Thank you to everyone who was able to make our Back to School Night last night. We have a remarkable community that works well together for the betterment of the children, the school, and St. Mary’s. I created a brief summary of the Principal’s talking points if you were unable to attend.
St. Mary’s School is to provide a Catholic environment that instills academic excellence while preparing the whole child for life-long personal and spiritual growth, empowering them to become global citizens.
Picture Day – Thursday, August 27, 2026
Theme – Be a Goldfish
This year, the staff and I will be goldfish – It is the happiest animal on the planet. Why? It has a 10 second memory. You can expect to hear more about our theme as the year progresses. We have taken this idea one step further as we are working at implementing an entire FISH Philosophy – The big ideas include:
Choose your attitude
Be present
Play (have fun)
Make their day
Throughout the year we will be emphasizing different concepts and ideas at school and in our classrooms. Feel free to include the ideas at home as well.
Fr. John’s homily today aligned with the idea of “Choose your attitude” – His message emphasized the importance of calming our spirit to reflect the love of God – Each moment we get to choose to calm ourselves and choose our attitude. Not an easy request, but an important goal to work towards.
Sacramental Preparation
Last year we had a significant number of students and families ask about baptism. This is an incredible thing. This year we would like to offer these classes at school to prepare for not only baptism, but also first reconciliation and first communion. This would obviously be determined by the age of the students. If you are interested in having your student participate in the Sacramental Preparation class provided by the school, please complete the form below:
Peaches – The St. Mary’s Peach Sale is back! – ONE WEEK LEFT!
Fresh, sweet peaches from Henggeler Orchards in Fruitland, Idaho are ready to order. Eat them fresh, bake a pie or cobbler, make jam, or freeze some for later. One bite and you’ll be glad you bought a box, and there is plenty to share with friends, family and neighbors too.
This year our goal is to sell 200 boxes, and every single one helps support the students of St. Mary’s Catholic School. Grab a box or two and help us get there!
The details:
$45 for a 25lb box (tax included)
Orders due Thursday, September 3
Pickup Tuesday, September 8 from 3:00 to 5:30pm in the parking lot
Order in seconds. Scan the QR code on the flyer or use this link:
Thank you for your ongoing support and commitment to St. Mary’s.
Volunteerism
Volunteerism is part of every Catholic school. It is important to work together as we continuously build our community. The primary source of volunteerism opportunities is our PTO. The PTO organizes social events, fundraisers, and other activities all throughout the year. They need your help. We do ask each of our families to contribute 20 hours per year to the various events and activities at St. Mary’s. Not only does it provide an opportunity to get to know others and be part of the larger community, the fundraising helps keep our tuition competitive and reasonable. Last year’s fundraising efforts by the PTO equated to approximately $160,000. That is equal to about $1000 per student.
Spartan Run 2025
Krista Holdridge and the other PTO officers put together a comprehensive list of volunteer opportunities. They include not only activities during the day, but also opportunities to help from the comfort of your home. Please review the linked packet below to find an option that may work best for you.
Bishop Kelly’s Cross Country is hosting its 22nd annual Jimmy Driscoll Fun Run on Saturday, August 29th. Please see the attached flyer for more information including how to register.
Student Hosted Mass – Back to School Bash – Saturday, September 12 @5:00 pm
This is a community building event intended to bring us all back together in celebration of a new school year. At 5:00 pm, the students will be hosting Mass by greeting, reading, bearing gifts, and altar serving. Afterwards, the PTO is holding the Back to School Bash social. Time to enjoy a beverage and the company of others in the community. We are looking forward to seeing everyone there.
Window Replacement
New Basement Windows – August 2026
The process has begun. After the incredible success of our capital campaign, the school is getting the facelift promised. Over the next few months every window in the school will be replaced. This is long overdue after 77 years. We are happy to report that they have started the process with the basement windows. Thank you to everyone who supported the campaign to help make this a reality. As of this morning 7 windows have already been replaced!
If you have a student in 3rd grade or high and you are a parishioner of St. Mary’s…. THEY CAN BE AN ALTAR SERVER!!! Deacon Jason Jaszkowiak is offering altar server training on Thursday, September 17th after school in the 6th grade classroom. Please see the flyer above for more information.
St. Mary’s Mexican Dance Group
When: EveryWednesday- only on days when kids have full day of school
Start: we start Wed. Sept. 2nd
Festival of Tress – 2025
Time: 3:15 pm to 4:30 pm
Where: School Gym
Details: —Every St. Mary’s School student is welcomed. —Class is free/no fees.
Required: 1) dancing shoes. 2) each child needs his/her parent or legal guardian to be present before, during, and after each class.
Reminders: no shoes-no practice and pack an extra snack.
Gracias!
Please be sure to use the St. Mary’s Website, and specifically the Parents Quick Links to find everything you need to know to start school including the supplies list, dress code, lunch sign ups and many other things.
Please do not let all the activities cause you too much stress. It is an exciting time to come back together and work to achieve our mission.
God Bless and Take Care
Kevan Grant
St. Mary’s Catholic School – Principal
Go Spartans!
Calendar
August 27 – Picture Day
September 4 – Teacher Inservice – No School
September 7 – Labor Day – No School
September 12 – Student-Led Mass 5:00 pm – Followed by – Back to School Bash
September 14 – 25 – MAP Testing 1st through 8th grade
Bishop Kelly – Events and Athletics – Whether you are a soccer fan or football enthusiast, there is almost always something happening at Bishop Kelly. The link above is to their team pages – Check out their calendar for upcoming events.
