Dear St. Mary’s Families,
Welcome to November. It is a month with many opportunities to think, reflect, and rejoice. November is a month we should pray for and remember all those who have gone before us. In addition, it is a great month to exercise gratitude and appreciation.
I am thankful for all of you, every student, all the teachers and staff, the parish and everyone who is engaged in the ongoing development and success of 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.
St. Mary’s is consistently growing. We are a welcoming community with high expectations for our students, staff, families, and parish. Our reputation as a high quality, Catholic school is becoming more widespread. In the past month, we have added 4 additional students – Welcome new Spartans!
While our growth is remarkable, we are always on the lookout for new students and families to join our community. 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. 
Food Drive – Month of November
Each Wednesday during the month of November, we will be gathering food for the St. Mary’s Foodbank. With the uncertainty of SNAP benefits, the need at our local foodbanks has increased dramatically. Thank you for your support during the month.
Math Literacy Night – November 13
Mrs. Russell is hosting a Math Literacy evening for families with students in grades PreK to 5th. It is an excellent opportunity for parents to develop an understanding of ways to reinforce math lessons while at home. In addition, parents have the opportunity to ask questions about how math instruction works and establish a common vocabulary. Please see the linked document which provides a greater explanation and a schedule for the evening.
Idaho Tax Credit –
Linked are two documents detailing the information about the Idaho Tax credit for contributions to education institutions.
Thank you – Day of the Dead
Thank you to Mrs. Huerta for helping the students and families celebrate Day of the Dead. The altar was beautiful. It is an incredible opportunity at St. Mary’s to learn about and participate in traditions such as this.
Our Mexican Dancers were extraordinary at JUMP on Sunday. Thank you to the dancers and the families for doing an exceptional job representing St. Mary’s.
Building of Future: Together in Faith – Capital Campaign
St. Mary’s is kicking off the public phase of our capital campaign during the weekend of November 15th and 16th. We are planning to have our students participate on the weekend masses as readers, lecturers, gift bearers and greeters. If you or your student is interested, please let me know.
Book Fair – November 4 -7
St. Mary’s is in the last few days of the book fair. having its annual book fair. Please come by before school (7:30-8:00), during lunches (11:45-12:30), or after school (3:15-4:00) to browse the selection of books.
Go Reading!
Imagine If – St. Mary’s Gala – January 31, 2026
Our annual Gala is the largest fundraiser for the school each year. Last year the PTO was able to raise over $130,000 for St. Mary’s. These funds help the school keep our tuition rates reasonable while meeting our operating expenses.
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 Bishop Kelly or colleges and universities. Click here for more details and a chance to enter – Imagine If Gala Tuition Raffle
Thank you to the Parent Volunteers
Thank you to the brave parents who helped at school with lunch and recess today. We appreciate your taking the time so our staff and the parish staff could meet. Thank you!!
Veterans’ Day – We will be having a special Prayer Square on November 11th in honor of Veterans’ Day – Please invite any and all veterans to join us – Light snacks and coffee will be served afterwards.
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 4-7 – Book Fair
- November 11 – Veterans’ Day Recognition and Prayer Square
- November 13 – Math Literacy Night
- November 15-16 – Capital Campaign Kickoff
- November 19 – BK Shadow Day for 8th Grade
- November 26 – Mexican Dance Group – 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 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.
- School Choice – 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 a document 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.
- Mexican Dance – Wednesdays – Open to All Students – Gloria Munoz at the Parish office graciously donates her time and expertise to our aspiring dancers. The group practices weekly on Wednesdays after school. No experience necessary. The group performs at events at St. Mary’s and throughout the city, including Dia de los Muertos, Our Lady of Guadalupe, and Festival of Trees.
- 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
