St. Mary's School 7th and 8th grade students work together to ceremoniously raise and lower 5 flags daily throughout the entire school year -- United States of America, State of Michigan, St. Mary's School, POW/MIA, and the Papal flag. We are grateful to them for providing this important service.

We know how much many of you want to be with us at our all school masses; We too wish you could see the increased engagement and faithfulness that reverberates due to a little distance between friends. Instead, let us share a little of Father Dave's message from this morning as it relates directly to the times we live in. He told us, "This is a time to love and follow God where ever He leads us." He reminded us that division and disagreement come from the devil, and that we are called to "be brought together by the love of God." With all this in mind, we are embracing civility at St. Mary's School! Be sure to view the video below for more information about the Civility Pledge we are using to teach respectful discourse in our school. https://youtu.be/aYCnQddJpUA
If you are willing to take the pledge to promote civility, love our neighbors, and build community. it is available online at www.CivilizeItMichigan.com.

​Pumpkin Footage Video
378 Rubber Bands and 93 hours later... our pumpkin exploded in half!
Thank you Mr. Earl for finding this footage on our security camera. The pumpkin couldn't hold its form and the top POPPED off and slid to the side.
WATCH VIDEO AT ​https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=992818727853990

​OUR PUMPKIN EXPLODED!!!
Unfortunately, no one was present to witness the powerful explosion. Mr. Earl is going through our school camera footage and hopefully we will be able to view the event soon.
We'll be sure to post the video!
Congratulations to our 7/8 grade class who guessed it would take 377 rubber bands to explode the pumpkin - off by only 1!

​TODAY at 3:00PM Rosary for America
Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary unites Catholics across the country in a moment of prayer for America at this time when there is so much unrest and uncertainty.
School families, be on the lookout for a Flocknote coming soon with a Google Meet invitation to join us - we will pray a decade as a school.

​Framed photographs and drawings of so many special dogs, cats, rabbits, horses...and more lined our Seats of Wisdom -- we just had to share them!
This year, our Blessing of the Pets was virtual. School families were invited to bring in framed photographs and drawings of their pets for a special blessing by Father Dave - in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi patron saint of animals and the environment.
WATCH VIDEO AT ​https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=629849517922830

WATCH THE VIDEO AT ​https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1689354564562312

​BE HERE - 10/7 is an important day for students to be at school.
Wednesday, October 7 is school population count day statewide. Our diocese, school and students benefit from maximum attendance on this day, so please refrain from appointments and BE Here on time and ready to learn! Thank you

Through the generous donations of our St. Mary’s School community, we raised $1923.56 for the Humane Society of Ventura County to help animals impacted by the wild fires out west. Thank you !

Watch Father Dave bless our pets at https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=333491451292561

The 4th graders loved their first chance to visit the science lab yesterday. They used a chemical change to make their own “invisible ink”

Mrs Giroux's investigation of force and pressure...377...378..TO BE CONTINUED NEXT WEEK!
How many more rubber bands will it take ?  Watch video at https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=432729701022122

​REMINDER: Say Hello to the Winter Uniform! With the arrival of October comes a change in our uniform policy. Students are only permitted to wear shorts in September, May and June so pack those away for Spring.
Thank you for your cooperation!

We will honor St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of the environment and animals,
​with special events this Friday, October 2nd.
Events to include:
Weeklong Penny Drive benefiting animals impacted by fires in Western US
Blessing of the Pets
Free Fall Feast lunch for all students
Fall Festival games at recess

Through their role as Catholic school teachers the faculty at St. Mary's School is responding to the call to BE a witness, sharing the gift of faith with others while deepening their own faith.
Lord God, source of all wisdom and knowledge, you sent your Son, Jesus Christ, to live among us and to proclaim his message of faith, hope, and love to all nations. In your goodness bless our brothers and sisters who have offered themselves as catechists for your Church. Strengthen them with your gifts, that they may teach by word and by example the truth that comes from you. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen
Thank you for trusting us with your children. Thank you for partnering with us in forming them to be who God intends. Thank you for accepting changes so that we can be here in person fulfilling our vocations.

​REMINDER: MAP assessments begin this week!
HOW CAN YOU HELP FROM HOME? You can help from home by ensuring a good night sleep, a nutritious breakfast, and providing a water bottle for hydration on test days. If absences can be avoided during these weeks, we would really appreciate it. Third through eighth grade begin testing Monday morning. Second grade will begin on Tuesday, and first grade will begin testing on Wednesday.
*First grade takes only Reading and Math assessments and second grade takes only Reading, Math and Language Usage.
Our remote learners will receive a separate message about how we will conduct your testing.
NWEA MAP assessments, the systemwide interim testing suite required by the Diocese of Grand Rapids, will be administered to our first through eighth grade students. These online assessments in Reading, Language Usage, Math, and Science* provide a personalized assessment experience for your child, one that adapts to your child’s level of learning. If your child answers a question correctly, the next question is more challenging. If the answer is incorrect, the next question is easier. In this way, this adaptive test provides a unique experience for each student that results in a detailed picture of what your child knows and is ready to learn. Due to the online nature of MAP assessments, results are immediate and accurate, helping teachers to identify the strength and growth opportunities for each child in their classrooms. Results from this first testing window will help our teachers plan meaningful instruction and set goals to meet the needs of each St. Mary’s student. This is especially valuable this year given the challenges of learning at home last Spring.

In Mrs. Rhein's Language Arts class, 5th graders “graffiti” the room as they respond to the Watsons go to Birmingham 1963. Even our virtual learners were able to participate! ​