and a love of learning, connect to beauty and nature, and experience the presence of God. The journey that all children take at St. Catherine’s is made possible by contributions to the
SCM Fund
, which helps support our annual operating needs.
The goal for this school year is $175,000 with 100% parent participation
.
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Over the next six weeks – between now and the feast day of St. Catherine of Siena – we will showcase each of our Montessori programs to illustrate the journey our children take as they progress through each stage, from Infant Community through High School. We encourage you to reflect on your family’s journey, and ask that you participate in our annual SCM Fund campaign.
We begin with the Infant Community, where our children aged 14 months to three years, begin to develop their independence and sense of community. The children develop their language and fine motor skills, care for animals and their environment, cook, dress themselves, pray, dance, make art, and practice grace and courtesy.
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If you have not yet made your gift to this year’s SCM Fund,
give today!
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Your Giving in Action: Future Looks Bright with Our New Gym Lights
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The feel and functionality of our gym has been transformed with the installation of a new lighting grid! We replaced the warm yellow fluorescents with cool white LEDs. The reconfigured circuits now allow us to light the full length of the gym using three rows of lights that can be switched on or off in any combination –each row with their own dimmer. This new setup eliminates shadows in the gym corners, giving us optimum lighting for basketball and volleyball. Additionally, the options made possible by the light configuration and dimmers will enhance the experience of attending Mass, special events, community meetings, and performances.
This transformation, which benefits the entire St. Catherine’s Montessori community and our guests, was made possible by the generous Paddles Up contributions made at our 2018 gala, Night Owl Soirée. Our community gave a record $46,500 in Paddles Up donations to fund the gym lighting improvements, new Primary Courtyard equipment, and a riding mower and storage shed for Japhet Creek. The Primary children have been enjoying their new balance beam, spider web climber, and monkey bars since January. We will purchase the mower and shed in the next few months after completion of ongoing projects at Japhet.
Thank you again to everyone who raised a paddle in support of the children of St. Catherine’s!
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Wine, Women, and artWork
Tickets Still Available!
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Join us for an evening to wine-down and paint candles. During this 90-minute Sociable, guests will paint and decorate wine glasses before hand-pouring Simply Scents' fragrance-of-the-month candle wax. Guests can take home their custom creations directly after class. Adults beverages and food will be served.
April 6, 2019 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
Ticket Price:
$55/person
Maximum # of Attendees:
30
Location:
Simply Scents by Shan; 5217 Almeda Road
Hosts:
Kylie Galfione, Maggie Jeffries, Vanessa Patterson, Jennifer Taylor
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Family Board Game Tournament
Tickets Still Available!
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Come roll the dice, spin a spinner, and Connect4 and with SCM friends at this double-elimination Family Board Game Tournament! We’ll Guess Who will be named champion, cheer on our friends and family as they Chutes and Ladders their way through this tournament Operation, and provide plenty of snacks for Hungry, Hungry Hippos. You’ll be Sorry! to miss this afternoon of family board game fun!
Parents and Children Primary through High School (Students in AC and HS can be dropped off)
April 7, 2019 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Ticket price:
$25/person
Maximum # of Attendees:
31
Location:
Tucker Residence
Host:
Lindsay and Brian Tucker
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INSIDE
and
OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM
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Ms. Megan’s Lower El Class Goes Camping
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Two weeks ago, the students in Ms. Megan’s Lower Elementary class enjoyed their first overnight camping trip! The class journeyed to the
Forest Glen
camp and retreat center, located in Hunstville, TX.
The students participated in a variety of discovery learning programs such as entomology, herpetology, and archery.
Click here
to view a photo gallery of their camping adventures.
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The Aquatic Adventures of the AC
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Earlier this month, the Adolescent Community traveled to Florida for a week-long experience at
MarineLab
, a marine science education facility located in Key Largo. The students studied seagrass, mangrove, and coral reef ecology both inside the classroom and on snorkeling field trips. They also participated in labs on invertebrate diversity and zooplankton identification. While in the area, they toured
Everglades National Park
to learn about the effects of the original settlers, restoration efforts, and the species that once and still do inhabit that land.
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After going on this trip, my knowledge of the coastal ecology of Florida has been greatly broadened. I now see how truly important the environment is and why we should strive to protect it and prevent climate change.
Colin D., 8th year student
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Welcome back to the High School Corner!
We hope you had a restful spring break. This semester has been flying by—we can’t believe we’re already halfway through March!
College representatives from schools ranging from small liberal arts colleges to large universities with over 17,000 students have peppered our school year with visits. The college representatives usually meet with us during our lunch break. We sit around the main table in the High School and listen to their presentations, asking any questions that we might have along the way. In this setting, we are able to interact one-on-one with representatives and make connections. Some of the schools that have visited us this year are:
• Southwestern University
• St. Mary’s University
• Emerson College
• Austin College
• University of the Incarnate Word
• U.S. Naval Academy
• Stephen F. Austin University
• University of Alabama at Birmingham
• Spring Hill College
• Florida Institute of Technology
• Loyola University
These college visits have greatly helped us understand what we are looking for in our future schools. Not only do the representatives present valuable information about the schools they are representing, but they also are able to give us sound advice for the college admissions process. In May, Ms. Gail Roberson, admissions director of the Greater Houston area for Trinity University, will be hosting an essay-writing workshop for the High School. These college visits and the upcoming workshop are making us more excited to take the next step in our lives!
Our juniors are also preparing to take the ACT exam and AP tests in classes such as English Language and Spanish Language/Culture. There is so much going on!
Thank you so much for reading, and we will see you next week.
Sophia D.
High School Corner Committee Member
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If you would like to submit something for the Globe, please send it for approval to
globe@stcathmont.org
by
Monday at noon.
LIKE US ON FACEBOOK!
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