Deans' Weekly - 4.22.2022

News from the St. Mark's Dean of Students, Dean of Academics, and Dean of Faculty

April 22, 2022

Giving Day Supports St. Mark's and the Haiti Partnership

Last Thursday, April 14, was Giving Day at St. Mark's. Students, faculty, staff, parents, and alumni joined together to support the School and our mission of educating young people for lives of leadership and service. Every gift made went toward the goal of 500 gifts, and also contributed a donation of much-needed school supplies to our sister school, École Ste. Marguerite in Latournelle, Haiti.

Read the full story here.

View additional photos on SmugMug here.

Photographs by Adam Richins

New This Week

Academic News

NEW: St. Mark's Saturdays Classes Will Meet This Week

St. Mark's Saturdays classes are scheduled to meet this Saturday, April 23.

The remaining Saturday classes for the spring season will meet April 30, and May 7, 14, and 21.

Admission News

NEW: Our Spring Open House for Prospective Students and Families

St. Mark's School invites prospective applicants and their parents/guardians to join us for our Spring Open House on Saturday, May 7, from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. Please spread the word to families and friends who are interested in learning more about St. Mark's!

Athletic News

NEW: Heads of ISL Schools Commit to Sportsmanship

Please read this letter from the heads of ISL schools, which re-affirms their commitment to sportsmanship throughout the league this spring.

Business Office News

NEW: Update on the Student Billing System

We will begin utilizing our FACTS tuition payment system to show student payment details for all families, including those who pay tuition in advance on the A Plan. There is nothing required on your part at this time, but know that we will share more detailed information on access to this system in the coming weeks. For those who selected the B and C Plan, you will continue to utilize your existing login credentials. For immediate questions, please contact Marcus McDonald in our Business Office at marcusmcdonald@stmarksschool.org or at 508-786-6281.

Counseling News

NEW: SM Leads Welcomes Wes Woodsen from Minding Your Mind

Friday night at 7:30 p.m. in Taft Hall, SM Leads will welcome Wes Woodsen from Minding Your Mind to talk about mental health issues. Minding Your Mind is a nationally-renowned program, which began in 2007. Its mission is to provide mental health education to students and schools through story telling and personal narratives with the goal of reducing the stigma often associated with mental health issues. To learn more about them please view their website.

Since 2017, St. Mark's has been welcoming speakers from Minding Your Mind in workshops to student leaders, NRS classes, and V Form Forum. At this time, we will be inviting all V and VI Form students to attend, with an expectation that our V and VI Form student leaders and captains will attend. This presentation is also open to all faculty and staff members who wish to join.

Dean of Students News

NEW: Weekend Activities for April 22-24

Want to know what's happening this weekend? Check out the Weekend Activities Google Doc for events on campus and trips to off-campus locations.

Institutional Research News

NEW: High School Survey of Student Engagement

Next Thursday, April 28, St. Mark’s will be administering the High School Survey of Student Engagement. This survey will be administered during the school day and overseen by St. Mark’s faculty and staff. We have participated in this survey annually for several years and the results are used in planning and evaluation of student engagement across various academic and extracurricular supports and programs at the School.

This website provides more information about the survey: https://www.nais.org/analyze/student-engagement-surveys/

Participation is voluntary and at the discretion of students and their parents. The students will be told that they can skip any question that they would prefer not to answer. Students who do not wish to complete the survey will have the opportunity to work independently. This survey is completely anonymous. It is impossible for anyone at the school or at the survey organization to associate any student with any completed survey.

If you do NOT want your child to complete the survey or, if you have any questions or comments about these assessment efforts, please contact Director of Institutional Research Dr. Sarah Enterline at sarahenterline@stmarksschool.org. If we do not hear from you, we will assume that you have no objection to your child’s participation. Thank you in advance for your support of this important initiative.

Music Department News

NEW: Wick Choral Music Festival This Saturday, April 23

The Wick Choral Music Festival will take place this Saturday, April 23, from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. in the Putnam Family Arts Center's Class of '45 Hall. Come listen to fantastic a capella groups from St. Mark's, Middlesex School, Algonquin Regional High School, and Noble and Greenough School.

Parents' Association News

NEW: Faculty and Staff Appreciation Day May 5

Please click here for more information on how to volunteer food, gift cards, and your time to the faculty and staff appreciation day on May 5. Thank you!

NEW: Save the Date for a Class with Senior Teacher Barbara Putnam

Join parents and alumni on Tuesday, May 3, at 7:00 p.m. for a meaningful event when Senior Teacher Barbara Putnam delivers a virtual presentation just for you. In one of her final classes at St. Mark's, Ms. Putnam will adapt two recent presentations she delivered at the European Cetacean Society Conference in Ashdod, Israel. Hear about how developing observation and color skills can be accomplished alongside partnerships with practicing marine biologists, and how students learn about how scientists conduct field work in remote and often inaccessible locations. Ms. Putnam will also share how this project has grown to involve multiple countries and has influenced her own work as an artist. No pre-registration is required. Look for more details and a Zoom link before the event.

Important Reminders

Parent "Tailgate" Meet-up and Lunch on Saturday, April 23

Registration is now open to join fellow St. Mark's parents for a light lunch "tailgate" before athletic events on Saturday, April 23, from 12:30 to 2:00 p.m. We look forward to seeing you! Register here.

College Counseling Zooms

Class of 2024 Parents and Guardians: Please join the St. Mark's College Counseling Team for a Zoom webinar: "Decoding Standardized Testing" on Tuesday evening, May 3, from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Find the Zoom link here.

Class of 2023 Parents and Guardians: Please join the St. Mark's College Counseling Team for a Zoom webinar: "Preparing for the Need-Based Financial Aid Process." Director of Financial Aid at Swarthmore College Varo Duffins will join us to share his advice and outline the steps of the financial aid process on Tuesday evening, May 10, from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Find the Zoom link here.

Parent/Faculty/Staff Book Club on May 11

The St. Mark’s Parent/Faculty/Staff Book Club will take place via Zoom on Wednesday, May 11, from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. (EST)

The title selected for discussion in May is The Reading List by Sarah Nisha Adams.

Interested in attending? Please email your interest to co-chairs Laurie Kalapinski at lauriekalapinski@stmarksschool.org, Joanne Flathers P’15, ’19, ’21 at joanne@flathersfamily.net, or Shalini Yerabothu P’20, ’23 at shryer@gmail.com to receive the Zoom link invitation the morning of Wednesday, May 11.

Summer book titles will be selected at the end of this meeting by those in attendance.

Summer Storage Solution for Students

Thinking about summer already? Wondering where to store all of your student's school stuff? OnDemand Storage will offer off-campus storage for the summer. Interested families should see the attached flyer for details.

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 golf gear for the month of April. Shop the online sale here.

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!

Please Notify Health Services of Health-Related Absences, Symptoms

Parents should notify Health Services (particularly in the mornings) of any health-related student absences, missed classes, or St. Mark’s commitments by calling 508-786-6372 or emailing healthservices@stmarksschool.org.

Please visit Health Services or contact Adria Pavletic (508-786-6372) if you are exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19. It is imperative that all symptomatic students, faculty, and staff take an antigen test before returning to in-person activities on campus.

Essential Dates Calendar

To download the most up-to-date Essential Dates calendar, select this link.

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

Saturday, April 23

Parent Meet-up

12:30 to 2:00 p.m.

Enjoy a light lunch "tailgate" with other parents before the athletic contests.

Monday, April 25

Evening Chapel

6:15 to 7:30 p.m.

All-School required event for students and faculty

Tuesday, May 3

A Class with Senior Teacher Barbara Putnam

7:00 p.m. (EST)

Zoom

Wednesday, May 11

Parent/Faculty/Staff Book Club

1:00 p.m. (EST)

Zoom