St. Mary School Swormville -

👻🎃🍭 Our Montessori class had so much fun at their Halloween party last week! They painted Halloween ornaments, made ghosts using cotton balls, created cauldrons using toilet paper rolls, decorated Halloween cookies, & checked out some spooky sensory bins. Thanks so much to all of our parents & guardians who helped prepare for the party, volunteered & provided supplies!

#montessorilearning #partytime #Halloween2025 #painting #frosting #sensoryexploration

Grade 4 recently learned about the Iroquois of NYS & enjoyed creating longhouses to demonstrate part of their culture. The name Haudenosaunee means "People of the Longhouse." To the Haudenosaunee people, the longhouse meant much more than the building where they lived. The Longhouse was also a symbol for many of the traditions of their society. Five nations formed the original Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy. These nations shared a territory they thought of as a large longhouse. The Senecas, who lived in the western end of this territory, were the "Keepers of the Western Door" of the Longhouse. The Mohawks, who lived in the eastern end of the territory, were the "Keepers of the Eastern Door." The Onondagas held the important role of "Keepers of the Central Council Fire and Wampum." These nations are known for their historic territory in upstate New York and their democratic government, which is considered one of the oldest participatory democracies in the world. 

#nyshistory #socialstudies #nativeamericans #longhouse #culture #architecture #democracy #grade4

Our first graders recently created Autumn leaf sun catchers, which corresponded with their lesson on 'Care for Creation.' In searching for leaves they also found some ladybugs, which was an unexpected bonus!

#careforcreation #FAITH #religion #grade1 #ladybugs #GodsCreation

🥳 Happy Birthday to Miss Kirwan (Grade 3), Mr. Reeds (P.E. & Health), Ms. Anderson (School Social Worker), & Miss Holly (Montessori), as well as all SMS students who are celebrating their birthdays in November or December!

#happybirthday #SMStheplacetoBEE #November #December #HBD

Grade 5 has been hard at work recently with math rotations, as well as reviewing for their grammar test with a fun game of Jeopardy !

#grade5 #math #grammar #fifthgradefun #KNOWLEDGE

🏐 Our Varsity Girls' SMS/Nativity Volleyball team wrapped up their season last week!

Congratulations to our 8th graders, Margaret M., Olivia D., Abby D., Grace W., & Lydia M., who were recognized with their parents at their last game for their leadership & contributions to the team this year. We are so proud of all of our student athletes who commit to giving any sport they tackle their all!

A big thank you also goes out to our parent volunteer coaches who commit their time & energy to our students! Our SMS "bees" treat their coaches, teammates & opponents with respect, & are grateful for the opportunity to learn new skills & be part of a team together with their friends. The team even had a surprise, guest coach return for the evening - Mr. Dolan!

#goBees #CatholicSchoolSports #volleyball #ladyBees #varsity #FAMILY

At the end of the day today, students & teachers gathered together in their Faith Families to say the Rosary. We honored Mary, our Blessed Mother during October, the month of the Holy Rosary, by praying the Luminous Mysteries.

#October #HolyRosary #HailMary #BlessedMother #FaithFamilies #CatholicValues #TomorrowsLeaders #FAITH #WNYCatholicSchools #SMStheplacetoBEE #LuminousMysteries

👻 Grade 1 had some corny fun last week with a sweet science experiment! Mrs. Picone's students observed how candy corn physically changes in various solutions including water, water/baking soda, water/salt, & water/vinegar. The kiddos were amazed when they returned to their classroom from PE to see NOTHING left in 3 of the cups… & almost nothing left in the 4th cup. Amazing!

#sweetscience #cornyfun #observation #physicalproperties #grade1 #littlescientists #KNOWLEDGE

Mrs. Picone's grade 1 students played a game last week to review the -ing, -ang -ong, & -ung sounds that would be used in words on their spelling test.... & they loved it!

For a first grader, learning to spell supports reading through a multi-pronged approach that includes phonics, sight words, & spelling rules. Engaging, interactive strategies help children master sound-letter relationships & build word recognition, which reinforces their reading skills.

#grade1 #spelling #learningtoread #phonics #sightwords #spellingrules #readingskills #KNOWLEDGE