December 13, 2023

Thank you to everyone who attended our Book Fair Christmas Concert on December 1st! We enjoyed seeing so many people dressed in festive Christmas finery, and we hope our musical offerings put you in a jolly mood. A special thank you to all the parent volunteers and staff members who helped transform the gym and make both the fair and concert a success!

Click here to view the photo gallery.

The Steps 4 Students is Saturday, February 10 in downtown Houston. An annual event organized by the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, Steps is an exciting day of family fun that brings together the Catholic community for a sunrise Mass and 5K run/walk. Each Catholic school forms their own team, and registration fees and donations made in honor of SCM team members support St. Catherine's.

Christmas Break is the perfect time to register and invite family and friends to support you. (Pro Tip: Aunts and uncles are usually a pretty quick "yes" to this request.)

Click here to join Team SCM and set up your personal fundraising page. We ask that you register by Thursday, January 18 to receive your Team SCM t-shirt.

We look forward to racing, walking, and cheering as a community on February 10th!

2024 Steps 4 Students T-shirt Design Contest

Students interested in providing submissions are asked to create artwork in the medium of your choice: markers, pencils, or digital. Designs must be submitted on 8 1⁄2 " x 11" paper using only two colors: black and white. Artists have until Monday, January 8, 2024 to submit as many designs as they would like at the front desk in the Welcome Center.

We will announce the winning design in the January 17 issue of The Globe.

Click here for additional submission details.

Early Dismissal on Friday, December 15 and No School Monday, December 18-Tuesday, January 2

A reminder that all full-day students will dismiss at 12:00 PM on Friday, December 15. Aftercare will not be available.

St. Catherine's will be closed from Monday, December 18, to Monday, January 1. Tuesday, January 2, is an In-service Day for faculty and staff, there will be no school for students on January 2.

Regular schedules for students will resume on Wednesday, January 3.

Please review the following dismissal procedures for Friday.

• Infant Community will be dismissed between 11:15 and 11:30 AM with their older SCM siblings. Siblings will meet parents in the Welcome Center. 
• All ½ day Primary will be dismissed at 11:30 AM with their older SCM siblings in the carpool line. 
• All full-day Primary, Elementary and High School will be dismissed at 12:00 PM (unless they have an Infant sibling or ½ day Primary sibling, in which case they will be dismissed at times stated above). 
• Please do not arrive before 11:50 AM for the 12:00 PM dismissal. In the event you arrive while 11:30 AM dismissal is in process, we will ask you to circle the line until our 11:30 AM dismissal is complete. 

As a reminder, all SCM parents must use Link Valley to access the carpool line. If you arrive onto Timberside from 610, you will need to join the carpool line by turning on to Link Valley and going to the end of the line.

We appreciate your patience with this process! 

Help Spread the Word: Open House for Prospective Parents is January, 18

Know any families interested in St. Catherine’s? Invite them to our Open House on Thursday, January 18 from 9:00 to 10:30 AM! During this adults-only campus tour parents will learn about St. Catherine's Montessori and how Montessori embraces not only a unique educational experience but a way of life that values independence, respect, and inquiry. 

Prospective families interested in attending should RSVP here and contact Amy Walz, enrollment management director, with any questions about the event or our enrollment process.

Toys for Texas Drive Hosted by SCM's 4-H Students

PARENT SERVICE ORGANIZATION (PSO)

Volunteer for the Faculty & Staff Appreciation Luncheon 

Dear SCM Parents,

As in years past, the PSO’s Faculty & Staff Appreciation Committee will host an appreciation luncheon for St. Catherine’s faculty and staff members. The theme this year is, JOY! We are joyful and grateful for our faculty and staff and all that they do for our children and school community. 

The luncheon is scheduled for this Friday, December 15, and we are asking for your help to make this event a great success. 

We invite you to use this form to sign up to volunteer (before, during, or after the event) or to bring beverages. If you are unable to volunteer and would like to support luncheon expenses with a monetary contribution, you can Venmo @Mary-Tysor or leave your contribution with Emily at the Front Desk.

The menu will be catered, and our 9th-year students are providing childcare for faculty/staff members. Their childcare fees will support additional activities the students would like to add to their annual service trip itinerary.

Thank you in advance for your assistance! We look forward to celebrating the faculty and staff in appreciation of all that they do for St. Catherine’s.

Faculty & Staff Appreciation Committee

A Morning of Prayer with the Friends of the Atrium

To celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception (Dec. 8) and Our Lady of Guadalupe Feast Day (Dec. 12), the Friends of the Atrium gathered this morning to pray a Rosary.

The Story of Our Lady of Guadalupe

The feast in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe goes back to the 16th century. Chronicles of that period tell us the story.

A poor Indian named Cuauhtlatohuac was baptized and given the name Juan Diego. He was a 57-year-old widower, and lived in a small village near Mexico City. On Saturday morning December 9, 1531, he was on his way to a nearby barrio to attend Mass in honor of Our Lady.

Click here to read more.

The Works of Mercy Committee and Casa de Esperanza Thank You

A big thank you to our amazing SCM community for your donations of PJs, socks, and underwear, along with all the basic needs items for the children of Casa de Esperanza! Some parent-elves worked hard to wrap your gifts in festive bundles and made the delivery Monday morning. The folks at Casa were thrilled to receive your generous donations. We look forward to sponsoring the children at Casa again this summer with the back-to-school supplies and organizing the PJ, socks, and underwear drive next year.

OUR FAITH IN ACTION

Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception Mass

Thank you to all who joined us last week for Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. It is a blessing for us to gather and worship together as a community. Click here to view more photos from the Mass.

All are invited to attend our next Mass on Wednesday, January 17, 2024 at 2:15 PM in the gym.

The Jesse Tree

Those who have stopped by campus this week may have noticed the beautiful Jesse Tree displayed outside the Welcome Center. A Jesse Tree represents the genealogy of Jesus Christ as described in the Bible. Each ornament depicts a story of how God guided humanity to prepare for the coming of the Messiah. The tradition of a Jesse Tree dates to the Middle Ages and the name – a reference to Jesse, the father of King David – comes from Isaiah 11:1, “Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit.”

Our school’s Jesse Tree is an Upper Elementary Advent prayer project created by many hearts and hands. During their Atrium time, Ms. Meg’s students applied the prayer method called Visio Divina to meditate about each of the tree ornaments. Ms. Jocelyn enlarged and printed the ornaments, after which Ms. Denise and Ms. Kathy cut and laminated them. Mr. Tuan Pham provided us with acrylic glass that he cut into 30 circular discs, onto which students from Ms. Meg and Mr. Snow’s classes mounted the ornaments. Finally, Sr. Theresa Josephine added finishing touches to decorate the tree, and Mr. Tom and Coach Sam hung the display on the Welcome Center windows. 

A true work of community, our Jesse Tree was made with touches of communal care and brought the meaning of Christmas into our daily community life. St. Catherine’s invites you to enjoy the tree and reflect on the stories of Jesus Christ’s family and of God’s people as we all prepare to celebrate His birth.  

ADVANCING THE MISSION

Thank you to everyone who has supported St. Catherine’s Montessori this year with your giving. Your generosity helps us continue our beautiful legacy of guiding children and adolescents through their journeys of self-discovery and their development of a lifelong love of learning. 

During this season of giving, know that your support is important to us. St. Catherine's truly is blessed to have you as members of our community and honored by your dedication to our shared mission.

As we look ahead to the close of 2023, here are a few reminders for those making year-end gifts and pledge payments to St. Catherine's:

• To receive a 2023 tax receipt, all donations must be processed by 11:59 PM on December 31, 2023
• The online giving portal is accessible 24/7 for credit card giving
• Checks sent via the USPS must be dated on or before December 31, 2023 and must have a 2023 postmark

If you have any questions about your family’s giving, please do not hesitate to contact me at [email protected] or (713) 665-2195.

SPORTS

Registration is Open: Saturday Soccer for Primary and Lower Elementary Students

Primary and Lower Elementary Parents:

Registration is open for Saturday Soccer – St. Catherine's parent-led soccer program for our younger students, organized by the PSO's Friends of Athletics. It is a non-competitive soccer league; there are no goalies and the score is not kept. The emphasis is on sportsmanship, learning beginner soccer skills, teamwork, and fun.

Saturday Soccer begins January 6, 2024 and will run for five consecutive Saturdays, weather permitting. Practices and games are held from 9:30 to 11:00 AM on the SCM Athletic Field. Parent volunteers serve as coaches, and all parents are welcome to participate, regardless of soccer experience.

The league fee is $20 per player, and payments will be processed through FACTS.

Click here for complete guidelines and rules of the game.

Parents must sign and return the Participation Release Form to the Front Desk by Friday, January 5, 2024. 

SCM Basketball Season Update

Basketball is off to a strong start with both varsity teams playing several games this month to kick off the season. Currently, the boys have a 1-1 record, and the girls are leading with a 2-1 record. C-teams and High School will join the action on the court in the new year.

Happy Holidays from the SCM sports program!

Coach Sam

Click here to view photos from the Girls Varsity Basketball Game against Corpus Christi last week.

SCM Spirit Week at Kriti Kitchen: January 9-13

Relax after the holiday rush with a simple and nutritious meal at Kriti Kitchen, a charming homestyle Greek café! They offer brunch, lunch, and dinner using local and seasonal ingredients. Heat-and-eat options, including vegan and gluten-free choices, are available for pickup or delivery.

Family-owned and woman-led, Kriti Kitchen is donating 20% of SCM sales from Jan. 9-13 to our athletics program. Support your home team and a local business – plan a visit! Check out kritikitchen.com for their menu and hours, and mention St. Catherine's Montessori when you pay.

Friends of Athletics

HIGH SCHOOL CORNER

Dear SCM Community!

Two weeks ago we arrived back home from our trip to Boston and Florida, where we were studying early American history and marine science. Before the trip, students decided whether their follow-up work from the trip would be a written blog about a memory from the trip, or a vlog about a certain theme or element of the trip. Then, during the trip, students spent time taking videos and notes about our everyday activities, and once they arrived back home, the students used their content to create detailed blogs and vlogs. We shared them last week in a presentation to parents in class, but this week we are excited to share them with all of you! Each blog and vlog is about a different element from the trip, so make sure you don't miss out on any of them!

Click the links below to view our work. 

Blogs:

• Jasmin Cabecera, Overcoming Thalassophobia
• Abigail Garza, Fish Are Not It, Part 2
• Ava Harth, Wishes in the Cemetery
• Riley Nyberg, Jellyfish
• Mariano Trejo Miramon, Mogged

Vlogs:

• Boston and Salem Lore by Caroline Lewis, Alexa Rivas-Gassan, and Dalton Copeland
• Marine Lab by Julie Blackman, Katherine Lindsey, and Gabriela Palmer
• Boston Scenery by Laura Lopez, Andrew Lewis, Olivia Harth, and Francis Segovia

Sincerely, 

Caroline Lewis 

Wednesday, December 13

• AC Portfolio Night, 6:00 PM (AC Classroom) For AC families only

Thursday, December 14

• High School Conferences - No school for High School students

Friday, December 15

• Early Dismissal. In-service Afternoon. After-School Program Closed.
• PSO Faculty & Staff Appreciation Luncheon
• Sociables: Caroling & Cocoa, 5:00–7:00 PM (Taylor/Ward Residence and area near Bellaire City Park) See host communications

Monday, December 18 - Monday, January 1

• Christmas Break - No School for All Students

Tuesday, January 2

• No School - Employee In-Service Day

Wednesday, January 3

• All students return to school on regular schedules
• Parent Meditation Group, 8:05 AM (Check front desk for location)

Friday, January 5

• Registration Deadline: Saturday Soccer for Primary and Lower Elementary students
• Upper School Student Lunch
• Garden Work Day, 8:00 AM 
• Library Maintenance Day, 8:15–9:30 AM & 1:00–2:00 PM 

For more calendar events please check our website.