NFTH: May 11, 2020
From the Head of School
From the Head of School
Dear Saint Mary's Hall Community,
Recognizing Faculty and Staff
I invite you to view this very special message recognizing our service award recipients as well as our departing employees. I want to thank these amazing faculty and staff members for their commitment and service to Saint Mary’s Hall. Our exceptional faculty and staff deserve celebration and commendation for helping to foster the special sense of community at our school.
Sincerely,
Jonathan Eades
Head of School
All-School
All-School
Lower School Morning Moments
Lower School is still hosting Morning Moments, only virtually.
Enjoy this Friday's Morning Moments with special guest Head of School Emeritus Bob Windham!
It's That Time of the Year ... Reward Outstanding Teachers!
What better way to show your appreciation than to nominate a teacher for the SMH Master Teacher Awards. Through the generosity of key donors, Saint Mary's Hall is able to offer a unique and exciting way to reward outstanding teachers for the positive impact they have had on you and your family.
The Master Teacher Awards are presented at our annual Founders' Day Celebration in the fall. One teacher is selected from each division (Lower, Middle, and Upper School), along with one at-large selection. Each of the four recipients is honored at the celebration for their contributions and presented with a check for $10,000.
Nomination Process
Selections for the Master Teacher Awards are based on nominations from parents, students, alumni, and fellow SMH teachers. Nominations are evaluated based on outstanding performance of a teacher in any or all of the following areas:
- Curriculum implementation
- Teaching effectiveness
- Personal impact on a specific student, their family, or the school as a whole
- Personification of the core values of Saint Mary's Hall
- Support of school activities outside of the classroom
* The teacher nominated must be a current teacher who is returning next year.
Unfortunately, teachers who have won the Master Teacher Award within the past five years (2015-2019) are not eligible for the award this year. View all of our past winners, dating back to the start of the program in 2002.
Making a Nomination Has Never Been Easier!
We've made the nomination process electronic. To nominate a teacher, simply click the button below, and fill out the requested information. Once you click submit, you're done!
Lower School parents ... please help your student complete this form.
Nominations Deadline
Please submit your nomination by Friday, May 22 at midnight. Your nominations are an integral part of the Master Teacher Awards and impact who receives the award. We need you to submit nominations and help us reward our outstanding teachers! Your time is appreciated by the Board, administration, and by the teacher you nominate.
Questions: Administrative Assistant to the Head of School Darlene Steubing at (210) 483-9237 or dsteubing@smhall.org.
Extended Care (EC) Message to SMH Families
View this touching message of our EC team to SMH families wishing them a happy and safe summer!
National Latin Vocabulary Exam Results
Before Spring Break, a total of 24 Form 7 and 8 students participated in the National Latin Vocabulary Exam (NLVE). 17 SMH students gained scores high enough to receive recognition on this challenging test, now in its fourth year. The NLVE is designed to test a student's knowledge of Latin vocabulary (nouns, verbs, numbers, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, etc.) and is based solely on specific lists of Latin vocabulary relevant to a particular student's level of Latin. Students are tested over the grammatical properties and meaning and of each vocabulary item. Students have 45 minutes to answer 70 questions.
Please congratulate the following winners:
|
Name |
Award |
|
Aarya Shah (Form 8) |
Gold Medal |
|
Abigail Lee (Form 8) |
Bronze Medal |
|
Ana Richards (Form 8) |
Bronze Medal |
|
Divya Vasan (Form 8) |
Silver Medal |
|
Emilia Kniestedt (Form 8) |
Gold Medal |
|
Leonora Leykum (Form 8) |
Gold Medal |
|
Madison Mautz (Form 7) |
Bronze Medal |
|
Sai Ono (Form 7) |
Bronze Medal |
|
San Ono (Form 7) |
Bronze Medal |
|
Sofia Bishop (Form 8) |
Gold Medal |
|
Sofija Dudhia (Form 8) |
Gold Medal |
|
Sophia Junaidi (Form 8) |
Gold Medal |
|
Sophia Nelson (Form 7) |
Silver Medal |
|
Tanzeel Ali (Form 7) |
Bronze Medal |
|
Tim Straight (Form 8) |
Gold Medal |
|
Walker Kruger (Form 7) |
Bronze Medal |
|
Will Carter (Form 8) |
Gold Medal |
Parade Honoring Our Beloved Leaders, Teachers, and Staff
Parents, students, faculty, staff, and alumni are invited to Saint Mary’s Hall on Saturday, May 16 from 9:30am-11:30am for a parade honoring our beloved leaders and teachers who will not be returning next year (not all honorees listed below will be able to participate):
- Jonathan Eades, Head of School
- Tiffanie Barta, PE Teacher and Head Softball Coach
- Cathy Canipe, Form 1 Teacher
- Paul Gage, Upper School History Teacher
- Camilla Hannah, Head of Community Engagement
- Sam Hamilton, Head of Middle School and Dean of Academics
- Donna Inscore, Form 1 Teacher
- Richard LeBlanc, Upper School Math Teacher
- Dawn Loring, Dance coordinator and Teacher
- Colin Malinak, Upper School Debate Teacher and Swim Coach
- Annis Marshall, Kindergarten Assistant Teacher
- Alexander Nicoll, Lower School Spanish Teacher
- Karen Rosende, Kindergarten Lead Teacher
- Jill Severe, Upper School History Teacher
- Stephanie Takas-Mercer, PE Teacher and Head Women’s Basketball Coach
Make Some Noise!
- Decorate your car and dress up in your favorite SMH spirit wear.
- As you drive by each honoree you can cheer, smile, honk, wave, and shout good wishes to each one in thanks and appreciation of their time and service to Saint Mary’s Hall.
- You are invited to leave a letter, card, piece of artwork or other tangible message for any or all of the honorees. If you wish to do so, please clearly identify the intended recipient on an envelope or by other means. Volunteers will collect them and be sure that each honoree receives your heartfelt messages.
- It is imperative that we abide by safety regulations for the protection of our honorees and your families by following the whole parade route through campus and staying in your car at all times. Please be patient, flexible and understanding, and follow all of the directions.
- We know that some of the honorees will not be able to participate, but you can still leave a letter, card, piece of artwork, or other tangible message (see #2 above).
Next week … you will receive a message from a special member of our community with all of the final details! For now … Save the Date! We look forward to seeing you at Saint Mary’s Hall to honor Head of School Jonathan Eades and our amazing staff and teachers!
A Little Fiddle Music
Middle School Strings Instructor Julie Post invites you to share in watching a short video of what her Middle School Strings students have been playing. Enjoy!
Leadership Council Officer Elections to Be Held in the Fall
After the sponsors of the Middle School Leadership Councils met and discussed elections, the decision was made to move the Middle School Leadership Council officer elections to next fall. This decision was based on our sensitivity to the wellness of Middle School students as they finish out this academic year. We will provide additional information regarding Leadership Council elections as we finalize plans over the summer for the 2020-21 school year.
Intro to Robotics Battles On
Intro to Robotics class continues to have students who are motivated, creative, hardworking, patient, and nothing short of amazing! Although the team could not build the Lego EV3 sumobots we have been planning and designing, they found a solution by building and programming virtual ones, and ran virtual battles among them! Some of the interesting battles are assembled into a video (above). The students are the only ones who could tell which sumobot is running their program by watching the behaviors closely. SMH proud programmers include Form 6 students Zain Ahmad, Henry Ames, Myles Baumholtz, Matthew DuBois, and David Lim.
Chapel Corner
Chapel Corner
Dear Saint Mary’s Hall,
I hope you are able to take a moment and view my Chapel video message for this week.
This message focuses on courage. Courage is one of our school’s core values and a key character trait for living fully and living well, especially during demanding days.
In my message, I reflect on what courage is, why it’s important, and how to be people of courage.
I’ll conclude with Maya Angelou’s wise words, which speak to why courage is so important: “Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can’t be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest.” Courage is having the heart to do what is right and good even when it’s challenging to do so, whether it’s being compassionate, forgiving, patient, or selfless for instance.
May we continue to be of good courage this week and may we do what is right and best for others and ourselves even when it’s difficult or challenging.
Praying for you, our school, and our larger community.
God bless,
Rev. Dr. Cameron Gunnin
All-School Chaplain
Healthy at the Hall
Healthy at the Hall
Dear Saint Mary’s Hall,
As the school year draws to a close, the Saint Mary’s Hall Wellness Team encourages each of you to embrace courage as we continue to journey into the next phase of the unknown. When I am uncertain or uneasy about the future, I draw wisdom from the experts around me. One of whom is Margie Warrell. She has been described as an "international authority on brave leadership" by the Wall Street Journal. Very recently her husband was diagnosed with COVID – 19 and she details her experiences in a Forbes article titled, I’ve Tested Positive: When Fear Runs High, The Need For Courage Runs Higher.
In the comments below, please consider Margie's suggestions for Finding Courage In Crisis. She suggests the following:
- Embrace your fears and own your humanity
- Ground yourself in self-certainty
- Prioritize courage-building rituals into your routine
- Concentrate on building the new, not fighting the old
So, what does this mean for you as a an adult, a caregiver, and a model for your children? I ask that you remain aware of your own feelings and how they impact your life and your children’s lives. Remember what is most important to you and your family. Let that be your North Star. Engage in self-care in front of and with your children. Focus on the opportunities in front of you and embrace them as new possibilities, rather than fear potential outcomes.
You are the leaders of your families and how you manage this crisis will be a model for how your children will cope with their future uncertainties. You’ve got this!
A Thank You to Faculty
Thank you to all of the parents and students who responded to School Nurse Melissa Baumholtz’s call for teacher appreciation with your video and digital image messages. She put together the cutest and most thoughtful videos for the faculty in celebration of Teacher Appreciation Day (May 5). Check out the videos here:
Part-time SMH Nurse Eileen Petter also put together this Yoga Video for our community to engage in self-care and stress reduction.
Our nursing team is dynamic and talented! Thank you Melissa and Eileen for all you do to keep our community well now and in the future. You are both gifts to Saint Mary’s Hall!
Wishing you ongoing strength and courage,
Sandra L. Lopez-Morales, Ph.D.
Director of Wellness