The 2019-2020 school year has begun and
what a start it has been!
We now have all three grades (10th-12th) in the High School and will graduate our first class of seniors in May. We celebrated as a community with the first Mass of the year and the dedication of The Mann Family Meditation Garden and the blessing of the new statue of the Virgin Mary.
Volleyball and soccer practices have begun. Students in the Elementary classrooms have been greeting new and returning friends and continuing their Montessori journey with eagerness and excitement. The Lower Elementary students have been receiving new lessons and building on previous ones. The Adolescent Community is in full swing and will have the theme of “peace and conflict” woven within the fabric of their lessons this school year. Phasing in of our Infant Community and Primary students continues into next week, and the children who have begun school have been joyously learning and playing in their classrooms and outdoor environments.
Click here to enjoy a photo gallery of the first week of school.
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As part of our ongoing investment in professional development for faculty we have invited Dr. Alison Awes, an internationally-recognized reading expert to work with faculty and staff on Saturday, August 24. This all-day training will advance St. Catherine's commitment to delivering evidence-based language instruction to students of all ages.
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Saturday, August 24
- High School Parent Potluck, 5:30 – 7:30 PM (Lopez Residence)
Tuesday, August 27
- Friends of the Library Work Day, after drop-off (Library)
Friday, August 30
- Welcome Back Meeting, after drop-off (Gym)
Saturday, August 31
- Maria Montessori's 149th Birthday
Monday, September 2
- Labor Day. No school. After-school program closed.
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Parent Orientation Survey
The
parent orientation survey
will remain open through Monday, September 26. Thank you to those who already have provided feedback. If you have not yet completed the short questionnaire, please consider taking 10 minutes to share your thoughts on last week’s orientations. We value your input and look forward to implementing suggestions that will improve the experience. If you have any orientation follow-up questions, please refer to the
Parent/Student Handbook
and/or contact your guide directly.
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Parent Volunteer Forms
Thank you to everyone who submitted the parent volunteer interest form! Lists are being distributed this week to guides, PSO leadership, the board of directors, and staff members. There is still time to sign up on
ParentsWeb > Resource Documents to make your interests known for beginning-of-year volunteer opportunities,
and you can adjust your information throughout the year.
Please remember that all volunteers must complete the online Safe Haven training course and pass a criminal background check before volunteering at St. Catherine's. Visit
www.stcathmont.org/safe-environment
to learn more, register, and take the course. If you are a Room Parent, you must complete your Safe Haven training by August 31, 2019.
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Annual SCM Fund Campaign Continues
Thank you
again to the High School parents, board members and faculty/staff who kicked off our annual SCM Fund campaign earlier this month. Each of these groups has achieved 100% participation, and our current commitments total is $29,400! This figure is $15,400 higher than total SCM Fund commitments on August 31, 2017 - the most recent year our campaign began in August - which included donors from nearly all constituent categories (parents, grandparents, faculty/staff, alumni, etc.). We are off to a great start here in the early stages of 2019-2020!
The next stage of the campaign begins next week, when parents with children in the Infant Community through Adolescent Community will receive their appeal letters and commitment cards via mail. In the meantime, please take time to read the short
SCM Fund primer
found on our website and let us know if we can provide any additional information to help you make an informed decision about giving to St. Catherine's.
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Sociables Looking for Co-Hosts
Hello, SCM Community!
We’re excited to kick off another great school year filled with opportunities to socialize with our community and fund raise for our school, and we’re excited for you to join us in making this year’s Sociables the best yet.
Here are ways to participate:
JOIN a committee of co-hosts. We have an exciting list of events still looking for co-hosts. Whether you are new to SCM or a seasoned member of our community, joining a committee of co-hosts is a great way to get involved, meet other families, and help our school meet its yearly fundraising goal. Take a look at the events still looking for co-hosts and
sign up
to join a host committee.
CREATE an event to host/co-host. Do you have an idea for an event? We’d love to hear it and help you get the event rolling. Please email us at
[email protected]
.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Best,
Lindsay Tucker, Luissa Alba-MacDonald, Sabina Vizinat
Sociables Co-Chairs
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On Thursday, August 15th our community gathered to celebrate the Feast Day of the Assumption of Mary. Students participated in Mass by performing and singing the music of the liturgy, serving as altar servers and ushers, reading the scriptures, and bringing the gifts of bread and wine. A special thank you to SCM alumna Olivia Novak who embroidered the new white linen altar cloth. Her beautiful gift will allow for the natural wood of the handmade altar, created by SCM parent Ben Mull, to shine.
Following Mass, we processed with Father Tom to The Mann Family Meditation Garden for a dedication and blessing of the new statue of the Virgin Mary.
Thanks to the donated design work of Keiji Asakura, well-known Houston landscape architect, we have a clever and interesting design using a
“Hugelkultur”
method, which entails mounds built on top of logs and organic matter that provides nutrients and moisture for the garden as they decompose.
Click here
to view a short video of the dedication.
In accordance with our Catholic and Montessori missions, we follow the teachings of “The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd” to support the spiritual life of our students. To learn more about religious education at St. Catherine’s Montessori,
click here
.
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Fall Sports Has Started—there is still time to register!
Last week, students in the 4th – 9th years started their first week of practice for fall sports. This year we have 55 (and counting!) student athletes registered for co-ed soccer and girls volleyball.
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INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM
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AC Field Trip to Asia Society Texas Center
The Adolescent Community took a field trip last Thursday to the Asia Society Texas Center to watch Tibetan monks from the Drepung Loseling Monastery in southern India create a mandala sand painting. Over the course of five days, the monks placed millions of grains of colored sand to form the image of a mandala to effect purification and healing. This trip is in keeping with the AC’s year-long theme of “peace and conflict.”
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Friends of the Atrium
Friends of the Atrium is a PSO committee dedicated to celebrating the liturgical year in our school. The committee supports, as needed, our catechists and music directors in Mass preparations and other activities throughout the year, and holds a 20-minute Christian meditation or silent prayer session for parents every Wednesday morning. All are invited to attend Christian Mediation for Parents, which begins on September 4 and is held in the Atrium from 8:05 to 8:25 AM. Visit the Friends of the Atrium
webpage
to learn more.
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PSO New Parent Welcome Committee’s Back-to-School Meet-up Huge Success
On Saturday, August 17 over 150 members
of the SCM community gathered at Colonial Park in West U to celebrate the start of the new school year. New families and returning ones enjoyed a morning of fun and friendship. Check the
online calendar
for information on future play dates.
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PSO Book Club Meets on September 27, 2019
The PSO Book Club co-chairs invite you to participate in a discussion of Brené Brown's book,
The Gifts of Imperfection
, on September 27, 2019 at 8:30 AM in the gym. There will be some copies available for check-out in the Parent Library (located in the Welcome Center) or you can purchase your own using your AmazonSmile account set to support SCM.
PSO Book Club Co-Chairs
Catherine Barber, Misty Matin & Tracey Ledoux
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If you would like to submit something for the Globe, please send it for approval to
[email protected]
by
Monday at noon.
LIKE US ON FACEBOOK!
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