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Wildcat Weekly
A Weekly Newsletter from St. Mary's Academy
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In this week's edition of the Academy President's Blog, we share yesterday's announcement from SMA Board Chair Bob Flynn that Deirdre Cryor will be stepping down at the culmination of this academic year. Please read below:
Dear St. Mary's Academy Community,
After ten years of successful leadership at St. Mary's Academy, Deirdre Cryor has advised the Board of Trustees that she will step down as Academy President at the end of this school year in June 2016. After careful consideration, Deirdre has decided to accept the position as Head of School at Country Day School of the Sacred Heart, the same independent Catholic school in Philadelphia attended by her mother and aunt. This move will enable Deirdre to be in close proximity to her family. Attached is a copy of her resignation letter.
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Eight Weeks of Giving: Annual Fund Supports Community
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This week during Eight Weeks of Giving, we thank the hundreds of amazing parents and volunteers who help SMA build community, fun and spirit. All parents are Academy Parents!
Contribute to the Annual Fund today to support all of SMA's cherished community activities that are made possible by Academy Parents and volunteers. Click here for a list of all the activities our Academy Parents and volunteers do along with special student events the Annual Fund will help support this year.
We are grateful that more than a dozen generous donors scheduled their Colorado Gives Day contributions over Thanksgiving break. Schedule your gift before Tuesday, December 8 to support the Annual Fund and multiply the value of your gift through the Colorado Gives Day $1 million Incentive Fund!
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SMA Students on the Road!
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Best wishes and safe travels to our many Middle and High School students who are out and about this week. The world truly is our classroom! Notable activities taking place this week include the following:
- Middle and High School students will be participating in the 51st Colorado Thespian Conference taking place downtown Thursday, December 3 through Saturday, December 5. Beginning with the Junior Thescon Program, Middle School students will experience a variety of workshops that include topics such as Musical Theatre, Intro to Improv, Stage Makeup and even Stage Combat! Ceremonies continue the following day with workshops, individual events, and university scholarship auditions.
- The High School SMAbotics team is also leaving early Thursday morning for the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith for the Frontier Trails BEST Regional Robotics Championships December 3-5. They go representing the Rocky Mountain Region after edging out more than 30 other teams for the overall Rocky Mountain Region BEST title in October. Pictured below at left is the victorious team in October. Once the competition is underway, click here to watch the live stream! The team kept their robot on the move since October by recently presenting at the Tech-It-Out conference. Put together by Time Warner for women interested in the telecom/ engineering profession, SMAbotics was asked to attend, demonstrate their robot(s) and participate on a peer-panel.
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With High School teacher Deborah Horning, four student delegates are on their way to Tampa, Florida to attend the 2015 NAIS People of Color Conference (PoCC) December 3-5. Entitled Art, Science, Soul, and the Equity Imperative, PoCC is the flagship of the National Association of Independent Schools' commitment to equity and justice in teaching and learning. The mission of the conference is to provide a safe space for leadership and professional development and networking for people of color and allies of all backgrounds in independent schools. PoCC equips educators at every level, from teachers to trustees, with knowledge, skills, and experiences to improve and enhance the interracial, interethnic, and intercultural climate in their schools, as well as the attending academic, social-emotional and workplace performance outcomes for students and adults alike.
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Community News
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THANK YOU to Academy Parents from all of the SMA faculty and staff for the delicious Thanksgiving pies! Your generosity and thoughtfulness are very much appreciated.
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Giving Trees are now in the Lower School and Middle School entrances. Each year, SMA collects gift cards to benefit families in our own school community and we need your help. Gift cards are available for purchase in the Business Office, Middle School Office and Lower School Office through Friday, December 11.
- Holiday shopping is upon us! Need a teacher gift? Gift for the babysitter? Dog sitter? Friends? We have a wide variety of gift cards for all your shopping needs. Click here for the order form or stop by the Business Office any time.
Shop at Amazon? Please use AmazonSmile and help SMA earn .5% of all purchases. Simply log into amazon.smile.com and select St. Mary's Academy for the Sisters of Loretto. Once you do this Amazon will remember it for future purchases as long as you log in using amazon.smile.com. Click here to start shopping.
- SMA's 150th commemorative book is the perfect gift for grandparents or a family keepsake. Sister Regina Drey is happy to personalize, gift wrap and mail copies. Books are available in school offices, in the Sanders House or by email. One book is $40; two or more books are $35 each.
- Stanley British Primary School Parent Association invites you to a screening and discussion of the film The Mask You Live In. This award-winning documentary follows boys and young men as they struggle to stay true to themselves while negotiating America's narrow definition of masculinity. The screening will take place on December 3, 6:30-9:00 PM. Click here for more information.
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Lower School News & Events
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News:
- LS Advanced Band and MS Concert Bands add Holiday Cheer! These bands will be playing together on Saturday, December 5 at Littleton United Methodist Church (5894 S. Datura Street, Littleton) providing Holiday music starting at 7:00 PM. Students and families are invited to remain for the 7:30 PM concert to hear more holiday band music provided by the Colorado Wind Ensemble. Discount tickets available to SMA with prices ranging from $5.00 to $13.00. Please contact Sharon Gayley to order discount tickets by December 3. Come and support our fabulous SMA bands!
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The SMA Presto Orchestra will have the honor of performing at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, prior to a Colorado Ballet production of The Nutcracker. This event will take place on Saturday, 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.
Events:
- Friday, December 4
- Wear your favorite team jersey or shirt day!
- Fifth grade visit to Middle School for Donuts and Discussion; 9:30-10:15 AM
- Wednesday, December 9
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Late Start for Students. Classes begin at 9:00 AM.
- Christmas Concert; 7:00 PM in the Forum. This concert includes LS advanced and presto orchestras, LS advanced band, LS Choral Club.
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Middle School News & Events
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Students in JoAnn Cencula's CAT are in the process of tying 25 wheelchair blankets for the veterans at the Fitzsimons Army Medical Center nursing home. Matched by another 25 created by a generous parent, the CAT will be donating all 50 to the veterans in the coming days.
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Trimester 1 progress reports are now posted! Please log into Infinite Campus to access.
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LS Advanced Band and MS Concert Bands add Holiday Cheer! These bands will be playing together on Saturday, December 5 at Littleton United Methodist Church (5894 S. Datura Street, Littleton) providing Holiday music starting at 7:00 PM. Students and families are invited to remain for the 7:30 PM concert to hear more holiday band music provided by the Colorado Wind Ensemble. Discount tickets available to SMA with prices ranging from $5.00 to $13.00. Please contact Sharon Gayley to order discount tickets by December 3. Come and support our fabulous SMA bands!
Events:
- Thursday, December 3: No after school classes/events
- Saturday, December 5; 8:00 AM: High School Placement Test
- Wednesday, December 9: Late Start for Students. Classes begin at 9:00 AM.
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High School News & Events
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News:
- Advanced French students will be undertaking an exciting Final Project as the fall semester draws to a close. Students in Ms. Rogers's French 4 class and French National Honor Society will be translating all web content into French for Centennial-based Project C.U.R.E., the largest provider of donated medical supplies and equipment to developing countries around the world. Project C.U.R.E. has donated over $62 million worth of medical supplies to French-speaking countries all over the world, and SMA French students are excited to give back to this wonderful organization!
On November 17, students in Greta Glugoski-Sharp's class had the opportunity to attend the Colorado-Wyoming Junior Academy of Sciences Medicine and Science 2015 conference. Pictured at right are the students with the University of Colorado Dean of the graduate school and the Dean of the pharmacology program. - Nina Ehrlich's AP U.S. History class gained insight into Loretto in the early 1800s when Sisters Barbara Ann Barbato and Annie Stevens visited from St. Louis via Skype to discuss a chapter on the abolitionist movement in Sister Joan Campbell's book, Loretto: An Early American Congregation in the Antebellum South. The Sisters, both college professors, helped edit the final copy which was published posthumously last summer. "One of my favorite parts about Skyping with the Sisters was being able to see how passionate they are about our Loretto history," commented a student. "Their love for Loretto makes me more thankful to be a part of such an amazing community."
- During the holiday break, the varsity basketball team visited the Food Bank of the Rockies for an afternoon of service. Ten of the eleven members on the team put in a three-hour volunteer shift before returning to SMA for a two-hour basketball practice. They did all of this on their first day off to "give back" as an act of gratitude for the opportunity to play basketball. Players in the group picture below are McKenna Nading, Lauren Carroll, Jessica Santos, Journey Simmons, Rachel Cella, Caroline Jeffords, Dre Gentry, Hannah Finke, Marla Loya and Raegan Rychecky.
Events:
- Thursday, December 3: No after school classes/events
- Wednesday, December 9
- Late Start for Students. Classes begin at 9:00 AM.
- Archdiocese Visiting Team at St. Mary's Academy
- Thursday, December 10: Archdiocese Visiting Team at St. Mary's Academy
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Admissions News & Events
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High School Placement Test is Saturday, December 5 at 8:00 AM. Registration is easy. Click here to begin.
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Middle School Preview Day is December 10 from 9:00-10:30 AM. Please invite your friends and neighbors! Click here to RSVP.
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SMA Junior Kindergarten/Kindergarten Siblings: Please contact Admissions to RSVP for the required group visit.
- Junior Kindergarten Applicants: December 16 or January 21; 9:00-10:00 AM. RSVP now!
- Kindergarten applicants: January 13; 9:15-10:45 AM or January 26; 8:30-10:00 AM. RSVP now!
Click here for the online application, parent comment form and teacher recommendation!
- Financial Assistance Portal at sss.nais.org began November 1. New and returning SMA families are encouraged to begin the process of applying for financial assistance. Please apply at sss.nais.org and begin uploading documents requested. For additional information, and to reference the list of documents needed, click here. If you have any questions, please email Gracie Carr.
- Shout out of thanks to: Carol Gutesha, Heidi Humber, Monica Hustead, Kathy Miller, Kristin Zinis, Casey Lloyd
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Advancement News
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Thank you for a wonderful Grandparents' Day! We are grateful to the more than 225 grandparents that came to spend the morning at SMA and to all the volunteers that made the day possible.
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Alumnae News
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- This week, Rachel Graham '05 (pictured below at left) was named the recipient of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts 2015 True West Award. An actor and stage photographer, she recently played the title role in the Denver Children's Theatre production of Rumpelstiltskin in March. Click here to read more. Congratulations, Rachel!
- The Center for African American Health has appointed SMA Trustee and alumna Deidre Williams Johnson '83 (pictured below, middle) as Chief Executive Officer/Executive Director. Deidre previously held the position of President at Sight Line Strategies Inc. The Center for African-American Health is a community-based organization providing disease prevention and disease management programs to African Americans living in the metro Denver area.
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Athletic News
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Winter sports season is underway!
- JV and Varsity Basketball win Home Opener against Dawson! Both JV and Varsity Basketball teams pulled through with strong wins for their home opener against Dawson last night in the CatDome! The Wildcats dominated the night, finishing with JV's 32-7 win and Varsity's 41-26 win over the Mustangs. We look forward to cheering them on today as they play Front Range Christian, and again on Saturday, at home, against Middle Park.
- Come cheer on your Wildcats as they take to the court and the pool:
- Basketball
- Wednesday, December 2: JV and Varsity away @ Front Range Christian- 5:30 PM and 7:00 PM
- Saturday, December 5: JV and Varsity HOME @ SMA- 2:30 PM and 4:00 PM
- Swim and Dive
- Friday, December 4: away @ Manual High School- DPS Pentathlon 4:15 PM
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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