Staff News
At St. Margaret of Scotland, we celebrate the Day of the Dead in November – but according to one school Mom, her little guy is stoked for next week and what he calls the “Zombie Museum” day, which sounds equal parts terrifying and hilarious. What really goes on here? Let’s just say it involves history, costumes, and a bit more life than your average zombie crawl… and yes, Maggie has some long-standing grievances about being snubbed. 🧟♀️😏
King Malcolm is back, filling in while Maggie rubs elbows with a bunch of old spirits (not the bar kind). The newsletter is slim pickins’ this week, so instead of wasting words, he’s telling you: go enjoy life—or better yet, volunteer at the Fish Fry. Seriously, he says you need to show up, serve some fish, and pretend you’re a respectable adult. No excuses. Apparently, this is not a suggestion.
There’s something fishy going on in Maggie’s column this week. February is allegedly “quiet,” yet somehow we’re all one email away from unraveling — and boom, it’s Lent. Maggie’s suggestion for dealing with this Lenten chaos: aggressively scheduling your fish fry circuit across St. Louis — starting, of course, with the Feastie Boys at St. Margaret of Scotland. Repentance is holy, but so is fried cod and a well-organized spreadsheet.
Did you know our Middle School Electives Program at St. Margaret of Scotland School is one-of-a-kind? As we enter into Lent, I want to share with you another way our community is generously sharing their gifts and giving of themselves here in our school. It’s quite amazing!
We look forward to growing in faith together throughout the season of Lent with prayer opportunities such as Stations of the Cross on Fridays (starting next Friday at Church at 2:00 PM – all are welcome to join!) and Lenten reconciliation services, as well as our ability to contribute to those in need through our parish service project.
After surviving Malcolm’s brief royal coup, Maggie has reclaimed her throne just in time to celebrate the holy matrimony of Valentine’s Day and Mardi Gras — because nothing says romance like queso, king cake, and questionable life choices before noon. As Lent looms, she’s embracing one last glitter-dusted sugar bender while Malcolm once again unknowingly bankrolls the king cake. Long live the queen — and pass the frosting.
Maggie has officially frozen solid, so King Malcolm (yes, that King Malcolm) has seized the quill to reassure everyone that nothing is wrong—there’s just a rare, blessed moment where nobody is emailing in a panic. After Catholic Schools Week, Trivia Night shenanigans, and a speedo sighting we can’t unsee, the school is enjoying a brief “breathing spell” before Lent, spring chaos, and Maggie’s annual transition from “too cold” to “too hot.” So relax, warm up, eat some queso, and breathe—Malcolm promises things will be dramatic again soon.
This week at St. Margaret of Scotland, students marked the Feast of St. Blaise with a blessing of throats at Mass and celebrated Fourth Grade’s winning fundraiser for Our Lady’s Inn with a special breakfast at the rectory.
Mrs. Harvatin reuses the same gallon plastic jugs to build the igloo each year, and many of them have seen plenty of wear and tear. She would like to replace them with new ones. So, please collect your jugs (wash them out) and deliver them to the school office. Any 1-gallon plastic kind is great – milk, juice, water, etc.
Torn between couch cocooning and socializing like a functional adult, a school mom wonders if braving the cold for Trivia Night is really worth it. Maggie, ever the voice of reason (and peer pressure), says yes—because costumes will be a piece of cake, the gym is giving off the warm and fuzzies these days (well, sort of), and nothing says “self-care” like loudly arguing about Tonya Harding for the kids.
I happened upon an amazing presentation in the cafeteria the other day! As I peeked in, I caught a glimpse of a large, breathtaking Art Quilt of King Tut!
This week, we celebrated an abbreviated Catholic Schools Week because of snow days.
The month of January began with our eighth-grade retreat leaders visiting all our classrooms to do a traditional Epiphany chalk blessing (see pic below). And our retreat team also led the fourth grade in a class retreat on January 16th with the theme, “Let Your Light Shine.” Finally, we will end the month with Catholic Schools Week. We will have a week of fun-filled activities, faith-building exercises, and games, including “Catholic Jeopardy,” with our Faith Families!
You’d think that a little snowstorm in St. Louis would just be a chance to sip cocoa and enjoy some cozy downtime… but no! Apparently, the Weather Channel has declared an Arctic Armageddon, and our Maggie is here just in time to help SMOS families navigate the frozen terrain of Catholic Schools Week. Maggie’s got a top-ten list to review – but just remember: misery—and frostbite-induced humor—loves company!
You’d think that a nice vacation after a fun-filled holiday season would have been plenty of relaxation for Maggie to return in the New Year full of vim and vigor… but maybe it was just a bit TOO relaxing! Poor Maggie doesn’t even seem to know what day of the week it is – let alone that she had a column due today! So, if you’re feeling at all like Maggie, and need some help with the winter blues, then read on – if nothing else, misery loves company!
That last week of January will be a busy and fun-filled week of activities, faith-building exercises, and games to help our students and teachers celebrate the amazing school we have here at St. Margaret of Scotland – and the gift of Catholic education. Be sure to check out the attachments with all of the details about the things we have planned each day.
Yule never guess what this parent is asking Maggie about this cold, mid-December day? It’s the age-old SMOS question that comes around each year as often as ugly holiday sweaters – what the heck is a Christmas Gift Fund, and more importantly, is it worth my paying attention to the answer? Well, fear not, weary shoppers and perk up your ears – Maggie has not one… but ten reasons why it’s the best present you can give your favorite SMOS person this holiday season!
It’s the advent of, well… Advent – and that has Maggie feeling all of the joy, charity, and hope of the holiday season. She’s got a list of upcoming Advent activities sure to get you in the Christmas spirit – no strong-arm tactics here, just plenty of cheer to make you feel as boom-whacked as this week’s inquiring parent!
Advent Service Project – Giving Tree: Immigrant and Refugee “Get Ready For Winter” Collection – We will be collecting winter clothing items to decorate our Advent Giving Tree in the School Cafeteria throughout the month of December as part of our school-wide Advent Service Project.
This week Maggie is getting all literary! Now before you get too shocked – you must know that it all revolves around a big party (of course it does!). Maggie is super excited for this year’s St. Margaret Holiday Market which benefits the School Library. And while she might not exactly be a bookworm, she is enough of a social butterfly to enjoy a good cocktail and some festive shopping all to help a good cause!
It’s Maggie’s Feast Day this weekend – and she is waaaay too busy to focus on anything other than Saturday night. So Paige is here once again to fill in for Ms. Mags and give us the skinny on the plans for this year’s annual fest – and why it’s such a BFD (Big Feast Day) for Maggie!