Dear Parents,

If I had a quarter for every time I said…” This is such a busy time of the school year for us” I think I’d be a rich woman! But…..

In less than 2 weeks, we will be well into Catholic Schools Week 2024. We have planned several special events to celebrate our wonderful school. Please watch for a schedule of events for the week of January 28 in next week’s newsletter. There will be lots of celebrating going on at SMA!

Did you RSVP for the Gala yet? February 3 is coming up quickly! Get out those neon dresses, ruffled shirts, shoulder pads, and of course we can’t forget the Aqua Net Hair Spray. Join us at the La Jolla Country Club for an evening of fun, food, and music, while supporting all of the amazing things happening at Stella Maris Academy.

Speaking of amazing things happening, our winter service project will begin next week. We will be collecting new and gently used towels, blankets, and socks to donate to Fr. Joe’s Villages. This is the time of the year that their supplies run low, so they need our help. This is a great time to clean out those linen closets and sock drawers or take advantage of the January “white” sales. Please send donations to your child’s classroom beginning Monday, January 22 and ending on Monday, January 29. We will schedule a truck to come by to pick up the items during Catholic Schools Week. Thank you, in advance, for your support and generosity!

Blessings,

Francie Moss

Queridos padres,

Si me dieran 25 centavos por cada vez que digo…” Esta es una época del año escolar tan ajetreada para nosotros” ¡Creo que sería una mujer rica! Pero…..

En menos de 2 semanas, estaremos en la Semana de las Escuelas Católicas 2024. Hemos planeado varios eventos especiales para celebrar nuestra maravillosa escuela. Por favor, estén atentos al calendario de eventos para la semana del 28 de enero en el boletín de la próxima semana. Habrá muchas celebraciones en SMA.

¿Han confirmado su asistencia a la Gala? El 3 de febrero se acerca rápidamente. Saca esos vestidos de neón, camisas con volantes, hombreras. Únete a nosotros en La Jolla Country Club para una noche de diversión, comida y música, mientras que el apoyo a todas las cosas increíbles que suceden en Stella Maris Academy.

Hablando de cosas increíbles, nuestro proyecto de servicio de invierno comenzará la próxima semana. Recogeremos toallas, mantas y calcetines nuevos y usados para donarlos a las Aldeas del Padre Joe. Esta es la época del año en que sus suministros se agotan, por lo que necesitan nuestra ayuda. Este es un buen momento para limpiar esos armarios de ropa blanca y cajones de calcetines o aprovechar las ventas “blancas” de enero. Por favor envíe donaciones al salón de su hijo/a comenzando el lunes 22 de enero y terminando el lunes 29 de enero. Programaremos un camión para que pase a recoger los artículos durante la Semana de las Escuelas Católicas. ¡Gracias, de antemano, por su apoyo y generosidad!

Bendiciones,

Francie Moss

Dear Parents,

As we settle into our daily routines, we can’t help but get excited about our upcoming 80s Prom Gala! We have sent out information regarding the event which will take place on Saturday, February 3 at the La Jolla Country Club (please check your email and Schoolspeak). It is important that you click on the RSVP link to reserve your tickets if you would like to attend. 2 tickets per family were included in the registration fees paid at the time of enrollment. We will not be distributing printed tickets this year. Instead, we will use the online list for check-in at the event. Any tickets not spoken for after Tuesday, January 16 will be offered for purchase to our families and parishioners. I encourage all of you to attend this event if possible. It is an opportunity to share a wonderful evening with parents, teachers, our priests, and parishioners. Last year’s Gala assisted us in the window replacement project in the junior yard. This year’s gala will assist with the window replacement in the senior yard. As always, I thank you for your continued support.

Blessings,

Francie Moss

Estimados padres,

¡A medida que nos instalamos en nuestras rutinas diarias, no podemos dejar de emocionarnos por nuestra próxima Gala de Graduación de los 80!

Hemos enviado información sobre el evento que tendrá lugar el sábado, 3 de febrero en La Jolla Country Club (por favor revise su correo electrónico y Schoolspeak).

Es importante que haga clic en el enlace RSVP para reservar sus entradas si desea asistir. 2 boletos por familia se incluyeron en las cuotas de inscripción pagadas en el momento de la inscripción. Este año no distribuiremos entradas impresas. En su lugar, utilizaremos la lista en línea para el registro en el evento. Todas las entradas que no se hayan vendido después del martes 16 de enero se ofrecerán a nuestras familias y feligreses para su compra. Os animo a todos a asistir a este evento si es posible. Es una oportunidad para compartir una noche maravillosa con los padres, maestros, nuestros sacerdotes y feligreses.

La Gala del año pasado nos ayudó en el proyecto de sustitución de ventanas en el patio de los más pequeños. La gala de este año ayudará con el reemplazo de ventanas en el patio de los mayores. Como siempre, les agradezco su continuo apoyo.

Bendiciones,

Francie Moss

Dear Parents,

I have chosen to fill this week’s Principal’s Message with love and prayers to you all for a Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year! No calendar reminders, no requests for volunteers, just the warmest of Christmas blessings to you and your families. May your holiday break be filled with special times with those you love. Safe travels to those who are leaving San Diego . I look forward to a wonderful 2024!

Blessings,

Francie Moss

Dear Parents,

The season of Advent is officially upon us.  We will continue to focus on prayers for peace in our world by praying the Prayer of St. Francis each day.  I hope you have all been able to pray this prayer as families.  We are still collecting new, unwrapped toys to donate to Fr. Joe’s Villages.  There is still time to donate.  We will be collecting toys in our classrooms throughout this week and through Tuesday morning of next week.  I encourage you to participate in these two activities to help foster a stronger relationship with Jesus this Advent and Christmas season.

We had planned on dedicating our new statue of Mary for our junior yard this Friday.  Unfortunately, she has not arrived yet.  We are hoping delivery will be by 9:00 PM Thursday night.  Therefore, we have postponed the dedication ceremony until after Christmas.  If she arrives Thursday, we will take our students to church on Friday morning to see her and pray a decade of the rosary with our parishioners to welcome her.

I hope to see many of you at our celebration of las Posadas this Friday at 1:30. We will begin in the parish hall.  Many thanks to Senora Pina for all her work on yet another event to celebrate such a beautiful cultural tradition. 

Many more thank yous are in order for all our volunteers that worked tirelessly on our SMA float for this year’s La Jolla Christmas parade.   All our hard work paid off…we won Best Overall!  Way to Go SMA!!!!!  

I keep telling myself what an amazing school we have.  It is all because of supportive families (both current and alumni), dedicated staff, and the blessings of our God and our parish community.  God is so good!!!

Advent Blessings,

Francie Moss

Dear Parents,

I hope you all enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving.  A great big THANK YOU to Coach D for an incredibly successful Turkey Trot to send us off to our holiday break!  We will share the final number of funds raised in next week’s newsletter.   Coach “D”…you ROCK!!!

The season of Advent begins this Sunday.  SMA will join our Mary, Star of the Sea parish family by celebrating this Advent as a time of PEACE through prayer, service, and relationship. 

PRAYER –  We will focus on praying the Prayer of St. Francis for peace in our world and our communities.  All students will bring home a prayer card with this prayer on it and an Advent poem booklet this Friday.  I encourage you to pray this prayer nightly as a family  for peace in our world.

SERVICE – Please participate in our Toy Drive for Fr. Joe’s Village.  Take time to bring your child shopping for a gift for a child that is less fortunate than them.  The toys will be collected in the classrooms until the arrival of a truck to pick them up the final week before Christmas break.  All donations must be received no later than December 12.

RELATIONSHIP – As we gather as a school community, or as families at night, and pray for a peace-filled world may we encourage our children to thank God for the blessings he has bestowed on us all.  We have so much to share with those who have so little.  Remembering that Jesus told us that whatever we do for the less fortunate, we do for Him.  Service and prayer bring us closer to Him and therefore, strengthens our relationship with Him. 

I wish us all a PEACE-FILLED Advent Season!

In closing, I hope to see many of you at the La Jolla Christmas Parade this Sunday to cheer on our SMA float, along with many of our 8th graders, cheerleaders and SMA students.  It’s not too late to help with the float so your child can be one of the lucky ones to ride on it in the parade.  Please contact the office for more information.

Peace-filled Advent Blessings,

Francie Moss

Dear Parents,

During this special time of the year when we pause to count our blessings, I give thanks to God for all the gifts He has blessed me with, a wonderful family, dear friends, good health, and my strong faith that He will always be by my side. I have had the honor to be of service to thousands of students and their families over my 40 years of working within the Diocese of San Diego Catholic Schools. I began as a volunteer catechist and instructional assistant, moved on to earn my degree as a teacher, then a master’s degree and on to administration. Now it is time to end this part of my journey and begin my next adventure…retirement at the end of this school year.

I want to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to Fr. Pat, my incredible staff, our students, and to all of you. The love and support I have felt from this school and parish community has made such a positive impact on my life and on the final year of my career in education.

Please know that I am acutely aware that my job here is not done. I love the saying…” It’s not over til it’s over”. I assure you that I will finish strong. I am committed to giving SMA everything I’ve got until that final day. I look forward to a successful accreditation and will continue to promote challenging academics steeped in the virtues of our Catholic faith while celebrating all our students’ successes along the way.

May God continue to bless Stella Maris Academy. Mary, Star of the Sea, pray for us.

Blessings,

Francie Moss

PrincipalsMessage

Dear Parents,

It feels like the days are getting shorter and our calendars are becoming “fuller”! It is beginning to feel like there is just not enough time in the day to accomplish all that we plan for. During the holiday season routines are interrupted for celebrations and bedtimes can sometimes suffer a bit as well. Please note that we will try to keep our daily schedules as consistent as possible to allow for maximum learning for our students. Any support you can give us, such as plenty of sleep and refraining from sending excessive sweets to school in lunches, would be greatly appreciated. Together, we can make this holiday season a wonderful experience for our students.

Please plan on joining us this Thursday at 8:05 AM in the junior yard for a prayer service in honor of our veterans and active military. We will lift them and their families up in prayer and raise a new American flag to fly proudly over our school. May God continue to bless those who sacrifice so much so that we may enjoy the freedoms this country has to offer us.

Our annual Parent Conferences will take place next week. Please remember that Tuesday-Friday will be minimum days with 12:30 dismissal to allow for the meetings to take place. Please be on time for your scheduled conference. Due to very tight schedules, late arrivals may have to be rescheduled for a later date. After care will be available through Thursday. There will be no after care NEXT Friday, November 17 to allow for the beginning of our Thanksgiving break.

In closing, I would like to send out a big THANK YOU and CONGRATULATIONS to Senora Pina for another successful Dia de los Muertos celebration. She is filled with boundless energy and such positivity! We are so blessed to have her here at SMA!

Blessings,

Francie Moss

Dear Parents,

What a wonderful way to celebrate the Saints whom we try to model our lives by! Today’s assembly, parade, and parish/school Mass were such a beautiful expression of our faith and of those who have lived and modeled their faith to us all. It was amazing to see so many parents join us as well. Your support means the world to us!

As we move forward into November, we are looking forward to the Celebration of our Veterans and Active Military in the junior yard on Thursday, November 9 at 8:05 AM. CALLING ALL PARENTS, RELATIVES, and FAMILY FRIENDS…if you are a veteran or active military, please plan on joining us for this very special prayer service.

The holidays are upon us! It is such a magical time of year where we will be joining our parish family by focusing on “AN ADVENT OF PEACE”. I look forward to us all pulling together as one parish and school community to model peace to our brothers and sisters; through prayer and service.

Blessings,

Francie Moss

Dear Parents,

It is wonderful to be back on campus following my trip to Spain and Italy with some of our middle school students. History literally came alive for us! But it is so nice to be back home and into a routine once again.

This is such a busy time of the year for us all! Some upcoming activities are as follows:

Tuesday, October 31 – Halloween! Students may wear Halloween add ons or orange and black add ons to their uniforms.

Wednesday, November 1 – All Saints Day! All students are expected to come to school dressed as a saint. We will hold our annual “Saints Parade” prior to our 11:20 school Mass on that day.

Wednesday & Thursday, November 1 & 2 – We will celebrate Dia de los Muertos with special activities prepared by Senora Pina for the entire school. Please watch for an email from her regarding that schedule.

Thursday, November 9 – We will honor our veterans with a prayer service in the junior yard. All parents are welcome. I encourage any parent that is active military or a veteran to attend in uniform so we can show our appreciation for your sacrifice.

Whew, I am tired just writing about these wonderful activities! As always, your support and attendance to our activities is always welcome and appreciated.

On a final note, as an additional layer of security for our school Masses, we will limit entrance and exit into the church to one door. Our weekly security officer will be at that door throughout our celebration.

Autumn Blessings,

Francie Moss