About St. Margaret's
Episcopal School
About St. Margaret's Episcopal School (SMES):
St. Margaret's Episcopal School is a fully accredited, non-profit, inclusive school serving a socio-economic and culturally diverse student population in Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 8. Committed to sound learning and social principles, the school welcomes all racial, religious and ethnic backgrounds. It is through this respect for children of all cultures that we give our students the tools to handle the challenges of tomorrow.
Wednesday Weekly Wireless:
Read below for our weekly update from the SMES WWW dated 3/12/08...
Please return all SMES Boys/Girls Basketball uniforms and Girls Volleyball uniforms to the office by this Friday, March 14th. If anyone has a Boys Flag Football uniform, please return that as well.
Beginning this week, Enrollment Agreements for fall 2008 are being mailed to all families who returned their Intent to Re-enroll Forms or contacted Mrs. Maize regarding intent. All signed Agreements and applicable deposits for fall must be returned to the office by no later than Thursday, March 20th. Placement will begin for students on our waiting lists when we return to school after Easter break on Monday, March 31st. Please contact Mrs. Maize directly if you do not receive your enrollment paperwork by Monday, March 17th. In the past, there has been a tendency to put-off returning contracts and deposits from some of our parents due to travel, etc. Please be advised that after one courtesy call, follow up calls will not be made and spaces will be filled to those on the waiting lists. Over the summer we receive requests for outside student enrollment for classes which are not currently filled and we will fill spots where we do not have a returned Enrollment Agreement, applicable deposits, and the required FACTS paperwork for payments completed.
SMEC Youth Ministry Father/Daughter Dance is set for this Saturday, March 15th; 5:00-8:00 PM in Karns Hall. The theme is “Welcome to the Jungle.” Be sure to dress the part. Dinner, dancing, games and prizes, it’s the perfect Daddy-Daughter date night! Just ask the people who attended last year, this event is a blast! You are welcome to invite friends and neighbors to attend too! This event is open to everyone! Young ladies may invite any father-figure to attend with them. See enclosed flyer for details.
Get ready because the round up of shamrocks and shillelaghs is upon us again – Monday, March 17th is set for the “Wearin’ o’ the Green”; a Special Dress Day for all Pre-K through Grade 8 students! Students are encouraged to wear appropriate green shirts, skirts, or pants to enjoy the St. Paddy’s Day spirit. All students may wear jeans with their “greenery” so long as they are free of holes and clean. Remember to take a “last look” to be sure all clothing is school and safety appropriate – that means no green hair, no face paint, no slogans on shirts; remember, it’s still a school day. Students choosing not to wear green are expected to wear their regular school uniforms. Please check with your classroom Room Parent if you would like to bring something to help them that day.
NOTE: Middle School students do not need to bring lunch that day. A special lunch is being provided by the Middle School Room Parents!
Mark your calendar for Wednesday, March 19th and plan on going to Charlie’s California Fresh for breakfast, lunch or dinner (you could go there for all three meals…their food is that delicious!) Charlie’s will be giving 20% of your total food bill back to our SMES Sports Booster Club – thank you Charlie & Rene!
Enclosed in today’s WWW is an April hot lunch menu featuring a new item to try. Please be sure to complete your selections and turn in your payment before we leave for the Easter break on Thursday, March 20th.
Information from Shivaun Nelson regarding Passover Seder Movie Night - SMEC Youth Mininstry: Thursday March 20th at 5 PM in Karns Hall. Each year we take some time during Holy Week to remember Jesus’ Last Supper on Maundy Thursday. At his Last Supper, he was celebrating the Jewish holiday of Passover. On Maundy Thursday, we talk about what Passover means, share dinner and watch Prince of Egypt. Feel free to bring blankets and pillows to get comfortable during the movie. After the movie, you are invited to attend our Maundy Thursday service in the church at 7:30. (During the movie, parents and older children can help stuff Easter Eggs for the huge hunt on Sunday!) We suggest you donate $5 a person for dinner. Contact Shivaun Nelson for more information.
Good Friday Hike to the Cross – March 21st at 3:30 PM. Meet at Church Steps
This hike is open to all ages. We will be doing the Stations of the Cross up the mountain in kid-friendly language. This means that we will be stopping along the way to talk about Jesus’ last actions before he died on the cross. We think that this will be an amazing and spiritual experience for all involved. Like the Ash Wednesday cross hike, we request that children 2nd Grade and younger are accompanied by an adult. You are welcome to invite friends on this event. We scheduled the time so that kids from the public schools (which are still in session that day) could attend. Contact Shivaun Nelson for more info.
The Luncheon & Fashion Show chairs have put together a 52 minute DVD of this year’s Red Carpet event! Relive the memories or see what you may have missed! The price is $20, with 75% going back to the school. It includes the full Runway Show, the kids in the Live Auction, the Sound of Music finale, scenes from the foyer and the ballroom, including the Scout Color Guard and the blessing with Father Dan. If you would like to purchase one of these DVDs for your collection, either leave a message for Donika Schnell at 773-2814 or email her at dschnell@textronfinancial.com. You may also place your order in the school office.
It’s that time of year again…we are now accepting nominations for next year’s Board of Directors for the SMES Parents’ Association. All seat nominations for officers will be accepted; President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer. Mrs. Laurilie Jackson will stay on as Member-at-Large (Past President). If you would like to serve as Sports Booster Chair, Hospitality Chair, or Church Liaison, you may volunteer for those positions via email as well, as they are non-voting members of the Board. The current board officers will present a slate of new officers for approval at the end of the year meeting. The date and time of that meeting will be announced sometime after our Easter break. Nominations should be submitted by no later than Friday, April 12th by email to Mrs. Wilson in the school office at kwilson@stmargarets.org.
Last week a purse was stolen from the front seat of a parent’s car during morning drop off. Please remember to lock your car and keep valuables out of sight. I have noticed children being left in the car at the turn around as parents run into the office for a quick minute. PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE A CHILD UNATTENDED IN THE CAR FOR EVEN A SECOND. Our teachers and staff are bound by the State of California to report these occurrences to the local Child Protective Services Office and we have no interest in doing that!
Up-Coming
Events Mon. Mar 17th Wearin' of the Green in honor of St. Patrick's Day - Grades Pre-K thru 8
Thur. Mar 20th Early Dismissal Day - school is out at 11:30 a.m. - no lunches will be served
Fri Mar 21st Easter Break begins today. School resumes on Monday, March 31st
Fri. Apr 4th/18th Another Art Session will begin with Mrs. Cullen
Fri. Apr 18th Parents Association Mixer at the home of Toby & Leah Dawson (invitation to follow)
The strength of St. Margaret's Episcopal School rests in the quality of our academic programs
and our highly qualified faculty who focus on what students learn, as well as how they learn.
Teachers incorporate innovative approaches that emphasize the active learning process, cooperative
learning, problem solving and discussions. Teachers embellish the curriculum through field trips,
hands on activities, guest speakers, special projects and many other enriching activities, thus
fostering critical thinking skills and heightening student interest. Our students have received outside recognition in areas such as team sports, performing arts,
County Science Fair and the Palm Desert Art and Essay Contest. Graduates of St. Margaret's have
consistently enrolled in honors classes in high schools across the valley. St. Margaret's Episcopal School, a Pre-K through Grade 8 school founded in 1994, is dedicated
to academic excellence and to the development of self-confident individuals of good character who
are prepared to accept the responsibilities of personal freedom in relation to God, to themselves,
to others, to their environment and to the world in which they live. Sequestered on a grassy bluff overlooking the Coachella Valley, St. Margaret's offers the perfect learning environment. Intimate and functional classrooms provide a state-of-the-art education. Our strong core curriculum is designed to encourage optimum learning opportunities in language arts, math, social studies and science. In Concert with the fundamentals, St. Margaret's stresses the importance of foreign language, art, music and sports. We additionally offer after-school enrichment programs throughout the year. The middle school years are a time in our children's lives when they are most vulnerable to social and peer pressures. At St. Margaret's, faith-based ethics are a priority. Honesty, integrity, good sportsmanship and tolerance of differences in others are essential to our overall teaching approach. These values extend beyond the classroom to free time and athletics. St. Margaret's Episcopal School consistently exceeds the expectations of parents and students.
We invite you to visit our campus to discuss your child's education future or email
us at school@stmargarets.org.
Our SMES Boys B Basketball Team is the Desert Private Middle School League Champions! Congratulations to our players who played three consecutive games on Friday night beginning at 5:00. They eliminated CSOD in the first round, Sacred Heart in the second round, and Desert Chapel to win the championship. They played each game with the utmost sportsmanship and won each round by a large margin! Afterward the team and parents celebrated at All Pro Pizza. I have heard nothing but good reports from everyone in attendance. Way to go Griffins! Our A Team played on Saturday afternoon making a valiant effort despite playing with just four of it’s players - they won the first round. Unfortunately, they lost in the second round.
More About Us...
Mission Statement
St. Margaret's Episcopal School: Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 8
Elementary School Campus Kindergarten - Grade 5
Middle School Grades 6-8