Summer Update - June 25, 2014 - A summer assignment for parents!

Getting Ready for 2014-15
Parent Summer Assignment - Update your blog subscriptions!

Why should kids have all the fun of summer reading and assignments?

Looking ahead to the new school year, we'd like to remind you of the importance of staying in touch with what is going on in your child(ren)'s classrooms by subscribing to the teacher(s) blog(s).  The way blog subscription works, there is NO automatic rollover of your subscription to your child(ren)'s new teacher(s) blog(s).  Here are the easy steps to follow to:  1. Unsubscribe from last year's teacher(s) blog(s).  2. Subscribe to the blogs you need for next year.

1.  To Unsubscribe from a Blog
   
NOTE - These steps must be done for each blog you wish to unsubscribe from, you cannot unsubscribe from several at a time.

Wait for the next blog post to arrive in your email.
Scroll to the bottom of the email and look for the sentence that says:

To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.

Click on the "unsubscribe now" and follow the prompts you receive.

2. To Subscribe to a Blog

Go to the main page of the school's blog - http://stmarysschoolnews.blogspot.com/

On the right side of the screen you will see a "blog roll" that lists all of the individual teachers' blogs.  Click on the blog for which you would like a subscription (i.e., so that you will receive blog posts via email.)  Look for the "subscription box" on the teacher's blog.  It will look something like this:

Enter your email address to get blog updates sent to your email.

Enter your desired email and then follow the prompts to complete your subscription request.  Be sure to look for an email that will confirm your subscription.  When you receive this email, be sure to follow the steps included in it to finalize your subscription.

Please note that if you have already subscribed to the school's main blog, there is no need to resubscribe unless your email has changed.

Remind Text Alerts - Some of you may be subscribed to a teacher's  Remind text alert group.  If you wish to stop receiving texts from a teacher because your child(ren) have moved on to another class, wait for the teacher's next text to arrive and then reply "Stop" to the message.  This should remove you from this teacher's notifications.  If your child(ren)'s teacher(s) for 2014-15 will be using Remind,  they will provide you with subscription information at this year's "Back to School" night.

NOTE - If you are already signed up to receive the main school Remind text alerts or Mr. Gangloff's Athletic text alerts, there is no need to resubscribe unless your phone number changes.

Ready to think about "Back to School"?  When you are ready to start thinking about "Back to School", please take a moment to review the blog's "Back to School" page by using the "Back to School" tab at the top of the blog screen.  This page has lots of helpful information all gathered in one place.  Items include: Supply Lists by grade, suggested reading from some teachers, summer assignments for middle school students, guidelines for purchase of extra textbooks and some important calendar reminders.  More information will continue to be added as needed, so check back often!

SMS Stars!  The American flag is proudly flying at Saint Mary School thanks to a SMS student and several special volunteers.  Luke Doskos, a 6^th grader and Tenderfoot Scout with Simsbury Troop 175, was working to complete a scout 2^nd class requirement of participating in a school flag ceremony when he realized our flag pole required some TLC in preparation for the flag raising ceremony.  

With the assistance of the Simsbury Volunteer Fire Department tower ladder and crew, the old flag halyard was replaced and the tree branches were pruned to allow proper flying of the flag.

Summer Update - June 19, 2014

Final Report Cards have been sent home via U.S. mail on Thursday, June 19, 2014.  If you do not receive a report card(s) for your child(ren), please contact the school office.

Students completing first grade were awarded with class superlatives by Mrs. Jehnings.  Click here to see more photos of  "super" kids that are now second graders!

Summer Office Hours began on Tuesday, June 17th.  The school office will be routinely staffed Monday - Thursday from 9am-1pm and by appointment.  Voice mail and email will be checked regularly.

SUMMER CHOICE SALES - Choice cards will be available for sale in the school office on the following Thursdays:

June 26 - 9:00am-12:30pm

July 10 - 9:00am-11:00am
July 24 - 9:00am-11:00am

August 7 - 9:00am-12:30pm
August 21- 9:00am-12:30pm

Thinking Ahead to "Back to School" - We know it seems far away right now, but, we want you to have easy access to the information you will need when you are ready to begin to think "Back to School".  Teachers are in the process of posting their 2014-15 Supply Lists.  Middle School teachers have posted the Middle School Summer Assignments and suggested reading lists.  To easily locate all this information, please use the "Back to School" tab at the top of this blog.

SMS - Welcome Summer! 6-16-14

Summer afternoon—summer afternoon; to me those have always been the  two most beautiful words in the English language. 

~Henry James

For their final Religion group project, the students in Mrs. Gore's fifth grade were asked to develop a poster depicting the 4 Marks of the Church. The 4 marks are that we are One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic. 

The students were all very creative and each group's poster was very unique.

End of Year Calendar Reminders

Final Report Cards will be sent home via U.S. mail during the week of 6/16/14.

iPad Summer Return - Middle school students in grades 6 and 7 were required to turn in both their iPad and their school issued charging cord and brick NLT Friday, 6/13/14.  All devices will be inspected for physical damage.  If any damage is noted, you will receive a letter explaining the nature of the damage and requesting a check for $49 made payable to St. Mary's School to pay for AppleCare+ repair of the device over the summer.  Students in middle school that fail to return their school issued charging brick and cord will incur a $40 replacement charge.  All students will receive the same iPad for use next year unless the device has to be replaced due to damage.

Summer Office Hours will begin on Tuesday, June 17th.  The school office will be routinely staffed Monday - Thursday from 9am-1pm and by appointment.  Voice mail and email will be checked regularly.

Back To School Mailing will be sent via U.S. mail mid-August.  You can look forward to the many forms associated with all new beginnings!

Calendar Reminders for the start of the new school year -

Middle School iPad Deployment in August 2014- Middle School students (entering grades 6, 7 & 8) and students from lower grades that incurred a loss of iPad privileges during the 2013-14 school year and at least one parent/guardian will be required to meet with Mrs. Hatch for a brief (15 minute) appointment prior to the start of school to turn in the required iPad "Big 3" forms (i.e., verify that iPad insurance has been paid, return signed acknowledgements for Parent/Student Handbook and iPad AUP and signed Electronic Use Agreement).  During this appointment, Mrs. Hatch will also review key components of the AUP, use of the Notability App, school GMail and automatic backup to Google Drive and answer any questions.  A Sign-up Genius has been posted to allow you to sign up for a convenient appointment day and time.  There are morning, afternoon and evening appointments available during the mid-August time frame.  Click here to access the Sign-Up Genius for these appointments.  Families that do not meet with Mrs. Hatch prior to the start of school will need to be in touch with her to make alternative iPad deployment arrangements.  No student will be given an iPad for use - even once school begins -until this meeting has taken place.

First Day of School for Grades Prekindergarten - 8 will be Wednesday, August 27th.  Other important dates associated with the start of school are:

Monday, August 25 - Kindergarten Parent Meeting at 6pm in the Kindergarten classroom

Tuesday, August 26 - "Morning in Middle School" for all entering 6th grade students and new transfer students in grades 7 and 8 from 9-11:30.  Kindergarten - Gr. 3 "Meet & Greet", 10:30-11:30.

Instrumental Music Recommendation - The facilities sub-committee of the school board has made a recommendation to Father Matera to address concerns regarding practice space for our advanced band for next year.  Click here to read this recommendation.  This recommendation has also been sent out via email using our family distribution list.

SMS Stars - Congratulations to Shayna Glazier and Jonathan Heiden who were our school's winners of Senator Witkos' 6th grade essay contest. "If you were a Connecticut lawmaker, what bill would you propose and why" was the topic. They were recognized by Senator Witkos and Simsbury Bank for their outstanding essays. 

HSA News

Thank you to all volunteers for your hard work this year, especially to the auction committee who put on a great party that raised enough money for a new playground. 

Thank you to Maggie Domashinski and Lynn Mogielnicki, our outgoing HSA president and treasurer.  In turn, they thank the school and parents for their support.  Welcome to Beth Scully and Frank Conde, the incoming HSA corresponding secretary and treasurer.

Keep your eye out for exciting changes in the playground this summer.  It will be amazing!

Community News

Farmington Valley Arts Center Summer Programs - A wide variety of creative programs are available this summer for children and adults.  Click here for more information. 

News for the week of 6/11/14

Graduation 2014 - A Time of New Beginnings

St. Mary's Class of 2014 on Graduation Day - June 6, 2014

"There is good reason they call these ceremonies commencement exercises.
Graduation is not the end; it's the beginning."  Orrin Hatch

St. Mary's Prekindergarten Class of 2014 on their Moving Up Day - June 10, 2014

Yearbooks -  Yearbooks were distributed last Friday (6/6)  to all students in grades PreK - grade 7 that had books preordered for them (Grade 8 received their yearbooks prior to their graduation).  If you have questions about your yearbook order,please contact Donna Nolan -  Donna' phone is 860 653-6312,  Her email -donna.nolan410@gmail.com.

If a yearbook was not preordered and a student would now like to purchase a yearbook, we do have 17 extra copies available for sale in the school office, first come/first serve.  The cost is $30 and the check should be made payable to St. Mary's School with "Yearbook" in the memo section.  Books must be paid for before they will be given to a student.

iPads - Middle school students in grades 6 and 7 must turn in both their iPad and their school issued charging cord and brick NLT Friday, 6/13/14.  All devices will be inspected for physical damage.  If any damage is noted, you will receive a letter explaining the nature of the damage and requesting a check for $49 made payable to St. Mary's School to pay for AppleCare+ repair of the device over the summer.  Students in middle school that fail to return their school issued charging brick and cord will incur a $40 replacement charge.  All students will receive the same iPad for use next year unless the device has to be replaced due to damage.

End of Year Calendar Reminders

Our last day of school is Monday, June 16th and this day is a 12:45pm early dismissal day.  There is no PreKindergarten Enrichment or Aftercare.

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.

Summer Office Hours will begin on Tuesday, June 17th.  The school office will be routinely staffed Monday - Thursday from 9am-1pm and by appointment.  Voice mail and email will be checked regularly.

Back To School Mailing will be sent via U.S. mail mid-August.  You can look forward to the many forms associated with all new beginnings!

Calendar Reminders for the start of the new school year -

Middle School iPad Deployment in August 2014- Middle School students (entering grades 6, 7 & 8) and at least one parent/guardian will be required to meet with Mrs. Hatch for a brief (15 minute) appointment prior to the start of school to turn in the required iPad "Big 3" forms (i.e., verify that iPad insurance has been paid, return signed acknowledgements for Parent/Student Handbook and iPad AUP and signed Electronic Use Agreement).  During this appointment, Mrs. Hatch will also review use of the Notability App, school GMail and automatic backup to Google Drive and answer any questions.  A Sign-up Genius will be posted to allow you to sign up for a convenient appointment day and time.  There will be morning, afternoon and evening appointments available during the mid-August time frame.  A family email will be sent out when the Sign Up Genius is available.  Families that do not meet with Mrs. Hatch prior to the start of school will need to be in touch with her to make alternative iPad deployment arrangements.  No student will be given an iPad until this meeting has taken place.

First Day of School for Grades Prekindergarten - 8 will be Wednesday, August 27th.  Other important dates associated with the start of school are:

Monday, August 25 - Kindergarten Parent Meeting at 6pm in the Kindergarten classroom

Tuesday, August 26 - "Morning in Middle School" for all entering 6th grade students and new transfer students in grades 7 and 8 from 9-11:30.  Kindergarten - Gr. 3 "Meet & Greet", 10:30-11:30.

First grade received a beautiful surprise  from Mrs. Elliott and her 8th Grade Academic Literature class. They dedicated a book to the first grade class titled, The Orchid and The Igloo, which they wrote and illustrated themselves. First grade had the pleasure of listening to them read it aloud to them. The book and its message was spectacular! We are so grateful and touched by this wonderful gift. Thank you Katheryn,Lauren, Maddy, Amelia, Vanessa, Caroline, Kurt, Caleb and Liam from the bottom of our hearts!

Home & School Association News

The next HSA meeting will be held next Thursday, June 12^th at 6:30 in the grade 8 classroom.  The proposed 14-15 HSA budget is available for review on the password protected Parent's Only Page of our school's website.  Click here to access the log-in screen.

The agenda for the 6/12/14  H.S.A. meeting is available on the school's website.  Click here.

Congratulations to our Jump Rope Club on 2 fine performances to conclude their season.  Our thanks to their coach, Mrs. Mary Liljedahl and to all the parents that helped turn the ropes!

Something's Cooking in Kindergarten!  

Pizza! Pizza! Pizza!

Kindergarten had a hands on experience last week making pizza with our in-house chef, Mrs. Hatch! Students began the morning reading a story about pizza and the students then got right to work rolling, flouring, and spreading their dough to be the shape of a small pizza.  Students then added the gooey sauce and cheese to make their personal pizza complete.  When the pizzas were cooked, students enjoyed talking about how many pieces they had and discussing fractions which we had been learning about in Math.  Students had a wonderful time baking! Thanks to Mrs. Hatch, Mrs. Spak, Mrs. Moreno, Mrs. Rushin, Mrs. McAnaney and Mrs. Markiv for their help. This week, Kindergarten will explore chemical reactions and states of matter by making ice cream in a bag.  Imagine having to wait a week for dessert after pizza!

Community News 

St. Mary's Church invites  us to congratulate Deacon Arthur Miller and his wife, Sandy at a reception this Sunday, June 15th after the 9:30 Mass in the St Mary's Parish Center. We will celebrate the 10th Anniversary of his Ordination as a Deacon by offering our thanks for their service to God, his Church, and our Parish.   

Stop by after the 9:30 Mass or before attending the 11 AM Mass; coffee, juice and donuts will be served. 

The Avon Soccer Club offers a number of programs.  Click here for information about their Fall 2014 recreational schedule.

Northwest Catholic is offering youths entering grades 3-9 in the fall an opportunity to attend their All State Football Clinic.  This instructional, non-contact clinic will run from July 28-31.  Click here for more information and to download a registration form.

Martocchio's Music is offering Summer Jazz and Rock Camp.  Programs are one week long and are open to students entering grades 4 and up.  Click here for more details.

The "Officer Phil" Safety Program visited grades PreK - 4 on Wednesday.  His good advice included:

"Remember, don't talk to strangers, ask before going online, and always always always walk on the sidewalks!"  It was a great visit and his jokes really "quacked" the kids up.

News for the Week of 6/4/14

Celebrating the Class of 2014! - It seems impossible, but, Friday, June 6th is Graduation Day here at SMS!  We invite everyone to join us at a special school Mass on Friday at 10am to celebrate the accomplishments of our graduates and bless them on their way as they venture on to high school.  During the course of this year, we have been proud to watch these fine, young adults emerge as student leaders in our community.  In addition to being good and diligent students, they are daily mentors for our younger students, modeling kindness and respectful demeanor.  We will miss them but we are so proud to send them off on this next step of the journey knowing that they are ready for all its challenges and wonderful ambassadors of our school.  For a full agenda of the Graduation Day activities, click here.

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.

Our last day of school is Monday, June 16th and this day is a 12:45pm early dismissal day.  There is no PreKindergarten Enrichment or Aftercare.

Health Office Reminder - If you have prescription medications for your child(ren) in our school's health office, please be sure to come in and pick it up before the end of the school year.  These medications cannot be sent home with students and will be discarded if they are left in the health office at the end of the school year.

Middle School Academic Placements for 2014-15 - Parents of students in this year's grades 5-7 will receive an email later this week from Mrs. Gannatti.  This email will explain the criteria used to determine placement in academic or honors literature and math for the 2014-15 school year.  You will receive the actual notification of your child(ren)'s placement in either academic or honors literature and math with the final report card for this year.  See below.

Final Report Cards for students in grades K-7 will be sent home via U.S. mail the week of June 16th.  A supply list for the next school year will be included.  These supply lists will also be available via a "Back To School" blog tab. Academic and honors placement information will be included for students entering grades 6-8 next year. 

Summer Office Hours will begin on Tuesday, June 17th.  The school office will be routinely staffed Monday - Thursday from 9am-1pm and by appointment.  Voice mail and email will be checked regularly.

Reminder to Smart Tuition Account Holders:  As you begin making payments in June on your 2014-2015 Smart Tuition account, please remember to change the school year in your account number from 13 to 14.  Account numbers are broken down as follows:  02300 is the school code; 14 refers to the school year; and the last six digits reflect your individual family’s account.  If you continue making payments using the 13 school year, they will apply to your 2013-14 account, generating an overpayment status.  Your 2014-15 account will then appear delinquent, causing $45 late fees to accrue each month the payments are missing.  If you have any questions about this, please call Smart Tuition’s Parent help center at 1-888-868-8828.

IOWA Test Results - At the end of April and beginning of May, students in grades 3-7 took the IOWA tests.  The test results are now available and teachers are reviewing them at this time.  As you know, our school has a long history of excellent results on these tests. This year, we are pleased to report that student performances were particularly strong this year.  We believe this is due to a couple of factors.  As you know, this year's testing period was moved from early March to the end of April.  This allowed for additional instructional time before testing.  Additionally,a careful analysis of last year's tests results allowed us to focus our instruction on areas of relative weakness.  This has resulted in improved scores for many students in the areas of general math, computation and reading comprehension.  At the end of the week, individual student test results will be sent home to each family via U.S. mail.  When the test results for your child(ren) arrive, please take time to look them over.  These results should be viewed as one measure of your child(ren)'s academic progress this year.  IOWA scores in grades 5, 6 and 7 are one the criteria used to help determine if a student will be placed in honors or academic level literature and math. As you know, other valuable measures of progress are your own observations, the teacher's insights and the Educonnect portal and report card information you receive.  If you wish to discuss the IOWA results in more detail or how they dovetail with the other measures of student performance, please contact your child(ren)'s homeroom teacher(s) directly.

Men & Women of Courage - Students in Mrs. Jehning's first grade class are sharing what they have learned about men and women of courage.  Students have accompanied their presentations with posters, self-authored books and costume props. All of the students are being encouraged to actively engage the audience by being well-prepared for their talk and confident in their demeanor as they speak out "loud and proud".  Clearly, we have some courageous men and women in grade 1!

The Pink Team ruled the day at Middle School's Field Day
Softball Tournament on Monday, 6/1/14.

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.

Students in Mrs. Moffat's Third Grade traveled to the American School for the Deaf in West Hartford.  Prior to the trip, each student learned to sign his/her name in American Sign Language.

Third graders have also been exploring their body systems and have created paper representations of their internal organs.

Instrumental Music - Schedule Change -Advanced Band students will have instrumental music lessons on Thursday, 6/5/14.  Cadet band students have already had their lessons for this week on Monday, 6/2/14. Please be sure your Advanced  Band  student brings his/her instrument and music on the appropriate day during the week of 6/1/14.  Next week, Instrumental Music will follow its normal schedule with the Cadet students having lessons on Monday, 6/9, and the Advanced Band students having lessons on Thursday, 6/12.

Campus Facilities Update -  The security gate has now been installed at the top of the north (playground) parking lot. The gate is closed and locked each morning after carpool arrivals and remains locked through the full course of our school day.  Carpool arrivals must then begin NO EARLIER THAN 3:10pm.  Cars lined up along Hopmeadow Street waiting for entrance to the school lot is an unacceptable safety hazard and must be avoided.

We are also pleased to share that the Class of '13's gift of a new school sign is expected to be installed this week, depending on the weather.

SMS Students participating with the FMI All-State
Bands relax with lunch outside Lincoln Center in NYC

FMI Band Trip - Congratulations to our student musicians that traveled to New York City on Thursday, 5/29, to play with the FMI All-State Symphonic, Jazz and Concert bands.  Participation in these prestigious All-State Bands is by audition only.  All-State Musicians have distinguished themselves as committed instrumental students who practice regularly and demonstrate not just instrumental proficiency but also leadership qualities.  Our thanks to our school's FMI Instructor, Mrs. Debbie Morse, for another wonderful year of lessons and band.  Mrs. Morse has continued to provide high quality instruction despite the temporary challenges our facilities upgrades have presented.  We thank her for her patience and flexibility and her real commitment to our students.

Home & School Association News

The Saint Mary’s Jump Rope Club has their final performance for the year on Wednesday, June 4^th.  It will be held at 7:00 pm rain or shine at River Ridge Home at 101 Bickford Extension in Avon.  All are welcome to come cheer on our amazing jumpers!  Jumpers are asked to be at the show by 6:45pm.

Science Day was a huge success. 

The children in grades K-3 were introduced to the world of entomology in a Life Sciences workshop entitled Bugs!  The children in grades 4-5 took part in a Physical Sciences workshop titled Fun-damental Forces where they will learned what makes the world go ‘round in an introduction to the concepts and basics of forces—gravity, inertia, centrifugal and centripetal forces.  Thank you to Beth Pericat and Mad Science for a wonderful Science Day!

The next HSA meeting will be held next Thursday, June 12^th at 6:30 in the grade 8 classroom.  The meeting will be the last before the new school year and will include the proposed budget for the 2014/2015 school year.  The proposed budget will be available on the HSA website by the end of the week.

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 13th.

Students in Ms. Soucy's Fourth grade  are sharing their writing with the class: Author's Share Chair. Ms. Soucy believes that students should be proud of  their writing and the hard work it takes to create a finished and published piece!  Smartboard technology makes it easy to share a published work with the whole group.

Thanks to everyone who supported our annual Fairway to Heaven Golf Outing last Thursday through sponsorship, tee signs, basket donations &, of course, golf and dinner.  The weather was perfect for a round of golf and the money raised will benefit our school's annual appeal.

Community News

Saint Mary's 35th Annual Spring Carnival Opens Tonight!  Carnival will be held from June 4th - 7th at 34 Hopmeadow Street in Simsbury (Field South of Connecticut Light & Power.

Hours of Operation on Wednesday, June 4 - Friday, June 6 are 6-10pm.  On Saturday, June 7, 5-10pm

Ride all night!  Wristbands are available every night: Wednesday & Thursday - $20, Friday & Saturday - $25  Click here for further details.

Northwest Catholic High School's Scholarship Scamper 5k Road Race will take place on Saturday, June 22 at 10:00 am, beginning and ending on the Northwest Catholic campus. With all of the proceeds going to support scholarships for deserving NWC students, this chip-timed event is competitive for serious runners, welcoming for casual runners and walkers, and fun for the whole family. The race/walk will be followed by a picnic and activities for children of all ages until 1:00 pm.

Participant registration is available securely on-line here or printable registration forms are available here. Pre-register by June 10 to guarantee you'll receive a race t-shirt and to take advantage of early bird pricing.  Registration is also available on race day from 8:30 - 9:30 am at NWC. We hope you will consider this opportunity to support NWC while enjoying family fitness and fun! Questions? Contact Patricia Walsh, NWC Dir. of Advancement at pwalsh@nwcath.org.

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.

Looking ahead to "Back to School"!  Mr. Cosham wants you to know that he has a few spots available for beginning piano students when school re-opens in August.  To reserve a space now, please send him an email at bcosham@stmarysimsbury.eduk12.net

Partners in Faith - Click here for this month's edition of Partners in Faith.