July, 2015
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In This Issue…
Useful Links
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Dear St. Mark’s Families,
Happy Summer! It’s mid-July, and as with every summer, there is plenty to do before we begin the start of the school year in September. This annual letter serves as a reminder to the greater community about some of the upcoming dates, tasks and events. We have much to do before September 7th!
Contact Information and Permission Forms (August 5 Deadline)
As always, we need to receive information from you including up-to-date contact information, permissions, and the like. Similar to last year, we are encouraging your use of technology for the majority of your St. Mark’s forms. We ask that you complete this form prior to August 5, 2015 for your up to date information to be included in our printed directory.
Within in the next 24 hours you should receive an individual link from InfoSnap (the from address will be support@infosnap.com), via email, that will allow you to access the Family Information Form. The Form includes personal information which you may have provided in the past, for your review, and will have attached to it the required forms that need to be completed in order to begin the year ahead. Please remember that completing and submitting the Family Information Form online before your arrival of the registration days will make the process smoother for everyone. We ask that you complete this form prior to August 5, 2015 for your up to date information to be included in our printed directory.
Similar to past years, we have posted the complete Student Handbook on line allowing you to access this booklet by clicking here or by visiting the St. Mark’s website (found under On Campus or Offices & Resources). We continue to ask that every student be familiar with the rules and regulations of the Student Handbook before he/she arrives on campus. For those who enjoy the feel of a printed Handbook, please contact Ms. LaFreniere in the Dean’s Office, and we will send you a booklet in late August, or you may pick up a hard copy at the Deans’ table at either of the Registration Days in September.
Updates to the Handbook/School Procedures:
E-cigarettes and all types of vaporizers are considered to be drug paraphilia. Use or possession of any type of vaporizers will be considered a Level II offense.
Weekend Overnight Permissions – Last year, we transitioned to an online system for Saturday overnights. Unfortunately, that system had some technological and informational “bugs,” and we will be moving away from that particular online system. We are looking into different software systems that would incorporate students’ Lion Cards in the process. Until then, we may return to our standard paper and phone calls system for overnight permissions. More news to follow from Mrs. Lee, our Director of Residential Life.
St. Mark’s Saturdays Attendance Policy – be sure that you are fully aware of the Attendance Policy around our new Saturday Program when scheduling outside events. Students who miss more than two Saturday classes (excused or unexcused) in a season may not receive academic credit.
Ride Share Services – with Uber and other ride-share services, parents may give their child specific riding permission to use these services. Ride share services will no longer fall under the Public Transportation (taxi companies, buses, train, etc) permission category. Parents will need to check the appropriate boxes in the permission section of the Family Information Form.
Summer storage – we will NOT be providing summer storage space moving forward. All storage needs will go through an outside organization, Able Moving and Storage.
Please make note of the following and also refer to the Orientation Program and on the school website for a detailed schedule. We ask that students come to St. Mark’s only on the appropriate arrival days.
Monday, September 7 between 10am- Noon: Selected student leaders (Monitors, House Prefects, Pathway Leaders, and Peer Discussion Leaders)
Tuesday, September 8 between 8:30-10:00am: Sports Pre-Season by Invitation and selected leaders (O Team, Tech Prefects, Student Discipline Committee, Student Activities Committee)
Wednesday, September 9 – 8:30-11:00: New student registration
Friday, September 11 -9:00-11:00: Returning student registration
Friday, September 11 at 7:15: Opening Convocation in the Putnam Family Art Center. This event is required for all students. Chapel dress. 7:15-8:00
Saturday, September 12: Classes begin
St. Mark’s Saturdays – Course Selections (July 31 deadline)
We are excited to share the 2015-2016 St. Mark’s Saturdays Course Catalog with our incoming families, and to open the course request process for incoming students. Please make your requests before July 31st, using the forms linked at the St. Mark’s Saturdays section of our helpful Getting Ready site. As a part of the course request process, students will be asked to rank their top four Elective Course choices in each season. Students who do not complete a request form will be placed according to the enrollment needs of the program.
These courses represent an outstanding opportunity for our students to ask and answer the most significant questions of our time, to apply their learning in new contexts, and to develop skills that will help them succeed throughout their St. Mark’s careers and in the larger world beyond our campus. We trust that you will see the diversity and power of the program reflected through what we have developed for our community.
If you have additional questions about the program, you can read more in the “Overview of St. Mark’s Saturdays” section on the site, or contact Nat Waters, Director of St. Mark’s Saturdays.
- Please be reminded that you will be required to read one book this summer as part of our Gray Colloquium program. The theme this year is “identity and citizenship”. This year’s book selection is Breath, Eyes, and Memory by Edwidge Danticat. This selection was informed by this year’s theme and also in line with our Global Citizenship Initiative. The book features a coming of age story about a young girl growing up in Haiti. There are some sensitive narratives regarding identity, culture, and gender. We will gather in advisory groups to process further early in the fall.
Additionally, students may select a book from the Summer Book Program sponsored by the English department. Though this is optional, it is highly encouraged. Faculty members are sponsoring some great, engaging options!
- Students who have enrolled in and been approved to take Advanced US History this school year are also required to read Nathaniel Philbrick’s Mayflower.
- With the Academic School Year 2015-2016, St. Mark’s is requiring all students to have a computer. For additional information, please refer to the “Bring Your Own Device” (BYOD) Frequently Asked Questions by clicking here.
REMINDERS: Lastly, I am listing a series of friendly reminders that will need to be taken care of before the beginning of school:
- Health Service Forms:
Please do not forget to return (as soon as possible) the various Health Services forms you received back in June (they were due on July 1). At this time, we have received less than 50% of the needed records (Health Record Form, front and back copy of Immunization Cards, HIPAA and Transportation Forms). Please do not wait until your child’s Physical Exam is completed to return the Health Record Forms. Students for whom we do not have current and complete medical information on file cannot move into the houses or begin classes or sports practice. Duplicates of the information and forms from the June mailing are accessible on the website. If you have any questions about whether your information is complete, please feel free to call Health Services at (508) 786-6372.
- Vacation Dates and Travel Plans: We hope that those of you who live at a distance will take care of travel plans for the year now, if you have not already done so. If you need to book flights or make transportation arrangements please check carefully the dates on the school calendar (available on the website). In our continuous support of the important work of our academic program, we do not excuse students from classes to accommodate early travel and will hold students accountable by assigning detention hours. Plane flights should not be scheduled before mid-afternoon on the days vacations begin. International students who need to take morning flights are welcome to stay on campus overnight to fly the following morning.
- Lion Card/Cash
We continue to be excited our ID debit card system – The Lion Card. Parents are able to manage their students’ incidental accounts through the on-line pre-paid spending features. Returning parents are asked to review their Lions’ Card account to ensure it is up to date and has sufficient funds to cover books and incidentals for the upcoming year. New families will be sent an email next week with instructions and a pin number to register for the Lion Card. Information about the Lions’ Card can be found on the our website by clicking here.
- Music Lessons
All Students may take private music lessions. Private lessons are required for students taking the Music Studio course. Click here to register for music lessions for the upcoming year.
Please be sure to check the Getting Ready Site on the main page of the St. Mark’s website (found under Offices & Resources, The Admission tab, or the bottom right of the homepage).
Throughout August, Ms. LaFreniere and I will be available and will be happy to help you with any needs, issues or questions that you may have. Please complete the Family Information Form, SM Saturdays registration and mail in your Health Service Form as your earliest convenience – turning in both the FIF and medical forms early will make this registration process go much smoother for all. I look forward to working together toward a very exciting and successful year. Go Lions!
Sincerely,
David R. Vachris
Dean of Students
Checklist of forms (please submit as soon as possible to avoid registration delays)
- Complete and return Health Service Forms as soon as possible
- Family Information Form by August 8 (sent via email with the from address:support@infosnap.com
- Sign Up for St. Mark Saturday Courses by July 31
- Refresh/Create Lions’ Card account
*The header picture was taken last month on the student trip to Segovia Spain.