Weekly Principal’s Message

This week’s Principal’s Message is a huge “thank you” to all the parent volunteers that work with us here at Saint Mary School.  They are the lifeblood of the school and we simply could not provide the quality education and spiritual formation we do here at SMS without their support in both time and money.

As principal and ex-parent of children at SMS, I learned a long time ago that it takes much more than tuition dollars to make ends meet here.  In fact, the tuition we charge doesn’t even approach the actual cost to educate a child here at SMS when you take all the expenses into account.  Other Catholic schools do meet either all or most of their expenses through their collected tuition, but we attempt to keep our tuition rates as low as possible, affording the opportunity to attend our great school to any child that would like to.  I believe this is what separates Saint Mary School from many of our sister schools in the area.

So how do we keep our tuition as affordable as possible while preserving the quality of our education?  Through the efforts of our great families, alumni and friends, many school needs are met without putting any further financial strain on the school budget.  Volunteers often give up their evenings and weekends painting, landscaping, building, repairing, etc.  Many of these projects are necessary, but many are simply for the improvement/betterment of our school facilities.  The Science Lab, playground, Faculty Lounge, and new Information Commons are just a few of the projects accomplished by our volunteers over the last few years, making our school as attractive as it is for our families and prospective families.  

Then there’s those who run our many fundraisers through our wonderful PTA who spend countless hours, not only ensuring the events are fun for all, but also raise the necessary funds to assist in filling the budget gap I’ve mentioned above.  The PTA line item in our school budget is $85,000.  It is no small task to raise this amount of money, but the PTA does it every year while providing other items and events for our students who want for nothing due to the volunteers’ dedication to SMS.

Finally, I’d like to recognize our School Board.  These people act as an advisory group to the pastor, principal and staff of SMS.  They bring varied talents and experience to the board, assisting in keeping the school viable for the foreseeable future.  They put in many hours in the evening and on weekends, developing plans and forming committees to assist in the work as “more hands make the work easier”.  Please consider joining one of our board committees if you’d like to assist in these endeavors.  

So, “thank you” to all who assist in keeping Saint Mary School “Academically Excellent and Passionately Catholic”!  You have no idea just how grateful I am to all of you for your tireless efforts.  Our children deserve and get the best here at SMS because of you.   

Please check our website, Facebook page and the Church bulletin for updates and upcoming events that you can enjoy with us.  Please continue to pray for our school, its staff, students and families, and our clergy as we strive to provide an education that is unapologetically Catholic, family centered, caring to others and respectful to all.  

God Bless, 

Craig Palmer
Principal