St. Mark's School -

In this new year, may the grace and peace of Christ bless you and your families.

If you know any potential teacher candidates, be sure to let them know about our current opening at SMS!

May all the blessings of this holy season be with you as we celebrate the birth of our Savior. Merry Christmas from all of us at St. Mark School and Parish.

O our Lady of Guadalupe, mystical rose, make intercession for Holy Church, protect the Sovereign Pontiff, help all those who invoke thee in their necessities, and since thou art the ever Virgin Mary and Mother of the true God, obtain for us from thy most holy Son the grace of keeping our faith, sweet hope in the midst of the bitterness of life, burning charity and the precious gift of final perseverance, Amen.

During Advent, as we prepare for the birth of Christ at Christmas, we also celebrate one of the great feasts of the Catholic Church, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Good luck to our 7th grade girls (co-op with SVdP) basketball team at State TODAY. First game is at 2:30pm at Paris High School. Let’s go McKenna and teammates!! If you want to cheer them on from afar, here is the link: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UC6o3BGIj583u_IOi7RDCEOg?fbclid=IwAR2rlVuBrPH1f8gx2hS2ChVvfdnjq1he12RjzUsAFLGd1e2rtBqlDQ8Zmxs

Someone just turned four! A little fun before school… 🥳

Our 4th grade class is enjoying their own version of the Macy’s Day parade.

We were fortunate to have one of our parents, Mrs. Slott, share her love and knowledge for Native American culture. Thank you for helping us celebrate the rich cultures, traditions, and acknowledge the important contributions. #WeAreAllRelated #NationalNativeAmericanHeritageMonth

Don't forget, tomorrow is the last day of our food drive! All donations will go to the WestMark Food Pantry! Let's try and double our donations.... "For it is in giving that we receive."

CAT EMPLOYEES AND RETIREES, you can triple your gift to St. Mark’s School! For a limited time, the Caterpillar Matching Gift Program is doing 2:1 match! Donations to SMS of up to $750 will be matched double by CAT! That means a $500 gift would be matched with $1,000 for a total of $1,500! The 2:1 match will end on 11/30/21 or when a total of $1.5 million donations are received, which ever comes first. This is a fantastic way to increase your giving dollars! To start your donation directly to St. Mark's school, visit: https://saint-mark.weshareonline.org/ws/opportunities/StMarksSchool For more information on the Caterpillar Foundation, and submitting a match request visit: https://www.caterpillar.com/en/company/caterpillar-foundation/matching-gifts/giving-tuesday-match.html or contact Director of Advancement Maria Carroll 309-472-7522 for assistance.

Congrats to our own 8th grader, Emma, and her teammates on their 8th grade night! St. Mark’s co-ops this year with SVDP. A special thanks for all who helped to make this a special night for the families too!

Today we honor our veterans, worthy men and women who gave their best when they were called upon to serve and protect their country. We pray that you will bless them for their unselfish service in the continual struggle to preserve our freedoms, our safety, and our country’s heritage, for all of us.

Don't forget that tomorrow, October 26th is picture day... be sure to bring your smiles!

Don’t forget that the book fair is still going on! Come check it out! 📚 Wednesday, October 20: 9am to 12 pm Thursday, October 21: 9 am to 12 pm AND 2:30 pm to 8 pm Friday, October 22: 11 am to 4 pm

If you are interested in Peoria Notre Dame, this is a great opportunity to go check it out and see what they have to offer!

October 10th was Pastor Appreciation Day. Pictured here are class representatives presenting spiritual bouquets to Msgr. Brownsey. We are so blessed to have his guidance and leadership at SMS!

St. Mark's has been blessed to receive many generous donations providing over 30 scholarships this year already. We still have over 40 students on our list that are eligible for this current school year. Maybe you can help make a difference for one of them?

In Honor of St. Francis Day, Msgr. blesses some of our family animals in honor of the Patron Saint of Animals, Saint Francis of Assisi.

We are so blessed to have Mr. Trevino here at SMS! Thank you for all that you do! 💙💛