News from the St. Mark's Dean of Students, Dean of Academics, and Dean of Faculty
October 9, 2020
St. Mark’s Campus Operations Phase Levels
The School recently published a document outlining its phases and approach to ensuring a safe transition to various levels of changes to teaching and campus operations as a result of COVID-19. Each plan is subject to change given the specific circumstances of the scenario at-hand.

Phase levels are determined by the Health Services and administrative teams in conjunction with the Health and Safety Task Force. The key to phase determination is speed and follow-through. The School will also work in conjunction with the Town of Southborough public health director. In addition, the School will examine data as part of the EH&E tracking database as well as work with the consultant(s) at EH&E, as needed.

The phases used are independent of the color code systems used by any other jurisdictions or municipalities.

Changes in phases will be communicated via our RAVE emergency communication system via text and email. This communication will be sent to our entire community, including all parents, students, and all faculty and staff. A change in phases will include the delivery of an initial RAVE message explaining the phase level immediately followed by a more detailed email explaining the phase details.
ACTION NEEDED: Social Agreements for Students & Family Waiver
In these unprecedented times of a pandemic, it will take a shared commitment from each and every member of the St. Mark’s community to maintain the health and safety of all. We take great pride in being a caring and inclusive community where we value each other over self-interest and where we live by the standards of RUSH: Respect, Understanding, Safety, and Honesty. Therefore, as a member of the St. Mark’s Pride, students promise to protect their classmates, the St. Mark’s faculty, our families and neighbors, and myself by adopting the practices and attitudes summarized in the agreement.

Students:
Any student who feels uncomfortable or is unwilling to follow these standards and protocols, or feel that these standards and protocols are not sufficient, can choose to attend school remotely.

A student who does not fully comply with these standards and protocols will be required to attend school remotely for the time period (likely 14 days, but potentially the entire fall term) defined by the dean of students. 

Students: Please visit this link to agree to the social agreement: https://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/5840799/Fall-2020-Student-Social-Agreement-Form

Families:
We are asking all families to sign a consent form and liability waiver. The waiver can be found here. Please review the document and click the appropriate buttons to accept the terms as soon as possible.

Families: Please visit this link to agree to the waiver:

Please note the social agreement and family waiver are due on Wednesday, October 14.
RAVE Alert Notification System Test Next Week
RAVE Alert emergency test notifications will happen next week. The School has downloaded emergency numbers of parents, grandparents, guardians, etc. and a test message will be sent out. If you listed multiple emergency phone numbers, please be sure to reach out to those contacts and inform them that an emergency test message is headed their way.

Please note that the mailing list for this newsletter and the contact list for emergency notifications are not the same.
Athletics
Congratulations to two former St. Mark's hockey players who were selected in the NHL draft earlier this week. Ian Moore, a co-captain of the 2019-2020 team, was picked by the Anaheim Ducks in the third round, and Sean Farrell, who played with the Lions in 2016-2017, was chosen by the Montreal Canadiens in the fourth round. In addition, Tucker Hartmann '20 has committed to play for Yale beginning next year. Go St. Mark's! 
Weekend Activities 
What's up this weekend? Select this link to view this weekend's campus activities.
Online Bookstore Open Now for a Limited Time
Our online store, your destination for official St. Mark’s apparel, is NOW OPEN! Be sure to visit before it closes on Sunday, October 18.

Orders must be received by Sunday, October 18. Order today!
Campus News
The St. Marker: Back to School Issue
We hope you are well. Linked here you will find the Back to School Issue of The St. Marker.

In it you will find articles about the more relaxed dress code, new faculty, how students are coping with the new learning model in different time zones, and St. Markers' unique experiences with the coronavirus. In addition, you can meet the new writing and editorial staff of The St. Marker. We hope you enjoy the articles and stay healthy! 

The St. Marker Senior Staff
  • Katie Park
  • Cathy Zhou
  • Rebecca Wu
  • Elise Gobron
  • Clara Hua
  • Samantha Wang
  • Suha Choi


IV Former Receives Reliant "Community Hero Award"
Anika Sukthankar, a IV Form day student from Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, was the recipient of a "Community Hero Award" from Reliant Medical Group this past August. Read More.

St. Mark's Blessing of the Animals Delights Chapelgoers
On Friday morning, October 2, the regular St. Mark's chapel service featured a much-loved annual tradition: the Blessing of the Animals. This year, of course, the service had to be virtual, so instead of pets lining up and being led down the aisle of Belmont Chapel, students, faculty, and staff sent in photos of their beloved pets. Read More.
Admission News | Upcoming Events
Community & Equity Virtual Open House: Saturday, October 17

Do you know a student or family that might be interested in learning more about Community & Equity St. Mark’s School? If so, please encourage them to join us on Saturday, October 17 from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. Prospective families will have an opportunity to connect with Dr. John Daves, director of community and equity affairs; Starry Zhu, assistant director of community and equity affairs; and St. Mark's affinity group student leaders to learn more about the work our community is doing.

Registration for the Community & Equity Virtual Open House can be found here:

Explore St. Mark’s: Thursday, November 5

Do you know a family that might be interested in learning more about St. Mark’s School? Interested families are invited to connect with admission representatives and current students during Explore St. Mark’s on Thursday, November 5 from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. More details to follow in the coming weeks about this event. 

Registration for Explore St. Mark’s can be found here: https://stmarksschool.zoom.us/webinar/register/5116002618001/WN_X1XP5jD0TIyUgIE2Fr5F9A

Admission Parent Volunteers Needed

The Admission Office is seeking parent volunteers to meet with prospective parents virtually this season. Since we are unable to hold these meetings on campus 'in the parlor', we are shifting them to Zoom sessions. They will be held three times a week, every week (except during Thanksgiving break and winter break). Each will be roughly 30 minutes in length. If you helped in the past and would like to assist with these or you haven't been able to volunteer in the parlor before due to your location away from campus, now is your opportunity! We'd love to have you.
 
If you are interested in volunteering for this purpose, please contact our Head Admission Parent Volunteer, Marisa Macri P '21 at marisamacri@comcast.net. Marisa will be able to provide you with more information on these sessions along with the SignUpGenius information with the volunteer schedule. Additionally, if you have any other questions about these, feel free to reach out to Jenny Golding P '07,'09,'13, in the Admission Office at jennifergolding@stmarksschool.org
Spiritual Reflections
Twice a week, we gather for prayer, meditation and reflection, St. Mark's School style. The Chaplains at St. Mark's would like to offer that same kind of reflection to you, twice a week, by email. Reflections will be short and inclusive: mindful of the present, but rooted in the eternal. Sign up if you are interested, and spread the word!
Parents’ Association
Parent Speaker Series: Wednesday, October 14, 2020, 8:00 p.m. EDT

Topic: Becoming a Truly Antiracist School

Scheduled Speakers:
  • John C. Warren ’74, Head of School
  • John Daves, Director of Community & Equity Affairs
  • Lauren Martin, Community Wellness Educator

Please register and submit questions here by October 12. A Zoom link will be sent about an hour before the event. A recording will be sent a day or two after the event. We are planning an interactive parent discussion for later this year.
 

Faculty and Staff Appreciation Day: Thursday, October 15

The Parents' Association returns to campus to celebrate Fall Faculty and Staff Appreciation Day!

Parent volunteers have prepared bagged apples for St. Mark's faculty and staff to show thanks for all they’ve done for the students and the St. Mark's community this school year. Following COVID-19 safety guidelines, the apple display will be in the Thieriot parking lot for quick and socially-distanced pick-up! 

We hope to see all faculty and staff who can come by for a special treat on Thursday, October 15!


Parent/Faculty/Staff Book Club Meeting: November 11 
 
We’ll meet via Zoom on Wednesday, November 11 from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. EST to discuss The Red Address Book by Sofia Lundberg. At the end of this meeting, we’ll choose a title for December. Please join in for some book discussion and a bit of socializing.
 
Interested in attending? Please email Joanne Flathers P’15, ’19, ’21 (joanne@flathersfamily.net) or Laurie Kalapinski (lauriekalapinski@stmarksschool.org) to receive the Zoom link. Invitations will be sent on the morning of November 11. As always, interest does not mean obligation. We understand circumstances can change quickly.

If you have questions or want to be added to our email list, please contact Joanne or Laurie at the email addresses listed above.  


Parent Form Annual Fund Volunteer 

We are looking for Parent Form Volunteers to help support the Annual Fund. This opportunity entails:  
  • Working closely with the Chair of Parent Giving to build a successful Parent Giving program
  • Supporting St. Mark’s with a gift to the Annual Fund
  • Advocating for giving and inspiring others to contribute to the Annual Fund
  • Joining other parent volunteers for at least two Parent Phonathon evenings (with training)
  • Soliciting parents to meet parent and Form participation goals.
  • Representing their Form when speaking about the St. Mark’s Parent Giving Program
 
Don’t live nearby? No problem! Parents around the country and the world are invited to volunteer as this opportunity can be achieved virtually.
 
For more information, please contact Gage Gillis at gagegillis@stmarksschool.org.
 
 
For other volunteer opportunities, please complete the 
Scenes from Campus: SmugMug Galleries 
We invite you to take a look at the photos galleries below of scenes from campus:

First day on campus:

Academic classes:

Athletics: 
Calendar News:
October 14 - Parent Speaker Series
October 15 - Fall Faculty and Staff Appreciation Day
October 17 - Admission - Virtual Open House - Community & Equity
November 5 - Admission - Explore St. Mark's
November 11 - Parent/Faculty/Staff Bookclub Meeting