Principal's Weekly Newsletter

St. Mary of the Assumption School has been selected as a finalist in THREE categories of this year's Boston Parents' Family Favorite including: Best Faith-Based Preschool, Best Faith-Based Elementary School, and Best Faith-Based Middle School!

We need your help in the voting the process! In order for us to advance to the next round, please vote for St. Mary's in each of these categories using the link below!

Voting closes June 22nd!

There is still space in our summer program for both full and part time enrollment (full summer or a week by week basis). Students enjoy a fun summer curriculum, water play, and more! The cost is is $600/week, and the program runs from 7:30am-5:30pm. A $300 deposit will be required at the time of registration.

If you are interested in enrolling your child this summer, please contact Ms. Suzette Torres Perrier (storresperrier@stmarys-brookline.org) and Dr. Christine Nadjarian (cnadjarian@stmarys-brookline.org).

We are looking forward to hosting your child in this year’s summer program!

Today, students enjoyed a FIFA World Cup Dress Down Day, coming to school dressed in jerseys and country colors to represent nations from around the world! Check out some of the spirit below!

Continuing with this week’s farm animal theme, students in the infant classroom created their own custom farms by gluing animal cutouts onto their artwork and bringing their scenes to life with paint. As they explored different textures and colors with their hands, this hands-on activity helped strengthen fine motor and sensory skills while encouraging creativity and imaginative play. The infants also continued their farm fun by diving into an interactive Melissa & Doug Poke-a-Dot book, where they practiced counting farm animals together, pressed the built-in buttons, and enjoyed the satisfying click-and-pop sounds. This engaging activity supported early language development through animal vocabulary while reinforcing early math skills and sensory exploration through tactile, repetitive play.

This week, the toddler students explored life on the farm! They got creative by painting muddy pigs, playing with farm animals and tractors, and even giving their classroom animals a bubbly bath to wash off all the mud. The students learned about different farm animals, where they live, and the sounds they make. They had so much fun singing Old MacDonald Had a Farm and caring for their little farm friends!

This week, PreK students in Mrs. Porcello’s class learned about their final letter of the year, the letter Z. They practiced identifying the letter, saying its sound, and forming it through writing activities. Students also had fun building the letter Z, strengthening their early literacy skills as they celebrated the last letter in their alphabet journey.

As part of their end-of-year celebrations, K1 students enjoyed a special visit from Teddy Town! Each student had the opportunity to design their own stuffed animal. They then named their creations, received a birth certificate, and drew pictures of themselves with their new companions.

K2's ABC Countdown is in full swing! Students have been enjoying a variety of themed activities that correspond with each letter of the alphabet, creating fun and lasting memories as they count down the days until summer. Some examples are Luau Day, Teacher Swap Day, and many other special surprises that have brought excitement and laughter to the classroom. Take a look at some of the highlights from their ABC adventure!

To wrap up our religion unit on the seven sacraments, the first grade class created presentations on their baptisms! They worked with their families at home to make meaningful and informational posters with photos and descriptions of where and when they were baptized, and who was there. It was so special to share these with each other!

Second grade students recently put on a talent show! Students proudly shared a variety of talents, including soccer skills, magic tricks, baseball demonstrations, and more. It was a joyful celebration of creativity as classmates cheered one another on and celebrated each performer's unique gifts.

This week, our third graders became community planners and architects as they took on the challenge of designing a brand-new community for Massachusetts! Students were given a budget and had to make thoughtful decisions about the type of community they wanted to create (urban, suburban, or rural) the natural resources available, the community helpers needed, and the activities and buildings that would best serve their residents.

Through this project, students explored how communities function and how people depend on one another to meet their needs. They applied geography skills by creating detailed maps, economics concepts by working within a budget, and math skills by calculating costs and ensuring they stayed within their spending limits. Students also demonstrated an understanding of the important roles community helpers play and how natural resources influence where and how people live.

Fourth grade also enjoyed a very exciting field trip to the birthplace of John F. Kennedy! The class took a walk through Coolidge Corner to visit the house JFK was born in and where he spent the first three years of his life. Students learned about the Kennedy family, their legacy, and the importance of serving others. Students also spent time walking through the house’s rooms, enjoying the sun in the backyard, and watching a film. We are very grateful to have this piece of history right down the street from our school!

Over the past few weeks, fifth grade students have been putting their nonfiction reading and writing skills into action by researching topics of their choice and creating presentations to share with their classmates. Working with partners, students explored subjects such as basketball, shoes, fidgets, horses, and more. Each group researched five subtopics, organized their findings, and presented their information in an engaging and informative way.

Led by Mr. O'Connor, the Middle School Science Fair afforded each student the opportunity to explore a scientific topic that interested them. After extensive brainstorming, students chose their topics and read through at least three relevant and reliable sources to develop their understanding of their topics. Next, they designed and conducted experiments to test one aspect of their topic, analyzed their experiments' data, and drew conclusions based on the results. Each student wrote a formal lab report to present their findings and created a tri-fold poster to summarize the key ideas and highlights from their projects. Not only were students able to follow their curiosity and take charge of their learning, they also gained first-hand experience with the scientific method, applied their mathematical skills in the name of data analysis, and practiced writing with a focus on clarity and precision.

As the school year comes to a close, seventh grade students in Ms. Falcone’s ELA class have been wrapping up the year with literature circles. Working in small groups, they chose novels to read together, set reading goals, and took on different roles to guide their discussions. Along the way, students are responding to discussion questions, sharing their perspectives, and engaging in conversations about their books.

In 7th grade Latin with Mr. Pritchett, students created grammar posters that covered much of the information they have learned over the last two years. These posters included definitions and examples of the noun cases and types of verbs they have encountered. Finally, they translated a portion of their textbook and identified the elements of selected nouns and verbs.

On their final day of school, our eighth grade students chose to give back through one last service project, beautifully embodying one of our S.T.A.R.S. values: Service. Students generously donated items and took a walk to the community fridge in Brookline to share them with those in need. After their act of service, the class enjoyed a final treat together at Starbucks, celebrating their friendships and memories before graduation and the exciting next steps that lie ahead.

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