Dear St. Mary’s Families,
Thank you for your cooperation and engagement with Parent/Teacher conferences. It was a terrific opportunity to come together in support of the school mission. Thank you for partnering to help our students grow and develop.
This is a short week. Thursday and Friday the teachers will be participating in the Regional Catholic Educators Conference. We will miss you all tremendously.
As always, please pay close attention to the calendar. There are special events all throughout November, December, and leading up to the Annual St. Mary’s “Imagine If” Gala on January 31, 2026.
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.
Thank you!!!
We have so many things to be grateful for including….
PTO and everyone who participated in Trunk or Treat
All the parents and families for partnering during Parent-Teacher Conferences
PTO for the food and snacks for the teachers during Parent-Teacher Conferences
Everyone voting for St. Mary’s as Boise Favorite Private School and Preschool
The pictures of relatives to add to our Day of the Dead (Dia de Muertos) celebration
Our teachers and staff for their effort and dedication during the first quarter
Everyone for choosing to be part of the St. Mary’s community!!!
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
During the Thanksgiving season, classes have created their own food drive or Thanksgiving baskets. This year, we have a new opportunity in front of us. Due to a number of current issues, St. Mary’s Foodbank has had an increase in demand. We would like to have the school bring in food during the entire month of November. We will begin this Wednesday with our Mass offertory of food.
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.
Day of the Dead – Hello, St Mary’s families!
For those who are new to St. Mary’s -Día de Muertos- is an ancient Mesoamerican, mostly Mexican, old tradition that honors our family and friends that have died. We celebrate the 1st and 2nd of November that is also related to our Catholic traditions of “All Saints day” and “All souls day”.
At school we set up an altar at church and we decorate with typical decorations full of meaning such as the marigolds, candles, water, food, images of Christ, the Virgin, kids’ art and pictures of our loved ones who have died. We dedicate this altar to them, it’s a special place for us to pray for them and with them celebrate the life and love that they shared with us. We will have the altar on display in the Church during the week of November 3rd.
In addition to celebrating at school, the St. Mary’s Mexican Dance Group will be performing at JUMP on Sunday, November 2nd at 3:30 pm. Come and support the group and enjoy the community festivities.
Gracias!
Mrs. Huerta
Building of Future: Together in Faith – Capital Campaign
St. Mary’s Catholic Community is preparing for a capital campaign that will strengthen our parish for generations to come. A key focus will be renovating and improving our school and religious education building – spaces where our children learn, our ministries meet, and our community gathers. More details will be shared soon, but for now, we invite you to keep this effort in your prayers as we work together in faith to build our future.
Book Fair – November 4 -7
St. Mary’s is having its annual book fair November 4th through the 7th. 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.
We are still in need of volunteers to help during the week. If you are looking for a way to put your skills to work, please follow the link to Track it Forward to sign up and help out.
Yay 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
Help Needed – November 6th – 11:45-1:00 –We already have 7 volunteers – We could use a few more
On November 6th from 11:45-1:00 I am looking for volunteers to monitor lunch and recess while the teachers are at a luncheon and presentation. If you are courageous, intimidating, and willing to help, please contact Ms. Mandy or me at the office.
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.
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
- October 30 & 31 – Regional Catholic Educators Conference (No school for students)
- November 2 – Mexican Dance Group – Dia De Muertos at JUMP 3:30
- November 4-7 – Book Fair
- November 11 – Veterans’ Day Recognition and Prayer Square
- November 13 – Math Literacy Night
- 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
