End of Week Reminders - Friday, 12/19/14

"As we’ve already seen, Advent is a time of waiting. But does this mean that we do nothing? 
That we sit like lumps? No. In fact, there is something very “active” about waiting.

Do you recall how lively and attentive you are when you are eagerly waiting for someone to arrive? When you watch for every car that comes by when you are waiting at the airport? Every sense strains to take in what is happening. Your mind is alive with expectation; your spirit is jumping.

This is what waiting means in the spiritual sense; this is the mood of Advent. We’re invited to actively wait, attuned to the coming Christ, looking for him in the liturgy, the Scriptures, in prayer, and in all those around us who bear his image."         Fr. Robert Barron

 If you have not already done so, we invite you to share our Advent journey with the very special SMS Advent Calendar. The doors for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are our most special gifts to you.  Click here.

Monday, 12/22 - Christmas Band & Choral Concert.  Dress Rehearsal at 2pm & evening performance at 7pm in the Parish Center.  Everyone is invited to this evening of seasonal instrumental and vocal music.  Directions regarding arrival time and concert attire for band students is available here. Band students are reminded that they should bring their instruments, music and stands to school on Monday, 12/22, for the dress rehearsal. Mrs. Lepak will provide dress guidelines for chorus members.  Snow date is Thursday, January 8, 2015.

Tuesday, 12/23 - 12:45 Early Dismissal for Christmas break.  There will be NO Prekindergarten Enrichment and NO aftercare.

Monday, 1/5/15 - School reopens and our celebration of Catholic Schools' Month begins!

Mrs. Gannatti invites all students to wear casual dress on Tuesday, 12/23/14 - Please help your children make appropriate choices for their apparel.  Pajama pants or lounge pants are not acceptable for school.  Please refer to the Parent/Student Handbook for other guidelines.

Reminders from Mrs. Gannatti as we look forward to 2015:

          Teachers are available to meet with parents before or after school by appointment.   My faculty members tutor, meet with colleagues and/or prepare for the day before the children arrive in the morning.  It has come to my attention that parents are waiting in the halls to speak with teachers without prior notice.  I realize things come up and you may need to speak to a teacher.  I encourage you to send an email to the teacher.  Teachers do check their emails regularly and will respond within 24 hours.  For more urgent concerns, I ask that you come to the main office and my administrative staff will call the teacher to the office.  I appreciate your understanding in this matter.  This procedure is also required at the end of the school day.  Parents waiting in the hallways near classrooms at the end of the day are distracting to the classes in session.

Our school day ends at 3:20pm.  I ask that you try to schedule appointments after school or during school holidays or vacations.  Again, I realize this is not always possible.  Late arrivals and early dismissals impact your child’s learning as well  it is also a disruption to the other children in the class when children arrive late or leave early.   Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Middle School iPads - After thoughtful reflection and discussion, it has been decided that we will not collect the Middle School iPads over the Christmas vacation.  Students are encouraged to use the devices to complete any long term assignments or for study and review.  Please refrain from taking this school owned device on trips to minimize the chances of loss, theft and/or breakage.

Looking for some vacation fun?  Talcott Mountain Science Center is hosting Vacation Science 2014. Programs are available for students in Grades K-3 (Cool Chemistry and LEGO Robotics) and Grades 4-8 (Green Energy and Winter Nature & Geocaching).  Click here for more information and registration.

Selfless Giving - Every day, we are given many opportunities to practice selfless giving.  Sometimes, our actions are very small but even the smallest selfless gesture is important.  Sometimes, we have opportunities that are much larger in scope and have the potential to really test us.  This year, our community was blessed to witness a selfless act of generous giving when Maggie Domashinski, mother of Grace (Gr.8) and Kelly (Gr. 5), donated a kidney to Father Michael Whyte, her pastor at St. Catherine's of Siena in West Simsbury.  You can hear more about this amazing act of generosity and the faith journey of Maggie and Father Whyte  on " Crossroads Magazine" this coming Sunday (December 21)  with Father Gatzak. The show follows the daily Mass and is available via some local cable providers as well as via streaming video.  Click here.  Their story was also featured in the Hartford Courant.  Click here.

"Happy" to share - Take a moment to share the SMS Happy video - click here.  The exuberance of our students is one of our school's greatest gifts.  At this Christmas time, we are so grateful to you for sharing your children with us each day.  They inspire us with their creativity, they invigorate us with their energy, they humble us with their heartfelt and reverent spirituality, their happiness is contagious and they renew our desire to create a learning community worthy of their gifts.