Academic Success at Saint Mary's Academy

Fifth-graders at St. Mary's Academy are celebrating their New York State Social Studies Assessment results.  In November the test was given to all NYS fifth-graders.  All St. Mary's fifth-graders passed the assessment with sixty percent of the students receiving a top score of 4, meaning they met the NYS Standards with Distinction.  Forty percent of students received a score of 3 meaning they met the NYS Standards.  Congratulations to the fifth-graders on a job well done!

Congratulations to the students, teachers and parents who unify together to make success happen for our students.  Job well done to all!

Odyssey of the Mind

Odyssey of the Mind is a program which challenges students to “think outside the box” to solve a problem. This international program, which just celebrated it's 30th anniversary gives students the chance to think creativity by solving one of five problems. While the overall themes stay the same, the problems change from year to year. There is no one right solution to an Odyssey of the Mind problem. Odyssey of the Mind is also an adult “hands off” in which coaches serve as guides but the solution (and all the pieces to it) come from only the team members.

Odyssey of the Mind is open to all ages competing at five different levels. At St. Mary's our students compete in Division II, the middle school level (grades 6-8). In the three years that Odyssey of the Mind has been back at St. Mary's Academy, our numbers have grown from 12 students to 18 and from 2 teams to 3. This year will be sending 18 students competing in three different problems to our regional competition on Saturday, February 27^th at Rensselaer Central School with the hopes of advancing to the state level at Binghamton University on March 27^th and even advancing to the World Finals in Michigan May 26^th-29^th.

Interested in learning more? Stop by a meeting and check us out or come and cheer us on at our Regional competition on February 27^th! We'll be the ones showing off Eagle pride.

Why Odyssey of the Mind is Good for Kids

The Odyssey of the Mind teaches students to learn creative problem-solving methods while having fun in the process. For more than twenty five years, this unique program has helped teachers generate excitement in their students. By tapping into creativity, and through encouraging imaginative paths to problem-solving, students learn skills that will provide them with the ability to solve problems -- great and small -- for a lifetime. The Odyssey of the Mind teaches students how to think divergently by providing open-ended problems that appeal to a wide range of interests. Students learn how to identify challenges and to think creatively to solve those problems. They are free to express their ideas and suggestions without fear of criticism. The creative problem-solving process rewards thinking "outside of the box." While conventional thinking has an important place in a well-rounded education, students need to learn how to think creatively and productively.

Preschool Winter Play

With a little help from their 7th grade buddies, St. Mary's Academy students in Lori Christoffersen's Preschool class make balloon print snowmen, one of several projects the students will complete as part of their winter studies unit.  In the coming weeks they will explore how animals survive the winter cold, including making a cave for the classroom bear to hibernate in until spring.  There will be a special emphasis on Penguins, the Preschool class's project for SMA's upcoming Learning Fair in February.