Principal's Weekly Update

Dear Families,

Even though Catholic Schools Week is coming to an end, we will continue the celebration and appreciation for our parish, families, teachers, community, vocations, and students. This week, our faculty and staff made many sacrifices to help make every experience memorable and formative for the students. These are the types of experiences that solidify the learning in the classroom, bringing the ideals of service and charity to life. For example, middle schoolers traveled to AABA Assisted Living on Wednesday's Community Day to spend time with the elderly. I am very impressed with the maturity of our middle schoolers as they shared conversation, served coffee and donuts, and even performed music for the residents. You can read more about this experience, and countless others below, for each day of Catholic Schools Week!

Lastly, we are very grateful for all the impressive work that our social media intern, Rosie Lacey, has provided to our school this month. We wish her the very best as she experiences traveling abroad in France. We can't wait to welcome her back in the summer!

Have a great weekend!

February 14th

• Ash Wednesday Mass at 12:10 p.m. (PreK-8)

February 19th - February 23rd

• February School Break

February 29th

• Coffee with the Principal at 8 a.m.

March 5th

• "Family: The First School" (Session 2) at 8 a.m.

March 6th

• Trimester 2 Grades Close (K2-8)

March 8th

• Special Someone Dance: 4 - 6 p.m.

Our school board members are among the most unseen, but extremely important members of the St. Mary's community. They are responsible for big-picture planning, such as directing the vision of St. Mary's, budgeting, discussing curriculum, and helping to develop a long-term plan for the school. Over the next few weeks, we will spotlight our incredible school board members.

Damien Leigh serves as Co-Chair of the St. Mary’s School Board. Additionally, he is a member of the parish finance council.

He is Senior Vice President, Direct to Consumer at New Balance. Damien looks after NB’s e-commerce, retail, marketplace, and social commerce businesses, globally. Additionally, he is responsible for digital product and engineering. He spent over ten years at Staples in a host of senior-level roles in retail, e-commerce, and sales. Damien has a proven track record as a strong general manager and leader who has led both growth and operational turnarounds.

Before leaving for New Balance, Damien was Senior Vice President and General Manager at Staples.com and Mid-Market. Prior to Staples, Damien worked for Bain and Company. He also served as a Captain in the United States Army. Damien has a BS in Engineering from West Point and an MBA from Dartmouth College (Tuck School of Business).

Damien has been a parishioner at St. Mary’s for 5 years and lives in Coolidge Corner with his wife Mary Jane, two sons, Matt and Andrew, and two dogs, Roxy and Roby. Additionally, Damien competed in the St. Mary's 5k Race and won his age group!

This past Wednesday evening Dr. Nadjarian, Mrs. Enrique, and Ms. DeLuca attended the State of the Catholic Schools Address at Boston College High School. The event was facilitated by Lynch and the Catholic Schools Support Network. School leaders gathered together to hear panelists share data-driven updates regarding academic growth and excellence, enrollment trends and needs, and talent recruitment and retention. Dr. Nadjarian and Mrs. Enrique were able to speak with Peter Lynch, president of the Lynch Foundation, pictured here, who has contributed so much to schools in Boston, including St. Mary's. What a memorable evening!

To kick off Catholic Schools Week on Sunday, we celebrated our parish by joining together for Mass at 11 a.m. We are so grateful that many of our students, families, and faculty were able to join us at Mass to begin this week of celebration. Thank you, Fr. Bobby, for a wonderful Mass and for all that you do to support our school. Thank you to our students, especially our volunteers, lectors, choir members, and altar servers - you all did amazing! Thank you to all of our families who came to Mass and who volunteered after Mass at our reception - we appreciate all that you bring to our school community. Thank you to our parish for creating a family for our school to be a part of. And finally, thank you to all of our faculty and staff who helped to make this day so special!

Families - you are the unsung heroes of our school community in all of the ways you support, encourage, and invest in your children. Thank you for entrusting us with your child's education and formation. On Monday, we invited families to join us for a school-wide Mass, celebrated by Fr. Bobby, followed by a parent reception. At the reception, Mr. Antonacci led a brief talk and group discussion explaining the role of parents as the primary educators of their children, and the difference it makes in the child's outlook towards learning. Through seeing the world with awe and wonder, families have a beautiful opportunity to help their children strive for virtue, constant growth, and true joy. This talk was the first of a monthly series with parents titled, "Family: The First School." Stay on the lookout for the date and time of next month's talk!

We are looking forward to continuing this conversation with our parents in the coming months so that we can provide our students with the best education possible. The next "Family: The First School" discussion will be on March 5th at 8 a.m. Thank you to all of the families who were able to join us on Monday, and to all the families who show our school so much love and support!

The St. Mary's teachers were celebrated on Tuesday by enjoying a catered lunch with a variety of subs, sides, and ice cream! Students loved dressing up in their "teacher's choice." Some teachers chose a "mismatch day" while others chose "pajama day." Below you will find photos of some of the fun outfits!

Our middle schoolers had the privilege of competing in the Faculty vs. Staff Basketball Game. This year, the staff team took the trophy! Our amazing teachers deserve the most, and we can never fully repay them for their constant dedication. Please express your gratitude to them next time you see them!

On Wednesday, students of all ages had opportunities to serve the greater community. Some of our youngest students wrote thoughtful notes and drew pictures for the middle schoolers to take with them to visit the AABA Assisted Living Community in West Roxbury. Upon arrival, our middle schoolers did not show up empty-handed! They came offering donuts, coffee, gift bags with St. Mary's swag, and meaningful conversation. Our students and faculty left feeling energized and filled with a sense of purpose. The elderly that they chatted with were begging our students to return as soon as possible for a second visit!

Meanwhile, Grade 3 students were able to deliver the food donations collected last week to the Brookline Food Pantry. They walked as a group to the pantry, carrying the school's donations, and even received a tour of the pantry once they arrived to see the process of distributing and collecting food for those in need. While some students delivered the food, other Grade 3 students organized the clothing the school received for the Boston Health Care for the Homeless drive.

Stemming from the Latin word "vocare," meaning "to call," a vocation is what each of us is called to in our lives. Students from Pre-K to Grade 8 took a deep dive into a variety of vocations. On a career and professional level, the younger grades learned about many different vocations, including police officers, doctors, and professors. Students loved being inspired by the many interesting and motivating careers! It was so fun seeing the students dressed up as what they hope to be when they grow up!

Our older students in grades 3-8 had the privilege of experiencing a Vocations Panel, consisting of Fr. Jonathan, Fr. Bobby, Deacon Minh, Ms. Kelsey, Dr. Tommy, and Dr. Nancy. Our 6 panelists, representing diocesan priesthood, religious life, the diaconate, and marriage, explained how God led them to their Vocation. They also gave students advice on how to discern their own calling in life: to be open to God's plan in their lives, to be generous in the little moments throughout the day, and to take their role as students seriously and to do that well! Afterward, students had the opportunity to speak with the panelists in small groups and ask them questions. Thank you panelists for your wisdom and inspiration!

On this last day of Catholic Schools Week, we celebrated the very life of our school: our students! Every one of our 200+ students brings their unique gifts, talents, and interests to St. Mary's, giving the school its character, and this deserves to be celebrated! One way the students were celebrated today was by enjoying a classroom movie day with a special snack cart from the office. As the snack cart traveled by each classroom, students chose from a variety of special treats, including juice boxes, fruit snacks, popcorn, Cheez-Its, and potato chips. We hope that these small treats can remind the students of our great appreciation for them!

Please find the links below to our social media pages. We have been constantly uploading posts and stories so if you are interested in seeing more of our day-to-day happenings, please follow us!

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/st-mary-of-the-assumption-school

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stmaryschoolbrooklinema

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stmaryschoolbrookline/