Monday Morning Memo

Email: school@stmaryum.org
Website: stmaryum.org
Location: 4610 Largo Road, Upper Marlboro, MD, USA
Phone: 3016274170

Thank you for all your prayers and thoughts while I was away on my retreat last week. It was a wonderful opportunity to connect with the Catholic Schools Office and other principals after last year's event being cancelled for COVID.

This Thursday is our Halloween party and parade. If you registered to attend the parade, you have received or will soon be receiving confirmation that your Virtus status is complete, or that it is not yet complete and next steps. As a reminder, only those that registered last week can be attendance to ensure the safety of our students.

This Friday is ADW Collaboration Day for teachers and a no school day for students. This opportunity for the teachers to come together with other teachers from around the Archdiocese to share ideas is always a highlight of our professional development calendar.

We only have two weeks left of the first quarter. For instructions on how to enable email notifications from PlusPortals, please see the attached file.

We hope the students enjoy their long weekend, and we hope to see many of you at Trunk or Treat on Saturday!

Have a great week!

Mrs. Lewis

Parade: St. Mary of the Assumption will be hosting an outdoor Halloween parade around the school for grades PK-3rd from 2:00-2:15 p.m. Only parents that pre-registered may attend.

Costumes: ALL GRADES may come to school wearing a costume that day. There will be no changing into costumes this year.

• School rules regarding dress code must be followed.
• Hats & hoods may be worn as part of costume, as long as they do not obstruct the face. No masks are permitted.
• ALL costume preparations to be completed at home. Facepaint/makeup, temporary hair color, etc. is allowed as long as it is applied prior to coming to school and can be fully removed prior to the next school day.
• No props of any kind.
• Costumes should not inhibit normal movement (sitting at a desk, walking at a normal pace, etc.)
• Costumes should not be excessively gory or scary. Keep in mind that these costumes will be viewed by Pre-K children and plan appropriately.
• Students or parents who have questions about the acceptability of their costume should check with their homeroom teacher prior to wearing the costume to school.
• Students wearing inappropriate costumes will need to call home to have a change of clothes brought up to them.

Parties: Each class will have a party. Only Room Parents are invited to the parties this year due to COVID.

Good Morning,

Track it Forward- Here is the link for entering your Parent Service Hours. If you have any questions, please email our Hours Recorder, Mary Butler at hsahoursrecorder@stmaryum.org. https://www.trackitforward.com/site/st-mary-assumption-hsa

Trunk or Treat- If you are still interested in decorating your car, please sign up at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0d49ada82daaf49-trunk. Parents will receive 3 service hours. We are still in need of candy, you can drop off in the office. Please write your name on the receipt to receive your service hours.

Candy Wrapping- On Friday, October 29th from 6-8 p.m. in the gym, we are looking for volunteers to help with putting candy into bags for our Trunk or Treat event. Parents will receive 2 service hours. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0d49ada82daaf49-candy

SMA Buddy Volunteer- We have 73 new families - so exciting and we want to make sure we help families navigate and learn our school. We need volunteers for all grades, please find attached! If you are interested, it is a great way to earn hours through the HSA. Our first buddy meeting will happen by Zoom on November 3. Zoom link will be provided at a later time. Torine will also have a trunk or treat buddy car at trunk or treat October 30 to meet her and learn more!

Yard Sale- On November 6, 2021, HSA is hosting our 1st Yard Sale event at St. Mary of the Assumption from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Are you looking for more space in the garage? Do you have items you are looking to put up for sale? Is your significant other asking you to downsize? Do you have friends or family that are looking to sell their items? Then this is the place. It is $15 for 1 parking spot and $25 for 2 parking spots. There will be a $5 per table charge. Once you sign-up, a payment link will be sent to you. https://www.signupgenius.com/index.cfm?go=w.manageSignUp#/32266890

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to Omar Q. Wilkins at hsapresident@stmaryum.org.

The vigilant work of teachers and staff to safeguard our students by promoting a safe environment is a priority at St. Mary of the Assumption School. All children have the right to be safe and protected from harm in school, home, neighborhoods, and communities. The staff is dedicated to promoting and ensuring the protection of all children.

Each school year, we are committed to the continued instruction of the Personal Safety Education Program for our children in grades K-8. These age-appropriate lessons, which will be taught by Religion teachers and reinforced by all teachers, prepare students to recognize and avoid potentially dangerous situations. The lessons will take place between October 25th and December 1st during regularly scheduled religion classes.

Thank you for your support and encouragement as we work together, family and school, to keep the safety and welfare of our students as our primary responsibility. Let us all pray that we may always express the love of Christ for children and the most vulnerable in our midst. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact Mrs. Lewis.

There will be a Basketball Interest Meeting on Tuesday, October 26th from 3:30pm to 4:30pm.

The location of the meeting is at St. Mary of the Assumption School gym. The meeting will allow

you to meet the Coaches, other players, and ask any questions about the season.

For those who cannot make it in person, the Zoom link and dial-in information is on the attached file.

October 28: Halloween Parade 2 p.m.

October 29: No School

November 1: Half Day 10:30 Arrival; All Saint's Day Mass at 1 p.m.

November 5: No School Mass

November 10: HSA Meeting 7 p.m.