SMSA News and Events

 

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Events: January...  Noah's Ark Registration, priority registration for Noah's Ark for 2012-13 school year will begin after the New Year and run until Open House on January 29th. Please call Bev Kerpka 792-7402. "Month of Possibilities" WINNNG NUMBERS: 1/1: #519, 1/2: #664, 1/3: #458, 1/4: #961, 1/5: #160, 1/6: #620, 1/7: #510, 1/8: #405,  1/9: #197, 1/10: #268, 1/11: #000, 1/12: #807, 1/13: #777, 1/14: #529, 1/15: #497, 1/16: #948, 1/17: #676, 1/18: #626, 1/19: #536, 1/12: #662, 1/21: #685, 1/22: #983, 1/23: #491, 1/24: #530, 1/25: #390, 1/26: #947, 1/27: 454, 1/28: #475, 1/29: #844, 1/30: #257. Janaury 29th:  SMSA's Annual Open House. January 30-February 3rd: "Souper" Bowl weeks, SMSA helps tackle hunger by donating non perishable food items to benefit St. Mary's Food Pantry. February 3rd:  8:05 Mass @ St. Mary's Church.  February 3rd, 4th:  SMSA Community Players present "Annie" at Wood Theater. February 10:  Theme Mass 8:05 am at St. Mary's Church. February 11th:  SMSA's Gala Auction "Casablanca" 6 pm at the Queensbury Hotel. February 13th:  SMSA's School Board retreat off site. February 14th:  Dress Down Day. February 17th:  Middle School Students vs. facutly/staff volleyball game. February 20-24th:  NO SCHOOL; Winter Break. News: "Month of Possibilities" Raffle News:  Congratualtions to Raymondd Jones in Miss Goddard's 5th grade class.  Raymond sold a total of 71 raffle tickets to win three dress down days and five pizza lunches. Miss Goddard's class also won the prize for selling the most tickets, so they will enjoy a pizza lunch, ice cream and a dress down day. Mr. Miele won for the faculty and staff selling the most tickets, and will enjoy lunch with a friend at Rock Hill Bakery. GREAT JOB TO ALL! Recently eight grader, Brendan Bette and SMSA Band Director, Ted Firth, participated in two TubaChristmas events.  In early December they travelled to New York City to join 500 of their tuba playing friends to perform Christmas carols at Rockefeller Center.  Later in the month they perfomed with a group of 37 local musicians at Aviation Mall.  TubaChristmas is in it's 38th year and is clelbrated at 257 sitea around the world. SMSA's Community Players present "Annie":  Join us for this wonderful event either February 3rd or 4th for the 7 p.m. showing.  Tickets and reservations are available at the Wood's Theater Box Office, 874-0800 or online.  Hope to see you there. We are blessed to have four new wonderful teachers: Miss Jeanine Ouderkirk is our K-8 music teacher; Miss Rebecca Bachman is our new technology teacher; Miss Juliana Lanci is our new Middle School French and Spanish teacher, and Mr. Nick Grolley, the most recent teacher to join us; he will be teaching Middle School math.  If you see them in the hallway in the next few weeks please say hello and extend a warm welcome to our new SMSA family. SMSA'S Annual Gala Auction "Casablanca":  Please join for this wonderful evening of music, dancing, wonderful food and our famous live and silent auction....check the website calender for more details. Summer news:  We are thrilled to share some wonderful news; our very own 8th grader, Kayla Szekely, had another successful summer playing golf on the Northeast New York Junior Professional Golf Associations Tour. She won the sections Championship for the 13-15 year-old age group and the Junior PGA Tour Series player of the year!  This summer Kayla has played a total of 14 tournaments and has won 8 times!. Kayla has proudly earned an invitaion to next year's New York State Chamionship.       September 2009: St. Mary’s-St. Alphonsus Regional Catholic School in Glens Falls has been awarded accreditation by the Middle States Commission on Elementary Schools. Middle States accreditation is an internationally recognized symbol of quality in education. SMSA is the only elementary school in Warren and Washington counties to earn the accreditation.   SMSA Principal Kathryn Fowler said that the accreditation is “a terrific achievement and a testament to the expertise of our faculty and the spirit of our school.”   “As educators,” she said, “we know how engaged parents are in their children’s education -- and rightly so -- and this accreditation shows prospective and current parents that at SMSA we are who we say we are.”   SMSA is a regional elementary school (K-8) with day care and pre-K programs. It serves more than 300 children from throughout Warren, Washington and northern Saratoga counties.    The culmination of many years of work -- including the development of a strategic plan and a detailed self-study -- SMSA’s accreditation signifies that the school has met the Middle States Commission’s standards of quality. Those standards reflect current research and best practices in education.   In the fall of 2008, a visiting team of independently appointed educators visited SMSA for four days. Although the visiting team members did not make the final accreditation determination, they were responsible for providing the written report, which, along with the school’s self-study, served as the basis for the Commission’s decision. The decision was made at the Commission’s November meeting and sent to the school in December.   “We were optimistic about the outcome because the visiting team members were extremely enthusiastic during their visit,” Mrs. Fowler said.   During the intensive school visit, the team members studied every aspect of SMSA from its mission and academic program to its facilities and finances.    “… You are blessed with an incredible gift and that is your students,” the Middle States team members wrote in their exit report. “They love their school, they love their teachers, they are happy, they are safe, and they are blessed.”   The team’s lengthier final report contained commendations regarding many aspects of the school, including each area of its academic program. Singled out for particular praise were:        •  “interactive and engaging lessons” in science;      •   “a variety of instructional strategies utilized to assist both the struggling and gifted students” in reading and English Language Arts;      •  efforts to “enable all students to solve complex problems and to develop talents which are essential qualities in superior leaders and reflective thinkers” in math; and      •  the promotion of “constructive thinking and free analysis” in social studies.                           Team members wrote that they found a “very healthy environment present within the school where faculty and students interact in a positive way. Respect for one another was always evident. There is a very wholesome and Christian atmosphere present.”   Team members also commended the school for “believing in the unique gifts of each of its students and fostering the love of God in their daily lives.”   The Commission on Elementary Schools is one of three accrediting commissions of the more than 100-year-old Middle States Association, one of the oldest regional accreditors in the U.S. Its other two commissions work with secondary schools and colleges.   SMSA is a regional elementary school (Kindergarten - Grade 8) with day care and pre-K programs. It serves more than 300 children from throughout Warren, Washington and northern Saratoga counties. The Middle School Association’s website list of currently accredited elementary schools (public, private or parochial) in Warren and Washington counties includes only SMSA.