From Ms. Gidget Everitt: Winners of the Red Ribbon Week Slogan Contest are Sophie Dufrene (Maitland Elementary) and Aiden Sherville (St. John Elementary), who submitted the slogan that will serve as the theme of 2020 Red Ribbon Week activities:

“Don’t Huff, Don’t Puff, STAY AWAY FROM THAT STUFF! Be Drug-Free!”

The selection of a slogan marks the opening of the Red Ribbon Week Drawing Contest, which is open to artists of all ages.  The deadline for entering the contest if Friday, March 20, 2020, at 4:00 PM.  Guidelines are entries can be found on this website under Departments | Safe & Drug Free Schools | Red Ribbon Week Drawing Contest. 

As part of its regular meeting on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020, the St. Mary Parish School Board recognized and congratulated the following individuals:

• Student of the Month: Ella Billiot, 5th Grade (Bayou Vista Elementary School)
• Student of the Month: Alexis Estay, 8th Grade (Centerville Jr. High School)
• Student of the Month: Michelle Lam, 12th Grade (Morgan City High School)
  
  
• Employee of the Month: Ms. Mindy Loupe,  Mathematics Teacher (Bayou Vista Elementary School)
• Employee of the Month: Mr. Devin Pontiff,  Social Studies/P. E. Teacher (Centerville Jr. High School)
• Employee of the Month: Ms. Grisel Tores, Spanish Teacher (Morgan City High School) 

The St. Mary Parish School Board approved the following proclamations at its regular meeting on Thursday, Feburary 13, 2020:

• National School Breakfast Week (March 2-6, 2020): Presented by Ms. Claire Guarisc

St. Mary Parish Public Schools will begin registration for pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, and first grade students at area schools. 

All pre-kindergarten students must be four (4) years old and all kindergarten students must be five (5) years old on or before September 30, 2020, for the 2020-2021 school session.  Any student entering first grade in the fall and not currently enrolled in a public school kindergarten should register on the designated registration days. 

Parents and guardians are asked to attend registration at the school in their attendance zone. Registration for elementary schools in St. Mary Parish will be held from 9:00 AM until 1:00 PM on Monday, March 23, 2020.  Due to the large number of students at Hattie Watts Elementary, pre-kindergarten registration will be held on Monday, March 23, and kindergarten registration will be held on Tuesday, March 24.

Parents are asked to bring the information listed below on the day of registration:

• Birth certificate
• Immunization record
• Social security card
• Allergy information
• Proof of residency
• Proof of income (pre-kindergarten students only)

Additional information can be found in the official press release. 

St. Mary Parish has been recognized by Project Tomorrow for its participation and commitment to engaging our stakeholders in local decisions on education issues. Project Tomorrow is an organization committed to ensuring that all students are well prepared to become tomorrow’s innovators, leaders and engaged citizens. The mission of Project Tomorrow is to help build the capacity of education leaders to create new learning experiences that prepare today’s students to compete and contribute to the global economy and society.

The district has earned the Speak Up District of Student Empowerment national distinction for our participation in the Speak Up Research Initiative. This initiative includes student, educator, parent, and community member participation in the nation-wide Speak Up survey, which was made available in October 2019. Speak Up results are used to inform federal, state, and local education programs. At the district level, initial survey results were used to identify and address local needs in the district's Long-Range Educational Technology Plan.

If you missed your first opportunity to contribute your thoughts to Speak Up, it's not too late. The survey links were reopened on February 1, 2020, and will remain open until May 1. You can find links to the survey on each school's website and on the district site: https://www.stmaryk12.net/speakup

In response to its call for applications ending December 2, 2019, the St. Mary Parish School Board has announced membership for the newly created Special Education Advisory Council.  The council will engage in outreach activities to the community at large to increase the level of knowledge, support, and collaboration with respect to special education.

The appointed members are as follows:

• Dwight Barbier (Chairman)
• Brianna Comeaux (Member)
• Sandra Marshall (Member)
• Julie Price (Member) 

From Dr. Bagwell: St. Mary Parish Schools has announced the appointment of acting administrators at West St. Mary High School and Patterson Jr. High School following the resignations of a principal and assistant principal.

Ms. Ashley Clark was selected to serve as acting principal of West St. Mary High School, replacing Dr. Derrick White who resigned to accept a position at Algiers Charter Schools. Ms. Clark previously served as the school’s assistant principal.

Additionally, Patterson Jr. High School will have an acting assistant principal as Ms. Ronica Lapoint will move into the role, replacing Ms. Dequindra Ligon who resigned to accept an administrative position at Breaux Bridge High School. Ms. Lapoint served as the curriculum facilitator at Patterson Jr. High School and Hattie Watts Elementary School prior to her appointment as an administrator.

Both appointments, in an acting capacity, will afford the schools the ability to seamless transition while maintaining a consistent leadership approach for students and teachers.      

The Special Education Department of the St. Mary Parish School District will be hosting the annual 2020 Gifted/Talented Arts Jam on Tuesday, January 28, 2020. The event will be held at the Teche Theatre in Franklin from 4:00 to 7:00 PM.  

The event includes an exhibiton of student art work from 4:00 to 5:00 PM, with dramatic readings, skits, instrumental, and vocal musical performances from 5:00 to 7:00 PM. Parents and community members are invited to attend. 

Ms. Tammy J. Drexler, St. Mary Parish Chairperson for the Louisiana Student of the Year Awards Program, has released the winners of this year's competition. The Students of the Year Award Program is designed to recognize outstanding elementary, middle/junior, and high school students.  This program is an excellent opportunity to recognize students from each parish who have demonstrated excellent academic achievement, leadership ability, and citizenship.  

Congratulations to the following students:

• 5th Grade: Ella Mae Billiot (Bayou Vista Elementary School)
• 8th Grade: Cherish Alana Lewis (Berwick Junior High School)
• 12th Grade: Luke Anthony Orlando (Berwick High School)

The Students of the Year Award Program is sponsored by the Louisiana State Superintendent through the State Department of Education and the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.  Parish winners will participate in the regional competition to be hosted in St. Mary Parish (5th grade), Jefferson Parish (8th grade), and Plaquemines Parish (12th grade) during the month of February.

Press Release

The St. Mary Parish School Board approved the following proclamation at its regular meeting on January 10, 2020:

• National African-American Month (February 2020): Presented by Mr. Joseph Stadalis
• National School Counseling Week (February 3-7, 2020): Presented by Dr. Buffy Fegenbush
• Louisiana Literacy Week (February 11-15, 2020): Presented by Ms. Niki Fryou