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".