Each grade
level at St. Mary's supports a cause every year, raising
both money and awareness. These community service projects
help our students connect and contribute to the world around
them. They are proud to participate in work that has a real
impact.
Pre-K
The outreach program for Pre-K is Metropolitan Ministries.
Students bring in food all year to support the efforts of
this ministry to provide food for those in need. Mrs. Meyer
and her daughter Maggie, representatives of Metropolitan
Ministries, visit Pre-K and show us how to build a Box of
Hope containing all the food a family might need to have
a special Thanksgiving. Although November is a special time
of year to collect food, the students also bring in toys and
food for Christmas, and food all during the school year to
help. For Halloween, all our students take home UNICEF boxes
to collect money when they go trick or treating.
Kindergarten
Kindergarten works with Metropolitan Ministries. Students
can choose to donate a gift on their birthday that they open
in front of the class and then give as a special gift to the
children at Metropolitan Ministries. During the holidays our
students also send in canned goods and food supplies to help
make boxes of Hope. This is a wonderful program to teach our
children about sharing and giving to others.
First Grade
First grade has a busy year working on our outreach program
for the children at St. Joseph's Children's Hospital. In
October, the children each donate Halloween toys and school
supplies to the children at the hospital to enjoy on
Halloween night. For the Thanksgiving and Easter holidays
each first grader makes a card for the children at the
hospital. For Christmas, the first grade collects crayons
and coloring and/or activity books that the nurses can
distribute over the winter holidays. The first graders love
being able to bring a smile to the children that have to be
in the hospital during a special time of the year!
Third Grade
In third grade, our outreach is Kids and Canines. Kids and
Canines supports disabled individuals by providing assistant
dogs. The dogs are trained to help with everyday
activities, including grocery shopping and retrieving items
from hard to reach places. Throughout the year, students
dedicate time, money, and donations to help with this
cause. In the spring, students visit the "school" to get a
better understanding of how the dogs are trained and used in
our society.
Fourth Grade
St. Mary’s fourth grade supports Bakas Equestrian Center. A
highly successful program since 1987, Bakas provides
equestrian based therapeutic activities that enhance the
lives of physically impaired and developmentally delayed
children and adults. Our fourth graders raise money for
Bakas by hosting two bake sales in the early Fall. They
also collect much needed supplies that are delivered upon
arrival at the facility during out annual field trip.
During the field trip our children learn about the program
and help out by grooming horses, cleaning stalls, and
sometimes even assisting with lessons.
Fifth Grade
5th Grade Outreach program is working with underprivileged
children from a program called Cornerstone. Cornerstone is
an after school program for children in North Tampa who have
no where to go after school. These children have very
little in their lives and Cornerstone gives them a secure,
loving place to go after school. 5th Grade provide children
in this program with a holiday gift, something chosen from
the child's wish list, something sometimes as simply as a
football. 5th graders draw a child's name, pay the present,
and wrap it, ready for the child to open at Cornerstone's
Holiday party. Last year we interacted with the children,
sending letters to their new buddies, and telling the child
a little about themselves. Our outreach program makes the
Holiday season shine a little brighter.
Sixth Grade
The sixth grade's community outreach project is the annual
December Angel Tree Party. Students are working with St.
Mary’s Episcopal Church to provide a nice Christmas party
with presents for children who have a parent incarcerated.
The sixth graders assist with filling out the Angel Tree
cards with information about each child, recruiting donors,
publicizing the event, setting up for the party, and hosting
at the event. All St. Mary’s families are invited to sponsor
a child who will be a guest at the party. Sponsor sign-up
for the 2011 Angel Tree begins on Nov. 7th. Gifts
for the guests are needed by Dec. 2nd. The party
is Saturday, Dec. 10th. The sixth graders learn
gratitude and build leadership skills by helping with the
Angel Tree project.
Seventh Grade
The 7th graders serve hot meals to homebound seniors in
south Tampa through the Meals on Wheels program. Twice each
week, a parent volunteer drives a pair of students on one of
many well established routes to deliver lunches. For some
seniors, this is a major contact with the outside world. For
others, this is their main meal of the day. Most 7th graders
are able to deliver food twice during the year. St. Mary's
has been a partner with Meals on Wheels for 17 years. In
2011 St. Mary's received the "Adopt a Route Partner of the
Year Award" for many years of service to the Meals on Wheels
organization. 7th Grade is also responsible for
outreach to the men and women in uniform serving our country
overseas, through the Cell Phones for Soldiers, and Packages
from Home programs.
In addition to helping with the parent sponsored Meals on
Wheels project, the seventh grade Human Geography classes
sponsor a Pennies for Papoli drive. The drive is coordinated
through Village Partners International, a non-profit
organization that partners with local leaders in Uganda and
Haiti to improve the health of their citizens. The purpose
of the drive is to raise awareness of the work in Papoli and
money to help meet the needs. The funds will purchase food
and medicine for the children in Papoli, Uganda. Many of the
children in Papoli are orphaned because their parents have
died of AIDS. Seventh graders will use a variety of skills
to plan and execute the drive, which coincides with African
case studies in Human Geography class. The students created
a video about their drive when it was initiated, to
encourage other groups to have a Pennies for Papoli Drive.
To see the video, go to the Village Partners International
website
www.villagepartnersinternational.org.
Eighth Grade
St. Mary’s offers eighth grade students a unique community
service opportunity by working with Faith Café, a non-profit
ecumenical ministry which feeds the homeless and those in
need. Three students are picked up each Tuesday and
Thursday by a parent volunteer to serve. While at Faith
Café, the students set the tables, greet customers, serve
the food to seated customers, clear the tables and clean up
the dining hall. This project provides an opportunity for
the students to see the needs in our community and serve
those in need with dignity, love and respect.
St. Mary's Episcopal Day School
2101 South Hubert Avenue
Tampa, Florida 33629
(813) 258-5508
Fax: (813) 258-5603
