Monday Morning Memo

St. Mary of the Assumption School is celebrating 100 years of educational excellence. For the Centennial, we are sponsoring this Brick Fundraising Project to benefit the school. Proceeds from this project will give back to the school and to our families through teacher development, school infrastructure, and student scholarships.

Join us for our Catholic Schools Week family events!

Sunday January 26th:

• 9:30 a.m. Catholic Schools Week Mass at the Church- Wear your school uniform!
• 11:00 a.m. -1:00 p.m. School Open House- Free breakfast provided by the Knights of Columbus
• All are welcome to Sundays events!

Monday January 27th:

• 10:00 a.m. Parent/Family Classroom Visits- Observe your child's classroom and see all the amazing learning taking place each day. You MUST have your Virtus background check to visit classrooms.
• 11:00-1:00 Family Lunch- Join your child(ren) for lunch. Please bring your own food. Main and Market will still provide food for students that pre-ordered for the month of January. All are welcome to join us for lunch!
• 11:00 Families with Last Names A-G
• 11:40 Families with Last Names H-N
• 12:20 Families with Last Names O-Z

Friday January 31st:

• 10:00 a.m. School Mass and Second Quarter Honor Roll Ceremony- Celebrate Mass with our school community and honor the recipients of academic and virtue honors during the second quarter.

Please use the link sent to your email to re-enroll your child for the 2025-2026 school year. If you will not be returning next year, please contact the front office. Admissions decisions for new families begin February 1st to fill any open spaces.

The silent auction is open now! Feel free to bid, and even purchase the "buy now" items! If you "buy now" you winnings can be picked up in December at the school office. Our goal is to have 200 bidders online or in person, so please log in and spread the word! https://www.32auctions.com/SMA2025

If you have not been receiving text message alerts from St. Mary of the Assumption, please try texting "Yes" to 301-281-4314. If you do not see a message saying that you are now subscribed, please contact alewis@stmaryum.org. This is where we will send emergency closure alerts, so it is important that all parents are subscribed.

Applications are now open online! If you have a younger child or friend who is interested in joining our school, please have them apply here.

Gala tickets are now on sale! The event has sold out the last two years, so please get your tickets as soon as possible.

Unable to attend? You can still participate by bidding on the silent auction. More items are being added daily! https://www.32auctions.com/SMA2025

Look for information soon about class basket themes!

Happy New Year!

This is a great time to commit to being an environmental steward. During the month of December the lunch food waste weighed in at 232 pounds! Even though it was composted this is a very high number. These are some small easy steps everyone can do to reduce the amount of food waste:

• Talk to your child about what they like and don't like about their lunch
• Volunteer for pizza day and see how much they actually eat - Pizza days were the heaviest days of food waste
• Pack smaller portion sizes
• Use reusable bags and drink containers
• Recycle more and compost food scraps

Tuition Assistance for the 2025-2026 school year is open in TADS! Please begin your application ASAP to ensure you are part of the first (and largest) aid distribution for the 2025-2026 school year.

All St. Mary's students are invited to participate in this year's Chesapeake Baysox "Read & Hit a Home Run" Jersey Design Contest and Reading Program!

JERSEY DESIGN CONTEST INFORMATION: Calling all creative students! Design a colorful Baysox jersey on the attached template. Include books, school or art supplies, or other designs. Please do not color over the Baysox logo or the number. Students must return a hard copy design to homeroom teachers (pre-K through 5th grades) or Mrs. Minakowski (6th-8th grades) by noon Friday, Jan. 17. Attached, you will find a pdf document for the Jersey Design Contest. Students will also receive a blank form at school.

The school whose student created the winning design in the past received a donation of almost $3,000 to use as they saw fit for their students.

READING PROGRAM INFORMATION: Love reading and baseball? Students in pre-K through 8th grade who read four books between December and March 1 will receive two free tickets to St. Mary's Night at the Baysox! Students may read independently or with the help of a family member. Fiction and non-fiction books count; audiobooks and graphic novels are included. Parents/guardians should complete this Google Form by March 1 to verify that students have read 4 books. A separate form is needed for each child.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdL5gmhqV_YXvQ3zXVDD6zydIXx_FxYxgCzEQ_Ffc4BD7BQ8Q/viewform?usp=header

On Saturday December 14th, Kiko McFetridge and Will Greer (5th Grade), along with their Scout troop and members of various veterans’ groups, active military, and uniformed organizations such as JROTC and the Civil Air Patrol, converged upon the Cheltenham Veterans Memorial Cemetery on Hwy. 301 to participate in a brief ceremony and to decorate the gravesites of thousands of deceased veterans, as part of the Wreaths Across America program. Great job Kiko and Will!

Email alewis@stmaryum.org

Each year every class sponsors a basket for our Silent Auction and Gala. We are asking for donations around your basket's theme. We have made it easy! All you need to do is click on the link and place the order through Amazon. It will ship right to us! Thank you for all your support!

The basket that brings in the most money wins a class party!

Basketball season is back and we need your help! Would you like to earn volunteer hours while supporting our basketball teams? If so, we need you to run the concession stand during our basketball games!

We have availability all day on Saturdays, beginning this weekend, January 4! Choose a time that works best for you by signing up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090F4BAFAF23A0FA7-54140505-basketball#/

St. Mary’s 10U Boys Dominate St. Pius in 34-11 Victory

St. Mary’s put on a commanding performance, cruising to a 34-11 victory over St. Pius in a game defined by relentless defense and efficient offense. From the opening tip, St. Mary’s controlled the tempo, leaving St. Pius struggling to keep up.

CJ LeGrand led all scorers with a game-high 18 points. His ability to attack the basket and hit outside shots set the tone for the team. Brady Atemnkeng added 10 points, showcasing his scoring versatility, while Landon Reed contributed 4 points with hustle and smart play. Trevor Ramoutar rounded out the scoring with 2 points.

The unsung heroes of the game were Elijah Taniform, Nathan Tallack, and James Asonglefac, who brought incredible energy and played outstanding defense. Their relentless hustle disrupted St. Pius’ offensive flow, forced turnovers, and ensured second-chance opportunities were rare. Their efforts on the defensive end were crucial in holding St. Pius to just 11 points.

With this victory, St. Mary’s continues to build momentum, demonstrating they are not just a team with offensive firepower but one that thrives on hard work and discipline on both ends of the court.

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Our 10U girls took on Holy Redeemer and came out victorious with another dominating win of 33-6.

Kali-Raye Douglas and Emery Taniform led all scorers contributing 10 points each. Priya Ramoutar added 8 points, and Alima Kaba rounded out the scoring with 5 points.

Our 12U girls faced Our Lady of Lourdes and secured a victory with a final score of 24-12!

Kali-Raye Douglas recorded an impressive 12 points, leading all scorers while showcasing her ability to play up on 12U. Kaia Akue added 6 points, Taylor White scored 4 points, and Alima rounded out the scoring with 2 points.

Both 10U girls and 12U girls are now 2-0 on the season!

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Our 8U Co-Ed team made their debut this weekend!

The gym was packed on Sunday afternoon as our youngest basketball stars took on St. Anthony. Emery Taniform led all scorers with 12 points. Carson Carter and Marshall Cosci both added 2 points. Although we didn’t come away with the win, our team showed tremendous teamwork and confidence. This is going to be a great season for them! The final score was 16-21.

Come check out all our teams in action, at home, this weekend!

Saturday, January 18:

· 9 a.m. – 10U boys

· 10 a.m. – 10U girls

· 11 a.m. – 12U boys

· 12 p.m. – 12U girls

· 2 p.m. – 14U boys play

Sunday, January 19:

· 1 p.m. – 8U

You can add the School Calendar to your Google Calendar by clicking here

Friday January 17th: 10:00 a.m. Mass; 12:30 Dismissal; End of the Second Quarter

Monday January 20th: No School

Friday January 24th: 10:00 a.m. Mass; Report Cards Released

Sunday January 26th: 9:30 a.m. Catholic Schools Week Mass at the Church; 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Open House at the School with Breakfast Provided by the Knights of Columbus

Monday January 27th: 10:00 a.m. Classroom Visits; Family Lunch (by last name)

Tuesday January 28th: Student Dress Down Day (Free!)

Friday January 31st: 10:00 a.m. Mass; 2nd Quarter Honor Roll Ceremony; 12:30 Dismissal

Email: school@stmaryum.org
Website: stmaryum.org
Location: 4610 Largo Road, Upper Marlboro, MD, USA
Phone: 301 627 4170