SMS Family Newsletter – June 11, 2025 ☀️😎

A Message from Principal Dougherty, our Faculty & Staff:

We wish you a relaxing and wonderful summer.  It has been a pleasure to work with you and your children and we appreciate your support.  We look forward to September and another great school year!

The school year is closing with a closing mass tomorrow at 8:45AM. We invite and encourage all families to join us for mass.  Report cards will be distributed to all students along with summer work and class supply list for next year. Dismissal is at 10:30AM. No CARES

School reopens for Grades 1 to 8 on Wednesday, September 3rd  and we will have the following schedule: 

Wednesday, September 3rd – (Bring Lunch) Grades 1 to 8 will report at 8:15 a.m. Dismissal at 3pm WITH BUS TRANSPORTATION, CARES WILL BEGIN THIS DAY (SIGN UP FORM will be on our website.)  Kindergarten will report at 9:00 am and will be dismissed at 11:40 on this day only. (more information to follow this summer.)                                             

Thursday, September 4th –  (Bring Lunch) Kindergarten to 8th grade will report at 8:15 a.m. Dismissal at 3PM WITH BUS TRANSPORTATION and CARES.

Friday, September 5th – KDG to 8th grade will report 8:15 a.m. Dismissal at 12:00 p.m. Buses and CARES available. 

Monday, September 8th – Preschool and PK4 will report at 9 AM.  No Extended Day.

SCHOOL CALENDAR: The school calendar is updated daily on our website. Please continue to check it if you have any questions. Click the button below to view our complete calendar.

• Mrs. D will keep you posted over the summer via text alerts and email through our new program called  FACTS. Please make sure you sign upfor FACTS.

• Mrs. Dougherty and Mrs.D will be working FULL DAYS on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday throughout the summer (we will be off on Mondays and Fridays.) However, we will be available those days through email. 

• If you have a change of address or cell phone number change, please email  Mrs. D and change the information in FACTS as well.

• Please ask your child  for his/her hard copy of their Report Card, summer packet and class supply list. This is important to keep in a safe place .

•  “Save the Dates” for back to school activities in August will be posted on our website calendar.  

• Uniform links will be posted on the website. I will send an alert out when posted. There will be a few changes to the Uniform Policy this year.   Please call the school office over the summer to inquire about our  neat and tidy gently used uniform closet 

As the school year draws to a close, we would like to take this opportunity to thank our talented and dedicated Faculty & Staff. Our annual “Teacher Gift Program” is designed to recognize teacher and staff dedication and service.  We recognize that our teachers are the heart of our school and we would like to give you an opportunity to show your appreciation.  

There is still time to participate and donate for the Faculty & Staff gift fund.  Please click the button below to make a donation online.

Students in grades 6, 7 and 8 participated in a Science Fair here at St Margaret School. This was a great opportunity for these students. They were creative and showcased their projects to our students and families. 
 

We are so proud of all the students who worked so hard! Below are our Science Fair winners by grade:
 

Grade 8:  1st Place – Elizabeth Constantine

                 2nd Place -David Memar

                 3rd Place – Daniel Winward
 

Grade 7: 1st Place: Jack McLaughlin

                2nd Place: Noah Marzoff

                3rd Place: Genny Belfi
 

Grade 6:  1st Place: Emily Caprari 

                 2nd Place: Andrea Morales & Adriana DeAscanis

A special thank you to our Home & School co-chairs Beth Mirzai and Erica Santo for all their time this past year. We appreciate all that you and all our school volunteers have done to assist in the many jobs around school.  We hope to see all our volunteers back next year and we always welcome new ones. If you have any questions regarding the Home and School Association, please contact HSA@smsnarberth.org

From the Field Day Committee:  A BIG Thank You to all the volunteers who donated their time and energies  to the success of St. Margaret’s 2025 Field Day. We could not have done it without you.  It was a beautiful day and our students had a great time.  A special thank you is extended to Mr. Preston Moritz for organizing teams and games.  Thank you to teachers and  ALL THE PARENT VOLUNTEERS who spent the morning helping out with teams, stations, serving food, etc. We appreciate all your time and effort in making Field Day another huge success.

Lunch Duty: Many, many thanks to Shalia Lincoln, Andrea Thompson and all the parent volunteers who took  time in the middle of the day to assist in our Lunch & Recess Duty. Thank you to Maria Carmody for organizing the lunch duty volunteers.

Are you interested in volunteering at SMS next year? Volunteering is a great way to meet other parents in our school community and become more involved in events at SMS. We are always in need of volunteers for lunch and recess duty, field trip chaperones, HSA events and more!

If you plan to volunteer, you must have all your clearances. These clearances and trainings help to keep our children and youth safe and are essential to the work we do within the Catholic Church. Many of these clearances are also required on the State level at public schools both for educators and parent volunteers. We understand that this is an additional step to take and it requires some time commitment and we thank you for your compliance. Your clearance documentation and training certificates must be presented to the Parish office prior to beginning your volunteer work. All volunteers are required to complete these requirements.

IF you are unsure if you are up to date with your clearances contact Stephanie Seal at sseal@smsnarberth.org  MORE INFORMATION WILL BE EMAILED to you. 

Stephanie Gambescia Seal
Safe Environment Coordinator,Saint Margaret Parish

We’d like to share highlights from the May 1st 2025 Meeting of the St. Margaret School Board of Limited Jurisdiction.   

1. Facilities Committee is developing plans to improve the outdoor play space for students. We will repaint lines for sports and make designated areas for different activities. Total resurfacing of the parking/play area will occur after the HVAC in the gym is replaced. In addition, we plan a Spring clean-up day to de-clutter areas of the school. If you are interested in helping with either project, contact board@smsnarberth.org.

2. Finance Committee reported that enrollment is stable and kindergarten enrollment is well ahead of enrollment this time last year. A greater commitment to EITC programs from parents, parishioners, and alumni will be encouraged for the coming year.

3. Enrollment Committee plans to focus on recruiting new families through direct contact to those considering St. Margaret School. In addition, the committee hopes to highlight the culture and Catholic identity of the school through increased service opportunities for the students, greater publicity, and the website.

4. Development Committee has been considering fundraising opportunities, the timing of the various fall events which tend to conflict, the role of Home and School as well as the supportive role of the Board. We would like to form committees for key fundraising events early with representation of at least one Board member on each committee.

5. A new Catholic Identity committee will be added to the Board which will work to emphasize faith and evangelization, expand service opportunities and engage families.      

6. We are looking for members to the main Board as well as the 5 committees above. All are welcome to join the committees. We have a limited number of spaces for parents on the main Board. If you are interested in joining the Board or committees please email board@smsnarberth.org.

Click the link below to learn more about grants and financial aid at St. Margaret School. All forms must be submitted and approved by June 5 in order to be considered in the first round of awards.  

PLEASE NOTE IMPORTANT BUSING INFORMATION
FOR NEXT YEAR 2025-2026: 

LOWER MERION BUSING IMPORTANT NOTICE:
Lower Merion Families with students taking the bus in September are required to submit an Act 372 form to the Transportation Department annually. Please fill this out before the end of the school year.

This form is to be submitted online at the button below.

**Please note your child WILL NOT be scheduled for transportation if a completed form is not submitted to the Lower Merion School District Transportation Department** Please do not wait until the last minute to fill out this form online.  Forms must be submitted no later than July 1st of every school year in order to guarantee busing the first week of school. Forms submitted after July 1st, will be processed in the order of submission.

SMS Summer Baking Program 
June  16th – June 20th, 11AM-2PM

This summer there will be a one-week Summer Baking Program. Students will be making sweet and savory items such as Italian bread which we will turn into avocado toast and bruschetta! Classes are held Monday- Friday 11 am- 2 pm and are open to students entering 3rd – 8th grade! Current 8th grade students are welcome to join! 6 students will be allowed in the summer session.

The structure of the class is as follows: Students will receive a brief lesson on the daily topic while enjoying samples prepared by the Chef. They will then prep all needed ingredients for the day. Finally, students will bake what they’ve prepared during class.

Everything will be provided for new students! New students will receive a folder containing weekly recipes, measuring cups & spoons and a cake carrier. Returning students will receive weekly recipes and items to expand their baking kit. Students must bring their cake carrier and measuring cups & spoons previously received to class. *Classes will be held June 16th- June 20th 11 am- 2 pm!

If you are interested in signing up and did not receive a flyer, please check our website.