NFTH: February 10, 2020

For more than 20 years, students in Forms 1-5 have made valentine cards for the patients at Northeast Baptist Hospital as part of community service in guidance classes with Lower School Counselor Susan Moore-Sickmann. Each student makes a card without signing his/her name, it just says from a Saint Mary’s Hall student. This is done for privacy reasons, but also as part of the lesson of “bread cast upon the water” giving a gift without expecting a thank you. During the past few years, some Saint Mary’s Hall family members have received a card. Ms. Moore said, “All the students are so careful to do their very best, beginning with our youngest.” The picture (above) shows Form 1 Teacher Sandi Castillo’s students with their cards.

Calling All Cowboys and Cowgirls

Lower School students may wear appropriate western wear or their school uniforms on Thursday, February 13. Please be sure to bring athletic shoes for PE.

Valentine’s Day Parties

On Friday, February 14, Lower School students will celebrate Valentine’s Day by exchanging Valentine’s Day cards and participating in classroom parties. To help keep the day festive and fun, students are welcome to wear red, white, and pink or valentine attire, any school appropriate bottoms and athletics shoes. Of course, they can wear their school uniform, too. Please note, this will not be an unrestricted Out-of-Uniform Day; students must wear their uniforms if they don’t wear something following the Valentine’s Day theme.

As stated in the Lower School handbook, “Special days throughout the year will be celebrated with snacks and activities. Like birthdays, all other celebrations, including class parties, may not include gifts or favors of any kind.”

On Sunday, February 23, Saint Mary’s Hall will present the annual piano recitals in the Remmert Theater. The recitals feature the students from the Saint Mary’s Hall private lessons studios.

Schedule:

• 2pm - Studio of Alexandra Kuperman
• 3pm - Studio of Charlene You
• 4:30pm - Studio of Carla Isaacs

The recitals are free and open to the public, please join us!

SMH’s Vocal and Instrumental Music Teacher Jaime Ramirez has a new record out. The album, Underscored, is available on your favorite streaming platform and on CD through the artist.

Mr. Ramirez is a working musician, who appears regularly around music venues in San Antonio. Follow him on Instagram @Jaimirez for up-to-date performance dates and times to see him in action.

You can also see his students perform later this spring at the Voice Recital on Sunday, March 22 and the Spring Music Concert on Monday, May 13.

Upper School Cinema Teacher Will Underwood was recently featured on the TAPPS Talk podcast. Mr. Underwood was selected because of the SMH Cinema Program’s consistent top state awards in TAPPs Cinema contests including 1^st place wins in 2018. Congratulations to Mr. Underwood for representing SMH so well!

Click here to hear the podcast.

On January 31 and February 1, a total of 36 Speech & Debate students competed at the Westlake and Chaparral Star Academy Swing in Austin, Texas. Saint Mary’s Hall is proud to have had two Tournament Champions: Leah Gomez (Form 11) in Original Oratory and Shilpa Gunuganti (Form 12) in Informative Speaking. For complete results, click here.

The team heads to Boston this week for the Harvard Tournament. Stay tuned to News From the Hall for results of this national tournament. Good luck Barons!

The women’s varsity basketball team dropped two district games against Antonian and Incarnate Word High School last week. “We played hard for 32 minutes in both games,” said Head Women’s Basketball Coach Stephanie Mercer. Scoring was led by seniors Ana Lacau and Jillian Spicer.

The Barons set their sights on playoffs, where they are sure to play tough competition from the Houston district.

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Head of Lower School Khristi Bates led a discussion about love, using readings from Psalm 118:1, Matthew 19:19, and 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8. Students were reminded that Chapel time is about love – the love of God and the love that the SMH Chaplain and faculty have for them. They also considered the various other types of love they encounter, such as the love of their families, friends, and pets. Students learned about universal love, the unselfish concern for the welfare of others, often demonstrated by service to others and acts of charity. Mrs. Bates encouraged students to practice a healthy form of self-love, ensuring that they take care of themselves through eating well, sleeping enough, and exercising.

Middle School Counselor Leslie Palmer, led a reflection on love, noting that Chapel time is concerned with love, especially the love of God and the love that the SMH Chaplain and faculty have for students. She spoke about the transformative power of love and covered the various types of love we most often encounter in life. These include love between families and friends. She encouraged students to develop a healthy self-love, which motivates us to care for ourselves. This includes taking steps to deal with stress, get adequate sleep, exercise regularly, and eat well.

Ms. Palmer also spoke about universal love, the unselfish concern for the welfare of others that underpins our commitment to service in our community. Using a reading from 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8, she asked students to reflect on those ancient attributes of love – kindness, patience, truth, and hope. Students also watched actor Will Smith’s video describing an acronym, LUV, which is his way of improving and maintaining relationships through listening to, understanding and validating others’ thoughts and feelings.

Students enjoyed a special treat when new Head of School Len Miller spoke at the end of Chapel. He talked a bit about his family and his love for them and his pet, Scout. He then told a story about his father when he was a boy and how love is helping others and also asking for help. Mr. Miller encouraged students to know that they can ask for help from the teachers in the Middle School who love them.

Molly Byrd, Form 12 student and president of the Bishops Chapel Society, led a reflection on love, noting that Chapel time is concerned with love, especially the love of God and the love that the SMH Chaplain and faculty have for students. She covered the various types of love we most often encounter in life, including romantic love, the love of family, and the love between friends. She encouraged her classmates to strive for a healthy self-love, which motivates us to care for ourselves. This includes taking steps to deal with stress, get adequate sleep, exercise and eat well. Molly also spoke about universal love, the unselfish concern for the welfare of others that underpins our commitment to service in our community. Using a reading from 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8, students reflected on those ancient attributes of love – kindness, patience, truth, and hope. They also viewed actor Will Smith’s video describing an acronym, LUV, which is his way of improving and maintaining relationships through listening to, understanding, and validating others’ thoughts and feelings.

Thank you to the parents who were able to attend the Screenagers screening last week. It was a terrific turnout and there were many thought provoking questions and a very candid conversation. Let’s keep the discussion going! If you missed it, there is not currently an option to watch the film separately, but here is a link to find a different screening in our area.

If there is enough interest, we will certainly consider bringing physician and filmmaker Dr. Delaney Ruston’s new film, Screenagers Next Chapter: Uncovering Skills for Stress Resilience, in the future.

Please contact Wellness Director Dr. Sandra Lopez-Morales at slopezmorales@smhall.org with questions and/or feedback.