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Mark Your Calendars
St. Mark's Saturdays Classes, May 6
SM Saturdays classes are scheduled for this Saturday, May 6. This Saturday only, School Meeting will take place after Saturday classes. Classes will begin at 8:30 a.m., and School Meeting will follow at 11:00 a.m. This shift supports our Reunion programming, allowing our returning St. Markers to experience School Meeting. The final SM Saturdays class date is May 13.
Participate in the NECC 5K Walk/Run for Autism, May 13
Please join the V Form Class of 2024 in supporting The New England Center for Children (NECC) on May 13! This year, the Experiential Learning Office will sponsor your participation in NECC’s 5K Walk/Run for Autism—click on this link to sign up to walk or run now!
Through the Spring V Form Saturday class, St. Markers are being challenged to engage directly with the community, growing in self-awareness and social responsibility. This year, we are volunteering in a variety of capacities in support of NECC's 5K Walk/Run for Autism.
The NECC has been effectively treating and educating children with autism for more than 40 years. They seek that each child lives a fulfilling, enjoyable life. Every gift helps support a comprehensive learning environment for a complete social, physical, creative, and academic experience. St. Mark's School has had a long relationship with NECC, including but not limited to our students volunteering through our Saturday program: Teaching and Learning at NECC. We are hoping to reboot this partnership in fall 2023—stay tuned!
Admission
Spring Admission Open House
Current families, do you have younger siblings or friends who are interested in applying to St. Mark's for 2024-2025? If so, we hope you will join us next Saturday, May 13, from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. for a Spring Admission Open House! Tour the campus, and connect with admission representatives and current parents. Campus tours will depart every 15 minutes starting at 9:15 a.m. and ending at 10:45 a.m. To register, visit: https://www.stmarksschool.org/admission/events.
FACTS Tuition Management Sign-up for 2023-2024
New this year, for ease of accessing tuition statements, the Business Office is requesting that all families sign up for FACTS, regardless of their payment plan choice. If you have received your countersigned enrollment contract notification email from the Admission Office and have not already done so, please follow the link to FACTS from the checklist item in the Enrollment Portal. You may also view the FACTS FAQ PDF brochure here.
Athletics
Team of the Week: JV Golf
JV golf is off to a great start this year! They currently sit at a perfect 5-0 record after a clean 8-0 sweep over Brooks yesterday at Southborough Golf Club. Gannon Austin '24, Andrew Zhao '26 and Alex Tarves '26 have been strong for the team thus far. In previous years, only the varsity team would compete within the ISL, but with strong interest in the program, varsity coach David Lyons formalized a JV schedule so the team could compete this year. Under the leadership of coaches Scott Dolesh and KK Roussinos, the JV team will look to cap off an undefeated regular season as they square off against Governor's Academy on May 10 and Rivers on May 17. Go Lions!
REMINDER: Spring Schedules and Updates
Please continue to check your student's game schedules on the website if/when inclement weather comes our way:
https://www.stmarksschool.org/athletics/teams. Game scores and updates will also be communicated through our SM Athletics social media accounts. Twitter: @SMSSports Instagram: @SMAthletics
College Counseling
Additional SMARTTRACK Information and Next Steps
Thank you to all St. Mark's families, faculty, and staff who were able to join us for the SMARTTRACK webinar on Tuesday, April 25. We hope that you found the session informative and useful. If you have not yet scheduled your personal, free evaluation with a SMARTTRACK advisor, click here to do so now.
If you were not able to attend the webinar, here is the link: What You Need to Know Now about Paying Less for College. The on-demand link will be available for a limited time, so be sure to view it soon.
Next Step: St. Mark's School is providing its III Form, IV Form, and V Form families with a no-cost, no-obligation professional College Funding Evaluation because they know how important the financial piece of college planning is, and that it starts much earlier than you might think. We highly recommend you take advantage of this opportunity to ‘stress-test’ your current funding plans.
Spend 5 minutes now and complete all 3 steps in the process.
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Create your complimentary SMARTTRACK account, or bookmark this page to login if you already have one.
- Answer the general questions in the quick assessment (necessary in order to get personalized, professional feedback!).
- Choose a good day/time for your evaluation call.
Remember, you must use this link to get started: https://join.smarttrackcollegefunding.com/st-marks-school
Once you have an account, bookmark this page to login anytime. One parent account per household, please.
As always, you are also encouraged to contact the College Counseling Office at St. Mark's with any questions.
Community and Equity
Weekly Reflection
On Monday, April 24, after months of conversation and development, St. Mark’s shared its Community & Equity Strategic Plan.
This ambitious and expressed endeavor, including five specific goals for growth, will set the tone for our commitment to raising the expectations of community discourse and actions regarding the student and adult experience at St. Mark’s.
This insistence on a broad sweep of specific C&E endeavors will not only set St. Mark's School on a path for improvement, but its existence online also allows for transparency and accountability for that which we have set to accomplish.
This week's prompt: Regarding goal setting, author and life coach Tony Robbins says, “Setting goals is the first step of turning the invisible into the visible.”
Reflecting on this statement, how can you join the efforts of positive change through goal setting and action?
Community Life and Student Engagement
Weekend Activities
Want to know what's happening this weekend? Check out the Weekend Activities Google Doc for on-campus events and trips to off-campus locations.
VI Form Dance Information
This presentation was shared recently with St. Mark's students and includes information on the VI Form Formal, which will take place at the Boston Marriott Long Wharf on Thursday, June 8, at 7:00 p.m.
Reminder: 2023-2024 Housing Information
The 2023-2024 student housing process will begin after the conclusion of the leadership selection process. For returning boarding students, housing is selected and assigned through a lottery system by form. A housing information session took place on Friday, April 28; during this meeting, students were introduced to the process, and they had an opportunity to ask questions.
For the time being, students are encouraged to think about a peer in their same form who would be a good roommate. Students should think about what is most important to them in a roommate, and they should consider sleeping habits, room atmosphere, and levels of socialization in the room. Please ask your student for their thoughts about housing and rooming preferences, and remind them that their closest friend may not always be their ideal roommate. Single rooms are extremely limited, so students should begin by thinking about potential roommate pairings.
The number draw, a required first component of the housing lottery process, will take place on Friday, May 5, during the evening hours. Questions about the housing process can be directed to Maggie Caron, dean of student engagement, at margaretcaron@stmarksschool.org.
Reminder: Prize Day 2023
The 158th Prize Day ceremony will be held on campus Saturday, June 10, 2023, at 10:30 a.m. under a tent on Belmont Field. For more information about Prize Day, as well as answers to frequently asked questions, please visit our Prize Day webpage. Additionally, digital swag and printables are available online at this link.
Advancement
REMINDER: State of the School for Parents, May 10
Hear from Head of School John C. Warren ’74 on Wednesday, May 10, at 7:00 p.m. about highlights from the 2022–2023 academic year, and what lies ahead for the School and St. Mark’s students. This event will be held in person at Choate House and livestreamed for those unable to attend. Register and submit questions in advance.
IV Form Donut Day, May 11
Congratulations to the IV Form, whose parents rose to the challenge on Giving Day and contributed the greatest number of gifts. The special prize for their students is Donut Day on May 11 during the morning community block. It was a close contest, and all St. Mark’s students will benefit from parent participation in Giving Day!
SAVE THE DATE: VI Form Parent Potluck, June 8
VI Form Parents are invited to gather for a potluck at Choate House on Thursday, June 8, at 5:45 p.m. after taking pictures for the VI Form Dance. Thank you to our organizers Namerta Sahani P’20 ’23, Shalini Yerabothu P’20 ’23, and Navneet Anand P’23 ’24. A sign-up for potluck contributions will be shared next week.
RECORDING: Speaker Series for Parents: AI in Education
Last Saturday, Dean of Academics Nat Waters led an important and informative discussion about the role of artificial intelligence in education. View a recording of the event.
Around the Quad
The Search for our Next Head of School
The Head of School Search webpage provides information for our community on the search for St. Mark's next Head of School. Yesterday, May 3, this update on the search was shared with our community. Please stay tuned to this newsletter for future updates on the search as it progresses.
SALE at the Online School Store
Looking for a St. Mark's gift and can't make it to campus? Shop the online St. Mark's School store here. For the month of May, receive 20 percent off eco-friendly products. Plus, orders totaling $50 or more receive free shipping. Happy shopping!
For More on What's Happening Inside the Pride
View photos from campus on our School's SmugMug page.
Read the latest news stories on our website.
Watch videos from St. Mark's on YouTube.
Enjoy the latest issue of St. Mark's Magazine.
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