News for the Week of 3/27/13

Flying the friendly skies of "Cosham Air" in Kindergarten -  World travels continued in Kindergarten this week as students created passports and then used their iPads and Google Earth to virtually visit several countries to learn about  Easter traditions across the globe.  Two stops on the tour were the Ukraine and Italy. On their journey to Italy, the students visited Vatican City and the classroom was filled with the sounds of Italian music. Their travels were augmented by visits from Mrs. Svitlana Markiv, mother of Maxim, and Mrs. Donna Hatch, Apple Coordinator.  Mrs. Markiv shared the beauty of Ukrainian Easter eggs with the students and help them understand the intricacies of the design process when these eggs are created.  Mrs. Hatch helped students make a delicious Italian Easter bread to share with their families.  Many thanks to Mrs. Mutarelli, Mrs. Arcouette, Mrs. Heiden, Mrs. Canning, Mrs. Williams, and Mrs. Spak for their help with the baking project.  It takes a special kind of courage to embrace sticky bread dough, raw eggs and a roomful of kindergarten students!

Before the baking began, students explored why eggs are a symbol commonly associated with Easter.  Through discussion, they learned that eggs are a symbol of our new life with the risen Christ.  Students also discussed the parts of an egg, speculated on what egg shells may be made of (it's calcite) and completed a SmartBoard lesson that demonstrated the many creatures that are hatched from eggs.

The Living Stations of the Cross will be enacted by our 8th grade students on Holy Thursday, 3/28,  at 10am in the Church.  Everyone is welcome to attend.

School will be dismissed at 12:45pm on Holy Thursday, 3/28.  There will no Prekindergarten Enrichment or Aftercare.

School is open on Easter Monday, 4/1.  This is a change from the original school calendar for snow day makeup.

Open House for Prospective Families - Do you know someone who is wondering if St. Mary's School might be the right place for their family?  We hope you will encourage them to come to Open House on Thursday, April 4th at 6:30pm in Parish Center.



If you live in a "high traffic area" or have posted an "Open House" sign for us in the past, we hope you'll do so again.  Open House signs are available outside the school office.  Please be sure to "sign out" your sign.  Please return signs to the school office after our Open House on 4/4/13. Thanks!

Don't forget to set your alarm!  Friday, 4/5/13, beginning at 5am, SMS will be the "cool school" featured on WFSB.


Our next school Mass will be on Friday, 4/5/13, at 9am in the church.  Everyone is welcome to join us.  Please remember that no physical education uniforms should be worn to Mass.

School is closed from 4/15 - 4/19 for spring vacation.


Athletic News

 JVA and Varsity teams and their families are invited to join us for Blue Knight Night on Tuesday, April 2nd from 6-8pm in the Parish Center.

Home & School Association News

Family Fun Night is almost here - We're hoping to see lots of families on Friday, April 5th from 6-8:30pm in the Parish Center. We are looking for SMS students from each grade to put on a school talent show, as well as participate in a fun filled Karaoke night. So all you budding stars & starlets, show us what you can do and have lots of fun in the process. Click here for more details and a downloadable sign up sheet..  Mrs. Howard & Mrs. Figulski are still looking for parents & 7th grade student volunteers to help organize the event. Please e-mail Nancy Figulski, cuplfigs@gmail.com or Mrs. Howard @ michellechoward@yahoo.com, if you are able to help. 

Spring Bookfair is coming in May!  Bookfair setup will take place on Tuesday, May 28th.  Bookfair will be open on Wednesday, May 29 - Sunday, June 2.  Coffee and donuts will be available after Sunday Masses to sweeten sales!  Your help is needed with setup, staffing and cleanup.  If you can help, please contact Jennifer Pavlonnis at 860-693-0052 or jpavlonnis@yahoo.com




News from the Office of Catholic Schools

The Office of Catholic Schools has announced completion of a new ministerial plan, developed to effectively guide Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Hartford toward the year 2020. The report, 20 20 Vision: An Eye on Our Future is available as an ebook. Click here read the plan. To read the press release associated with the announcement of this plan, click here. Posted 3/27/13

The Office of Catholic Schools has created a Facebook page to promote all Diocesan schools. Please help OCS to reach a larger audience by visiting their page and "Liking" it. Click here to visit this Facebook page.

Community News


St. Mary’s School and the MS Walk.  Westminster School will host the

 annual MS Walk, Sunday, April 21, 2013 at 9:00 a.m.   Anyone interested 

in participating in the walk may register with the St Mary’s School team 

online at our “SMS against MS” website – click here or register at the 

Westminster School the day of the walk at the Jackson Hockey Rink, before

 9:00 A.M. Please consider making a donation to help find a cure for those 

with MS.  We will have a registration table for our St. Mary’s School Team.  

If you have any questions please contact Nancy Canfield at 

Canfield143@cox.net or 860-844-8065. Please note that you may restrict your donation to 

research that does not require the use of fetal stem cells.

  

It has long been a legend at St. Mary's School that a leprechaun lives in the school basement. Each year, students in first grade construct traps designed to catch the school leprechaun so he will have to surrender his pot of gold.

This year's creations were very inventive. Some featured trap doors and some included clever lures including "Lucky Charms" cereal and lots of "gold coins." Students left their traps set on Friday afternoon and arrived on Monday, March 19th, to find that the traps had been sprung! Lots of the "Lucky Charms" had been nibbled and lots of gold coins were gone. Once again, though, the SMS Leprechaun evaded capture!

To see even more photos of clever leprechaun traps, click here.

The grades 7  & 8 Shakesperience residency culminated in performances from Shakespeare's tragedies on March 15th.  Click here for even more photos from the performances.

2013-2014 Family Enrollment Packets are on the way!

Family Enrollment Packets for 2013-2014 are on the way via U.S. mail to all currently enrolled and newly admitted families. Your signed family enrollment agreement and family enrollment fee are due NLT Friday, April 12th. If you have any questions or if you do not receive your enrollment packet, please contact the school office. 

Calendar Reminders - 

The Living Stations of the Cross will be presented by the 8th grade on Thursday, 3/28/13, at 10am for the whole school community. Everyone is also most welcome at this presentation. 

School will be dismissed early on Holy Thursday, 3/28/13, at 12:45pm. There will be no PreKindergarten Enrichment or Aftercare. 

School is closed on Good Friday, 3/29/13.  School is open on Easter Monday, 4/1/13.  This is a change from the original school calendar for snow day makeup.

Talcott Mountain Science Center invites you to an evening with Dr. Henry Lee

Talcott Mountain Science Center presents an evening with forensic scientist, Dr. Henry Lee, on Thursday, April 4th from 7-9pm.  Advance registration is required and seating is limited.  $10 per person - $8 for TMSC members.  Click here for a downloadable flyer and registration form.

News for the week of 3/21/13

Mr. Walsh portraying Pythagorus - Champion of the Triangle

IOWA testing delayed our celebration of Pi Day until today but it was worth the wait!  We celebrated Pi Day in conjunction with "Moving Up Day" with a school wide assembly celebrating two important geometric shapes:  the circle and the triangle.  Mrs. Raymond portrayed Archimedes and first "promoted" all students to their next grade level. Archimedes then revealed the wonders of circumference and diameter.  Using a hula hoop and various other circular shapes, students followed directions from Archimedes to prove that regardless of the size of a circle, when you divide the circumference by the diameter, the answer is always the same - pi (3.14159)!  Archimedes proposed that all students would then spend an hour exploring the wonders of circles but was interrupted by Pythagorus, portrayed Mr. Walsh.  Pythagorus lured Archimedes from center stage with the gift of a pie and then ruled the day with triangles.  Students adjourned to the classrooms that will be their homeroom next year to explore the mathematical magic of triangles.

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Calendar Reminders & Updates  -  Next week is Holy Week, on Holy Thursday, 3/28/13, school will be dismissed at 12:45.  There will be no Prekindergarten Enrichment or Aftercare. 

School is closed on Good Friday, 3/29/13.

School is open Monday, 4/1/13.  This is a change from the original school calendar for snow day makeup.

Our next school Mass will be on Friday, 4/5/13, at 9am in the church.  Everyone is welcome to join us.  Please remember that no physical education uniforms should be worn to Mass.

School is closed from 4/15 - 4/19 for spring break.


Kindergarten graduation is now scheduled for Tuesday, June 18th at 6:30pm in the Parish Center. 

The Living Stations of the Cross, enacted by our 8th graders, will be presented this Friday at 7pm in the Church.  For those that reserved space, a simple soup & bread dinner will be served from 5:30pm-6:45pm. Stations will begin promptly at 7:00.
The Living Stations of the Cross will also be presented on Thursday, 3/28/13, at 10am for the whole school community. Everyone is also most welcome at this presentation.


Open House for Prospective Families - Do you know someone who is wondering if St. Mary's School might be the right place for their family?  We hope you will encourage them to come to Open House on Thursday, April 4th at 6:30pm in Parish Center.

Don't forget to set your alarm!  Friday, 4/5/13, beginning at 5am, SMS will be the "cool school" featured on WFSB.

Athletic News

 JVA and Varsity teams and their families are invited to join us for Blue Knight Night on Tuesday, April 2nd from 6-8pm in the Parish Center.

St. Mary's Stars - Congratulations to the students that participated in the FMI All-State Instrumental Music Concert last Saturday, 3/16/13, at Central Connecticut State University.  Thanks to all the parents who made this participation possible by their willingness to drive to and from rehearsals on Thursday and Friday evenings and Saturday mornings and, of course, to our FMI instructor, Mrs. Debbie Morse, for all her hard work helping our students prepare for this performance.  Sarah J., Grade 8,  had a whole Jazz song "Children of Sanchez" that was chosen for her and featured her. Her maturity in sound and style is amazing!   Kate J., Grade 8, also had a solo on the Bari Sax in our All State Jazz band. All bands were truly spectacular! Our students sat proudly at the top of every section.  Members of the Concert and Symphonic All-State bands will be traveling to New York City to perform on the grounds of Lincoln Center in April and the All-State Jazz Band will peform at the Old State House in Hartford in May.

Used Uniform Exchange - Given the current weather, it's hard to believe but the relaxed uniform begins in just a month on 4/22/13.  Click here to see items available from the used uniform exchange.

Home & School Association News

Family Fun Night is around the corner on Friday, April 5th from 6-8:30pm in the Parish Center. We are looking for SMS students from each grade to put on a school talent show, as well as participate in a fun filled Karaoke night. So all you budding stars & starlets, show us what you can do and have lots of fun in the process. Click here for more details and a downloadable sign up sheet. . Mrs. Howard & Mrs. Figulski are still looking for parents & 7th grade student volunteers to help organize the event. Please e-mail Nancy Figulski, cuplfigs@gmail.com or Mrs. Howard @ michellechoward@yahoo.com, if you are able to help.


Community News

St. Mary's Spring Carnival is coming! Mark your calendars for family fun from June 5-8! This year, there is an important volunteer position open. The event needs someone to coordinate the money counting activities associated with carnival. The job requires being at the carnival each night and some time during the day each day of carnival. A few volunteers need to be contacted, and we have a great group of experienced, reliable people who are willing to volunteer each year. Only a small time commitment before carnival is required and basically just paying the bills after it's over. If you would like to know more or would like to volunteer, please contact Letha Kunkel at lethakunkel@gmail.com

St. Mary's Parish Vacation Bible School - Athens: Escape to Athens with Paul will be held from Tuesday June 25th to Friday, June 28th for children entering K - 5th grades. Click here for a registration form.  We have a great team of parents who run this program - consider joining us. Please email Patty Lepak lepakfamily@gmail.com for more information.

TUESDAY - March 19, 2013 - Opening of School is delayed 2 hours

TUESDAY - March 19, 2013

The opening of school is delayed 2 hours due to wintery weather.  

School will be dismissed today at 3:20.

School is closed tomorrow, Wednesday, 3/20/13, due to a faculty in-service.

School will be dismissed at 12:45pm on Thursday, 3/21 and Friday, 3/22 due to Parent/Teacher Conferences.

Possible Dismissal Change on Tuesday, 3/19/13

The wintry weather predicted for tomorrow morning (Tuesday, 3/19/13) may result in a delayed opening.  If the opening of school is delayed tomorrow morning (Tuesday, 3/19/13), we will have a full day of school.  Dismissal will be at 3:20 and PreKindergarten Enrichment and Aftercare will be available.  If you need your child(ren) to participate in either of these programs, please call the school office to reserve space since no advance reservations were made for this day.

If the storm misses us and we open on time, we will still have an early closing at 12:45 (with no PreK Enrichment or Aftercare) due to the bus transportation arrangements already in place.

Thank you for your understanding.

Please also keep in mind that school is closed, Wednesday, 3/20/13 due to a faculty in-service.  School will be dismissed early on Thursday, 3/21, and Friday, 3/22, at 12:45pm due to continuing Parent/Teacher Conferences.  There will be no PreKindergarten Enrichment or Aftercare on 3/21 or 3/22.

A life lesson from the "Mary Garden" & Reminders for the week ahead

A Life Lesson from our "Mary Garden" near the front entrance - Bloom where you are planted.

Pope Francis will be inaugurated on Tuesday, March 19th, the Feast of St. Joseph.  St. Joseph is traditionally associated with the color red, just as St. Patrick is associated with green. Mrs. Gannatti invites all students to celebrate the Inaugural Mass of Pope Francis on Tuesday, March 19, by wearing something red with the uniform appropriate for the day.  Examples include red ties or socks, red hair bows or headbands, a red sweater or sweatshirt over the uniform shirt.  Please keep in mind that any logos or motifs on the accessory being worn must be appropriate for school or it will have to be taken off.  This is an exciting and wonderful time for us as Catholics.  We encourage everyone to keep our new Pope in their prayers.

Next week will be a busy one here at SMS.  Here are some reminders-

Next week is Parent/Teacher Conferences - there is still time to schedule a conference.  Click here to access the Parents Only login screen and see what appointments are still available. The file names are2013marchk5conferenceschedule.pdf for grades K-5 and middleschoolconferenceschedulemarch2013.pdf for grades 6-8. To schedule your conference, please email your requested appointment day/time(s) toSMSOffice@stmarysimsbury.eduk12.net or call the school office at 860-658-9412. Please remember that unlike the Parent/Teacher conferences that are held at the end of the first quarter in the Fall, March conferences are not mandatory unless requested by a teacher. No appointment will be scheduled for you unless you request one. 

Dismissal will be at 12:45PM on Monday, 3/18, Tuesday, 3/19, Thursday, 3/21 and Friday, 3/22.  There will be no PreK Enrichment or Aftercare on these days.  

School is closed on Wednesday, 3/20, due to a faculty in-service.

Join us on Friday, March 22, in the Parish center for a "Simple Lenten Soup & Bread Dinner". 

Dinner will be followed by the Living Stations of the Cross, enacted by our 8th graders.

Dinner will be served from 5:30pm-6:45pm. Stations will begin promptly at 7:00.

There is no cost for dinner. Donations will be accepted to help defray the cost.

We hope that many families make this a tradition during this Lenten season.

RSVP YES to lessilva98@gmail.com no later than Monday, March 18th. The Living Stations of the Cross will also be presented on Thursday, 3/28/13, at 10am for the whole school community. Everyone is also most welcome at this presentation. March 28th is Holy Thursday, this is a 12:45 early dismissal day. There is no Prekindergarten Enrichment or aftercare. School is closed on Good Friday, 3/29/13. Due to snow day makeup - SCHOOL IS OPEN ON MONDAY, 4/1/13. This is a change to our original school calendar.

News for the Week of 3-13-13

Kindergarten celebrated Dr. Seuss' birthday in style!  Look at those cool cats in hats!

The hot lunch originally scheduled for Wednesday, 3/13/13, will be served Thursday, 3/14/13.

Next week is Parent/Teacher Conferences - there is still time to schedule a conference.  Click here to access the Parents Only login screen and see what appointments are still available. The file names are2013marchk5conferenceschedule.pdf for grades K-5 andmiddleschoolconferenceschedulemarch2013.pdf for grades 6-8. To schedule your conference, please email your requested appointment day/time(s) toSMSOffice@stmarysimsbury.eduk12.net or call the school office at 860-658-9412. Please remember that unlike the Parent/Teacher conferences that are held at the end of the first quarter in the Fall, March conferences are not mandatory unless requested by a teacher. No appointment will be scheduled for you unless you request one. Dismissal will be at 12:45PM on Monday, 3/18, Tuesday, 3/19, Thursday, 3/21 and Friday, 3/22.  There will be no PreK Enrichment or Aftercare on these days.  School is closed on Wednesday, 3/20, due to a faculty in-service.

Locker Repair was delayed due to the snow day on Friday, 3/8/13.  Locker repair began Tuesday, 3/12 and will continue during after school hours until all repairs are complete.  Thanks for your patience during this process.

WFSB's "Cool Schools" Segments featuring SMS will air on Friday, April 5th beginning at 5am.  Thanks to everyone who sent in diapers for our diaper drive - your participation made that segment's taping a visual sucess and the diapers will be greatly appreciated by those in need via Gifts of Love!

IOWA Testing continues through Thursday, March 22nd. IOWA tests are administered to students in grades 3-7. A child who arrives at school after 9am wil not have admittance into a testing classroom until the testing session has been completed. It is critical that no interruption should occur to provide the optimal environment for the success of each child. The children have been engaged in practice exercises and learning test taking strategies. The best way for you to prepare your child is to keep their days as routine as possible, ensure a good night's rest and provide a healthy breakfast.

Join us on Friday, March 22, in the Parish center for a "Simple Lenten Soup & Bread Dinner". 

Dinner will be followed by the Living Stations of the Cross, enacted by our 8th graders.

Dinner will be served from 5:30pm-6:45pm. Stations will begin promptly at 7:00.

There is no cost for dinner. Donations will be accepted to help defray the cost.

We hope that many families make this a tradition during this Lenten season.

RSVP YES to lessilva98@gmail.com no later than Monday, March 18th. The Living Stations of the Cross will also be presented on Thursday, 3/28/13, at 10am for the whole school community. Everyone is also most welcome at this presentation. March 28th is Holy Thursday, this is a 12:45 early dismissal day. There is no Prekindergarten Enrichment or aftercare. School is closed on Good Friday, 3/29/13. Due to snow day makeup - SCHOOL IS OPEN ON MONDAY, 4/1/13. This is a change to our original school calendar.

Grade 8 is recycling empty ink & toner cartridges.  Collection continues through early May.  Cartridges may be dropped off at the school office.

Thanks to everyone that supported the 8th grade's Munson's Chocolates and Butter Braids fundraisers.  These orders were available for pickup on Wednesday, 3/13, from 4-4:30pm in the Parish Center.  If you did not pick up your order, please contact Grace Petrarca at gshp@aol.com or 860 738 2229.

Only 2 more weeks to purchase your St. Mary's School 2012-2013 Yearbook! The snow is melting, our children are preparing for spring sports and all are counting the days until Easter and spring break! In the blink of an eye the 2012-13 year will be drawing to a close. This is your chance to celebrate the memories of your children, whether they are just starting their journey at St. Mary's as a Pre-K student or ending their journey as the class of 2013 heads off to high school. The yearbook only costs $28.00 and will be on sale till March 28th. You can place a credit card order on line today on Lifetouch's secure website at http://ybpay.lifetouch.com. Just enter our school code 9415313 and follow the simple instructions.  If you prefer cash or check, please click here for an order form.   If you are going to be at conferences next week, someone will be by the office selling the yearbook so come by with your check and we'd be happy to take your order! Lastly, congratulations to Katie Cosgrove and her family who won the Butter Braid/Munson's Chocolates Easter basket!!

Yearbook Photos Needed - Yearbook photos wanted of sporting events. If you have taken a photo at your child's sporting event that you would like to share, please email Peg Mancarella at Our3Pumpkins@gmail.com. Please be sure to save them with a 600 resolution of higher . Lower resolution photos (e.g., cell phone photos and iTouch photos will not load into the yearbook pages.) Should you have a large number of photos, forward them via disk or flashdrive (drives will be returned). Thanks! If you have questions, please contact Peg at 860-651-8973.

Athletic News - Softball Season is here!  Open to students in grades 5-8.  It is a great team to join for both players who are new to the sport and want to learn the fundamentals and for athletes who already have a softball background. We will compete against a variety of talent this year. Practices will be Tuesday and Thursday in the Parish Center until the fields at Central school are playable. Practice runs from 3:30-5:00pm. The fee is $25.  Click here for more information.

Box Tops for Education: Thank you to all of the families who contributed Box Tops for this collection. The school was able to collect over 5900 box tops! Congratulations to fifth grade, our winning class, for contributing 1324 to our total!! The class will enjoy extra recess time as a reward.

Please continue to send in your box tops. Each class has a collection box where they are stored until the next due date.

Community News

The Suffield Regional Agriscience Center invites everyone to attend the "Agriscience Expo 2013" on April 9 from 8am-8pm and April 10 from 8am -4pm. The Expo will feature many "hands-on" exhibits featuring many areas related to agriculture, food production and marketing.  Click here for more information.

St. Mary Parish Grade 7 & 8 Youth Group will meet for the first time on March 16th for a fun evening including dodge ball and pizza after the 5pm Mass.  Click here for more information.




St. Mary's Parish Youth Choir performed at St. Joseph's Cathedral on March 9th.   Several St. Mary's School students participated with the group.  Click here for photos and video of the event.

St. Mary’s School and the MS Walk.  Westminster School will host the annual MS Walk, Sunday, April 21, 2013 at 9:00 a.m.   Anyone interested in participating in the walk may register with the St Mary’s School team online at our “SMS against MS” website – click here or register at the Westminster School the day of the walk at the Jackson Hockey Rink, before 9:00 A.M.  Please consider making a donation to help find a cure for those with MS.  We will have a registration table for our St. Mary’s School Team.  If you have any questions please contact Nancy Canfield at Canfield143@cox.net or 860-844-8065. Please note that you may restrict your donation to research that does not require the use of fetal stem cells.

Simsbury Arts Academy announces Summer programs - Again this year, the Simsbury Arts Academy has summer programs available for students that will be entering grade 1 in August 2013 through grade 12. Click here for more information and registration forms.