News for the Week of 5/21/14

"This looks a little fishy" - Special Guest, Dr. Dale Hoyt, Superintendent of Schools
enjoyed the company of our 8th grade students in the Science Lab

Today, 5/21/14, we were pleased to welcome Dr. Dale Hoyt, Superintendent of Schools for the Archdiocese of Hartford, to SMS for a visit.  Dr. Hoyt stopped by the Science Lab where our 8th grade students were beginning their dissection of preserved dogfish.  Dr. Hoyt thanked everyone for their warm welcome and rewarded our hard-working students with a "homework free" evening on Wednesday, 5/21.  He also thanked teachers for their commitment to Catholic education and awarded them a "grading free" evening as well!


This week, Kindergarten and First Grade are joining together to learn about the Fruits of the Spirit in Religion class.  They using the story Pups of the Spirit  to drive the instruction for the week. Each day, students are using one of the 9 Fruits of the Spirit to respond in writing and acting. Each day, students are  given a question to respond to in writing and a group takes on that Fruit of the Spirit and role plays how we can live that Fruit of the Spirit in our everyday lives. 
The Fruits of the Spirit are:

Love

Joy

Peace

Patience

Kindness

Goodness

Faithfulness

Gentleness

Self-Control

The application period for the 14-15 Trust Scholarships closes next Friday, 5/30/14. The guidelines for scholarship eligibility are available on our school website. Click here.

The application form has been sent to all families using the SMS Families 13 email distribution list on Monday, April 28, 2014.  It is also available on our school website. Click here to access the application form.  ALL APPLICATIONS MUST BE POSTMARKED NO LATER THAN NEXT FRIDAY, MAY 30, 2014.

Spring Band Concert - On Thursday, May 22nd, our Spring Band Concert will be held.  There will be a 2pm dress rehearsal that is open to guests along with the 7pm evening performance. 

It is important that all students have their instrument and band music with them on 5/22  during the school day.  All clarinets & saxophones should have spare reeds (new) and brass players should be sure to have valve oil.  

Concert dress for evening concert:   Black bottom and white top.

Music Stands:  It is important for every student to bring his/her music stand (please label with tape or sharpie) to school during the day on 5/22.  There is much equipment to be carried and we can lighten the load considerably if each student is responsible for his/her own stand!

Arrival time:  Band students will need to meet me at 6:15 sharp in the Parish Center for warm-up & tuning.  The Parish Center will be closed to the audience at this time.  The Parish Center will be open to audience members at 6:45 PM.    Drums do not need to be tuned and percussionist may arrive at 6:30PM.  Click here for additional important information for student musicians.

Art Show - Our entire community extends its thanks to Mrs. Urgo for coordinating this year's fantastic Art Show!  The displays truly showcase the amazing creativity and talents of our students.  The SMS Annual Art Show will be on display in the Parish Center through the Spring Band Concert on May 22nd so there is plenty of time to enjoy our students' art work.

This Friday, May 23, is a 12:45 Early Dismissal.  There will be no PreKindergarten Enrichment or Aftercare.  School is closed on Monday, May 26, for Memorial Day.

Our next school Mass will be the Feast of the Ascension on Thursday, May 29th.  We will worship with our Parish family at the 12:15 Mass.  Everyone is welcome to join us.  Please remember that no physical education uniforms should be worn to Mass.  Please note that there will NOT be a school Mass on Friday, May16th.  This is a change to our school calendar.

Our June School Mass will be on Friday, June 6th at 10am.  Friday, June 6th is Graduation Day here at SMS and this Mass will give us an opportunity to come together as a community of faith to celebrate the Class of 2014 and bless them on their way.  We hope many of you will join us at this special liturgy. Click here for a detailed agenda of graduation day events.  Please note that in addition to Mass, everyone is most welcome to attend the 8th grade Class Day Assembly which will feature the presentation of 8th grade academic awards.

There will be prayer service on our last day of school, Monday, June 16th at 8:45am in the church. All are most welcome to join us as we thank God for a productive, positive school year and pray for a relaxing, safe summer.  Everyone is also welcome to attend the annual student Award Service that will begin at 9:30 in the Parish Center.  Parents of students that will be receiving an award will be notified in advance by homeroom teachers.

Little City, Little Chefs! Students in Miss Kane's PreKindergarten took a walk to explore our neighborhood this week.  After visiting at the police station, students stopped in at Little City Pizza to learn how pizza is made.  Each student was given the opportunity to make their own personal pizza and enjoy it hot and yummy from the oven!

OUR ANNUAL GOLF TOURNAMENT IS NEXT THURSDAY, 5/29/14. TIME IS RUNNING OUT!!! Enjoy a fantastic day of golf & your favorite SMS students might be the lucky winners of free ice cream! 

REGISTRATIONS REQUESTED ASAP!

Please join us on Thursday, May 29th at Hop Meadow Country Club for a day of golf, fellowship and fun.  

Any class to have 8 individual golfers or 2 foursomes register for the tournament will win free ice cream the day after the tournament!

The cost of $175 includes lunch, a golf shirt, happy hour and dinner.  You are welcome to register a foursome or an individual and we will be happy to pair you up with another golfer.  Please click here to download a registration form or click here to visit the Golf Tournament website.

The Heavenly Day of Golf needs a few more tee sponsors.  For only $100, you can support proudly St. Mary’s School.  This is a great opportunity to show your love for St. Mary’s School if you can’t join us to golf on May 29^th.  Click here for Sponsorship form.

Students in Ms. Soucy's Fourth Grade Class are making great use of our smartboard technology as they gain mastery in math on perimeter, with area and volume coming up next. Recent study has also explored quadrilaterals and lines of symmetry. 

Middle School (Grades 5-8) Field Day is scheduled for Monday, June 2nd.  Middle School students will walk to Memorial Field for a softball tournament.  Hot lunch will be delivered to the fields for students that have ordered for this day.  Volunteers are needed.  We need a minimum of 8 home plate umpires to run field day. We would also like to have an additional umpire in the outfield to help keep the game flowing.  Even if you can only commit to part of the day Mr. Gangloff can still use the assistance. We will not be able to run field day without enough umpires. Please contact Mr. Gangloff  if you can help at sgangloff@stmarysimsbury.eduk12.net.  

Field day for grades K-4 will be on June 12th in the north parking lot from 9-11am.  If the weather fails to cooperate, field day will take place indoors.

The students in Mrs. Gore's fifth grade have been learning about acids and bases during their Chemistry unit in science. Today the students used blue and red litmus paper to test a lemon, soda, vinegar or soap to find out if it was an acid or a base. They also used pH paper to find the acidity or alkalinity of each substance. 

Home & School Association News

The HSA meeting scheduled for Thursday, June 5th has been rescheduled.  The new date for this meeting is Thursday, June 12th at 6:30pm in the grade 8 classroom. 

Box Tops for Education:  Please send your clipped Box Tops to your child’s classroom for the end of the year collection.  All Box Tops will be collected on Friday, June 6^th.  Happy clipping!

Jump Rope Club:  The boys and girls in the Saint Mary’s Jump Rope Club have been working hard on their tricks and routines and are excited for the two shows they have coming up.  Please come cheer them on at The McLean Home on Great Pond Road in Simsbury at 6:00 pm on May 28^th, or at River Ridge Home at 101 Bickford Extension in Avon at 7:00 pm on June 4^th.

Eagle Scout Project to Benefit SMS!  Ethan Meskill, SMS Alumni, Class of '12, is currently working on his Eagle Scout Project.  Ethan's project will be to construct brand new picnic tables for SMS.  We are grateful that he has chosen to focus his time and energy on a project that will directly benefit the students of SMS. Click here to read a letter from Ethan about this worthwhile project.

We hope you will consider supporting Ethan's project at a Car Wash and Bake Sale from 8-1 on Saturday, June 7th in the St. Mary’s School Parking Lot.  If you cannot make it to this event, Ethan would also be grateful for a donation. Donations should be made out to Troop 175 with a notation in the memo line that it is intended for Ethan Meskill’s Eagle Scout Project.  Donations should be mailed directly to Ethan at 12 Phelpscroft Rd., Simsbury, CT 06070.

St. Mary's Adult Enrichment Committee invites you to join them on Saturday, 5/31/14.

Children entering grades K-5 are invited June 23rd-26th from 8:45 AM-12:15 PM to join us on a Wilderness Escape with Moses.Discover what it was like to live in an Israelite camp. Join one of the tribes of Israel for games, music & crafts.

Volunteers (adults & teens) are needed. Students entering grade 6 and above are welcome to volunteer. Children/teen volunteers, please register at stmarysimsbury.org. Click the red button Register Now on the homepage. Cost is $40/child. Email Kerri WorkVBS@stmarysimsbury.org.

Saint Mary's 35th annual Spring Carnival will be held from June 4th - 7th at 34 Hopmeadow Street in Simsbury (Field South of Connecticut Light & Power.Carnival Sponsors are being recruited now. Click here to download and print a sponsorship form.

You are Invited to the Second in the Series of:  The Catholic Church in the Public Square.
Save the Date:  June 8, Sunday 1 - 3:00pm at St. Catherine of Siena Church in West Simsbury
 Featured Panelists: Rev. Msgr. John J. McCarthy, Chancellor, Archdiocese of Hartford; Daniel P. O’Connell, Chairman, Saint Francis Care Board of Directors; Jeff Mateer, Esq., General Counsel of The Liberty Institute
The panelists will address the Affordable Care Act and its moral, legal, and health care implications in light of Catholic Teaching and Religious Freedom.

Last Wednesday, 5/14, our 8th grade students traveled to New York City to explore the Intrepid museum and enjoy the Broadway musical, Newsies.  They rounded out their day with dinner at Ellen's Stardust Diner and brought down the house with their spirited sing along to Macklemore's Ceiling Can't Hold Us.




































Alumni News -

Kelsey Baker, SMS Class of '10, second from left.

Congratulations to SMS Alumna, Kelsey Baker, Class of '10! Kelsey, now a Senior at Northwest Catholic High School is one of 294 top Connecticut seniors who excel in the arts that were recently honored at the Connecticut Association of Schools (CAS) High School Outstanding Arts Awards Banquet.  Click here for more details about Kelsey's accomplishments and plans for future study.

We love to hear about the accomplishments of our alumni.  If you have alumni news to share, please send an email to smsoffice@stmarysimsbury.eduk12.net.