SMA Weekly Newsletter
October 17, 2024
Dear SMA Community,
Although our Thursday newsletter arrives a day late, it's packed with exciting updates from a week filled with learning and community engagement.
PTG Annual Meeting Highlights
- Good turnout for the State of the School presentation
- Topics covered aligned with NSBECS standards:
- Mission and Catholic Identity
- Operational Vitality
- Governance and Leadership
- Academy Excellence
- PTG officers and chairpersons presented:
- Upcoming events
- Importance of fundraising
- Historical fundraising data
- Fund allocation details
- The Paint & Sip event following the meeting was a success!
Important: We're seeking volunteers for a new safety committee to revise our school's safety plan. There's also an open position on the SMA Advisory Board. Please refer to the attached slides for more information.
School Activities and Achievements
- Great CA Shakeout: Students participated in the annual earthquake drill, practicing duck and cover procedures followed by a safe field evacuation.
- Academic Teams: Decathlon and SeaPerch teams are actively preparing, with final registrations due this week.
- Grant Applications:
- Submitted to Shea Homes for security upgrades (fences, doors, and locks) - thank you Mrs. Shafer!
- Applied to Village Garden Club of La Jolla for a garden grant - thank you Mr. Park!
Behind the Scenes: Teacher Responsibilities
Our dedicated teachers go above and beyond in their roles:
- Create and submit comprehensive unit plans for all subjects
- Prepare materials for all lessons
- Implement lessons and assess student progress
- Provide regular feedback and update the Student Information System
- Communicate with parents through various channels
- Form small groups for targeted support and enrichment
- Collaborate at least monthly with section groups (K-2, 3-5, 6-8)
- Attend faculty meetings
- Work with the Learning Support Coordinator and Administration
- Handle administrative tasks and technology needs
- Support student social-emotional development
- Submit graded papers for principal review (A personal note: I thoroughly enjoy writing comments on students' rubrics. It's important for them to know that multiple educators are invested in their progress. )
They are busy people and their fuel is the smiles on the students' faces and the aha! moments when students learn something new. We are blessed to have our teachers.
Thank you for your continued support of our SMA community!
See you at Mass on Sunday! 9 am with a yummy 7th grade bake sale following.
Fall Blessings,
Jennifer Miller
Principal
How do I pre-purchase Fall Festival tickets for the cake walk & other games?🎂
Log in to the SMA app follow the directions below.
🍁The Fall Festival is only 1 week away!!🍁
Save $5 by purchasing wristbands ahead of time. Enjoy lots of game booths, train, dunk bucket, treat trot, DJ, photo booth, inflatables, and a haunted house! 🚂Wristbands & tickets are being sold for games, activities, food, and drinks.🎫
- 10/22/24 11 am Lunch with a Loved One 10% of sales from BMH will go directly to SMA - save yourself time and order ahead
- 🎁Happy Birthday, Fr. Chris!
- 10/25/24 🍁5:00 pm -8:30 pm Fall Festival🍁
- 10/25/24 8 am Picture Day Makeups- Please let the office know if your student needs their photo retaken or if they were absent on Picture Day! 📸
- 🎁Happy Birthday, Fr. Ignatius!
- 10/28/24 - 11/1/24 Red Ribbon Week
- 10/31/24 Halloween (costumes welcome - guidelines to come) 🎃
- 11/1/24 8:30 am All Saints' Day School Mass (dress up as your favorite saint for Mass or wear Mass uniform)
- 11/4/24 ☕8:15 am - 9:15 am Coffee with the Principal ☕Hot Bevs Coffee in the Parking Lot
- 11/6/24 4-5 pm PTG Executive Officer & Chairpersons Meeting
- ⛺11/7/24 6th Grade Camp Parent Meeting - Zoom
- 11/8/24 End of 1st Trimester
- 11/10/24 St. Martin's Feast Day (observed)
- 11/11/24 No School
SMA Halloween Costume Dress Code
- Age appropriate & represent a character or Saint
- no violent connotations (war, fights, shooting, etc.)
- comfortable and safe / appropriate for school work
- shoes (as outlined in school dress code)
- no accessories and /or detachable parts (wands, swords)
- no masks nor anything that covers the face (including face paint) - wigs okay if not interfering with vision
- boys should not dress as girls and vice-versa
Donate Halloween Candy
Donate Halloween candy. Toothbrushes and toothpaste are also greatly appreciated! Please bring into the office by Friday, 11/8.
The Sisters of the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Queen of Peace coordinate an annual Christmas distribution where 1,700+ impoverished families receive a chicken, rice, beans, canned veggies, fruit, and a bag of your donated candy to make Christmas festivities a little sweeter!
Ms. Newman, our MCA moderator, presented Sr. Eva with a check for MCA. Students do chores around the house or bring money in from their own piggy banks to give to the mission children. Each classroom has a small MCA globe that holds money that gets collected each month. Additionally, SMA has Jeans for Jesus days where students donate $1 to participate. These funds go directly to assisting MCA provide food, school supplies, and basic necessities for children the same age as our Spartan students all over the world. Sr. Eva also gave each student a Mission Rosary so we can continue to pray for the children all over the world, remembering each region as we pray the region's colored beads.
Contact Info
St. Martin of Tours Academy
Main Office: (619) 466-3241
Email: info51@stmartinoftoursacademy.org
Website: www.stmartinoftoursacademy.org
Location: 7708 El Cajon Blvd La Mesa, CA 91942
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stmartinoftoursacademylamesa
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stmartinacademy/