Spartan Spotlight – Week Ending September 27, 2024

Weekly Newsletter – September 27, 2024

Dear Parents,

There is too much happening this week to wait until Wednesday to send this out. I hope it is not too overwhelming to receive this on a Tuesday. Big things happening this week and the weeks to follow.

Big things happening this week and weekend –

• Wednesday, Sep 25 – Picture Day
• Friday, Sep 27- Hispanic Heritage Fair with Mrs. Huerta (3rd through 6th grade presenting)  at 2:00 pm – Please come and visit
• Friday, Sep 27 – Black and Gold Spirit Wear – BK Homecoming – Game at 7:00 pm
• Sunday, Sep 29 – 75th Anniversary Kick off Celebration – 8:30 Mass

Where did September go? It is hard to believe next week is the first week of October. October is packed with many school and community events including:

• 10/3 and 10/4 – Catholic Educators Conference – – NO School
• 10/8 – PTO Meeting 6:30 pm at St. Mary’s
• 10/ 9 – Coffee After Prayer Square – Hosted by the School Advisory Board 8:00 am
• 10/9  – School Mass – Recognizing Christian Leaders “Friends” 8:30 am
• 10/7-10/11 – MOSS for 5th and 6th Grade
• 10/18 – Spartan Run
• 10/18 – End of the First Quarter
• 10/24 & 10/25 – Parent-Teacher Conferences
• 10/27 – Trunk or Treat

Homecoming Week at Bishop Kelly – Friday – Black and Gold Spirit Wear – You are invited to attend the Bishop Kelly football game Friday evening at 7:00 pm. The Knights take on the Columbia Wildcats at Nick Ysursa Field on the campus of Bishop Kelly. Go Knights!

75th Anniversary – September 29 at 8:30 Mass. We are excited to welcome back everyone involved with the school since the beginning. Whether you are a former student, teacher, administrator, parent, or supporter, please join us for this special celebration.

Oktoberfest – Thank you to everyone who was able to attend the Annual Food Bank Oktoberfest on Monday.

Hispanic Heritage Month – September 15 through October 15- Mrs. Huerta is hosting a Cultural Celebration with our 3rd through 6th grade classes in our school gym on Friday, Sep 27, 2024 @ 2:00 pm. All are welcome. Come celebrate Latin American Independence Days with us and learn about the history, traditions, and interesting facts of Latin America.

Put on your boots and hat and celebrate Hispanic Heritage with your school!

Spartan Run- It’s time for the 2024 Spartan Run! Please keep your eye out for an email from 99pledges, which is the online platform used for fundraising for this jogathon-style obstacle course. Prizes will be handed out to students who gather $20,$50 and $100 pledges. Also up for grabs are prizes for most donations in the school, class with highest donation/student, and students that complete the most obstacles in 20 minutes. Students will run on October 18 from 1-3, all are welcome to join!

MAP Testing -Congratulations to the students for their exceptional attitude and perseverance completing MAP tests over the past two weeks. We could not be more proud of their effort and focus. We will send results home soon. Linked is a letter about MAP testing, how to read the results and how we use the information.

Great work by Joseph Zeigler –

Joseph has taken an interest in city planning, specifically the new Chancery Building. Last month, Joseph spoke in support of the project during the City of Boise Council meeting. He was the only presenter to be applauded. Bishop Peter was so grateful and impressed with Joseph, he invited Joseph to participate in the groundbreaking ceremony. It takes tremendous courage to speak in public and great strength to share your opinions. Thank you to Joseph for being a great role model to all of us.

Please mark your calendars for important dates:

• September 25 – Picture Day 
• September 23-28 – BK Homecoming Week
• September 27 – Hispanic Heritage Celebration – 2:00 pm in the cafeteria
• September 29 – 75th Anniversary Kickoff celebration at 8:30 Mass – Reception to follow
• October 3 & 4 – Catholic Educators Conference – – NO School
• October 8 – PTO Meeting 6:30 pm at St. Mary’s
• October 9 – Coffee After Prayer Square – Hosted by the School Advisory Board 8:00 am
• October 9 – School Mass – Recognizing Christian Leaders “Friends” 8:30 am
• October 7 – 11 – MOSS for 5th and 6th Grade
• October 18 – Spartan Run
• October 18 – End of the First Quarter
• October 20 – Parish Ministry Faire
• October 24 & 25 – Parent-Teacher Conferences
• October 27  – Trunk or Treat
• February 8 – Diamonds and Denim – St. Mary’s Gala 

Other Important Announcements and Events:

• Support Dog – St. Mary’s is piloting a support dog program at school. The proposal, approved by St. Mary’s School Advisory Board is linked. The proposal includes a form for you to complete if you would like your student not to be around the support dog.
• St.Mary’s Book Fair will be Tuesday November 5th- Friday November 8th – Before school, lunches and after school. Parents Volunteers needed to help ring up, stock and more! Contact Janielle Beason for details on how to help (707)317-3290
• Social Institute – St. Mary’s is incorporating lessons about communication, social media, and internet usage into our curriculum. We have contracted with the Social Institute to provide up to date lessons and information. The program includes a family toolkit. Please click on the link above to set up an account and explore possibilities.
• Traffic pattern – The new design of the parking lot is terrific, but it has caused some delays or confusion at drop off and pick up. For simplicity sake, please refer to the attached screen print for our preferred traffic flow.
• Volunteerism – We cannot operate the school without the support from our parents and families. Please take some time to read about the importance of volunteerism.
• Mexican Dance -Gloria Munoz, parish office, holds Mexican dance class on Wednesdays. All ages are welcome to attend. Their potential performance dates are:
  • Friday September 27th at 3:00 pm – school gym
  • Sunday 20th before or after the 10:45 Mass- school gym
  • Saturday November 2nd-   late afternoon-ish- Day of the Death at JUMP in Boise
  • Thursday December 12th- evening Mass- Lady of Guadalupe Celebration- St Mary’s church
• TVCS/High School Girls Wrestling Information night – October 1 at 6:00 pm
• Partnership Page – Thank you to everyone who has shared their business information on our partnership page. It is our objective to provide support and awareness to the families that support us.  I would encourage 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
• St. Mary’s Special Events – Please read the document to discover information about our annual special events, including times dates, and volunteer opportunities.
• 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
• TVCS Athletics – St. Mary’s has a number of students participating in TVCS activities. This is a schedule of our Fall 2024 athletic events.
• Return to School policy – If your student is unwell, please follow the review the policy before they return to school.

God bless.

Kevan Grant

St. Mary’s Catholic School- Principal

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Other Items of Interest

• 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.

Home Bishop Kelly Football Games

• • August 30 – vs. Bonneville (win 28-20)
  • September 6 – vs. Minico (win 20-8)
  • September 20 – vs. Nampa (win 19-0)
  • September 27 – vs. Columbia
  • October 11 – vs. Vallivue
  • October 25 – vs. Emmett
• Get your Uniforms and Spirit Wear from Educational Outfitters