St. Mary's Elementary School

Happy New Year!  Welcome back to St. Mary’s!

We have spent the summer fine-tuning school policies and procedures, as we worked tirelessly to balance the continued growth of our school with our mission to allow all to live with social responsibility, to grow spiritually, and to reach their academic potential. As this process continues and we work to return to a healthy routine of again attending school, I am asking for patience, understanding, and communication. Whether frustrations arise from a longer-than-desired dismissal procedure, interpretation of the dress code, or a difference of opinion on a student’s educational plan, if we, as partners in educating your children, can agree to patiently communicate as active listeners and work to hear each other, I am more than confident that we will come to an agreeable solution to any and all conflicts.  

This year, we look forward to growing our EXCEL @ SME programming.  Simply stated, our EXCEL learning clubs are meant to spark interest in our students and teach that learning is a life-long journey and not something that happens while trying to memorize facts off of flashcards.  We are tapping into the personal interests and passions of our staff, tying the theme of each learning club to an academic point of interest, and having fun learning. In the past, our students have dug deeper into the benefits of crossfit training and a healthy diet, the historic meaning behind select songs throughout the decades, animals and zoos, legos and architecture, and narrative elements of storytelling via scrapbooking and watching scenes of DIsney movies.  We aim to extend the basic curriculum offered elsewhere and grow our students’ curiosity in learning.  We want our students to strive to be creative, imaginative, and full of wonder. 

Next, our school is excited about our third year of our SME Pillar Games.  Beginning with our opening ceremony, throughout the year, and closing on our final day of the school year, the  healthy competition of the events has grown the camaraderie of our school.  Students rooting for friends from different grade levels, teachers competing in various events, and multi-grade collaborations have helped all of us get to know each other better, as we have rooted for one another more.  This year, our goal is to grow our pillar system outside of the walls of St. Mary’s, out into our community.  A goal for each of our pillars will be to plan and participate in a volunteer effort.  Yes, we want to grow our students’ social responsibility, but we also want to live our faith and allow our actions to speak for the volumes of goodness that is SME.  

Welcome back!  We’ve been preparing all summer for your return, and are more than eager to write the next pages of the storied history of SME together with you. 

God Bless,

Mr. Olejniczak