Crusader Chronicle

17 April 2025

In this issue: Stations of the Cross, 7th Grade service project, Fish Fry, Daisy Troop service project, Heart of Crusader Nominees, Hallow Permissions, Summer Skills, Spring Middle School Dance, Preschool Crusader Camp Interest, Middle School Service Week, Easter at the Church of St. Mary. 

Dear SOSM Parents,

Our eighth graders shared a special gift with our second through seventh grade students today in the Church of St. Mary. Several weeks earlier, teachers randomly selected eighth graders to fill roles in the re-enactment of the final journey of Jesus Christ, from his condemnation to death and burial. Reverence permeated the church as the eighth graders led us in prayer and song. The mystery of the Resurrection was apparent on the faces of our second and third graders when Mary Magdalene discovered the empty tomb. We are so thankful to our eighth graders and their teachers, Liz Hitt and Mary Pat Fox, for their hard work in preparing the students to teach us about the cornerstone of our faith: the hope of the Resurrection and reconciliation with God.

What do you get when you put several dozen seventh and eighth-grade students in a room with Chase Hawkins and Margaret Tazioli? If you answered 1500 bottles of water, you are correct. The students were organized in creating stations for tasks involved: filling, labeling, packing, and delivering the bottles to the Church of St. Mary, where our priests will bless them at the Easter Vigil to commemorate and reinforce the spiritual significance of baptism and rebirth. These bottles of Holy Water are sacramental, symbolizing spiritual cleansing and renewal in Christ’s life. We are grateful to our faith leaders and the children who accepted and executed this important task.

Respectfully

Kathy Thompson
Principal, School of St. Mary

It would not be Lent without a parish fish fry. We are so appreciative of Parents Association members, Tess Shenkel and Molly Sweeney, for organizing and executing a perfect social event for children, parents, grandparents, and guests. They converted the UGC gym into a joyful fish house filled with red checkered tablecloths, student-created artwork, dancers, fish, chips, mac and cheese, as well as beverages and desserts. Tess and Molly enlisted the assistance of parishioners and high school volunteers to prepare and deliver the food. Expecting to break down the tables and chairs on Monday morning, our maintenance team was amazed to find an immaculate gym!

Thank you, Daisy Troop 47923
Under the guidance of Kate Burke and Carey Connolly, Girl Scout Daisy Troop 47923 celebrated Earth Day by beautifying the Everett Road entrance of the Primary Grade Center. The troop donated six Knock Out rose bushes and assorted pansies. More importantly, the girls contributed their time and talents to cleaning the winter debris, planting the bushes, and creating a cheerful border of blooming pansies. Through this service project, they proudly earned their “Make the World a Better Place” and “Use Resources Wisely” petals. They also made our entrance more welcoming. We so appreciate their service. 

UPCOMING IMPORTANT DATES

• Friday, 4/18 - No School Good Friday
  Monday, 4/21 - No School Easter Monday
  Thursday, 4/24 - 4th/5th Grade Museum of Science and Industry Field Trip
  Thursday 4/24 - 7th Grade Carmel Discovery Day Field Trip
  Friday 4/25 - Middle School Dance

School News

Heart of a Crusader Award

The Heart of a Crusader Award recognizes students who demonstrate passionate faith, leadership, and dedication to serving others in ways that uplift and encourage. Recognized students embody the Crusader Creed values of respect, honesty, and responsibility and demonstrate a strong sense of mission and purpose. Congratulations to the April 2025 Nominees: 

Find out what traits they were nominated for and read their nomination on our website: Heart of a Crusader Nominees. Join us for Mass on April 29th (UGC) or April 30th (PGC) for the winner's announcement. 

Hallow Permission
The School of St. Mary is excited to be partnering with Hallow this year to provide a tool for spiritual guidance for faculty, staff, and students. Hallow is the #1 Catholic app and provides thousands of audio-guided sessions to listeners, covering a variety of prayer techniques, topics, and styles. In order to set up your child’s Hallow account, Hallow needs your permission. (The company complies with Federal COPPA guidelines, and you can read more about their privacy policy at hallow.com/privacy.) All classes in 2nd - 8th grade will be using Hallow, please sign the permission form HERE.
 

Summer Skills Workbooks
Order by April 25th for your student's current grade. $21 billed through FACTS: Order Workbooks

Student Activities

Crusader Summer Skills Program 
The School of St. Mary will offer two 3-week sessions of our Summer Skills program to rising Jr. K-5th graders for the 25-26 school year. Families can register for either one or both sessions. Join us this summer to focus on literacy, math, social studies/science, as well as some summer fun! Click here to learn more.

Register for Summer Skills

Preschool Crusader Camp
We are gathering interest in a Crusader Camp designed for children ages 2 1/2 (must have completed our Little Angels Program) through 5 years old who are enrolled at SOSM for the 2025-2026 school year. If you would be interested, please complete this form. 

Class of 2025

Graduate Feature - ACTION REQUIRED!
We will celebrate our students' upcoming graduation by featuring all of them on our social media channels and in the weekly newsletter. Please complete the Class of 2025 Feature Survey ASAP - even if you don't want your child shared on social media as some of the questions are for internal use only (i.e. bulletin boards). 

You can find past issues and all flyers shared on the Crusader Chronicle Drive. 

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