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DECEMBER NEWSLETTER 2015

St. Mary Catholic School

Challenging the Mind—Living the Faith

www.stmarycatholicschool.org

Dear Parents:

Just as November was filled with many SMCS traditions, our special traditions in December are sure to reaffirm why you sacrifice to give your child(ren) a Catholic education. The birth of our Lord, Jesus, will be our focus throughout the month. During Advent, as a school community, we will be reflecting on Christ’s presence in our everyday life as each morning we share in the gospel reading and think about how it pertains to our own lives. Advent wreaths will be lit during our morning prayer and together we will pray Lord, our God, during this time of Advent, teach us to wait and be patient with ourselves and with those around us. Teach us to find time for loved ones, that we might grow in your love. Amen. We will be waiting and preparing our hearts for the great feast of Christmas—the most wonderful birthday of all!

Our students are excited to share the story of the Nativity. SMCS will be hosting four Christmas Shows during the month. The pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, and first grade classes will each have their own show. Our second through fifth graders have a joint production. I do not believe there is any sound more beautiful than our children using their voices to sing glory and praise to God. I also believe they look adorable as they reenact the story of Christmas. Each show is done differently but the message is the same—Christ is at the center of Christmas.

December is such a festive month with the Pixie Shop, the Christmas shows, the student council Adopt-a-Family initiative, the NJHS giftwrap service project at the Valley Mall, and the Christmas parties. There are many opportunities to say Merry Christmas. Please come join in the celebrations. We are also blessed to have two school liturgies this month, First Friday and the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. All are welcome to attend.

As always, I ask for your prayers to the Holy Spirit to give me the guidance

and wisdom needed to serve as principal of Saint Mary Catholic School.

May God Bless you!

Patricia A. McDermott

MISSION STATEMENT

Saint Mary Catholic School empowers children in their faith journey and promotes academic excellence and life-long service inspired by the Gospel of Jesus

Christ in a nurturing community.

UPCOMING EVENTS

December 3 & 4 Pixie Shop

December 3 Progress Reports Distributed

December 4 First Friday Mass

December 8 Feast of the Immaculate Conception

Mass

December 10 7:00 P.M. Grades 2-5 Christmas Show

December 11 9:30 Pre-K Show

1:45 First Grade Show

December 14 1:45 Kindergarten Show

December 19-January 3 Christmas Break

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FAITH

ALL SAINTS DAY

In attendance at our First Friday Mass in November were many saints. It was

such a special celebration with the sixth graders portraying our heroes of the

Church, the saints. They did a beautiful job sharing the lives of the saints with

the classes they visited. A special thank you is extended to Father Collin for being

our celebrant at the Mass and allowing our students to share the stories of the

saints they portrayed. I also want to thank Ms. Ward for working with our sixth

graders in their study of the saints.

Ty Ambush – St. Junipera Serra

Da’Monique Brown – St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Louis Concordia – St. Vincent de Paul

Susan Concordia – St. Veronica Abigail Cushwa – St. Bernadette

Daniel Duncan – Padre Pio Logan Flanagan – St. Francis of Assisi

Lleyton Foster – St. John Bosco Lydia Giannaris – St. Joan of Arc

Emily Grossman – St. Rose of Lima Noah Hall – Miguel Augustin Pro

Ashley Kenny – St. Lucy Maxwell Larkin – St. Damien of Molokai

Gabrielle McCafferty – St. Kateri Tekakwitha Finn McGreevy – St. Maximilian Kolbe

Krystal Nogales – St. Bridget Amina Pasha – St. Teresa of Avila

Moriah Ramirez – St. Cecilia Rayan Shahid – St Juan Diego Ashton Shanholtz – St. Patrick

Joseph Shultz – St. Jose Maria Escriva Matthew Stine- St. Sebastian

Georgianna Tedeschi – St. Maria Goretti Hannah Webster – St. Maria Faustina Zachary Zanetti – St. Gregory the Great

PARISH NEWS

INSPIRE—ASK THE PASTOR

Father Collin Poston, Pastor of St. Mary Parish, is featured in Ask-the-Pastor. In these short vignettes, Father Collin helps to answer questions about God, Jesus, faith, life—both the joys and challenges— and also helps to inspire you with a message of hope in the Lord who loves you! Follow this link, http://www.your4state.com/lifestyle/ask-the-pastor, to be inspired.

FROM FATHER COLLIN:

Within our archdiocese, inspired by our Holy Father Pope Francis and led by our good local shepherd Archbishop William Lori, we are being encouraged (and challenged) as a Church to “Be Missionary Disciples.” What that means, essentially, is that each one of is called by God through our baptism to use our gifts in the spirit of purpose and mission: each one of us can make an impact and help bring others to Christ and his Church if we respond. We have a duty

and responsibility to do so: yet it is also our blessing and privilege to do so as well! We are, on our parish council, discussing how to do this as a parish and community, long term. To see more about this, see the website: www.bemissionarydisciples.org .

St. Mary Parish Family Ministry

St. Mary Parish Family Ministry is sponsoring a Family Skate Night on December 5, from 8:00 P.M. to 9:50 P.M. at the Hagerstown Ice and Sports Complex. The cost is $7 per person, which covers admission and skate rental.

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FIRST FRIDAY MASS

Please join us on Friday, December 4, at 10:30 A.M., for our school Mass. Father Juan Vasquez Rubio, Associate Pastor of St. Joseph and St. James, will be our celebrant.

FEAST OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

Tuesday, December 8, is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception and is a holy day. Mass will be at 10:30 A.M. Father Collin Poston will be our celebrant.

RECONCILIATION

Students in grades 3 through 8 will attend a penance service on Tuesday,

December 15. Priests from our local parishes will be available to hear our

students’ confessions.

TRIMESTER NEWS

ACADEMICS

The first trimester of the 2015-2016 school year ended on Tuesday, November

24. Progress Reports will be distributed on Thursday, December 3.

GENTLE REMINDER

The Trimester I progress reports are scheduled to be distributed on Thursday,

December 3. Please make sure that all your financial obligations (tuition through

November, health & art fees, late fees, Phase I fundraiser, after-school care

through October, classroom fees, cafeteria expenses, etc.) are paid in full by that

time. Otherwise, progress reports will be held until all financial obligations are

met. Please refer to pages 8-9 of the handbook. Notifications were sent home

before Thanksgiving.

SMCS VOLUNTEER COMMITMENT

Thank you are words that can never be said too often. Thank you is extended to

all our parents and grandparents who volunteered during the first trimester. We

are looking forward to your help during the second trimester. The second

trimester begins November 30 and ends on March 3. All volunteer hours should

be logged by midnight on February 25.

MANY HANDS MAKE LIGHT WORK VOLUNTEER PROGRAM

The end of the first trimester has come! The number of volunteer hours our families are contribut ing is amazing!

As of November 20, 2,694.24 hours have been logged.

We appreciate all the time and effort al l of you are giving to support the mission of our school. Thank you!

Our Top Ten Volunteers per Hours Logged are:

Mo & Mike Tedeschi-181.50 hours

Sarma McCafferty-171.20 hours

Alison & Jeff Ortiz-99.00 hours

Kelly Kenny-75.45 hours

Lisa Muto-69.0 hours

Cathy & Brandon Ellis-64.50 hours

Debbie & Frankie Corsi—60.30 hours

Cheryl Dillard-52.00 hours

Jackie & Rich Strama-47.83 hours

Tina Webster-47.07 hours

Remember to log into HelpCounter (http://helpcounter.net/main/index.php) to track your hours. Trimester II begins on November 30 and ends on March 3. Questions can be emailed to volunteer@stmarycatholicschool.org.

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HOME & SCHOOL ASSOCIATION NEWS—H.S.A.

HSA EXECUTIVE BOARD

Co-President: Mrs. Jen Smallwood Co-President: Mrs. MJ Sommerville

Vice-President: Mrs. Cathy Ellis Corresponding Secretary: Mrs. Jackie Strama

Recording Secretary: Mrs. Lisa Muto Treasurer: Mrs. Nicole Rappaport

LIVE & SILENT AUCTION

St. Mary Catholic School’s fifth Live and Silent Auction was held on Sunday,

November 16. The evening was filled with laughter, fellowship, and delicious

food. Everyone who attended had a really terrific time. We were able to

generate a profit of approximately $25,000 for the needs of our school. A

heartfelt thank you is extended to Sarma McCafferty for her organizational

leadership. Many thanks are extended to:

The Live & Silent Auction Committee: Aggie Cantave, Cathy Ellis, Jackie Strama,

April Nitzell, Audrey and Chris Horn, Lisa Muto, Cheryl Dillard, Mary Fink, Mo

Tedeschi, Jennifer Smallwood, Rory Duncan, Tina Webster, Bella Barron, and

Stacey Stine;

The Committee Helpers: Rachel O’Connor, for her help at school, Craig “It’s All About The Kids” O’Connor, for his masterful auctioneering, Suzi Rickard, Kelly Byrne, Crystal Strothers, and Stephen Lietuvnikas; The SMCS Teaching staff for the beautiful class projects; Stacey Renken for the inspirational art projects; The Classroom Homeroom Parents for the creative class baskets; Joe Dellaposta and WPS for printing the programs; The Giannaris family for providing The Airport Inn and the delicious food; and Father Collin for his enthusiasm and endless support of SMCS!

SCRIP

Last year St. Mary families saved over $30,000 in tuition

by participating in the SCRIP Program. SCRIP dates this

month are December 7 and 14.

MIDDLE SCHOOL SOCIAL

Middle School Social will be held from 3:00 to 4:30 on

December 4. A dollar donation is required to help offset

the cost of drinks and snacks.

AUCTION SPONSORS

Platinum

Innovative, Inc.

Parkway Neuroscience and Spine Institute

Silver

Allegany Dental Care

Coldwell Banker Innovations

Longmeadow Family Dental Care

Mary O’Malley, Handmade Artisan Chocolates

Mercersburg Academy

Michael G. Callas Charitable Trust

Middletown Valley Bank

St. James School

St. Maria Goretti High School

Bronze

Middletown Valley Bank

The Columbia Bank

Washington County Playhouse

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BAKE SALES

Bake sales will resume in January.

THANKSGIVING LUNCHEON

Our Thanksgiving Luncheon is truly a cherished SMCS tradition! Twenty-four

turkeys were prepared for this tasty meal. Delicious food from Nick’s Airport Inn,

festive decorations, and good company were definitely among the highlights.

Thank you again, Carrie Stumpf and Leslie Kocevar, for organizing this fabulous

event and Candice Romsburg, for the lovely decorations.

PIXIE SHOP

Mrs. Rachel O’Connor and Mrs. Stacey Stine, and all the wonderful

parent volunteer elves, are prepared to host the Pixie Shop on

December 3 and 4. Students from all grades are invited to shop for

those special people on their lists. A flyer is forthcoming.

BOX TOPS & CAMPBELL’S SOUP LABELS

Thanks to Sister Corda, SMCS is able to profit from your

BoxTops & Campbell’s soup UPC codes. Just send in the

actual BoxTops and Campbell’s labels to Sister Corda

and she will take care of the rest. Thank you!

STUDENT COUNCIL NEWS

STUDENT COUNCIL OFFICERS

President: Sofia Corsi Vice-President: Jackson Pentony

Secretary: Ava Giannaris Treasurer: Stephen Reiter

Parliamentarian: Aba Mitchual

DECEMBER TAG DAY

Students who made a donation through the Read-a-Thon for the Salvation

Army family their grade adopted will receive a pass to come out of uniform on

December 18. The theme for the day will be Christmas attire. Any students who

forgot to contribute may still bring in a donation by December 4 and receive an

STAND/SHIELD THE VULNERABLE

The Archdiocese of Baltimore and Saint Mary Catholic School are committed to providing a safe environment for children. Our procedures for volunteering in schools require that a volunteer who will have substantial contact with children must complete screening and training procedures that are outlined on the www.archbalt.org website.

The current and effective version of the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s Child and Youth Protection Policies and Procedures, including the Statement of Policy for the Protection of Children &Youth and the Code of Conduct for Church Personnel of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, which incorporates any revisions to the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s Child and Youth Protection Policies and Procedures that may be made from time to time, is available on the Child and Youth Protection page of the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s website and on the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s online compliance management system, Shield the Vulnerable.

Please register as a St. Mary Catholic School Volunteer, at http://www.shieldthevulnerable.org/. All new volunteers should complete the process as soon as possible. Please contact Jan McCarter, our screening coordinator, at jmccarter@saintmarysonline.org, or (301)739-0390, ext. 129, with any questions or concerns.

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out-of-uniform pass. The minimum contribution for this TAG Day is $5.00. Passes

will be distributed through December 4.

NOVEMBER TAG DAY

Thanks to the efforts of the Student Council and

the generosity of the student body, St. Mary

Catholic School donated 750 items of food to

the Hagerstown Food Bank. All students who

contributed should be applauded for their

kindness. The Student Council would like to

thank Spencer and Jackson Pentony, Noah Karn,

Ty and Collin Ambush, Sofia and Frankie Corsi,

Stephen Reiter, Alice Poffenberger, Rory and Aidan O’Hanlon, and Delaney

Flanagan, Mr. Ambush, Mrs. Corsi, Mrs. Flanagan, Mrs. O’Hanlon, and Mrs.

Forsythe for delivering the canned goods to the food bank.

ADOPT-A-FAMILY

Our homeroom classes are busy purchasing gifts for the

families we have adopted through the Salvation Army.

Each grade has a specific family for whom to purchase gifts

with the donations received from our Read-a-Thon! With

the effort of our students and the generosity of our school

families, many families less fortunate than us will have a

brighter Christmas! If you have not made a donation, please prayerfully consider

helping your child’s class meet its goal.

DOOR DECORATING CONTEST

Student Council is sponsoring a door decorating contest for

grades Pre-K to 8. The doors will be judged on December 17. The

class with the winning door will receive an ice cream party!

MIDDLE SCHOOL DANCE

The next dance hosted by the student council is a “Winter Dance” to

be held on Friday, January 15, from 7:00 to 10:00 P.M. The dress

code for the evening is “nice dress.” That means no jeans. Boys must wear nice

slacks and a shirt with a collar. Girls may wear either nice slacks or an

appropriate dress/skirt. No dresses with spaghetti straps or dresses that are

strapless may be worn without a shrug, jacket, or cover-up. No

severely tight tops or see-through blouses may be worn.

Dresses that are too low-cut or too short may not be worn. The

NATIONAL JUNIOR

HONOR SOCIETY

Executive Board members are: Alice Poffenberger – President Owen O’Connor – Vice-President Morgan McMahon – Treasurer Annie Balog – Secretary Lauren Beck – Parliamentarian

Membership is open to those students who meet the required standards in five areas of evaluation: scholarship, leadership, service, citizenship, and character. The scholarship admission requirement for NJHS is a cumulative 3.7 GPA for all core academic classes during a student’s middle school career. (Core academic areas are Religion, Reading, English, Vocabulary, Math, Science, and Social Studies.) Students are also required to maintain at least a grade of Satisfactory in Special Area subjects and in Conduct and Effort across the board. Sixth grade students, new students, and current seventh and eighth graders receive an invitation to apply at the beginning of the third trimester. Service Project Members of our National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) will be wrapping Christmas gifts at the Valley Mall for the Red Cross on Wednesday, December 3, from 2 to 6 P.M., in front of Old Navy.

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key is modesty. Students who arrive at the dance without the appropriate attire

will not be admitted. Tickets will go on sale January 12. The cost is $5 if

purchased in advance or $6 if bought at the door.

OTHER NEWSWORTHY ITEMS

CHRISTMAS SHOW DATES

7:00 P.M. on December 10—Grades 2 through 5 Christmas Show 9:30 A.M. on December 11—Pre-Kindergarten Christmas Show 1:45 P.M. on December 11—First Grade Christmas Alphabet Play

1:45 P.M. on December 14—Kindergarten Christmas Show

CRUSADER NEWS

Saint Mary Catholic School is excited to begin the 2015-2016

basketball season. The schedules for the Boys’

Developmental Crusaders and the Girls’ Varsity, JV, and

Developmental Lady Crusaders will be posted on our website

as they become available (Student Life Section, Athletics Tab).

MIDDLE SCHOOL SPELLING BEE

St. Mary Catholic School students are incredible spellers! On December 16 and

17, students in the middle school participated in the fifth annual SMCS spelling

bee. Each grade had a winner and a runner-up who will participate in the

Washington County Spelling Bee in February. Congratulations to all our

participants and to those who will be representing our school at the County Bee.

Our winners and runners-up are:

Sixth Grade Amina Pasha - First Place Gabriella McCafferty - Second Place Seventh Grade

Yousuf Qaum- First Place Jackson Pentony - Second Place Eighth Grade Therese Martin - First Place Gracen Sommerville - Second Place

Special recognition goes to Amina Pasha, who is the overall SMCS spelling bee champion! Our gratitude is extended to the HSA for providing the prizes for our winners and to Mrs. Kristy Gross for serving as the judge for the bee. Much

POSITIVE BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTIONS AND SUPPORTS

SMCS students have been earning keys throughout the month of October. We are truly blessed to have students who care about each other, who strive to excel in their academics, and who greet each school day with a smile.

As of November 20, the Key Count for students by grade level is as follows:

Pre-Kindergarten: 99 keys

Kindergarten: 75 keys

First Grade: 158 keys

Second Grade: 70 keys

Third Grade: 296 keys

Fourth Grade: 64 keys

Fifth Grade: 156 keys

Sixth Grade: 161 keys

Seventh Grade: 115 keys

Eighth Grade: 140 keys

A total of 1,334 keys were earned by SMCS students in November!

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appreciation is also extended to Mrs. Karn for coordinating the event!

PRESCHOOL STORY & CRAFT TIME

Mrs. Jeanie Stark and Sister Aloysius are offering a story and

craft time for 3 to 5 year olds on January 13, at 12:00 P.M.

Please contact Mrs. O’Connor if interested.

roconnor@stmarycatholicschool.org.

SMCS MEMORY BOOKS

Ms. Mary Poffenberger has been capturing special moments with her camera in

order to document the 2015-2016 school year in the SMCS Memory Book.

Online ordering will be available after Thanksgiving. More information is

forthcoming.

HEALTH NEWS

If you have any health-related questions, please contact Ms. Paula Radley at (301)733-1184, ext. 104, or by email, pradley@stmarycatholicschool.org. Washington County Health Department will be offering the nasal flu-mist to students in grades Pre-K to 5 on December 2.

INCLEMENT WEATHER

St. Mary Catholic School follows the announcement for

Washington County Public Schools. Please listen to your local radio

stations or NBC25 for possible school cancellations, late openings,

or early dismissals. In the case of a two-hour delay, Pre-K will not

have school. An email/text through Connect5 will be sent.

PERPETUAL ADORATION CHAPEL

NEW ADORERS are needed for the Perpetual Adoration Chapel located at St. Maria Goretti High School. "The time you spend with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament...will help bring about an everlasting peace on earth.” (Mother Teresa of Calcutta)

Call Mr. or Mrs. Ott for more information at 301-739-4167.

MESSAGE FROM THE CRUSADER CAFÉ STAFF

Please remember to add money to your student’s lunch accounts. Check your emails on

Fridays! Also when you see a negative sign in front of the dollar amount, it’s your credit

or what you have left to spend. Please contact Mrs. Brooks or Mrs. Shultz if you have any

questions regarding your account. Mrs. Harman can help with any allergy questions you

NOVEMBER GOOD SAMS

I want to congratulate our Good S.A.M.s for November K – Delaney Flanagan

1 – Hailie Pryor 2 – Sabrina Harman 3 – Chloe Dellaposta 4 – Grace McMahon

5 – Jesse Mangalapati 6 – Krystal Nogales 7 – Caroline Dillard

8 – Evan Frantz

Thanks for your Service, Attitude, and Manners!

PHASE I RAFFLE TICKET WINNERS

Thank you is extended to Mrs. Jackie Swarner for coordinating this

fundraiser and to Sister Aloysius for faithfully picking the winning ticket

each week.

Congratulations to the following November winners:

($50) Week 1: Heidi Maciulla

($50) Week 2: Lolita Cantave

($50) Week 3: Axl Clark

($50) Week 4: The Shultz Family

($100) Week 5: Joan McLernon

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may have. We also wanted to thank the many volunteers we had this trimester. We met

a lot of wonderful parents! Looking forward to seeing you all next year.

MUSTARD SEED MATCH FOR ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIPS

The Archdiocese of Baltimore will award $1 for every $2 that

SMCS raises through December 31, 2015, to establish an

endowed fund within the Catholic Community Foundation which

will specifically support tuition assistance for students enrolled in

SMCS. Please consider making a donation with the knowledge that it will be

matched a dollar for every two dollars you donate. To date $72,083 has been

raised by SMCS, so the Archdiocese will match with $36,041.50.

CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK 2016

Pancake Breakfast—January 30 Career Day—February 1

Parent Visitation—February 2 Talent Show—February 3

Grandparent Visitation—February 4 CSW Mass—February 5

On Monday, February 1, 2016, we are planning our annual Career Day for Catholic

Schools Week. If you are interested in sharing your career with our students, please

complete the attached form and return it to school by December 19. More details will

follow after Christmas.

BRING A FRIEND TO SCHOOL DAY

We are having the "Bring a Friend to School Day" in an attempt to attract new families into choosing Catholic education for their children. We believe if other children spend the day at SMCS with our students and staff, most (if not all) will like their experience and will want to attend in the near future. We have spots for more students and would like to share our wonderful school community with as many students as possible. Our goal is to someday have two classrooms per grade.

Please consider allowing your child to invite a friend whose family might be interested in SMCS. We hope you will encourage your student to invite a friend (same grade level) to visit on January 19, 2016. Registration forms will be available after Christmas. Spots are limited. Washington County Public Schools are closed on this day, January 19, so if inclement weather becomes a factor, an email alert would be sent in the morning by Mrs. McDermott.

IN YOUR PRAYERS

Please continue to pray for peace in the world and for the special intentions held by the members of our school community.

SMCS OPEN HOUSES

SMCS will be hosting Open Houses during Catholic Schools Week:

Saturday, January 30

9 A.M. to 12 P.M.

Monday, February 1

9 A.M. to 2 P.M.

Tuesday, February 2

9 A.M. to 2 P.M.

Wednesday, February 3

9 A.M. to 2:00 P.M.

Thursday, February 4

9 A.M. to 2:00 P.M.

If you know of any families who might be interested in learning more about St. Mary Catholic School, please encourage them to come and “check us out.” Prospective students are encouraged to spend a day shadowing.

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Name_____________________________________ Phone number_______________________________ Career____________________________________ I am available on Monday, February 1, 2016 to share my career with:

____ kindergarten through second grade from 10:15 to 11:30 A.M.

____ third through fifth grade

from 1:15 to 2:30 P.M.

____ sixth through eighth grade from 11:15 A.M. to 12:30 P.M.

Volunteers will be contacted after Christmas Break.