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

Dear Parents,

Monday will be a big day for Stella Maris Academy and many other Catholic and private schools in San Diego. Beginning Monday, March 14 masks will no longer be mandated in our schools. The Governor has declared that beginning March 12th, masks in schools are highly recommended but not mandatory, Parents will now have the opportunity to make the choice that they feel is in the best interest of their children. As with any change, this will present new challenges. I assure you that we will meet them all in a timely manner and with much communication with all of you. As always, I commend us all for the respect we have shown to each other during a time where many of us have differing opinions on very “sensitive issues”. Let’s keep it up… SMA Strong!!!!

Speaking of SMA Strong… huge congratulations to our Academic Decathlon Team with a 2nd Place Overall finish this past Saturday! Please check out the other amazing statistics in today’s newsletter. The entire team and their incredible head coaches Mrs. Zack and Mrs. Moreau will be treated to breakfast at Richard Walker’s this Tuesday, compliments of our pastor, Fr. Pat. Way to go decathletes!!!!!

Blessings,

Mrs. Moss

Dear Parents, 

As we officially enter into the season of Lent we focus on prayer, fasting, and alms-giving. We remain committed to deepening our relationships with God by making prayer a priority, fasting without calling attention to ourselves, and giving to those who are less fortunate than ourselves. Lent is a perfect time for reflection on the suffering of Jesus and the infinite love He has for us. I pray that these next 40 days are filled with peace and opportunities for a variety of prayerful experiences. 

If you haven’t done so already, I encourage you to read my message that was emailed to you this morning regarding the upcoming changes to our school facial covering policy. I encourage us all to continue to remain respectful and understanding of the multiple points of view of our school families. 

Thank yous all around to our dedicated volunteer coaches! We just ended our pee wee and girls’ varsity soccer season and are now entering into boys’ varsity soccer, boys’ and girls’ peewee basketball and girls’ varsity basketball. We just couldn’t do it without these parent volunteer coaches. Additional help is always welcomed. Please let our P.E. teacher, Coach D know if you are available to assist with any of these teams. This Monday, we will be celebrating our 3rd & 4th grade boys’ soccer team for their “Undefeated Season”! The team will be wearing their soccer jerseys to school on that day! A special shout-out to Coach Jon Anderson for stepping up to help organize our students that attended the track meet at Cathedral Catholic High School last Saturday. Thank you just doesn’t seem to be enough!!!! 

Blessings, 

Francie Moss