From The President of the Parents’ Association
Dear Third-Grade Parents,
On behalf of the Parents’ Association, I would like to welcome your entire family to the St. Mark’s community. We are so glad you chose St. Mark’s and cannot wait to meet you!
As a parent of a Marksman, you are an automatic member of the St. Mark’s Parents’ Association. We are an active group of volunteers partnering with the Faculty, Staff, and Administration to support the boys’ education and development and to build a strong community. Our parents participate on campus in a wide range of areas including the libraries, cafeteria, student store, and Lions’ Closet. There is a volunteer position for everyone to get involved!
The St. Mark’s PA also organizes events throughout the year. A few to put on your calendar right now are:
Lion Pride Night - an All-School Spirit Night, complete with a cookout and a DJ before our home football game on Friday, August 28. This will also be a Lower School Spirit Night where all new Lower School Marksmen will be invited to run onto the football field before the Varsity football game!
Fun Day - a school carnival held with Hockaday for Daisies and Marksmen in grades one through four scheduled on a Fall date TBD.
To get involved in these and many other events, you will volunteer through Sign-Up Genius. Please mark your calendar for Monday, July 13 after 12 pm to log on to the St. Mark’s website and click on the “Volunteer Here” button on the Resource Board. You will see many opportunities listed along with the activity description. When class lists are released in August, please return to the Resource Board for more class-specific volunteer opportunities. Throughout the year, your Grade Reps will update your Class Pages with information specific and helpful to your class.
Finally, if you have any questions during the summer months or the school year, please contact the following parent volunteers:
Class of 2036 – 3rd Grade Representatives for questions throughout the year:
Stephanie Harbour stephanie.s.harbour@gmail.com 917.710.0002
Katie Zhang kwang318@gmail.com 508.524.2982
SMPA Athletic Liaison (1st & 3rd grades): Chris Storey cstorey@cstorey@scmidstream.com 847.751.0428
Again, welcome to the St. Mark’s community. Allow me to be a resource on this one-of-a-kind adventure. I look forward to meeting you soon.
As ever, Go Lions!
Rita T. Han
St. Mark’s Parents’ Association President 2026-2027 rita@loreservices.com 214.236.4988
• Contact Mrs. Glorioso-Kirby or Mrs. Mallick with any questions. Mrs. Glorioso-Kirby can be reached at 214.346.8216 or gloriosom@smtexas.org. Mrs. Mallick can be reached at 214.346.8210 or mallickk@smtexas.org.
• Uniforms can be purchased at Culwell & Son, 6319 Hillcrest Avenue, Dallas, 75205, 214.522.7000. Lion Tracks (in the Directory and online) lists all details about school uniform requirements for all grades. Please use a permanent marker to label your son’s uniform shorts, shirts, and sweatshirts.
• P.E. uniform must be purchased in the Student Store. Please use a permanent marker to label these as well.
• Backpacks are necessary for all students and may be purchased anywhere. The Student Store carries backpacks, as well. No wheeled backpacks are allowed in Lower School. Be sure to display your son’s name on his backpack.
• Classroom supplies and books are provided for Lower School students.
• Back-to-School events begin the week before the first day of school. While these events are not required, your son will want to be in town to participate. There will be a back-to-school party for each grade in Lower School and yearbook photos will be taken that week, as well. In August, a “Back to School Basics” tab will be on the SM website Resource Board. First and second grade back-to-school parties are scheduled for Monday, August 17. Third and fourth grade parties are scheduled for Tuesday, August 18.
• Yearbook Photos are taken at School the week before classes begin. Boys should wear a dark sports jacket and any appropriate tie with their white uniform shirt. Jacket and tie are available from the photographer if you are unable to provide these items for your son. Photos are from the waist up. Dates and times will be posted on the “Back to School Basics” tab on the SM website Resource Board.
• The Directory & Lion Tracks is distributed at Lower School Mini-School, scheduled on Thursday, August 20. You should familiarize yourself with Lion Tracks which is the guide to the School’s policies. Lion Tracks can be accessed on the SM website Resource Board, as well.
• Mini-School Parents’ Night is for parents only. This is an opportunity to meet your son’s teachers and receive an overview of curriculum for the school year. Mini-School is scheduled for Thursday, August 20, at 6 p.m.
• Class Lists will be posted on Class Pages in early August.
• Lion Pride Night is an all-school community picnic held the evening before a varsity home football game. This year, Lion Pride Night is scheduled for Friday, August 28, at 5:30 p.m. The Lower School grades will picnic together, and the new boys will be invited on to the football field before the 7 p.m. game.
• Fun Day is our annual Hockaday/St. Mark’s carnival. St. Mark’s boys in grade 1 – 4 and Hockaday girls in pre-K – 4 will meet on the St Mark’s campus this year for an afternoon of fun and games. Fun Day is scheduled on a Fall date TBD.
• Chess Club is open to all Lower School boys and meets throughout the year on Thursday mornings at 7:00 a.m. in Great Hall. A sign-up form will be in the summer email with more information about dates and club meetings.
• Cub Scouts is open for Lower School boys in second, third, and fourth grades. Detailed information about scouting and joining Pack 730 will be sent in the summer.
• Carpool information, including information regarding SchoolPass, will be distributed at MiniSchool. Morning carpool drop-off is 7:35-7:50 a.m. Class begins promptly at 7:55 a.m. Boys are expected to be in class and ready to work at 7:55 a.m. Afternoon carpool pick-up is 2:50-3:10 p.m.
• SchoolPass is the carpool and attendance app used by Lower School. In August, you will be asked to download the most current version of the SchoolPass app.
• Extended Day is our after-school program and is offered to all boys in grades 1-4. Boys are given a snack, complete their homework, and enjoy time on the playground with their friends. Pricing details and registration for the upcoming year will be sent in the summer email. Extended Day registration is by semester only and does not include any drop-ins.
• Student Store will be open during the week of back-to-school parties and yearbook photos. P.E. uniforms and St. Mark’s swag will be available for sale throughout the year, as well. Regular Student Store hours are 8 a.m. – 4 p.m., school days. Our online store is always open at smtexasstore.com.
• Lions’ Closet is a resale shop located on the 1st floor in the north wing of the Green Library. Gently used uniform shorts, shirts, sweatshirts, P.E. clothes, and sportswear are available for sale to all families. Lions’ Closet will be open to new families before the school year begins with times posted on your Class Page and Resource Board.
• Team Sports: Lower School Athletic Liaisons Jory Caulkins and Chris Storey will be emailing information about Lower School after-school athletic options as they become available through the Y and other sports associations. Watch for their emails throughout the summer months.
Uniform Requirements for Lower School (Found in Lion Tracks, St. Mark’s Student Handbook)
Uniforms may be purchased at Culwell & Son, 6319 Hillcrest Avenue, 75205.
Shirt – White shirt, oxford cloth, button-down collar, short or long sleeves
Pants – Gray shorts or gray long pants
Socks – Plain white socks with shorts. White socks should be worn well above the ankles. Solid dark socks may be worn with long pants.
Belt – Conservative black or brown belt or St. Mark’s branded belt
Undershirts or t-shirts – Plain white t-shirts are acceptable under the school uniform shirt. No logo or writing permitted.
Outerwear – Sweatshirts sold in the SM Student Store or Lions’ Closet, solid-color sweatshirts with no decorations (blue or gray preferred) conservative sweaters, and coats are acceptable. College-branded or team-branded sweatshirts are not permitted in Lower School.
Shoes – Tie shoes only if adept at tying them; otherwise, Velcro closure is acceptable. Shoes should be predominantly or entirely black with no other color except white. No high-top athletic shoes.
Extra Clothing – When the temperature is 32 degrees or below, Lower School boys may wear solid-colored sweatpants (blue or gray preferred) over their shorts.
P.E. Uniform – must be purchased in the Student Store. First graders need a P.E. shirt but do not need to purchase shorts. All other Lower School boys are required to have a P.E. shirt and shorts. Please use a permanent marker to label your son’s uniform shorts, shirts, and sweatshirts.
St. Mark’s School of Texas Third-Grade Summer Reading List
This guide is meant to help your son discover some new books over the summer. One of the best ways to help prepare your son for third grade is to encourage him to read every day. This can be accomplished by his reading silently alone, as well as reading aloud together. Your local library is another great resource for recommendations and appropriate readinglevel suggestions.
The final book to read is Third Grade Angels, by Jerry Spinelli. Please read Third Grade Angels in August and bring it on the first day of school.
Animal Fiction
Applegate, Katherine – Wishtree, Crenshaw
Auch, Mary Jane – I was a Third Grade …
Erickson, John – Hank the Cowdog series
Eggers, Dave – The Eyes of the Impossible
Ryan, Pam Munoz – Paint the Wind, The Dreamer
Fantasy
Banks, Lynne Reid – The Indian and the Cupboard series
Conly, Jane Leslie – The Rats of NIMH series, The Rudest Alien on Earth
Coville, Bruce – Jeremy Thatcher: Dragon Hatcher, Dragonslayers
Eager, Edward – Half Magic & Tales of Magic series
Funke, Corneli – The Thief Lord, Inkheart
Mancussi, Maria – New Dragon City
Mbalia, Kwame – Tristan Strong Series
Paolini, Christopher – Eragon
Tolkien, J R R – The Hobbit
Watson, Jude – Star Wars series
Humor/Funny
Blume, Judy – Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing
Gutman, Dan – Johnny Hangtime, The Inquisitor’s Tale, Genius Files
Korman, Gordon – The SuperTeacher Project, Faker, SlugFest
Lowry, Lois –The Wiloughbys, Attaboy Sam
Community/School Life
Byers, Betsy – Tornado, The SOS File
Clements, Andrew – Frindle, The Frindle Files, A Week in the Woods
DiCamillo, Kate – Magician’s Elephant, Because of Winn Dixie, Ferris
Grabenstein, Chris – Mr. Lemoncello series
Sports Fiction
Christopher, Matt – Sports fiction (any)
Green, Tim – Sports fiction
Reynolds, Jason – Ghost (Track Series), As Brave as You
Lupica, Mike – Game Changers Trilogy, Million Dollar Throw
Suarez, Stevie – The Hawk Football Club (about European soccer)
Adventure/Mystery
Currie, Lindsay – Mystery of Locked Rooms
Dahl, Roald – Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
George, Jean Craighead – My Side of the Mountain Trilogy
(continued on following page)
Gibbs, Stuart – Spy School Series
Levy, Elizabeth – Frankenstein Moved in on the Fourth Floor, Dracula is a Pain in the Neck
Messner, Kate – Ranger in Time Series, The Exact Location of Home, All the Answers
Miller, Chanel – Magnolia Wu Unfolds it All
Ponti, James – City Spies, the Sherlock Holmes Society
Turnage, Trenton Sheila – Three Times Lucky
Historical Fiction
Curtis, Christopher – Bud, Not Buddy
Gidwitz, Adam – Max in the House of Spies & sequel
Paulsen, Gary – Dogsong
Graphic Novels:
Alexander, Kwame – The Crossover Series
Craft, Jerry – New Kid set
Hale, Nathan – Hazardous Tales Series
Reynolds, Jason – Stuntboy #1 & #2
Tegemeier, Raina – The Cartoonist Club: A Graphic Novel
Mythology
D’Aulaires Books of Greek Myths by Ingri d’Aulaires
Riordan, Rick – Percy Jackson, all series
Usborne Illustrated Stories from the Greek Myths
Poetry & Verse
Kuskin, Karla
Nye, Naomi Shihab
Prelutsky, Jack
Silverstein, Shel
What our third graders are reading and recommend now
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
The Wild Robot by Peter Brown
Spy School series, Stuart Gibbs
Crimebiters! series, Tommy Greenwald
The Academy series, T.Z. Layton
Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, Rick Riordan
Local Legends series, Lane Walker
Way of the Warrior Kid series, Jocko Willink
The BFG, Roald Dahl
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, Roald Dahl
When Stars Are Scattered, Victoria Jamieson
The Magician’s Nephew, C.S. Lewis
Where the Red Fern Grows, Wilson Rawls
The Adventures of a Girl Called Bicycle, Christina Uss
A Rover’s Story, Jasmine Warga
Third Grade Summer Reading Log
Please record all the books you read this summer. We can’t wait to see what titles you enjoyed over your break!
BOOK TITLE
AUTHOR
