Dear Friends in Christ,
It is hard to believe, but this week we have already begun the school year for 2019-2020. Technically the calendar says we still have one more month of summer left, but I think now in everyone’s mind summer has vanished. Anyway, ready or not, here we come with another year of excellent education from our beloved Montini School….
As is my custom, once again I wish to take this moment and acknowledge changes in Montini personnel.
As most of you know, Mr. Mike Shukis, who was Principal of Montini for the past five years, has taken on the Assistant Superintendent position at Marian. We are excited for Mr. Shukis and for Marian, but we will miss him dearly. These five years he led Montini with ample wisdom, vision, and grace. He is a rather unassuming and humble man, but he is not afraid to make the difficult decisions that a school needs. Most importantly he cares deeply for the children. I saw much of this firsthand working closely with him over the last five years. We wish him and Marian all the best; Marian is fortunate to now have him on their administrative team.
In his wake, Mrs. Julie Stark takes over as the new Principal of Montini. She had been Assistant Principal for five years; now she takes the helm of our beloved school. Mrs. Stark will be an exceptional leader for our school, bringing her own vision and set of talents to the table. I know for certain the school is in good hands with her at the lead. I am sure though she would appreciate your prayers in her new position, as she recognizes the bigness and gravity of her task!
Taking over as Assistant Principal, in addition to being our middle school teacher of Social Studies, is Mr. James Semcken. Mr. Semcken is an intelligent and gifted young man, who is growing more each year into a leader for our school. He is a perfect fit for this role.
Mrs. Cherly Nokes, who taught 2nd Grade for a number of years, has decided to move on this year. We are sad to see her go; her steadiness and grace have been great gifts for our school for these years.
In her place, Mrs. Cindy Mecklenberg, who has been a Montini mom and aide for many years, now assumes the role of 2nd Grade teacher. She has told me personally she is super excited about being a full-time teacher, especially for the momentous year of 2nd Grade!
Mrs. Pat Wagner, who taught Math at Montini for many years, decided to retire this year. While we are very sad to see her go, we know it is her time; and, we take consolation in the tremendous legacy of math whizzes she has left in her wake! Now she can go “find X”….
Stepping into the Math teacher role is Mrs. Jennifer Eschenbacher. Mrs. E. has inspired our students in creativity and building for years as our Engineering and Future City programs director. Being a Math teacher will be a natural fit for her (though she may need to brush up on a few equations!)
Also retiring this year from being a Pre-K aide for many years is Mrs. Debbie Schultz. Mrs. Schultz invested so much of her life into Montini, and we are extremely grateful to her for all her time and love given to our children! We wish her a blessed retirement.
Mrs. Krista Wolter now joins “Ms. Maureen” on our Pre-K task force. We welcome Mrs. Wolter and are glad to have her on board!
Mr. Ben Nolan, a bright and enthusiastic young man who assisted with the Before and After School program, has decided to move on, and filling his shoes is his brother Hayden Nolan. Perhaps no one appreciates this role more than working parents, but we are all grateful for the time Ben spent with our children in the early and later hours of the day. We thank Hayden for willingly stepping into this role.
Mrs. Katie Leggett, who has become a dynamo as our middle P.E. teacher, will also be assisting Mrs. Huffy in our 4th Grade class.
Though it does seem very early, we are all eager to welcome our children and begin another year of learning and grace. As always, THANK YOU all for your constant support of all our Montini community – children, families, teachers, and staff – and our ongoing mission of forming good citizens and holy saints!
Sincerely in Christ,
Fr. David
St. Mary’s 125th Anniversary Starts Today!!!
Starting August 15, 2019 thru August 15, 2020, you can order you St. Mary T-Shirt that portrays the image of our Blessed Mother as rendered by a 2019 Montini graduate and St. Mary parishioner, Rebecca Bodden! There’s more than just T-Shirts to choose from. Go to this link to order choice of style and sizes: https://inktothepeople.com/st-mary-catholic-church-125th-anniversary-/
Here’s something to SMILE about! 🙂
St. Mary’s Church is now connected with AMAZON.SMILE! What is Amazon.Smile? Amazon is dedicated to giving back to charitable organizations like our parish. When you buy online at Amazon, you have the opportunity to have .05% of your purchases donated to St. Mary’s by Amazon. When you sign up for AmazonSmile, you’ll be asked to select from over a million of charities to support. But you can skip this step and click on our unique link. Then you’ll be taken to smile.amazon.com and then automatically asked if you want to support St Mary Church. Our unique charity link: https://smile.amazon.com/ch/36-2182123
Don’t forget to sign up for St. Mary’s MyParish App today!
Just text App to phone number 88202 or visit myparishapp.com to download. St. Mary’s will not automatically beone of your choices because we are a national parish which means we have no boundaries. Just type in St. Mary 1407 and the site will be available for you to click on and join. Keep yourself up to date on parish events, daily readings, messages, Pope Francis messages, and programs to enhance your faith journey.
