St. Mary's Visitation Parish School's Mission Statement
St. Mary's Visitation Catholic Parish School exists to direct children toward God and toward Christian Service to society through Catholic religious formation, academic challenge, and continuous improvement.
Principal Notes

Dear Families,

It was just a year ago that it seemed the world community shut down. In the past year we’ve exhausted our intellectual, emotional and physical capacity to deal with the crisis. We have used words like extraordinary, unprecedented, critical and uncharted.  

We realize that we have walked the journey of suffering with Christ - as seen in our brothers and sisters around the world, in our neighborhoods, in our schools, and communities long after this Lent is over.

Yet, through all of this, we have had great resilience and adaptation. We never lost hope that we would get through it. We need to honor the past to move forward with our future. 

This is our story of greatness and hope. Click here Thanks Mrs. Dries for doing this!

They say it takes a village to raise children. Here at St. Mary’s it has been more than a village. It is a community of faith-filled families that answered the call to help keep us open this year.

It is not only a call to feed the souls of all of us, but to take on the task of raising money. So many of you have risen to that call to help. Thank you.

I would like to thank two families that made our Blarney in a Box Fundraiser a huge success. Katie and Kevin Carnell and Maria Dolores and Tom Parks answered the call to chair this event. Countless hours were spent going over details to make it run smoothly. They took an idea and ran with it. Without their leadership and sharing of connections it would not be the success it was. The weather was spectacular and the many smiles and good cheer it brought will always be remembered. We definitely had the luck of the Irish with us that day!  

“The kingdom of God ought to reshape our vision of what matters.”

Faithfully,
Mrs. Mary Tretow
Principal
mtretow@stmaryeg.org
Mr. Newman and his class honor the great St. Patrick on his feast day.
Volunteers Needed!
We are currently looking for 7th grade, 8th grade and high school age volunteers for SMV Vacation Bible School this summer!  
June 14-18th
This will be an excellent opportunity to share time and talent with others in our parish community.  
It's sure to be a fun-filled week!
Please contact Katy Cornell at katy.e.cornell@gmail.com with questions.

Here is the link to register your student as a volunteer. 
T-ball at SMV is back!
Students entering K3-2nd grade in the fall of 2021 are eligible to participate. As in years past, t-ball will be on Wednesday nights from 6-7pm at the fields north of the church parking lot.
 
Our first game night will be Wednesday, June 16th and we will conclude on Wednesday, July 21st. Please watch for the sign up info around Easter-time! You will need to fill out two forms - (1) The sign-up sheet and (2) the Archdiocese participation waiver. The Covid safety measures we plan to employ will be communicated at that time.
 
A big THANK YOU to all of the parents/grandparents who volunteer their time as coaches! This program would not be possible without all of you, so please consider helping out again this year! You can sign up right on your child’s form. As always, to be a volunteer, you will need to complete the Archdiocese Safeguard training. It is done virtually.
 
Please contact Samantha Young at youngfam015@gmail.com with any questions.
 
See you on the field!
Alison is showing us her beautiful cross with the heart on it that she made in Mrs. Biebel's class
Office Notes

The shorts season at SMV is May 1st thru October 15th.

Lost and Found Table
Inside the entrance of the school is our lost and found table. Please come and take a look to see if we have any of your child's missing items.

Congratulations Piano Students
SMV piano students were invited to participate in the annual APT piano contest where students are required to memorize 3 piano pieces in front of a judge. Points are awarded and when the student earns enough points, a trophy is given. The first 11 students (listed) will receive their 1st trophy and Ben parsons will receive his 3rd. Congratulations to all! 
Julia Davis Mariam Mathai
Karim Akel Eva Mathai
Sarah Surma Evelyn McWey
Anya Mindy Cecilia McWey
Jeremiah Fee Ben Parsons
Claire Fee
The students in Miss Koepke's class set a trap to catch the leprechaun.
COVID Reminders
  • Notify the office immediately when you find out if your child is a close contact or tests positive for COVID.
  • If your child is in quarantine/isolation, Nicole Klein will contact you.
  • Contact Nicole Klein, nklein@stmaryeg.org, with any questions. 

Save the Date

March 18
Early Dismissal @ 11:00 am
Parent/Student/Teacher Conferences
March 19
NO SCHOOL
March 24
Spirit Wear Day
In Miss Pospyhalla's Social Studies class the seventh graders drawing the Mona Lisa in the way Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel during our Renaissance.
Mrs. Parks' 4th graders are wearing reminder buttons that “I am the Face of Jesus”
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My SMV Family

Home & School News

People in our family...We are a family of 6! Micah, Erica, Keira (9), Lucy (7), Madeline (5), and Talia (2.5) Nelson.
Our family likes to...Spend quality time together enjoying the outdoors, hiking, biking, and swimming up north at the cottage. The girls love doing gymnastics, pizza and movie nights, and playing outside until sunset in summertime. 
Our family pet is...Leo, our rescue Siamese cat who is 13! We’ve had him since he was 1! 
Places our family has lived...Charleston, SC, and Brookfield, WI. We loved the history and ocean life Charleston had to offer but really wanted to be closer to our family in the Midwest. We moved back to the area in 2016. We definitely miss the amazing seafood though!
Our family loves being a part of SMV because...it is amazing! Everyone has been so welcoming and kind. We are so thankful and blessed to have our girls attend SMV and look forward to all of the great memories and friends they will make. We know that SMV will help build a strong faith foundation and provide great role models for the girls!
Mrs. Scherr's 5th graders are using the art room for a painting project.
Ms. Lesnjak's class celebrating St. Patrick's Day.
Mrs. Smrz's Class Wish you a Happy St. Patrick's day!!
 Mission & Catholic Identity
                      Effective 2016-2021
Blarney in a Box was a Great Success!

We were blessed with perfect weather last weekend for our Blarney in a Box fundraiser!  The scene was bright and there was blarney in the air as cars rolled through to try their luck on fun activities for kids and kids-at-heart. People watched LIVE Irish dancers from Elm Grove's newest dance school McNamara McCarthy School of Irish Dance https://www.mcnamaramccarthy.com, and then made their final parking lot stop to pick up their Boxes O' Blarney!  One year after quarantine set in, SMILES were everywhere and feeling we are inching back to normal times was very real! 

Many thanks to the following people who took a lead on some aspect of the event:
  • Michelle Akel- Webmaster, volunteers, raffle
  • Annie Andres- publicity
  • Alicia Braatz- event accounting
  • Annie Bolger-sponsorship
  • Kerry Cosgrove- same day sales
  • Katie Costigan- food/box item procurement
  • Mrs. Dries- communication needs
  • Maren Kleinmann- cookie boxes
  • Darby Koehne, Michelle Denis- Pot O' Gold Acquisitions
  • Evalyn Martin- coasters
  • Mr. Newman- Decorations
  • Mr. Fix-It--Everything
  • Jill Nordstrom- Donate a Box coordinator
  • Marissa Selthafner- T shirts
  • Lisa Volm- Graphics and Signage

Extra thanks to Mrs. Tretow for coming up with the idea and providing various aspects of support throughout, Jamie O'Donoghue at O'Donoghue's Irish Pub-Elm Grove, and Tralee Imports (www.traleeirishimports.com) for their generosity! Lastly, thank you to our sponsors, donors, supporters, and 75+ kid and adult volunteers. Without any of you, the success of our event would not have been possible. 

Stay tuned to Virtual Backpack for further post-event information and remember to send pictures of your blarney enjoyment to auction@stmaryeg.org for future use!  

In Gratitude, 
Katie and Kevin Carnell & Maria Dolores and Tom Parks
Blarney Co-chairs

SPIRIT WEAR IS BACK!
The sale starts now and runs until Thursday March 18th! Make sure to stock up on those warm weather essentials! This is the ONLY sale all year to get your patriotic Gladiator shirts! Click here for spirit wear.
Questions: Contact Katie Schultz at katie.schultz03@gmail.com or (262)366-0680.
Mrs. Perez's class, praying the Stations of the Cross.

Last week the 8th graders helped load the bags for the Capuchins into their van.





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