PAW PRINTS
May 28, 2021
Dear SMCS Parents,

Congratulations to the SMCS Class of 2021! It was wonderful to see so many families last night at Mass and the Diploma Ceremony.

Thank you for a great school year! I appreciate your unending support and patience as we navigated the pandemic as a community. This year has been full of challenges that we have been able to overcome together. Special thanks to Nurse Diaz for always being available to answer questions about COVID. She has gone above and beyond as always. 
I also want to thank our parent volunteers for their help and support this year.

  • Our Annual Fund Chairs, Skip and Casey Redd, did a wonderful job working with the annual fund committee to help us exceed our goal again this year. Thank you to all of the committee members for their service to the school community.
  • Thank you to the School Commission for all of their time and support of the St. Michael Community.
  • Sarah Sprengnether, Chair of our P.L.U.S. Board (Parents Lending Useful Support), has done a great job assisting the school with class parties and other fun activities. We look forward to Amy Jolly assuming this role for the 2021-2022 school year.

Next year, we will also see some changes to our faculty and staff.

  • Mrs. Susan Beckering, the learning specialist, will be leaving our school to work with her mom. 
  • Mrs. Shari Cready will be leaving our school to be able to spend more time with her husband and family. 
  • Mrs. Monica Glauser will be retiring to spend more time with friends and family. 
  • Mrs. Sherry Redd will be leaving our school to be able to spend more time with her husband and family.
  • Mrs. Angela Loehr (Wyrick) will be moving with her husband to Colorado. 
  • Mr. Dave Muzyka will be the new learning specialist. 
  • Mrs. Colleen Lewis will be a new first-grade classroom assistant.
  • Mrs. Susie West will be a new kindergarten classroom assistant.
  • Mrs. Vivian VanWright will be the new 4th Grade Math, Science, and Social Studies teacher.
  • Mr. Brandon Reinertsen will be the new 5th & 7th Grade Science teacher. 

Thanks again for all of your support. Please expect to receive updates from the school when we have new information to share. 
I hope you have a wonderful summer! Take care and stay safe!

Blessings, 
Dr. Kathleen Cox
2021-2022 Preliminary COVID-19 Protocols


Athletics 
Both Parish Sports and Middle School athletics will resume in the fall of 2021. Information about both programs is available on the Athletics section of the school website.  

Birthday Treats & Birthday Lunch
Parents are invited to drop off a special lunch and birthday treats on their child’s birthday or half birthday (for summer birthdays). An online sign-up feature will be sent to you from your teacher, or head room parent, to avoid two birthday treats on the same day. Small treats such as cupcakes, cookies, or brownies are preferable for your child’s grade level (no nuts please). All treats must be store-bought. 
In addition, every child is recognized during morning prayer on their birthday.  

Brown Bag Lunch
At this time, we will not plan for a Brown Bag Lunch in the fall. Parents will be given the opportunity to order Chick-Fil-A for their students in late September.  

COVID-19 Safety Measures
To help prevent the potential spread of COVID-19 on campus, we will continue with these measures:
Hand sanitizer at entrances to the school and all classrooms.
Air purifiers in every classroom. 
Hand washing stations outside at recess and in the courtyard.
Enhanced cleaning and disinfection of campus spaces and surfaces.
COVID-19 Vaccines
We encourage every SMCS community member to get vaccinated as they are eligible. We do not currently have a plan to require the COVID-19 vaccine for students or adults, and we will update our full community with ample notice should this ever change.

Field Trips 
We feel that school field trips are essential SMCS experiences, and our goal is to provide these experiences in the 2021-2022 school year. Field trips will resume in the fall.

Lower School Ancillary Classes
Lower school students will return to traveling to their ancillary classes (Art, Music, Library, Spanish, and Technology).

Lunch
Students will have the option to bring lunch from home or to buy lunch from ECI, our catering company. ECI will continue to use their online ordering system that was implemented for the 2020-2021 school year. All lunches will be boxed up and ready for students at their lunchtime.   

Masks
Masks will be optional for students for the 2021-2022 school year as long as conditions remain stable or improve throughout the summer.


Nap Mats for PK3-Kindergarten
Students in PK3-Kindergarten will be asked to provide their own nap mat for the 2021-2022 school year. We encourage you to order nap mats with the handles on them as they are easier for the students to carry. It is also wise to have your child's name on their nap mat.

Nap mats can be purchased here:

Personal Space Dividers
We will discontinue the use of personal space dividers in the classrooms. To start the year, we will continue using our plexiglass dividers in the cafeteria with limited seating for two grade levels. 

Quarantining & Contact Tracing
In each instance of a positive case, we will continue to contact trace but quarantine only those individuals who have been within 6 feet of the individual who tests positive for more than 15 minutes, per the CDC definition of a close contact. Adults who have been fully vaccinated for at least two weeks prior to exposure will not have to quarantine. 

Remote Learning
While remote learning supports our COVID-19 protocols and is convenient for families, it is also disruptive to on-campus education due to the amount of time teachers must spend to provide adequate education using this medium. Parents should prepare for remote learning to be restricted to the following groups:

Those in quarantine due to COVID-19 exposure or a positive test (assuming they are well enough to learn).

School Mass
We will continue to attend daily Mass by grade levels. Two grade levels will attend Mass each day instead of one. We will continue to follow the church COVID protocols when we attend Mass.
As the capacity in the church increases, this schedule could change to allow for Angel Buddies to attend Mass on the same day. We will communicate any changes to this schedule.

Monday-7th&8th Grade Mass Day
Tuesday-5th & 6th Grade Mass Day
Wednesday-3rd & 4th Grade Mass Day
Thursday-1st & 2nd Grade Mass Day
Friday-Kindergarten & PK4 Mass Day

Temperature Checks 
We will no longer take temperatures during morning carpool. Each lower school grade level will have a thermometer for teachers to share. Upper school teachers will have access to thermometers in both the assistant principal offices. Teachers will be able to take temperatures when students are not feeling well.

Visitors, Volunteers & Events on Campus
We will welcome a limited number of visitors onto campus. Faculty and staff can resume in-person meetings with families. All visitors must comply with all COVID-19 protocols including potential mask requirements.

We will continue to offer creative, modified interpretations of our special events and school assemblies with the goal of having as much in-person activity as safely as possible. Please stay tuned for more information on this. 


More information about specific activities such as Morning Assembly, Art-a-la-carte, Read-A-Story, etc. will be sent closer to the start of the 2021-2022 school year. 
Friday, May 28
Last Day of School

Tuesday, June 1
4th Quarter Report Cards

Monday, June 7
Tuition due for the 2021-2022 School Year

Sunday, June 27
Mass Intention for the Class of 2021 at 9 am in the Church

Dear SMCS parents,

As summer approaches and we are all looking for fun things to do with our kids, the AALC team wanted to give you an option for all the art lovers (and even non-art lovers) out there.  Did you know that the AALC program was developed based on works right here in Houston at the MFAH?  As your children go through this program, they are studying works that are literally right down the road.  Why not go see them in person?!  We realize that the idea of looking at art in a museum with your kids can seem like a daunting task, but we have attached a “gallery tool” to help make it fun for everyone.  This tool is specifically designed to get your child (and you!) too look more deeply at what is in front of them.  It’s not about who the artist is, when it was painted or what art movement is being represented, it’s about starting a conversation.  You will be amazed at what their little eyes see!  We hope you find it helpful on a hot summer day.  

Ashley McGinnis and Hayley Zawacki
AALC Chairs
SUMMER 2021

Kindergarten
REQUIRED READING: 
I Like Me! by Nancy L. Carlson

Suggested Reading:(nightly reading including)

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

No, David by David Shannon


1st Grade
REQUIRED READING: 
Biscuit Finds a Friend by Allysa Satin Capuccili

Suggested Reading: (nightly reading including)

Leo the Late Bloomer by Robert Kraus

Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes

Any Jack Prelutsky book

Students need to bring the required reading book to class in the first week of school.

2nd Grade
REQUIRED READING: 
Mercy Watson Goes for a Ride by Kate DiCamillo

Suggested Reading: (nightly reading including)

Lily's Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes

Julius the Baby of the World Kevin Henkes

A Pizza the Size of the Sun by Jack Prelutsky or any Jack Prelutsky book

Students need to bring the required reading book to class in the first week of school.


3rd Grade
REQUIRED READING: 
Judy Moody Saves the World by Megan McDonald

Suggested Reading: (nightly reading including)

The One in the Middle is the Green Kangaroo by Judy Blume

Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl

Something Big Has Been Here by Jack Prelutsky or any Jack Prelutsky book

Students need to bring the required reading book to class in the first week of school.

Project - Test will be done in class


4th Grade
REQUIRED READING: 
Crenshaw by Catherine Applegate

Suggested Reading: (nightly reading including)

James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl

Whoosh! by Chris Barton

Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstien

Students need to bring the required reading book to class in the first week of school.

Book Project - done in class


5th Grade
REQUIRED READING: 
Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper

Recommended Reading:

Jerry Spinelli: Crash, Stargirl, Knots in My YoYo String, Wringer

Gary Paulsen: Lawn Boy, Woodsong, The Winter Room

Classics: Julie of the Wolves, Sounder, A Year Down Yonder, Rascal

Newer Classics: Surviving the Applewhites, Shooting the Moon, Pictures of Hollis Woods

Students need to bring the required reading book to class in the first week of school.

There will be a test over the book in class.


6th Grade
REQUIRED READING:
Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick

Recommended:

Homeless Bird, Tuck Everlasting, Mockingbird, The Shakespeare Stealer

Esperanza Rising, Tangerine, Crispin:Cross of Lead

Authors: Avi, Katherine Peterson, Sharon Creech

Students need to bring the required reading book to class in the first week of school.

There will be a test over the book in class.


7th Grade
REQUIRED READING: 
Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt

Recommended:

Choose two or more books from this HAISLN List.

Students need to bring the required reading book to class in the first week of school.

Take notes on the character development of Holling Hoodhood.

There will be a writing assignment/project in the first weeks of school.


8th Grade
REQUIRED READING: 
Pretties by Scott Westerfield and
Specials by Scott Westerfield

Recommended:

Choose two or more books from this HAISLN List.

Students need to bring the required reading book to class in the first week of school.

Work - Take notes on a main character's development/changes throughout the novels. 

You will be writing an essay on this in the first weeks of school.
What is happening at SMCS?