Could St. Mary of the Lakes School be the right choice for your child?
The last week in January is usually a bit gloomy with the post-holiday slump kicking in and no foreseeable end to the nasty cold weather. But at St. Mary of the Lakes School in Medford, Sunday Jan. 27 kicks off a week filled with fun and thankfulness as they celebrate Catholic Schools Week.
While St. Mary of the Lakes School accepts students of all faiths, Catholic Schools Week focuses on the value a Catholic education provides to young people and its contributions to the church, the communities and the nation. The theme for National Catholic Schools Week 2019 is “Catholic Schools: Learn. Serve. Lead. Succeed.”
The week kicks off on Sunday, Jan. 27 with a Mass at the school at 10 a.m. followed by an Open House from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The Open House is for all current as well as interested families to come see the school in action. Staff and parents are available for questions as well as student leading tours. An activity Fair highlights the many offerings to families and gives an opportunity for information exchange.
Each day of the week centers on appreciation.
Student Appreciation Day lets the kids know they are what make St. Mary of the Lakes School so special. Tasty treats as well as no homework are tokens of gratitude as well as a school spirit night at Chick-Fil-A.
On Parent Appreciation Day, parents will receive heartfelt thank you notes from their child expressing why they are thankful to be at SMLS. Many a tear has been shed reading these letters and they are sure to be kept in a special place.
Service Appreciation Day reinforces the commitment to service the school holds high. Various service projects will be done this day in conjunction with the overall service calendar for the year.
Community Appreciation Day will begin with a Pancake Breakfast for First Responders of the town of Medford. Police, Fire and EMS personnel and volunteers are invited and will be honored and served by the students and parent volunteers.
The week will also feature the annual Science Fair, which is unlike your typical school science fair. This non-competitive event garners participation from a high percentage of the student population because it is fun and learning at the same time!
Culminating the week is an all-out School Spirit Day featuring skits, fun competitive games and exhibition varsity girls vs. boys basketball game which always gets the fans roaring.
As a follow up to Open House, a Coffee With the Principal is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 13 at 9 a.m. and again at 6:30 p.m. for a more intimate visit with opportunities for specific Q&A and tours.
Catholic schools are an attractive alternative to public education for those who seek options and have many benefits including, discipline, common values and respect, service to others, a safe environment, excellent academics and study habit development, a spiritual view of the world, civic responsibility and engagement, arts and culture, goal setting and passionate instructors. According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, authors of a study found “statistically meaningful evidence that students in Catholic schools exhibited less disruptive behavior than their counterparts in other schools. Specifically, students in Catholic schools “were more likely to control their temper, respect others’ property, accept their fellow students’ ideas, and handle peer pressure.” In other words, they exhibited more self-discipline.”
For all these reasons St. Mary of the Lakes School celebrates annually during Catholic Schools Week and invites the community to celebrate with them.
St. Mary of the Lakes School in Medford NJ is a co-educational school serving students from PK3 to eighth grade. For more information [email protected] or visit the website at www.smlschool.org
