Header Image
Wildcat Weekly
A Weekly Newsletter from St. Mary's Academy 
Considering History and Lives Lived During Spring Break from the Academy President: 

During Spring Break, as my sister and my two dogs drove across the country (we kept the driving to the humans, the canines hung out in the back seat), we had an opportunity for a little lesson in family history and an opportunity to marvel at what the future might hold.

Deirdre V. Cryor
Academy President
Things Are About to Get Wild!
  • Early Bird Ticket Deadline is Friday April 8. It's time to purchase your Gala tickets! Early Bird tickets are $125/person through April 8. Regular price tickets start April 9 and are $150/person. The RSVP deadline is Friday, April 22. Click here to purchase your tickets.
  • Pre-Gala Auction NOW OPEN! Bid online at 32auctions.com/walkonthewildside. The auction runs April 6-15. Although all bidding takes place online, visit the Pre-Gala Auction Display in the Sanders House Auxiliary  Board Room to check out the great items available. Anyone who signs in at the auction display and also places a bid online is eligible to win a $50 Starbucks gift card. Happy bidding!
  • When I support the Gala, where does my money go?
    • TUITION ASSISTANCE- 95% of Gala proceeds benefit SMA's Tuition Assistance Fund
    • MATH PROGRAMS IN THE LOWER, MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOLS - 5% of Gala proceeds benefit the Math Programs across all three divisions
Community News
  • The Safety of our Students is our #1 Priority! With warmer weather here we would once again like to remind you that our primary focus of our carpool guidelines is student safety. To ensure that these guidelines are being followed in the north parking lot, you will be seeing staff presence in the coming weeks. They are there to make sure students are safe and our carpool guidelines are being followed. Thank you for your assistance in this matter!  Click here for the SMA Carpool Guidelines.
     
  • Happy April to all. Click here to view April's edition of the SMA Faith Walk.
  • Loretto and SMA Praying to End Gun Violence. Sister Regina invites parents to come together on the first Monday of the month to pray for an end to gun violence as the students are already doing in their divisions. The parent group will gather on April 11, the first Monday after Spring Break, at 8:15 AM in the chapel, just east of the High School Forum. It will be a time of silent prayer. If this opportunity does not fit in your day, join SMA and Loretto in spirit. If you have questions, please contact Sister Regina.
  • The Circle of Influence, a program of the ACIS counselor's group is proud to present: Adolescent Sexuality: Education in the Home. A panel and audience discussion with Cindy Souser, LMFT, Montessori School of Denver; Craig A. Knippenberg, LCSW, M.Div., St. Anne's Episcopal; Ruthie Kolb, Training Manager, Colorado Youth Matter. The event will take place on Wednesday, April 13 from 8:45 - 10:15 AM at Aspen Academy (5859 S. University, Greenwood Village 80121). The forum is free and open to ACIS school parents with students of all ages! Come enjoy the fellowship of other parents in an informal setting as we look at modern realities for this age-old topic and how to discuss sexuality with your pre-teens and teens. Coffee and snacks will be provided! Questions and RSVP to craig.knippenberg@comcast.net.
Lower School News & Events
News:
  • The April Late Start, Great Start in Lower School is a"coupon project" for students to earn money to help poor students at a school started by three Sisters of Loretto in Faisalabad, in their home country of Pakistan. The money will purchase classroom supplies for boys and girls in grades K-8 and girls in grades 9 and 10. Click here for the coupon sheet. Thank you!
  • Congratulations to second grader Jenna Dowling, who was the recipient of the Gung Ho Reader award at the March LS assembly. Through much hard work and perseverance, Jenna has blossomed into an avid reader and a lover of books. Her current and former teachers are so very proud of her! As one shared, "Wow! Watching Jenna catch the "Reading Bug" has been amazing!" Jenna is pictured at right with Librarian Mr. Charlie Leckenby, who presented the award.
  • Did you miss the Lower School Class Gifts sale during this morning's assembly? Don't fret - the gifts will be for sale during tomorrow's Family Picnic. Cash, checks and credit card payment accepted. Suggested purchase prices range from $25 - $40 and proceeds benefit SMA's Tuition Assistance Fund. Thanks for your support!
  • NEW THIS YEAR - On-Campus Child Care Available for the Gala! Open to currently enrolled SMA 1st - 5th graders. Cost is $50/child and $35/sibling after your first child. Care will take place in the EDC Room in the Community Center starting at 5:30 p.m. and children must be picked up bymidnight. For more information and to register (deadline is Wednesday, April 20), email Molly del Monte. There are limited spots available so sign up sooner rather than later.
  • Thank you to all the families that donated a $25 gift card for the Spin the Wheel Gift Card Drive. You helped set a record with more than 200 gift cards collected school-wide. The classes below have earned a special treat by donating 7 or more gift cards. The treats will come in May. Thank you!
    • 1st - Hoogerwerf & Lorenzo
    • 2nd - Irwin
    • 3rd - Smith & Stroz
    • 4th - Hamilton & Honig
    • 5th - Deits & Rand
Events: 
  • Thursday, April 7
    • Class Picture Day!
    • Family Picnic, 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM on the LS Playground
    • 3rd Grade Field Trip - Night at the Museum, 6:30 PM
  • Wednesday, April 13: Late Start for Students. Classes begin at 9:00 AM.
Middle School News & Events
News: 
  • The eighth grade had a wonderful trip to the East Coast. See more pictures and read about their travels through Washington, DC and New York in their trip blog.
  • Eighth grade girls enrolled in SMA's High School will register for next year's classes on Wednesday, April 13 in the Forum at 8:30 a.m. Please bring your iPad.
  • A SPECIAL Invitation to ALL SEVENTH grade girls! The SMA Sophomore class would like to invite you to an evening of food and fun on Friday, April 22 from 6:00-8:00 PM in the HS Forum. We will provide dinner and activities. Please RSVP to Gracie Carr by April 19. The Sophomore Class will be the SMA Senior Sisters to the current 7th grade. Please join us for this brand new event!
     
  • Thank you to all the families that donated a $25 gift card for the Spin the Wheel Gift Card Drive. You helped set a record with more than 200 gift cards collected school-wide. The CATs below have earned a special treat by donating 7 or more gift cards. The treats will come in May. Thank you!
    • Blair
    • Cencula
    • Easton
    • Mr. Garcia
    • Mrs. Garcia
    • Mayfield
    • McVie
    • Pattison
    • Rutan
    • Sanders
    • Schmitt
  • Pictured at right are members of Mr. Pritchard's CAT on top of the Continental Divide. Mr. Pritchard, Molly Miller, Juliana Talbert, Kiki Zaharas, and Scott Biggs. What a great CAT ski day!
Events:
  • Wednesday, April 13: Late Start for Students. Classes begin at 9:00 AM.
 High School News & Events
News: 
  • From March 12-17, eight juniors attended the United Nations 60th Commission on the Status of Women in New York City. This year, the theme was women's empowerment and sustainable development, with a review emphasis on ending violence against women and girls around the world.  Students sat in on sessions sponsored by UN member states and NGOs, and learned about problems and solutions for issues such as: child marriage in the developing world; women's right's and roles in Syria's civil war; gender discrimination in the workplace; women peacekeepers in South Sudan and more. They came back to SMA and presented their learning to High School at a town meeting, and look forward to visiting the Loretto Center to share their experiences with the wider community. Attendees this year were left to right in photo at Rockefeller Center: Sarah Gamel, Daria Boulos, Gabby Lorance, Delaney Huffman, Kate Golinvaux, Emmy Hamilton, Sarah Sutherland, and Maggie Longenecker.  Not pictured: chaperones Nina Ehrlich and Eliza Pfeifer.
  • Every four seconds, someone around the world dies of hunger or hunger-related causes. Help lower this number and help fight the struggle against starvation for individuals and families around the world by purchasing a bowl made by the high school Empty Bowls and Outreach Clubs. Bowls will be sold outside the High School lunchroom April 12, 13, and 14, from 12:10-12:30 PM for $15 (price includes lunch on April 15). There will be an Empty Bowls luncheon Friday, April 15 from 11:30 AM-1:00 PM in the Forum. All proceeds will go to the Loretto Hunger Fund.   
  • SMAbotics competed in the Colorado FIRST Regional Robotics competition March 23-25 at D.U., earning the 'Judges' Award for unique performance and team dynamics. 
    They overcame significant challenges in robot compliance, but missed their first qualification round. In the following five rounds, they moved from 48th to 24th place, at which point they 'broke' the launch mechanism. Exhibiting awesome resilience and problem-solving skills, they repaired the robot in time for the following round. Over the course of the remaining five rounds, they broke the robot and put it back together two more times, not  missing a single round. At the end of the day, with part of the drive-base in parts on the floor, they fell to 42nd. Having overcome so many obstacles, the final standing mattered little. 
    The team spent close to 3 months designing and building this robot, earning points on every challenge the robot was designed to score. The skill-base developed during this season has been extraordinary, with huge improvements in our ability to create 3-D models in AutoCAD, CNC Machine our own parts (on our new ShopBot), program in Java, create electrical circuits, evaluate power consumption and transmission, and manage time and tasks. SMAbotics is poised to be a more powerful and competitive team in FIRST 2017!
  • Thank you to all the families that donated a $25 gift card for the Spin the Wheel Gift Card Drive. You helped set a record with more than 200 gift cards collected school-wide. The advisories below have earned a special treat by donating seven or more gift cards. The treats will come in May. Thank you!
    • 9th - Weinberg
    • 12th - Applegate
  • Celtic Journey: Ireland and Scotland! SMA High School is planning an 11-day student trip in June of 2017. Led by Ms. Horning and Ms. Lee, and facilitated by EF Educational Tours, this is an invitation to a pilgrimage of adventure and personal discovery. Highlights include the Book of Kells in Dublin, the "peace-line" in Belfast, and hiking on the small Inner Hebrides Island of Iona, in Scotland, settled by Columba and his monks in 563. Our trip concludes in Edinburgh. This trip is designed for students of any faith tradition or none, based on the belief that personal reflection in historical places of both wild and "civilized" beauty contribute to our growth as human beings. A parent and student interest meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 6 at 6:30 PM in Ms. Horning's room. Applications will be available at that time, and space is limited. This will be a unique and memorable journey! 
Events:
  • Friday, April 8; 8:30 AM: Assembly featuring Eliot Engel in the Forum
  • Wednesday, April 13: Late Start for Students. Classes begin at 9:00 AM.
Admissions News & Events
  • A SPECIAL Invitation to ALL SEVENTH grade girls! The SMA Sophomore class would like to invite you to an evening of food and fun on Friday, April 22 from 6:00-8:00 PM in the HS Forum. We will provide dinner and activities. Please RSVP to Gracie Carr by April 19. The Sophomore Class will be the SMA Senior Sisters to the current 7th grade. Please join us for this brand new event!
  • We welcome all new families to SMA! In just a few weeks, you will be receiving a call from a member of Academy Parents to answer any questions you may have. In the meantime, let us know if we can help in any way. 
  • We welcome the newest member of the Admission team, Lindsey Lopez! We are thrilled to have her join us and we hope you can drop by to say hello in the weeks ahead. Once she is settled in, Lindsey will join Seely and Grace in offering campus tours, greeting student visitors and families and other admission events and activities.  Welcome, Lindsey!
Advancement News
  • The next Academy Parents  meeting will be on Thursday, April 14 from 8:00-9:30 AM in the Community Center.  All parents are invited and encouraged to attend!
Alumnae News
Looking to get more involved with SMA? Volunteer at the Gala on Friday, April 29! Each year, a handful of alumnae volunteer for the Gala and have a blast doing so. For more information, contact Molly del Monte.

Athletic News
  • The St. Mary's Academy Athletics Department honored our High School winter athletes in March with a dinner and awards ceremony in the Community Center. Many student-athletes won top honors both in academics and athletics. Congratulations SMA Wildcats for a successful winter season!
    • Coaches' Awards
      • Anna Jonsen-  V Dance
      • In'Lana Henderson- Dance
      • Claire State- Swimming
      • Mariah Horvath- JV Basketball
      • Lauren Carroll- Basketball
    • Varsity Awards
      • Darryl Filmore- Dance
      • Alex Reddington- Swimming
      • Journey Simmons- Basketball
    • All-Academic Teams
      • Swim and Dive- 3.78
      • Basketball- 3.60
    • First Team All-Academic
      • Lauren Carroll
      • Journey Simmons
      • Darryl Filmore
      • Fiorella Sobenes
      • Claire State
      • Kristina Karisch
      • Isabel Forward
      • Laura Kate Windler
      • Gabriella Lorance
      • Ambar Solis-Fuentes
    • Honorable Mention All-Academic Team
      • Caroline Jeffords
      • Dre Gentry
      • Ambrina Abbasi
      • In'Lana Henderson
      • Alex Reddington
      • Daisy Simpson
    • 2nd Team All Conference
      • Caroline Jeffords- Basketball
    • Honorable Mention All Conference
      • Dre Gentry- Basketball
    • Swimming All League Awards
      • Individual
        • Alex Reddington- All League 1st place 200 Freestyle and 100 Butterfly
        • Claire State- All League 1st place 200 Individual Medley and 2nd place 100 Breaststroke
        • Lillianna Brooks- All League 1st place 500 Freestyle and 2nd place 100 Backstroke
      • Relays
      • All League 1st place 400 Freestyle Relay: Claire State, Isa Faddick, Lillianna Brooks, and Alex Reddington
      • Honorable Mention 2nd place 200 Medley Relay: Lillianna Brooks, Claire State, Alex Reddington, and Isa Faddick
  • Please be sure to sign up for our St. Mary's Academy Sports Camps! We offer Lacrosse, Field Hockey, Cross Country, and Volleyball! Coaches from our popular British Soccer Camp came in this week to work with our students on drills and skills!  St. Mary's Academy partners with Challenger Sports to offer the nation's most popular soccer camp-open to players of all ages and abilities. You can sign up for their camp, hosted at SMA, here.
  • Join us in cheering on our SMA Wildcats this week in our first games back from spring break!
    • 4-0, Undefeated SMA Lacrosse
      • Wednesday, April 6 vs. Steamboat at SMA, 4:00 PM
      • Thursday, April 7 vs. Palmer at SMA, 4:00 PM & 5:30 PM
    • 1-1-1, SMA Soccer
      • Tuesday, April 5 vs. Manitou Springs at SMA, 4:00 PM & 5:45 PM
    • Thursday, April 7
      • Varsity Tennis- home vs. Dawson at 4:00 PM
      • JV Tennis- away vs. Dawson at 4:00 PM
      • V2 Tennis- away vs. Columbine at 4:00 PM
      • Golf- away vs. Kent Denver at 2:00 PM, Broken Tee 
  • 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!


   
© Copyright 2010. All Rights Reserved.