Welcome to the first issue of The Globe, your source for school events, Montessori inspiration, and daily life at our school!
It's been a pleasure to welcome students and families to campus over the last few days, and we look forward to everyone returning to their regular routines once the Phasing In period for our new Infant and Primary children concludes.
Thank you for your support, patience and enthusiasm as we all adjust to a new school year. The children and families of St. Catherine's are our greatest joy, and we are looking forward to this year. Click here for pictures from the week.
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Arrival/Dismissal Procedures |
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Arrival and dismissal are important transitions in your child’s day, and we make every effort to encourage your child’s confidence and independence.
The following procedures are designed with your child’s needs in mind, along with the safety and efficiency of the carpool line. For a complete list of arrival and dismissal procedures, please refer to the 2022-2023 Parent/Student Handbook.
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Please use Link Valley Drive to queue up for the carpool line. This prevents the line from backing up on Timberside Drive and extending towards the 610 freeway. If you do enter Timberside from the freeway, DO NOT jump the line. Turn down Link Valley to join the end of the line forming there.
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Primary – High School parents DO NOT park in the carpool lane during arrivals or dismissals.
- We ask that all parents stay in their vehicles during morning arrival and all dismissals (except for Infant Community parents).
- During arrival, all students enter through the Welcome Center entrance.
- Infant Community parents park at the black cones in the carpool lane; walk their IC child to the classroom via the Welcome Center in the morning and pick them up in the Welcome Center at dismissal. Primary – High School parents pull all the way up to the first available cone (colors purple through red only) when dropping off your student.
A sign with your child’s name will be distributed during the first days of school and Primary Looking Day. This sign must be displayed in the center of the windshield, under the vehicle rear-view mirror during arrival and dismissal.
If you or a designated adult are in the dismissal line stay in your car, do not walk up to get your child.
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The Online Parent Directory for 2022-2023 is now available on FACTS Family Portal. To access, log into FACTS and click Directory in the left-side menu.
Remember: Contact information in the Parent Directory, including email addresses, may not be used for solicitation purposes.
Parents who wish to opt out can follow these instructions to remove their listing from the directory:
- In FACTS Family Portal, click Web Forms > Family and Student Required Forms > Parent Contact Information
- Click the button for each custodial parent. (You must repeat the following process for each parent.)
- Scroll down to Parent Preferences.
- Select Yes to block information from appearing in the directory.
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Upper Elementary Uniforms for Mass and Special Outings |
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Click here to order the St. Catherine's collared shirt that Upper Elementary students are required wear on Mass days and while on special outings. Hoodies, sweatshirts and t-shirts are available to the whole school and are optional.
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Shopping through Amazon? AmazonSmile is a program through which St. Catherine’s Montessori can receive 0.5% rebate from Amazon eligible purchases. Click here to sign up.
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Dominican Family Informational Meeting |
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The Dominican Family is a group of over 150 women and men bound by the simple desire to live and promote the principles of Saint Dominic through prayer, study, community, and preaching. To learn more, join them for an informational meeting, followed by a short presentation on Saint Dominic by Sr. Carol Mayes, O.P. You will also hear about the formation and mission of the Dominican Family as the members walk side-by-side with the Dominican Sisters of Houston.
Monday, August 22, 2022
6:30 – 8:00 PM
Dominican Sisters Conference Center; 6501 Almeda Road
Refreshments will be served. Kindly RSVP by contacting Sr. Carol at [email protected].
St. Catherine’s Montessori was founded by Dominican Sisters, Sr. Edna Ann Hebert, O.P. and Sr. Shirley Owens, O.P., who envisioned the rich potential of combining Montessori and Catholic principles. Sr. Edna Ann opened the school as Dominican Montessori in 1966. Originally in the former St. Agnes Academy building, she and 43 Primary students were joined by Sr. Shirley the following year.
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Last Friday Sue Pritzker, AMI trainer and consultant, joined us via video conference to discuss some essential Montessori principles that span the early childhood, elementary, and adolescent years, and to offer touchpoints for Montessori in the home.
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We are offering the following sports for the 2022-2023 school year:
- Soccer
- Girls Volleyball
- Basketball
- Baseball
- Track and Field
Each sport (except volleyball) will be available for both boys and girls in the 4th-12th year. The number of registrants per sport will determine whether there will be a boys' team and a girls' team, or one co-ed team.
The sports registration forms for 2022-2023 are available on FACTS Family Portal under Resource Documents.
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We are excited to offer the following music offerings beginning the week of September 6.
- Beginning String Lessons
- Chamber Orchestra
- Chamber Ensemble
- Acapella Choir
- Choir Ensemble
Offered to students in 2nd year and older. Visit the Music page on the website for more details.
The music registration forms for 2022-2023 are available on FACTS Family Portal under Resource Documents.
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PARENT SERVICE ORGANIZATION (PSO) |
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Thank you to everyone who supported the children of Casa de Esperanza through the summer Back-to-School Supplies Drive!
Casa de Esperanza is an organization with strong ties to the St. Catherine's community. Co-founded in 1982 by SCM alumni parent Kathy Foster, this non-profit organization strives to break the cycle of child abuse and neglect for at-risk infants, children, and their families by providing comprehensive residential and family support programs that transform people and communities. Over the years, the PSO’s Casa de Esperanza Committee has coordinated our community’s support efforts by organizing supply, clothing, and basic needs drives at school.
Your generous donation of school supplies will help many children start the school year on a positive note. There will be another opportunity to support Casa de Esperanza in December with the annual Pajama and Basic Needs Drive.
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PSO Ambassadors
Are you new to the St. Catherine’s community, or has your child just moved up? The PSO Ambassadors are here to welcome you and to serve as a point of contact for any parent-to-parent questions you may have. Our role is to connect with new families and those transitioning to the next Montessori level through welcome emails, one-on-one contacts, and playdates.
A tradition that we look forward to resuming this year is a series of on-campus playdates at 11:30 AM for “morning” Primary children. Be on the lookout for more information about these events in upcoming Globe announcements and on the SCM calendar. In addition, we plan to host one or two weekend gatherings for students in a specific level (e.g., Primary, Lower Elementary, Upper Elementary) to foster friendships and connections across the school community.
We look forward to seeing you soon at a future SCM event!
Zaina Al-Mohtaseb
Kat Alsina
Catherine Barber
Katia Gonzalez
Edith Napoleon
Jin Sun Park
Grecia Parra
Mary Tysor
Kristin Zipple-Shedd
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SCM ON A WHIM
New Families
Over the Labor day weekend, you will be invited to join the PSO sponsored, informal, Google email group SCM On a Whim. The invitation expires one week from issue. If you did not see an invitation, please look in your spam/junk folder. If you still do not have the invitation please contact me. If you choose to join the group at a later date, please see information for returning families.
Returning Families
If you have not joined in the past and wish to now, please follow the instructions found by clicking here.
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A warm welcome to the babies born over the summer! |
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Noah Holub's brother -
Grant Matthew Holub
June 3, 2022
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Nathaniel Schaab's brother -
Jake Schaab
July 20, 2022
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Alban Hemming's brothers -
Rupert and Percy Hemming
July 15, 2022
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Monday, August 22, 2022
- Volleyball and Soccer Practice Begins
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Dominican Family Informational Meeting, 6:30 PM (6501 Almeda Road)
Tuesday, August 30, 2022
- Deadline for Volleyball and Soccer Registration
Friday, September 2, 2022
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Welcome Back Parent Meeting, 8:00 AM (Gym)
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For more calendar events please check our website.
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If you would like to submit something for the Globe, please send it for approval to [email protected] by the Wednesday before at noon.
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