January 17, 2024

Issue 15

You can access current and past edition of Falcon News at thestmaryschool.org

Mr. Joseph Poletti, Principal

Click HERE to read from the Desk of Mr. Poletti

Coming Up

Important news for 8th grade parents:

NHC High School Specialty Program applications open Jan 2 - Feb 2, 2024
If applying to Hoggard's Pre-IB Program, video submission portal is Jan 22-26.
Specialty Program Acceptance: March 8, 2024
All students, regardless of high school or specialty program, will need to complete enrollment via the district's enrollment portal.

Click on this NHC LINK or Brunswick LINK for more information

New Hanover County Link

Brunswick County Link

First Reconciliation/First Communion

Parent Meeting

January 21, 2024 - Parents of children celebrating First Reconciliation and First Communion this year - Mandatory parent-only meeting at 9:20 am in the Basilica.

This is your chance to win tickets to the hottest, sold-out show in the world – Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour in New Orleans, LA on October 27, 2024. There will only be one winner. The winner will have the choice of either 2 tickets to the concert plus $2,000 or 4 tickets to the concert. All seats are together (Sec 521, Row 2) and will be delivered via your Ticketmaster account.

See Website for Official Rules

Drawing will be held on February 3rd.

Contact:

smcshsa@thestmaryparish.org

Buy Raffle Ticket Here

January 19	Noon Dismissal (End of 2nd Quarter)
January 21	First Communion/Reconciliation Mandatory Parent Meeting
January 26	Report Cards Emailed
January 28 - February 3	Catholic Schools Week

School Calendar

News and Announcements

Order Yearbook Here

Thank you for Your Storm Response

One of the joys of being a small, quasi-independent school is having the ability to deviate from the norm. I understand and appreciate the challenges of school systems with school buses and massive footprints when it comes to making weather-related decisions. Making unilateral decisions that impact multiple schools, locations, communities, etc is no mean feat. We will follow the decisions of NHCS and BCS to the extent possible, but as our handbook says, “We reserve the right” to make our own decisions. I do not take those decisions lightly. I am elated that most of our stakeholders followed the SMCS way.

HSA Needs Your Help

The Mardi Gras fundraiser is on Saturday, February 3rd from 6pm-9pm. This will be in the lower school cafeteria/courtyard and is an adult-only event. We need volunteers to chair and help plan certain aspects of the event. Please let us know as soon as possible if you can help with one of these areas:

Food (including dessert) and drinks
Decorations
Ticket sales and advertising

Email: smshsa@thstmaryparish.org

Catholic High School Feasibility Study

The Catholic Church has always been committed to providing quality education for all students, regardless of their economic or social backgrounds. Feasibility studies are often conducted to assess the potential for a new Catholic high school in a certain area. These studies take into consideration factors such as demographics, enrollment projections, financial stability, and community support. A committee has been formed consisting of representatives from the local Catholic parishes to determine the feasibility of building and staffing a Catholic high school in Wilmington, NC. This survey has been created to gather information and opinions from members of the community, to aid in this assessment. Kindly complete the survey regardless of whether you have a potential student. If you have questions or would like additional information, please contact Laura Sterner at 910-398-6526.

Have you completed your St. Mary School re-enrollment?

Current student enrollment is almost complete!
Opportunity Scholarships will be available to all K - 8 St. Mary students for 2024-2025. Parents planning to submit a new student application in February are invited to an Opportunity Scholarship webinar Friday, January 5. Program staff will explain the application process and offer important tips for families of prospective new students. More details on the Opportunity Scholarship website.
Applications for the 2024-25 African American and Native American Tuition Assistance program are available from 2/1 - 3/14/2024. Preschool students are eligible to apply. Decision letters will be mailed no later than 5/24/2024. https://form.jotform.com/schoolsoffice/2024-25BIMOGrant

If you have any questions, please contact Susan Linn at linns@thestmaryparish.org or 910-762-5491, ext. 140.

Re-enrollment for Current Families

2024 - 2025 African American and Native American Ancestry Scholarship

North Carolina Opportunity Scholarship Household Income Guidelines Preliminary Information 2024 - 2025 School Year

NCOS Information Session 3

The best guidance is for all St. Mary families to complete the NCOS application between February 1 and February 29, 2024. We will make that our mission.

Reminders:

The streets directly surrounding our school are all signed at 25 mph zones.

Here are some helpful reminders about the area around St. Mary School:

Passing is not permitted.
Traffic moving down 4^th toward Ann Street has a STOP sign.
There is no parking/stopping in the drop-and-drive lane directly in front of the lower school from 7:00 am – 4:00 pm. Please be mindful of families that need that lane free for quick drop off. You are welcome to park and get out of your vehicle on the other side of 4^th Street.
Please do not park in the crosswalks in front of either school as we need those clear for the safety of our students and families.

It takes everyone to keep our St. Mary community safe.

COMMUNICATE WITH THE ST. MARY SCHOOL COMMUNITY

Follow this process to submit your news:

Provide a 1 - 2 sentence description.
Include details such as name of event, date, time, location and contact person information.
Submit via email to smsnews@thestmaryparish.org.

Falcon Athletics

Practice Times on Monday and Wednesday

3:00 - 4:30 Girls

4:30 - 6:00 Boys

Club Information

After School Choir

After-School Chorus meets Wednesdays from 3-4 pm. Our featured piece for the Spring Concert is a medley from “High School Musical.”

Barb White

Athletic Booster Club

St. Mary is starting up our Athletic Booster Club! Please join and submit brilliant ideas for sprucing up our facilities, fundraising, or otherwise enhancing the athletic experience for our students and spectators! Sign up here https://form.jotform.com/233376221929157

Go Falcons!

Science Olympiad Update:

Practice days will be Mon/Wed/Fri after Christmas Break
Students cannot be released to spectate basketball games without adult supervision
BIRDSO Satellite Invitational: 2/10/2024 @ St. Mary 8a - 1p
Wilmington Regional SO Tournament (mandatory): 3/9/24 @ UNCW 7a-3p
NC State SO Tournament (Varsity Only, if invited): 4/12-13/24 @ NCSU

We are proud of the hard work all of our teams are doing and appreciate our coaches and sponsors!