News for the Week of 1/25/17

On Friday, 1/27, the Northwest Catholic Jazz Band and Choir and their directors, Mr. Dan Luddy and Mr. Dan Avery, will be visiting at SMS. Students in grades 3-8 will attend a performance by these 2 groups. This will be a wonderful opportunity for our students to see "what comes next" in regard to their musical experiences in school. At this time, we have several young alums performing in both of these groups and we know that others are participating in other similar groups at other high schools. This is a great way for our students to see how important a "musical foundation" can be and to help encourage young musicians to remain dedicated to practice and performance.The performances will be at noon in the Parish Center and you are certainly welcome to come and enjoy!  The Northwest Catholic Jazz Band and Choir will also conduct 2 brief workshops for students in grades 4-8 that are participating in our band and chorus. Band students are requested to please bring their instruments, stands and any other accessories to school on Friday so that they can fully participate in this workshop.

Celebrating SMS & Catholic Schools Everywhere! This month, we join Catholic schools across the country in celebrating Catholic Schools' Week from 1/29 - 2/3. It will be a busy week here at SMS with lots of events designed to build community and celebrate our special school.

ALL SCHOOL FAMILIES PLEASE NOTE - We will begin our celebration at the 5pm St. Mary's Parish Mass on Saturday, 1/28. Father Matera is very excited that our school community will be present at this liturgy.  This is an opportunity for us to worship together and we anticipate that all school families will attend. Students should wear their formal uniforms. If your family will not be able to attend Mass, please email Mrs. Williamson.

School families are invited to the Parish Center after Mass for a casual pizza supper. A Sign Up Genius is now available to reserve your dinner - Click here.  Dinner reservations are due NLT today, 1/25/17!  Dinner will include cheese pizza, green salad and water and will be $5 per person. All meals must be reserved via the sign up genius and paid for in advance so that we know how much food to order.  We hope many of you will join us as we celebrate Catholic Schools and our wonderful school!

The Student Council is coordinating the setup and clean up of this event.  If your grades 7 or 8 student can help with this, please visit this Sign Up Genius - Click here.

Monday, January 30 - Friday, February 3 is Teacher Appreciation Week at SMS! As part of the celebration of Catholic Schools during Catholic Schools Week, there is a tradition of expressing appreciation for the faculty and staff for all that they do for the children. We thank those that have stepped forward to organize this week's activities. Several wonderful surprises are planned for faculty and staff.  If you would like to contribute to this week's activities, please use this Sign Up Genius - Click here.

TONIGHT, January 25, we are hosting an Open House for Prospective Families at 6:30pm in the Parish Center.  If you know a family wondering if SMS is the right place for them, please encourage them to stop by tonight.  We would also be happy to provide them with a school tour on a day and time convenient for them if they are not able to attend Open House.

TOMORROW - Thursday, January 26, is Family Lunch Day at SMS!  

Everyone is invited to bring a brown bag lunch to share with their favorite SMS student(s).  Please note - NO PIZZA will be provided for lunch this year. All students and guests will need a brown bag lunch.  Students that participate in the milk program will receive milk as usual.  

Times for Family Lunch Day are:

11:00-11:35 PreKindergarten, Kindergarten, Grades 1 & 2

11:40-12:15 Grades 3 & 4

12:20-12:50 Grades 5, 6, 7 & 8

JOIN US AT THE HILL-STEAD MUSEUM ON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3

A Cold Winter's Night -  Break free of the dreary winter doldrums and join us at the beautiful Hill-Stead Museum on Friday, February 3rd, at 7pm for an evening of adult conversation, delicious hors d'oeuvres and even a complimentary museum tour.  The evening's highlight is a beautiful gallery of our students' professionally framed artwork.  Admission is free.  Student artwork will be available for sale at $35 per piece.  Your RSVP is requested by Monday, January 30th.

Compound Cupcakes - First grade created "compound word" cupcakes proving that knowledge is sweet!

Looking ahead to our 2017-18 School Year - Do you have a child who will be eligible for Kindergarten in 2017-18 that is NOT attending our PreKindergarten?  If so, now is the time to complete an application form for next year's Kindergarten.  Click here for an application.  Please note - if your child attends our PreKindergarten is not necessary to reapply for Kindergarten.  We assume that all PreKindergarten students will attend our Kindergarten unless we are told otherwise.

Box Tops for Education - Our school is collecting Box Tops for Education again this year and we hope you've been clipping your Box Tops!  This is a painless way for our Home & School Association to raise money.  The next time we can submit Box Tops is at the end of February so we are requesting that all Box Tops be sent in no later than Friday, February 24th.  Your Box Tops can be sent into school and turned in to the homeroom or you can send them directly to Richard Kuziak, Kindness of Michael in Grade 6.  Any Box Tops that are saved after February 24th may be sent to school at your convenience or sent directly to Mr. Kuziak.  Thanks to all for clipping and saving those Box Tops and our special thanks to Mr. Kuziak for coordinating the Box Tops program for us!

Moms in Prayer -  In addition to prayer, the group will be reading and discussing The Blessing -Giving the Gift of Unconditional Love and Acceptance by John Trent and Gary Smalley, through the end of Chapter 9, at our next meeting on Wednesday, February 8th at 8:30am, in the lower church library. The book draws from Scripture with examples of how those in the Bible have historically blessed their children through meaningful touch, a spoken message, attaching a high value, picturing a special future, and an active commitment. Please contact Christine Sinopoli to borrow a copy of the book.

Looking Ahead to February's Parent/Teacher Conferences - 

Conferences for PreKindergarten and students enrolled in grades 1-8 will take place from Tuesday, 2/14/17 - Thursday, 2/16/17.  (Kindergarten Conferences are being held from January 18-21 only during the regular school day.  A Sign Up Genius has been made available to Kindergarten parents for these conferences.).   

Tuesday, 2/14/17 - Thursday, 2/16/27 will be 12:45pm early dismissal days.  Friday, 2/17/17, is also a 12:45 early dismissal for professional development.  Please note that there will be NO PREKINDERGARTEN ENRICHMENT OR AFTERCARE AVAILABLE ON TUESDAY, 2/14/17 - FRIDAY, 2/17/17.  Please make note of this and plan accordingly.  A Sign Up Genius to reserve your conference days and times will be available soon and will be announced via an all family email and blog post.

Mary Elizabeth Budnick,
SMS Class of '12

Avery Hatch
SMS Class of '12

Alumni News

Rebecca Rienow,
SMS Class of '12

Our congratulations to Rebecca Rienow, SMS Class of '12, on achieving the Dean's List for the fall semester at Geneva College.  We also congratulate Mary Elizabeth Budnick, SMS Class of '12 on achieving Dean's List for the fall semester at Syracuse University.  Avery Hatch, SMS Class of '12 has achieved the President's List at Elon University for the fall semester.  At Elon, the President's List is composed of students with no grade below an A-minus in a minimum of 12 semester hours

We are also excited to share that Emily Bautista, SMS Class of '11, has been selected to perform in the Broadway revival of Miss Saigon with performances beginning March 1 at The Broadway Theater.  Click here for more details.

It's SNOW much fun to be in PreK!

Community News

The Simsbury Public Library is hosting events for Teens & "Tweens" in February.

Valentine's Day Afternoon Tea - The Simsbury Historical Society invites you to an afternoon tea in celebration of Valentine's Day at the Simsbury Tea Room at Historic Phelps Tavern, 800 Hopmeadow Street.  All ages are welcome to enjoy a Victorian Tea and to make a Victorian valentine.  The event begins at 3pm and is $15 per person.  Please RSVP to 860-658-2500.

St. Ann, Avon, is having its annual Art Show and Sale on April 22-23, 2017.

Adult and student (emerging) artists are invited to submit art work of all types as a donation for our show and sale. Proceeds from all sales benefit our scholarship program which provides partial tuition support for city students attending area Catholic high schools.

Pieces should be mounted or matted but don't need to be framed.  Click here for more information and forms for art donation.

News for the Week of 1/18/17

Hot Lunch Order Period for February now OPEN -  The order period for February hot lunches is now open and will remain open until January 25th. The portal will not allow orders to be placed after the 25th.   Please sign in to the Educonnect parent portal to place your lunch orders. Once your selections are submitted, the system will show you the total amount spent to date on the left of the screen.  The negative number shown to the right of the "Current Balance" is the amount actually owed for hot lunch for the month.  Please send your payment to the school office marked February Hot Lunch.  Here is a sample of what you may expect to see :

Family ID:221   Family Last Name:Sample    Parents: David & Jane
Students: Michael Sample :7th  
Total Spent: $96.00   Current Balance: -$54.00 - ***$54  is the amount owed by the Sample family****

The Sign Up Genius for Hot Lunch Volunteers for January - June is now available. Click here to volunteer. There are still many days that help is needed - if you are Virtus trained, serving hot lunch is a great way to share in your child(ren)'s day.

Rosa Parks refuses to move to the back of the bus, even when
asked to do so by the bus driver.

Students in Mrs. Jehning's First Grade Class acted out the story of Rosa Parks. They did a fabulous job of retelling the events that happened in history so long ago.

Celebrating SMS & Catholic Schools Everywhere! This month, we join Catholic schools across the country in celebrating Catholic Schools' Week from 1/29 - 2/3. It will be a busy week here at SMS with lots of events designed to build community and celebrate our special school.

ALL SCHOOL FAMILIES PLEASE NOTE - We will begin our celebration at the 5pm St. Mary's Parish Mass on Saturday, 1/28. Father Matera is very excited that our school community will be present at this liturgy.  This is an opportunity for us to worship together and we anticipate that all school families will attend. Students should wear their formal uniforms. If your family will not be able to attend Mass, please email Mrs. Williamson.

School families are invited to the Parish Center after Mass for a casual pizza supper. A Sign Up Genius is now available to reserve your dinner - Click here. Dinner will include cheese pizza, green salad and water and will be $5 per person. All meals must be reserved via the sign up genius and paid for in advance so that we know how much food to order.  We hope many of you will join us as we celebrate Catholic Schools and our wonderful school!

Monday, January 30 - Friday, February 3 is Teacher Appreciation Week at SMS! As part of the celebration of Catholic Schools during Catholic Schools Week, there is a tradition of expressing appreciation for the faculty and staff for all that they do for the children. We thank those that have stepped forward to organize this week's activities. Several wonderful surprises are planned for faculty and staff.  If you would like to contribute to this week's activities, please use this Sign Up Genius - Click here.

Wednesday, January 25, we will host an Open House for Prospective Families at 6:30pm in the Parish Center.  If you know a family wondering if SMS is the right place for them, please invite them to attend this event.  We would also be happy to provide them with a school tour on a day and time convenient for them if they are not able to attend Open House.

Thursday, January 26, is Family Lunch Day at SMS!  

Everyone is invited to bring a brown bag lunch to share with their favorite SMS student(s).  Please note - NO PIZZA will be provided for lunch this year. All students and guests will need a brown bag lunch.  Students that participate in the milk program will receive milk as usual.  Times for Family Lunch Day are:

11:00-11:35 PreKindergarten, Kindergarten, Grades 1 & 2

11:40-12:15 Grades 3 & 4

12:20-12:50 Grades 5, 6, 7 & 8

Box Tops for Education - Our school is collecting Box Tops for Education again this year and we hope you've been clipping your Box Tops!  This is a painless way for our Home & School Association to raise money.  The next time we can submit Box Tops is at the end of February so we are requesting that all Box Tops be sent in no later than Friday, February 24th.  Your Box Tops can be sent into school and turned in to the homeroom or you can send them directly to Richard Kuziak, Kindness of Michael in Grade 6.  Any Box Tops that are saved after February 24th may be sent to school at your convenience or sent directly to Mr. Kuziak.  Thanks to all for clipping and saving those Box Tops and our special thanks to Mr. Kuziak for coordinating the Box Tops program for us!

Moms in Prayer -  In addition to prayer, the group will be reading and discussing The Blessing -Giving the Gift of Unconditional Love and Acceptance by John Trent and Gary Smalley, through the end of Chapter 9, at our next meeting on Wednesday, February 8th at 8:30am, in the lower church library. The book draws from Scripture with examples of how those in the Bible have historically blessed their children through meaningful touch, a spoken message, attaching a high value, picturing a special future, and an active commitment. Please contact Christine Sinopoli to borrow a copy of the book.

Looking Ahead to February's Parent/Teacher Conferences - 

Conferences for PreKindergarten and students enrolled in grades 1-8 will take place from Tuesday, 2/14/17 - Thursday, 2/16/17.  (Kindergarten Conferences are being held from January 18-21 only during the regular school day.  A Sign Up Genius has been made available to Kindergarten parents for these conferences.).   

Tuesday, 2/14/17 - Thursday, 2/16/27 will be 12:45pm early dismissal days.  Friday, 2/17/17, is also a 12:45 early dismissal for professional development.  Please note that there will be NO PREKINDERGARTEN ENRICHMENT OR AFTERCARE AVAILABLE ON TUESDAY, 2/14/17 - FRIDAY, 2/17/17.  Please make note of this and plan accordingly.  A Sign Up Genius to reserve your conference days and times will be available soon and will be announced via an all family email and blog post.

Alumni News - 

Jennifer Kornacki,
SMS Class of '12

Jennifer Kornacki, SMS Class of '12, had the opportunity to travel and perform with Stonehill College's Chapel Choir in Italy for 7 days in January.  Jennifer plays the flute with the choir, and had four performances including a Mass at St. Peter's Basilica and a Papal Audience for Pope Francis.  She traveled to Florence, Pisa, Lucca, Assisi, and Rome and had a wonderful experience sharing her faith with the ensemble.

Assumption College has announced that Claire Keating, SMS Class of '09, is one of 486 students named to the college's prestigious undergraduate Dean's List for the fall 2016 semester. To earn a spot on the Dean's List, Assumption students must achieve a grade point average of 3.5 or higher for a five-class, 15-credit semester. 

Community News - 

News for the week of 1/11/17

School will be closed on Monday, January 16th, in observance of Martin Luther King Day.
















The order period for February hot lunches will be from Sunday, January 15 - Wednesday, January 25.  All lunch orders for February must be entered via the Educonnect Parent Portal during that time period.  Payment should be sent in to the school office as soon as your order is submitted.  A reminder notification that the order period has opened will appear in this blog and also be sent via an all family email prior to January 15.  Please keep in mind that the ONLY way to place a hot lunch order is via the Educonnect Parent Portal during the Open Order Period specified for the coming month.  If you miss the open order period for February, you will be able to order lunches for March during the next open order period.

The Sign Up Genius for Hot Lunch Volunteers for January - June is now available.  Click here to volunteer.  There are still many days that help is needed - if you are Virtus trained, serving hot lunch is a great way to share in your child(ren)'s day.

Second grade students in Mrs. Keany's class made
hand print camels to celebrate the Feast of the Three Kings.

Students in Mrs. Pabich-Phillip's third grade
celebrated the Feast of the Three Kings last week.

The School Board will meet on Wednesday, 1/18/17, at 7pm in the lower church.   Mrs. Williamson will present a report entitled "State of the School". This is a document that we are required to prepare each year and present in public. All are welcome and encouraged to attend this meeting.  The report will be very near the beginning of the meeting's agenda.

Used Uniform Exchange - Click here for an updated inventory of items available via the Used Uniform Exchange.

PreKindergarten students "took off" on a reading rocket!

Celebrating SMS & Catholic Schools Everywhere! This month, we join Catholic schools across the country in celebrating Catholic Schools' Week from 1/29 - 2/3.  It will be a busy week here at SMS with lots of events designed to build community and celebrate our special school.

ALL SCHOOL FAMILIES PLEASE NOTE - We will begin our celebration at the 5pm St. Mary's Parish Mass on Saturday, 1/28.  This is an opportunity for us to worship together and we anticipate that all school families will attend.  Students should wear their formal uniforms.  If your family will not be able to attend Mass, please email Mrs. Williamson.

School families are invited to the Parish Center after Mass for a casual pizza supper.  A Sign Up Genius will be available soon to reserve your dinner.  Dinner will include cheese pizza, green salad and water.  Pricing will be per person and all meals must be paid for in advance so that we know how much food to order.  The Sign Up Genius will also include opportunities for you to volunteer to help with this event and we thank you in advance for helping us make this community building event a success!

Monday, January 30 - Friday, February 3 is Teacher Appreciation Week at SMS!  As part of the celebration of Catholic Schools during Catholic Schools Week, there is a tradition of expressing appreciation for the faculty and staff for all that they do for the children.  We thank those that have stepped forward to organize this week's activities.  Please be on the look out for an email and blog post that will provide you with a Sign-Up Genius so that you can volunteer to help.

Wednesday, January 25, we will host an Open House for Prospective Families at 6:30pm in the Parish Center.  If you know a family wondering if SMS is the right place for them, please invite them to attend this event.  We would also be happy to provide them with a school tour on a day and time convenient for them if they are not able to attend Open House.

Thursday, January 26, is Family Lunch Day at SMS!  

Everyone is invited to bring a brown bag lunch to share with their favorite SMS student(s).  Please note - NO PIZZA will be provided for lunch this year. All students and guests will need a brown bag lunch.  Students that participate in the milk program will receive milk as usual.  Times for lunches will be posted in the blog on 1/18/17 and 1/25/17.





Box Tops for Education - Our school is collecting Box Tops for Education again this year and we hope you've been clipping your Box Tops!  This is a painless way for our Home & School Association to raise money.  The next time we can submit Box Tops is at the end of February so we are requesting that all Box Tops be sent in no later than Friday, February 24th.  Your Box Tops can be sent into school and turned in to the homeroom or you can send them directly to Richard Kuziak, Kindness of Michael in Grade 6.  Any Box Tops that are saved after February 24th may be sent to school at your convenience or sent directly to Mr. Kuziak.  Thanks to all for clipping and saving those Box Tops and our special thanks to Mr. Kuziak for coordinating the Box Tops program for us!

Making Connections in Grade 1  - Lots of connections get made in Mrs. Jehning's first grade class, including the important connections between mind, body and spirit.  Students took a brief yoga break prior to beginning a handwriting lesson.

Parighasana, or Gate Pose, is a deep side bend and a pose of "freedom".

Vrksasana, or Tree Pose, is a pose of great strength and balance
that encourages "grounding" and "centering".

Looking Ahead to February's Parent/Teacher Conferences -

Conferences for PreKindergarten and students enrolled in grades 1-8 will take place from Tuesday, 2/14/17 - Thursday, 2/16/17.  (Kindergarten Conferences are being held from January 17-20 only during the regular school day.  A Sign Up Genius has been made available to Kindergarten parents for these conferences.).   

Tuesday, 2/14/17 - Thursday, 2/16/27 will be 12:45pm early dismissal days.  Friday, 2/17/17, is also a 12:45 early dismissal for professional development.  Please note that there will be NO PREKINDERGARTEN ENRICHMENT OR AFTERCARE AVAILABLE ON TUESDAY, 2/14/17 - FRIDAY, 2/17/17.  Please make note of this and plan accordingly.  A Sign Up Genius to reserve your conference days and times will be available soon and will be announced via an all family email and blog post.

JOIN US AT THE HILL-STEAD MUSEUM ON FEBRUARY 3

A Cold Winter's Night -  Break free of the dreary winter doldrums and join us at the beautiful Hill-Stead Museum on Friday, February 3rd, at 7pm for an evening of adult conversation, delicious hors d'oeuvres and even a complimentary museum tour.  The evening's highlight is a beautiful gallery of our students' professionally framed artwork.  Admission is free.  Student artwork will be available for sale at $35 per piece.

Looking ahead to our 2017-18 School Year - Do you have a child who will be eligible for Kindergarten in 2017-18 that is NOT attending our PreKindergarten?  If so, now is the time to complete an application form for next year's Kindergarten.  Click here for an application.  Please note - if your child attends our PreKindergarten is not necessary to reapply for Kindergarten.  We assume that all PreKindergarten students will attend our Kindergarten unless we are told otherwise.

Students in Mrs. Keany's second grade are focusing on Bible stories and heard the story of Joseph and his "coat of many colors".