Fund the Need

Dear Families,

Continuous improvement is in our mission statement here at St. Mary’s. We have students recite the mission during our regular announcements, and there it is, the very last two words right before the unspoken period. The term implies a sense of self-awareness and reflection. We are never quite satisfied. Everything has the potential to be a lesson, even success is something that can be learned from and improved upon.

We have a safe school and we exist in a safe community. I have often joked that I could leave my laptop out on the patio overnight and someone would probably turn it in to the office. In the summers, I frequently see our students out everywhere-in parks, on bikes, in ice cream shops. It is the sort of place where it is both wonderful and safe to be young. Yet, even if that is true, it is always worth asking- ”how could we be a little safer?”

To that end, we have spent a large portion of the last year-and-a-half working to acquire a $150,000 grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, explicitly to improve the security of our school. We are looking to replace old doors with strong and secure new ones, strengthen windows, and bolster our camera system. Even with this money in tow, there is one area still in need of extra funding for improvement.

Our front desk area has long been a sore spot in the security of our school. The main issue being that the front door is hidden from those at the front desk by a large and impenetrable wall. Even with a camera, a barrier still exists. It's not a very welcoming entrance, and it certainly isn't great from a security perspective. That is why this year, for our Fund the Need at the Auction, we are asking for your contributions toward a remodel of our entrance/lobby area. It will create a fresh and welcoming entrance to our school, and provide Mrs. Nordstrom and Mrs. Akel a better view of who is trying to enter. All of this will assist with the goal of making our school a continuously safer place for our children.

God Bless,

Siggy Spelter

Principal

P.S. One more ask for the Auction-Now-Please sign up now to help with clean up afterwards. Mrs. Hilary Cesarec, our Clean Up Chair, cannot and should not do this alone. Scroll to the bottom of this signup and register to help. Register now! Thanks.

Archbishop Grob's Blog

Every Tuesday, Archbishop Grob posts a reflection on matters of faith, current events, and other issues. See here.

School Office Notes

SMV Staff Spotlight

What do you know about the people who spend their days with your children? While some of you may know that we have an actual Jeopardy Champion as part of our amazing staff here, do you know that we have an accomplished equestrian, too? If you're looking to improve your diet during Lent, did you know we have someone on staff who has a background in dietetics?

Learn these fun facts and more in our Staff Spotlight section of future Virtual Backpack editions. Watch for it!

2nd place Most Creative Team Winners -

Lola Parks, Declan Tierney, Frances Romeiser and Killian Braatz

STEM Challenge

As pictured at the top of the newsletter, there were four 7th grade students and eight 6th grade students from SMV who participated in the Catholic Memorial STEM Challenge. This year one of our 6th grade teams won second place in the most creative category! Our other 6th grade team consisting of Charlie Ziel, Franklin Martis, Cici McWey, Mariam Mathai had test runs that were easily in the top ten if not the top 5. Sadly, when it came to the official test, their wheeled device veered off from the straight line that was required. Our 7th grade team of Declan McManus, Jude Alexander, Morgan McNally and Jane Driscoll, had a strong showing as well. All the students had a fun time and we are very proud of all of their efforts!