Principal's Newsletter
November 4, 2018
Dear School of St. Mary,

This week was a busy one at the School of St. Mary. There were Halloween celebrations on Wednesday at both campuses. Following a shortened school day, our students changed into their costumes prior to taking part in the Annual Halloween parades. They had a lot of fun during the parades showing off their wonderful costumes.  Immediately following the parade, our kids headed inside for their Halloween parties. While the parties were taking place, our 7 th grade visited Sheridan Oaks to sing for members of the community, while our 8 th graders were learning how to square dance.  We would like to extend a thank you to all of our volunteers who helped to make the day a success.  Our students and staff had a memorable time and it would not have been possible without the hard work and planning of our fantastic room moms.
 
We followed up a fun-filled Halloween Wednesday with an All-School Mass on Thursday celebrating All Saints Day. It was a beautiful way to honor of all our Christian saints, particularly those who have no special feast days of their own.    Holy Days such as All Saint Day are wonderful faith-filled opportunities to bring all of our students together to celebrate with our clergy and members of our Church of St. Mary Parish community.
 
Our School of St. Mary Parent/Teacher Conferences are scheduled for  Thursday, November 8 th  from 3:30 - 8:00 pm , and again on  Friday, November 9 th  from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm .  Sign-up sheets have been sent out for students in Kindergarten through 5 th  grade for parents to sign-up for a specific time to meet with their child's teacher.  Unless you have signed up for a specific time already, please be aware our teachers will have between 5:00 - 5:30 pm off for dinner.  Because of the many different teachers that students have in 6 th  - 8 th  grade, conferences are on a first come, first serve basis.  It is scheduled like this so that you can move from teacher to teacher.  You can stop in and discuss your child's needs with all of their teachers or only those you would like to meet with.
 
In the meantime, if you ever want to meet with a staff member to discuss an issue before or after Parent/Teacher Conferences, please feel free to call the school and set up a meeting.  Our staff will be happy to schedule a meeting with you to discuss your concerns. 
 
Due to Parent-Teacher Conferences, there will be an early dismissal on Thursday, November 8 th .  The PGC will dismiss at 2:00 pm while the UGC will dismiss at 2:19 pm.  There is no school next Friday, November 9 th .  Extended day/homework club will still be held after school. Please plan accordingly.
 

Lastly, when your child is absent, please call Dana Geldermann or Kathleen Hanson at 847-283-9800 at the PGC, or Debbie Liden at 847-582-2528 or dliden@schoolofstmary.org at the UGC.  Please let the school office know in advance if a student will be missing for a long-term absence, i.e. vacation.

Dave Wieters
Principal
     
 
     

Parents Association Update



Make sure you are following School of St. Mary on Instagram (@schoolofstmary), Facebook (School of St. Mary) and Twitter (@schoolofstmary) for an update on the recent purchases for STEAM at the PGC and UGC. 

If you would like to help support the school you can make a donation to the Annual Fund by clicking here. 
2018 Giving Tuesday
Basketball Socks from Crusader Wear
As we are preparing for the new basketball season at SOSM, please remember we have basketball socks IN STOCK through Crusader Wear!
basketball_closeup.jpg
They come in dark blue or a lighter blue and read SMS on the side. The sizes are intermediate or adult. Please contact Carlotta Plotner if you would like to purchase a pair for $15.00 by clicking here. 
Blessings Recieved and Shared in Faith
How have you and/or your family felt blessed by our church community? What are you most grateful for in your life? Please share your answers to these questions and share them with Lore Nugent our Pastoral Associate and Fr. Mark our Associate Pastor. We look forward to including these in our  Thanksgiving Mass on November 22 nd !  Please drop off at the Parish Office or email lnugent@churchofstmary.org or maugustine@churchofstmary.org your blessing by Wednesday, November 21.
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. 

Support School of St. Mary with 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. 

 

School of St. Mary Sacrament Schedule
Newspaper Collection Drive
Community Events and resources for School of St. Mary Families
You Matter-Blessing Bags

You can help people who find themselves in need either from a natural disaster or a result of personal challenges. The kind words "You Matter" can make a big difference. Please help School of St. Mary 3 rd 
grade Brownie troop (45283) to collect items for Blessing Bags. The troop will assemble them and get them to those in need. Below you will find a list of items we are collecting from November 1 through November 30.

Baby Wipes
Band -Aids                                                          
Brush, comb, elastic bands
Deodorant
Face and body care-travel size
First Aid Kit (travel size)
Lip balm
Mylar Survival Blanket
Shampoo-conditioner (travel size)
Soap                                                                                                       
Toothbrush/Toothpaste/floss
Hand warmers "hot hands"
Socks
Gloves
Scarf
Wash cloth 
Winter hats
-Gift Cards for McDonalds, Wendy's or easily located fast food.

Please drop off your donations at the Upper Grade Center box located across from the main office, the Primary Grade Center box or the box located at the Church of St. Mary. All donations  matter! Let's warm up some hearts together! 
Lake Forest / Lake Bluff Learning Differences Association (LDA)

The Lake Forest / Lake Bluff Learning Differences Association (LDA) met on October 31, and invites you to join us for our monthly meetings.  We regularly meet on the last Wednesday of every month at the West Campus of Lake Forest High School from 9:30-10:45.   All parents are welcome to come learn about the many resources, trends and issues our students with learning challenges experience.  It is a friendly group that talks with District / school administrators, hears about grant and financial updates and provides support for families.  We meet on the second floor of the West Campus of Lake Forest High School on the following days this year: November 28, January 30, February 27, April 24, and May 29. 
School of St. Mary Calendar
November 3 - November 16
   
Sunday November 4, 2018   leaves.jpg
  • Carmel Catholic High School Open House 
Monday November 5, 2018 
  • 2nd Grade Candle Service @ 7:00pm @ St. Mary Catholic Church
Tuesday November 6, 2018
  • UGC Mass @ 9:00am @ St. Mary Catholic Church
Wednesday November 7, 2018
  • PGC Mass @ 9:00am @ St. Patrick Catholic Church
Thursday November 8, 2018
  • Early Dismissal Day
  • Andy Duran LEAD Q&A Session with 6th, 7th, and 8th graders
  • Parent Teacher Conferences @ 3:30pm - 8:00pm
Friday November 9, 2018
  • No School
  • Parent Teacher Conferences @ 8:00am- 12:00pm
Sunday November 11, 2018
  • 6th graders attend Mass @ St. Mary Catholic Church @ 10:00am
  • Woodlands Open House @ 12:00pm 
Monday November 12, 2018
  • School Advisory Council Meeting @ 6:45pm @ UGC
Tuesday November 13, 2018
  • UGC Mass @ 9:00am @ St. Mary Catholic Church
Wednesday November 14, 2018
  • PGC Mass @ 9:00am @ St. Patrick Catholic Church
Thursday November 15, 2018
  • PGC Open House 9:30am-11:30am 
  • 1st Grade SING @ 6:30pm @ PGC
Friday November 16, 2018 
  • Casual Dress Day per the student handbook
  • Coffee With the Principal @ 9:00am @ PGC
          
    


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