News for the Week of 12/17/13

Thanks to everyone who joined us at our annual Christmas prayer service, Lessons & Carols.  It was a beautiful, reverent retelling of the Nativity story.  Mrs. Gannatti invites everyone to extend the festive feelings of this week by wearing casual clothes with a Christmas theme this Friday, 12/20/13.  Red and green clothing is encouraged and everyone is reminded to make responsible choices regarding their apparel.  Please keep in mind that pajama pants are not appropriate school attire.


Campus Facilities Update - Mrs. Gannatti and Mr. Carter, School Board Chairman, have issued an important letter about plans for changes to our school campus that will help address our space management issues.  This letter is being emailed to all families and is also available on our school website.  Click here to view the letter.  NOTE:  If you do not receive an email copy of the letter, please contact the school office to be sure we have your preferred email address as part of our family email distribution list.

School will be dismissed at 12:45pm on Friday, 12/20, to start our Christmas vacation.  There will be no Prekindergarten Enrichment or Aftercare.  

School reopens on Thursday, 1/2, and we begin our celebration of Catholic Schools' Month.  Our January school Mass will be held on Friday, 1/3, at 9am.


Middle School (Grades 6,7,8) iPads will stay at school over the Christmas break.  If your child(ren) are starting their vacation early, please be sure the iPad(s) are turned into the homeroom teacher(s) on the last day of attendance.


Need a Last Minute Christmas Gift for a Budding Musician?  Piano Lessons with Mr. Cosham are one size fits all!  Please contact him at bcosham@stmarysimsbury.eduk12.net.  NOTE - Mr. Cosham only takes beginners - only children that have had no prior piano instruction.

SMS Chess Club - Tournament Results - After weeks of practice, the first SMS Chess Tournament was held on Friday, 12/13/13.  Click here for more information.

For the past several weeks Mrs. Gore's fifth grade students have been studying the European explorers and their contributions to the "New World." Students have been putting together a triple timeline  on their iPads to show how all of the events were happening simultaneously and not independently of each other.