Dear Parents,

I hope this message finds you all remaining as cool as possible through this very hot weather we are experiencing. We are trying our best to keep your children cool and hydrated. It would be a tremendous help if you could send your child to school with a water bottle filled with cold water. We are adding an additional water bottle filling station to the senior yard to keep up with the demand. You may notice that your child is a bit more tired or grumpy at the end of the school day. We are seeing this as well. The heat is taking its toll on everyone. Keeping sweatshirts at home is also helpful. Our students love wearing their sweatshirts even if it is 90 degrees outside!

Please mark your calendars for Monday, September 12 at 5:30 PM. Nationally recognized speaker and New York Times bester selling author on child behavior and bullying, Jodee Blanco will be speaking to our parents in the parish hall. Ms. Blanco will be working with our students throughout the day and with our teachers after school. She is a wealth of information and a delightful speaker. I am confident you will learn from her while being entertained as well. Please note that the evening presentation is for adults only. I hope to see many of you take advantage of this great opportunity. It will only be offered at a limited number of schools within the diocese. What a blessing to have Jodee here on our campus!

A final note…please refer to our Safety Funding Report below this message. We are ready to move ahead with securing the alley between the senior yard and the sports court. This will not affect the drop-off and pick-up procedures. It will just make our campus even safer for our students during the school day.

Stay cool…the chillier days are coming!

Blessings,

Francie Moss

Dear Parents,

We made it through our first week of full days! Top that off with Back-to-School nights and that measures up to a very busy week! It was wonderful seeing so many of you on Wednesday and Thursday evening. For those of you that could not join us for our annual Back-to-School Night, I will provide a brief recap of my message from the evening.

After welcoming our new families and introducing our amazing teachers I shared that one of our primary points of focus this school year is the physical and social/emotional safety of our students and staff while they are on our campus.

• Physical Safety

Parents on Patrol Program

Interested parents can sign-up to assist us in monitoring the streets and sidewalks around our campus for 15 minutes before or after school when our gates are open.

So far, we have 5 parent volunteers. This is a great way to accumulate service hours and walk around our beautiful school, all while keeping our children safe. If you are interested in volunteering one or more shifts per week, please contact me I can sign you up.

ALICE Active Shooter Response Training

SMA will be hosting a 2-day training on how to respond in an active shooter situation. The training will take place on November 21 and 22. Myself and coach D will be in attendance along with other administrators from other schools and law enforcement personnel.

Music Class Location

Music classes for TK-8′ 11 will be held in the art/Spanish classroom or the gym. They will no longer be held in the parish hall.

Senior Yard Alley Gates

We are awaiting the final estimate for the cost of chain link gates to secure the alley between the senior yard and sports court during the school day. This work will begin as soon as possible.

New Windows

The total amount of funds raised for safety from last year’s Gala is $103,235. Once we raise 1/2 of this cost we will begin the process of replacing the aged windows in the junior and senior yards.

**Important Note: Please refer to the School Safety Funding and Updates report in the weekly newsletter beginning today and continuing throughout the remainder of this school year.

• Social/Emotional Safety

At Stella Maris Academy, we lead with “Truth and Compassion “in disciplinary situations. We recognize that we are not perfect, but we try our best take the opinions and feelings of all parties involved into consideration when c01mseling, problem-solving, and follow through with consequences. (Draft from proposed SMA Discipline Protocol)

Uniforms

Uniforms create an environment of social safety and security with an emphasis on the importance of rule following within a community. Please refer to the Parent handbook for guidelines. Most importantly…please help us enforce these regulations by supporting uniform requests or recommendations made by teachers and staff.

Unkind Choices…inappropriate Behavior…Hurtful Words or Actions…Bullying

Unfortunately, we have all experienced situations involving these types of behaviors.

This summer I reviewed several different discipline and anti­bullying policies.

Additionally, I have been working with a New York Times best selling author and nationally recognized speaker Jodee Blanco to develop a discipline and anti-bullying protocol for SMA. This is not an easy task because bullies come in all shapes, sizes and ages(children-adults). A situation that happens in 1st grade would, more than likely, be handled differently than a similar situation that happens in 811• grade. Jodee will be on our campus working with our students, teachers, and parents on September 12.

The parent presentation will take place at 5:30-7:00 PM. Jodee will provide feedback regarding the final phase of our Stella Maris Academy Discipline Protocol during her visit. I will then distribute the document to parents.

My apologies for the lengthy message today. Hopefully it is helpful and assists us all with being on the “same page” when it comes to all forms of safety.

Blessings,

Francie Moss

Dear Parents,

What a wonderful start to our first week of full days! I am so grateful to be back on campus with the children and my amazing staff. I thank you all for the prayers during my Covid experience. With the exception of a little fatigue I am feeling great and am good to go!

I am looking forward to seeing you all either tonight (TK-5th grades) or tomorrow night(6th-8th grades) for our annual Back-to School Nights. We will begin in the parish hall promptly at 6p.m. then head over to the classrooms following my brief presentation. I will be roaming around the yards to answer any questions you may have or just to visit and reconnect following our summer break. Once again, welcome back to another great SMA school year!

Blessings,

Francie Moss

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Dear Parents,

As the end of this school year quickly approaches I encourage you to assist the teachers and staff by reinforcing the importance of “finishing strong with your children. The final weeks of the school year are always the most difficult to keep our students focused and engaged. This is completely understandable with summer fun just around the corner.

Please check out the invitation, in today’s newsletter, inviting all of our families to the local “Book Signing” event” that will be celebrating our very own 2nd graders. Come join in the fun and congratulate our students. It will be a fun-filled family event with refreshments, art and, of course, lots of “Welcome Baby Hummingbirds” books.

Additional congratulations to our students that celebrated their First Eucharist this past Saturday. It was a beautiful day to receive Jesus for the first time! Special thanks to Mrs. Campagna for her planning and all of her work on this beautiful Mass. Thank you parents for your support and assistance in the preparation of your children for this sacrament. Thank you to Fr. Pat for his beautiful message to our students and their families.

We are almost there….just a little over two weeks…hang in there! Stay Strong Stella!

Blessings,

Francie Moss

Dear Parents,

May is such a special month filled with celebrations!  Last Friday’s May Crowning began the month with a beautiful May Crowning of Mary along with our school Mass. Thank you to all parents who sent in the beautiful flowers. Special thanks to Michelle McKenna, Maria Pina, and Eva Sanchez for arranging the flowers in such a gorgeous display. Thank you to Mrs. Zack and the 8th graders for planning this special Mass.

This Saturday we will celebrate First Eucharist with our Academy children that have been preparing to receive this sacrament for several weeks.  They will be joined by their families, friends and the SMA staff for this very special moment in their faith journey.

Speaking of celebrations… I was blessed to be able to spend a few days with my new twin grandsons, my dear son and amazing daughter-in-law in South Carolina. I will be back in the office on Friday to  help our wonderful SMA community end this school year in style.

Blessings,

Francie Moss 

Dear Parents,

It is hard to believe that there are only about 8 weeks left of this school year. The time has flown by as it does every year. But we aren’t done yet…there is still much work to be done and celebrations to enjoy!

As we enter into the holiest of weeks observed by the Catholic Church, I encourage you and your children to participate in the many prayerful experiences that our parish and school have to offer. This Sunday is Palm Sunday. You will receive blessed palm fronds for your home and hear an interactive gospel reading retelling the story of the arrest and crucifixion of Jesus. On Wednesday, at 1:15, our 8th graders will re-enact the Stations of the Cross. We will begin on the front steps of the parish hall then proceed into the church. All are welcome to attend and prepare for the beginning of the Triduum. The following day, Holy Thursday, is a minimum day for all students with no cub care. This marks the beginning of our spring break.

I hope to see many of you at the beautiful Mass of the Lord’s Supper in church that evening. Good Friday is a time to reflect and pray on the suffering and death of Jesus. Please check our parish website for the time of Stations of the Cross on this day, for the Easter Vigil Mass on Saturday, as well as Easter Sunday Masses.

Upon our return from break, we will be counting down the final week before our annual Gala! Many thanks to all who have responded. It promises to be a fun-filled evening for us all. So get out that denim and find some “Bling” so we can all “shine” on April 30th.

I pray that the blessings of the risen Christ fill you with grace and joy throughout the remainder of Lent and into the Easter season.

Blessings,

Francie Moss

Dear Parents,

Many thanks for all of the support you have given us regarding the changes/shifting of positions for the upcoming school year. The letter / sent out to you earlier this week was very well received. Our staff is excited to return in August and enthusiastic about the positive, refreshing changes some of our staff has chosen to take on. I am actively seeking to hire a 5th grade teacher. Please keep me in your prayers as the interview process proceeds. I am confident God will continue to watch over SMA and send us the best fit for our wonderful school.

Mark your calendars for 2 upcoming events. Next Wednesday, from 5:30-7:00 PM we will host our annual STEAM Night event in the parish hall. Come and experience some fun and fascinating science activities, good food and great community building. I am so happy we are able to bring back this much-loved evening for our families.

Just a reminder regarding pets on campus…I am a dog lover and I understand the close relationships many of us have with our pets. Please remember that we do have students that are extremely afraid on dogs. Therefore, we ask that dogs are not brought on to the school grounds. This includes sports fields during weekend athletic games and after school sport practices. Our facility insurance carrier has also advised us that animals on campus are a serious liability. I thank you in advance for your continued support.

Blessings,

Francie Moss

Dear Parents, 

Congratulations to all of our students, staff and parents for making our transition from mandatory masking protocols to parent choice protocols such a positive experience. All students and school staff were treated with respect for the various decisions they chose to follow. I was very confident that this would be the result, but it was just amazing to see it in action. What an amazing community we have at SMA! Just a note, we are still required to follow the Decision Tree for group contact tracing and quarantine as well. We will continue to notify families of students considered to be “close contacts” as well as continuing our on site testing procedures. Thank you for your continued patience and understanding. 

Additional congratulations to Coach “D” and our students for a successful Academic Spirit Run! Please continue to collect and send in donations. We will be accepting donations through March 25. Please refer to the donation link in this newsletter SMA Strong!!!!!  

We are beginning to get that Denim and Diamond “Gala Fever”!!!! Please watch your emails for an RSVP email next week. Your registration fees paid at the beginning of the school year included 2 tickets to this event. So don’t miss out…RSVP by the deadline that will be included in the RSVP email next week. We may have a sell out! Additional tickets will go on sale for $150 per person as soon as our parents have had the chance to reserve their seats. Please refer to today’s newsletter for women’s fashion ideas for this event. Men’s ideas will be included next week. This promises to be an enjoyable evening for all! 

Blessings, 

Francie Moss