St. Mary Newsletter
10.18.2023
St. Mary Elementary Newsletter
October 18, 2023
SMCS Mission
Preparing and inspiring students to lead meaningful lives, rooted in the teachings of Christ and our Catholic tradition.
Greetings from the Principal
Dear SMCS families,
It is hard to believe that it is already October, and we are half through it at that. We are in a nice, peaceful routine here during the day and that is in large part, because of our AMAZING administrative assistant, Mrs. Nieto, and all of our WONDERFUL teachers and staff. We worked hard to put some new procedures in place right at the beginning of the year so that our day to day would operate as smoothly as possible. I am very grateful to all of you for your support and encouragement as we got this year up and running. I really believe we have some exciting things in front of us here at SM Elementary.
DRESS CODE - COLD WEATHER
Students should now be coming to school with warm clothing. This means pants, leggings, tights, coats, hats and mittens. Please stop in the office if you are in need of something for the winter. We don't have a lot of items, but we do have some, and we might have what you need!
HALLOWEEN (October 31st) 🎃
- Update - NO MASS TODAY
- Special Dress Day- Dress in festive fall colors!
- Please get into the Fall Spirit and come to school on Oct. 31st by wearing Halloween/fall colors. Students should not wear t-shirts with anything scary, spooky or with monsters. Pumpkins and other cute halloween/fall symbols are fine. Students are welcome to wear jeans and/or casual bottoms.
- Movie - Monster’s Inc. (92 Minutes) - 1:00 pm - 2:35 pm
- In the gym with buddy classes
- Students may bring a small blanket or beach towel to lay on
- Popcorn (volunteer teachers and parent volunteers - let Maria know if you would like to help!)
ALL SAINTS DAY: DRESS UP, PARADE & MASS (November 1st)
- Update - MASS TODAY sponsored by 5th Grade at 10:00 am
- Special Dress Day- Dress up as your favorite saint today! Accessories such as fake weapons can be used during morning announcements for a group picture and our parade. Students should leave their accessories in the main office and pick them up at the end of the school day. Please be sure to wear warm, regular clothes underneath your costume so that you can play and have fun at recess.
- Parade and Group Picture - Students who dress as saints will get a group picture at 8:00 am followed by a “Saint Parade” in the gym so that all students can see their classmates dressed up. Parents are encouraged to attend! (approximately 8:00-8:15 am)
MEMORIAL FOR ALL SOULS DAY (November 2nd)
We will have a table in the main entrance of the hallway honoring our loved ones who have already passed away. Please consider bringing a photo of your loved one and/or an item that they enjoyed when they were here with us (these must be appropriate for school so no alcohol or tobacco products please). Please be sure to put a name on the item you bring so that it can be returned to you. We will also honor Fr. Mike's request to make sure that we do not display skeletons or skulls on our memorial table.
PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES
Please be sure to arrive a few minutes early for your conferences this week. Additionally, each conference can last a max of 15 minutes. If more time is needed to discuss your child, an additional meeting can be set up for another day. Students can attend the conferences but please reach out to your student's teacher to discuss what will be more appropriate for you and your child.
RESPECT LIFE MONTH
As a system we are taking a little time through the month to honor the Respect for Life movement.
- Last week we prayed a decade of the rosary together.
- This week we are making cards for those living in assisted living facilities,
- The last week of October/first week of November we will be having a diaper and wipes drive for our local chapter of Catholic Charities.
Thank you again for being such an awesome group of families! We are excited to be here, working with you and your children.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Crystal Blahnik
Associate Principal ~ St. Mary Elementary
BIG THANK YOU'S!
We would like to give a HUGE shout out to the following families for donating to our indoor recess game closet! We are feeling blessed by your generosity!
Heather Voss (Ivy, Marvin, Vienna)
Jane Voss
Zephyr Community Clothes Closet
THANK YOU to Michaela Brenn for making our community closet look so tidy and professional! We are blessed by your kindness and generosity.
Parent Teacher Conferences
SPECIALS - Specials teachers will be available at parent teacher conferences through drop-in, open house style.
- Counseling, Art, Phy Ed. and Music @ SM Elementary on October 19th
- Library @ SM Elementary 10:00 am
Elementary Breakfast & Lunch Menu for October
COLLECTING: GENTLY USED WINTER GEAR
If you have any gently used jackets, snow pants, snow boots or ski gloves, please consider bringing them to school for our winter closet. We have children here who can use these items. Thank you for your consideration! (please ensure that the zippers and/or buttons are in working order).
Teacher Wishlist
If you are looking for a way to support your child's classroom teacher, please consider giving a classroom donation to the "Teacher Wishlist". Thank you!
Hispanic Heritage Month: From the Art Department
Mexican Suns - First Grade
Ojo de Dios - Fifth Grade
Papel Picados - Kindergarten
Upcoming Events
Oct. 19 - Evening parent-teacher conferences (elementary)
Nov. 2 - End of Q2
Nov. 3 - No school for students, professional development day for teachers
Nov. 7 - Zephyr Spirit Day
Nov. 10 - Q1 progress reports go home with students
Nov. 11 - All Aboard for Christmas
Nov. 20-24 - No school, Thanksgiving break
Dec. 4 - SM Christmas concert @ church
Dec. 11 - Packers colors/apparel
Dec. 19th - SAVE THE DATE (SM Elementary Posada, 5:30 pm)
Dec. 22 - No school for students, professional development day for teachers
Dec. 25-Jan. 1 No school, Christmas break
Jan. 2 - No school for students, professional development day for teachers
Helpful Links
Contact Information
Phone: 920-725-5351
Associate Principal: Mrs. Blahnik, cblahnik@smcatholicschools.org
Elementary Principal: Mrs. Cihlar, acihlar@smcatholicschools.org