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.

• Fifth grade students had a special guest artist during art last month. Lower School parent Cathy Azcarate demonstrated drawing and rendering skills she uses as an interior architect. These skills will be utilized as the students design their doodle 4 google artwork submissions.  
   
• Click here to see the Lower School Honor Roll of Givers by grade level as of November 30. Thank you to Kindergarten families for your increasing participation in the Annual Fund.  To date, 22% of Kindergarten families have participated! We are nearing the last week of SMA's Eight Weeks of Giving campaign for the Annual Fund. Schedule your gift now!

• 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.
   
• Trimester 1 progress reports are now posted! Please log into Infinite Campus to access.

• Click here to see the Middle School Honor Roll of Givers by grade level as of November 30. The seventh grade class has taken the lead with 35% giving participation to date! We are nearing the last week of SMA's Eight Weeks of Giving campaign for the Annual Fund. Schedule your gift now!

• Thursday, December 3: No after school classes/events

• Saturday, December 5; 8:00 AM: High School Placement Test

• Tuesday, December 8: Colorado Gives Day. Schedule your donation now!

• Wednesday, December 9: Late Start for Students. Classes begin at 9:00 AM.

• 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."

• Click here to see the High School Honor Roll of Givers by grade level as of November 30.  Hats off to the 11th grade class for jumping ahead with 27% giving participation to date! We are nearing the last week of SMA's Eight Weeks of Giving campaign for the Annual Fund. Schedule your gift now!