New This Week
Dean of Students News
NEW: Rapid Test Requirement for Return to School on March 28
Students, please follow these steps to prepare for your return to campus:
-
Pick up a rapid test from Health Services before you depart for break.
-
Test yourself in the morning on the day of your planned return to campus, March 28, before you begin travel back to St. Mark's.
-
Here is a short video on how to complete the test.
-
If you test positive, stay home and please email or call Adria Pavletic in Health Services to let her know you have tested positive (508-786-6372). She will guide you through next steps.
-
If you test negative, return to campus and take your arrival PCR test. (You do not need to report a negative result, just come back to school.)
-
IMPORTANT EXCEPTION: If you are within the 90-day period after having testing positive for COVID-19, you should not test with either a rapid test or PCR test. (You do not need to come pick up a rapid test, nor do you need to take an arrival PCR test in MFAC.) Students who are within their 90-day window received an email from either Adria Pavletic or Leslie Dowst letting them know when they are clear to return to testing.
-
If you have any questions about when you need to test, or if you should test, please be in touch with Adria Pavletic.
PLEASE NOTE: Spring Break Departure and Return Information
As you prepare for spring break, please remember:
- Houses close by 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 12.
-
Houses reopen at 2:00 p.m. on Monday, March 28.
- Boarders are expected back in houses by 7:30 p.m. on March 28.
Academic News
NEW: Feedback from Window Three
Window Three closes today, March 11. Feedback from Window Three in the form of grades and comments will be available following spring break. We will let you know when this feedback will be released in the Parent Portal.
NEW: St. Mark's Saturdays Classes Will Not Meet Tomorrow
St. Mark's Saturdays classes are not scheduled to meet tomorrow, March 12.
Saturday classes for the spring season begin April 2, 2022.
NEW: Lion Term Course Guide Live
As you review the Lion Term Course Guide, please do so with curiosity and openness to new experiences. The domestic travel opportunities originally proposed by the School did not receive adequate registrants and will not run this year. However, there are overnight and wilderness courses with St. Mark’s School faculty and peers as a part of this year’s Lion Term offerings. Experiential learning is designed for faculty and students to delve deeply into passions; to discover new interests or traits; to develop interpersonal, collaborative, and leadership skills; and to take on real or perceived risks in a safe yet challenging environment. Please take time to review the St. Mark’s School: Lion Term 2022 Guide.
-
Lion Term registration runs from March 30 to April 6.
- Please note that requests received by the deadline will be given priority over those received later.
-
Register by ranking your choices on the registration form here (which goes live on March 30).
- Students might be enrolled in any of their choices, as courses do reach capacity.
Admission News
ACTION ITEM: Re-Enrollment Contracts Will Be Issued This Month
Dear Parents of Current III, IV, and V Formers: student re-enrollment contracts for all returning students in 2022—2023 will be issued online beginning this month. As in previous years, contracts will be accessed via School Forms Online powered by inResonance. Contracts will be sent to both parent email addresses for each household, if applicable. The email addresses utilized are the primary emails listed for each parent currently in our database (unless you share an email address, in which case the contract will only be sent to the shared address). If your email for contract purposes has recently changed, please email lauriekalapinski@stmarksschool.org with your updated information. Thank you!
Re-Enrollment Timeline:
-
Beginning March 14: re-enrollment contracts will be sent online from admission@stmarksschool.org via sendgrid.net (with an invitation link). Please make note that the subject line of the email you will be receiving for this is: "St. Mark's School: Confirm your email." Contracts will go out in waves over a two to three-week window, and will be sent to your family only if not 'on hold' by any of the School's departments.
-
By April 20: completed re-enrollment contracts and deposits are due by the end of this business day. Reminder: deposits are separate from tuition.
Parents' Association News
NEW: Parent Coffee on Friday, April 1
Please join us for this informal gathering to connect and catch up on Friday, April 1 at 8:00 a.m. We will meet at NY Bagel Factory, which is located at 20 Turnpike Road in Southborough (Eastbound on Route 9).
NEW: All-School Endowed Faculty Chair Installation Ceremony
On Friday, April 8, 6:30 p.m. we will induct two new endowed faculty chair holders during an all-School ceremony. Jason Eslick will be installed as the new holder of the Richard A. Rader Chair, and Dr. Colleen Worrell will be installed as the inaugural holder of the Burgess Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning Chair. This is a required event for all students and faculty and should conclude by 7:30 p.m.
Health & Safety News
NEW: Head of School Letter Contains COVID-19 Updates
In today's letter, Head of School John C. Warren '74 shared COVID-19 test results along with Health and Safety Task Force updates.
Important Reminders
Course Request Process and Course Catalog for 2022—2023
Students and advisors submitted course requests this week from the
2022-2023 Course Catalog. As a reminder, this listing is a slate of requests, and not the student's confirmed schedule for 2022-2023. We aim for conversations around placements to uphold our core philosophy of balancing the rigor of a student's course load with the student's ability to perform their best. As we make our way to the close of the year, we anticipate that some work will remain to identify the most suitable program, with feedback from teachers serving the important functions of promoting student growth, and informing future directions of study. If you have questions, please reach out to your student’s advisor.
Save the Date for the 157th Prize Day Ceremony
Spring is right around the corner, and at St. Mark’s, we are starting to plan for our
157th Prize Day ceremony on Saturday, June 11. The Prize Day Committee sent an email to VI Form families and students on Wednesday, February 16, that provided preliminary information on our Prize Day ceremony and the schedule leading up to the big day.
Select this link to learn more. We look forward to seeing you in June!
Parent/Faculty/Staff Book Club for March and April
The April meeting of the St. Mark’s Parent/Faculty/Staff Book Club will take place via Zoom on Wednesday, April 13, at 1:00 p.m. (EST)
Other titles mentioned:
The May book title for discussion will be selected at the end of the April meeting by those in attendance.
SALE at the Online St. Mark's School Store!
The online St. Mark's School store is currently having a 20 percent off sale on drinkware for the month of March. Shop the sale
here. You can purchase additional school merchandise online
here. Happy shopping!
St. Mark's Partnership with Tommy Hilfiger Online
Did you know St. Mark's has a partnership with Tommy Hilfiger online? Visit
www.globalschoolwear.com to shop Tommy Hilfiger merchandise for St. Mark's, or join the email list at
www.globalschoolwear.com/emailsignup to learn about Tommy Hilfiger sales and special promotions. From March 7—11, you can receive 10 percent off of your order with code: EMAILEXCLUSIVE.
Please Notify Health Services of Health-Related Absences
Parents should notify Health Services (particularly in the mornings), of any health-related student absences, missed classes, or St. Mark’s commitments.
Essential Dates Calendar
Health and Safety & COVID-19 Updates
Important messages from Head of School John C. Warren '74, as well as additional details pertaining to COVID-19, can be found on our website.
Previous Deans' Weekly Newsletters
All Deans' Weekly newsletters can be found here on our website.
Upcoming Events
Wednesday, April 13
Parent/Faculty/Staff Book Club
1:00 p.m. EST
Zoom
See reminder above for more information.
Friday, April 1
Parent Coffee
8:00 a.m.
NY Bagel Factory
20 Turnpike Road, Southborough (Eastbound on Route 9)
Friday, April 8
Endowed Faculty Chair Installation Ceremony
6:30 p.m.
All-School required event for students and faculty
Recent News Stories
You can read all St. Mark's news stories on our website here.
