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

Dear Parents,

My message for the next two newsletters will be brief due to my travels with some of our middle school students to Spain and Italy. I am sure I will have much to share upon my return. Please keep our 6th graders in your prayers. I am confident they are having a wonderful time at 6th grade camp. Please note that this Sunday, October 15, is our October parish/school family Mass. Please plan on attending 9:00 Mass to celebrate our wonderful school with our parish community. If your child wears their school Mass uniform to Mass on Sunday, they can find Mrs. Whitten at the end of Mass for a free dress certificate.

Blessings from Barcelona,

Francie Moss

Dear Parents,

Believe me when I say that this morning was a “zoo” in the junior yard! We enjoyed a wonderful “Blessing of the Animals” with our furry and scaly friends which was led by Fr. Pat. Thank you to all that attended. What a great way to begin our day as we celebrate the life of St. Francis of Assisi.

Just a reminder that this weekend is a 3-day weekend in celebration of Columbus/Indigenous People’s Day. Because of the holiday weekend as well as the La Jolla Art & Wine Festival in the Village, there will be NO Aftercare this Friday. Before you begin your long weekend, stop by the junior yard for the final day of our Halloween costume sale. $5.00 per costume…what A DEAL!

Finally, please keep Mrs. Zack and our 6th graders in your prayers as they head off to 6th grade camp on Tuesday. Additionally, please keep me and a group of our middle school students in your prayers as well as we head out on Monday for a 10-day Catholic Focused trip to Spain and Italy. There will be many stories to share as both groups return from their journeys.

Blessings,

Francie Moss

MRS. MOSS’ MESSAGE

Dear Parents,

What a wonderful Family Fun Night! We took a bit of a risk by eliminating the carnival games to encourage the students to have fun dancing and enjoying the music. That “risk” definitely paid off! It brought me such joy to see our younger students out there dancing with our middle schoolers. Even our parents and teachers joined in the fun. I was so happy to see so many of our graduates come back as well. I am confident that next year will be just as enjoyable. Have I mentioned how blessed we are to have such an amazing school family?

Looking forward to next week, we will be celebrating our Mother Mary as our role model during the month of October. The month will begin with a Living Rosary in the church on Tuesday morning, October 3 at 9:30. Please note the date change. Parents are encouraged to join us for this beautiful prayer. On Wednesday, October 4 we will celebrate the life of St. Francis of Assisi with the “Blessing of the Animals”. Please feel free to bring pets of all shapes and sizes to the junior yard by 8:00. Fr. Pat will bless them all in honor of the Feast Day of St. Francis. All animals must be leashed or crated at all times when on our campus. Please plan on taking all pets home following the blessing. Many thanks to Fr. Pat for helping us to celebrate this special feast day!

Have a wonderful week!

Blessings,

Francie Moss

Dear Parents,

What a great week of celebrations here at SMA!  We began our week with our first Sunday parish family Mass.  We had a wonderful turnout of students and their parents.  Then came “Spirit Wear and Pizza Lunch” Tuesday, followed by today’s “Taco Fest”.  We will end our week with our annual “Family Fun Night” this Friday from 6:00-9:00 PM in the junior yard.  There will be music, dancing, pizza, and fellowship.  May we never forget to see and celebrate all the blessings we have in our beautiful school and parish communities.

A special thank you to Senora Pina and all her parent and student helpers for another successful Taco Fest today!  Senora Pina…. you sure know how to celebrate the beautiful Mexican culture!  Thank you for sharing your gifts and talents with our students and their families.  One thing for sure…students will be coming home with full tummies today!

See you all at Family Fun Night! 

Blessings,

Francie Moss

Dear Parents,

Now that we are well into our new school year, I’d like to address a topic that we see each year as our students experience “re-entry” into the school environment following their summer break. We acknowledge that the summer months are filled with time away and a more relaxed atmosphere with less structure and more relaxed rules and discipline.

Now that we are returning to the structure and rigor of classroom and school life, it is time for our students to transition back into the routines of our daily life here at SMA. This transition is easier for some students than others, no matter which grade they are in. We may occasionally see a child in the junior yard in tears following a long weekend. Or an older student may not realize the necessity of adhering to our uniform expectations or forgetting the importance of respect towards their teachers and classmates. It is our job to assist all our students in this time of change and transition. This task may occasionally take on the form of discipline. This is not just about consequences for their actions, but it assists children in gaining the skills they need to become responsible adults. Discipline can assist children in managing anxiety, encourages good choices, helps them to manage their emotions, and promotes physical and intellectual safety.

This is a period of time where your child’s teacher needs your cooperation and support more than ever. These next few weeks will help to “set the stage” for the remainder of this school year. Frequent communication is the key to a successful partnership between home and school. Please feel free to reach out to your child’s teacher with any questions or concerns. Please note that we always have your child’s best interest at heart. Our priority is to promote respect in a safe, Christ-centered environment steeped in challenging academics. Success takes on many forms. We pray that your child finds success this school year and, in the years, to come.

Blessings,

Francie Moss

Dear Parents,

I hope everyone enjoyed the long weekend. I look forward to seeing many of you at this evening’s internet safety presentation by the San Diego Police Department. The presentation will take place from 5:30-6:30 PM in the parish hall. This meeting should be attended by adults only please due to sensitive topics that may be addressed.

The safety of our children is a priority for all of us at Stella Maris Academy. Anything we can do to assist parents in this endeavor is our commitment to all our school families. Our students will also experience, age appropriate, presentations throughout the morning. As always, I thank you for your continued support and your trust in us to keep your children safe.

Blessings,

Francie Moss

Dear Parents,

We are well into our first week of full days. As expected, the weather decided to heat up a bit just in time for our return to classes. Please make sure your child brings a water bottle to school each day. We no longer have drinking fountains, although we do have water bottle filling stations in each yard and in the admin building. Keeping hydrated helps to keep our students alert and ready to learn.

I am looking forward to seeing all of you at our Back-to-School evening this week (TK-5/ Wednesday & 6-8/ Thursday). It has been a wonderful beginning to our new school year and the teachers are excited to share their year plans and daily expectations for your children. Please remember that we will begin the evenings promptly at 6:00 PM in the parish hall.

An additional reminder that we will observe the upcoming 3-day Labor Day weekend. Please note that there will be no aftercare this Friday due to the holiday. Regular aftercare hours will resume upon our return on Tuesday.

I hope your calendars are marked for Wednesday, September 6 at 5:30 PM in the parish hall for our Safety Net (Internet Safety) presentation for parents provided by the San Diego Police Department. Our students will participate in age-appropriate presentations throughout that day. This evening presentation is for adults only due to some sensitive topics that will be discussed. We are providing this opportunity for our parents to learn more about how to keep their children safe from the dangers of popular platforms and social media sites. This is just one more step we are taking to keep our students as safe as possible here at school and to assist you with safety at home.

Blessings,

Francie Moss