SMA Newsletter • February 16, 2023 |
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Mission Statement
St. Martin of Tours Academy fosters confidence, curiosity, and independence through a climate of cooperation and trust by preserving dignity throughout the learning process, accentuating all children’s God-given gifts in a Catholic environment.
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Dear St. Martin Community,
The season of Lent will soon be upon us. Please join us for Ash Wednesday Mass on February 22nd at 10 am. The Lenten season is a time to fast, pray, and give. Our Student Council recently sponsored a "Souper" Bowl canned food drive in which the winning team was the Eagles. Too bad they did not actually win the Super Bowl (much to the chagrin of this south Jersey-raised principal). Save the date for our Academy-hosted supper and Stations of the Cross: Friday, March 24th.
Thank you to those who have completed the family survey. We need your input. Previous survey results have guided improvements school-wide, and will continue to do so. Parents and guardians, please complete this survey. The results will be included in our accreditation process and are completely anonymous. So far, we only have less than 1% participation. Show your Spartan spirit by completing the survey! Thank you.
Blessings,
Jennifer Miller, Principal
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An Important Letter to Parents |
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Dear SMA Parents and Guardians,
Can you believe we are already planning for next school year? We have been working on streamlining our registration process through SchoolSpeak. This process has allowed our Green Ribbon school to save ink and paper while digitizing information for administrative staff to organize more easily. Re-registration opened at the end of Catholic Schools Week late January. Registration fees will be increasing from $300 to $400 on February 21st. These fees are used to purchase textbooks and supplies for the coming school year, which is why they are not refundable. Ordering early allows us to take advantage of free/reduced shipping fees and other promotions to save our school money.
St. Martin of Tours is very blessed to be on the brink of adding applicants to waiting lists for grades K-3 next school year. Therefore, it is highly recommended families register prior to February 21, 2023 via SchoolSpeak to receive first priority. Since I joined the SMA community in the summer of 2021, I have partnered with our Parent Teacher Group (PTG), School Advisory Board, and pastor (Father Elmer) to take SMA a step forward in updating technology, pedagogy, and safety. We are excited to continue doing so with our community’s support through the annual gala, Walkathon, fall festival, monthly donation envelopes, bake sales, and days of giving.
Providing a Catholic education for your child is a sacrifice that is recognized by the pastor and administration at SMA. To that end, we do all we can to keep tuition fees as low as possible. Fundraising and volunteering has covered the shortfall of unanticipated costs due to deferred facility repairs. We will continue to identify areas to reduce expenses in areas that will not affect student learning or safety. In order to keep SMA viable, we found it necessary to increase tuition for the 2023-2024 school year with input received from our SMA Advisory Board, PTG, and the Diocesan financial department. While we wish we could keep tuition the same, it is simply not possible with inflation and costs associated with providing salaries/benefits to our hard-working and loving faculty and staff. SMA will continue to offer tuition assistance, which can be applied for using the FACTS Grant & Aid link found on our website under “Admissions.”
Going forward, we learned Diocesan schools are no longer allowed to offer a volunteer rate. This was not a decision made by me or Father Elmer. The reasoning from the diocese is that if volunteers receive a tuition discount for volunteering, it is no longer volunteering and is considered a "business income tax liability". For further details, you can contact the Civil Affairs Office at the diocese. Therefore, we are offering one tuition rate with a decreased number of volunteer hours required by all families. The annual volunteer commitment has been reduced from 35 to 30 hours. Single parent families will be asked to commit to 15 hours per year. We also love seeing grandparents volunteering! (Yes, those hours count for the family.) Everyone benefits through volunteering, which brings the community together and instills within our students the value of stewardship and being part of a school family. In fact, I reached out to many principals in the Diocese who have noticed stronger communities as a result of asking all families to commit to volunteering. Volunteering can also be done from home. All opportunities will be shared at the beginning of the school year. If you have any questions about volunteering, please reach out to our PTG president, Genevieve Suzuki.
This school year (2022-2023) was our first year providing weekly minimum days for professional development and time to work on our accreditation documents. We offered Fun Friday from 12 to 2:30 pm, a free service to parents to assist with the transition to Friday minimum days. Fun Fridays will be ending after May. Beginning next school year, 2023-2024, parents needing childcare after 12 p.m. on Fridays will have the option to send students directly to Spartan Care, which is open until 6 p.m. each day. Hourly care will remain at $8 an hour with no minimums or maximums.
I am grateful for the opportunity to work alongside you to provide your children with a quality education that is grounded in faith, community, and service. Your support and engagement in our Catholic school truly makes a difference, and we at SMA are honored to have you as partners in this important mission. Thank you for entrusting your children to our care and for all that you do to help them reach their full potential. Your partnership is essential to the success of our school, and we are deeply grateful for your continued support.
In Mission,
Jennifer Miller, Principal
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The Walkathon Campaign Begins! |
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On March 23, we will walk the track - Olympic style. Each class will be representing a country. Our new platform, 99Pledges, is an easy and exciting way to raise money for our Walkathon. Families will be receiving an email invitation to login to their child's personal website today.
This year we are raising money to fund several items: (1) a digital marquee, (2) a shade structure, and (3) new turf. The digital marquee will allow our school to announce special days, events and news on an easy-to-see sign, and the shade structure will cover the entire basketball/volleyball court! Yesterday, parents were emailed a request to choose their child's t-shirt size which also provided the option of purchasing a t-shirt for themselves. Students will receive a free t-shirt once a $50 donation has been received. If you have not ordered your child's t-shirt, click HERE. Please place your order by Friday.
Thank you to all our sponsors! They will be displayed on the back of the t-shirts (see below). Deadline for sponsorship inclusion is February 23, 2023. Click HERE for the Sponsor Form.
Families may also become a sponsor for $100. Names will be listed in the newsletter and website. Family sponsorships can be deducted from your FACTS account. Contact Gen Suzuki at suzukigen@gmail.com if you have any questions. So far there are seven family sponsors: Hedberg, McCarthy, Mesnik, Pozniak, Shafer, Sumner and Suzuki.
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Students in grades 3-8 are welcome to sign up for Spring Sports. New this year is signing up through SchoolSpeak. Click on the button below to register your child.
Coaches are needed for Boys JV & Varsity Soccer and PeeWee Basketball. Contact Bert Meza if you can volunteer.
bmeza@stmartinacademy.org.
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The Knights of Columbus is sponsoring a Free Throw Championship after school on Thursday 2/23 for ages 9-14,
Click on the score sheet to print entry form. Extra forms are in the school office.
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Families are invited to
an exciting evening of dancing
at the Sock Hop!
6:30 – 8:30 PM • Parish hall
DJ/Dancing • Photo Booth
Snacks/Sweets
$35 per SMA family
Click HERE to reserve your ticket!
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"Our Sock Hop chairs, Mari Waldron and Teresa Propper, changed things up and opened it up to the entire family so we can all go to the “Hop” Feb. 24, 2023, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Parish Hall. What this means is moms and sons who also like to shake a tailfeather can attend this year’s dance alongside dads and daughters who want to hold up the wall. It’s our first Whole Family Dance!
So if you have a poodle skirt, Doris Day-dress, or a Pink Ladies or T-Bird jacket hanging around without a thing to do until Halloween, dust it off and sign up to boogie woogie with your fellow SMA families for $35. There will be a DJ, photo booth, snacks, beverages and a candy bar featuring Bazooka bubblegum, Hershey Kisses, Pixy Stix, York Patties, Dum Dums, Atomic Fireballs, M&Ms and mini-chocolate bars." - Excerpt from letter to parents from PTG President Gen Suzuki
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We are looking for volunteers! Options for morning set up, working the event or just staying after to clean. Sign up HERE.
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Classes begin Tuesday, March 7th and continue through May 16th. The classes will be in the Peace Garden, weather permitting.
Sünje O’Clancy, MA, E-RYT, RCYT, RPYTYoga Rascals Director
619-865-9506
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There is no school on Friday, 2/17 and is closed for President's Day
on Monday, 2/20. School resumes on Tuesday, 2/21.
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Screen your Teen
Free heart screening for ages 12 to 25 to detect risk factors for sudden cardiac arrest. complete packet at screenyourteens.org.
Endorsed by SMA parent Tracy Gadler, nurse practitioner.
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Sun, April 23, 2023, 9:30 AM – 2:30 PM
Santana High School 9915 N Magnolia Ave. Santee, CA 92017
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San Diego Science Festival is back at Petco Park
Saturday, March 4 • 10:00 AM to 5:00PM
The San Diego Festival of Science and Engineering Week is the largest event of its kind in Southern California.The San Diego Festival of Science & Engineering is produced by Generation STEAM, Biocom California’s 501c3 nonprofit committed to K-12 science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) education.
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St. Martin of Tours Academy
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