Gold Medal Photo Opportunity - Tuesday, 2/11/14 - from 9-10am

Click here for a printable copy of this reservation form.

News for the Week of 2/6/14

Last week, we concluded our celebration of Catholic Schools' Month and celebrated Chinese New Year!

First Grade students celebrated Chinese New Year with Tammy Nguyen, mother of their friend, Will.

Campus Facility Update - Please check your email inbox for an important letter from Mrs. Gannatti regarding the expected arrival of 2 portable classrooms on Monday, 2/10/14.  This letter is also available on our school's website - Click here. The arrival and installation of these units will temporarily impact morning arrival.  There are important new drop off procedures for you to be aware of if you drive your child(ren) to school.

February School Mass will be held on Friday, February 7th at 9am in the Church.  Everyone is welcome to join us in worship.  Please remember that no physical education uniforms should be worn to school.  The Home & School Association invites you to enjoy a cup of coffee and some friendly conversation in the lower church prior to Mass beginning at 8:30am.

In March, we will attend the 12:15 Parish Mass on Ash Wednesday, March 5, as we begin the holy season of Lent.




Punxsutawney Phil says "6 more weeks of winter!" And this week's weather certainly seems to confirm his prediction.  Please keep in mind that students must have full snow gear, including gloves, boots and snow pants, if they wish to play in the snow at recess.  You may also want to tuck a dry pair of socks into your child(ren)'s backpack(s) - warm, dry feet make any afternoon more comfortable!

School Uniform Reminders - Students have been dressed in their formal attire for several months now.  Please take a moment and check for proper sizing and to be sure all items are in good repair.  Please also help boys remember that a belt is required with uniform trousers.  The Home & School Association's Used Uniform Exchange can be a great option for replacing an item that may be outgrown or in poor condition. Click here for more information about the Used Uniform Exchange.  Our Relaxed Uniform may begin to be worn after April vacation on 4/22.

March Parent/Teacher Conferences will be held from Monday, March 17th - Thursday, March 20th.  Each of these days will be a 12:45 early dismissal.  There will be no Prekindergarten Enrichment or Aftercare.  Unlike the Parent/Teacher Conferences held in November, the March appointments are not considered mandatory though they are strongly recommended.  If you do not sign up for a conference none will be scheduled for you.  You will be contacted by your child(ren)'s teacher(s) if you do not sign up for a conference and it is felt that one is needed. Conference sign ups are again being completed using Sign Up Genius.  Click here to access the Sign Up Geniuses for conferences or use the March Conference tab that appears at the top of the blog.

Home & School Association News

It's finally here!  The annual H.S.A. auction, A Knight at the Olympics, will be held this Saturday, February 8th, beginning at 6pm at the Riverview.  Riverview is located at 10 Winslow Place in Simsbury.  Click here to preview some of the wonderful items that are available at the auction this year.

Air Conditioning (last year's HSA Auction project) is Coming to the Middle School!The planning for portable air conditioning unit installations for each of the middle school classrooms is underway! The units will be installed during April break just in time for that warm weather we are all desperately waiting for!

Box Tops for Education: The winter Box Tops collection ends this Friday, February 7th. Please send your clipped Box Tops to your child’s classroom this week.

Simsbury Food Bank: The Simsbury Food Bank is in need of donations including coffee and canned fruit, along with the standard staples. Please consider helping to keep our community fed.

The next HSA meeting will be held on Thursday, March 6th at 6:00 pm in the fourth grade classroom. All are welcome and encouraged to attend.

The HSA is seeking members for a Nominating Committee for next year’s HSA board. Please contact Maggie Domashinski at mmdomo@cox.net or Jennifer Pavlonnis at jpavlonnis@yahoo.com if you would like to join the committee.

Community News

St. Mary's Parish invites students in grades 4 and above to become altar servers - Training sessions will be held on the following four Saturdays from 1:30 to 2:30 PM in the church: February 22nd, March 1st, 8th, & 15th. Those who wish to be servers must plan on attending all four sessions.

The Master's School welcomes Carolyn Clement on February 17th at 7pm to share and equip parents with information about internet safety and social media. If you missed this workshop last fall when it was hosted by the Simsbury Library, mark your calendars for this repeat opportunity! RSVP is NOT mandatory, but it will help the Master's School plan with regard to space and weather-related issues.  Please RSVP to jmonitto@masterschool.org.

Avon Soccer Club announces its Spring 2014 Recreational Season -  Click here to learn more about the clinic opportunities open to Avon residents.



Kelsey's Award Winnning Drawing

Alumni News - Kelsey Baker, Class of '10 -  SMS Alumna & Northwest Catholic senior Kelsey Baker of Simsbury has received an Honorable Mention in the Discover FAA High School Architectural Drawing Competition, run by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s College of Fine and Applied Arts. The contest attracted entries from 25 states and three countries.  To read more about Kelsey's accomplishments and more alumni news, click here.    Adrian Hatch, Class of '09, has been named to the Dean's List at Syracuse University.  Adrian is a freshman majoring in Information Management & Technology.  We are always happy to hear about our alumni's successes, if you have alumni news to share, please send it along to dhatch@stmarysimsbury.eduk12.net.




Click here for the February issue of Partners in Faith.

Our celebration of Catholic Schools' Month concluded with our annual Family Pizza Lunch on 1/31/14.  As always, it was so much fun to see families enjoying lunch together.

Thursday, 2/6/14 - The opening of school is delayed 90 minutes.

Thursday, 2/6/14 

The opening of school is delayed 90 minutes.  Travel safely!

WEDNESDAY, 2/5/14 - School is closed. Happy Snow Day!

School will be closed Wednesday, 2/5/14.  

The hot lunch scheduled for Wednesday 

will be served Thursday, 2/6/14.

Have a safe & happy snow day!

News for the Week of 1/29/14

IT'S TIME TO ORDER YOUR AUCTION TICKETS!

Auction Tickets Now Available!  The HSA Annual Auction is next Saturday - February 8th! Ticket orders and payments are due NLT this Friday, 1/31/14.  Visit the auction's website for a preview of the evening's events and delicious menu, by clicking here.  The auction committee does recommend paying for your tickets by check to avoid credit card fees.  To do this, you may send your ticket request into school.  Click here for an order form like the one appearing to the left.

The Auction Committee invites you to join in the fun of this year's Olympic theme and feature a photo of your child demonstrating their "Olympian" skills.  Click here for more information.

Family Pizza Lunch is scheduled for Friday, 1/31/14.  Everyone is welcome and invited to come and eat lunch with their favorite SMS student(s).  Student pizza lunches were ordered via the regular hot lunch menu.  The order period for guest lunches has now closed but you are welcome to join us with a brown bag lunch.

The lunch schedule for Family Pizza Lunch is as follows:

Prekindergarten, Kindergarten and Grades 1 & 2:  11-11:35am
Grades 3-5:  11:40am-12:15pm
Grades 6-8:  12:20-12:50pm


Upcoming School Masses - 
 February 7th at 9am
Ash Wednesday, March 5th at 12:15 - We will worship with our Parish family as the holy season of Lent begins.
April 4th at 9am
May 16th at 9am

Retelling the story of Rosa Parks - Learning came to life when First Grade  acted out the story of Rosa Parks. They did a fabulous job of retelling the events that happened in history so long ago. Kindergarten, 2nd, 3rd and 6th grade friends enjoyed the performance. 

St. Mary's School Playground Fundraiser "Dining for Dollars" - As you know, this year's HSA auction proceeds will be used for a new playground.  There is now another way to help raise funds for this important project.  The Avon location of Bertucci's is hosting 2 "Dining for Dollars" benefit nights.  Patrons presenting the "Dining for Dollar" coupon on Wednesday, January 29th and February 5th from 11am - 10pm will have 15% of their purchase donated to the St. Mary's School Playground Fund.  This coupon may be used on both Dine In and Carry Out purchases but is only valid at the Avon location - 380 West Main St (Route 44).  Click here for a "Dining for Dollars" flyer that contains 4 coupons. Enough for your family to enjoy two delicious dinners and also 2 to share with friends to help us have a fabulous new playground!


Head lice are an unpleasant reality that can affect students of all ages and genders.  All schools have established procedures for helping families manage an infestation of head lice.  Click here to learn about our school's procedures.  Our procedures are the same as those used by the Simsbury Public School system.   Click here for a helpful fact sheet about head lice and management of an infestation.

Athletic News - It's time to think about Jump Rope Club!  Click here for more information.

Hot Lunch Volunteers Needed!  We are still in need of lunch volunteers.  Click here for the Sign Up Genius.



Home & School Association News

In keeping with our mission this year to keep the Simsbury food bank stocked this year, please consider donating instant coffee -regular or decaf, hot chocolate, tea, regular coffee, decaf coffee, canned fruit, low sugar canned fruit and individually wrapped or toilet paper in a 4 pack.

HSA is currently forming a nominating committee to find candidates for our outgoing treasurer and president. Please consider joining the committee and have a say in your representation.

The HSA budget report from 1-26-14 is now available for review on the Parents Only secure page of our school website.  Click here to access the login screen.

Christine Kornacki shared insights into the illustration process

Last Friday, SMS Alumna and professional illustrator, Christine Kornacki, met with our students in grades 3-8 to chat about her most recent project, The Sparkle Egg.  To enjoy the presentation she shared with our students, click here.

Today (1/29) students in Prekindergarten - grade 2 met with local author, Fern Michonski. 

Fern Michonski provided an engaging presentation.

Both of these visits were part of our Catholic Schools' Month celebration.

As we finish our celebration of Catholic Schools' Month, don't forget that this week is Teacher Appreciation Week!  Don’t forget to tell your teachers how much you appreciate all they do for you!




Box Tops for Education:  The next Box Tops collection will end on Friday, February 7^th.  Please send all Box Tops to your child’s classroom collection box.  Happy clipping!

CHOICE Program News - Family CHOICE participation statements were sent home with youngest or only students on Monday, 1/27/14.  If you have not already done so,  please check the back packs. This statement reflects CHOICE earnings through December 31st. As indicated on your Family Enrollment Agreement, participation in CHOICE is a mandatory part of your tuition obligation.  Families have until 4/31/14 to raise the required amount of money via CHOICE or to complete the obligation via an "opt-out" payment.  If you have questions about your CHOICE obligation, please contact Tammy Budnick at the school office or via tbudnick@stmarysimsbury.eduk12.net.

News for the Week of 1/22/14

We are excited to celebrate Catholic Schools Week from January 26th - February 1st. St. Mary’s School is an amazing gift to our children, our families and our community. At St. Mary’s School, our children grow and learn their faith daily. St. Mary’s School provides educational excellence, helping students succeed through challenging classes, creative and innovative instruction and modern technology.

An exciting addition to our Catholic Schools Week celebration is outreach to our surrounding parishes. On Sunday, January 26th, St. Mary’s School will be highlighted at six local parishes. We will be at the following parish masses:

Immaculate Conception in New Hartford - 11:30 AM Mass

St. Ann in Avon – 9:30 AM Mass

St. Bernards in Tarriffville -10:45 AM Mass

St. Catherine’s in Simsbury -11:00 AM Mass

St. Mary’s in Simsbury – 9:30 AM Mass

St. Therese in Granby – 10:30 AM Mass

We are asking all of families to help with this outreach. If you are a parishioner at one of these parishes, please try to attend that Mass. We would like students to wear their uniforms to that Mass so parishioners can recognize St. Mary’s students. Please answer any questions people may have about St. Mary’s and encourage any interested families to attend the Open House on Tuesday, January 28th at 6:30. We will also have flyers, pencils and note pads to hand out at Mass.



 Open House for Prospective Families - Tuesday, 1-28-14 at 6:30pm in the Parish Center.  Please encourage anyone that you know that might be interested in our school to come to this friendly, informative Open House.  Please ask that they RSVP to the school office - it helps us plan if we know how many guests we are expecting.

It’s time to start thinking about warmer weather. Save the date for the St. Mary’s School Fairway to Heaven golf outing on Thursday, May 22, 2014 at Hopmeadow Country Club. We are planning a great day so start getting your foursome together! Look for more information to register to play or sign up for a sponsorship opportunity in the coming weeks!



Author & Illustrator Visits -

Author, Fern Michonski

 




 The HSA is pleased to announce two special visits in celebration of Catholic Schools' Month.  Author, Fern Michonski will visit with students in PreKindergarten through grade 2 on Wednesday, 1/29.  Please note that this is a change to the program's original date.

Illustrator, Christine Kornacki

Christine Kornacki, SMS Aluma and Illustrator, will be at

St Mary’s School on Friday, January 24th to share apresentation about the illustration process of her new book The Sparkle Egg with grades 3 through 8.

St Mary’s Church will be hosting a book signing for Ms. Kornacki

on Sunday, March 9th, just in time for Easter!

 
 
 
 







Family Pizza Lunch is scheduled for Friday, 1/31/14.  Everyone is welcome and invited to come and eat lunch with their favorite SMS student(s).  Student pizza lunches were ordered via the regular hot lunch menu.  The order period for guest lunches has now closed but you are welcome to join us with a brown bag lunch.

The lunch schedule for Family Pizza Lunch is as follows:

Prekindergarten, Kindergarten and Grades 1 & 2:  11-11:35am
Grades 3-5:  11:40am-12:15pm
Grades 6-8:  12:20-12:50pm


Upcoming School Masses - 
 February 7th at 9am
Ash Wednesday, March 5th at 12:15 - We will worship with our Parish family as the holy season of Lent begins.
April 4th at 9am
May 16th at 9am


 Home & School Association News

The next H.S.A. meeting is scheduled for Thursday, 1/23/14.  Click here for an agenda.

Auction Tickets Now Available!  It's less than a month to our HSA Annual Auction.  Visit the auction's website for a preview of the evening's events and delicious menu, by clicking here.  The auction committee does recommend paying for your tickets by check to avoid credit card fees.  To do this, you may send your ticket request into school.  Click here for an order form like the one appearing to the left.

The Auction Committee invites you to join in the fun of this year's Olympic theme and feature a photo of your child demonstrating their "Olympian" skills.  Click here for more information.

Box Tops for Education- The next Box Tops collection will end on Friday, February 7^th.  Please send all Box Tops to your child’s classroom collection box.  Happy clipping!

Alumni News - Congratulations to Alex Carter, Class of '09!  Alex has been named to the Dean's List at the University of Scranton for the fall semester.  Click here to read more about Alex and other alumni with notable accomplishments.  To share alumni news, please email dhatch@stmarysimsbury.eduk12.net.




What's the buzz in grade 4? 

The relationship between producers and consumers and a chance to look at a bald faced hornets' nest up close!

Tuesday, 1/21/14 - 12:45pm Early Closing

 

 

Due to expected winter weather - Tuesday, 1/21/14

School will be dismissed early at 12:45pm. 

 

No PreK Enrichment or Aftercare.

 

 

Calendar Update - The author visit with Fern Michonski that was scheduled for Wednesday, 1/22/14, for students in Prekindergarten through Grade 2, has been postponed at Mrs. Michonski's request.  The visit is now scheduled for Wednesday, 1/29/14, from 9:20-10am in the Parish Center.