Newly Enrolled Students & Families
Dear Newly Enrolled Students and Families,
Congratulations on your child’s acceptance to St. Michael’s Country Day School! We are thrilled that you have chosen our school for your child and family and very much look forward to our partnership and welcoming you to campus in September.
Between now and the fall, we have a lot to look forward to. Soon, your buddy family will be reaching out to you to connect and welcome you to our community. In addition, you’ll receive communications from the school about details for the start of school.
If you’re interested in visiting St. Michael’s, I would love to meet you for a tour of our beautiful, expansive campus. You may also want to look into our summer camp, as we have a wide variety of really fun and exciting options available for kids of all ages.
As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me with questions. I would love to chat with you over the phone, via email, or in person. I am happy to help in any way that I can! We are so excited to welcome you to the St. Michael’s family.
Sincerely,
Sandy Merten
Director of Enrollment
Email
Who Should I Contact?
Please see the list of helpful points of contact below for commonly asked questions. In most situations, your child's homeroom teacher should be your primary point of contact for questions or concerns.
General questions about your transition to St. Michael's Country Day School:
- Sandy Merten, Director of Enrollment, smerten@smcds.org
General questions about the educational program:
- Sara E. Johnson, Lower Division Director for Toddler - 2nd Grade, sjohnson@smcds.org
- Phil Tutino, Associate Head of School, Middle Division Director for 3rd-8th Grade, ptutino@smcds.org
Questions about School Strategy, Mission and Values, the Board of Trustees and/or to provide feedback on any aspect of the school:
- Walter Landberg, Head of School, wlandberg@smcds.org
Questions about Extended School Day (ESD), our aftercare program, or Enrichment:
- Jillian Emmert, Director of Auxiliary Programs, jemmert@smcds.org
Questions about Athletics:
- Jillian Emmert, Director of Auxiliary Programs, jemmert@smcds.org
Questions about our Learning Support Program and/or Educational Support Plans:
- Phil Tutino, Associate Head of School, ptutino@smcds.org
Questions about Flexible Tuition:
- Sandy Merten, Director of Enrollment, smerten@smcds.org
Questions about Billing, Payment Plans, and Operations:
- Ted Ferry, Business Manager, tferry@smcds.org
Questions about illness or medication:
- Kelsey Layfield, School Nurse, klayfield@smcds.org
To let the school know of an absence:
- Your child's homeroom teacher and Marjorie Chevalier at our Front Desk, mchevalier@smcds.org
For questions about charitable giving to the school:
- Jennifer Carney, Director of Development, jcarney@smcds.org
Helpful Links
(For students entering grades 1-8)
Please submit this signed form to your child’s previous school so that St. Michael’s Country Day School may receive your child’s official records. If you have any questions, please contact Sandy Merten, Director of Enrollment.
Admissions Process
- February 15, 2026: SMS applications are due for the review and selection process.
Apply through Blackbaud - March 1, 2026: Families are notified about admission decisions and financial aid grants.
- March 1, 2026: Beginning of the Rolling Admissions season where applications will be accepted and students admitted based on space available.
Sandy Merten
Director of Enrollment
Education:
B.A., University of California Los Angeles
M. Ed., Pepperdine University