Week in Review:
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
It is amazing what can happen in the course of a week. When I think about what our students have been working on in the building, I am constantly impressed. I heard stories this week about our students’ success at the St. Mary’s 3 on 3 basketball tournament. I saw our 1st grade class putting on our weekly student Mass and reading and serving so well. I saw our 5th grade class digging in and creating timelines for Atoms in their Science class. I saw our 8th grade students doing some amazing Easter art work in the gym. I also saw our Pre-K students working so well to learn Spanish, their numbers and letters, and working on their artwork. St. Mary’s is an active place where learning occurs in many different forms, and the students are active and engaged learners.
When looking outside the St. Mary’s community, it is impossible to miss all of the all of the news and reports of COVID-19 and see the ever changing situation in our world, country, and here in Idaho. The concerns are very real and the questions are understandable. For many/most of us, we are moving through unprecedented times and feel uncomfortable and uncertain about what lies ahead.
As parents and guardians of our most precious resources (children), we have the responsibility to look at what is going on in St. Mary’s and in the world around us. Our world has seen a great many challenges over the generations and within our own lives. In our school’s daily readings from the Gospel of Matthew, we are reminded that people of faith often face challenges, sufferings, and obstacles. In all of these experiences, we are called to put our faith in God and know that he will take care of us. This being said, God has also given us a rational mind and expects us to learn, develop our minds, and use them in our daily lives. Because of this, we should be simultaneous lifting up our needs and prayers to our Heavenly Father and making the best decisions for our school and families based on the information we have. So, what does this mean for St. Mary’s Catholic School? Since this pandemic has begun, I have been in contact with the other TVCS Principals, our Superintendent, and Boise School District to have the most up to date information and discuss potential school action. As mentioned in previous messages, our philosophy here at St. Mary’s is that students and families are best served by having school open and students learning from their teachers in a face to face setting AS LONG AS the school setting is safe for students, teachers, and our local authorities feel that keeping schools open in the best decision.
Today and this week, there will be many meetings and briefings in our local government and health organizations. Although at this time there are no plans for school closures, it is definitely a possibility. Because of this, I am changing this coming Friday’s early release to a full day in-service for our teachers. This means that we will not have school for our students in order to allow our school to plan for the possibility of a school closure. I am very sorry for having to do this, but it very important that we as a school continue to prepared for this possibility and provide the best learning experience possible for your students. I will be sending messages to you this week as information is given to me in order to inform you and help you and our school best prepare for any scenario that affects us. If you have any questions and concerns that you feel are not being answered or addressed, please feel free to reach out to me.
In this coming week, I ask you to continue to pray for our world, nation, and local community as we all move through this difficult and unprecedented time. I also ask that you follow the direction from our various health organizations to help remain healthy and safe during this time. May God Bless you all!
Continue to stay plugged in by looking at the weekly slideshow. You can’t help being amazed and energized by our students’ smiles and engagement in their work. Click HERE to see the photos.
Need to Know:
- No School this Friday, March 20th:
On Friday, our teachers will be in an all day in-service to prepare for any possible school closures. There will not be any classes for students. - St. Mary’s Strategic Plan Time & Talent:
Calling all volunteers! Work toward multiple initiatives within St. Mary’s Strategic Plan is underway. If you’re interested in leading–or just helping for a few hours here or there–we need you! Volunteers to help for everything from gathering and organizing information, helping craft communications, data entry, marketing, social media, researching networking hardware, configuring software tools, project management, painting, landscape, and cold, hard labor is needed! Please complete this quick form to know more about the specific initiatives underway and let us know what you might be interested in helping us with!
Nice to Know:
- Buy your St. Mary’s Car Magnet:
We have some very attractive car magnets that will make vehicles stand out in our wonderful Boise traffic. Come see Mandy in the main office to buy one or six. We are having an amazing deal on the: 1 for $7 or 2 for $14! Buy a magnet and show your St. Mary’s Pride!
Important Dates (Right around the Corner):
- March 18 Student Mass: 7th – Food
- March 20 Teacher in-service (No School)
The complete School Calendar can be found on the Home Page or on the Parents Quick Links Page. To have an event added to our School Calendar, email us at calendar@stmarys-boise.org.
Important Dates (On the Horizon):
- March 21-29 Spring Break
The complete School Calendar can be found on the Home Page or on the Parents Quick Links Page. To have an event added to our School Calendar, email us at calendar@stmarys-boise.org.
Strategic Plan Updates
Click here to see the most recent updates on the Strategic Plan Projects, including the West Side Grounds Project, The Interior Project, and the Community Directory Project. We are currently looking for volunteers for on these and other key initiatives. Whether you’re interested in helping lead a small project, or just have a few hours to help, please complete this quick form and we’ll contact you shortly about whatever you’re most interested in.
Wisdom from Our Young Scholars:
- Our 3rd grade class made a book similar to Dr. Seuss’ Green Eggs and Ham. They called it, “Orange Hot Dogs and Bread”. It was amazing to hear them reading the book and seeing how clever their rhyming was. Great job 3rd grade and Mrs. Oden!
