Dear St. Mary’s Families,
Thank you. It’s the second to last week of November. There is no better time to express a heartfelt thank you for choosing St. Mary’s. Everyone is working hard to make this a wonderful, positive, inspiring and challenging community to help us all grow in our knowledge, faith, and perspective.
As we continue to progress through the school year, we always have an eye to the future. In the coming months we will be marketing the school in regular periodicals, digital billboards, attending the Private Education Fair – January 10, 2026 at JUMP, promotional spot with KTVB in January, and other engaging community events. While all of this is great, nothing beats word of mouth….
If you know anyone who might be curious about St. Mary’s – Here is a one page summary highlighting some of the great things about St. Mary’s.
OUR MISSION:
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.
Idaho Tax Credit –
St. Mary’s needs ongoing financial support from the community which helps us keep tuition reasonable and meet our operating expenses. The Idaho Tax Credit provides a tax credit for individuals, families, and corporations that are able to donate to the school. Below is additional information about the tax credit. You can also find information on our website at : Idaho Tax Credit
Bishop Kelly Football –
The Bishop Kelly Knights Football team is in the State Finals on Monday, November 24 at 7:00 at Albertson’s Stadium – They will be playing Hillcrest HS – Go Knights!
Corpus Commons is Boise’s only day shelter, providing essential services and hospitality to people experiencing homelessness during daytime hours when overnight shelters are closed. Through meals, showers, laundry, mail services, genuine relationships, and more, Corpus Commons helps restore dignity and hope to 1,000+ individuals annually.
Corpus Commons is holding a community-wide Great Gingerbread Build to raise funds to provide meals, showers, laundry, and other essential services for their 200+ daily guests. Please see the link above for more information about how you can get involved and participate.
Building of Future: Together in Faith – Capital Campaign
Last weekend, the St. Mary’s Capital Campaign kicked off the public phase. We have had an incredible start to the campaign with already $793,500 committed as of November 13th. While we still have a ways to go to meet our goal, the support and enthusiasm makes me confident that we will reach it together. You should be receiving a packet in the mail shortly explaining the campaign, the projects, and how you can participate.
We are looking for volunteers that may want to join the Parish Gifts Committee. If you would like to give your time, please contact the office.
The Idaho Tax Commission is working to educate the public about House Bill 93, the bill designed to help families with the expense of non-public education. The link above will bring you to the latest information from the Diocese. You are also encouraged to visit the Idaho Parental Choice Tax Credit page. It provides information about the bill along with courses to help families understand the finer details.
Imagine If – St. Mary’s Gala – January 31, 2026
Make sure your calendar is marked for the greatest social event of the year. The St. Mary’s Annual Gala is being held Saturday, January 31, 2026. Many in the community are working hard to make this an incredible event again this year.
Right now is a great time to share your time, talent, and treasure to make sure the event is wildly successful. If you are able to help, volunteer opportunities are available through the Parent Quick Links and Track it Forward – Contact Kristen Colter.
Tuition Raffle
Only 250 tickets will be sold at a chance to win $5000! – Winnings can be used for tuition at any qualifying school including St. Mary’s, Bishop Kelly or colleges and universities. Click here for more details and a chance to enter – Imagine If Gala Tuition Raffle
DIY – Thanksgiving Centerpiece
For over a decade, Georgia White, owner of Boise at its Best and St. Mary’s Parishioner, has hosted the ever popular “Make Your Own Thanksgiving Centerpiece” party at her floral shop as a fundraiser for St. Mary’s School.
This year the event will be co-hosted by St. Mary’s moms, Tracy Bresina and Julia Grant. There will be heavy hors
d’oeuvres, beverages (including wine) and dessert. You will go home with a beautiful centerpiece for your Thanksgiving day table, mantle, or buffet.
Monday, November 24th from 5:30-8pm
15 spots available on a first come basis – reserve your spot ($75) by sending Julia a text or email to 208-407-6451 or jkertzgrant@hotmail.com. If you want to reserve a spot for a friend, sister or mother, they are welcome, too.
Toy Collection
THIS CHRISTMAS, ST. VINCENT DE PAUL INVITES YOU TO HELP A FAMILY IN NEED!
St. Vincent de Paul Southwest Idaho believes every child should be able to celebrate Christmas. If you would like to donate an item, we have 2 collection boxes at the school. One is by the main office and one is in the gym. Thank you for your support.
It is never too early to prepare for the Christmas Program – December 16 🧑🎄
- When: Tuesday, December 16th at 6:00pm. Students should arrive between 5:40 and 5:45 and go to their classrooms (Bands and Choir should meet in the church). THE SCHOOL/CHURCH WILL NOT BE OPEN UNTIL 5:40, so please plan accordingly. The program is expected to last about one hour.
- Where: St. Mary’s Church (Free!)
- Who: The program will feature students in Pre-K, Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Grade, as well as our Bands and Choir.
- What (to wear): Students should wear nice clothes – think “going to church with Grandma on Christmas.” Please help students not to wear anything that might become a distraction to others or prove challenging for them to move around in. When in doubt, they are more than welcome to wear their Mass Dress uniform.
- Why: We do this each year to bring in the Christmas Season, gather as a community, and celebrate that Music is a valued and integral part of our students’ education.
If you have any additional questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me and I will try to get back to you quickly – mpeters@bk.org. Thank you for your time and I’m looking forward to seeing you there!
Breakfast with St. Nick – December 6, 2025 – 8:00 am
Please make room on your calendar for Breakfast with St. Nick on December 6th. Starting at 8:00 am, Mr. and Mrs. Claus will be available for pictures while breakfast is being served in the school cafeteria. HO-HO-HO!🧑🎄
Calendar of Events
- November 24-28 – Thanksgiving Break
- November 24 – Bishop Kelly State Football Finals at Albertson’s Stadium 7:00 pm
- November 26 – Mexican Dance Group/Choir/Advance Band – Festival of Trees at Boise Centre at 10:00 am
- December 6 – 8:00 am- Breakfast with St. Nick – Mr. and Mrs. Claus will be available for pictures – breakfast provided
- December 12 – Mexican Dance Group – Our Lady of Guadalupe at St. Mary’s at 6:00 pm
- December 16 – Christmas Music Program – 6:00 pm at the church
- January 10, 2026 – Private Education Fair – at JUMP
- January 31, 2026 – St. Mary’s Annual Gala – Please save the date
God Bless and Take Care
Kevan Grant
St. Mary’s Catholic School – Principal
Go Spartans!
Other Things
- Dress Code – As the weather becomes colder and the first quarter comes to an end, it is important we reiterate our dress code expectations with you and the students. Please find the specifics in the link above. Please take a few minutes to review the dress code with your students. We would appreciate your support with:
- St. Mary’s Sweatshirts are the only sweatshirts permitted. All other sweatshirts are to stay at home.
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- Hair must be trimmed neatly and not fall into the students eyes.
- After-School STEM Club – Spartaneers – Tuesdays – Jason Jaszkowiak is giving his time and experience to lead students in an after-school STEM program after school at St. Mary’s. Please refer to the link above for more information.
- Partnership Page – St. Mary’s school initiated a partnership page on our website to share information about businesses that are associated with and support St. Mary’s. If you are looking for something, I encourage you to check out the directory. If you are interested in listing your business, please contact Mandy at the front office. We would love to continue to grow our partnerships and encourage support for our local businesses.
- Safe Environment – Virtus – Safe Environment training is required for any volunteer that will be around students in the school. Please be sure to keep current with your safe environment. You are asked to complete an on-line training session to renew using Virtus each year. Background checks are scheduled to be renewed every five years. If you have never been through Safe Environment, you will need to attend the in-person class first.
- To find the list of in-person training, please follow the above link to Virtus, create an account and follow the prompts to the available classes.
- Return to School Policy – Each year the nurses evaluate and provide a return to school policy to keep us as healthy as possible during the school year. Please be sure to review the linked letter.
- Technology and Social Media Last year, I sent this linked letter to our families about some of the struggles we have experienced using technology, social media, or even gaming. As we enter into a new school year, it is a good idea to review or establish the necessary controls with respect to home technology usage. In addition to the tips provided in the letter, St. Mary’s has invested in the Social Institute to provide meaningful lessons to our students. The website allows for family access to the vast resources of tips, tricks, settings, and other controls to help families keep their children safe.
- To sign up for access, you can use the QR code on the document ( The Social Institute – Family Tool Kit ) or you can access the website directly to sign up to access the family resources. Please use the following school code: Code 3d1bC5B9403C65
- The site provides families resources to spark engaging conversations as well as application playbooks, which help you understand and set the necessary controls to restrict usage and/or functionality.
- Nationwide and statewide there are a number of programs supporting families and providing best practices to help keep our children safe. One initiative is Wait Until Eighth. Below is information concerning students in Idaho and nationally with respect to smartphone usage.
- 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
