Wednesday, 8/31/16 - Welcome Back to School!

#uKnighted for 2016-17!

Hayden C. - First Day Grade 6!
Welcome backto SMS, Hayden!

First Day Photos - If you have a "first day" photo to share, please send it to Mrs. Hatch at dhatch@stmarysimsbury.eduk12.net.

Jackson C,, Grade 1 & Katie C., Grade 4
Smiles like these make SMS a special place!

If you have not sent in your "Back to School" forms, please do so ASAP.  Student and Field Trip Emergency Cards were either handed out at "Meet & Greet" or were sent home with students today (Wednesday, 8/31/16).  Please be sure to return both emergency cards NLT Friday, 9/2/16.

Our new school year is officially underway and there are already things to add to your calendar.  Here's a quick calendar review of upcoming events!  As always, we strongly encourage you to regularly check our school's Google calendar for updates and additions! Just click on the calendar tab at the top of the blog or visit our school website.

Are you "in the know"?  There are 3 easy ways to be sure that you are as up to date as possible about all SMS news and events:  

1. Regularly check the school's Google calendar.

2. Subscribe to the school blog and all pertinent blogs including Mrs. Williamson's new blog.

3. Join our Remind text community.

Click here for more information about these steps.  The last important step to take is to verify that the school office has the email address you most frequently check as part of our school email distribution groups.  If you are not sure what address we have on file, please contact the school office.

School is closed - Monday, September 5th for Labor Day.

Book your babysitter!  Wednesday, September 7th is "Back to School Night for Parents".  

This adult evening has 2 events this year.  The evening will begin with a meeting for parents with students beginning instrumental music and band lessons for the first time this year.  If you have a student entering grades 4-8 that is interested in beginning instrumental music and band with our Future Musician's instructor, Mrs. Debbie Morse, please plan to meet in the music/art portable at 6pm. NOTE - This meeting is NOT required for parents of students that have previously participated in band.  After the meeting with Mrs. Morse, parents should proceed to the Parish Center for the 6:30pm opening of "Back to School Night for Parents".

  "Back to School Night for Parents" will begin at 6:30pm in the Parish Center.  Mrs. Williamson will have opening remarks and news about our newly revitalized Home & School Association. This will also be your opportunity to visit your child(ren)'s homeroom classrooms, meet teachers and learn more about the school day and this year's expectations for a great school year.

INDIVIDUAL STUDENT PICTURE DAY IS COMING SOON for students in Prekindergarten and grades K-7!
Picture Day: Monday, September 12
Picture Day ID: EJ416010Q0
Informational flyers from Lifetouch Photography will be sent home with all students PreK, K -7 on Friday, September 2.  All students will have a photo taken even if no portrait package is ordered for use in our school yearbook.  Students in PreK, K -7 may wear casual dress appropriate for school and portrait photography on Monday, September 12.  Details regarding individual photos for grade 8 students will be coming soon.  Group class photos will be taken on Wednesday, November 9.

September School Mass - Our first school Mass will be held on Tuesday, September 13th at 9am in the church.  Please note, this is a change to our original school calendar.  There is no school Mass on Friday, 9/9/16.  All are welcome to worship with us.  Please remember that no physical education uniforms should be worn to Mass.

Virtus Training - We hope that many of you will join us as volunteers in supporting our school and students!  All volunteers must be Virtus trained before beginning volunteer activities.  We will host a Virtus training session on Tuesday, September 13th at 6:30pm in the 5th grade classroom.  Please RSVP to the school office if you plan to attend this session. It is very important that participants arrive on time for the training session.  In order to receive certification, you must be present from the start of the class.  If this day/time are not convenient for you, there will be a training session at Northwest Catholic High School on August 30th at 6pm.  To register for the session at Northwest or to look for other training sessions in the area, click here.  If you completed Virtus training in a prior year, there is no need to repeat the training.  If you are not sure if your Virtus training is complete, have questions or are unsure if the school has proof of your training, please contact the school office.


Parents Knight Out -  Book your babysitter!  Our parent/guardian community is invited to gather for a "Parents Knight Out" in the Parish Center at 6:30pm on Friday, Sept. 16th.  This will be a great opportunity to meet families new to our community, get better acquainted and share "back to school" stories.  We hope many of you will join us for a relaxed evening of community building.

Grade 8 Fundraising - Every year, our 8th grade students conduct a number of fund raisers to help defray costs associated with their field trip to New York and other graduation related activities.  The first fund raiser for this year is a car wash on Saturday, September 17, from 8:30am-1pm in the North (playground) parking lot. Tickets may be purchased on September 10 & 11 after all Masses.  Tickets will also be available at Fitzgeralds on the afternoon of September 11.  Thanks in advance for your support of our 8th grade!

Teacher Blog Information - All teachers at St. Mary's utilize a blog as their primary communication method.  The best way to be sure that you have all the most current classroom information, including daily assignments is to subscribe to the blog for each teacher that interacts with your child(ren).  Mrs. Williamson has also created a Principal's Blog. You should also be sure to subscribe to the school blog (this blog).  Subscription assures that all posts will be delivered to the email inbox you used as your subscribing address.  Delivery of blog subscriptions will occur between 5 and 7pm whenever a new post has been made.  If you are continuing to receive blogs from faculty that taught your child(ren) last year, follow the directions at the bottom of any blog post to "unsubscribe".  We are happy to share that the following blogs are now ready for subscription from Mrs. Williamson and our new faculty -

Mrs. Williamson's Principal's Blog
Miss Ciarcia's Kindergarten Blog
Mrs. Keany's Second Grade Blog
Mrs. Janaskie's Grade 6 Homeroom, Language Arts & Honors Literature for Grades 6-8 Blog
Ms. Nikki Raymond's Middle School Math Blog


Senora Jaquez's and Mrs. Mortillaro's blogs will be ready for subscription soon.

Athletic News

PE and Basketball Clubs start the week of September 6th.

PE Club Thursday for Grades 5-8/Friday for Grades 2-5. Both sessions meet from from 3:45-5pm

Basketball Club for Grades 5-8 on Wednesdays from 3:45-5pm

Participation fee- $40 per month per club

Soccer practice begins September 9th from 3:45-5pm (Meet in the PC)

All sign ups went out over the summer break. Pleased email Mr. Gangloff (adirector@stmarysimsbury.eduk12.net) if you forgot to sign up.

Community News

MOMS in Prayer -  Praying with other moms lightens our burdens and provides hope, strength, and encouragement for our daily lives. Please join us once a month for one hour of conversational style prayer to lift up our children, their teachers, and the school staff before the Lord. Second Wednesday mornings 8:30 to 9:30am in the Lower Church Library starting September 14th. Please contact Christine Sinopoli at christineds1213@yahoo.com for more information.

Simsbury Public Library Announces September Programs for Tween & Teens.

Welcome to our New School Year! Last Minute Reminders

If you have not sent in your "Back to School" forms, please do so ASAP.  Student and Field Trip Emergency Cards have either been handed out at "Meet & Greet" or will be sent home with students tomorrow (Wednesday, 8/31/16).  Please be sure to return both emergency cards NLT Friday, 9/2/16.

We are getting ready for our new school year and there are already things to add to your calendar.  Here's a quick calendar review of upcoming events!  As always, we strongly encourage you to regularly check our school's Google calendar for updates and additions! Just click on the calendar tab at the top of the blog or visit our school website.

First Day of School - Wednesday, August 31st. This is a full day of school for all grades, PreKindergarten - grade 8 with PreKindergarten Enrichment and Aftercare available. Students in grades Kindergarten - grade 8 should be wearing their relaxed uniform on the first day of school. Reservation forms for PreKindergarten Enrichment are available here. Reservation forms for Aftercare are available here.

Bus Transportation Reminders - Please remember that it may take several days for school bus schedules to "normalize". The first few days, buses may run either early or late as parents take photos and bus drivers get familiar with their new routes. The ongoing milling and paving on route 185 may also impact bus timing. Please do your best to have your child(ren) out at their bus stop at least 10 minutes prior to the posted pickup time and try not to be anxious if the bus runs later than expected on the afternoon trip home.

Please also note that each school year, there are a number of days where the Simsbury PUBLIC schools are either closed or dismissing early that are regular school days for St. Mary's.  On these days, school buses may bring students home significantly earlier (as much as 10-15 minutes) than usual.  Please make note of the dates below when this may occur this year and be sure arrangements are in place for your child(ren)'s early arrival home.

DATES PUBLIC SCHOOLS ARE CLOSED OR CLOSING EARLY THAT ARE REGULAR FULL DAYS FOR SMS - BUSES MAY ARRIVE HOME EARLY!

9/21/16

10/3/16

10/11/16

10/12/16

10/26/16

11/8/16

11/29/16

11/30/16

12/1/16

1/20/17

3/14/17

3/15/17

3/16/17

5/17/16

Carpool Families - Road Construction Alert - Route 185 Construction

If you regularly travel route 185 between West Hartford and Simsbury, you will note there is significant road work taking place. All the catch basins are currently being replaced and repaving will begin shortly. As you can imagine, this may lead to travel delays just as school is going to start. For those families from towns such as Simsbury and Bloomfield that use route 185, please be prepared for these eventual delays and plan accordingly when coming to school in the morning. Paving is underway from Abigail's Restaurant in Simsbury to the top of Simsbury Mountain. Once that is completed they will begin the downhill portion of the mountain all the way to route 218. It is estimated by Connecticut DOT that this project should be completed by October 1.

School is closed - Monday, September 5th for Labor Day.

Book your babysitter!  Wednesday, September 7th is "Back to School Night for Parents".  

This adult evening has 2 events this year.  The evening will begin with a meeting for parents with students beginning instrumental music and band lessons for the first time this year.  If you have a student entering grades 4-8 that is interested in beginning instrumental music and band with our Future Musician's instructor, Mrs. Debbie Morse, please plan to meet in the music/art portable at 6pm. NOTE - This meeting is NOT required for parents of students that have previously participated in band.

  "Back to School Night for Parents" will begin at 6:30pm in the Parish Center.  Mrs. Williamson will have opening remarks and news about our newly revitalized Home & School Association. This will also be your opportunity to visit your child(ren)'s homeroom classrooms, meet teachers and learn more about the school day and this year's expectations for a great school year.

INDIVIDUAL STUDENT PICTURE DAY IS COMING SOON for students in Prekindergarten and grades K-7!
Picture Day: Monday, September 12
Picture Day ID: EJ416010Q0
Informational flyers from Lifetouch Photography will be sent home with all students PreK, K -7 on Friday, September 2.  All students will have a photo taken even if no portrait package is ordered for use in our school yearbook.  Students in PreK, K -7 may wear casual dress appropriate for school and portrait photography on Monday, September 12.  Details regarding individual photos for grade 8 students will be coming soon.  Group class photos will be taken on Wednesday, November 9.

September School Mass - Our first school Mass will be held on Tuesday, September 13th at 9am in the church.  Please note, this is a change to our original school calendar.  There is no school Mass on Friday, 9/9/16.  All are welcome to worship with us.  Please remember that no physical education uniforms should be worn to Mass.

Virtus Training - We hope that many of you will join us as volunteers in supporting our school and students!  All volunteers must be Virtus trained before beginning volunteer activities.  We will host a Virtus training session on Tuesday, September 13th at 6:30pm in the 5th grade classroom.  Please RSVP to the school office if you plan to attend this session. It is very important that participants arrive on time for the training session.  In order to receive certification, you must be present from the start of the class.  If this day/time are not convenient for you, there will be a training session at Northwest Catholic High School on August 30th at 6pm.  To register for the session at Northwest or to look for other training sessions in the area, click here.  If you completed Virtus training in a prior year, there is no need to repeat the training.  If you are not sure if your Virtus training is complete, have questions or are unsure if the school has proof of your training, please contact the school office.




Parents Knight Out -  Book your babysitter!  Our parent/guardian community is invited to gather for a "Parents Knight Out" in the Parish Center at 6:30pm on Friday, Sept. 16th.  This will be a great opportunity to meet families new to our community, get better acquainted and share "back to school" stories.  We hope many of you will join us for a relaxed evening of community building.

Grade 8 Fundraising - Every year, our 8th grade students conduct a number of fund raisers to help defray costs associated with their field trip to New York and other graduation related activities.  The first fund raiser for this year is a car wash on Saturday, September 17, from 8:30am-1pm in the North (playground) parking lot.  Tickets may be purchased on September 10 & 11 after all Masses.  Tickets will also be available at Fitzgeralds on the afternoon of September 11.  Thanks in advance for your support of our 8th grade!





Teacher Voice Mail - All teachers at St. Mary's have a voice mail box that is checked daily.  A list of voice mail extensions is available here.  Please feel free to use voice mail to request a teacher contact you in regard to your child(ren) but please DO NOT leave information about changes to daily dismissal (e.g., your child needs to go to carpool instead of bus) on a teacher's voice mail.  Requests for changes to daily dismissal should be directed to the school office.

Summer Fun  -Has your family had a summer of fun and adventure?  Again this year, you are invited to share photos of your family's summer fun and activities with our community.  Summer fun photos can be sent to dhatch@stmarysimsbury.eduk12.net.

Kelly D. in Sacramento,Ca at Suzuki 10 Piano. 

Hayden at Barnegat Lighthouse in NJ

Mrs. Hatch spent some time admiring bromeliads
at the Baltimore Botanical Gardens on her
way to drop SMS Alum - Class of '12, Avery, at Elon University
in North Carolina

7th grade friends tried to stay "cool" this summer at a pool party - Jacob, Ethan, James, Evan, Jorryn (from St. Brigit's School), Cole, Mason, Greyson, and Carter

You're invited to share a photo of your child(ren) and/or family on the first day of school with our whole school family.  Photos will be shared via the blog if you email them to Mrs. Hatch at dhatch@stmarysimsbury.eduk12.net.

"Back to School" Countdown News! August 23, 2016

Back to School Packets - This year, your "Back to School" packet, that annual treasure trove of forms to be filled out, was emailed to the email address we have on file for your family.  "Back to School" emails were sent out on Thursday, August 11.  If you did not receive an email "Back to School" packet, please contact the school office ASAP since many of the forms are time sensitive in terms of their return to school.  Please also note, this year Student Emergency Cards and Field Trip Emergency Cards will be sent home with students on the first day of school.  These cards are printed on special stock and cannot be effectively sent electronically.  These cards should be completed and returned NO LATER THAN Friday, September 2.

We are getting ready for our new school year and there are already things to add to your calendar.  Here's a quick calendar review of upcoming events!  As always, we strongly encourage you to regularly check our school's Google calendar for updates and additions! Just click on the calendar tab at the top of the blog or visit our school website.

Summer Playground  - Meet new friends and catch up on all your summer news with old friends!  Learn more about our newly revitalized Home & School Association.

New & Returning Family Summer Playground - Sunday, August 28th at 5pm.  Families are invited to bring a picnic dinner to enjoy!  Mrs. Williamson will be on hand to welcome everyone to a new school year and will have a treat for all children attending.  There will be a "sneak peek" at our new Spirit Wear Shop and the Used Uniform exchange will also be available.

Please keep in mind that this is not a  "drop off event".  This play date will give parents/caregivers and students a chance to get better acquainted.   To RSVP, please contact Toni Chagnon at tchagnon@stmarysimsbury.eduk12.net.

HSA "Initial Interest" Meeting -  Mrs. Williamson invites any parents that may be interested in being part of the newly revitalized Home & School Association's leadership board to meet with her during the family picnic.  Interested parents should join her in the school library portable at 6pm for a brief "get acquainted" chat.  Please be sure that you have advised your child(ren) of where you will be and asked another parent to be "on duty" while you are at the meeting.

Morning in Middle School - All students entering 6th grade and any students new to our 7th and 8th grades are invited to spend a "Morning in Middle School" on Tuesday, August 30th from 9:30-11:30am.  Students will have a chance to walk through their daily schedule and meet with their faculty mentor.  School supplies may also be brought in at this time.

"Meet & Greet"  - Students entering PreKindergarten, Kindergarten, and grades 1-4 and a parent/care giver are invited to a classroom "Meet & Greet" on Tuesday, August 30th.  PreKindergarten will  "meet and greet" from 9:30-10:30am.  Kindergarten - grade 4 will "meet and greet" from 10:30-11:30am. School supplies may also be brought in at this time.

First Day of School - Wednesday, August 31st.  This is a full day of school for all grades, PreKindergarten - grade 8 with PreKindergarten Enrichment and Aftercare available.  Reservation forms for PreKindergarten Enrichment are available here.  Reservation forms for Aftercare are available here.








School is closed - Monday, September 5th for Labor Day.

Book your babysitter!  Wednesday, September 7th is "Back to School Night for Parents".  

This adult evening has 2 events this year.  The evening will begin with a meeting for parents with students beginning instrumental music and band lessons for the first time this year.  If you have a student entering grades 4-8 that is interested in beginning instrumental music and band with our Future Musician's instructor, Mrs. Debbie Morse, please plan to meet in the music/art portable at 6pm. NOTE - This meeting is NOT required for parents of students that have previously participated in band.

  "Back to School Night for Parents" will begin at 6:30pm in the Parish Center.  Mrs. Williamson will have opening remarks and news about our newly revitalized Home & School Association. This will also be your opportunity to visit your child(ren)'s homeroom classrooms, meet teachers and learn more about the school day and this year's expectations for a great school year.

September School Mass - Our first school Mass will be held on Tuesday, September 13th at 9am in the church.  All are welcome to worship with us.  Please remember that no physical education uniforms should be worn to Mass.

Virtus Training - We hope that many of you will join us as volunteers in supporting our school and students!  All volunteers must be Virtus trained before beginning volunteer activities.  We will host a Virtus training session on Tuesday, September 13th at 6:30pm in the 5th grade classroom.  Please RSVP to the school office if you plan to attend this session. It is very important that participants arrive on time for the training session.  In order to receive certification, you must be present from the start of the class.  If this day/time are not convenient for you, there will be a training session at Northwest Catholic High School on August 30th at 6pm.  To register for the session at Northwest or to look for other training sessions in the area, click here.  If you completed Virtus training in a prior year, there is no need to repeat the training.  If you are not sure if your Virtus training is complete, have questions or are unsure if the school has proof of your training, please contact the school office.

Wondering about bus transportation?  All students in grades Kindergarten - Grade 8 that are Simsbury residents are eligible for bus transportation.  PreKindergarten students may not ride the bus.  If you have recently moved to Simsbury or are a family just beginning school at St. Mary's School, you must contact Sue Caccamo, Town Transportation Coordinator, at 860- 651-3361 to arrange for your child(ren) to be added to the bus routes.  Please also let the school office know of your plans to use the bus.  Bus routes have been posted on the Town of Simsbury's website - click here.  A family email was sent out on 8/23/16 with the password for the bus routes.  Please call the school office if you did not receive this email.



Carpool Families - Road Construction Alert - Route 185 Construction

If you regularly travel route 185 between West Harford and Simsbury, you will note there is significant road work taking place. All the catch basins are currently being replaced and repaving will begin shortly. As you can imagine, this may lead to travel delays just as school is going to start. For those families from towns such as Simsbury, Granby, and Bloomfield that use route 185, please be prepared for these eventual delays and plan accordingly when coming to school in the morning. Paving will begin on August 28 from Abigail's Restaurant in Simsbury to the top of Simsbury Mountain. Once that is completed they will begin the downhill portion of the mountain all the way to route 218. It is estimated by Connecticut DOT that this project should be completed by October 1.

Summer Assignments, Supply Lists & More - All of this information can be found on the blog's "Back to School" page.  Use the tab at the top of the blog or click here.

Hot lunch will begin on Friday, September 16th.  Click here for Hot Lunch Order Form & click here for Hot Lunch Volunteer Sign Up Genius.   The deadline for hot lunch orders and payments has been EXTENDED TO FRIDAY, 8/26/16.   ORDERS CANNOT BE ACCEPTED AFTER FRIDAY, 8/26/16.  

Field Hockey Season Is Almost Here! 

All students in 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th grade who are interested in playing field hockey - We Want You!! You do not need prior experience and it is a co-ed sport! The practice schedule will be Wednesdays and Thursdays, 3:45-5:00pm on Meadow Fields, Iron Horse Boulevard. The season will run Sept. 7th thru Oct. 27th. Mrs. Liljedahl will be coaching with assistance from Mrs. Arcouette. If you are interested in playing, please contact Toni Chagnon at tchagnon@stmarysimsbury.eduk12.net.   

Used Uniforms - Click here to view the most current inventory of used uniform items.  The Used Uniform Exchange will be available at the Summer Playground Playdate on Sunday, August 28th.

COMING SOON - NEW SPIRIT WEAR!

Our Principal, Mrs. Williamson,  has approved a gym t-shirt option and an additional sweatshirt that will be available for purchase at our New Spirit Wear Shop at Back To School "Knight", Wednesday, September 7th.  The new t-shirt is strictly optional - the polo shirt may still be worn on gym days.  The new sweatshirt is also an optional, additional style that may be worn as a uniform garment.

There will also be Spirit Wear Sneak Peek at our playground play date on Sunday, August 28th at 5:00 pm.

Lands' End is our uniform supplier and they want you to have a great shopping experience!  Here is an easy to use guide to ordering that will help assure your student(s) are in perfect uniform!  Don't forget that you can accrue CHOICE program profits by purchasing Lands End gift cards at a 14% percentage rate.  CHOICE sales resume on Tuesday morning, 8/30/16.

Summer Fun  - Is your family having summer fun?  Again this year, you are invited to share photos of your family's summer fun and activities with our community.  Summer fun photos can be sent to dhatch@stmarysimsbury.eduk12.net.

Mrs. Williamson enjoyed a brief respite away from
her new responsibilities as our Principal to enjoy Hilton Head, SC and
the surrounding area.

Isabel, Carter, Steven and Sarah, Evan and Brennan enjoyed
some great summer weather on the water with friends, Max, Ben and Cassie.