Dear St. Mary’s Families,
Thank you to the PTO for a wonderful Back to School Mass and Bash on Saturday. It is always special to come together as a community to celebrate our school, parish and students. If you were unable to make it, there will be other opportunities in the future. Our next big PTO event is the Spartan Run on October 17th.
We are focusing on being FRIENDS this month. Acting as a friend is not only the right thing to do, it has tremendous health benefits to ourselves and others. It can brighten our mood and the mood of those around us just by simple acts of friendliness.
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.
Baptism
A number of our families have been reaching out to inquire about baptism. Please contact the Parish office (208) 344-2597 to discuss this or any other questions about the church and ways to explore your faith.
MAP Testing – September 8 – 17
Twice a year students in grades 1-8 take MAP (Measure of Academic Progress) tests in Reading, Language Usage,
and Mathematics.
We had a terrific start to the testing sessions. Thank you for the support and encouragement.
NWEA provides extensive resources to families to improve their understanding of the assessments and their purpose. Please refer to the Family Toolkit for more information.
Marketing the school is incredibly important. We utilize a number of avenues to let others know about St. Mary’s. One tool we use is Niche. Niche is an on-line school directory. Each month we have people from all over the country and some international families visit our Niche website to discover more about St. Mary’s. If you have a moment and want to share your experience, please complete a review of the school using the link above.
Peach Sale is Underway – Last Call for Peaches! – Orders due Tomorrow – September 11th
Each year our 8th grade families lead the charge on a peach sale. The peaches are amazing. A box of 25 lbs is sold for $40. The proceeds help with all types of student activities including the 8th grade’s retreat to Cottonwood. Orders are due by September 11, 2025. For those of you who order, you can pick them up at the school on September 16 from 3:00-5:50. Please see the linked flyer for more information including how to order.
Message from Fr. John – Important Update on Church Security Measures
In light of recent events, including the tragic school shooting in Minneapolis, we have taken immediate steps to enhance the safety and security of our parish and school community. Beginning immediately, the alley entrance to the church will be kept locked, and all parishioners are kindly asked to enter through the main, front doors. Our new security team requested that there just be one access point to the church so that they can better monitor who is entering. I know this will take an adjustment period and we will thank people for their patience with this new change.
Additionally, starting in 2 weeks a uniformed security personnel will be present before, during and after all weekend Masses, as well as during School Masses throughout the week. These measures are part of our ongoing efforts to provide a safe environment for all.
We appreciate your understanding and cooperation as we work to ensure the safety and well-being of everyone at St. Mary’s. We will be announcing this at all Masses the next two weeks to prepare people for this change.
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.
OktoberFest – St. Mary’s Foodbank – September 22, 2025
The St. Mary’s Foodbank is hosting its annual Oktoberfest at Payette Brewery on September 22nd. This is a fun event bringing the parish, the school and the foodbank together in community in support of the foodbank. It is a night full of beer, brats, and friendship. Please see the flyers around the school and parish for more information.
Payette Brewing Company is a family friendly brewery. Please bring the entire family to enjoy the event and community. Prost!
2025-26 is going incredibly well. We appreciate our students, families, staff, and parish. It is inspiring to work at a school with immense support from the community.
Thank you!
Calendar of Events
- September 8 – 17 – MAP Testing
- September 13 – Altar Server Training – 10:00 am
- September 19 – Teacher In-Service – No School
- September 19 – TVCS 7th and 8th Grade Dance at St. Mary’s
- September 22 – Oktoberfest – Payette Brewery
- September 26 – Hispanic Heritage Fair – More details to follow
- October 6-10 – MOSS 5th and 6th Graders
- October 8 – Picture Retakes
- October 17 – Spartan Run
- 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
- School Counselor Information – St. Mary’s is very blessed to have Mrs. Brooke Maritt join us this year. Mrs. Maritt is actively getting to know the students, teachers, and school. Below is additional information about Mrs. Maritt and what she will be doing during August
- Counselor Corner
- About the School Counselor
- School Counselor Pamphlet
- 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 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.
- 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.
Wait Until 8th Idaho- Meet Kate Henwood – Local Advocate
- Wait Until 8th National
- 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
