St. Mary Catholic School

Dear Parents: As a former SMCS parent, I believe the month of December in our school community truly highlights why parents choose Catholic education. As a school community, we find ourselves in the season of Advent, waiting for Christmas and remembering the birth of Jesus. Our hearts are filled with anticipation and joy. Our children use their voices to sing praise and glory to God. Our Christmas shows are all centered on the Nativity story. As we reflect on our blessings, we are reminded to remember those less fortunate. Our student council helps engage our school community to reach out to needy families to make their Christmas brighter through the Salvation Army Adopt-a-Family program. We are spreading Christmas cheer while focusing on the true meaning of Christmas, the birth of Jesus. December offers many opportunities to be thankful for being part of a Catholic school community. I hope you will join us in celebrating the true meaning of Christmas—St. Mary style.

St. Mary Catholic School students have been invited by the Meritus Medical Center Auxiliary to sing at their annual Tree of Lights event on Sunday, December 7, at 5 P.M. The SMCS singers will be led by Mrs. Teresa Maloney-Smith. The ceremony should last approximately half an hour, with refreshments to follow. If you would like to attend, please enter the main lobby of the hospital and someone will direct you to the correct area.

Academic

News

FIRST FRIDAY MASS Please join us on Friday, December 5, at 10:30 A.M., for our school Mass.

Feast of the Immaculate Conception

Monday, December 8, is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception and is a holy day. Mass will be at 10:30 A.M.

TREE LIGHTING AT MERITUS MEDICAL CENTER

December Newsletter 2014

SMCS Celebrating 140 years

FAITH

The first trimester of the 2014-2015 school

year will end on Friday, November 21,

2014. Progress Reports will be sent home with students

on Tuesday, December 2.

Challenging the Mind—Living the Faith

Noon Dismissal November 25

Christmas Break December 20-January 4

School resumes Monday, January 5, 2015.

Shield the Vulnerable

NOVEMBER’S FIRST FRIDAY MASS 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. Connor Adams – St. Sebastian Lauren Aguila – St. Agnes Annie Balog - St. Bernadette Emma Beal – St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Lauren Beck – St. Lucy Frankie Corsi – St. Juan Diego Olivia Craver – St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Caroline Dillard – St. Kateri Tekakwitha Emma Flint – St. Catherine of Siena Lucas Hammer – St. Damien of Molokai Liam Harbert – St. George Brandon Kijowski – St. Francis of Assisi Nicholas Kornilow – St. Stanislaus Havilah Mangalapati – St. Teresa of Avila Morgan McMahon – St. Joan of Arc Joseph Mele – St. Nicholas Zachary Mentzell – St. Thomas More Owen O’Connor – St. Maximilian Kolbe Madelyn Ortiz – St. Philomena Jackson Pentony – St. Patrick Camryn Quelet – St. Rose of Lima Adam Rappaport – St. Jerome Mason Reed – St. Ignatius of Loyola Stephen Reiter – Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati Gabriella Tedeschi – St. Maria Mazzarello Tyler Tran – St. Martin of Tours Joseph Zabrucky – St. Padre Pio

A GENTLE REMINDER The Trimester I progress reports are scheduled to be distributed on Tuesday, December 2. 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 will be sent home during the week of November 17 if you are still in arrears with anything at that time.

Thanksgiving Break

November 26-30 School resumes Monday,

December 1

Grades 2-5: December 11

at 7:00 P.M. Pre-Kindergarten: December 12

at 9:30 A.M. First Grade: December 12

at 1:45 P.M. Kindergarten: December 15

at 1:45 P.M.

Christmas Shows

St. Mary Catholic School and the Archdiocese of Baltimore have a commitment to maintaining the trust of the faithful by providing our children and youth with safe environments characterized by healthy relationships. With our longstanding commitment in mind, all parishes and archdiocesan Catholic schools use Shield the Vulnerable, a compliance management system that allows all parishes and schools to facilitate compliance with archdiocesan child protection requirements for all volunteers who work with minors, employees, and clergy. Please register as a St. Mary Catholic School volunteer at

www.shieldthevulnerable.org. All new volunteers should complete the

process as soon as possible. Volunteers who are currently compliant with STAND requirements may continue to volunteer. More information is forthcoming about transitioning to the new compliance system. Please contact Jan McCarter, our

screening coordinator, at jmcarter@saintmarysonline.org or (301)739-0390,

ext. 129, with any questions or concerns.

Friday, December 19 is the last day of

school before Christmas Break!

THANKSGIVING LUNCHEON Our Thanksgiving Luncheon is truly a cherished SMCS tradition! Over four hundred meals were served. Delicious food from Nick’s Airport Inn, festive decorations, and good company were definitely among the highlights. Thank you again, Cathy Ellis, for organizing this fabulous event. With the help of Jackie Strama, Tammy Shultz, Stacey Stine, Lisa Muto, Jennifer Smallwood, Jennifer Sword, Leslie Kocevar, and Mr. Bob, the event ran very smoothly! We appreciate the lovely decorations donated by The Spiral Spirit Balloon Company and Sunny Meadows Farm.

Many Hands Make Light Work Policy

In order to have the policy finalized in time for the re-registration packet in January, we are asking each family to log in to Help Counter ( www.helpcounterweb.com; Login: stmary149; Password: ase8eq ) for tracking volunteer hours during this year. This way we are able to be monitor and tweak the policy if necessary.

PIXIE SHOP

HSA EVENTS

BAKE SALES: Second grade will have a bake sale on Wednesday, December 10.

WESTERN SIZZLIN: Thank you is extended to all the families who participated in our restaurant night at Western Sizzlin. HSA received a check for $350. We appreciate the generosity of the Romsburg family in hosting this event.

Chipotle: HSA also appreciates everyone who dined in or took out at the Chipotle restaurant night. HSA profited $490.

SCRIP Dates December 1, 8, and 15

USED UNIFORM SALE The Fall Used Uniform Sale was a success, profiting $252, while saving families hundreds of dollars. Debbie Corsi does a fantastic job organizing and conducting the sale with her team of helpers, Errika Best, Emily Britton, Jen Flanagan, Shannon Flint, Sherri Goetz, Sarah Hall, Jennifer Harman, Penny Sardina, Michelle Watts, and Dana Weaver.

With Christmas around the corner, Mrs. Rachel O’Connor and Mrs. Stacey Stine, assisted by many wonderful parent volunteer elves, will host the Pixie Shop on December 3, 4, and 5. Students from all grades will be invited to shop for those special people on their lists. A flyer is forthcoming.

SOCIAL HOUR Middle School Social Hour will be held from 3:00 to 4:30 on December 5. A dollar donation is required to help offset the cost of drinks and snacks.

The SMCS community is also grateful to the sponsors of our Live & Silent Auction:

Live & Silent Auction

St. Mary Catholic School’s fourth Live and Silent Auction on Sunday, November 16, was an absolutely amazing event! It was truly wonderful to have so many generous people gathered together to support St. Mary Catholic School. The evening was filled with laughter, fellowship, and delicious food! We were able to generate a profit of approximately $39,000 for the needs of our school. A heartfelt thank you is extended to Sarma McCafferty and Cathy Ellis for their organizational leadership. The endless number of hours they put into this event showed in the tremendous success of the event! Many thanks are extended to Paul and Kristina Giannaris and Nick’s Airport Inn for the delicious food and beverages. Our auctioneer, Craig O’Connor, once again was successful in entertaining and engaging the crowd. He certainly knows how to create competition in order to increase profits. Our school community also needs to recognize and thank the following individuals who made the event so successful: Live and Silent Auction Committee: Sarma McCafferty, Cathy Ellis, Jackie Strama, April Nitzell, Audrey Horn, Beth Hull, Cheryl Dillard, Jennifer Harman, Mo Tedeschi, Jennifer Smallwood, Chris Horn, Rory Duncan, and Stacey Stine Committee Helpers: Rachel O’Connor, Suzi Rickard, Laura Carpenter, Carrie McMahon, Becky Kreps, and Cathy Reiter A special thank you is also extended to Father Collin for his enthusiasm, generous donations, and unconditional support and the homeroom parents for putting together such creative class baskets. And lastly, the live auction would not have been complete without the fabulous homeroom class projects created by Jeanie Stark and Sister Aloysius, Dana Hilmoe and Christine Pentony, Tina Forsythe and Jonna Larkin, Bonnie Cleary, Rae Leggett, Mary Poffenberger, Lori Balog, Pam Ward, Jen Karn, and Mary K. Barger, and the lovely artwork created by Stacey Renken and her art classes. We also appreciate Beth Elbin and WPS for printing the programs for the event.

Platinum Level

Damascus Dental of Mt. Airy Cosmetic and Laser Dental Center Harman Funeral Home, P.A.

Gold Level

Allegany Dental Care Coldwell Banker Innovations First United Bank and Trust

Innovative, Incorporated Longmeadow Family Dental Care

Mary O’Malley, Handmade Artisan Chocolates Mercersburg Academy

Michael G. Callas Charitable Trust Middletown Valley Bank

Parkway Neuroscience and Spine Institute Smallwood & Small Insurance

St. James School St. Maria Goretti High School

STUDENT COUNCIL EVENTS

Out-of-Uniform Days

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.

CANNED FOOD DRIVE Thanks to the efforts of the Student Council and the generosity of the

student body, St. Mary Catholic School donated 715 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

Charlotte and Max Larkin, Alice and Louisa Poffenberger, Quinton and

Mason Reed, Harrison Ewing, Annie Balog, Lauren Beck, Mrs. Reed,

Mrs. Larkin, and Mrs. Forsythe for delivering the canned goods to the

food bank.

Bronze Level

R G Realty, Inc., Roberto Gonzalez Bushey Feight Morin Architects, Inc.

Jeanne Pino-Coldwell Banker Innovations Joan F. Bowers, Edward Jones

Olde Towne Title RE/MAX Results—Sandy Olson

RE/MAX Achievers—Jennifer Smallwood The Sardina Family

Friends of St. Mary Catholic School

Columbia Bank Law Offices of Scott L. Schubel

Thompson’s Gas and Electric Service Kelly Byrne

Linda Mercurio The Byrne Family The Fisher Family The Farah Family

The Rahimian Family The Scott Family

OCTOBER TAG DAY The TAG DAY held in honor of Father James for his Syro-Malabar community of St. Alphonsa in Arbutus raised $277. We will certainly miss having Father James as part of our school community.

SMCS Spirit Wear Tuesday, November 25, is the deadline to place an order for SMCS Spirit Wear. Orders will be received prior to Christmas Break. Orders should be placed by following this link: www.tinyurl.com/stmspiritwear

Student Council is sponsoring a door decorating contest for grades Pre-K

to 8. The doors will be judged on December 19. The class with the winning door will receive an ice cream party!

Door Decorating Contest

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 19. The theme for the day will be Christmas attire. Any students who forgot to contribute may still bring in a donation by December 5 and receive an out-of-uniform pass. The minimum contribution for this TAG Day is $5.00. Passes will be distributed through December 5.

Other Newsworthy Items

Celebration and Thanksgiving Concert

The SMCS Chorus performed in a concert of Celebration & Thanksgiving at St. Ann’s Church on November 7. St. Maria Goretti High School’s Choir and Mt. St. Mary’s Gospel Choir also performed. The evening was filled with beautiful music and was enjoyed by all in attendance. Thank you is extended to Mrs. Pam Miller and her amazing chorus. The SMCS Chorus included Emily Saylor, Emily

Concovia, Emma Ortiz, Aria Smith, Madelyn Ortiz, Annie Balog, Havilah Mangalapati, Camryn

Quelet, Tyler Tran, Emma Flint, Lydia Giannaris, Zachary Zanetti, Logan Flanagan, Gabrielle

McCafferty, Noah Hall, Ty Ambush, Shannon Quinones, Georgiana Tedeschi, Isabella Muto, Abigayl

Swett, Samantha Espiridion, Evan Weaver, Erica Weaver, Brianna Ellis, Emily Dellaposta, and Jillian

Sommerville.

The SMCS Keys for Success

Be Kind and Gentle

Be Respectful

Be Responsible

SMCS Keys for Success Celebration

Students will enjoy a period of playing board games and a snack on Tuesday, November 25, as their trimester reward for filling the school treasure box with pink, green, and yellow keys. Congratulations, students, for being kind and gentle, respectful, and responsible!

Phase I Raffle Ticket Fundraiser

GOOD S.A.M.s I want to congratulate our Good S.A.M.s for November: Emma Karn, Crystal Magonya, Brooks Carpenter, Anthony Corsi, Rachel Hull, Gabrielle McCafferty, Joseph Mele, Kaitlin Dellaposta, and Olivia Brooks. Thanks for your Service, Attitude, and Manners!

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: Pete Scaringella ($50) Week 2: Karen Rock

($50) Week 3: Ashley Dellaposta ($100) Week 4: Linda Mercurio

PHASE II RAFFLE TICKET FUNDRAISER Fundraiser II raffle tickets will be sent home during the first week of December. $10 late fee will be assessed if received after December 19. Phase II begins January 1. The tickets make great Christmas gifts!

IT’S SPELLING BEE TIME! We are preparing for our fifth annual SMCS Middle School Spelling Bee. Students were given a written test. From this test, seven to ten students from each grade (6th, 7th, and 8th) with the top scores will move on to compete in the SMCS Spelling Bee, which will take place on the afternoon of December 16, at 1:30 pm. From this contest, the top two students from each grade will move on to compete in the Washington County Spelling Bee. In addition, from the SMCS Spelling Bee, the top 6th, 7th, and 8th grade spellers will be named, plus an overall school champion will be crowned, with prizes awarded to the top spellers in each grade and to the overall school champion! Thank you is extended to Mrs. Karn for organizing this contest! 6th Grade Spelling Bee Contestants: Lauren Aguila, Emma Beal, Lucas Hammer, Brandon Kijowski, Morgan McMahon, Joseph Mele, Owen O’Connor, Madelyn Ortiz, Jackson Pentony, and Stephen Reiter 7th Grade Spelling Bee Contestants: Charles Kane, Therese Martin, Bridget Nooney, Rory O’Hanlon, Alice Poffenberger, Gracen Sommerville, and James Sword 8th Grade Spelling Bee Contestants: Zara Ahmed, Gabriel Burgess, Norah Cvijanovich, Jahi Fleet, Steven Hamilla, Kira Lutz, Emma Ortiz, Sarah Sardina, Zachary Towns, and Cole Trippett

Reverend George A. Limmer Chapter of the

National Junior Honor Society Officers 2014-2015

President—Zachary Towns

Vice President—

Alice Poffenberger

Secretary—Kira Lutz

Treasurer—Elizabeth Fisher

Parliamentarian—Sarah Sardina

NJHS 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.

The Crusader Café

HEALTH NEWS

It’s Cold outside! In honor of the cold weather, the café will be selling cups of warm hot cocoa with mini marshmallows during BREAK for only 50 cents! Please make sure student lunch accounts are current so students don’t miss out on this tasty treat. Thank you for supporting our lunch program; the students really seem to enjoy it! The Crusader Café Staff smcscafeteria@stmarycatholicschool.org

Crusader News

CRUSADER BASKETBALL Saint Mary Catholic School is excited to begin the 2014-2015 basketball season. The schedules for the Boys’ Varsity Crusaders and the Girls’ JV and Developmental Lady Crusaders will be posted on our website once they become available (Student Life Section, Athletics Tab).

PEP RALLY There will be a pep rally on Friday, January 9, at 2:00 P.M., to acknowledge our 2014-2015 basketball teams and cheerleaders. Please join us!

HEALTH QUESTIONS? If you have any health-related questions, please contact Ms. Paula Radley at (301)733-1184, ext 104, or by email, pradley@stmarycatholicschool.org

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.

On Monday, January 26, 2015, 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.

Pancake Breakfast—January 24

Career Day—January 26

Parent Visitation—January 27

Talent Show—January 28

Grandparent Visitation—January 29

CSW Mass—January 30

Arrival

In Your Prayers

MORNING DROP-OFF

Even with the cold weather… Children who are dropped off at the playground gates in the alley should be ready to get out of their cars immediately each morning. Drivers should not leave their vehicles nor stop traffic in the alley by remaining parked in the traffic lane. It is important that traffic keeps moving to avoid congestion on Walnut Street. Parents are asked not to hold up traffic to watch their children enter the building. Patience is appreciated!

Please remember Caleb Wharton (cousin of Harrison Ewing) who passed away this past month. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

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

STORY & CRAFT TIME

(Resumes after Christmas Break)

Mrs. Jeanie Stark and Sister Aloysius are offering a story and craft time for 3 to 5 year olds on January 22, at 12:00 P.M. Please contact Mrs. O’Connor if interested. roconnor@stmarycatholicschool.org

SMCS Open Houses

Saturday, January 24 9A.M. to 11 A.M.

January 26--29 9 A.M. to 2 P.M

Prospective Families for the 2015-2016 school year

Please invite your friends and neighbors to consider Catholic

education at SMCS.

Community Concert SMCS students in kindergarten through eighth grade enjoyed a brisk walk to the Maryland Theater on November 20 for a concert sponsored by the Hagerstown Community Concert Association. The performer was Paul McDermand, a talented percussionist, who shared Carribean/Jazz/Pop selections on the steel drums. We appreciate the Hagerstown Community Concert Association offering this musical opportunity for our students.

STUDENT ARRIVAL Students should begin arriving in the morning at 8:00 on the playground. On cold days, the students will go to the cafeteria until 8:10 A.M. Only those students who arrive after the 8:20 late bell should enter through the front door. We are asking parents not to accompany their children to the classrooms.

PARVULI DEI SCOUT

MEDAL

Collin Ambush will be receiving his Parvuli Dei Scout Medal at our First Friday Mass in December. The purpose of the Parvuli Dei (Children of God) emblem is to help young boys explore a wide range of activities in order to discover the presence of God in their daily lives as members of their families and parishes, and also to develop a good, positive self-image through the contributions they can make to the group or community. Congratulations, Collin!

Name_____________________________________ Phone number_______________________________ Career____________________________________

I am available on Monday, January 26, 2015, 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.