HSA of St. Mary Catholic Community School

Please join us for the last HSA meeting of the year!

Dear St. Mary’s Parents and Other Loved Ones,

We are celebrating National Teacher Appreciation Week, and St. Mary’s School is truly blessed. From Jr. PK through grade 8, we have some of the most dedicated and faith-filled teachers anywhere. Our students perform well and go on to achieve great things in high school and beyond. Academically, they are very well prepared.

Even more importantly, they are formed by an outstanding group of men and women who have dedicated their lives to sharing the ways and teachings of Jesus Christ. So let’s hear it for our amazing teachers, and please remember them in your prayers.

A special shoutout goes to Mrs. Alyssa Meehan, who coordinated breakfast, lunch, and snacks for the teachers all week. Thank you, Mrs. Meehan, and thank you to all the parents who contributed!

Some of you may have noticed the Facebook post I made on Monday. The staff dressed up as me to honor my 20th year at the school in advance of National Principals Day. The fun continued with “Cardigan Era” Day on Tuesday and “Bears Day” today. I am truly honored and touched by this fun gesture from my faculty and staff, as well as my students, and by all the wonderful Facebook comments. I definitely feel the love—thank you!

May God bless you and your family,
Tom Ruiz

Dear St. Mary’s Parents and Other Loved Ones,

Our School Advisory Council met on Monday, and one of the topics we discussed was our Diocese of Gary tier designation. The diocese places each school on a tier system, with Tier 1 being the highest designation. I’m happy to share that, once again, St. Mary’s School has been designated a Tier 1 school. I’m very proud of my faculty and staff for all they do to achieve this status, but please understand—it’s a group effort. Our awesome students and ever-supportive parents are equally responsible for all the honors we receive. Thank you for doing your part to make SMS the amazing, faith-filled, high-achieving school that it is.

Speaking of the School Advisory Council, two members will rotate off the Advisory Council next month after serving three-year terms. We sincerely appreciate Zach Beaver and Linda Cervera for their service and dedication. If you’d like to nominate another SMS parent—or even yourself—for a term on the Advisory Council, please use the link below. It is time-sensitive, so please don’t delay.

https://forms.gle/wQ3g9fGd4v2uZ12u9

It is once again time for our students to show the State of Indiana how much they’ve learned this year. All the homework, tests, quizzes, projects, labs, class discussions, and lessons lead up to this. This week, we are practicing for the State of Indiana’s ILearn test. Next week we take the actual test. Please take a moment to encourage your children to do their best. Eating a healthy breakfast not only prepares their bodies, but their minds as well. A good night of sleep is important too. Bringing a fully charged Chromebook to school will also eliminate one more stressor. Our students have learned so much over the year. They are ready. All they need to do is show up to school with the right attitude and be poised to perform.

May God bless you and your family,
Tom Ruiz

Advisory Council Nomination 2026 Dear St. Mary School Parents, Our School Advisory Council is a forum for the Administration of Saint Mary School to seek the wisdom of the parents in school-related matters. Our work as a School Advisory Council involves both process and content. That is, the journey is as important as the destinati...

Dear St. Mary’s Parents and Other Loved Ones,

I’m very excited to welcome back SMS grad, Jonathon Fitzgerald tomorrow afternoon. Jonathon is bringing his canine partner for a demonstration. I was very surprised to learn that the Crown Point PD canine unit is mostly self-funded by the officers themselves. Vet bills, specialized equipment, primo diet, and other expenses are paid for by the officers themselves. On Friday, the day after the demonstration, we’re going to have a free-will donation jeans day in support of the CPPD Canine Unit. I look forward to sharing photos of the demonstration with you!

Did you notice that bus parked on the South side of Hammes Hall? It’s ours! A generous donor bought it for us and we intend to use it extensively! The price of field trips will be greatly reduced and it will be available for us whenever we want! Our driver, Mr. Calzonzi, spent nearly 30 years driving a semi truck. He is looking forward to serving as our driver. He’s currently working on the licensing endorsements he’ll need in addition to his CDL. We also have some other Department of Transportation details to work out, and Mr. Nieman is taking on that project. Special THANK YOU to the donor! As one of our students, Ethan Kozlowski, said yesterday, “this is a game changer!”

May God bless you and your family,
Tom Ruiz

HSA Meeting
MARCH 3 at 6:30pm
Hammes Hall
Babysitting Available

Dear St. Mary’s Parents and Other Loved Ones,

Last Friday, Mr. Rossi and some very talented Wildcats put on a couple of talent shows — one in the morning in front of the entire student body and one in the evening for family and friends. We had singers, dancers, gymnasts, talented musicians playing instruments, and even a timed LEGO demonstration. Congratulations to all the participants who had the courage to take the stage! It takes a lot of guts to perform live in front of the whole school. One thing that happens every time we have a talent show is that students emerge and shine in the bright lights when no one expects it. A special thank you to all the performers and the adults who helped make it happen. A special shout-out also goes to our surprise performers, Miss B and “The Dad Band.”

The very next evening, Mrs. Cervera and her loyal band of helpers hosted a Daddy Daughter Dance. Over 400 attendees got dressed up, took pictures, drank punch, and danced the night away! Thank you to everyone who helped organize the event and, more importantly, helped create lasting memories for those dads and daughters.

Everyone in our community knows what an outstanding educator Mrs. Arianne Wong is — and now the entire diocese knows as well. Mrs. Wong was recently recognized with an Outstanding Educator Award from the Diocese of Gary. Congratulations, Mrs. Wong! A special thank you goes to everyone who took the time to nominate our teachers. The coolest moment of the award ceremony was watching Mrs. Wong receive hugs from all our staff members. Well done!

We’re looking forward to our big March Madness 3-on-3 tournament a week from Friday. That event will be followed by a dodgeball tournament hosted by our Student Council in support of a hospital that is very near and dear to my heart: La Rabida Children’s Hospital. Keep an eye out for registration forms, and be sure to start limbering up now! A highlight of the tournament is the parent participation halftime exhibition.

Everything you just read above is just a glimpse of what makes St. Mary’s the special place it is. Please take a moment to fill out this survey from the Big Shoulders organization. Feel free to let them know how you feel about St. Mary Catholic Community School.
http://survey.5-essentials.org/bsnwi/survey/parent/

Yours in Catholic education,
Tom Ruiz

Lou Malnatis Fundraiser Today!

St. Mary Catholic Community School's Groupraise fundraiser with Lou Malnati's Pizzeria! From 4:00 PM - 10:00 PM tomorrow (02.11.26), Lou Malnati's Pizzeria at 10706 Broadway, is donating back 20% of sales from Dine-In, Takeout & Delivery orders made online using the promo code GPFUND26 or in store/by phone mentioning St. Mary Catholic Community School. Please remember to save space for a delicious meal that helps a great cause! RSVP & more details here: