Mustang Messenger 9/17/26

Thank you to all of our families who joined us last Saturday for our Back-to-School Day, Meet the Teacher, Cookout, and Vendor Fair. It was wonderful to see our campus filled with students, parents, faculty, staff, and community partners coming together as one Mustang family.

I am especially grateful to our faculty and staff for the time, preparation, and care they put into welcoming families into their classrooms and sharing information about curriculum, classroom expectations, communication, and the year ahead. I also want to thank our vendors and community partners who spent part of their Saturday with us. A special thank-you goes to the Knights of Columbus for joining us and sharing information with our families about ways they can support Catholic education.

Why Do We Hold Back-to-School Day on a Saturday?

Several families have asked why our Back-to-School event was held on a Saturday rather than on a weekday evening, and I want to share the thinking behind that decision.

Our teachers and staff give a great deal of themselves to our students throughout the school day. Many are also parents themselves and need the opportunity to attend their own children's Back-to-School Nights and school events. Holding our event on Saturday allows us to support our faculty and staff in balancing their responsibilities as educators and parents, while also providing our families with meaningful time on campus without the pressure of rushing from work to school in the evening.

The Saturday format also allows us to create something more than a traditional evening meeting. Families have time to visit classrooms, meet teachers, learn about curriculum and expectations, connect with school programs and community partners, ask questions, and spend time together as a school community.

For these reasons, our Back-to-School Day will continue to be a Saturday daytime event rather than a nighttime event.

Thank you for your understanding, your participation, and—most importantly—your partnership. Now that we have had an opportunity to come together as families and educators, our attention turns fully toward learning, growth, faith, and establishing the habits that will help our students thrive throughout the year.

Blessings,

Dr. Coretta N. Streat, Ed.D.

Principal

Families who attended Back-to-School Day received a red folder for their youngest or only child enrolled at the Academy. Inside that folder are important school forms that require your review, completion, and signature.

Please complete the documents in the red folder and return them to school as soon as possible.

These forms provide important information, permissions, and documentation that we need to safely and effectively serve your child throughout the school year.

Before returning your folder:

✔️ Review each document

✔️ Complete all required information

✔️ Sign where indicated

✔️ Return the completed forms to your child's classroom teacher

If you have more than one child at St. Matthias, remember that the red folder was provided to your youngest child. If you have only one child enrolled, the folder was provided to that student.

Thank you for helping us keep our school records complete and current.

Please return your completed forms to your child's classroom teacher. 🐎📁

“Increase our faith.” — Luke 17:5

Throughout September, our students are learning that faith is not simply something we talk about—it is something we practice and live.

Students are learning to participate reverently in prayer, make the Sign of the Cross properly, participate respectfully in Mass and prayer services, and demonstrate their Catholic identity through kindness, respect, service, forgiveness, responsibility, and love for others.

Families can reinforce these lessons at home through prayer and by asking:

“How did you show your faith through your actions today?”

Small acts of faith, kindness, and service help our children understand what it means to live as disciples of Christ.

The Academy of St. Matthias the Apostle is proud to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month!

Our Academy is blessed by the rich cultures, traditions, languages, faith, and experiences represented within our Mustang family. Throughout Hispanic Heritage Month, our students will have opportunities to learn about and celebrate the history, cultures, traditions, faith, achievements, and contributions of Hispanic and Latino communities.

Rather than celebrating only on one day, each week we will focus on a different theme, giving our students opportunities to learn, reflect, celebrate, and make connections to our Catholic faith and school community.

🌱 Week 1: Roots That Inspire Us

We begin by exploring the people, places, histories, cultures, and traditions that shape Hispanic and Latino communities. Students will also be encouraged to think about their own roots and the people and traditions that have helped shape who they are.

🎨 Week 2: Culture That Connects Us

We will celebrate the ways culture brings people together through art, music, language, literature, food, traditions, and celebrations.

⭐ Week 3: Leaders Who Inspire Us

Students will learn about Hispanic and Latino leaders, saints, innovators, artists, educators, scientists, athletes, and changemakers whose gifts, courage, faith, and accomplishments have made an impact.

🤝 Week 4: Faith, Service & Our Shared Future

We will conclude by looking at how faith, family, service, leadership, and community call each of us to use our gifts to make a difference.

This week, we begin with Roots That Inspire Us.

Our students will be encouraged to explore the stories, people, traditions, and experiences that connect families across generations. We want our children to understand that knowing where we come from can help us appreciate who we are, what we value, and what we can learn from one another.

Families can continue the conversation at home by asking:

“What traditions are important in our family?”

“Who in our family inspires you?”

“What is something about our family's story that you would like others to know?”

While Hispanic Heritage Month gives us a special opportunity to celebrate the Hispanic and Latino communities represented at St. Matthias, every Mustang has a story worth sharing and a heritage worth honoring.

ONE BODY. ONE MISSION.

We may come from different countries, cultures, languages, and traditions, but we are one school family—united in Christ and called to learn from, celebrate, and serve one another.

¡Celebramos juntos! — We celebrate together! ❤️🌎🐎

Our Fall NWEA MAP testing window begins Monday, September 21.

MAP assessments provide our teachers with valuable information about students' current academic performance and growth. Teachers use this information, along with classroom performance and other measures, to make instructional decisions and identify areas where students may need additional support or enrichment.

❤️ How Families Can Help

Please help your child arrive:

😴 Well rested • 🍎 Ready for the school day • ⏰ On time • 💻 Prepared to do their best

There is no need to study or cram for MAP testing. We want students to show us what they currently know so that we have an accurate picture of how best to support their learning.

Please encourage your child to take their time, read carefully, persevere when a question is challenging, and simply do their best.

We are excited to offer students the opportunity to participate in our Symphony Orchestra elective program with Ms. Maureen Walsh!

The program is open to all students in Grade 2 and above. Participating students will be pulled from their classes for approximately 45 minutes on Friday afternoons, and classes will be formed based on enrollment.

🎼 Instrument Choices

💲 Program Tuition

$500 for the full year OR 10 installments of $55

🎵 Interested in Signing Up?

Families can find full program information and registration here:

Symphony Orchestra Registration — Academy of St. Matthias

Families may also use the QR code on the Symphony Orchestra flyer to learn more and register.

We would love to see our Mustangs discover a new musical talent this year! 🎶🐎

We are excited to celebrate our student-athletes and the Mustang spirit they are demonstrating on the soccer field!

⚽ Mustang Girls Soccer

Congratulations to our girls on their WIN! We are proud of the teamwork, determination, sportsmanship, and Mustang pride you demonstrated on the field!

⚽ Mustang Boys Soccer

Congratulations to our boys on their WIN! Great job representing the Academy of St. Matthias the Apostle!

A special thank-you to our coaches and families for the time, encouragement, transportation, and support you provide to our student-athletes.

Now that classroom routines are becoming established, families should develop a regular routine for reviewing their child's schoolwork and school communications.

Please regularly check:

🎒 Backpacks & Folders • 📓 Planners • 💻 FACTS • 📧 Teacher Communications • 📚 Homework & Assignments

Middle-school families should also encourage students to check Google Classroom regularly.

Help your child develop independence by asking:

“What did you learn today?”

“What do you need to complete tonight?”

“Is there something you need to ask your teacher tomorrow?”

These simple conversations help students develop organization, independence, self-advocacy, and accountability.

We want families to remain informed without feeling as though they have to search everywhere for information.

🐎 Mustang Messenger — Our schoolwide family newsletter is sent every Thursday with important announcements, upcoming dates, reminders, celebrations, and information families need to know.

🍎 Classroom & Grade-Level Newsletters — Teachers provide information specific to classroom learning, assignments, upcoming activities, and grade-level expectations.

🏫 Middle School Families — Our middle-school team is working collaboratively to provide families with one coordinated middle-school newsletter, organized with sections for Grades 6, 7, and 8, so families can easily locate the information they need.

Please make reading school and teacher communications part of your weekly family routine.

Don't Forget Your Sunday Order!

Our Snack Pack Program through AnyTyme Food Services continues each week.

$10 PER WEEK = 5 SNACKS + 5 JUICES

Snack Packs must be ordered and paid for by Sunday for the upcoming school week. No late or midweek Snack Pack purchases will be accepted.

Make it part of your Sunday routine:

🎒 Check the backpack. ✔️

📅 Check the calendar. ✔️

🥨 Order the Snack Pack. ✔️

Attendance & On-Time Arrival

Doors open at 7:45 a.m., and students should be in their classrooms and ready to learn by 8:05 a.m.

Please allow enough time for your child to enter the building, unpack, get settled, and prepare for instruction.

Regular attendance and punctuality are among the simplest ways families can support academic success.

Being on time means being ready to learn at 8:05—not arriving in the parking lot at 8:05.

Regular attendance is important, but when your child is sick, home is the best place to rest and recover.

Students experiencing fever, vomiting, diarrhea, or symptoms that prevent them from comfortably participating in the full school day should remain home.

If the Academy contacts you because your child becomes ill during the school day, please make arrangements for pickup as promptly as possible.

Thank you for helping us protect the health of our students, faculty, staff, and families.

Thank You & Continued Reminder

Thank you to the many families who demonstrate patience and cooperation during arrival and dismissal each day.

SLOW DOWN • BE PATIENT • FOLLOW STAFF DIRECTIONS • STAY ALERT • PUT SAFETY FIRST

Our faculty and staff members directing traffic are watching students, pedestrians, vehicles, and areas that may not always be visible from your driver's seat.

Please follow their directions the first time they are given and treat faculty, staff, volunteers, and fellow families with courtesy and respect.

One extra minute is always worth the safety of a child.

Our responsibility for student safety continues until each child has been safely released to an authorized adult.

Please maintain current authorized-pickup and dismissal information and follow the Academy's sign-out procedures when picking up after regular dismissal.

Late pickup begins at 3:10 p.m. on full school days and 12:10 p.m. on half days.

Safety • Supervision • Accountability

We must be able to account for every Mustang entrusted to our care.

We continue helping students establish positive and respectful lunchtime routines.

Students are expected to pray before meals, focus on eating, use appropriate table conversation, clean their individual areas, gather their belongings, and follow the directions of cafeteria staff and duty teachers.

Families can reinforce these expectations by reminding students that good manners, respectful voices, cleanliness, and following adult directions are expectations throughout our entire Academy.

We love celebrating our Mustangs!

Birthday treats should be store-bought, easy to distribute, and sufficient for every student in the class.

Please remember that we do not permit pizza, balloons, individual gifts, elaborate classroom parties, or third-party food deliveries such as DoorDash, Uber Eats, or Grubhub during the school day.

Thank you for helping us celebrate students while protecting instructional time.

September 15–October 15 — Hispanic Heritage Month

September 21 — Fall NWEA MAP Testing Window Opens

September 25 — School Prayer Service

October 2 — Quarter 1 Progress Reports Released

Please continue watching the Mustang Messenger, FACTS, and teacher communications for additional information.

Mustang Families, thank you again for joining us last Saturday and for continuing to entrust your children to the Academy of St. Matthias the Apostle.

The strength of our school does not come from any one person, classroom, program, or event. It comes from the partnership among our students, families, faculty, staff, parish, and community.

This week, I encourage every family to remain connected: return your red-folder forms, talk with your children about what they are learning, help them arrive on time, support our Mustangs on the soccer field, and celebrate the beautiful cultures and traditions represented throughout our school community.

As we move into another week, let us continue to be Rooted in Faith and Growing in Excellence—supporting our children, respecting one another, celebrating our community, and remembering that we are truly:

ONE BODY. ONE MISSION.

Have a wonderful, safe, healthy, and faith-filled weekend.

Blessings,

Dr. Coretta N. Streat, Ed.D.

Principal

Academy of St. Matthias the Apostle

Rooted in Faith, Growing in Excellence

One Body, One Mission 🐎❤️

Academy of St. Matthias the Apostle
9473 Annapolis Road
Lanham, MD 20706

📞 (301) 577-9412

🌐 www.academy.stmatthias.org

Rooted in Faith. Growing in Excellence.