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Above: St. Mark's families on the fan bus, ready to cheer on their students! Photo by Stacie Allen.
Welcome Back from a Well-Earned Break
We hope you all took some time to rest and relax during the extended weekend break. Now that classes are back in session, please note the upcoming St. Mark's events outlined below.
III Form SM Wellness Workshop this Friday Evening, October 21
As announced in School meeting, there will be a required SM Wellness Workshop for all III Form students next Friday, October 21, from 7:00–8:00 p.m. in Taft Hall. The workshop, facilitated by St. Mark's Director of Counseling Services Jennifer Taylor and Community Wellness Educator Lauren Martin '85, will focus on "healthy relationships" and include a conversation on communication skill-building, boundaries, and a review of the Massachusetts state laws around consent. A follow-up discussion to this workshop will take place the next day in the III Form Saturday class on October 22.
St. Mark's Saturdays Classes Resume this Weekend, October 22
St. Mark's Saturdays classes will resume this Saturday, October 22. School meeting starts the day at 8:40 a.m., and classes run from 9:00—11:30 a.m. The remaining SM Saturdays for the fall season are: November 12 and November 19.
Evening Chapel on Tuesday, October 25
A reminder that evening Chapel and seated meal will take place from 6:00—7:30 p.m. this Tuesday, October 25. THIS WEEK ONLY Chapel begins at 6:00 p.m., followed by seated dinner. Chapel dress is required. The remaining seated meal and evening Chapel dates for the year are: November 14, January 30, February 27, April 27, and June 7.
Say Cheese! Student Picture Day is Tuesday, October 25
Coffee Pond Photography will be on campus to photograph students from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on October 25, 2022. Below is a message from Coffee Pond:
Each student will be photographed in several poses and will have multiple images from which families may order prints. Each family will receive a private password via email that will be used to access JUST their child’s images on our website. Our website contains easy to follow instructions for ordering a variety of package options.
Our EProof program will notify you via email when your child’s portrait proofs are ready to be viewed online. When you receive the email with private password you can go directly to our company’s secure website www.coffeepond.com to place your order online. Coffee Pond accepts all major credit cards.
If you do not receive your child’s password within a few weeks after Picture Day, please be sure to contact our Customer Care department at the email address below or by phone at 1-800-632-2323 x 0. Please be sure to have your spam blocker set to accept emails from our Customer care email lifeguards@coffeepond.com.
Window One Closes on Friday, November 4
With the end of Window One approaching on November 4, students may find an increasing number of graded assessments coming due over the next two weeks. As always, advisors are engaged in their support work, emphasizing to students that they have a wealth of resources and support around them. We also encourage parents to open a conversation from home about planning ahead and keeping up healthy habits during stressful times.
Community and Equity
Weekly Reflection
Greetings from the Community and Equity Affairs Office! Rick DaSilva and Lizzy Jones would like to invite the St. Mark’s community to participate in an exercise utilizing a weekly prompt. Prompts will feature authors, poets, historical figures, and celebrities, or they may come from the St. Mark’s community. These selections are meant to induce individual reflection that can either be introspective and inward, or perhaps invoke open conversations with others in offices, classrooms, dorms, advisories, or even at the dinner table. The most important ambition is to introduce an idea that fosters a thoughtful response.
This week's prompt: Borrowed from African-American writer, womanist, radical feminist, professor and civil rights activist, Audre Lorde in her 1982 address “Learning from the 60s,” states:
“If I didn’t define myself for myself, I would be crunched into other people’s fantasies for me and eaten alive.”
With that line in mind, consider the following: How do you define yourself in three words, and do you live up to this definition each day?
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.
Thanksgiving Vacation Planning
It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving vacation is less than a month away! As you make your plans, remember that students are free to leave School after SM Saturdays classes on November 19. Students may leave as early as noon and must depart by 5:00 p.m.
As your family prepares for the vacation, please keep in mind that St. Mark's does not excuse any early departures or late returns around our major school vacations (Thanksgiving, Winter, or Spring Break). While we understand that travel convenience is a plus during these busy times, and that family engagements are important, we must do all we can to preserve our class and community time. We thank you in advance for referencing the school calendar, which you can find on pages 2—4 of the Student Handbook.
*Stay tuned for Thanksgiving transportation options in next week's edition!
Mindfulness for Students
The Wellness Department is offering mindfulness practices during X block. Mindfulness is the practice of being aware of the present moment. Our students' lives can be hectic with academics, athletics, and extracurriculars, so we hope that by offering these mindfulness practices, students will take 15 minutes to focus on themselves and de-stress.
Safety First: Protect your Head!
Families, we need your help reinforcing our expectations around helmet use. Students should be wearing helmets when riding scooters, bikes, skateboards, and rip sticks. If you know your student is using these items to get around School grounds, please have a conversation about the importance of helmets. Accidents happen, and we want students to be protected at all times.
Reminder: Please Notify Us of Any Health-Related Absences!
With cold season looming, it's important to notify Health Services of your student's health-related absences. Boarding students who are ill should go to Health Services to rest and recover; students should not miss class without reporting to Health Services. If your Burnett (day) student is home sick, please call or email Health Services (508-786-6372 or healthservices@stmarksschool.org) and the Dean of Student Engagement's Office (deanofstudents@stmarksschool.org) in the morning so we know not to expect your student in classes. For medical appointments, please have your student "check out" at Health Services for a medical appointment pass. All students returning from health passes (whether home sick or at a medical appointment) should "check in" at Health Services when they arrive on campus.
Athletics
Support Students this Saturday at Home Games and Races
We missed hosting home athletic contests on Family Weekend, so please come out and show your Lion Pride this Saturday, October 22, for a full slate of home games and races listed below.
- Varsity Field Hockey vs. Governor's at 3:00 p.m.
- JV Field Hockey vs. Governor's at 1:30 p.m.
- Varsity Football vs. Tabor at 3:00 p.m.
- Varsity Boys' Soccer vs. Governor's at 3:00 p.m.
- JV Boys' Soccer vs. Governor's at 3:00 p.m.
- Varsity Girls' Soccer vs. Governor's at 3:00 p.m.
- JV Girls' Soccer vs. Governor's at 3:00 p.m.
- Varsity Boys' Cross Country vs. Tabor/Lumen V at 3:00 p.m.
- JV Boys' Cross Country vs. Tabor at 3:00 p.m.
- Varsity Girls' Cross Country vs. Tabor/Lumen V at 3:30 p.m.
- JV Girls' Cross Country vs. Tabor at 3:30 p.m.
Advancement
Alumni and Parent Pre-Game Tailgate Lunch, October 22
Join current families and alumni at the St. Mark’s Annex for a light lunch before cheering on our Lions at home games on Saturday, October 22, at 12:30 p.m.
Coffee & Conversation, November 9
Parent coffees are back but with a new name! Join Elise Morgan, interim assistant head of school/dean of faculty, in the St. Mark's Faculty Room for some light refreshments and discussion on Wednesday, November 9, at 8:00 a.m.
Calling all Volunteers!
This is your chance to join other St. Mark’s parents as volunteer phonathon callers on Tuesday, November 15. We will enjoy some light refreshments while texting and calling other parents. Please sign up here to be part of a fun and rewarding evening!
Save the Date: New York City Regional Reception, December 6
Gather with St. Mark’s alumni and parents, and connect with Head of School John C. Warren ’74 at the Harold Pratt House in New York.
Around the Quad
For St. Mark's Swag, shop the SALE at the Online School Store
The online St. Mark's School store is currently having a 20-percent-off sale on jackets and windshirts for the month of October. Shop the sale here.
For More on What's Happening Inside the Pride
Watch this video St. Mark’s School: A Lasting Impact.
Check out photos from campus on our School's SmugMug page.
View the latest news stories on our website.
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