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Wildcat Weekly
A Weekly Newsletter from St. Mary's Academy
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 A Community Built on Love in the Academy President's Blog:
Here at St. Mary's Academy we talk a lot about community. In fact, it is one of our Loretto School Values of faith, community, justice and respect. Together, we nurture these values; we commit our efforts to helping them flourish in ourselves and in others; around our campus you can hear a language that signifies our dedication to these values, and as such to our Loretto school...
Deirdre V. Cryor
Academy President
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Community News
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- October 2 - 4: What a Special Weekend!
- Reunion Weekend 2015 was a wonderful celebration of treasured friendships, reconnecting with classmates and a shared love of SMA. A special congratulations to the Class of 1965! We hope you were able to join for an event or two. Thank you to the many people who contributed time and energy to the success of all of these events.
- Fall Festival a success! Many members of our SMA community gathered on Sunday to play games, climb rock walls, bounce and enjoy a crisp, fall day. Many thanks to Rhondi Clark and Academy Parents for sponsoring, planning and executing this annual event! We are
 also grateful to all who attended, volunteered, and donated cakes!
 
- The next Academy Parents meeting is on Thursday, October 8 at 8:00 AM in the Community Center. All are welcome and this month's guest speaker is Kathryn McNamee, Principal of the High School.
- A friendly reminder to parents and students who drive: Don't text and drive! Current parent, Robert Smetana passed along this amusing video he saw in a recent meeting. Together, we can help to keep both students and adults safe on the roads and around campus.
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MS Teacher JC Pritchard recently received the Chief's Citizen Commendation by Lakewood Police Chief Kevin Poletta for his life-saving measures for his friend. Mr. Pritchard's friend suffered a heart attack this summer while they were out water skiing on Soda Lakes. Typically, only three percent of victims of this type of heart attack survive. The Commendation states it well: "...your selfless actions epitomize a Good Samaritan who displayed compassion and composure during an emergency situation for the greater good for helping your fellow man." His friend was released from the hospital two days following the incident, and JC and he were able to spend time together just a few weeks later. We are grateful that Lakewood Police Chief honored JC and we are honored to have JC as part of our SMA Community!
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Lower School News & Events
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- A Reminder to Parents: This is the time of year for viruses and it is already starting. Please encourage your child(ren) to wash their hands and cough in their sleeves. If your child is not feeling well and coughing a lot, and/or has a fever please keep them home.
- At this morning's assembly, Cherry Hills Village School Resource Officer, John Flaum introduced himself to the students and gave a short and general talk about stranger danger. Officer John is on campus often, in our hallways, at lunch and being friendly to all. We appreciate having his presence on our campus!
 Would you like some art with your coffee? Ten scratch art tiles from the recent Collaborative Gratitude Project is currently on display at the Starbucks on University and Orchard (next to the Trader Joe's)! Representing work from every LS grade, JK through fifth, the pieces will be up until the end of the month and Ms. Mansfield will rotate new work at the beginning of each month moving forward.
- The SMA Presto Orchestra will once again have the honor of performing at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, prior to a Colorado Ballet production of The Nutcracker. The Presto Orchestra consists of LS, MS and HS students. This event will take place on Sunday, December 12.
 The matinee begins at 1:00 PM, and our orchestra will perform for a full 45-50 minutes in the lobby of the Ellie Caulkins, once the doors open at 12:00 PM to the general public. To place a ticket order, please click here or contact Cherie Swisher. We hope to see you there!
Events:
- Thursday, October 8; 12:30 - 2:30 PM: First and Second Grade Field Day!
- Friday, October 9; 11:30 AM - 2:30 PM: Third, Fourth, and Fifth Grade Field Day!
- Tuesday, October 13; 11:15 AM - 12:15 PM: Family Picnic for all! Weather permitting, we will picnic outdoors. A flyer went home in Friday folders.
- Wednesday, October 14: Late Start for Students. Classes begin at 9:00 AM.
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Middle School News & Events
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News:
- Our eighth grade travelers are doing well! For trip updates and pictures, please visit the Cochiti 2015 Trip blog. Due to technical difficulties with the blogger app, we will not be using the World Leadership School blog.
 Take a look at Paulina Ursua, Lauren Falicia, Karina Holguin, and Parker Amburn who were recently serving with their CAT at St. E's soup kitchen.
- Come show your school spirit! Middle School Night at SMA Volleyball will be Tuesday, October 13 at 6:30 PM. Our Varsity Wildcats will be taking on Faith Christian in BESC. RSVP to Gracie Carr...there will be pizza and pompoms!
- Next week is MS Preview and we are all looking forward to the new families who will be touring on October 15!
- Don't forget to sign up for conferences on October 22 & 23! If you did not receive the email, please contact Diane Siennicki at 303-762-8300, ext. 250.
Events:
- Friday, October 9; approx. 5:30-6:30 PM: Eighth grade students and teachers return to BESC from Cochiti!
- Tuesday, October 13; 6:30 PM: Middle School Night at SMA Volleyball
- Wednesday, October 14: Late Start for Students. Classes begin at 9:00 AM.
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High School News & Events
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News:
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 The annual High School Community Service Day took place Friday, October 2. Students and teachers took pause from their classes and volunteered with fifteen different organizations around the Denver Metro Area. Some of the placements included Art for the Nations, Food Bank of the Rockies, Mental Health Center of Denver/Horticultural Therapy Garden, The Action Center, Bessie's Hope, Gabriel House, Art Reach, Habitat for Humanity ReStores, Clothes to Kids Denver, Montessori Casa International, Zuma's Rescue Ranch, Metro Caring, and The Empowerment Program (group pictured at right).
Ray Vega-Perkins and Abby Yonker shared the following about their day,"This year the senior class volunteered at the Food Bank of the Rockies. We particularly enjoyed volunteering here because we had fun filling out the orders and working together as an entire senior class. This gave us the ability to work and spend time together, while, at the same time, helping the community. We would definitely go back and volunteer again."
 Reflecting on their time at Montessori Casa International, Ms. Natarajan's 10th grade Advisory wrote, "...We cleaned classrooms, cleaned the schoolyard, organized the closets and did a lot of work helping the teachers prep for the coming months. We were so impressed by how much work the teachers do in one day. We also took care of the children so that the teachers could get a break. We had a newfound respect for the patience and hard work that goes into teaching Preschool. The teachers work hard all day all year long, yet they are smiling and you can tell that they love what they do. We fell in love with the children and we were completely exhausted by the end of the day. Thanks for a wonderful day."
 Meanwhile, Allie Lupida, Ping Wolf, and Morgan Naake represented SMA at the CIRCLE STAMP conference on October 2. Planned and facilitated by high school students, the three worked for six weeks with their peers from around the Denver area to prepare. Their efforts culminated in a very successful conference that included workshops and a moving keynote speech from Rodney Glasgow, a noted speaker, trainer and activist in the areas of diversity, equity, and social justice. Over 150 middle school students attended this year's conference.
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Congratulations to senior, Abby Clements, pictured below at right,  who has been named a semifinalist in the 2016 National Merit Scholarship Program. The program is an academic competition that awards more than $32 million in scholarships to approximately 7,400 students each year. Students qualify by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. Not only did she do well on the PSAT, Abby recently learned that she earned a perfect score on the ACT exam! SMA also acknowledges Claire State and Kristina Karasch who were recognized as National Merit commended scholars this year.
- Math Lab continues! Students may attend the following:
- Tuesday mornings 7:45-8:15 with Ms. Iswari in Room 3
- Wednesday lunch 12:05-12:35 with Ms. Hayden Room 4
- Thursday mornings 7:45 - 8:15 with Ms. Zoellner in Room 24
Events:
- Thursday, October 8; 4:30 PM: Volleyball at SMA
- Friday, October 9; 6:30 PM: Activity Night sponsored by Diversity Club
- Saturday, October 10: Cross Country at Englewood High School
- Wednesday, October 14
- Late Start for Students. Classes begin at 9:00 AM.
- PSAT Test
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Admissions News & Events
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Please join us or share with a friend one of the many upcoming events and tours!
- October 14: 7th and 8th Grade Boys High School Fair Night at 6:00 PM in the Community Center
- October 15: Middle School Preview at 9:00 AM-10:30 AM beginning in the Community Center
- October 17: High School Open House at 10:00 AM-1:00 PM in the High School
- October 21: Junior Kindergarten/Kindergarten Coffee and Tours at 9:00 AM-10:30 AM beginning in the Community Center
Thank you to all of the SMA families that send prospective families our way! Shout out to: Molly Finke, Kim Larsen-Ohlsen, Buffy Naake, Monica Simmons, Caroline Wilten, Renee Loftus, Ellen Burnham, Katherine Windler, Patricia Skinner, Heidi and Chris Hanzel, Debbie Pace, Kim Davis, Carol Wolf, Patrice Rowan, Kelly Henninger, Tom Parker and Heidi Humber.
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Advancement News
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Save the Date! Grandparents' Day 2015 will be held on Friday, November 20. The morning will include student entertainment, a pancake breakfast and classroom visits for all of our grandparents. To make sure your child's grandparent receives an invitation, please send grandparent addresses to the Advancement Database Manager, Kelly Pearson.
The 12th Annual Graham Family Golf Tournament raised $50,000! Thank you to our sponsors, volunteers and participants. Click here for pictures.
Save the Date for Nuggets Night! This year's SMA Nuggets Night will be Tuesday, March 8. Mark your calendars! More information to follow.
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Athletic News
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 Ninth grade students Anna Pitcock, Maggie Swank and Sam Bucholtz have had a successful season playing for the Englewood Pirates! Each of them pitched in the final JV game of the season to bring the Pirates a big win. In addition, Anna plays first base, Maggie pitches, and Sam pinch runs for varsity. They are excited to finished out the year on Thursday by starting for Varsity for the last home game of the season against Elizabeth HS. Congratulations ladies- we are proud of you and your efforts!
For details and schedules, contact the Athletics Office, check the calendar on the St. Mary's Academy mobile device App, or visit the website. Go Wildcats! |
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