Weekly Newsletter – Week Ending May 2, 2025
Dear Parents,
It’s MAY! – How incredible are our students? April and May give our students the chance to shine and show the world how much they have grown. We complete MAP tests, take field trips, host the Spring music concert, recognize outstanding work in and out of the classroom.
We have an exciting week upcoming. It is TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK – Please see below for more information.
From Ms. Campanella: I just wanted to extend my heartfelt thank you for the incredible kindness and generosity you showed me last week. The thoughtful cards, beautiful flowers and plants, and generous gift cards truly made me feel appreciated and spoiled! It was such a lovely surprise and meant more than I can express.
I feel so lucky to be part of the St. Mary’s community and to work with such wonderful families. Thank you again for making my week so special!
Teacher Appreciation – May 5 – May 9 The teachers are the lifeblood of every school. That was never more true than here, at St. Mary’s. The PTO has done an amazing job planning out a week of activities to recognize them and the incredible work they do every day. Please see the linked flyer describing each day’s events.
MAP Testing – We are almost through MAP testing for the Spring 2025 season. Thank you to all the students for giving their best. Thank you to the parents for your support and encouragement. Thank you to the teachers for all of their hard work this year working with every student. We will send home the student’s results shortly.
MAP testing is not the most important thing we do. It is a chance for us to assess our student’s growth and compare their growth with others in the greater community. While a few students are in the process of finishing their tests, the school wide preliminary results are:
School Wide – Reading – Achievement – 73% – Growth 58%
School Wide – Language Usage – Achievement 80% – Growth 67%
School Wide – Mathematics – Achievement 74% – Growth 58%
Any results, achievement or growth over 50% indicates we are outperforming the average school using MAP Growth. Our results are phenomenal. We are exceptionally proud of our students and teachers, and appreciative of the support from the families.
To learn more about MAP and how to read the results, please visit the Family Toolkit through NWEA.
Catholic Jr. High Summer Camp – The Diocese is sponsoring a Jr. High summer camp in Stanley, ID in June. This is a great opportunity for our Jr. High students to grow in the faith and enjoy the great outdoors. Please see the linked flyer for more information.
School Fees are Coming – This month you can expect to receive an invoice for next year’s school fees. We opted to defer the collection of fees from February until May/June in support of our Diamonds and Denim Gala.
Thank you in advance for your support of St. Mary’s.
Update on Staffing 2025-26 School Year – Last month I shared information about the St. Mayr’s staff changes. With the retirement of Mrs. Herring and the growth of our students body, we are please to let you that in addition to returning all the other teachers, we will be adding:
Miss Erin Heffner – 5th Grade
Mr. Roan Bernal – 4th Grade
They both have had the opportunity to work with our staff this year and have proven themselves to be outstanding teachers with a focus on student growth and development. They are cooperative, collaborative, and serious about creating a safe and challenging learning environment for St. Mary’s Spartans.
Please join me in welcoming them in their new capacity. Go Spartans!
Talent Show – May 2, 2025 – The St. Mary’s Knights of Columbus is hosting a Talent Show at 5:30 on Friday, May 2nd. Please see the linked flyer for more information.
Special Events Calendar – St. Mary’s has many special events during the year. Please see the attached listing of our special events including a description and date. All of these dates and events can be found on the school calendar.
Enrollment/Re-enrollment 2025-26 School Year
We are growing. Our enrollment numbers are very good for the upcoming school year. Thank you for all of your help promoting the school to your friends and strangers. It was great to have billboards and reels, but the most effective marketing we can do is word of mouth.
Thank you!
Spring Music Program – May 6, 2025 at 6:00 pm
Please mark your calendars. Mr. Peters has been working feverishly with the students to prepare for this extravaganza. Grades PreK-3rd will be the headliners for the Spring showcase with performances by our beginning and advanced band and choir.
Bishop Kelly High School offers summer camps for a variety of sports and activities including, but not limited to: Volleyball, Basketball (Boys and Girls), Wrestling, Softball, Baseball, Football, and Lego Robotics. Please check the link above to see specific opportunities. Go Knights!
Bishop Kelly Music Dept. End-of-Year Concert – Mon, May 12 @ 7:00pm (REG Gymnasium)
Admission is only $5 for adults, $3 for HS students, $2 for younger students and senior citizens, and kids age 5 or younger are free. The award-winning BK ensembles will be performing a wide variety of music, doors will open to the public at 6:30pm. The REG is the old gym located in the main school building just past the fountain through the front entrance.
There are so many good things happening at St. Mary’s. If you know of a family looking for an incredible Catholic school community, please encourage them to contact us.
School Choice Frequently Asked Questions – From the Diocese
Please mark your calendars for important dates:
- April 22 – May 1 – Spring MAP Testing
- May 2 – Teacher Inservice
- May 5 – 9 – Teacher Appreciation Week
- May 6 – Spring Music Program – 6:00 pm
- May 12 – BK Music Program – 7:00 pm in the Reg
- May 13-15 – 8th Grade Retreat
- May 19 – PreKindergarten and Kindergarten Graduation
- May 20 – 8th Grade Graduation
- May 21 – Bowling and Field Day
- May 22 – Last Day of School – Mass and Carnival – 12:00 release
Other Important Announcements and Events:
- Boys Summer Camp Information – Find attached information flyer for Camp Montfort Idaho 2025. – Please note the camp will be split into two groups this year. The older boys, ages 15-18 will attend August 3rd – 6th and the younger boys, ages 9-14 will follow August 6th – 9th. – Linked is a video about the program from 2022
- Staffing Changes 2025-26 School Year – Exciting changes coming next year at St. Mary’s.
- Partnership Page St. Mary’s community likes to support each other. Our community is full of many terrific individuals who contribute to our greater community and St. Mary’s through their businesses and careers. It is our objective to provide support and awareness to the families that support us. If you are shopping for products or services, I encourage you to check our partnership page first. I would recommend you to mark the page as a favorite and check back often. If you are interested in having your business highlighted, please submit your information to Ms. Mandy @ amcampanella@stmarys-boise.org
- Calling all Alumni – We want to keep our alumni invited and informed of all happenings around St. Mary’s. If you are an alumni or know any alumni, please fill out the form – St. Mary’s Alumni Information
God bless.
Kevan Grant
St. Mary’s Catholic School- Principal
Other Items of Interest
- Bishop Kelly Athletics – Bishop Kelly has a plethora of athletics happening throughout the year. The BK website has a link to team pages with game schedules.
- Get your Uniforms and Spirit Wear from Educational Outfitters
