Catholic Schools Week

Presented by second-grade teacher Carol Teitz, this coffee will focus on how simple routines, organization, and consistent expectations help young children build confidence and independence. Parents will learn practical, age-appropriate strategies for supporting responsibility and structure at home, helping first-grade students develop habits that lay the foundation for long-term academic and personal growth.

This Parent Coffee is designed for families and focuses on how curiosity, routines, and accountability support growing independence. Parents will learn how responsibility is gradually introduced throughout the year and how to encourage confidence and ownership at home as students prepare for the upper grades.

A gentle, practical conversation for young families on guiding children’s early relationship with technology through healthy boundaries and balance. Led by SRO Mark Long and experts from the Lake Forest police Department.

Learn how Artificial Intelligence is thoughtfully integrated into our Christ-centered STEAM program to support curiosity, ethical reflection, and joyful learning. Presented by Joe Byers. 

Explore how intentional play supports emotional growth, confidence, and joyful learning—strengthening the roots of healthy development in early childhood.

Preparing for the Next Branch is a Lunch & Learn panel featuring local high school admissions leaders. As part of Catholic Schools Week, this discussion will offer parents insight into the high school transition, including what schools look for in incoming students and how families can support their child’s continued growth. A light lunch will be provided. 

Participating Schools: Lake Forest High School, Carmel Catholic High School, Loyola Academy, Lake Forest Academy, Woodlands Academy

Explore how executive functioning skills like organization, planning, and self-regulation support independence, confident learning, and academic success—giving children the tools they need to branch out with purpose.

Learn how growing independence and executive functioning skills prepare students for success as they transition to the Upper Grade Center.

As part of Catholic Schools Week, 8th-grade families are invited to a Parent Coffee featuring an alumni panel focused on the transition to high school. SOSM graduates—now freshmen through seniors at Loyola Academy, Lake Forest High School, Lake Forest Academy, Carmel Catholic, Northridge Preparatory School, and Woodlands Academy—will share their experiences, insights, and reflections. This conversation offers reassurance and perspective as students prepare for their next chapter rooted in faith and confidence.

Join us for a special First Grade Showcase celebrating the joy of learning and discovery. Rooted in curiosity and creativity, our first graders will proudly present their imaginative planet projects. During your visit, you’ll also have the opportunity to meet our new music teacher, Mrs. Blomeke, and attend a music class to see how the arts enrich our students’ academic and faith-filled formation.

The showcase will begin immediately following the Parent Coffee. Parents who are not attending the coffee should arrive at 9:45 a.m. The morning will conclude by 11 a.m.
 

Parents are invited to join our fourth graders as they share original poetry and participate in a Spanish class featuring our new curriculum. This showcase highlights student voice, creativity, and language learning—rooted in faith and community.

Parents are invited to join us for the School of St. Mary Spelling Bee, where top spellers from each grade showcase academic excellence, focus, and confidence. This event celebrates strong language skills and the joy of learning—rooted in faith and community.

We are excited to welcome families to our Junior Kindergarten classrooms for a joyful morning that celebrates creativity, confidence, and the foundations of learning.

Showcase Experiences:

• Mrs. Kalinowski’s Class: Families will visit a Junior Kindergarten Art Museum, where student artwork is proudly displayed and celebrated in a gallery-style experience highlighting joyful self-expression.
• Mrs. Ubl’s Class: Families will begin with a hands-on classroom experience alongside their child, followed by a collaborative art activity where parents and students create together.

The showcase will conclude by 11:00 a.m., offering families a meaningful glimpse into daily life in Junior Kindergarten and the strong foundation being built for future learning.

Celebrate the joy of learning at our Growing in Joy: Kindergarten Showcase, part of Catholic Schools Week and our theme Rooted in Faith & Community. Parents will experience kindergarten learning through movement and language, with classroom activities varying by homeroom. The morning concludes with our beloved Kindergarten Nursery Rhyme Performance, a joyful tradition that showcases students' confidence, creativity, and growth.

Join us for a joyful celebration of faith and learning as our upper-grade students come together for the UGC Religion Bee. Students in grades 4–8 will work as teams to share their knowledge of our Catholic faith, reflecting the strong spiritual foundation that unites our school community.

Parents and guests are warmly invited to attend and support our students as they grow in confidence, joy, and understanding. Please sign in at the reception desk upon arrival.

The Little Angels Showcase invites families to experience a joyful preschool morning during Catholic Schools Week. Parents will join their child for music, storytime, and a craft, offering a meaningful look at how learning, faith, and community begin taking root for our youngest learners.

Tuesday/Thursday students are warmly invited to join in on this special day!
 

The Shining Saints PreK-3 Showcase invites families to experience a morning of learning, movement, and creativity during Catholic Schools Week. Parents will join their child for hands-on classroom activities that highlight how early learning, faith, and community are being nurtured as we fortify the roots of education.

Our school community will come together at St. Patrick Church for Wednesday’s All-School Mass, a cornerstone event of Catholic Schools Week. Joined by our kindergarten students, learners from across the school will gather in prayer to strengthen the roots of our shared faith.

This collective act of worship reflects the foundation that unites us—faith in Christ, reverence for tradition, and a commitment to growing together as a community rooted in purpose and love.

Fortifying the Roots invites 6th-grade parents to experience how faith, curiosity, and learning grow together in middle school. Parents will explore their child's science projects and join them in class to experience our new Spanish curriculum, offering a meaningful glimpse into the strong foundations being built in 6th grade.

The 7th Grade Science Fair invites families to explore student-driven scientific inquiry during Catholic Schools Week. Through hands-on projects and presentations, students showcase how curiosity, critical thinking, and discovery are taking root in their middle school learning journey.

The Geography Bee brings students together to showcase their knowledge of geography and global connections during Catholic Schools Week. This engaging academic competition highlights how learning, curiosity, and confidence continue to grow as we fortify the roots of middle school education.

Second grade families are invited to a faith-filled morning celebrating service, reflection, and new learning. During this Catholic Schools Week showcase, students and parents will rotate through activities connected to the Letters to God project, create blessing bags for Catholic Charities, and participate in an in-person Spanish lesson. Together, students show how being rooted in faith empowers them to branch out in compassion and service.

Career Day at the Upper Grade Center helps students explore how faith, interests, and talents can shape meaningful careers. Through conversations with professionals across a variety of fields, students learn how their gifts can be used to serve others and strengthen the wider community as they branch out toward the future.

Students may wear Crusader Wear today with school-appropriate bottoms if they bring $1 to be donated to Catholic Charities.

On Crusader Wear Days, students can wear any SOSM t-shirt, sweatshirt, or jersey with appropriate skirts, shorts, or pants. Skirts that come to 2 inches above the knee are the appropriate length. SOSM Pajama bottoms or sweats, athletic wear (not leggings), skirts, or jeans without holes may be worn. No slides, flip flops, slippers, or fashion boots.

Students who do not wish to participate should wear their uniforms.

Following Parent Coffee, families are invited to gather in the gym at 9:45 a.m. for the 3rd Grade March Through Time, where students showcase the historical figures they have researched. After the march, parents will return to the classrooms to enjoy student biography presentations. This experience highlights the fruits of research, confidence, and communication skills nurtured through faith-filled learning. The morning concludes before 11 a.m.

Immediately following Parent Coffee, families are invited to celebrate our 8th graders during their final Catholic Schools Week at School of St. Mary. Students will showcase original inventions created to solve real-world problems, along with STEAM boats demonstrating hands-on engineering and collaboration. Guests will also experience math learning with our new math teacher as students rotate to participate in both activities. This showcase highlights the growth, innovation, and confidence that continue to bear fruit as students prepare for their next chapter.

This spirited matchup celebrates the confidence, teamwork, and sense of belonging our third graders have developed as their learning continues to grow. With classmates, teachers, and families gathered together, the game is a fun reminder that the fruits of a faith-filled education are found not only in the classroom, but in shared moments of laughter and community.

We close Catholic Schools Week with one of our most cherished traditions—the 8th Grade vs. Faculty Volleyball Game, a joyful celebration of growth, gratitude, and community as our oldest students mark their final Catholic Schools Week at School of St. Mary.

Rooted in faith and strengthened by years of learning, our 8th graders take the court alongside faculty in a spirited match that reflects the relationships, memories, and experiences that have shaped them. The event concludes with the Tuition Raffle drawing, bringing our community together in excitement and anticipation.

This beloved tradition is a fitting finale to a week centered on Bearing Fruit—honoring how far our students have come and celebrating the faith, friendships, and foundation that will continue to guide them forward.