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Winter St. Mark's Saturdays Classes Meet This Weekend
Winter SM Saturdays classes will meet this Saturday, January 28. The remaining SM Saturdays for the trimester are: February 11 and February 25. As a reminder, Saturday classes meet from 9:00 to 11:30 a.m., and School Meeting begins the day at 8:40 a.m.
VI Form Lion Term Launch
Director of Experiential Learning Jillian Nicks sent the following letter to VI Formers yesterday with important details about VI Form Lion Term:
Welcome to the launch of your Lion Term! As a VI Form student, there are many exciting opportunities for you: job shadows, engagement with local non-profits, hands-on projects, travel fieldwork and more. Through Lion Term programming, we seek to challenge you to apply yourselves fully as you ascend beyond the cloisters in the weeks leading to your graduation. Previous VI Form students have reported benefiting from this program to develop personal initiative and accountability skills; they have appreciated attention and mentorship from St. Mark’s faculty while they follow new lines of inquiry or discover new life challenges; they have pushed the boundaries of their comfort zone and self-knowledge.
The theme of the VI Form Lion Term is Lives of Consequence. It is no small undertaking to determine how to carry out meaningful action, and to live lives of purpose. For those who have begun the design process during the Saturday Winter Core, you may be deep in the cycle of ideating, selecting, drafting and completing the details of your proposals. You will need to be creative, humble, and responsible as you partner with our expert faculty to help you get the most out of this experience.
VI Form Lion Term Guide
We are excited to announce that there are brand new VI Form programs this year—as a School, we continue to fine-tune and update our educational offerings. One highlight is that VI Form students will have the time and the support to lead and serve our community by joining our faculty as teacher assistants for our III, IV, and V Form programs. And, thanks to dedicated faculty, students can opt into two brand-new travel opportunities and a third semi-local overnight and wilderness course that will take place in Maine.
Collaboration and open communication enable Lion Term to flourish. As you consider your options and dive into the work of designing your Experiential Project, we ask that you engage in deliberation and consideration with your peers, and seek and heed guidance from faculty.
Click here to review the descriptions, major assignments, and sample days for this year’s VI Form Lion Term programs.
Exhibition of Learning: June 7, 2023
Mark your calendars! Students will present between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. on June 7. Attendees, please plan to adhere to the procedures for visiting campus; you can review the most recent St. Mark's School Visitor Policy here.
The Experiential Learning Office welcomes questions and suggestions; please stop by Center Room 149 or reach out anytime. For questions about the Winter Core programming, please contact Kinne McBride, VI Form Lion Term Leader. Again, welcome to the kickoff of your Lion Term!
Enthusiastically,
Jillian Nicks
Director of Experiential Learning
Academics
Semester Two Add/Drop Ends Friday, January 27
The Academics Office customarily runs a shorter Add/Drop period at the start of the second semester for semester classes only. The last day to add or drop a semester course is Friday, January 27. Students should be consulting with their advisors if they are considering any changes.
Grades for Window Two and Semester One, January 31
Grades and effort grades for Window Two and Semester One will be posted on January 31; please look for a follow-up message from the Academics Office confirming that grades are posted. Advisors will be in touch with advisee families to schedule 20-minute virtual/remote conferences beginning February 1 to review progress and feedback from the first semester. If your student's advisor has not reached out to schedule a time to connect by Tuesday, January 31, please feel free to reach out to them directly.
Professional Development Day / No Classes, February 15
Classes will not meet on Wednesday, February 15, to allow faculty to engage in professional development and curriculum work. Games and other required activities will still take place in the afternoon. Boarding students should plan to be on campus as usual for any required obligations, including being in houses on Tuesday evening, February 14.
Admission
Admission and Dean's Office Announce Process for DAY Students Who Want to Be Considered for BOARDING Next Year
Our offices are in the process of making projections for the 2023—2024 school year. For all parents of DAY students currently in the III, IV, or V Form: please let us know if you would like your student to be considered for a BOARDING spot next year. (A few of you have already reached out.) There are a limited number of openings for those who may want to switch from day to boarding. We will gather all requests and review them on both a case-by-case and first-come basis.
To be considered for one of these spots, please have your family send an email or letter to Anne Behnke, Maggie Caron, and David Vachris. Written requests are due by Friday, February 17. Shortly thereafter, we will follow up with your family about your request. Please be aware that if your family decides to have a child switch to boarding, they must remain boarding throughout the tenure of their time at St. Mark's. Thank you.
To all non-graduating families: please stay tuned to next month's Inside the Pride for important information about the annual re-enrollment process. This process will take place in the second half of March during Spring Break. More details to come!
Arts
Reminder: Wick Choral Festival, January 27 and 28
St. Mark's will once again host the annual Wick Choral Festival this Friday, January 27, and Saturday, January 28, at 7:30 p.m in the Putnam Family Arts Center. This festival is free and open to all! Performers this year will include the Marksmen and Royal Blues, along with several other high school and college a cappella groups. View the program here.
Chapel
Confirmation Preparation at St. Mark’s
Time to sign up for Confirmation at St. Mark’s School! The on-campus classes that lead up to our service of Confirmation and Baptism in Belmont Chapel begin just before Spring Break, and will meet on Tuesdays over a pizza dinner. The service will be on Sunday, April 30, and family and friends are warmly invited. There is no homework, just some good discussion about what it means to choose the Christian faith. Contact the Rev. Barbara Talcott to sign up or to learn more at barbaratalcott@stmarksschool.org or 508-786-6186.
Note: If you would prefer to be confirmed in a Roman Catholic Church, plan to attend classes at St. Anne’s in Southborough beginning in the fall of 2023. St. Anne’s is walking distance from campus, and we excuse students from their St. Mark’s obligations as necessary. You can learn more about their program at https://stannesouthborough.org/confirmation-preparation.
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.
This week's prompt: As our community continues to rave about the energy that Darryl Bellamy Jr. brought to St. Mark’s this past week on Community and Equity Day, we also want to keep thinking about and applying to our daily lives the themes that he brought up. Darryl spoke about the importance of giving yourself and your peers grace because we are all a work in progress.
With that in mind, consider the following: When was the last time that you gave yourself, your peers, and someone you would consider “other” grace? What happened after you extended grace?
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.
Reminder: Uber Eats and DoorDash Deliveries
Students are now permitted to order food deliveries from Uber Eats, DoorDash, and other third-party food delivery services if they have Uber Eats/Uber privileges. To update your child’s Uber or Uber Eats permissions, please email margaretcaron@stmarksschool.org. Please remember that deliveries may only be dropped off at the front circle. A summary of the policy can be found here.
Reminder: Sign Out Reminders and Sickness
Please remember to submit Orah passes two academic days prior to departure so we have time to review them. If your Burnett (day) student is home sick, please call both Health Services and the Dean’s Office to notify us of their absence in advance. Boarding students should always go to Health Services when sick.
Reminder: Lion Card Charges
Now is a good time to check in with your student and conduct a status-check of their Lion Card fund. You can check a student's Lion Card account online. For questions about your student's Lion Card or charges on the account, please contact Liz MacArthur in the St. Mark's Business Office(lizmacarthur@stmarksschool.org). Please note that a student's Lion Card may be used for a variety of charges at St. Mark's, including: laundry, sports equipment, trips, fundraising, and music lessons. It may also be used in the Lions' Den and the Bookstore. Checking in with your student will help avoid sticker shock!
Reminder: Purchase Yearbook Recognition Ads by January 31
Parents, are you looking for a way to celebrate your graduating VI Former? What better way than to purchase a recognition ad in the yearbook! There are a range of sizes and costs available—and you can design and pay for your ad all on the convenient Jostens website! Jostens has provided this pamphlet if you need more information on logistics. You can also contact a Jostens Yearbook representative here, or call 800.358.0800 if you have any questions. The deadline to purchase ads is January 31.
Reminder: PanFoto Panoramic All-School Photos Available
A full-color panoramic photograph of the entire St. Mark's School community and VI Form photographs by the PanFoto Team are now available. Click here to order, and enjoy these memories for years to come! Orders placed before March 5, 2023 receive discounted pricing.
Reminder: Order Your Student's School Retake Portraits
On December 15, Coffee Pond Photography sent St. Mark's families information about ordering your student's school retake portraits. If you did not receive this information by either mail or email, please contact Coffee Pond's Customer Care Department directly for assistance at:
1.800.632.2323 ext. "0" or Lifeguards@coffeepond.com.
(Please also be sure to have your spam blocker set to accept emails from Lifeguards@coffeepond.com.)
Global Citizenship
Reminder: Partner School Exchange Applications Due February 1
St. Mark's School has Partner School Exchanges with The Grange School (coed), Christ Church Grammar School (male), and St. Hilda's Anglican School for Girls. Students participating in the Partner School Exchange program will generally live with host families, although sometimes they are placed in a dormitory at the Australian Schools. Students will participate in classes and generally live the life of a student at the partner school. Students and parents can reach out to Mr. Cifuentes or Dr. Warren for more information. Applications are due February 1, 2023.
Dates of Travel for the Australian Exchanges are: July 22—August 26, 2023
Christ Church Grammar
St. Hilda's Anglican School for Girls
Dates of Travel for the Chilean Exchange are: July 23—August 11, 2023
The Grange School
Advancement
III Form Parent Chat, January 28
Join Head of School John C. Warren ’74 and Director of Global Citizenship Dr. Laura Appell-Warren for lunch, and hear their thoughts about the St. Mark's III Form educational journey on Saturday, January 28, at noon in Choate House, 100 St. Mark's Circle, Southborough, MA 01772. Register here.
Luncheon in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, February 2
Join Head of School John C. Warren ’74, fellow parents, and alumni for a luncheon in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida on Thursday, February 2, at noon in the Vineyard Room at Seasons 52. Register here.
Parent Hot Chocolate, February 27
Please join us for an informal get together in the Admissions Parlor from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Monday, February 27. We will be serving hot chocolate and cookies while all students are in Chapel. This is a great opportunity to connect with others!
Endowed Chair Ceremony Live Stream Now Available
During an all-school ceremony on Friday, January 20, we celebrated the installation of faculty members Allyson R. Brown and Dejai Barnes, Ph.D., as endowed chair holders. View the livestream recording here.
Around the Quad
C&E Day 2023
Monday, January 23, was Community and Equity Day at St. Mark's School! Keynote speaker Darryl Bellamy Jr.'s engaging and powerful "Fearless Moments" program inspired courage and community building, while the Umoja celebration organized by the Pathways Prefects showcased stellar student talent. Enjoy the video below from this year's C&E Day!
SALE at the Online School Store
Looking for a St. Mark's gift and can't make it campus? Shop the online St. Mark's School store here. For the month of January, receive 20 percent off performance wear. Plus, orders totaling $50 or more receive free shipping. Happy shopping!
For More on What's Happening Inside the Pride
Check out photos from campus on our School's SmugMug page.
View the latest news stories on our website.
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