Do not be afraid!  Go to Galilee.

These were the words of the Risen Jesus that Pope Francis quoted during his homily at the Easter Vigil Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica.  In his homily Pope Francis invited all of us to return to the original fervor and enthusiasm of our baptism and our first becoming followers of Jesus.

During these great fifty days of the Easter Season, may our hearts be rejuvenated with the love that Jesus has for each of us; a love that knows no limits or boundaries; a love that not even death on a cross can crush.

May we all become bearers of such a great love to all of our brothers and sisters!

Look at Jesus!

See the love he has for us!

Christ humbled himself for us, and, in obedience, accepted death, even death on the cross.  Therefore God raised him to the heights and gave him the name which is above all other names.

Thank you Jesus for your love and your acceptance of the cross.

On Saturday evening, Apirl 5^th, the faculty gathered in the Sacred Heart Commons to bid a fond farewell to Mrs. Joanne Colucci, the school’s Administrative Assistant.  Mrs. Colucci and her husband, Mike will be moving to Pennsylvania at the beginning of May.

The Colucci’s two children are both Kellenberg Memorial graduates.  Mrs. Colucci worked for five years in Kellenberg’s finance office before Bro. Kenneth, Kellenberg’s principal, asked her to become a founding member of St. Martin de Porres Marianist School’s administration.  For the past 10 years Mrs. Colucci has managed the Main Office and devoted herself tirelessly to overseeing countless small details that are necessary for a school to run smoothly.  We will all miss her.

Thank you for your many years of dedication.  God bless!

The Second Trimester ended amidst of flurry of activities.

On Saturday, April 5^th girls in third, fourth and fifth grade with their moms gathered in the Sacred Heart Commons to spend an afternoon together at the Annual Garden Party.  The girls enjoyed making flower-wreathes to wear as headdresses and munching on lots of cookies and cupcakes.  The highlight of course was the opportunity for the girls to have their picture taking with their moms and then to take that photo home in the picture frame craft they made during the afternoon with their moms.

Wednesday morning, April 9^th, boys and girls from 4^th grade to 8^th grade demonstrated their mental mathematical skills during the school’s Mathematics Bee.  Boys and girls in the younger grades held their own against the students in the junior high.  Several younger ones made it into the final rounds.

Ultimately 8^th grader, Jean Paul Rojas Henao, was crowned as champion while 7^th grader, Sofia Cruz, took 2^nd place.  Congratulations to all the contestants!

Fr. Thomas came over from KMHS on Thursday, April 10^th, to celebrate the Last Supper with some of the first graders.  The boys and girls were dressed in costume and everyone had a part to recite in the narrative recalling Jesus’ last meal with his apostles.  After the recital, the boys and girls dinned on matzo, rolls, applesauce and grape juice symbolizing some of the foods that Jesus ate during his last Passover meal.

Friday evening, April 11^th, over 300 icons were on display in the Sacred Heart Commons.  These icons were written by members of SMMS’s junior high as well as students from other local Catholic grammar schools, Kellenberg Memorial and Chaminade too.

To view all of the photos from these events click on the Photo Album tab to the right.

The Second Trimester Honor Rolls are available for viewing.  Go to the Academics page and choose Honor Rolls.

Congratulations to all for a job well done.

May these final days of Lent continue to be a time of deepening our personal friendship with Jesus.

Click here to see the Trimester Exam Schedule

Friday, March 28^th, 7:00 P.M. at the Sacred Heart Commons.

 The house was packed!  The audience cheered!  The fourth graders performed marvelously!  Nothing more needs to be said.  Congratulations to the 4^th grade class and their teachers for such an outstanding production of The Wizard of Oz.

Click on the Photo tab to the right to see all of the play pictures!

Last Friday, in preparation for their upcoming First Communion, the second grade class, plus a few older children, went to the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time.  Fr. Tom came over from KHMS to administer this sacrament to the children.  They will be receiving their First Communion on Saturday, May 10^th.

Fr. Tom was back to SMMS on Tuesday of this week for another visit.  This time he celebrated Mass with us for the Solemnity of the Annunciation.  Fr. Tom reminded us all that our God loves each and every one of us so much, that He became a little baby among us.  Fr. Tom encouraged all of us to have open hearts like Mary, and to allow Jesus to transform our lives too.

Wednesday afternoon during the 5^th Grade Biography on Parade, we were visited by many famous peoples from ages past.  Jackie Robinson, Cleopatra, Queen Elizabeth I and Thomas Jefferson were among the many biographies that the audience heard.  After listening to the clues presented, the younger children in the audience had the chance to guess who the famous person was.  It was a very enjoyable way to spend the afternoon.

Go to the Photo Tab at the right to see all of the pictures from these events.

The director of Raynham Hall Museum in Oyster Bay invited our third through fifth graders to participate in an essay contest.  The students were to write about a President they admired and the qualities he had they would like to emulate.  The Daughters of the American Revolution sponsored the contest and chose the winners.

Out of over 400 entrants, Jaydon Mejia of Third Grade won 1^st Place with his essay on Theodore Roosevelt.  Mia Moore of the 4^th Grade won Second Place with her essay on Lyndon B. Johnson and Kendall Riley of Fifth Grade won 1^st Place with her essay on Ronald Reagan.  The St. Martin faculty and students are very proud of the winners.

In the world of Cub Scouting March is Pinewood Derby season!  This year races were held on two consecutive Tuesdays so as to accommodate all of the racers.  Races were held in the Sacred Heart Commons during the after school program.

Go to the Photo tab to see all of the pictures from these two events.

Spring has finally sprung and hopefully the warmer weather will be following soon as well!  Fortunately, the winter’s intense cold did not inhibit all the many activities take took place this past month.

On Tuesday, March 4^th, we celebrated Mardi Gras with a parade up and down the hallways and through the Sacred Heart Commons during the 4^th period.

The younger children lined the hallways wearing beads and masks and cheered on the Mardi Gras king and queen as they lead the parade.  Afterwards cookies were distributed to all to enjoy.

Ash Wednesday, the following day, ushered in the Lenten Season.  During three separate prayer services in the Sacred Commons children in grades one to eight received their ashes as they embarked on their Lenten journey.  Bro. Timothy visited the children in pre-k and kindergarten in their classrooms to administer their ashes to them.

This year our Lenten project is Pennies for A Schoolhouse!  As we have done as a school for the past several years we will ask the children to exchange their loose change for good deeds performed.  Each classroom will have a heart-shaped box where the children can place their donations every time they do some good deed.  The money we collect this year will help to cover the cost of building supplies for the new schoolhouse in the village of Buwagi in Uganda.

Wednesday afternoon, budding scientists gathered in the Sacred Heart Commons to display their Science Fair projects.  Finishing in first place for their grade levels were Connor O’Grady (6^th grade), Natania Pardo (7^th grade), and Anna Wilson (8^th grade).

The overall top award was

presented to Anna Wilson.

Congratulations to all!

After months of rehearsing the Jr. High Drama Club’s production of Musical Memories hit the stags auditorium on Saturday, evening March 8^th.  In the spirit of our 10^th anniversary year, Musical Memories contained scenes from five past productions.  These included scenes from Seussical, Jr., Willy Wonka, Jr., Godspell, Beauty and the Beast, Jr. and Annie, Jr. The audience thoroughly enjoyed an evening of dancing and singing.

Go to the Photo page to see the many pictures from all of these events.