Looking Ahead to the Week of 8/31/15

It's been a fun, fabulous, first three days of school!  Our thanks to everyone for bringing that positive energy and "can do" spirit to our new year.  Faculty and staff are energized by the presence of our smiling, happy students and the building feels like home again!

It's going to be busy!  Our school's Google calendar is the best way to stay up to date with all of the important things happening at school.  We encourage you to check this calendar frequently for new events and updates.  There is a Calendar tab at the top of the blog.  Looking ahead to the start of a new year, here are some key dates to keep in mind - 


Monday, 8/31 – Advanced Band begins. Students that have participated in the program previously should bring their instruments to school.

Tuesday, 9/1 – Parent meeting for students interested in joining band for the first time at 6:30pm in the grade 4 classroom.  Parents of returning band students DO NOT need to attend this meeting.

Wednesday, 9/2 – Back to School Night for Parents – Check your email for a letter from Mrs. Gannatti about this special evening for parents.  Book your babysitter!  This event for parents will begin at 6:30pm in the Parish Center.  This will also be your first opportunity to sign up for Parent/Teacher Conferences in November.

Friday, 9/4 – School Mass at 9am.  All are welcome.  No physical education uniforms should be worn to Mass.

Monday, 9/7 – School Closed in observance of Labor Day.

Thursday, 9/10 – Cadet (Beginner) Band begins.

Sunday, 9/13 – Back to School Mass at St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Hartford at 2pm.  All are welcome.

Hot Lunch will begin on Friday, September 18th.  The Hot Lunch Order Form is available on the school's website.  Click here.  All orders and payments are due NLT Monday, August 31.  Please note that the price of a hot lunch this year is $4.  Volunteers are needed!  A Sign-up Genius is available. Please click here.  Please remember that all volunteers must be Virtus trained.  Until the hot lunch program begins on Friday, September 18th, all students must bring a brown bag lunch each day.  The school's milk program began today.  Milk enrollments need to be submitted ASAP - thanks!

Our thanks to everyone that has returned their "Back to School" paperwork!  We know that there are a lot of forms and details to think about and that this is a really busy time of year.  We are still missing forms from a number of families.  All of the "Back to School" forms are important but three are key in regard to iPad Usage.  Please be sure that your family has turned in a signed pink Electronic Use Agreement for each child.  This form was included in your "Back to School" mailing.  Please also be sure your family has turned in a signed Parent/Student Handbook Acknowledgement and a signed iPad Acceptable Use Agreement Acknowledgement.  These signature pages must be downloaded.  Click here for the Parent/Student Handbook Acknowledgement.  Click here for the iPad Acceptable Use Agreement Acknowledgement.  Once we have these 3 forms from the majority of students in a class, iPad use will begin in that grade.




Business has been brisk at the Used Uniform Exchange!  Click here for an updated inventory of items still available.

Click here to download a copy of this flyer and order your mums.  Thanks in advance for your support of our 8th grade.

News for the Week of August 26th

Welcome back to school!

It's going to be busy!  Our school's Google calendar is the best way to stay up to date with all of the important things happening at school.  We encourage you to check this calendar frequently for new events and updates.  There is a Calendar tab at the top of the blog.  Looking ahead to the start of a new year, here are some key dates to keep in mind - 


Monday, 8/31 – Advanced Band begins. Students that have participated in the program previously should bring their instruments to school.

Tuesday, 9/1 – Parent meeting for students interested in joining band for the first time at 6:30pm in the grade 4 classroom.  Parents of returning band students DO NOT need to attend this meeting.

Wednesday, 9/2 – Back to School Night for Parents – Book your babysitter!  This event for parents will begin at 6:30pm in the Parish Center.  This will also be your first opportunity to sign up for Parent/Teacher Conferences in November.

Friday, 9/4 – School Mass at 9am.  All are welcome.  No physical education uniforms should be worn to Mass.

Monday, 9/7 – School Closed in observance of Labor Day.

Thursday, 9/10 – Cadet (Beginner) Band begins.

Sunday, 9/13 – Back to School Mass at St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Hartford at 2pm.  All are welcome.

Hot Lunch will begin on Friday, September 18th.  The Hot Lunch Order Form is available on the school's website.  Click here.  All orders and payments are due NLT Monday, August 31.  Please note that the price of a hot lunch this year is $4.  Volunteers are needed!  A Sign-up Genius is available. Pleaseclick here.  Please remember that all volunteers must be Virtus trained.  Until the hot lunch program begins on Friday, September 18th, all students must bring a brown bag lunch each day.  The school's milk program began today.  Milk enrollments need to be submitted ASAP - thanks!

Reminder Regarding School Communications - Again this year, the school and teachers' blogs will be our primary method of communicating important information with families.  The school blog will generally be published on Wednesdays with additional posts if required.  The school office will also continue to use Remind to send text alerts for important reminders and information regarding emergency closings, delayed openings and cancellations.  If you have not already done so, we strongly encourage you to subscribe to both the school blog and your child(ren)'s teacher's(s') blog(s) and to  join Mrs. Hatch's Remind "class".  Click here for directions.

Voice Mail - All teachers have a voice mail box.  Click here for a list of extensions.  Please keep in mind that teacher's will respond to voice mail within 24 hours.  Please also keep in mind that information regarding changes to daily dismissal should always be reported directly to the main office and NOT left on a teacher's voice mail since the teacher's schedule may not allow him/her to check voice mail during the school day.

2015-2016 P.E. Club - A Great New After School Club!

What is it all about?
The purpose of this club is to give students an additional opportunity to improve their physical fitness, fundamental skills and mostly have fun while being active.

When is it? 

The Middle school grades 6-8 will be Thursdays after school from 3:45-5:00pm. 
Intermediate grades 3-5 will be Friday after school from 3:45-5:00pm 

Participation Fee?
$40 a month – Please make your checks made payable to St Mary School. Please note PE Club in the memo section.

How do I sign up?
Click here to download & print the registration form. Sessions will be limited to 30 participants. First come basis!

Used Uniform Exchange - An updated inventory of items in our used uniform exchange is now available.  Click here.

Mum Sale!  

Click here to download a copy of this flyer and order your mums.  Thanks in advance for your support of our 8th grade.

Family Fun in the Fall!

Summer Blog Post #6

School Starts This Wednesday!

August 26th

It will be a full day of school for all grades and Prekindergarten Enrichment & Aftercare are available.

It's going to be busy!  Our school's Google calendar is the best way to stay up to date with all of the important things happening at school.  We encourage you to check this calendar frequently for new events and updates.  There is a Calendar tab at the top of the blog.  Looking ahead to the start of a new year, here are some key dates to keep in mind - 

Tuesday, 8/25 -

·          Students entering grade 6 and newly enrolled students entering our grades 7 or 8 are invited to “A Morning in Middle School” from 9-11:30am.  Students will familiarize themselves with their daily class schedule and meet their faculty mentor. 

·           There will be a “Meet & Greet” for students entering Prekindergarten from 9:30 – 10:30am and for Kindergarten – Grade 3 from 10:30-11:30am in the classrooms.  A parent or guardian should accompany the student.

Wednesday, 8/26 - First Day of School!  It will be a full day of school for all students and both prekindergarten enrichment and aftercare will be available.  At 2pm, there will be an instrument demonstration for our new fourth graders and any student who wishes to start playing an instrument.  Mrs. Morse needs all students who took summer lessons with her to perform in the demonstration.  Please remember your instrument on he first day of school!


Monday, 8/31 – Advanced Band begins. Students that have participated in the program previously should bring their instruments to school.

Tuesday, 9/1 – Parent meeting for students interested in joining band for the first time at 6:30pm in the grade 4 classroom.  Parents of returning band students DO NOT need to attend this meeting.

Wednesday, 9/2 – Back to School Night for Parents – Book your babysitter!  This event for parents will begin at 6:30pm in the Parish Center.  This will also be your first opportunity to sign up for Parent/Teacher Conferences in November.

Friday, 9/4 – School Mass at 9am.  All are welcome.  No physical education uniforms should be worn to Mass.

Monday, 9/7 – School Closed in observance of Labor Day.

Thursday, 9/10 – Cadet (Beginner) Band begins.

Sunday, 9/13 – Back to School Mass at St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Hartford at 2pm.  All are welcome.

Hot Lunch will begin on Friday, September 18th.  The Hot Lunch Order Form is available on the school's website.  Click here.  All orders and payments are due NLT Monday, August 31.  Please note that the price of a hot lunch this year is $4.  Volunteers are needed!  A Sign-up Genius is available. Please click here.  Please remember that all volunteers must be Virtus trained.  Until the hot lunch program begins on Friday, September 18th, all students must bring a brown bag lunch each day.  The school's milk program will begin on the first day of school, Wednesday, August 26th.

Mum Sale!  

Click here to download a copy of this flyer and order your mums.  Thanks in advance for your support of our 8th grade.

Family Fun in the Fall!

Summer Blog Post #5

Field Hockey Camp has been CANCELLED - Field Hockey practices will begin on Thursday, 8/27, right after school dismissal.  Coach Krocheski and Coach Liljedahl will meet the girls in the upper unit hall. The girls will change and put their backpacks, etc. in the coach's car and we will walk/run the girls to Meadow Field on Iron Horse Blvd. Parents should pick their favorite player up at the field  promptly at 5pm. Practice will always end on time since the soccer club practices on the same field at 5.

Players need to have sticks, water bottles, cleats, shin pads, googles and mouth guards. We do have extra sticks and we will reserve them for the girls who request them.

At this time, one game has been scheduled for the older girls on Oct. 14th vs. Granby 7th grade team. Games will also be scheduled with Simsbury, Canton and Granby rec. teams. The younger girls will play 5th and 6th grade rec. teams from these same towns. Coach Liljedahl will let you know when these games are arranged.

Please have the girls start running. Their team experience will be better if they have a jump start. (Push-ups are great as well.)

Summer Used Uniform Exchange - Students are invited to play on the SMS playground while parents peruse the used uniform inventory on Thursday, August 20th from 6-7pm in the North (playground) parking lot.




PreK Playground Play Date -  Students (and siblings) entering PreKindergarten are invited toa playdate at Simsbury Farms on Friday, August 21 from 4-6pm.  It will be a great opportunity for parents and children to get better acquainted.  Please RSVP to Susan Hayes, Room Parent, at susanhayes22@gmail.com.  Please note that this play date is at Simsbury Farms NOT at St. Mary's School.

Grade 8 Parent Meeting - 8th grade is filled with lots of privileges and responsibilities for both the students and the parents. Activities include Thanksgiving Luncheon for the senior citizens, Lessons and Carols, Living Stations of the Cross, a trip to High Meadow, 8th grade retreat, yearbook, field trip to New York, and finally, graduation festivities and Mass. With all of that, there is some leg work to be done and some fundraising as well. Mrs. Gannatti would like to start the year off with an informational meeting for all 8th grade parents on Thursday, August 27th at 7 p.m. in the 8th grade classroom. She would like at least one parent from each family to be in attendance at that meeting.
Please RSVP to mmortillaro@stmarysimsbury.eduk12.net.

ShopRite for Education Program Annual Registration: Parents and friends can register their Price Plus card to the 5-digit school identification number assigned to St. Mary's School which is:18436. In order to receive credit, this must be done each new school year.

Participants can register their card online at: www.shopriteforeducation.com

Beginning October 1, 2015 and ending April 26, 2016, purchases made using a registered Price Plus card will be accrued in our school's ShopRite for Education account. Only purchases made in participating Connecticut ShopRite Supermarkets will count toward our school's account. 

Summer Blog Post #4

The New School Year is Almost Here & Your "Back to School" Mailing is on the way!

School Starts on Wednesday, August 26th!

"Back to School" packets were sent via U.S. mail on Wednesday, 8/12/15.  The packet includes many things to read and many important forms to fill out.  Additionally, the packet also lists a number of forms that need to be downloaded from the school's website in order to be filled out and returned to the office.  Please be sure to do this and also be mindful of the deadlines on the forms to help assure a smooth start to our school year.  Click here to view a sample of the packet's contents.  

If you have not already done so, please click on the blog's "Back to School" tab to get supply lists, summer assignments and information about iPad Deployment appointments.

Both PreKindergarten Enrichment and Aftercare begin on the first day of school.  Reservation forms for PreKindergarten Enrichment and Aftercare are also now available on the school's website.  Click here for Aftercare.  Click here for PreKindergarten Enrichment.

Hot Lunch will begin on Friday, September 18th.  The Hot Lunch Order Form is available on the school's website.  Click here.  All orders and payments are due NLT Monday, August 31.  Please note that the price of a hot lunch this year is $4.  Volunteers will be needed!  A Sign-up Genius will be available soon.  Please remember that all volunteers must be Virtus trained.  Until the hot lunch program begins on Friday, September 18th, all students must bring a brown bag lunch each day.  The school's milk program will begin on the first day of school, Wednesday, August 26th.

 has been sent to selected families 


On Monday, 8/10/15, an email was sent to all families that reside in Simsbury (and associated zip codes) regarding the town's publication of bus routes for the new school year.  If you reside in Simsbury and did not receive this email, please contact the school office.

On Tuesday, 8/11/15, an invitation to sign up for DRA screenings has been sent via email to all families with incoming Kindergarten and First grade students.  If your child is entering Kindergarten or first grade and you did not get this email, please contact the school office.

Last Call for Field Hockey Camp!  At least 6 more participants are needed or we will need to cancel the camp for this summer.

ST. MARY’S SCHOOL 2015 FIELD HOCKEY CAMP

TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 9:00-11:30
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 9:00-11:30
THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 9:00-11:30

FOR ALL STUDENTS ENTERING 4TH, 5TH (junior varsity) 6TH, 7TH, AND 8TH (varsity)

THIS FREE CAMP PREPARES OUR ATHLETES FOR THEIR SEASON OF 2(JV)-4(V) GAMES

Regular practices will be afterschool on Meadow Field on Wednesdays and Thursdays 3:45-5:00 starting Wednesday, September 2nd (pickup at the field)

The coaches will walk the players to the fields.

THE CAMPERS SHOULD BRING EYE GOGGLES, MOUTH GUARD, STICK, CLEATS, SHIN GUARDS AND A LABELED WATER BOTTLE
(We have 8 extra sticks for students who are just trying out this sport.)

Please email mary.liljedahl48@gmail.com or judez.krocheski@att.net with questions.

It's going to be busy!  Our school's Google calendar is the best way to stay up to date with all of the important things happening at school.  We encourage you to check this calendar frequently for new events and updates.  There is a Calendar tab at the top of the blog.  Looking ahead to the start of a new year, here are some key dates to keep in mind - 

Tuesday, 8/25 -

·          Students entering grade 6 and newly enrolled students entering our grades 7 or 8 are invited to “A Morning in Middle School” from 9-11:30am.  Students will familiarize themselves with their daily class schedule and meet their faculty mentor. 

·           There will be a “Meet & Greet” for students entering Prekindergarten from 9:30 – 10:30am and for Kindergarten – Grade 3 from 10:30-11:30am in the classrooms.  A parent or guardian should accompany the student.

Wednesday, 8/26 - First Day of School!  It will be a full day of school for all students and both prekindergarten enrichment and aftercare will be available.

Monday, 8/31 – Advanced Band begins.

Tuesday, 9/1 – Parent meeting for students interested in joining band for the first time at 6:30pm in the grade 4 classroom.  Parents of returning band students DO NOT need to attend this meeting.

Wednesday, 9/2 – Back to School Night for Parents – Book your babysitter!  This event for parents will begin at 6:30pm in the Parish Center.  This will also be your first opportunity to sign up for Parent/Teacher Conferences in November.

Friday, 9/4 – School Mass at 9am.  All are welcome.  No physical education uniforms should be worn to Mass.

Monday, 9/7 – School Closed in observance of Labor Day.

Thursday, 9/10 – Cadet (Beginner) Band begins.

Sunday, 9/13 – Back to School Mass at St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Hartford at 2pm.  All are welcome.

Mum Sale!  

Click here to download a copy of this flyer and order your mums.  Thanks in advance for your support of our 8th grade.


Summer Fun!

Ava C. spent time visiting one of Laura Ingall's home towns. This picture was taken in De Smet, SD.

The Pericat family travelled to Alaska this summer!

Closer to home, several SMS students all attended the same kayak camp.  It looks like everyone had a great time!