Saint Mary's School - News & Announcements: March 2016

Wednesday, March 30, 2016

News for the Week of 3/30/16

Our April school Mass will be held on Friday, April 8th at 9am in the church. NOTE - This is a change to our original school calendar. Mass was originally scheduled for April 1st. Please remember that NO physical education uniforms should be worn to Mass.

April Calendar Reminders -As we look ahead to April, please keep the following in mind:

* Third Quarter Marking Period ends on 4/1/16.
Report cards will be sent home on Friday, 4/8/16.

* School is closed for Spring Vacation from Monday, 4/11/16 - Friday, 4/15/16.

* Relaxed Uniform begins on Monday, 4/18/15.

Used Uniform Exchange - Just in time for the transition to our relaxed uniform, an updated Used Uniform Inventory is available. Click here.

The application for the 2016-2017 St. Mary's School Trust Scholarships is now available.

ST. MARY SCHOOL TRUST SCHOLARSHIPS

Who can apply:

Any family whose children have completed a year's enrollment in kindergarten or above and will be enrolled in grades 1 through 8 at St. Mary's School during 2016-2017 is eligible to apply. There are no requirements regarding parish or religious affiliation.

Applications must be submitted no later than April 30, 2016. Click here for a helpful reference guide. Additional instructions are provided when you access the application link. The link for the scholarship application is:

http://www.psas.org/1267.aspx

If you have any questions regarding the application process for the St. Mary's School Trust scholarships or about other financial assistance that may be available, please contact the school office.

Additional Tuition Assistance - Again this year, tuition assistance will be available from funds provided by the Archbishop's Annual Appeal (AAA), the Catholic Schools' Support Program (CSSP) and our school's budget. These funds are distinct from the scholarships that are available from the St. Mary's Trust. The application period for the Trust Scholarships is also open now. Application details for the Trust Scholarships appear above.

To apply for tuition assistance from the Archbishop's Annual Appeal, CSSP and the school budget this year, your application must be submitted via SMARTAID. SMARTAID is a confidential service provided by SMART, LLC that helps schools to assess a family's need for financial assistance based on the information provided to SMARTAID by the family. St. Mary's School, with the guidance and advice of our pastor, Father Matera, will continue to be solely responsible for all tuition assistance decisions and the school will notify all applicants of any tuition assistance awards.

The application deadline for tuition assistance requests is May 15, 2016. There is a $35 fee to apply via SMARTAID. If this fee presents a hardship for your family, please contact Mrs. Gannatti.

Click here for a set of helpful guidelines for completing your SMARTAID application. To access the SMARTAID application, click here.

April Service Project - During the month of April, our third grade class will be coordinating the collection of packages of paper napkins to be used at the House of Bread. The goal is to collect 1,000 packages of napkins! Thanks in advance for your support!

It's time to order your SMS Yearbook! The
SMS Yearbook is a great way to remember a fabulous school year. Every student is pictured and every special event is captured and captioned. All yearbooks must be preordered and all orders are due NLT April 1, 2016. Click here for a downloadable order form that can be sent to the school office with payment or click here to order online. Our Yearbook ID Code is 9415316.

Spring Scholastic Book Fair is Coming Soon! April 4th to April 8th is our Spring BOGO Book Fair! Stock up on summer reading essentials and check out newly released favorites! If you would like to volunteer to work a shift at the fair, please contact Jodie Burhoe - jodie.burhoe@gmail.com.

Spring has Sprung! Time to mark your calendar, our annual "Fairway to Heaven" Golf Tournament is fast approaching. The Tournament is scheduled for Tuesday, May 24th at the Hop Meadow Country Club in Simsbury.

Exciting new addition this year, Morning Tennis Round Robin Mixer! Stay tuned for more information...

Simsbury Public Library is hosting events for Teens & Tweens -

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

News for the Week of 3/23/16

Holy Thursday, 3/24, will be a 12:45pm Early Dismissal. There will be NO PreK Enrichment or Aftercare. There will be NO band or instrumental music lessons on Thursday.
School is CLOSED on Good Friday, 3/25.
School is also CLOSED on Easter Monday, 3/28/16.
Our one snow day will be made up on June 9th, 2016.

Again this year, our 8th grade will present the Living Stations of the Cross for our student body. Students will attend the Living Stations on Holy Thursday, 3/24, at 9:30am in the Church. All are welcome to join us.

Our Final Walk-in Wednesday will take place on 3/30, from 9:30am to 11:30am, guests are invited take a look in our classrooms, meet our faculty and staff, and see all of the advantages a Catholic education has to offer. RSVP to Toni Chagnon at tchagnon@stmarysimsbury.eduk12.net or 860-658-9412

In April, we will host an Open House for Prospective Families on Wedensday, 4/20, from 8:30-11:30am.

Hot Lunch Volunteers Needed for April - June - Our hot lunch program depends on volunteers to keep running. If you are Virtus trained, and can help out - even just once in a while - please visit the Sign Up Genius to volunteer. Hot Lunch duty is a great way to brighten your child(ren)'s day and share in the school day. Click here to visit the Sign Up Genius. Thanks in advance!

2016-17 Enrollment Packets have been emailed to all families. Family Enrollment forms & fees are due NLT April 4, 2016. If you did not receive your Family Enrollment Packet via email or if you have questions regarding enrollment, please contact the school office. Our congratulations to the Gaul and Mikan families. These families attended our "Moving Up Knight" on Monday, 3/14, and were awarded a "paid" Family Enrollment Fee for next year.

We have been advised that the application for the 2016-2017

St. Mary's School Trust Scholarships is now available.

ST. MARY SCHOOL TRUST SCHOLARSHIPS

Who can apply:

http://www.psas.org/1267.aspx

If you have any questions regarding the application process for the St. Mary's School Trust scholarships or about other financial assistance that may be available, please contact the school office.

March Service Project - Our March service project for House of Bread is being coordinated by Grade 6. They will be collecting boxes of pasta. Donations will be collected through the end of March. The House of Bread uses 60 pounds of pasta for every meal.

It's almost time for the Talent Show! This year's Talent Show will be held on Wednesday, 3/30, in the Parish Center from 6-8:30pm. Participation is limited to those that auditioned for the show but everyone is invited to come and enjoy this great event!

Exciting new addition this year, Morning Tennis Round Robin Mixer! Stay tuned for more information...

Community News

St. Mary's Parish Vacation Bible School – We’re taking a trip to Egypt with Joseph and the pharaoh from June 20-23! Your children will love our live music, outdoor games, and stories of pharaoh’s crazy dreams. Registration opens soon! Click here. Questions? Contact Kathleen Keating, Youth Minister and VBS Coordinator, at VBS@stmarysimsbury.org

Fun on the Farm this Summer at the Community Farm of Simsbury. Click here for more information & registration. Scholarships and extended day care are available. If you register before April 15th, you will receive an "Early Bird Special" discount of $10 per week.

Rising 7th & 8th Grade Students are invited to participate in Deerfield Academy's Summer Experimentory. This is a boarding program that features innovation, technology and creative thinking. Click here for more information.

Thursday, March 17, 2016

News for the Week of 3/17/16

Next week is Holy Week.
Holy Thursday, 3/24, will be a 12:45pm Early Dismissal. There will be NO PreK Enrichment or Aftercare.
School is CLOSED on Good Friday, 3/25.
School is also CLOSED on Easter Monday, 3/28/16.
Our one snow day will be made up on June 9th,

Hot Lunch - Snow Day Makeup - If your child(ren) were scheduled to receive hot lunch on our snow day (Friday, February 5th), a pizza hot lunch "make-up" will be held on Tuesday, March 22. Our thanks to Mrs. Corriveau and her mom for providing the volunteer lunch support we need to make this make up day possible.

Living Stations of the Cross with Soup and Bread Dinner - Again this year, our 8th grade will present the Living Stations of the Cross for both our student body and our Parish. Students will attend the Living Station on Holy Thursday, 3/24, at 9:30am in the Church. All are welcome to join us. The Living Stations will be presented for the parish on this Friday, March 18th at 7pm in the Church.

Prior to the Living Stations, our 8th grade students will host a simple soup & bread dinner in the Parish Center. The dinner begins at 5:30pm. All are welcome. There is no charge but a free will offering may be made.

Walk In Wednesdays are Underway! For the rest of March, every Wednesday from 9:30am to 11:30am, guests are invited take a look in our classrooms, meet our faculty and staff, and see all of the advantages a Catholic education has to offer. Please note that school is closed Wednesday, 3/16/16, for a faculty in-service. RSVP to Toni Chagnon at tchagnon@stmarysimsbury.eduk12.net or 860-658-9412

Students in Kindergarten paid a visit to first grade this week to see the Leprechaun Traps the first grade students had created. It looks like a lot of creative thinking has been going on!

On Monday, we celebrated both "Pi Day" & "Moving Up Day"
First grade students enjoyed a visit with Miss Soucy and played
a game called "Stop the Clock" on the SMARTboard.

This year's Kindergarten students visited the first grade homeroom and participated in some fun activities with Mrs. Jehnings and some 8th grade helpers.

We have been advised that the application for the 2016-2017

St. Mary's School Trust Scholarships is now available.

ST. MARY SCHOOL TRUST SCHOLARSHIPS

Who can apply:

http://www.psas.org/1267.aspx

If you have any questions regarding the application process for the St. Mary's School Trust scholarships or about other financial assistance that may be available, please contact the school office.

Congratulations to our Varsity Girls Basketball team on a truly outstanding season! We are so proud of your efforts this season, charging all the way to the State Championship game!

Alumni News - Our congratulations to 5 Northwest Catholic High School Seniors who have earned First Honors (a minimum 3.67 grade-point-average) in every semester at Northwest Catholic. These students were presented with a plaque at the Honors Breakfast at Northwest Catholic on March 10th. Our congratulations to the following SMS Class of '12 alumni - Mary Elizabeth Budnick, Avery Hatch, Abigail Herron, Ann O'Meara and Matthew Sottile.

We also congratulate Adrian Hatch, SMS Class of '09, on being named a 2016 Syracuse University Scholar. This is the highest undergraduate award bestowed by Syracuse University and is extended to 12 students graduating the university each year. The Syracuse University Scholars Committee, a University-wide faculty committee, selects the University Scholars using criteria that include coursework and academic achievement, creative work, a personal statement and a faculty letter of recommendation. Adrian will join the other Syracuse University Scholars at a special Chancellor's reception prior to commencement and will be presented with a special medallion that will be worn during the commencement ceremony.