Principal's Weekly Newsletter

Dear Families,

This past October, our middle school students participated in the annual Patriot’s Pen Essay Contest, sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). Open to students in grades 6–8, the contest invites young writers to reflect on patriotism and what it means in their own lives. This year’s theme, “How Are You Showing Patriotism and Support for Our Country?”, provided a meaningful opportunity for students to express their ideas and values. All essays begin at the local VFW Post level, with the opportunity to advance to District, State, and National competitions.

Three of our middle school students, Vibha, Griffin and Lola, entered the contest, and we are proud to share that each received an award at the Post level in December. Sixth grader, Lola, earned first place at both the Post and District levels and was invited to attend the annual Patriot’s Pen and Voice of Democracy Banquet on Sunday, February 15th, in Sturbridge, where the state winners were announced.

The formal banquet included an honor guard procession, invocation, recognition of the Missing Man Table, dinner, and the presentation of awards. We are thrilled to announce that Lola’s essay earned second place in the state! She was escorted to the podium by a member of the honor guard and presented with her award by the State Commander, State Auxiliary President, Patriot’s Pen Chair, and Auxiliary Scholarships Chair.

In addition to her District award, Lola received a special recognition from Boston’s Commissioner of Veterans Affairs, Robert Santiago. She was also presented with commemorative coins from both his office and Mayor Wu’s in honor of Lola representing District 5, which includes the City of Boston.

It was truly a special afternoon for Lola and her family. Congratulations, Lola, on representing District 5 and St. Mary’s School with such distinction! Congratulations also to Lola on winning over $500 throughout her participation in this contest! Many thanks to Dedham VFW Post 2017 and Commander Steve Ruggiero for introducing our students to this meaningful opportunity. We look forward to participating again next year!

February 27

• 5-8 Girls Basketball Game at 3:30 p.m. at Mother Caroline Academy

February 28

• 3-4 Basketball Game at St. Columbkille at 1:00 p.m.

• 5-8 Girls Basketball Game at St. Columbkille at 2:00 p.m.

• 5-6 Boys Basketball Game at St. Columbkille at 3:00 p.m.

March 1

• Re-Enrollment Paperwork Due

• 3-4 Basketball Game at Our Lady's Academy at 2 p.m.

March 6

• 3-4 Basketball Game at Holy Name at 6 p.m.

• 5-6 Boys Basketball Game at Mount Alvernia at 7 p.m.

March 10

• Touring Tuesday

• State of the School at 5 p.m.

March 13

• Trimester 2 Grades Close (K2-8)

• 3-4 Basketball Game at Holy Name at 6 p.m.

March 16

• St. Mary's Band plays the National Anthem at the Celtic's game

March 19

• No EDP

• Parent Teacher Conferences Grade K2-8

• Trimester 2 Report Cards Released (K2-8)

March 20

• No School (Infant-Grade 8)

• Parent Teacher Conferences and Professional Development

March 23

• No School (Infant-Grade 8) - Pastor's Day

March 26

• Grade 5 Middle School Preview at 2:30

• Evening at the Brookline Booksmith

March 27

• Progress Reports Released (PreK-K1)

April 2

• No EDP (Infant-Grade 8) - Holy Thursday

April 3

• No School (Infant-Grade 8) - Good Friday

This Thursday, we hosted students from Boston University Academy (BUA) for their first tutoring session during EDP. We welcomed ten BUA students, all of whom take most or all of their classes at Boston University, where they receive college credit. The students were accompanied by two BUA teachers, Erin and Mark, who were also eager to share their knowledge with our students. Everyone was excited to meet our scholars and quickly dove into the chaotic fun that is EDP.

We were also thrilled to have a St. Mary’s alumna, Emilia, join the team to help tutor the children. When I spoke with the BUA students, many shared their passion for working with children in the future. Sarah, Class of 2028, said that her goal in volunteering with our students is to “build her leadership skills and learn how to communicate with young children,” as she plans to become a teacher. Emilia, also Class of 2028, shared that her goal “is to broaden [her] experiences with kids because [she] has a joy for teaching and love[s] spending time with kids and sharing Christ’s love and joy with them.”

The BUA team worked with children of all ages at EDP, focusing primarily on building relationships with our students during this first session. I am excited to see and share all that we will accomplish through this new partnership, which we are so proud to offer to our families who participate in EDP on Thursdays.

All families have until this Sunday, March 1 to complete the re-enrollment packet using the FACTS/SIS Family Portal. If the re-enrollment packet is not submitted by March 1st, your family's enrollment status will be considered withdrawn for the 2026-2027 academic year. If you are in need of financial assistance, please reach out to Dr. Nadjarian (cnadjarian@stmarys-brookline.org) and Ms. Gloria Reyes (greyes@stmarys-brookline.org) to schedule a meeting.

If you have already informed us that your family will not be re-enrolling, we ask that you still log into the FACTS/SIS Family Portal and select the "Will Not Re-enroll" option.

Please save the date for a special evening: St. Mary’s Casino Night on Friday, May 8!

Join us for a fun evening featuring food, drinks, casino-style games, and time to enjoy the company of fellow parents and friends of our school community. This exciting event will be a wonderful way for us to come together while supporting the many opportunities and experiences we provide for our students.

More details and ticket information will be shared soon. We hope you’ll mark your calendars and plan to join us!

Our school community gathered together on Wednesday for Mass to mark the beginning of Lent, a meaningful way to reunite after February break and refocus our hearts and minds for the season ahead. It was a beautiful opportunity for students and staff to pray together and reflect on the importance of faith during Lent. On Friday, we continued our Lenten journey with a full-school Stations of the Cross, where students participated in remembering Christ’s path to the Cross. These shared experiences have set a thoughtful and prayerful tone for the weeks ahead as we walk through Lent together as one community.

Our Winter Wonderland Dance was a magical evening for students in PreK through Grade 2! Children joined together with their parents, guardians, and other special adults for an evening full of dancing, games, and tasty treats. The excitement and laughter filled the room as families celebrated together, making it a truly memorable event for everyone involved. Thank you to all the parents who helped to make this event a beautiful success! A special thank you to our parent volunteers Greta, Christy, and Sarah. A huge thank you to Ms. Suzette, our Director of Early Childhood, who cooked the delicious meal for this event. Thank you also to our Middle School students who volunteered their time to help during the event.

This week the Infant Classroom celebrated Friendship! They read Friendship Is Forever by Patricia Hegarty, a sweet story about kindness, love, and the special bonds we share with others. Through simple language and warm illustrations, the children explored what it means to care for a friend. During reading time, students focused on gentle touches, smiling at one another, and noticing how it feels to be together.

This week our toddler students read Lunar New Year with The Very Hungry Caterpillar! In the story, they learned about Lunar New Year traditions like hanging red lanterns, giving red envelopes, enjoying special foods, and celebrating with family and friends. They talked about how the color red brings good luck and happiness. Students also learned that 2026 is the Year of the Horse, and discussed what makes horses strong, brave, and energetic! After their story, students colored their own lanterns to celebrate and bring a little good luck into their classroom.

Students in Ms. Houlder's PreK Class celebrated the Chinese New Year this week! Miss Ellen read a story about Chinese New Year and the traditions of the celebration. After story time students took turns trying in a dragon costume.

Today, parent volunteers came in to continue with the celebration! Students watched a couple of Chinese New Year themed videos where they had the chance to shake egg shakers and dance. After, the movement break students had the the opportunity to colour Chinese NewYear themed colouring pages and practice writing Chinese characters. Students also learned that this year is the year of the horse and had the opportunity to colour a horse. Next, student learned about the red envelopes and had the opportunity to decorate their own envelopes with fun stickers. To finish off the activity students were given red envelopes of their own that were made by parents!

As part of their Black History Month celebrations, Mrs. Creamer's K1 class learned all about George Crum, the inventor of the potato chip. As they studied him, they decorated their own versions of Mr. Crum with a potato chip. They even did a potato chip taste test! Ask the K1 students what their favorite flavors are!

K2 celebrated their 100th day of school this week! The classroom was buzzing with excitement as students enjoyed a variety of fun and creative activities designed to mark the occasion. One of the highlights was a scavenger hunt, where the children eagerly searched around the school for 100 mini photos of Ms. Kfoury cleverly hidden throughout the building. It was a memorable day full of learning, laughter, and celebration of all they’ve accomplished so far this year!

Thursday was such a unique New England winter day for our first grade S.T.A.R.S.! Members of our clergy team including Fr. Jonathan, Fr. David, and Deacon Tommy bundled up with us and led us around campus for a hands-on tree tapping adventure. They tapped multiple trees together, learning the process and enjoying the crisp air as a true community. Students were thrilled that Dr. Nadjarian and Ms. Kfoury joined in on the fun, and even tried their hand at tapping! A huge thank you to Mr. John and the facilities team for shoveling out paths for everyone to take the adventure safely. Once enough sap is collected, Fr. Jonathan will take on the next step: boiling it down to make homemade maple syrup for grade 1 students to enjoy. Shoutout to Ms. Johnson and Ms. Gaudet for coordinating this amazing activity! It was a sweet day in every sense of the word: full of learning, laughter, and togetherness (in the snow, no less)!

Grade 2 had very special visitors this week! Author Elyse Fritschel came in to share her book, The Disease Detective with the class with John's mom, Dr. Tine Vindenes. They presented on the importance of handwashing to prevent the spread of bacteria and keeping ourselves healthy! Students each received their very own copy of The Disease Detective, a story about a young detective who investigates a disease that is making its way around her community. Students were able to see the bacteria growing on their hands using a blue light and play with stuffed animals that were shaped like different kinds of bacteria. It was such a fun morning of hands-on learning!

Students in Ms. Kousidis' third-grade class began a new unit on Physical Sciences today. They made predictions on how far different types of sports balls would travel being pushed/rolled and thrown then they measured the actual distance traveled. They did this activity outside, where they had more space to observe and measure how far the soccer balls, footballs, and foam balls would go. Great observations and note-taking scientists!

Grade 4 students have been exploring the wonderful world of poetry! During this unit, they learned about two different types of poems: acrostic poetry and free verse poetry.

First, students studied acrostic poems, where the first letter of each line spells out a word vertically. They discovered how acrostics can describe a person, place, feeling, or object by using meaningful words and phrases connected to the topic. Students practiced choosing strong vocabulary that clearly reflects the theme of their poem.

Next, they explored free verse poetry. They learned that free verse poems do not follow a specific rhyme scheme or rhythm. Instead, free verse allows poets to express their thoughts and emotions freely, using descriptive language, imagery, and creative line breaks. Students experimented with writing vivid descriptions and expressing their ideas in unique and personal ways.

After learning about these two types of poetry, students wrote their own acrostic and free verse poems. They demonstrated creativity, thoughtful word choice, and a growing understanding of poetic techniques. We are very proud of their hard work and imagination!

Mrs. Palmer’s students have completed the final drafts of their argumentative essays on whether chocolate milk should be allowed in schools. To deepen their understanding and strengthen their speaking and listening skills, students will now participate in a formal debate.

The debate will be presented before a panel that includes Dr. Nadjarian, Father Jonathan, and Ms. Kfoury. Students will defend their positions using evidence, reasoning, and rebuttals as they respond to questions from the panel.

Our 8th Grade students are wrapping up their reading of Night by Elie Wiesel with thoughtful culminating activities. Students worked to create a timeline that sequences key events of World War II and the Holocaust alongside important moments in Wiesel’s life. Alongside this assignment, students are also completing an “Iceberg” analysis assignment. Using the metaphor that history often shows only the “tip of the iceberg,” students are examining the expulsion and massacre of Sighet’s foreign Jews and identifying the deeper forces beneath the surface, such as long-standing antisemitism, political decisions, and wartime policies, that led to this tragedy. By drawing on prior knowledge and historical context, students are strengthening their understanding of how complex events unfold and how individual experiences connect to larger global forces. We are proud of the maturity, critical thinking, and reflection they have demonstrated throughout this meaningful unit.

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