SMA Newsletter

SMA Newsletter • January 7, 2021

Happy New Year!

Dear Parents,

I sincerely hoped everyone enjoyed the Christmas season with all of the hope, joy and wonder that comes with it. Our situation this year affords some extra family time and I believe that is the hidden blessing during this time of Pandemic. I also want to thank this school community for all the Christmas cards, well wishes and gifts that were given to us here at school. We appreciate the sentiments and all the support and kind words.

As you are all aware, we are having all Distance Learning for these two weeks after the Christmas break for a very important reason. It is imperative, especially with the high rate of cases in our county, that we commit to staying diligent in following the layers of protection that we know helps stop the spread of Covid 19. Staying 6' away from people, correct and frequent handwashing, and correct mask wearing are what helps contain the spread.

The school also needs to be informed if anyone is sick or has been sick, so we can monitor the Quarantine time, and the contact tracing. Our goal is to be able to have all the staff and students safe on our campus and that means all of us need to work together and take it seriously.

As you know, at Thanksgiving, Mrs. Schneider had to resign to take care of some family business. She loves our school and was sad to have to stop teaching. She will remain on our staff as the Director of Advancement and Development. I have hired Mr. A. Serrano as our new PE teacher. He will begin on the 19th when we return to campus. He is a very good fit for our school, and I am excited to welcome him to our Academy family.

The teachers will be notifying you of the conference schedule for the upcoming conferences on January 20, 21, and 22. This is an important time to meet (virtually) with student, parents, and teacher to discuss your child's academic progress as well as life skills. This year, it is even more important for this communication since nothing about this year has been "normal."

Also, the Winter STAR testing window is January 11-29. Sometime during this time frame your child(ren) will be taking the Star Math and ELA tests. It is always important for us to administer these as they provide the staff with important data that is used in lesson planning, goal setting and growth monitoring.

Happy New Year and let's continue to pray for good health!

Diane Hartley

28th ANNUAL GREAT CASH GIVEAWAY

Every family should have their tickets by Friday. Packets were mailed on Tuesday for those who did not pick up tickets before break, The "Family Dozen" tickets for a donation of $25 each is a requirement of the school contract. After you have collected all the money ($300) for the tickets, turn it all into the school office before Jan. 25th. Those families who had the $300 deducted from FACTS, just send in the ticket stubs.

Parents have the opportunity to offer them to fellow parishioners after the 9am Mass. Sign up for a shift by emailing Mari Waldron – mariwaldron@yahoo.com

Extra tickets are in the school office. Drawing will be held January 28th during our virtual Open House.

1st Prize - $5000 • 5 chances at $1000

Garden Update- Tree Maintenance

Over the break, the Italian Stone Pine tree was thinned out by a certified arborist. The tree has never looked so good! An Aleppo Pine tree was removed by the mural along with three palm trees growing sideways on the hillside. The raised beds will now have more sun exposure. Biggie Tree Service cut the trunk to make 17 stools for students to sit on. All wood chips were saved and will be spread throughout the raised bed area and hillside. Volunteers needed! This is a service hour opportunity. Call the school office to sign up.