
Principal's Weekly Update
March 8th, 2024
A Message from Dr. Nadjarian
Dear Families,
What a joy it was to see our young students dance the night away with their special someone! Between the fun music, the delicious snacks, and the irresistible outfits of the little ones, this was a night to remember. Thank you to Jen and Savanna for being our dedicated co-chairs of the event, and to all of the many other parent volunteers who generously dedicated their time to make the event incredible!
This weekend, our boys and girls basketball teams have their last game. We hope they finish strong with one final win! Even though the season will be over, their friendships and commitment to greatness will continue to ignite our school!
Be on the lookout for the dates of our spring events such as Field Day, International Family Festival, and the spring concert in next week's newsletter.
As a reminder, there will be no school next Friday due to parent teacher conferences for K2 - Grade 8. Have a great weekend!
Looking Ahead
March 13th
- Report Cards Released (Grades K2 - 8)
- Spring Clubs Email Preview
March 14th
- Dress Down Day Today
- Parent Teacher Conferences (Grades K2 - 8)
- No EDP Today
March 15th
- No School - Parent Teacher Conferences (Grades K2 - 8)
March 18th
- No School - Pastor's Day
March 19th
- School Mass at 8 a.m. for the Solemnity of St. Joseph. (Grades K2 - 8)
March 20th
- Spring Clubs Registration (Spring clubs will begin the week of April 8th and conclude the week of May 27th)
March 22nd
- Middle School Open House: 9 - 11 a.m.
- Stations of the Cross - Families Invited (Grades K2 - 8)
- Children's Choir Rehearsal: 2:30 - 3:30 p.m.
March 27th
- Progress Reports Released (PreK - K1)
March 28th
- School-wide Morning Prayer: 9 a.m. - 9:45 a.m. (PreK - Grade 8)
- Early Dismissal at 11 a.m. for Holy Thursday (PreK - Grade 8)
- No EDP Today
March 29th
- No School - Good Friday
April 1st
- No School - Easter Monday
April 3rd
- School Mass at 8 a.m. for Easter Week (PreK - Grade 8)
- First Penance for Grade 2 (Families Welcome): 8:45 a.m. - 9:45 .am.
April 6th
- 2024 Black and White Gala: 6 - 10 p.m.
April 9th
- Family: The First School (Session 3) Talk & Discussion: 8 a.m. in the School Cafeteria
News From Nurse Catherine Wu
Update on Covid-19: Although the CDC changed the isolation guidelines for Covid-19 positive people, the MDPH has not made any changes to their guidelines. Therefore, students and staff who test positive for Covid-19 must continue to isolate for 5 full days. Students/staff can return to school on day 6 as long as they are feeling better and are fever-free for 24 hours. Students/staff need to wear a mask in school until 10 days out from testing positive. Students/staff who are household close contacts (they were exposed to someone at home who tested positive for Covid-19) can come to school, test on day 5 after their last exposure to the positive household member, and wear a mask in school for 10 full days unless they test negative on day 5.
Please continue to let me know if your student tests positive for Covid-19 or any other respiratory illness, if they have a fever, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or are just not feeling well and staying home.
Enjoy your weekend!
Dr. Nadjarian Leads Parking Lot Prayers
This Monday, our school had the pleasure of listening to Dr. Nadjarian as she introduced this month's virtue: perseverance. The students eyes were all locked on her as she told the story of how Yursa Mardini embodied the virtue of perseverance. Yursa and her sister were forced to flee Syria in 2015, and were put in a situation involving a treacherous sea journey to Europe. The engine on their boat cut out mid-crossing and the sisters jumped into the water with two others and, swimming for several hours, guided the sinking dingy to safety, saving the lives of many onboard. This heroic example of perseverance can also be lived out on a day-to-day basis for each of our students. We look forward to hearing Grade 2 students continue to explain this virtue in the Parking Lot Prayers to come!
Family: The First School Talk & Discussion Session 2
Thank you to all who joined Mr. Antonacci and Dr. Nadjarian for an edifying talk and discussion on Tuesday morning! It was great to strategize how to support the students by partnering with the school and with other families. For those who were not able to attend, something we talked about was making sure you encourage your child with the right type of praise. It is evident that identity-based praise (e.g. "You're so smart," "You're so skilled," etc.) results in decreased academic performance and decreased motivation for the children to challenge themselves compared to effort-based praise (e.g. "I am proud of you for persevering," "Keep up the good effort in that difficult class," etc.). In other words, one way you can partner with the school is by making sure you are matching the teachers' effort-based praise at home.
Next month's session will be focused on creating a culture of true learning and leisure in the home to oppose the culture of entertainment so prevalent in the world. The next session will be held on Tuesday, April 9th at 8 a.m. in the school cafeteria.
St. Mary's Staff Highlighted For Exceptional Performance
Throughout the year, a professional educational company, CorCreative, has been working with St. Mary's to help the school further develop its yearly academic planning, assessments, and connection of learning between grade levels. Since CorCreative has been especially proud of the school's performance, they interviewed staff members on Wednesday to showcase the work St. Mary's has done. Thank you to Mrs. Maria Enrique, Mrs. Palmer, Miss DeLuca, and Mr. Antonacci for spearheading the planning, and to all of our incredible teachers who are the backbone and brains of the entire project!
Reflections Dance Academy Summer Camp
Join our very own PreK teacher, Ms. Porcello, at Reflections Dance Academy this summer for summer camps full of dance, games, songs, activities, crafts and MORE for children ages 3-6! Each of our summer camps are uniquely themed ensuring each week is something new for all participants. Our camps run Monday through Thursday 9:30am-12:00pm. They also offer an extended day option of 12:00pm-3:00pm for just $30 a day!* Register online at ReflectionsDanceAcademyMA.com
Barbie and Ken Camp 7/8-7/11
Princess Camp 7/15-7/18
Disney Junior Camp 7/22-7/25
Summer Dance Camp 7/29-8/1
All Camps
Monday- Thursday
9:30AM-12:00PM
$250
All Camps are listed in our registration as "Summer: Name of Camp" and Extended
Day as "Summer: After Camp Care Name of Camp"
Please note: To be eligible for extended day care students must be registered for
the coinciding camp and you must register for all 4 days of after camp care.
For more information or questions please contact us at
ReflectionsDanceAcademyMA@gmail.com or (508) 954-0106
PreK
Our PreK students this week focused on construction! In Miss Crapo’s class students learned how to make blueprints for a house using white glue, and used Lincoln Logs to get familiar with balance and structural foundations. In Miss Porcello's class, students have had a blast learning about blueprints, demolition, tools, constructions trucks, and building materials. They engaged in hands-on learning activities such as painting with tools, building block towers in the construction site, drawing blueprints, counting nuts and bolts, cooking construction stew, measuring towers, and more. They are looking forward to continuing their construction study next week by learning about the Three Little Pigs!
K1
In Mrs. Schneiders' K1 class, students had a great experience in the middle of the week understanding the difference between objects that are reflective and non-reflective. They used flashlights, tactile sensations, and painting to distinguish reflectivity. We are very impressed by their paintings and their great learning!
Grade 1
In Miss Reitnour's class, Grade 1 students learned on a large-scale this week - literally! They learned all about the solar system. Students read about the various planets, and how Earth compares to each of the planets. In religion class, students focused on the question, "What does it mean to follow Jesus?" Students contributed to the conversation by sharing their ideas, including taking time to pray, reading the Bible, and treating others with love and respect (the same way that Jesus treats others). It is always a joy to be with Grade 1!
Grade 2
Grade 2 students are excited to begin a fun challenge: March Reading Madness! Students are voting on books to read in a bracket-style format to narrow it down to only one book to read as a class. In addition, 2nd Grade as a whole has a goal to read 150 books during the month of March. Please encourage this wonderful habit at home! We are very proud of them.
Grade 3
Grade 4
Grade 5
Middle School Highlights
This Friday, the 6th grade students welcomed our very own artist-in-residence, Mrs. Enrique, who led students through a creative and artistic geometry lesson. After learning about translating 2-D shapes into 3-D forms, our student-architects first designed a blueprint of their building, house, or other structure. Then students colored the 3-D outlines. Next class, they will work on their craftsmanship as they cut and construct their 3-D forms!
With St. Patrick's Day next weekend, middle school music class focused on ancient Irish music. They learned about the Loughnashade, a type of Celtic horn that looks simple but demonstrates the bronze working skills of the Iron Age craftsmen. On a different note, our musicians worked on mastering the notes of the treble clef and bass clef. Thank you, Mr. Lynch, for leading the students not only in music class but also choir rehearsals!
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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/st-mary-of-the-assumption-school
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