As part of its regular meeting on Thursday, February 8, 2018, the St. Mary Parish School Board recognized and congratulated the following individuals:

• Student of the Month: Bailey Womack, 5th Grade (Bayou Vista Elementary School)
• Student of the Month: Zachary Burke, 12th Grade (Patterson High School)
• Student of the Month: Lanie Senette, 8th Grade (Centerville Junior High School)
  
  

• Employee of the Month: Ms. Ronica LaPoint, 4th Grade ELA Teacher (Bayou Vista Elementary School)
• Employee of the Month: Ms. Catherine Vernon, Math Teacher Patterson High School)
• Employee of the Month: Mr. Mark Millet, Junior High P. E. Teacher and Football Coach (Centerville Junior High School)

At the same meeting St. Mary Parish Students of the Year were introducted to the Board members by Ms. Tammy Drexler:

• Elementary – Kelsey Brianne August, 5th Grade, Raintree Elementary School
• Middle/Junior High – Kaitlyn Waguespack, 8th Grade, Morgan City Junior High School
• High School – Bailee Cabrini Hoggatt, 12th Grade, Morgan City High School

Congratulations to these outstanding St. Mary Parish students and employees.

Speak Up, a national research project facilitated by Project Tomorrow, provides an easy way for students, parents, and educators to share their views on technology and learning with St. Mary Parish administrators. Survey input can affect local decisions about technology, as well as contribute to the national dialogue about educational technology. 

Voluntary participation from educators, parents, students, and community members in this survey will help us answer important questions:

• How are our students using technology for learning in and out of school?
• How important is the use of technology to our teachers and parents?
• What types of technology would our teachers like and how would they use it in the classroom?
• Do our ideas about technology align with the ideas of the parents of our students and our community members?

Since 2003, Project Tomorrow has collected and shared the viewpoints of more than 5 million students, educators, and parents through its yearly survey. All responses are 100% confidential, and no identifying information is collected about/from any participant. 

Taking the survey is easy! (approximately 20 minutes)

1. Visit speakup.tomorrow.org and select Begin Survey.
2. Select “Start Student Survey” or select your group in the drop-down menu.  (Parent, Educator, Community Member, etc.).
3. Search for your school by entering your zip code (easiest!) OR by selecting Louisiana and finding your school’s name from the list.
4. Read the instructions and begin the survey.
• Parents, Educators, and Community Members will not need a password to access the survey.
• Students will select the correct grade level and use this “secret” word: (Ask your teacher or principal for the secret word)
• Younger students (K-2) or (3-5) can participate, too, if an adult reads to them or if a teacher uses the Group Survey option.

Survey deadline has been extended through Friday, Feb. 2, 2018. The survey is also available in Spanish. 

All St. Mary Parish schools and offices are scheduled to reopen on Friday, January 19, 2018.

Please check the St. Mary Parish Calendar for rescheduled dates of meetings and trainings that were cancelled due to the recent closures.

After a thorough assessment of district schools and offices, St. Mary Parish School Board officials have determined that the hard freeze and continuing low temperatures have resulted in widespread maintanence issues that will need to be addressed before reopening district buildings. Principals, district maintenance staff, and school custodial staff will report on Thursday, January 18, to address these issues. 

As a result, schools and offices will remain closed on Thursday, January 18.  Schools and offices are expected to reopen on Friday, January 19, on regular daily schedules.

St. Mary Parish school and offices will remain closed on Wednesday, January 17, due to continuing winter weather advisories.  Extremely cold temperatures and potential hazardous travel conditions are predicted.

Students will return to school at the regularly scheduled time on Thursday, January 18. 

All St. Mary Parish schools and offices will be closed on Tuesday, January 16, as recommended by the local office of Homeland Security due to possible icy conditions that could cause travel difficulties and result in the closing of bridges and overpasses  Temperatures in the lower teens are predicted, and a wind chill advisory is in effect.

Schools and offices are scheduled to reopen on Wednesday, January 17. Please check school and district websites for additional updates.

Ms. Tammy Drexler, St. Mary Parish Chairperson for the Louisiana Students of the Year Award Program, has announced the winners of the district competition. Congratulations to our district winners:

• Fifth Grade: Kelsey Brianne August, Raintree Elementary School
• Eight Grade: Kaitlyn Waguespack, Morgan City Jr. High School
• Twelfth Grade: Bailee Cabrini Hoggatt, Morgan City Sr. High School

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 honor students from each parish who have demonstrated exceptional academic achievement, leadership, and citizenship. 

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 St. Bernard Parish (12th grade) during the month of February.

Congratulations, too, to all district students who participated in this event. The full press announcement (PDF) includes the names of additional district participants. 

The following schools will be closed on Friday, January 5, 2018, due to continuing weather-related issues:

• B. E. Boudreaux Middle School
• W. P. Foster Elementary School
• Franklin High School
• Franklin Jr. High School
• LaGrange Elementary School
• Raintree Elementary 
• West St. Mary High School

Louisiana is seeing a busy and early flu season, with the majority of the viruses being the more severe Influenza A strains. The following actions can be taken to help prevent the spread of the flu virus

• Encourage anyone who is sick with a fever of greater than 100.3 or any other cold symptoms to stay home. Advise them not to go to work, school, or engage in other public activities until they have been without symptoms for 24 hours.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Call your doctor immediately to see if an antiviral medication is appropriate for you.
• If you are sick, do not visit vulnerable loved ones who may be receiving care in a hospital, nursing home, cancer center, or other setting.
• If you are sick, do not kiss babies, pregnant women, grandparents, and others who may be at a higher risk of getting sick.
• Cover face when you cough and sneeze.
• Try not to touch your eyes, nose, and mouth.
• Wash hands frequently.
• Clean and disinfect surfaces and objects that may be contaminated with germs like the flu.
• It’s not too late to get a flu shot.