News for the week of 12/6/12

The Kindergarten students had a busy week last week learning about the legends of Christmas! They have created displays throughout the school building that have the different legends posted on them along with a project that they created for each one.  They learned about the Legend of the Candy Cane, letting us know that when a candy cane is held upside down, it becomes the letter "J" which stands for Jesus, our Lord and Savior, who is truly what the Christmas Season is all about!


December is a busy month.  Please be sure to check the school calendar regularly.  Here are some important dates to remember -

• Our monthly School Mass will be held on Friday, December 7th at 9:30am.  Everyone is welcome to join us at Mass.  Please remember that no physical education uniforms should be worn to Mass.
• Grade 8 Poinsettia Sale - Pickup Reminder-  Thanks to everyone who supported this fundraiser! Poinsettia pickup will be in the Parish Center on Friday, Dec. 7th, 2-4pm and after all Masses on Saturday, Dec. 8th and Sunday, Dec. 9th. 
• Band & Chorus Christmas Concert - Thursday, December 13th.  2pm Dress Rehearsal (Both Band & Chorus will perform), 7pm Performance in the Parish Center  - Band Students, click here for guidelines regarding concert dress, arrival time & deportment. Chorus students that are not in the band should follow Mrs. Lepak's directions regarding arrival time and gathering spot and wear red, green or white tops with black bottoms.  
• Lessons & Carols - Tuesday, December 18th. 10am Dress Rehearsal, 7pm Evening Presentation in the Church
• 12:45 Early Dismissal for Christmas Break - Friday, December 21st.  No PreK Enrichment or Aftercare available.
• School reopens on Wednesday, January 2nd & our celebration of Catholic Schools' Month begins!  Please keep in mind that Before Care will not be available when school resumes in January.

Parent Meeting regarding Internet Safety - We have arranged for Officer Dunne from the Simsbury Police Department to join us on Monday, February 4, 2013 at 7pm in the Parish Center to discuss internet safety.  Due to the importance of this topic and it’s direct impact on our children, we are asking that you consider attendance at this meeting a mandatory commitment for at least one parent/guardian from each family.  Middle school students are encouraged to attend as well.

Athletic News - If you have not paid for your fall sport participation fee please send it in no later then Friday 12/7/12. If you have any questions regarding your owed payment please contact Mr. Gangloff.

It's time for cheerleading!  Starting soon for the season, the SMS cheerleading pep squad will meet during the week to practice stunts and cheers.  Members need to be 5th grade or older. For more information about cheerleading at SMS, click here. If you are interested please email Mr. Gangloff by Friday, 12/7/12.

Mark your calendars for special author visits! As part of our celebration of Catholic Schools' Month, two authors will be visiting with us.  Stacy DeKeyser, author of The Brixen Witch will visit SMS on Friday, January 11th at 9am. Stacy DeKeyser is the author of four books for kids, including The Brixen Witch and Jump the Cracks. She lives in Simsbury with her husband and two sons, and is a member of St. Catherine's parish. For more information, visit her website at stacydekeyser.com. Copies of The Brixen Witch will be available for the author's signature. Click here for an order form.

On January 18th, students in grades K-4 will visit with Janice Hechter. Ms. Hechter  lives in Farmington and has illustrated at least four children's books. She holds a BFA from Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA. Her book, Hooray for Heroes, was a National Best Book Award Winner in 2010.   Ms. Hechter will be chatting with students about what an illustrator does and other topics related to this and read from her book, The Great Elephant Escape.  She will discuss the actual true story upon which her book is based.
      

Home & School Association News -

The Auction needs your donations!  Need an idea for your donation? Here is what the Auction is wishing for:

iPad Mini

Kindle Fire

Horseback Riding lessons

Laptop

Theater Tickets

Cooking Classes

Babysitting Services

Horseshoe Necklace

Choice Cards

CHOICE Cards make great Christmas gifts!  Just in time for Christmas giving, in addition to the $25 and $50 gift cards usually available, several $100 gift cards for the Max Restaurant Group are now in stock! Click here for a list of cards currently available with special percentage rates. Special order cards ordered now may arrive in time for Christmas but delivery is not guaranteed.

Getting ready for Christmas in Kindergarten! Kindergarten had a wonderful time decorating their milk carton gingerbread houses! We read different gingerbread stories and compared the stories to tell how they were alike and different. On Thursday, Kindergarten enjoyed a Christmas Cookie Exchange.  Everyone brought in a batch of their favorite Christmas cookies and the students packed a bag of treats to bring home to share. Getting ready for Christmas is certainly yummy in kindergarten!

Click here for more pictures.