St. Margaret Mary Newsletter
09.20.2023
St. Margaret Mary Newsletter
September 20, 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 St. Margaret Mary families,
I am happy to announce that Cheryl Lecker is our new full-time Administrative Assistant. We are blessed that she is part of our St. Margaret Mary family! We were fortunate to have Pat Batey sub in the office and he will continue to help for a few more days during the transition. Mrs. Shandonay started this week as our long-term substitute teacher in 5th grade. We are blessed to have her here too! Please see their pictures and bios in the newsletter.
We prayed our first Chaplet of Divine Mercy last week. If you would like to join us, our 5th grade students along with Jim Gruber and his wife, lead us in this beautiful prayer on the first Tuesday of the month at 9:30 a.m. in church. We pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet for mercy - in our own lives and in our neighbors, too. Thank you to Debra Scott who filled in for Jim Gruber last Tuesday.
Blessings,
Mrs. Jackie Lutz
Associate Principal ~ St. Margaret Mary Elementary
Classroom Spotlight - Mrs. Quick, Kindergarten class
Hello St. Margaret Mary Families! My name is Mrs. Heidi Quick, and this is my second year teaching at our school. Our “Stories of God’s Love” curriculum continues on in Kindergarten as we learn: how each one of us is special, how we can share our faith with others by our words as well as our actions, and begin to understand stories of our faith throughout the Old and New Testament in the Bible. We begin our journey with our first unit, "God Gave Us the World,” focusing on creation: the world, animals, plants, and humans. It is amazing to think that the same God that created the mountains and oceans…created only one special and unique…you! Throughout the year we will learn how Jesus welcomes all (friends and enemies alike), Jesus is the good shepherd, how we belong to the Catholic Church, the Sacrament of Baptism, and how the Holy Spirit is our helper (the Trinity). We will also learn about the Holy Days and Holidays that we celebrate in our Catholic faith .
We continue to grow in our faith by participating in our weekly School-Parish Masses. Later in the school year, we will prepare a Mass to lead. Mass participation in our grade includes: being a greeter, also a reader, delivering the prayer box to the altar, as well as bringing forth the gifts to Father Nonito. An additional way that we grow in our faith is by participating in the Divine Mercy Chaplet (praying the Rosary). The first Tuesday of each month we attend the 30 minute prayer service, by praying the Rosary through song. In the weeks ahead, we will create a 10 bead rosary (decade) to learn our prayers as well as what it looks like to be reverent in a prayerful moment.
Meet Mrs. Lecker, Administrative Assistant
I am married going on 33 years and have a daughter named Morgan. I like to spend my free time with my family. I enjoy going to the family cottage, boating, fishing, and kayaking.
I started my career at Kimberly-Clark in the Research Department and worked there for 33 years before joining IPS as a Quality Lab Technician for the past 5 years.
Meet Mrs. Shandonay - 5th Grade Teacher (Long term sub)
Preschool Field Trip to Neenah-Menasha Fire Station
Our preschool students learned about fire safety. They practiced stop, drop, and roll and talked about the different tools fire fighters need and use. Everyone enjoyed their visit at the Neenah-Menasha Fire Station!
After School Pick Up
Students that are being picked up by cars on Division Street will be standing in front of four orange cones waiting. Please pull forward to the cone and stop. After your car is completely stopped, then your child(ren) can enter the car. This procedure is in place to ensure the safety of our students. Thank you for your cooperation.
Teacher Wish List
If you would like to support your child's classroom and teacher, please check out how you can donate to our teacher wish lists here.
Homecoming Dress Up Days
- Monday, Sept. 25 - Class Color Day (Preschool=pink, 4K=purple, K=red, 1=orange, 2=yellow, 3=green, 4=blue, 5=class choice)
- Tuesday, Sept. 26 - Mismatch Day
- Wednesday, Sept. 27 - Pajama Day
- Thursday, Sept. 28 - Jersey/Sports Apparel Day
- Friday, Sept. 29 - Zephyr Spirit Day! Wear Zephyr apparel and/or school colors
Thank you shout out
A big thank you to our 5th grade families who have been donating snacks and drinks for the teachers this month! Your generosity is appreciated!
Upcoming Masses
Sept. 21 - Mrs. Shandonay's 5th grade class
Sept. 28 - Mrs. Logemann's 4th grade class
Oct. 5 - Mrs. Simon's 4th grade class
Oct. 12 - Mrs. Zelinski's 2nd grade class
Oct. 19 - Mrs. Dopp's 2nd grade class
Oct. 26 - No School Mass
Mass Update - Almost every Thursday, we have the opportunity to gather at Mass as a community with both the school and parish together. This year, we have decided to bring back the ministry of ushers for our young parishioners as well as taking up a collection. This is a great opportunity to teach our children about the importance of giving to the church to support its ministries and outreach to the poor. Please consider having your child bring an offering on Thursday mornings to place in the collection basket. Thank you for your consideration and support in helping raise our children in the faith!
FACES Update
FACES (Faith and Community Enriching St. Margaret Mary Elementary) is our school’s official PTO group. We meet monthly and host many events throughout the school year. This year our officers are: President Gretchen Cogswell, VP Kiki McMillan, Treasurer Jen Hildahl, Secretary Kali Sawyer and Parish Liaison Deborah Scott. Please feel free to contact us at our email address: faces@smcatholicschools.org with any questions you may have.
- FACES coffee social - Thursday, September 21st following school mass - All parents and little siblings are welcome to join us for the school mass, followed by a coffee social in the gathering space of the church. We hope to see you there!
- Homecoming week - September 24th-29th - Please mark your calendars for homecoming week! More details to follow.
- Walk to School Day and Coffee Social - Wednesday, October 4th at 7:20 am - Students and families can walk / bike / scoot to school from home OR join our group walk to school! We will meet at the fountain at Riverside Park at 7:20 am. We'll take a group picture at 7:30 and then children will walk / bike / or scoot to school (Wisconsin to Pine to SMM) with their grown-ups. We'll have volunteers stationed at each of the intersections to help the group cross safely, but we do ask that all children participating in the group walk are accompanied by a grown-up. Following the walk, we will have a coffee social at school!
- FACES Meeting - Thursday, October 5th at 9 am (after mass) - All parents are invited, as well as little siblings. Please sign in at the office and then head downstairs to the cafeteria. Our meeting will start at after mass, and meetings usually last about one hour. We hope to see you there!
- FACES volunteering - We are always looking for parent volunteers! If you would like to help FACES with any of the fabulous events FACES sponsors, please sign up using the following link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C44AAAE22A0FF2-202324
- Lunchroom volunteers - Our school lunch program cannot run without the help of parent volunteers! Remember, you must be current with your VIRTUS documents to volunteer, and every three times you volunteer in a month you’ll get an out of dress code pass for one of your students! Please contact Justine Semrow at 920-209-5209 with questions about helping in the lunchroom, or sign up using this link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C44AAAE22A0FF2-20232024
To stay up to date on all FACES events, and other important school updates, please follow and like the SMM FB group named “St. Margaret Mary Elementary”.
St. Margaret Mary Parish News
-Taste and Share the Goodness of the Lord meal at SMM Parish, Wed., Sept. 27, 5:45 p.m. Grow in community and faith and share a healthy meal! All are welcome! RSVP by Sept. 22.
Click here to see more details and to share the word with others: www.smmneenah.org/parish-happenings
Elementary Breakfast & Lunch Menu for August & September
Upcoming Events
Sept. 22 - No school (Professional Development day)
Sept. 29 - Homecoming Parade and Football Game
Helpful Links
Contact Information
Phone: 920-729-4565
Associate Principal: Mrs. Lutz, jlutz@smcatholicschools.org
Elementary Principal: Mrs. Cihlar, acihlar@smcatholicschools.org