St. Margaret’s opened the 2009–2010 school year with 1,221 students. Final enrollment figures exceeded conservative projections established last winter and matched enrollment data from recent years: Opening day enrollments averaged 1,222 over the past five years. “St. Margaret’s enrollment is very affirming,” stated Director of Admission and Financial Aid Ryan Dahlem. “The world in September 2009 is very different from the world in September 2008, yet the quality of the St. Margaret’s experience endures.” By opening fully enrolled, St. Margaret’s avoided faculty layoffs, cuts in extra-curricular programs and increased class …

This week, School Nurse Carol Keith, R.N., attended an Orange County Department of Health conference focusing on two types of influenza virus: the seasonal flu and the pandemic H1N1 flu. At the conference, Nurse Keith and other school health care professionals were provided with information for distribution to parents. To read the brochure “Seasonal and Novel H1N1 Flu: A Guide for Parents,” please click here.
St. Margaret’s is following the recommended action steps for schools, which include:
1. Educating our students and staff to …

The commemorative publication focusing on the Class of 2009 Commencement Ceremony, “Commencement 2009,” will be arriving in your mailboxes soon, and it is online now, along with more highlights of the Class of 2009. In “Commencement 2009,” read Headmaster Marcus D. Hurlbut’s address to the graduates at Commencement; reflect on how “life is a highway” as you read Senior Class Dean Steven J. Sherman’s class recognition speech at the Senior Banquet; and see where graduates were headed in the College Choices list. These and more speeches from the Commencement Ceremony, …

The 2009-2010 Parent-Student Handbook and Directory will be mailed to parents and distributed to faculty and staff next week. This publication contains contact information for faculty and staff, a list of students in each grade, addresses and phone numbers of school families, and a summary of school policies and standards. In accordance with the school’s distribution policy, one copy of the directory has been mailed to each family. If you have more than one child enrolled at St. Margaret’s, you may pick up your additional directory(s) from the bookstore. Additional …

The St. Margaret’s Library is seeking interesting compilations of materials such as coins, stamps, interesting memorabilia, or other items with educational value. Collections would be on display in the Library on a temporary basis during the 2009–2010 school year. Collections must be able to be housed in or around the display cases in the library. Items relating to St. Margaret’s curriculum are especially appreciated. If you would like more information, please contact Rosemary DeSa, at rosemary.desa@smes.org.

Friday’s Tartan Family Roundup & Tailgating Party, which is from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., followed by a home football game against Francis Parker, is expected to be very well attended, and therefore it will be difficult to find parking on and around campus.  For the event to go as smoothly as possible:

Please leave additional time, expect delays, and be patient.  Traffic will be congested and parking hard to find although all parking lots will be open.
Please carpool with friends if possible. If you and your spouse are …

Support St. Margaret’s Parent Teacher Fellowship (PTF) without changing your spending. The PTF eScrip Program is an important part of PTF fund-raising for school operations, programs and facilities. Parents, grandparents and other school community members can register annually. Use credit, debit, grocery and other merchant cards with eScrip, and a percentage of your purchases will be contributed to St. Margaret’s by the merchant. The PTF eScrip program form is located on www.smes.org: Click on “Community,” scroll down and click on “PTF,” and the eScrip Form can be found under “PTF Information …

At St. Margaret’s, school starts later on Friday than on Monday through Thursday. “Late start” is the term used to this different school starting time. On Fridays, for all Divisions, the school day begins at 8:40 a.m. instead of 7:45 a.m. This variation provides an invaluable weekly opportunity for St. Margaret’s faculty and staff to engage in a variety of professional development activities from 7:30–8:30 a.m.

Go online today to order hot lunch for your student. Orders must be received by noon on Wednesday, September 2, 2009. Hot lunch orders received after this date will apply to the month of October. Your hot lunch menu choices will be billed through your student’s account.
To place a lunch order online, access the PTF online Hot Lunch menu at www.smes.org. Click on “Quick Links,” click on “Parent,” and then select the “Hot Lunch” option on the left hand side of the web page. Log on using your SMES user …

From Preschool through Upper School, school pictures will be taken in September and October. Check the dates for each division and learn how to order photographs by accessing the order form on the Online Forms section of the Parents page found under the Quick Links on www.smes.org.
Click Here for the form.