Spartan Spotlight – Week Ending September 18, 2026
Middle School Visiting the World Trade Center Memorial on 9-11
Dear St. Mary’s Families,
Four weeks down. It is hard to believe we are already 4 weeks into the school year. Thank you for your support, engagement, flexibility, and encouragement. The students and staff are finding their rhythm. We are off to a great start and there are even brighter days ahead of us.
Thank you!
MAP Testing
This week we started MAP (Measure of Academic Progress) testing with grades 1st through 8th. Each student takes three tests in total: Math, Reading and Language Usage. The tests are used to give us an idea on where students are and where are their greatest opportunities for growth.
Fall tests provide us a baseline and insight. It is easy to fixate on the results. We use this as another data point to understand your child. Fall results are often, but not always, lower than last Spring. This can be attributed in some part to the ‘summer slide’. We will use this information to help drive instruction whether it be individually or collectively as a class. Our primary focus is on the growth of the students during the school year. This is captured after the completion of the Spring assessments.
If you have any questions about MAP, please feel free to utilize the extensive resources in the MAP Family Toolkit
St. Mary’s is going to be expanding and adjusting our service learning expectations for our students this year. We would like to encourage our students, families, and staff to see service as more than just service to the greater community. We have opportunities to serve our families, our school, our parish, and the greater community.
Our plan encourages all students from pre-k through 8th to find opportunities to serve others. Our younger students, pre-k -2nd, will focus on serving their home. 3rd through 5th will serve their home as well as the school or parish (see the option to altar serve below). Our middle schoolers are being asked to give their time and talents to their homes and the greater community. The linked document explains the shift in detail, which includes our rationale and suggestions for our students.
We know this will require some assistance from you at home. Thank you for your support and encouragement. If you have any questions, please talk to the teachers or me.
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.
Hispanic Heritage – 2025
Hispanic Heritage Month
Hispanic Heritage month is being recognized from September 15 through October 15th. Mrs. Huerta and Mrs. Penalva have been working with their classes to bring attention and awareness to Hispanic heritage. There will be a special event in the afternoon on Friday, September 25th. Please be on the lookout for additional information.
Parish News
St. Mary’s Parish
Weekend Masses
Saturday, 5:00pm – English
7:00pm – Spanish
Sunday- 8:30am & 10:45am- English
12:45pm – Spanish
Weekday Masses
Tues. – Fri., 8:30am
Knights of Columbus
Knights of Columbus are hosting a Bingo night on September 18
Foodbank Fall Festival
Come and join the fun at Payette Provisions (formerly known as Payette Brewing, Co) to support the St. Mary’s Community Food Pantry Monday, September 21, 2026 from 5:00-9:00 pm. Payette Provisions, while a tasting room is a family friendly venue with a beautiful patio and outdoor games. Bring your own dinner or grab a bite to eat from the food-truck.
You are invited to join for the live music, food truck, raffle, and fundraising extravaganza!
September 21, 2026
5:00-9:00 pm
Payette Provisions (formerly known as Payette Brewing, Co)
If you have a student in 3rd grade or high and you are a parishioner of St. Mary’s…. THEY CAN BE AN ALTAR SERVER!!! Deacon Jason Jaszkowiak is offering altar server training on Thursday, September 17th after school in the 6th grade classroom. Please see the flyer above for more information.
Thank you to the PTO for hosting the Back to School Bash. We appreciate all the volunteers and families that were able to attend. Special shout out to Mr. Colter for handling the grill responsibilities.
Peach Sales – Thank you to everyone involved in selling peaches this year. 200 boxes were sold, marking another record year.
Wildflowers and Wagon Wheels Gala
The St. Mary’s Annual Gala will be, Saturday February 6, 2027 at the Riverside Hotel. Please be sure to save the date and prepare yourself for the social event of the year. This not only is our largest fundraiser for St. Mary’s School, it is an incredible opportunity to celebrate our community, our school, and all the people committed to our mission.
A little on the theme:
Wildflowers do not come up in neat rows. They bloom in every shape and color, they are hardy, and they thrive through whatever the season brings. That is our students: different personalities, different talents, different paths, all growing strong roots.
The wagon wheel is the community side. Every spoke, parents, teachers, parish, volunteers, connects to the same hub of faith, family, and education, and a wheel is built to keep moving forward. It is also a nod to how long this school community has been showing up for its students.
Volunteerism
Thank you to everyone who has responded to our request for volunteers. The link below describes many of the opportunities available in the classroom, at events, and for other adventures.
It is very encouraging to see so many of you offer help in the classroom, with field trips, and at events. There are still possibilities to help with the upcoming Spartan Run, such as 3-D printing (see Jackie Schubert for details).
Please check the opportunities with our annual Gala if you are able to help out. The success of the event requires all hands on deck. Please check Track it Forward to find the best option that meets your personality.
Windows Update
The installation of the windows is going smoothly. About 70% of all the windows will be installed by the end of September. The new AC units will not arrive until mid-October. In addition, the windows on the Northwest corner (Mrs. Cooke and Ms. Heffner’s rooms) cannot be installed until we cut off the power to the school due to live power lines. These and the AC windows will be installed over Thanksgiving break.
Bishop Kelly High School is hosting a workshop on the current drug culture, trends and identifiers. Everyone is welcome to participate. Please see the attached flyer for more information.
Last year, St. Mary’s students were able to take advantage of the services of Mathnasium after school. They are back to make an on-site offer again this year. They will be here on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30-4:30. Registered students can also make use of Mathnasium sites across the Treasure Valley. Please see the linked flyer for more information.
God Bless and Take Care
Kevan Grant
St. Mary’s Catholic School – Principal
Go Spartans!
Calendar
September 14 – 25 – MAP Testing 1st through 8th grade
September 17 – Altar Server Training – After school
September 18 – Knights of Columbus – Bingo night
September 25 – Hispanic Heritage Celebration (Afternoon at School)
September 25 – 7th and 8th Grade Dance at St. Mary’s
October 2 – Teacher Inservice – No School
October 5-9 – MOSS Camp for 5th and 6th Graders
October 6 – Flu Shots
October 16 – Spartan Run
October 20 – Picture Retakes
October 22-23 – Parent Teacher Conferences – No School
Bishop Kelly – Events and Athletics – Whether you are a soccer fan or football enthusiast, there is almost always something happening at Bishop Kelly. The link above is to their team pages – Check out their calendar for upcoming events.
Partnership Page – St. Mary’s supports the businesses that support us. The school has a webpage dedicated to our business partnerships. 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 St. Mary’s businesses.
Hallow – Last year, St. Mary’s purchased a school wide subscription to Hallow at the beginning of Lent. Hallow is a religious application with celebrity endorsements from the likes of Mark Walberg, Christopher Pratt, and others (who doesn’t want to pray the rosary with Markie Mark!). There are segments with prayer, music, meditation, sleep aids, and much more. As part of the subscription, each student has their own student sign on. They can sign up on as many as 6 devices. This means if you are interested in using it yourself or would like to listen to it in the car with your family, listen to it after dinner or before bed, you can access the application.
Recycled Textiles – St. Mary’s is collecting used clothing, purses, bedding, towels, hats, bags and other used garments for recycling. We have entered into a partnership with Just Porch It to collect and recycle textiles. There is a laundry bag in the basement if you would like to drop off anything.
St. Mary’s Mexican Dance Group
When: EveryWednesday- only on days when kids have full day of school
Start: we start Wed. Sept. 2nd
Time: 3:15 pm to 4:30 pm
Where: School Gym
Details: —Every St. Mary’s School student is welcomed. —Class is free/no fees.
Required: 1) dancing shoes. 2) each child needs his/her parent or legal guardian to be present before, during, and after each class.
