Saint Peter School Newsletter

Picture of the week: our sixth graders working diligently on their math in the first week of school! Mr. Burns can be seen in the background keeping them motivated!

Welcome back to Saint Peter School for the 2025-2026 school year! We are so glad to have you all back! I often say that, while the summer is a time when planning goes more smoothly, emails get quicker replies, and projects can be executed, the "job" of administrating a school feels very hollow without the students. Now that our halls are filled with students again, now that we can see the joy on their faces, it's easier to remember why we do this work. That comes with a significant pickup in pace, but it feels "right" to be back in the swing.

And "back in the swing" we are! This is a big year for Saint Peter School in a lot of ways:

• Our 125th anniversary of the school's founding
• Record enrollment of 214 (and counting! Thanks Ms. Burns and all of you for word-of-mouth advertising) students
• Record teacher retention
• Record financial aid offered
• First Communion, First Reconciliation, and Confirmation all offered at SPS this year
• New textbooks in Science and in Spanish
• New PA co-chairs and new events

There are also a number of big challenges facing us as a community, as a nation, and as a world. It almost sounds silly to address these topics together, but they have all been top-of mind this summer:

• Much-needed facilities updates and repairs at our school and parish
• Extraordinary violence against students in Minnesota
• The challenges of AI and how they might affect the nature of learning

While we have taken steps to protect ourselves from these issues including: Repairs to some critical systems, cooperation with the local police to improve our security protocols and to get a patrol placed outside of our masses on Thursday, and educating our teachers about AI. There is still much work to be done. I will share more information about each of these projects, and many others, as the school year goes along. I welcome input and dialogue; ideas are always welcome!

One ask for everyone: I hope that you will join me this year in doing one thing that we all can do to help with each of these challenges: strengthen our community. Let's work together to create a school and broader community where we focus on common goals, avoid fractiousness, challenge ourselves to pursue excellence without shortcuts, create a community where people are seen and known, and where we work together to support our young people in any way we can. If we do this, I am convinced that we will affect not just our students, but our broader community as well.

We are so excited to share this year with all of you! Welcome back to Saint Peter School!

Parents are welcome to attend all masses throughout the school year. For security reasons, everyone must enter the church through the Concord Avenue door (the others will be locked) and will be greeted by a member of the parish staff. There may be a chance a police officer will be parked outside of the church during mass.

• If you arrive on time (before 8:00am) please drop-off as usual.
• If you arrive after 8:00am, children should be directed to the main office and will be walked over to the church.
• If you arrive after 8:15am), your child will need to wait by the main office until mass is over.

Our K1/K2 classes will join us for mass in about one month!

Please review the pickup and drop-off procedures outlined in the Family Handbook, section 2.2. Special care should be taken to follow our safety regulations including:

• Dropping off students only in dedicated zones
• Staying in your car
• Scheduling meetings with teachers rather than having long conversations at pickup
• Not parking on the school hill or on the main road (you may get a ticket for this!)

If you have recently received an email from the Nurse's office, please respond immediately. It is against policy to keep students in attendance at the school if they have not submitted health records to the nurse's office. Please contact nurse@saint-peter-school.org to avoid an interruption to your student's attendance!

Lunch account process steps:

1. Log in to the Facts Family Portal.

2. Enter the district code: SPE-MA.

3. Once logged in, select "FINANCIAL" from the menu on the left.

4. Click the "Add Funds" button for the current school year.

5. Specify the amount you wish to add to the lunch account and follow the prompts to complete the process. We suggest $50-$100 per student to start the year, depending on how often you think your child will have school lunch.

Please note that the lunch balance will be reduced as your child eats school lunch, though updates to the balance may occur approximately twice a month. You will receive a notification to add funds when the balance goes below $25.

Please join me in welcoming two staff members to our school this year!

Ms. Sri Neeharika Kelam (Who goes by "Neeha") is our new science teacher for grades 6-8 and technology teacher for grades 5-8. Ms. Kelam has an MS in STEM education, and most recently taught at Seacoast Classical Academy in Newton, NH. We are excited to bring Ms. Kelam onto our staff (and on such short notice) and hope that you will welcome her and give her some time to settle in.

Mrs. Carolyn Prucher (pronounced "Pru-ker") is our new school nurse. She and Nurse Sheila have been working closely together for the last few weeks getting the health office set up and Carolyn settled. Carolyn joins us from a career as a nurse at Mass General, and is excited to be working in a school environment. Please join me in welcoming Nurse Prucher to our staff!

On behalf of the Parent Association, we’re excited to welcome back all our returning families and extend a special greeting to those who are new to our community this year.

Please save the date:

Join us for our first PA meeting on Wednesday, September 10th at 8:00 AM. All parents are welcome to attend— let’s kick off a wonderful year of connection and community!

Throughout the year, the Parents Association will be organizing a variety of events to bring our community together. We look forward to a wonderful year filled with connection and collaboration.

Marie and Mandy – Co-Chairs, SPS Parents Association

Connect with us as: st.peters.cambridge.ma@gmail.com

Other parent association meetings (all take place in the lower parish hall) this year include:

• September 10th § PA Meeting | 8:00am-8:45am meeting
• November 5th § PA Meeting | 8:00am-8:45am meeting
  
• Jan. 7th § PA meeting | 8:00am-8:45am meeting
  
• March 4th § PA Meeting | 8:00am-8:45am meeting
  
• May 6th § PA Meeting | 8:00am-8:45am meeting

Connect Cafe:

The other months when there is no PA meeting, we would like to try a new concept: "SPS Connect Cafe". Very simply, a time for parents to grab a coffee, enjoy a moment to connect, chat, meet some fellow parents, take care of PA business informally - all of this in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere and after dropping the kids to school. Come and go event - stay for 10mn or an hour!

• October 1st § SPS Connect Café (Pilot) | 7:15am – 8:30am

• December 3rd § SPS Connect Café | 7:15am – 8:30am
• Feb. 4th § SPS Connect Café | 7:15am – 8:30am
• April 1st § SPS Connect café | 7:15am – 8:30am
• June 3rd § SPS Connect café | 7:15am – 8:30am

We’re thrilled to share this special video (link below) featuring our very own Gregory Cooper, Class of 2018, who’s now a senior guard on Harvard University’s Men’s Basketball team. In the clip, Greg—who grew up in Cambridge and developed his academic and basketball skills right here at St. Peter School—talks about his deep roots in the community, his desire to give back, and his appreciation of the support of his St. Peter School fan base. We can’t wait to cheer Greg on as he takes the court for his senior season at Harvard. Stay tuned—details about a special SPS outing to a Harvard men’s basketball game are coming soon!

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DOJX_tUDoq9/?igsh=ZHdqd3RtMm1hcjVo

Please note: we are currently in the process of fixing the fan that drives the hood over the stove, the result is that cooking hot food is not possible without creating a hazard for our workers in the kitchen. We are actively discussing with vendors and working on a solution. Right now, chef Doug is focusing on providing high-quality cold meals, including two different types of sandwiches, a vegetarian option (this week is was Hummus and tabbouleh pita sandwiches) and our usual salad bar. It is also possible that he will use the kitchen in the Convent Building, but this adds logistical hurdles for him and Mr. Daley. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience with us!

Join us on Wednesday, September 10, 2025 from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm for the Back To School BBQ. The PA will be selling used uniforms "fill up a bag for $25".

Cupcakes and CAPITOL Gains - The 8th Grade Bake Sale Bonanza!

Our entrepreneurial 8th graders will be selling sweet treats at the Back-to-School BBQ to support their Class of 2026 Washington, D.C. trip with a Bake Sale Bonanza! Come for the BBQ, stay for the brownies—and don’t forget to bring cash, an appetite, and maybe a toothbrush. Every cookie sold gets them one crumb closer to the Capitol. Let’s turn cupcakes into capital gains... and possibly a dentist appointment or two.

September 19th at 5:30pm starting in the lower parish hall. This is our annual academic welcome night for families. Parents can come to the school to learn about their student's classes, teachers, and academic plan for the year. Teachers will give short presentations across several sessions to make it easier for families with multiple children at the school to see more classrooms.

At a later date Grade 8th parents will have a scheduled Zoom call that covers the Spanish exchange trip, Washington D.C., etc.

The SPS Parent Association invites you to join us for a blooming good time at our SPS Flower Arranging Class, led by the talented Alba Muñoz Reig, mom of Micaela (2nd) and Mateo (K2)! Whether you're a floral fanatic or just need a night out, this is a perfect chance to unwind, get creative, and connect with other SPS parents.

Details:

• Thursday, September 25th at 6:00 PM in the SPS Cafeteria

• Suggested donation: $25. Proceeds will benefit the PA Sunshine Fund, helping us bring a little extra cheer to our amazing teachers all year long.

• Flowers generously donated by Trader Joe’s.

• We love kids but this is a Parents-Only event.

• Just bring yourselves! Light appetizers and refreshments will be served.

Please let us know if you will be attending so we can plan accordingly.

PA Co-Chairs:

Marie Strok (mcstrok@yahoo.com)

Mandy Sennott (mandywinnie13@gmail.com)

Please note: calendar dates are also available on our school website and are updated continuously.

These links will remain the same each week, please use them as needed!

This year, due to security concerns, we will not be sharing our student mass schedule publicly. However, keep an eye on your homeroom teacher newsletter to know when your student(s) will be helping to lead the mass. We apologize for the inconvenience that this causes.