March 20, 2024

Great Conversations is one month away, and we are looking forward to another fun and engaging St. Catherine’s fundraiser! With proceeds from the event, we will purchase two new pieces of equipment to refresh and enhance the Elementary playground. This space is enjoyed daily by our Lower and Upper Elementary children as they go about the business of play, and we can find children of all ages exploring the environment during community events like Spring Fling and Fall Fest.

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Help us give the playground some much-needed love by supporting Great Conversations!

Attend by sponsoring a table, becoming an underwriter, or purchasing an individual ticket. Those who are unable to join us on April 20th can contribute to the event’s success by making a donation.

“…play time is never wasted. So long as the children are busily absorbed, they are working at their own development – for children would rather work than play.” — Maria Montessori, Maria Montessori Speaks to Parents

Grandparents and Special Friends Day is next Thursday, March 28 from 9:00 to 11:00 AM at St. Catherine's. To assist with our planning, we ask that all grandparents and special friends RSVP here or at events@stcathmont.org by Monday, March 25.

As a reminder, Thursday is a full day of school for all students and employees. However, if parents would like their child's grandparent or special friend to take them home after the event, you must send a note directly to your child's guide. Those going home with a grandparent or special friend will leave no later than 11:00 AM.

This is a day for grandparents and special friends to visit the classrooms. Since the classes will feel quite full with many adult bodies, we ask that parents choose a different time if you would like to observe your child's class.

Volunteers Photographers Needed for Grandparents Day

We are looking for 6 volunteer photographers to help us capture the special moments on Grandparents & Special Friends Day on Thursday, March 28. If you have a camera and a passion for photography, we invite you to consider volunteering your time and skills. Please click here to learn more and sign up!

Yearbook Order Deadline is Monday, March 25

Don't forget to order your yearbook! Our yearbook is priced at $50 and will arrive in May. This cost also covers the supplement, which will feature April and May school activities. The supplement will be mailed home in the summer to all yearbook purchasers. It's a high-quality, full-color insert with a sticky tab for easy placement in the back of the book.

In keeping with our commitment to sustainability, we will not order extra copies of the yearbook this year. The March 25th deadline will be your last opportunity to purchase a yearbook for the 2023-2024 school year. You can order your yearbook through the Herff Jones website. Our school order number is: 25676.

Share Your Photos!

If you have taken photos at school events throughout the year (Saturday Soccer, Sociables, sports games, Going Outs, etc.) we would love to include them in the yearbook! Please send any photos you're willing to share to Jocelyn Ochoa at jochoa@stcathmont.org by Monday, March 25.

Paney Family Meal Train

Lydia (LE) and Elise (Primary) have a younger sister, Kit (now 18 months), who was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia type B late last year. Her prognosis is good. Treatment will be over 2.5-3 years at Texas Children's. Please consider signing up to provide a meal or restaurant gift card, which can be brought to school on the date of sign-up. Prayers or good wishes are also very much appreciated. 

This summer St. Catherine's is hosting camps for our current Elementary-High School students. Online registration is open. Space, age groups and enrollment fees vary by camp, and enrollment fees are due at the time of registration.

• WITS Summer Camp for current 4th-12th grade students | June 3-7 & July 22-26 | 9:00 AM-12:00 PM Register by May 13

• Garden Summer Camp for current 1st-3rd grade students | June 10-14 | 9:00-11:30 AM Register by April 30

• Volleyball Summer Camp for current 4th-12th grade students | June 10-14 & July 15-19 | 9:00-11:30 AM Register by April 30

• Soccer Summer Camp for current 4th-12th grade students | June 24-28 & July 22-26 | 9:00-11:30 AM Register by April 30

If you would like to arrange for registration payment to be made via FACTS billing, please contact Holly Copeland at hcopeland@stcathmont.org.

Easter Holiday Reminder

St. Catherine's Montessori will be closed on Friday, March 29 and Monday, April 1 in celebration of Easter.

INSIDE & OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM

Lower Elementary's Overnight Trip to Camp Allen

Just before Spring Break, our Lower Elementary classes went on an overnight trip to Camp Allen. The students participated in a variety of activities and discovery learning lessons like archery, canoeing, entomology, and herpetology.

Click here to view a photo gallery of their adventures.

OUR FAITH IN ACTION

AC Students Volunteer with Dominican Sisters of Houston

Three Adolescent Community students recently volunteered with the Dominican Sisters of Houston at their Urban Harvest community garden. The Sisters donate the produce harvested from this garden to local food banks to help feed the hungry.

Thank you to all who joined us for Mass this afternoon. It is a blessing for us to gather and worship together as a community. Click here to view photos from Mass.

All are invited to attend our St. Catherine of Siena Feast Day Mass on Monday, April 29, 2024 at 8:45 AM in the gym. This mass will include the ring blessing ceremony for our rising senior class.

SCM 4-H CLUB

The St. Catherine’s 4-H club is a new program that began this school year. 4-H is a national organization that helps kids develop life skills while pursuing leadership opportunities. A major part of 4-H is students engaging in personal projects that relate to the four H’s, which stand for head, heart, health, and hands. This year, the St. Catherine’s 4-H club has offered four different projects to choose from: food and nutrition, photography, public speaking, and community service. 

At one of our first meetings, we hosted two guest speakers from the local 4-H office. They talked to us about many different topics including 4-H as a nationwide organization, the various 4-H projects that are available across the country, and ways to get even more involved with 4-H, from helping out in the greater community to entering special contests related to our projects. We also elected our club officers:

President - Meylia Kumata

1st Vice President - William Tysor

2nd Vice President - Abigail Ward

3rd Vice President - Alessandra Hernandez

Secretary - Inaya Najam

Reporter - Cecilia Barber

In later meetings, we created salad wreaths and learned about food safety and shopping for produce for the food and nutrition project. For the photography project, we had a workshop at the Willow Water Hole to learn basic photography skills. To do some community service, we hosted a Christmas toy drive and assisted the SCM naturalist and 4-H club manager, Ms. Kelley Bruso, with gardening on campus. We are now preparing to share our progress on individual projects at the final meeting of the year.

To learn more, please visit the 4-H section of the bulletin board outside Ms. Bruso’s office!

Cecilia Barber

4-H Reporter

PARENT SERVICE ORGANIZATION (PSO)

Joins us this Friday for the PSO Meeting

All are invited to attend the PSO Meeting this Friday, March 22 at 8:00 AM in the SCM Gym. This will be the final PSO meeting of the school year before our volunteer appreciation luncheon in May.

NEW ARRIVAL

Congratulations to the Ozuna Family on the birth of their son, Cash Michael, born on March 1. Charli is a big sister!

HIGH SCHOOL CORNER

Thanks again to everyone who joined us on February 29th for our production of Puffs! We hope you enjoyed the evening, and invite everyone to experience the magical journey by viewing the photo gallery.

Friday, March 22

• PSO Meeting, 8:00-9:30 AM (SCM Gym) 

Saturday, March 23

• Parent Education Event: Primary Language Development, Continued, 9:00-11:00 AM (SCM) 
• Sociables: Tie Dye, 2:00-5:00 PM (Gremillion Residence) See host communications 

Sunday, March 24

• Sociables: Holi, The Festival of Color, 2:30 PM-5:00 PM (SCM Athletic Field) See host communications 

Monday, March 25

• 2023-2024 Yearbook Order Deadline

Tuesday, March 26

• Friends of the Library Workday, 8:00-9:00 AM 

Wednesday, March 27

• Common Reply
• Parent Meditation Group, 8:15-8:35 AM 

Thursday, March 28

• Grandparents & Special Friends Day, 9:00-11:00 AM (SCM; 9821 Timberside Drive) 

Friday, March 29

• No School – Easter Holiday

Monday, April 1

• No School – Easter Holiday

Tuesday, April 2

• Friends of the Library Workday, 8:00-9:00 AM 

Wednesday, April 3

• Parent Meditation Group, 8:15-8:35 AM

Friday April 5

• RSVP Deadline for Great Conversations
• Garden Work Day, 8:00 AM 
• Library Maintenance Day, 8:15-9:30 AM  
• Library Maintenance Day, 1:00-2:00 PM

Saturday, April 6

• Sociables: Capture the Flag, 5:00-8:00 PM (SCM Athletic Field) See host communications 

For more calendar events please check our website.