Latest School News
Introduction
Upcoming Events
- January 29, 2012Catholic Schools Week
- January 29, 2012 10:00 amSt. Mary School Open House
- January 30, 2012 5:00 pmBoys Basketball
- January 31, 2012Benediction
- February 2, 2012 5:00 pmBoys Basketball
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Open House January 29, 2012 (10 a.m. – 2 p.m.)
A gift to our Catholic community…Our Catholic Schools! Attend our St. Mary School OPEN HOUSE on Sunday, January 29th from 10am-2pm to learn about the wonderful spiritual and academic opportunities for students Kindergarten through 8th grade. It’s never too early or too late to consider a Catholic education for your children- let us show you the Catholic school difference
Top 10 Reasons to Send Your Child to St. Mary School
10. Extracurricular activities to enhance your child’s interests & talents in many areas
9. One of the lowest tuition rates among Catholic schools in Central Ohio
8. To be a part of the Catholic tradition, academic excellence and faith-based community that has been a part of Lancaster since 1840
7. Our Commitment to using Technology to enhance education
6. A Curriculum that offers music, fitness, and enrichment opportunities (including an after school Spanish program)
5. An Exceptional Faculty Committed to your Child’s Success
4. To be Prepared for the next step in their Catholic Education at Fisher Catholic High School (which is in the top 6% of all Ohio High Schools and #1 in Fairfield County)*
3. A Safe and Caring Catholic Environment where all individuals are valued
2. An Emphasis on Moral development, Service to the Community and preparing future Leaders
And the # 1 Reason to send your child to St. Mary School…
1. Because what our children Believe is just as important as what they know
*Based on Ohio High School graduation tests
St. Mary School Cafe Newsletter
St. Mary School Café – 2012 Newsletter
A Happy & Healthy New Year wish to all St. Mary school families.
In light of a few recent questions / comments regarding school lunch policies and procedures I am resubmitting the information below and have included updated information in bold print for your review.
The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) sets the guidelines for us to follow; we participate in the Offer vs. Serve program that requires us to provide 5 food items daily
(protein, grain, fruit, vegetable, milk). In addition, we are required to meet standards for calories, fat, vitamins and minerals. In order for the lunch to be considered “reimbursable” the student must take at least 3 of these items. Quite often, the entrée is considered a combination food that offers two or more of these food groups. Portion sizes per age group are also dictated through NSLP and are quite substantial. Most days, two or more fruits and vegetables are offered. It is our hope that by offering a selection, at least one fruit and one vegetable will appeal to the students.
Senate Bill 210, effective July, 2011, states schools must make water available in or near the lunchroom. Water is available via the cafeteria water fountain for students opting to not take milk.
We encourage students to select a well balanced lunch; it is our intent to offer a wide selection of healthy foods for their choosing. Please take time to review the school lunch menu with your child in advance. By promoting a healthy lifestyle we hope to contribute to a successful learning environment and help reverse the many illnesses plaguing our children today.
Changes have been implemented over the past two (three) years including, but not limited to the following:
- Adopted a policy of oven baked only; no deep fried foods.
- All bread/grain products are whole grain. A variety of whole grains to be offered.
- Fresh fruits / vegetables served when available / cost effective
- Canned fruits in natural juice / light syrup
- Salad dressing light / low fat
- Less highly processed food items offered
- Butter / Salt used in moderation
Our food vendor, GFS, is offering healthier choices, including chicken products
( nuggets, fingers, patties) made with all white meat and whole grain coating, pizza with whole grain crust and reduced fat cheese and pepperoni and breakfast sausage made of turkey to lower saturated fat. In addition, most products purchased today are “reduced sodium” and all are trans fat free.
2011/12 Updates to menu:
*As an alternative choice, a chef salad is offered daily in place of the daily entrée. It is comprised of mixed greens, spinach, variety of salad veggies and choice of diced turkey, chicken or ham, cheese & hard boiled egg toppings, with low fat dressing of choice. This is the Lunch “B” option.
**In lieu of our hot lunch is the option of a brown bag lunch made fresh daily. Choices here are:
-Peanut butter & jelly sandwich on whole wheat bread
-Sliced reduced sodium turkey & cheese sandwich on whole wheat bread
-Bagel & Peanut Butter cup
Carrots/Celery Sticks & ranch dip, string cheese, fresh fruit (when available) or orange juice cup, boxed raisins and milk are included.
***Fresh fruits & vegetables will be offered as often as possible when available; due to the fluctuating cost & availability of fresh fruits & vegetables, the daily menu may be altered to accommodate these conditions.
****Students may purchase a second entrée or food item; costs will be listed in the cafeteria daily based on the food items. (The average cost of an additional entrée is $1 and the average cost of an additional side dish is $0.50.)This is available only to student’s purchasing a student lunch. No lunch a la carte is offered.
Senate Bill 210, July, 2011, now includes dietary guidelines for “extras” sold to students through the school cafeteria.
*****With the passage of Senate Bill 210 in July, we have revamped our Extra’s list to offer healthier snack items following the Healthier Food Alliance. All food items listed on our “extras” board meet the Healthier Food Alliance criteria.
After analyzing each “extra” item through the online food calculator in the Alliance for Healthier Foods, we have replaced the vanilla ice cream with frozen yogurt and sugar cookies with a “healthy choice” chocolate chip cookie, to name a few. Fruit/yogurt parfaits, fruit smoothies and fresh fruit (apples, oranges, grapes & bananas) are offered when available.
Café policy allows all students to purchase extras; students are NOT allowed to purchase “extras” for their lunch…. they must purchase a school lunch or bring a packed lunch from home. Extras are intended to be purchased as additional food items available to students after they eat their school or home packed lunch. Prices for extras are posted daily in the cafeteria.
Please feel free to contact me in person or via email with any questions or comments regarding our school lunch program and to discuss volunteering opportunities in the St. Mary School Irish Café.
Best Wishes in 2012,
Jenny Smurdon
Cafeteria Mgr.
Read MoreThursday Thoughts January 26, 2012
Thursday Thoughts
January 26, 2012
Carlton Rider
Principal
In this week’s Thursday folder there is a newsletter from Jenny Smurden, our cafeteria manager, giving important information concerning the types of food being served in our cafeteria as regards the guidelines set by The National School Lunch Program as well as the new state guidelines. Ever since Mrs. Smurden became manager of our cafeteria a couple of years ago she has been making changes to our lunch menu that have made it possible for our students and staff to eat more nutritious foods which are lower in sodium, contain more fruit and vegetables and are lower in fat content. This, as I said, has been done over the past several months and our students have commented about the changes in a positive way. This change has been reflected in the increase in number of students who buy their lunches on a daily basis. There has been much on the news lately concerning the types of foods served in school cafeterias and how changes have been and will be made in the coming months to make lunches more nutritious in our schools. Please know that we at St. Mary’s have been serving lunches well within the guidelines of The National School Lunch Program and state regulations. I thank Mrs. Smurden for taking the lead in providing our students, faculty, and staff with very healthful lunches and menus that offer a variety of foods.
Don’t forget that this weekend is our annual Open House where student work will be showcased, information about various student organizations, along with activities that involve our Home and School Association and Advisory Board. Tours of both our primary and main buildings will be available along with information packets. The Open House will be between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. This is a perfect opportunity for current as well as perspective families to get an inside look at our school. Registration for the 2012/2013 school year will take place between February 21st through March 9th. More information will be posted on our website as regards registration in the near future.
Read MoreSt. Joseph Dance
It’s back! Our 3rd annual Father-Daughter Dance will be on Saturday, March 24th, in the Spirit Center immediately following 5:30pm mass. This dance is held each year near the Feast of St. Joseph to honor our fathers! All Kindergarten through 5th grade girls are invited to bring their dad (or another favorite adult) and enjoy age-appropriate and fun tunes, snacks, fellowship and foot stompin-fun! Mark your calendars and stay tuned for more details!
Read MoreConfirmation Prep Session III
Read More
Just a reminder that our third and final Confirmation Preparation Session will be this Sunday, 29 January from 10-11AM in the Spirit Center. Parents and Candidates – Please be faithful in attending. Our Confirmation Retreat for the Candidates, will be Sunday, 5 February from 9AM – 2PM. We will be going to Holy Mass, so please dress appropriately. Questions? Contact Brian McCauley: bmccauley@stmarylancaster.org
Thursday Thoughts January 19, 2012
A few things to share with you that may or may not pertain to you or your child.
First, if you have a child in our current 8th grade class and your child will be attending Fisher Catholic High School next year you may be eligible for the Shelly Strigle Memorial Scholarship. In 1987 Shelly Strigle’s parents and friends established a fund in order to perpetuate her name and memory. This scholarship is to partially cover tuition to attend Fisher Catholic High School. The requirements for the Strigle Scholarship are different from the other scholarships through the Fairfield County Foundation. Only one recommendation letter is requested from either the child’s principal, assistant principal, one of their teachers or guidance counselor. A copy of the student’s grade card and an income statement for household (W- 2) and number of siblings are required. No FAFSA is needed or ACT/SAT scores are required. Information has been made available to our current 8th grade students. If you have not received word about this scholarship and are interested in obtaining information, please call the school office (740-654-1632) for more information.
We also have information in our school office concerning OWjL. OWjL is a week-long residential summer camp for gifted and talented students currently in the 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. It is held in June on the campus of Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio. Applications must be postmarked by January 30, 2012. For more information, please contact our school office.
Tuition assistance is available through the Diocese of Columbus Tuition Assistance Fund for the 2012-2013 school year. All applications must be done online (www.factstuitionaid.com) and submitted electronically by March 15, 2012. You must be registered in one of the Diocesan schools by March 15, 2012. The Diocese will only accept online applications submitted by March 15, 2012. There is a $25.00 application fee that must accompany the application and only one application is required per family. For further details, please contact our school office.
Read MoreThursday Thoughts January 12, 2012
Dear Parents and Guardians,
Several years ago a country singer by the name of Kenny Rogers came out with a song called The Gambler. I can remember the lyrics saying something about knowing when to fold, a gambling term meaning knowing when to drop out of the game. Not that I’m a big gambler or anything like that, but during the past few weeks my wife and I have been discussing the future, and after much prayer and thought, have decided that the time has come to step down as principal of St. Mary School. This past Wednesday, I sent Fr. Eilerman my letter of resignation effective at the end of the school year.
I have been very blessed over the years to have been able to surround myself with people truly dedicated to Catholic education. Among those are my own family; those who have served as pastors and associate pastors here at St. Mary parish; our office staff; a dedicated and professional faculty and staff; those who have served and currently are serving on our school Advisory Board and Home and School Association; and those involved in our Junior High Athletic Department, to name just a few. These people have been sources of support and encouragement throughout my tenure as principal.
In a special way I want to thank you, our parents, for entrusting your children to us as we work with you in providing a solid spiritual and academic foundation that will enable your child to be successful in life. I realize the tremendous sacrifice you continue to make in providing your child with the opportunity of a Catholic education and appreciate the support you have given me over the years.
For now, thank you and God Bless!
In Christ,
Carlton Rider
Principal
