FAQs

Activity Blocks

Q: What is an “Activity Block”?  
A: Activity Blocks occur either in the morning on Blue schedule days or in the afternoon on Green schedule days.  Although attendance is not mandatory during Activity Blocks, there are many enrichment activities available during these times, including service opportunities like Ministry Leadership Team and WOCA (Women of Color in Action), drop-in art workshops with Art club, and many more. Your student should check their email, listen for morning announcements during TA, or review the Daily Bulletin for more information about the variety of options available during Activity Blocks. Even if your daughter does not opt to participate in a structured activity during Activity Blocks, this time is an opportunity to work independently on schoolwork, collaborate with peers, or connect with teachers. 

Athletics Doctor's Notes

Q: How do we submit a doctor’s note to the Athletic Department? 
A: Email doctor's notes to athletic.medical.docs@smapdx.org 

Attendance

Q: My daughter has an appointment tomorrow afternoon and I am picking her up early. I added the appointment as an “Early Dismissal” in SchoolPass - does she just leave school at the appropriate time and use her ID to scan out?  
A: Letting us know about your daughter’s early dismissal through SchoolPass takes care of the necessary update to our attendance tracking program. The next step in the process is for your daughter to let her teacher know at the beginning of class what time she will be leaving. On her way out of the building, she should scan out in the front office. Importantly – if she is returning to school during the school day – she should stop back into the front office to scan back in. 

Bell Schedules

Q: Where can we find the bell schedule for each day? 
A: You can locate the bell schedules under the QUICKLINKS dropdown on our webpage under “Weekly Bulletin”. Student iPads have a link to the “Daily Bulletin” which shows them only the schedule for the day along with the daily prayer, activities available to join, etc. 

Cafeteria

Q: What forms of payment are accepted in the cafeteria? 
A: The cafeteria accepts in-person payments of cash, credit cards, “tap” payments from smartphones and smart watches, and cafeteria punch cards. Punch cards are $20 each and can be purchased in the cafeteria with cash, check (made out to St. Mary's) or credit card.  Students may purchase more than one card at a time.  

Q: Do we need to pre-order our daughter’s lunches?
A: No. The cafeteria is a grab and go style café serving a variety of healthy options that appeal to teens. 

Carpool

Q: How do I find other families to carpool with?
A: See SchoolPool below. 

Parent Teacher Conferences

Q: How do Parent/Teacher conferences work? 
A: Parent/Teacher conferences are optional, unless there is a specific academic concern, in which case your child’s teacher will reach out to you directly. We have a limited number of conference slots available (both in-person and online), therefore we counsel parents to arrange for conferences only if there is a specific academic need that necessitates one. A communication with more details is coming soon. 

PowerSchool

Q: What is PowerSchool?  
A: The PowerSchool parent portal grants parents and guardians access to real-time information on their student’s grades. If you need help logging in, please visit https://smapdx.zendesk.com/hc.  

Schoology

Q: What is Schoology? 
A: Schoology is our Learning Management System (similar to Google Classroom or Canvas). All students automatically have logins to Schoology, the platform where teachers post assignments and resources and where students submit digital work. Parents are not automatically given login credentials to Schoology since they have access to the PowerSchool Parent portal which allows them to stay informed on student progress. However, in cases where a student needs extra academic support, a parent or guardian can register for a parent/guardian account. Once they’ve Regis for an account, the parent or guardian should email their child’s TA teacher to obtain a parent access code. This access code will grant a parent/guardian access to all of their child’s classes in Schoology- separate codes are not needed for each class. 

SchoolPass

Q: What is SchoolPass? 
A: Parents use SchoolPass to inform the school of absences, early releases, and late arrivals. Parents must first establish a PowerSchool account before they can use SchoolPass. If you need assistance, please visit https://smapdx.zendesk.com/hc.  

SchoolPool

Q: What is SchooPool? 
A: We use SchoolPool to connect families with carpool options. Please email info@smapdx.org with any questions. 

Top 12 Apps at SMA

Q: What are the top 12 Apps used by students, faculty, staff, coaches, and parents at St. Mary's? 
A: Click the following link to find out: School iPad and Mobile Apps – SMA Tech Help Center (zendesk.com)

Technical Support

Q: Who can I or my student reach out to for technical support? 
A: Our online Tech Help Center has answers to many of your technical questions. Visit https://smapdx.zendesk.com/hc to learn more or to request help. 

Weekly Parent Newsletter

Q: How can I stay I formed about upcoming events and deadlines? 
A: The weekly newsletter goes out via email every Thursday.  

How can I support my student for a strong start to the year? 

Highly successful students will use a planner (paper or digital) and keep an organized email inbox. Students, especially Freshman, need to regularly check email, respond, and clean up their inbox. 

How can my student get involved, make friends, ease her transition to high school? 

  • Freshman and transfer students should actively participate and cultivate a relationship with their Link Mentor.  

  • Connect with TA members and TA teacher.

  • Clubs, Affinity Groups and activities start in October. Join one or more! 

  • Try out for a sport.