News for the Week of 10/6/16

School is CLOSED on Monday, 10/10/16, for Columbus Day.

Simsbury PUBLIC Schools are closed on Tuesday, 10/11 and Wednesday, 10/12.  SMS is OPEN for a regular school day on both of these days.  Students that utilize bus transportation may arrive at home significantly earlier than usual (e.g., 10-15 minutes) on these days.

PARENTS AND STUDENTS!

St. Mary's School Day 

at St. Mary's Parish is next Sunday - 10/16/17! 
YOUR ATTENDANCE IS REQUESTED - PLEASE RSVP

For the first time since a Catholic Schools Week celebration MANY years ago,  St. Mary's School students are invited to worship together at Sunday Mass. Father Matera has extended this invitation in the hope that we will present a large body of children and families to give witness to the awesome spiritual life here at the school. 

The date for this grand event is Sunday, October 16th at the 11am Mass. We truly hope that as many people as possible will join us. Although we would truly prefer that this be a “regrets only” event, we would like people to let us know that they plan to attend so that we can plan for seating for the students. Students will sit together and teachers will be here to supervise. PreKindergarten students are more than welcome to attend but they will sit with their families. Students in Kindergarten - 8 should attend in the relaxed uniform (pressed and neat, of course).

As part of the celebratory tone of the day, we would like to plan a simple reception in the Parish Center to follow the Mass. This would be a great Home & School Association activity to sponsor and staff.  

RSVP HERE - Please click here to RSVP for Mass and to indicate if you would like to help with the reception. Those able to help will be contacted to discuss details for the reception.

Parent/Teacher Conferences for students in grades 1 -8 will be held from Tuesday, October 25 - Thursday, October 27. 

 Each of these days will be a 12:45pm early dismissal for all students.  

PreKindergarten Enrichment is available AND WE ARE HAPPY TO ANNOUNCE THAT AFTERCARE WILL ALSO BE AVAILABLE UNTIL 6PM.  THERE IS A SPECIAL FEE SCHEDULE & RESERVATION FORM FOR STUDENTS IN K-8 DUE TO THE ADDITIONAL LENGTH OF THE AFTERCARE PERIOD.  

CLICK HERE FOR CONFERENCE DAY AFTERCARE FOR STUDENTS IN K-8.  PreKindergarten students should reserve using the regular reservation calendar since they will be transitioning from Enrichment and will not be using the longer care period.

****PLEASE NOTE A MINIMUM OF 10 FAMILIES IS REQUIRED IN ORDER TO PROVIDE THIS AFTERCARE***  At this time, only one family has reserved conference after care.

Please click here to schedule your conference(s).

Kindergarten Conferences will be held in January from Tuesday, 1/17/17 - Friday, 1/20/17.  These conferences will be scheduled during the school day and will not be early dismissal days.  A Sign-Up Genius will be provided when the timing is appropriate.

Important Calendar Note - Please note that Friday, October 28, is also a 12:45pm Early Dismissal but will have NO PreKindergarten Enrichment or Aftercare because it is a Faculty In-Service meeting not conferences.

Do you know someone interested in learning more about St. Mary's School?

Walk In Wednesdays will be held on October 12th, 19th and 26th from 9am to 11:30am.  Drop in visitors are welcome!

We are currently accepting applications for PreKindergarten - 8th grade for the 2017-18 school year.  Limited seats are also available for the current school year.

Our November Open House is Coming Up Soon!  Do you live on a busy street, in a large neighborhood or a neighboring town?  If so, we need you!
We have lawn signs available in the school office for our upcoming Open House on Thursday, November 7th. If you would like a sign, please email Toni Chagnon, tchagnon@stmarysimsbury.eduk12.net.

Students in Mrs. Pabich-Phillips 3rd grade class spent some time
creating cards for veterans.

Calling All Student Volunteers - The Prudential Insurance Co. sponsors the Prudential Spirit of Community program and award each year. This is open to students in grades 5-12 who have made a difference through a volunteer project. Click here for more information.  The application deadline is November 8, 2016.





Grade 8 Fundraising

Save the date!  -  Sunday, October 23, 2016
St. Mary's 8th grade fundraiser at Puerta Vallarta Restaurant
15 West Avon Rd.
Avon, CT 06018
Tel: 860-675-1999

Come support St. Mary's eighth grade class with great food and great company!
A percentage of sales will be donated by Puerta Vallarta to benefit St. Mary's 8th grade class.

Home & School Association News - With our new school year well underway, we are looking forward to several Home & School sponsored activity.  In addition to the reception we are hoping to host after St. Mary's School Day Mass (see at top of post), our annual Fall Bookfair will take place from October 25 - 28.  Volunteers are needed for both of these events and sign up information will be available soon.  Looking ahead, November will bring our annual Thanksgiving Senior Citizen Luncheon.  As always, many volunteers will be needed to assist with this event.  

Just in time for the upcoming holiday season, Home & School will be running a Lyman Orchards Pie & Otis Spunkmeyer Cookie Dough fundraiser.  The fundraiser will run from Monday, October 3 - Tuesday, October 18.  Frozen pies and cookie dough will be available for pickup on Thursday, November 17.  Pickup time will be announced.

Delicious Data - Students in Miss Ciarcia's Kindergarten worked on
graphing data to document the results of their apple tasting.

The weather is getting chilly!  Unless it is below 20 degrees or wet and/or slippery, our students do wait outside each morning and go outside for recess.  As we transition into the cooler days of autumn, please remind your students to wear the appropriate outerwear.  Please be sure to check out the Spirit Wear's fleece outer jacket if you are looking for a coat that can span 3 seasons.  This jacket may not be worn in the building but is perfect for morning arrival and recess!

The SMS Spirit Wear Shop is open and stocked with lots of newly designed merchandise.  Click here to learn which Spirit Wear items may be worn as part of our daily uniform and which are suitable for recreational wear only.  Photos of the new spirit wear can also be viewed.   Click here for an order form.

CHOICE Program - Helpful Hint - We are all alarmed when we hear stories about identify theft and compromised personal information.  Just recently, a "skimmer" was removed from the Big Y store in Avon.  Click here to read the details.  If you use CHOICE cards at local participating retailers, you have eliminated one possible window of opportunity for this type of fraud to occur.

CHOICE Program News - In addition to the normally stocked vendor cards, a limited number of $25 Amazon gift cards are now also available for daily sale.  Larger denominations are available via special order.

Emergency Closings, Delayed Openings & Early Closings - As we approach "that time of year" when the weather can impact our school calendar, please keep in mind that SMS follows the Simsbury Public Schools in regard to weather related delays and closures.  If you hear that the Simsbury Public Schools are closed, opening late or closing early, SMS will be doing exactly the same thing.  A Remind text will be sent out and the announcement box on the school's website will also be updated with this information.

Community News

Clothes for a Cause -The St. Ann's Church Scholarship Committee provides partial scholarships to selected students from the Hartford area who want to attend a Catholic high school. The scholarships assist students (selected by the school staff) at Northwest Catholic High School, East Catholic High School, and St. Paul's High School in Bristol. Each student is guaranteed annual financial assistance throughout his/her high school career. The Scholarship Committee holds four annual fundraisers and the Clothing Sale will be this year's first fundraiser. There will be a collection box at SMS from Monday, October 24 - Friday, October 28. This is a great time to share some of your clean, gently used clothing and accessories for a great cause.  The clothing sale will take place at St. Ann's on November 4th and 5th.

Cozy Corner - Students in Mrs. Pabich-Phillips third grade
have a cozy corner for iPad exploration.