Principal's Weekly Update

Dear Families,

What a year it is to be part of the St. Mary's Community! It is with immense pride to announce that this year we are celebrating a remarkable milestone-125 years of educational excellence! Our school’s rich history is a testament to the dedication, passion, and hard work of countless individuals who have walked these halls, from past and present educators to generations of students and supportive families. For over a century, our school has been a beacon of learning, growth, and inspiration. We have nurtured young minds, cultivated talents, and built a community that values faith, knowledge, and respect. Our commitment to academic excellence remains as strong today as it was 125 years ago. Throughout the year, we will be celebrating our 125 years of faith, education, and community!

Thank you for being a part of this remarkable journey. Let’s continue to make history together!

September 16

• Fall Club Registration opens at 10:30 AM

September 17

• Parent Volunteer Council at 8 AM

September 21

• St. Mary's 5K at 9:30 AM

September 24

• Touring Tuesday
  
• Back to School Night 5-7 PM
  
• EDP ends at 4:00 PM

September 30

• Fall MAPs Testing Week (Grades K2-8)
• Fall Clubs Begin

October 2

• Mass of the Guardian Angels Mass at 8 AM (Grades K2-8) All Families Welcome

October 3

• No Brookline Lunch Program - Bring Lunch from Home

October 4

• Picture Day (Grades PreK-8)

October 6

• Protecting God's Children VIRTUS Training in the School Cafeteria
• Register Online before

October 14

• NO SCHOOL - Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples' Day

October 18

• Discovery Day 9:00-11:00 AM

October 25

• Trimester 1 Progress Reports Released (Grades K2-8)

An email was sent today with details regarding Back to School Night!

In order to adequately prepare for both childcare and the parent BBQ, please RSVP through this form by Tuesday, September 17th, 2024.

5:00-5:30: Optional Childcare Drop-Off for St. Mary's students in PreK-8 (Cafeteria)

5:00-6:00: BBQ Dinner and Parent-Guardian Social

5:45: Welcome Address by Dr. Christine Nadjarian

6:00-6:30: Grades PreK-2 in Classrooms & Grades 3-8 in Auditorium with Special Subject Teachers

6:30-7:00: Grades PreK-2 in Auditorium with Special Subject Teachers & Grades 3-8 in Classrooms

Father Jonathan celebrated our back to school Mass on Thursday September 12th. He gave a warm welcome to all new students faculty and families. It was the Feast of the Holy Name of Mary and Fr. Jonathan gave a wonderful homily on trusting in God just like Mary did. He reminded all present that God is always with us and that through faith we can call on Mary and say yes to God even though we don't always have all of the answers. Calling on Mary is a wonderful thing to do since she is our heavenly mother and a very special gift from God for us. Fr. Jonathan reminded us that even just saying her name, "Mary" as a prayer brings with it innumerable graces from God.

The second annual St. Mary's 5K road race and raffle is just one week away on September 21st, 2024! There is still time to register and receive an official race t-shirt, a free raffle ticket, and finish line photos. The officially timed course starts and finishes at St. Mary's and includes part of the Boston Marathon course! The 5K will be followed by a kids' sprint and a raffle with prizes from some of our sponsors, including Barre3, Bartaco, Lavinia Borcau Skincare, Power Rowing, Garrison House, Shake Shack, Tongwood, and Vinodivino!

Bib numbers are in! Sign up now to get yours! Gather your friends, family, and classmates, and join us for a memorable day of fun and fitness. Register not and run, walk, or jog your way through the finish line and toward a healthier and happier school community.

We are excited to start up our Parent Volunteer Council next week. The purpose of the Saint Mary’s Parent Volunteer Council is to facilitate, encourage, and ensure ongoing community building by creating a centralized group of committed parent volunteers to assist with events, community building, fundraising, and marketing. The Volunteer Council is open to all parents/legal guardians at Saint Mary of the Assumption School. Each school year, we ask that every family contributes 10 hours of community service to the school. Our parent volunteers work in conjunction with the faculty and staff on events, such as the Halloween Party, Christmas Concert, Trivia Night, and International Night. The first Parent Volunteer Council meeting will be on September 17th at 8:00 am in the school cafeteria. Coffee and refreshments will be served. If you would like to be part of the Parent Volunteer Council, please complete the Google form below. Volunteer service is a vital support for the success of Saint Mary of the Assumption School and the health of our community.

We are in need of volunteers for our second annual St. Mary's 5K road race and raffle on September 21st! Volunteers for the event will stand along the course as marshals, manage water, refreshment, and raffle stations, and help with set up and clean up. The race starts at 9:30am, but there are options for volunteering throughout the morning. If you are able to volunteer, please complete the form below with your interests and availability. Volunteer assignments will be finalized later next week. Hours from this event will count towards the 10 hours of service required for all families.

Thank you in advance for your time and talents!

The first week back has been filled with enthusiasm, smiles, and a genuine sense of community. We've had the pleasure of reuniting with familiar faces and extending warm welcomes to new members of our program.

Fall clubs online registration will take place on Monday, September 16 @ 10:30AM. This morning 9/13, the fall clubs preview was emailed to families-if you did not receive this email please notify our EDP director, Nicole Tiney, ntiney@stmarys-brookline.org.

Students in Ms. Tiney’s kindergarten class started working on their poetry journals this week! Students practiced reading and reciting a poem about the color red, then they glued this poem into their poetry journals. Students will continue to add poems and songs to their poetry journals creating a testament to their wonderful work in the classroom.

Students in Mrs. Sterge’s second-grade classroom started their Tuesday with Bridges Math Number Corner. Students flip over the date with a photo on the calendar grid and make observations and predictions about the meaning of the images. Students noticed a pattern in which the number of strings equaled 20. They accurately created numerical equations representing the images together as a whole class group. Great work, Grade 2!

The 4th and 5th grade students enjoyed working together to make portraits of themselves using the community paper they made last week. They were challenged to not use any writing utensils when creating these portraits. Look for them hanging outside the classrooms at Back to School Night!

Students in grades 5 through 8 had the exciting opportunity to meet Dr. Brian Palmer ( Mrs. Palmer's husband), a toxicologist at Procter & Gamble, and listen to a presentation about consumer protection and safety! During the session, students gained a deeper understanding of how scientific research plays a crucial role in the development of everyday consumer products. Dr. Palmer explained how toxicologists and other scientists within private companies like Procter & Gamble work behind the scenes to ensure that products are not only effective but also safe for consumers. This presentation helped students see how their science education can be applied in real-world careers.

Please find the links below to our social media pages. We have been constantly uploading posts and stories so if you are interested in seeing more of our day-to-day happenings, please follow us!

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/st-mary-of-the-assumption-school

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stmaryschoolbrooklinema

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stmaryschoolbrookline/