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!












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.

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:

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.

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. 

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.

SMS Stars

Maddie Z. & Emily M. both participated in last Saturday's
St. Patrick's Day in Hartford.  We're so proud of our
SMS student ambassadors!

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

Looking Ahead to Summer!

Click here for more information and a downloadable flyer.