September 28, 2023

Your weekly newsletter from St. Mark's School

Extra! Extra!

Dear Newsletter Readers

The St. Mark's Communications Department is in the process of changing email platforms, which means this weekly Inside the Pride newsletter will soon arrive in your inboxes via MailChimp instead of Constant Contact. As a part of this process, you may receive an email from MailChimp saying that you are subscribed. If you do not receive the newsletter on Thursday evening, be sure to check your Promotions and Spam folders. As always, you can continue to access archived versions of the weekly newsletter on our website under News and Publications here. 

Academic Information

Reminder: St. Mark's Saturdays Classes Continue September 30

The fall semester of St. Mark's Saturdays continues on Saturday, September 30. You can read more about these courses and the alignment of Experiential Learning with the School mission in the course guide. 

• Mark your calendars for the remaining Fall SM Saturdays: September 30, October 21 and 28, November 11, and December 2 and 9. 
• School Meeting starts on these days at 8:40 a.m., and classes run from 9:00—11:30 a.m.
• Students must coordinate permission to miss class with the Dean of Students’ Office in advance.

Dean of Students' Office Announcements

New Student Wellness

In an effort to support new students and ensure they have a successful transition to St. Mark's, the School counselors are in the process of scheduling individual meetings with each new student. The objective of these meetings is to ensure that all students have access to the resources they need to be healthy and happy at School. In these meetings, the counselors spend time getting to know each student, learning about their transition to a new environment, answering questions and addressing any concerns the student may have. It will take some time to meet with each student individually, but we are looking forward to welcoming everyone to the Pride!

Bias Incident and Sexual Misconduct Reporting 

Students attended a session on bias incident and sexual misconduct reporting led by Dean of Students Liz Agosto and Director of Community and Equity Affairs Rick DaSilva during community block today, September 28. Students learned about the reporting process, which is designed to identify instances of insensitivity, bias, and discrimination that occur at the School so that they can be handled appropriately. If you or your student have any questions about reporting, please contact Ms. Agosto or Mr. DaSilva. 

Reporting Day Student Absences Due to Illness

If your day student is ill, please call Health Services at 508.361.0467 to report any absences from School. Thank you!

Weekend Activities

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

Reminder: When in Doubt, Sign Out!

Anytime a boarding student leaves campus, even with parents or an advisor, we ask that students go through the proper sign-out procedure. Students need to get verbal permission from a faculty member to leave, check their riding permission status, and sign out properly using Orah. We appreciate your support in this matter. 

Reminder: Overnight Permissions Due by Noon on Thursdays

Please complete overnight permissions by noon on Thursdays. Although we do realize that plans can sometimes change, the School will approve late requests only on a case-by-case basis. Should there be an emergency issue that requires an overnight after the deadline, you must contact the administrator on duty at 508.380.8667.

Reminder: Special Permissions Require Advance Notice and an Email

If you are requesting "special permission" to miss a School commitment, we ask that you give us advance notice (a few days, please!) to complete the process. Email all special permissions to deanofstudents@stmarksschool.org or to Associate Dean Margaret Caron. Thank you for your help with these deadlines.

College Counseling Preparation

Reminder: SMARTTRACK for All Parents and Guardians

St. Mark's will once again partner with SMARTTRACK, a College Funding program. SMARTTRACK's program can help any family that needs help paying for college, even those that may not qualify for need-based financial aid but will still find financing college burdensome. The program includes online resources as well as a complimentary personal college funding evaluation with a SMARTTRACK team member. You can learn more and schedule your free consultation by clicking on this link. The program is available to all St. Mark's families; it is never too early to start planning for college financing.

Reminder: Save the Date!

Please plan to join us for an introductory SMARTTRACK webinar, What Parents Need to Know Now about Paying Less for College, on Thursday, October 5, at 7:00 p.m. EDT. Save the date now! We'll send webinar access information closer to October 5.

Admission Office Updates

Reminder: New Financial Aid Application Platform

New this year, St. Mark's financial aid office has shifted to the Clarity financial aid application platform. Families who currently receive financial aid should have received an announcement email with more details from "stmarksschool@schooladminonline.com" with the subject line "St. Mark's Financial Aid Office Annual Application Reminder." If you have questions, please contact the financial aid office.

Chaplains' Corner

Blessing of the Animals on Tuesday, October 3

Students are invited to bring their pets to Chapel on Tuesday morning, October 3, at 8:00 a.m. for the Blessing of the Animals honoring the Feast of St. Francis. Students with pets should wait with their pets in the cloister/front circle until the Chapel doors open; then they can walk down the aisle with their pets for the blessing and exit out the side door back to the front circle (at which point most pets are whisked away by parents and guardians). Sadly, pets cannot stay on campus for the day. Since not everyone's pet will make it, we encourage students to print out a photo of their pet, or even just put their pet's name on a piece of paper, and put the paper on the main altar some time before Tuesday. We especially encourage any student who has lost a pet to make sure that a photo or name is included in this way in the blessing.

Community & Equity Affairs

Hispanic Heritage Month at St. Mark's

This month of recognition, once limited to a week, has become a month-long celebration dedicated to the celebration and education of Hispanic identities, culture, and history. "Hispanic Heritage Month is not only a time for those of Hispanic and Latino descent to celebrate their cultural roots but also an occasion for people from all backgrounds to learn, appreciate, and celebrate the rich tapestry of Hispanic and Latino cultures.” (nea.org)

St. Mark’s proudly recognizes Hispanic Heritage Month, especially for our community's students, families, and alumni who proudly identify as one of the many diverse cultures and ethnicities of the Hispanic community.

Athletic Report

Friday Night Lights

SM football travels to Concord this Friday night to square off against Middlesex at 7:00 p.m! The School will be offering a fan bus for students and space is limited. We are encouraging day students to meet the fan bus at Middlesex as boarding students do not have any other options than to take the fan bus to the game. Go Lions!

Livestream Update

We have experienced some technical difficulties with our new systems, but once we are fully operational, a full schedule of home games we are live streaming will be shared. With more cameras, we are able to offer live streams for varsity, JV and Thirds games! Keep an eye out in next week's Inside the Pride for more information. Livestream links will also be posted on game days on our athletic social media.

Student-Athlete of the Week: Alyna Eggleston '26

Alyna Eggleston '26 had a fantastic weekend for the varsity girls' soccer team. She recorded six saves in a 1-1 draw against a strong Dexter Southfield team on Friday night. On Saturday against Middlesex, Alyna was tremendous in goal, recording an additional six saves and anchoring the Lions' defense throughout the match.

Alumni of the Week: Jacob Silvester '21

Jacob is now in his junior year as a member of the Springfield College football team. After spending his first two seasons at running back in their triple option offense, he earned the starting quarterback job for the 2023 season. The Pride currently sit at 3-1 and are coming off a 63-14 win over Coast Guard. In the game, Springfield set a new program record in rushing yards with 686, with Silvester carrying the ball for 124 yards and two touchdowns. He currently has four rushing touchdowns and has thrown for three. Silvester looks to lead Springfield to a NEWMAC title for the third consecutive year! 

Upcoming Events for Parents

Reminder: Register for Family Weekend, October 13–14

Parents and guardians, please join us for Family Weekend! Register and view the schedule here.

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25 Marlboro Road

Southborough, MA 01772

508.786.6000

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