St. Mary's Episcopal Day School Tampa Florida

News & Events 2011 - 2012
(Recent news here, scroll down for prior events)

Pirate Invasion!

Thursday, January 26th, pirates invaded St. Mary's Campus! The buccaneers went from classroom to classroom hoping to find recruits to join them on the open sea. The good natured rogues shared their pirate booty and plan to invade the city on Saturday for the big Gasparilla parade.

8th Ties with Faculty

On Friday afternoon, January 20th, the faculty battled it out with the 8th grade boys on the basketball court. The play was vigorous and competitive as the clock ticked toward the buzzer. The last basket tied the game, 27 to 27. Go Saints!

8th Grade Speech Night

Thursday, January 19th, St. Mary's families and faculty members attended the "8th Grade Speech Extravaganza". Guided by Headmaster Laird, students presented their final speeches at an evening gathering in St. Mary's Hall. Our students were poised and confident as they delivered their minute long speeches to the audience. Wide ranging topics included dance moves, texting styles, hair issues, embarrassing accents, and dreaming of dancing ballet . Comedy was king and the captivated audience laughed and laughed as we were entertained by this talented group. Great job eighth grade!

Christmas Fun

December 15th, the last day before Christmas Break, was relaxing and fun as students and teachers shared snacks, exchanged gifts and got ready for the long holiday. At 10:30 the whole school assembled in St. Mary's Hall to enjoy the classic Charlie Brown Christmas movie. 8th grade blue and gold teams were pitted against each other in a Christmas trivia contest, the winning team earning points for Field Day in advance. Devon Diaz answered the winning question taking the prize for Blue. Finally, we were entertained by the crew from Sherwood Forest (administrators in disguise) cracking terrible jokes and singing Christmas carols. Happy Holidays!

Reindeer Games 2011

The annual Christmas games for Pre-K through second grade were played this year the morning of December 15th. Our wonderful eighth graders supervised the participants under the direction of Coaches Hall, Edwards, and Mohammed who worked hard to put some new events together for our younger students.

The Great Christmas Giveaway

In a Christmas show featuring fourth graders, supported by first through third, all participants were shining stars as they presented "The Great Christmas Giveaway". The children performed flawlessly the evening of December 13th for families and again the morning of December 14th for the student body. Congratulations and thanks to music director Lori Jungers and everyone who worked so hard to present the show for us.

Kinder Nativity

December 12th ~ In chapel this morning Kindergarten presented the story of Christmas in full costume and perfect voice. Parents, faculty and students were captivated by the beautiful message and traditional carols. Kindergarten didn't miss a cue and even repeated the performance a second time just for parents to enjoy.

Cookies with Headmaster Laird

Mr. & Mrs. Laird invited the Pre-K Classes to their home for our traditional cookies and stories with the Headmaster Friday, December 9th. While Mrs. Laird shared cookies and juice with the children, Mr. Laird shared two of his favorite Christmas stories, Christmas Eve Good Night and The Night Before Christmas. It was hard to tell who had the best time... the children, the teachers or Mr. and Mrs. Laird!

8th Grade Gathers for Headmaster Christmas Dinner

The evening of December 8th, eighth grade students gathered at Mr. Laird's home to celebrate their last Christmas together as St. Mary's students with a festive dinner and gift exchange. The "gift swap" tradition found guests competing this year for a variety of gifts including some very popular homework passes! Naturally, most participants tried to avoid Middle School Head Steve Edwards' annual gift, an autographed picture of himself!

Plant Madrigals Sing Shrek

Plant High School's Madrigal singers performed in St. Mary's Hall on Friday, December 2nd. The group shared their talents with our school community by singing and performing the Shrek story. Many of our former students were featured and their voices and presentation were outstanding. Thank you Plant High Singers!

Oh Christmas Tree

Right after Thanksgiving, St. Mary's elves decorate our tree with distinctive ornaments, displaying a different theme every year. Students in grades 1-4 created 3D snowflake ornaments from two die-cut snowflake shapes out of watercolor paper (each grade had a different snowflake design). The shapes were painted using a cool color palette and each grade level had their own mix of red-violet, violet, blue violet blue, blue green, and green watercolor paints. The two snowflakes were cut half-way through on one end and the two shapes joined together to make one! ~ Meg Carte

Grandparents' Day!

Grandparents Day, a special tradition at St. Mary's, was held on Tuesday, November 22nd. The faculty and children were excited to welcome grandparents and friends to our campus. The program this year included a reception in St. Mary's Hall, visits to classrooms, and musical performances by students, with 8th grade presenting special Grandparent Tributes. Everyone enjoys this great day at St. Mary's!

New Teacher Welcomed

Miss Marissa Mohammed joins our faculty as PE teacher for all grades and will also coach several sports. Marissa is a graduate of the University of Tampa where she earned her BS in Sports Management. Marissa comes to us most recently from Lebanon, Indiana, where she has worked for the local YMCA supervising several youth programs. Please give Marissa a warm welcome when you see her on campus!

Book Fair Fun!

St. Mary's Book Fair homepage

November 14th, 15th and 16th, the Parents' Association held our annual book fair in St. Mary's Hall. This year’s fair had something for everyone, with books ranging from Pre-Kindergarten to Middle School levels, and some choices for adults. An online store is also available for shopping from home. Special thanks to Sandra Clark, Amee Petitt, and the PA for all the time and effort it took to pull the sale together.

Veteran's Day Chapel Service

In chapel November 9th, our 7th Graders, guided by Mrs. Morris, presented a special service in honor of Veteran's Day. The service began with an honor guard Trooping the Color. Prayers were offered for all those who served our country in the military, and those veterans present were asked to stand and be recognized. We were honored with two exceptional speakers, Colonel David Almand, United States Air Force, father of Travis, and Lieutenant Colonel Brian Collins, United States Marine Corps, father of Sean. Thank you to these speakers for sharing their time and wisdom, thank you to all the veterans who serve our country, and thank you to Mrs. Morris and 7th grade.

St. Mary's Honored by Meals on Wheels

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.

Science Fair

Early in the school year, 6th graders received their science fair project assignment. After a week of research the students each picked a project and set to work. They had eight weeks in which to perform their experiments, analysis their results, and draw conclusions. Each student developed a story board on their projects telling the story of their experiment. On Thursday, November 3rd the Science expo was held. As parents, staff members, and others walked through the hall the students answered questions, and told about their work. The evening was a wonderful conclusion to a very successful eight week project, an excellent job by the 6^th grade class! Judy Sutfin

Boo Review!

Friday October 28th, the St. Mary's community enjoyed a spooktacular holiday treat as students performed during "Boo Review" in St. Mary's Hall. The audience was treated to songs, comedy and frightful musical accompaniment.

Saints Win FWCL Championship!

Thursday October 27th~Congratulations Girls Gold Volleyball team! The Saints had a huge win today against Academy to win the FWCL championship! We had 33 faculty and staff members in attendance. The gym was packed and it was great to have so many fans there to cheer on our Saints!

8th Grade vs. Faculty Volleyball

Friday, October 21st, the Lady Saints took on faculty in a contest of wills on the volleyball court. Winning the first game, the tenacious faculty prevailed, but the girls had youth, strength, and speed on their side, helping them win the second shorter game. Congratulations to all...well played.

Millie!

Thursday October 20th, the curtain went up on Thoroughly Modern Millie, Jr., the latest of our many school musical productions directed by Lori Jungers and starring this year's 8th grade class. The show was a hit, entertaining the audience with song and dance. Congratulations to the talented cast and all the parents, faculty, and friends who worked so hard on this production.

Blessing of the Pets

Friday, September 30th, the school day began with Blessing of the Pets, an annual event at St. Mary's. Animals of all varieties, furred and feathered, scaled and slimy, were blessed by the patient and loving hands of Father Kahl, Deacon Wolfe, and Father Twinamaani. Everyone always enjoys this special occasion, inspired by St. Francis of Assisi, known as the patron saint of animals and the environment.

Wildlife Experts Speak to Fourth

On Friday, September 23rd, our 4th graders enjoyed a presentation on wildlife mitigation by Tom Pride and Marty Peate, both of URS Corporation. Mr. Pride and Mr. Peate explained how roadways are currently being planned and constructed in a manner that safely allows animals, such as Florida panthers and black bears, to maintain their migration and hunting patterns.

Author Visit

Juvenile fiction author Jane R. Wood captures the imagination of young readers ages 9-14 through stories rich with mystery, adventure, and humor. Wood weaves the history and the environment of her settings into her storylines, making her books educational, as well as fun. The author visited St. Mary’s on September 14^th, speaking to our intermediate division students about her writing process.

First Assembly

Pre-K treated the school community to a rousing rendition of Mr. M on Friday September 2nd at our first school assembly of the year. The small but fearless performers smiled and sang their way through the familiar tune, a tradition at our opening assembly. First Grade joined in the fun performing "Cookie Snatcher"!

6th Grade Trip to Bethany Center

On Thursday, September 1st, the sixth graders traveled to the Bethany Center in North Tampa for an all day class building retreat. Led by a professional team from Common Ground Adventures, sixth graders conquered challenges, celebrated success, and examined the process. The students reported that they learned if they listened to their teammates, they would get good ideas. They also said that they came together as a class and enjoyed the experience.

7th Grade Ropes Course

Seventh Grade took their annual field trip to DaySpring in Ellenton on August 24th and 25th. The purpose of the Initiatives Course the students participate in is to promote trust and teamwork. It's also fun to miss a few classes!

8th Grade Trip to DaySpring

The annual trip to DaySpring for the High Ropes challenge took place right after the start of school. 8th graders were released from class the morning of August 18th to travel to the site for team building exercises. As the participants worked together to achieve common goals, bonds were forged and trust increased among classmates.

Saint Mary's First Day of School!

St. Mary's students returned to school Wednesday, August 17th. Headmaster Laird performed his favorite tradition at opening chapel, introducing our new Pre-K and 8th grade classes. There was excitement as friends greeted one another, welcomed newcomers, and met their new teachers. St. Mary's classic book of the year is Robin Hood. All grades will study its meaning and message.

St. Mary’s Named #1 Top Small Work Place in Tampa Bay, Again!

For a second time, St. Mary’s Episcopal Day School was named the #1 place to work in Tampa Bay’s Top Work Places by the St. Petersburg Times. The 70 leading employers in the Tampa Bay region were nominated by their employees, who were then surveyed about a variety of topics, including practices and policies that make these companies the top places to work.
The companies were ranked based on leadership, compensation and training, workplace flexibility, and diversity. The rankings were published in the St. Petersburg Times and at TampaBay.com.