Weekly Newsletter – December 20, 2024
Dear Parents,
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.
It is important we take time as the semester winds down to reflect and celebrate our accomplishments.
To start the school year:
- 100% teacher retention from last year
- Enrollment in 2024-25 was higher than last year
- We added 23 new students at the beginning of the year – 6 more since school began – and at least 2 more starting in January
- Finished the year $1200 over budget (0.1% variance)
- Initiated a Master Planning process for the entire campus with Erstad Architects
- Held brainstorming sessions with parents, parishioners, faculty, staff and students to create a future vision of St. Mary’s
- Started the year with a school hosted bi-lingual mass and Back to School Bash
- Started and after-school STEM club focusing on robotics, 3D printing and drones
- Altar servers at each Mass on the weekends
- Installed new signage on the school – Backlit to be visible when dark
- Increased school visibility marketing – Niche, Boisemom.com, Idaho Press, Airport, Festival of Trees (Diamonds and Denim tree decor) **(Private School Fair – January 18th at JUMP)
- Support the St. Mary’s Food Bank at their annual Oktoberfest
- 5the/6th Graders trip to MOSS – Thank you PTO for the sponsorship
- Trunk or Treat hosted by the PTO
- Classes collected food to help with Thanksgiving Food Boxes for St. Vincent de Paul
- Mexican Dance group – largest in recent history
- Mexican Dancers – performed Dia de los Muertos, Festival of Trees, Our Lady of Guadalupe
- St. Mary’s – 1 of 2 schools to perform at Festival of Trees (Only Catholic school)
- 8th grade shadowed at Bishop Kelly
- Hosted the year’s first TVCS dance – On the SOCCER FIELD!!
- Middle School participated with TVCS Sports – 7th/8th grade volleyball (Sportsmanship Winners), Football (4-1 record), Cross Country (6 runners from St. Mary’s), Girls Basketball (7th grade, 3rd place in district) Wrestling – District champion, Maddie Girard – 3rd place finisher, Benjamin Brown, Cheerleaders (2 Spartans on the squad)
- 7th/8th Grade Spanish – leveraging Spanish I with IDLA (high school course)
- Introduced Launchpad reading program to our elementary students
- PTO implementation of new volunteer system (FACTS interface)
- PTO hosting Taco Tuesday to increase engagement in PTO
- School Board hosting coffee half hour after Prayer Square
- School Board hosted after Christmas Concert festivities
- Hispanic Heritage Fair held during Hispanic Heritage month – Thank you, Mrs. Huerta
- Incredible Our Lady of Guadalupe performance on December 12th including singing, dancing, and the story of Juan Diego
- Field trips to Birds of Prey, Boise Art Museum, Old Penitentiary, Pumpkin Patches and others
- Guest speakers include: Yo-yo man, University of Idaho engineer ambassadors, parish deacons, Fr. John, St. Al’s nurses, structural graham cracker engineers, and many more
- Record setting Peach Sales
- Record setting Spartan Run – over $15,000 raised
- Record setting Book Fair – Thank you for contributing
- Created a Partnership page on the website to help promote the businesses in our community
- 75th Anniversary – Celebration in September and ongoing throughout the year (including Gala)
- St. Mary’s profiled in the Idaho Catholic Register multiple times: Joseph Zeigler and the Chancery, Back to School education, and 75th Anniversary recognition
- Cedar joined the school as an emotional support animal
We have a fabulous half of a year to date. It is great to be a Spartan! Thank you for all of your support and encouragement. Looking forward to another great year in 2025!!
Pastorella – Please plan on joining us in the cafeteria for Pastorella on Wednesday around 2:30. It is the story of the nativity told from a unique perspective. Mrs. Bernal, Mrs. Davis and Mrs. Huerta has been helping our students realize their gifts with the performing arts. Please join us Wednesday afternoon.
Our Lady of Guadalupe – Spectacular! Incredible! Only at St. Mary’s! – This was one of the most remarkable performances of the year. The students sang, danced, and shared the story of St. Juan Diego in English and Spanish. It is amazing what our students can do and what our teachers are able to inspire in them. Everything they do is impressive and with extraordinary confidence.
Idaho Tax Credit – The end of the year is rapidly approaching. If you want, it is time to take advantage of the Idaho Tax Credit. The Idaho Tax Credit allows for up to a 50% credit for money contributed to a qualifying education institution. These are links to the Introduction letter and the tax credit flyer shared at Mass. After reviewing the linked information, please be sure to consult with your tax advisor.
Included in the tax credit flyer is a QR code if you would like to make a donation electronically.
We are very proud to be welcoming a new Kindergartener and a new 7th grader immediately after break.
St. Mary’s – Recruiting New Students St. Mary’s is always looking for the right students and families to join our school. Linked is an insert for the weekly parish bulletin. You are encouraged to share this with families and friends you believe would be a good fit at St. Mary’s. Thank you in advance for your support.
Diamonds and Denim Gala – February 8th – We are heading into gala season! As your children may have relayed, the classes are working on their art projects and we are in the thick of procuring auction items. Be on the lookout for your invitation, coming soon. This year, we will be offering discounts on tables versus single tickets, so get together with your fellow St. Mary’s supporters and purchase a table together.
Needed auction item spotlight: Vacation package elements
Everyone likes a good get away and we want to offer those up at our gala. Do you own a vacation home? Do you have a family member or friend who does? Do you or someone you know have timeshare points they could share? Frequent flyer miles you/they could part with? Now is the time to make those requests! For ideas, please see the Gala Wish List
Needed auction volunteer spotlight: Slideshow coordinator(s)
Create a slideshow from an assortment of photos to be played on a loop at the dinner and auction. Photos can be gathered from Ms. Campanella, Mr. Grant and teachers who all have them in google drive accounts. Photos should represent and highlight a variety of students, activities and events from around the school and community.
Other volunteer positions can be found at: https://www.
As always, feel free to reach out to me with any questions, comments or suggestions at kristen.ann.colter@gmail.
Angel Tree – Thank you to everyone who was able to provide a gift for our Angel Tree. The Salvation Army was able to provide Christmas gifts to over 800 families and 2000 children in part to your contribution.
Please mark your calendars for important dates:
- December 18 – Pastorella @ 2:30
- December 19 – Last Day of School before Christmas Break
- January 7, 2025 – Back to School
- January 20 – MLK, Jr Day – No School
- January 27 – January 31- Catholic Schools’ Week
- February 7 – Teacher In Service – No School
- February 8 – – St. Mary’s Gala
Other Important Announcements and Events:
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Nurse News – This is an article from the nursing staff for December.
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Partnership Page – St. Mary’s community is full of many terrific individuals who contribute to our greater community and St. Mary’s through their businesses and careers. It is our objective to provide support and awareness to the families that support us. If you are shopping for products or services, I encourage you to check our partnership page first. I would recommend you to mark the page as a favorite and check back often. If you are interested in having your business highlighted, please submit your information to Ms. Mandy @ amcampanella@stmarys-boise.org
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St. Mary’s & Niche – St. Mary’s continues to use various vehicles to let people know about the best kept secret in town. We have used Niche for the past year. As we approach the middle of the school year, we would love for you to take a moment and leave a review of St. Mary’s. In addition, each month Niche has a $1000 sweepstakes to families, alumni, or students willing to complete a survey of the school. Click here to leave a review and enter the sweepstakes.
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Boisemom.com – St. Mary’s is including information about the school and community in a recently created platform for Boise moms. Please take a look at their Guide to Boise Area Private Schools.
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Calling all Alumni – We want to keep our alumni invited and informed of all happenings around St. Mary’s. If you are an alumni or know any alumni, please fill out the form – St. Mary’s Alumni Information
God bless.
Kevan Grant
St. Mary’s Catholic School- Principal
Other Items of Interest
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Bishop Kelly Athletics – Bishop Kelly has a plethora of athletics happening throughout the Fall. The BK website has a link to team pages with game schedules. Whether you enjoy soccer, volleyball, cross country, there is something for everyone. Home football games are an experience.
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Get your Uniforms and Spirit Wear from Educational Outfitters