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.

Add caption

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.