News for the Week of 4/27/17

A Knight at the Gala
Celebrating 60 years of "Faith in Education".
Sister Mary Kolbe Heffern (l) is pictured
with Sister Rose Alma.  Sister Rose Alma
taught 4th grade here at SMS in the 1960's.
Sister Mary Kolbe Heffern is our 4th grade teacher now.

What a Knight to Remember!

Thank you to everyone who contributed to or attended the Gala on Friday, April 21st at Farmington Gardens.  With over 200 people in attendance, it was a truly special evening celebrating both our past and future. Click here to enjoy some pictures from the Gala.

We still have two items that can be purchased for their starting bids! All proceeds go to our technology fund for new iPads. 

- Disney Hopper Passes: 4 One Day Park Passes that are valid at the Walt Disney World Resort in Central Florida which includes Magic Kingdom Park, Epcot, Disney Hollywood Studios & Disney's Animal Kingdom. 

Value: $648.00 

Yours for $300.00

- Simsmore Tennis: 1 Adult Membership &  $20 Valley Racquet Gift card

 Value: $275.00

 Yours for $135.00

Please contact Toni Chagnon if you would like to purchase one of these fabulous items. 

tchagnon@stmarysimsbury.eduk12.net/860-658-9412

IOWA Testing for students in grades 3 - 7 will begin on Monday, May 1.

From Monday, 5/1/16, through Monday, 5/8/16, students in grades 3-7 will be taking the IOWA Tests of Basic Skills. Tuesday, 5/9 & Wednesday, 5/10, are reserved for "make-ups" due to illness. While these tests are one important indicator of a student's academic progress, we do strongly encourage you to help your child(ren) approach these tests with a positive outlook of relaxed confidence. Unlike many regular assessments, these tests cannot be "studied" for and the best preparation for them is a good night's rest and a healthy breakfast.

Students that may feel anxious should be reminded that these tests are just one measure of progress. Please also keep in mind that it is very important for students to arrive at school PROMPTLY by 8:40AM on IOWA testing days. Late arrivals will not be permitted into a classroom if the testing has begun until there is a break. Additionally, we ask that you try to avoid scheduling doctor and dentist visits during the testing period. Students cannot be called out of class during a testing period and no announcements will be made into classrooms during testing.

Grandparents' & Special Person's Day & May Crowning will be held on Friday, May 12th.  Again this year, we are looking forward to welcoming special guests for a visit.  We hope many grandparents and people special to our students will join us for morning prayer at 8:45am in the Parish Center.  After a continental breakfast and some student entertainment, guests will be free to visit classrooms until 10:45am when the school community will transition to the church for our traditional May Crowning.  Guests will be free to depart after May Crowning as students return to school for the remainder of the academic day. 

It's Time to Order Your 2016-17 Yearbook - The SMS Yearbook is a great momento that features a photo of every student, club photos and candids from all our school year activities.  Don't miss your opportunity to own this important keepsake!  Yearbooks are ONLY available by presale and there are only a limited number of yearbooks printed for our school. Yearbooks are $28.   Click here to place your order online.  Our school code is 9415317.  A hard copy order form will also be sent home with students on Friday, 4/28.  If you have questions, please contact Michelle Howard at michellechoward@yahoo.com.

FRIDAY, April 28, 2017, is the deadline for submission of SMARTAID applications for consideration for tuition assistance.  All requests for tuition assistance must be made via SMARTAID.   Click here for more information regarding the types of tuition assistance available and the SMARTAID application process. Click here for helpful information from SMARTAID regarding completion of the application.  Click here to access the SMARTAID application. 

Lands End School Uniform - 
Product Change Notice for 17-18 School Year

We have been notified by Lands End that they are discontinuing the girls' PE shorts that have been part of our uniform code.  We have selected a new solid navy mesh short for both boys and girls for PE next year.  Ordering information appears below:

Boys' Mesh Gym Shorts - Classic Navy - Little Boy  470206-JU0  $15
                                                                 - Boy  470207-JU5  $15
                                                                 - Men  470208-JUX  $20

Girls' Mesh Gym Shorts - Classic Navy - Little Girl 470330-JU7  $15
                                                                 - Girl  470331-JU1  $15
                                                                 - Women 470332-JU6  $20

Please note that when shopping for uniforms, you should always use our school code:  9000-9100-1
Please also remember that Lands End gift cards at a 16% profit rate are available from the CHOICE program.

Physical education shorts already purchased from Lands End may continue to be worn as long as they fit appropriately and are in good repair.

SMS CHOICE News -  Please keep in mind that your family's CHOICE commitment for 2016-17 must be completed no later than April 30th.  If you have any questions regarding your family's CHOICE obligation or the balance still due for this year, please contact Tammy in the school office. CHOICE purchases made after April 30th will be credited to your family's 2017-18 obligation.

Community News -

Simsbury Public Library has announced programs for teens & 'tweens during the month of May- 

Kick off Summer with an Annual Tradition - The St. Mary's Carnival!

This year the carnival will run from June 7-10th.  Click here for more information and to learn how you can help.  Our school receives substantial financial assistance from carnival proceeds so this is a great community activity to support as a volunteer and as an attendee!

Tickets are available in the school office until Thursday, June 8th.

News for the Week of 4/19/17

Celebrating Our School's Anniversary

"A Knight at the Gala"

We are excited to gather on Friday evening at Farmington Gardens to celebrate our school's 60th anniversary and look forward to our next 60 years providing the children of the Farmington Valley with a faith based, academically challenging and technologically relevant education.

While ticket sales for the Gala have closed, you can still be part of this celebration.

  Click here to make a donation.

There will be NO PE club on Friday, 4/21, due to the SMS "Knight at the Gala" celebrating our school's 60th anniversary.

The hot lunch order period for May - End of School in June will open on Thursday, 4/20/17.  Please note that this is the LAST hot order lunch period for this school year. All orders must  be submitted via the Educonnect Parent Portal NO LATER THAN Thursday, April 27.  Payment should be sent into the office as soon as the order is sumbitted.

Snow Day Makeup Days - So far, we have had 5 snow days.  This brings our final day of school to Thursday, June 15th.  Our last day will be a 12:45pm early dismissal with no PreK Enrichment or Aftercare.





Robotics Club starts this Thursday, April 20th!  

Students in grades 6-8 are invited to participate in this year's session of Robotics Club.  The first session will be on Thursday, April 20 from 3:30-5pm.  Sessions will run on Thursdays through Thursday, May 25. There is a $10 fee to participate.  Click here for more information and to download a sign up form.

Mark Your Calendar for the most fun you will have at SMS this year!  Wednesday, April 26th, is our annual Talent Show featuring amazing student performances.  Please join us in the Parish Center beginning at 6PM.

2017-2018 Family Enrollment  & SMARTAID application for Financial Assistance.

 2017-18 Enrollment packets were emailed to all families on Friday, 3/10/17.  All signed Family Enrollment Forms and Fees were requested to be returned by Monday, 4/3/17.  If we have not received your Enrollment Form and fee, a courtesy calls from the office will be made to confirm that you do not wish to re-enroll for the 2017-18 school year.

 If you did not receive your electronic enrollment packet, please contact the school office.  Please carefully review all of the attachments that accompany this email as there are several forms that must be printed, completed and returned. Additionally, there is important information about next year's tuition, financial assistance and your family's CHOICE obligation for 2017-2018.

This year, we are happy to announce that tuition assistance will again be available via several sources.  All requests for tuition assistance must be made via SMARTAID.   Click here for more information regarding the types of tuition assistance available and the SMARTAID application process. Click here for helpful information from SMARTAID regarding completion of the application.  Click here to access the SMARTAID application.  All SMARTAID applications must be submitted no later than April 28, 2017.

An Important Reminder Regarding Today's Technology & Student Safety - As most of you know, our school owned iPads are strictly managed and students are prohibited from downloading any apps to them but  many students have devices of their own (e.g., iPads, iPods, smart phones, tablets, etc.).  We would like to remind all parents and guardians of the importance of carefully reviewing the apps that children may download to these devices and to become familiar with how these apps are being used and how they may interact with the digital world.  For example, an app called Musical.ly has become popular among some young adults but this app has the potential to interact in a nearly limitless way with users across the internet potentially exposing children to internet predators.  A great parental resource is Common Sense Media - Click here.

Looking Ahead to High School - An Opportunity for 7th Grade Students

 It was a fiesta in the Parish Center on Friday, 4/7, as our Middle School students displayed their wonderful projects about Spanish speaking countries.

Student Council officers with our Penny Wars collection.

Thanks to everyone that supported our Penny Wars! 

We raised $1,590.65 to benefit Vie for the Kids.

We also thank everyone who supported our Lenten collection of new adult athletic socks for the House of Bread. 306 pairs of socks were collected!  That's a lot of warm, dry feet!

Community News -

Tickets are available in the school office until Thursday, June 8th.

Granny's Attic & Granny's Boutique - It's everyone's favorite tag sale!  We encourage families to donate unwanted treasures they no longer need. Items must be in good to excellent condition and clean. Last year we made over $19,000. One-half of the proceeds directly benefit St. Mary’s School! This year we will also be accepting clean gently used coats and clothing. Antiques or collectibles will be specially priced. If you are donating an item that has a cord or remote please tape it to the item. Items that we will not accept due to state regulations and/or are not of interest for buyers are: automobile tires, computers, monitors, printers, old computer software, paint, chemicals, fertilizers, batteries, full size appliances, magazines, Reader’s Digest, textbooks, encyclopedias, mattresses, TV’s, skis, car seats, heavy exercise equipment, trunks, dorm refrigerators and disposable or personal items such as cosmetics, electric razors, or toothbrushes. Location will be the Wagner Showroom, thanks to the generosity of Rick and Carole Wagner.  If you have questions and/or would like to volunteer to collect, sort and assist in selling, please contact Jane Stevenson 860-651-5017 stevenje@comcast.net 

Collection dates: Wednesday, 4/19 - Thursday, 4/20 and Friday, 4/21 4pm-7pm 

and Saturday, 4/22 and Sunday, 4/23 9am-4pm

Granny’s Attic will be open to the public: Mon 4/24-Sat 4/29: for times refer to St. Mary’s website www.stmarysimsbury.org.

Volunteers Needed:  There are jobs for everyone, from organizing before the sale, helping customers on sell dates and the “Great Clean Up” after the sale.  Sign up now and plan to spend the day serving our church and school and meeting new friends!  There is a link to the sign up genius on the front page of St. Mary’s Church website or click here. Thanks again!  Remember many hands make light work!

Summer is on the way!   There are going to be lots of opportunities to learn & grow!  See below for some of the great experiences that will be available.

Camp KO at Kingswood Oxford School in West Hartford is offering 5 weeks of fun with something for everyone!  Click here to learn more.

Xavier High School  in Middletown is offering athletic camps for boys entering grades 6-9 and an enrichment camp featuring sessions focused on biotechnology, archeology, robotics, forensics and more for boys entering grades 5-8.

The 4-H Education Center at Auerfarm in Bloomfield will have sessions open to children entering PreKindergarten through grade 4 that will feature many opportunities to explore the outdoors, learn to identify insects, hike, follow animal tracks and lots more.  Click here for more information and to register.

News for the Week of 4/5/17

Student Council Lenten Service Project - Still time to donate!  Donations will be accepted until Friday, April 7th!  Our Student Council is coordinating the collection of new adult socks as a Lenten Service Project.  All socks will be donated to the House of Bread.  Thanks in advance for your support.

PreKindergarten thanks you for all of the newspapers that have been donated.  The Simsbury Veterinary Hospital is very grateful for the large donations of newspaper they have received each week during this Lenten season.

Penny Wars Update!  One more day to get those pennies to benefit Vie for Kids!  We have already collected close to $600! 

y estan invitados!  Tomorrow, April 7th, all are invited to view the Middle School projects about Spanish speaking countries.   Projects will be on display in the Parish Center from 10-11am.  Please stop by if you can.  Visitors should sign in at the school office before heading down to the Parish Center.

Palm Sunday Procession On Palm Sunday, April 9th,  there will be a procession of the children of the parish from the Parish Center to the Church before the 9:30am Mass. Father Matera is inviting children in grades 1-8 to participate in the procession. Children who participate in the procession should meet in the Parish Center at 9:00 AM where Palms will be blessed. The procession to the Church will begin at 9:20 AM.

Students in Sister Mary Kolbe's 4th grade class made hosts, learned about Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter, watched a video about the word "Transubstantiation" and made butter lambs.

It's almost here!

Join us to celebrate our 60th Anniversary!

Tickets are still available for A Knight at the Gala at Farmington Gardens on Friday, April 21, 2017, at 6:30pm. The evening includes dinner, beer & wine, dancing, entertainment by speed painter Rob Surette (amazing heroart.com), and a silent & live auction.

- $100 per person, table of ten $1,000. 

Feeling Lucky? Don't miss out on the chance to win your very own "Pot of Gold"! A Knight at the Gala is fast approaching,

 Tuesday, April 18th is your last day to purchase tickets. 

To purchase your tickets using our preferred method, please send payment to Toni Chagnon in the school office.  Checks should be payable to St. Mary's School with "Gala" in the memo section.  If you wish to pay by credit card, click here.  Please contact Toni Chagnon for more information 860-658-9412/ tchagnon@stmarysimsbury.eduk12.net  Proceeds raised from this event will support our school technology program.

Spring Vacation - School will be closed Monday, 4/10 - Monday, 4/17 for Spring Vacation.  School reopens TUESDAY, April 18th.  Relaxed Uniform may be worn by all students in grades K-8 beginning on 4/18.

Snow Day Makeup Days - So far, we have had 5 snow days.  At this time, we do not plan to use Easter Monday, April 17, as a make up day - it will remain a day off.  This brings our final day of school to Thursday, June 15th.  Our last day will be a 12:45pm early dismissal with no PreK Enrichment or Aftercare.

Morning Carpool Drop-Off  - Safety Reminder -  Everyone has places to get to in the morning!  It's a busy time.  Please do keep student safety in mind as you drop off.  Please DO NOT "cut"  the line to exit more quickly if there are cars in front of you still discharging students.  We know it's hard to wait - but your patience helps assure our kids are safe.  Thank you!

Robotics Club will be starting right after April Vacation - Students in grades 6-8 are invited to participate in this year's session of Robotics Club.  The first session will be on Thursday, April 20 from 3:30-5pm.  Sessions will run on Thursdays through Thursday, May 25. There is a $10 fee to participate.  Click here for more information and to download a sign up form.

Ready for First Grade!  Our Kindergarten students enjoyed "moving up"
activities with Mrs. Jehnings last week.

2017-2018 Family Enrollment  & SMARTAID application for Financial Assistance.

 2017-18 Enrollment packets were emailed to all families on Friday, 3/10/17.  All signed Family Enrollment Forms and Fees were requested to be returned by Monday, 4/3/17.  If you have not yet returned these items, please do so ASAP.  If we have not heard from your family before we return from April vacation, you will receive a courtesy call from the office to confirm that you do not wish to re-enroll for the 2017-18 school year.

 If you did not receive your electronic enrollment packet, please contact the school office.  Please carefully review all of the attachments that accompany this email as there are several forms that must be printed, completed and returned. Additionally, there is important information about next year's tuition, financial assistance and your family's CHOICE obligation for 2017-2018.

This year, we are happy to announce that tuition assistance will again be available via several sources.  All requests for tuition assistance must be made via SMARTAID.   Click here for more information regarding the types of tuition assistance available and the SMARTAID application process. Click here for helpful information from SMARTAID regarding completion of the application.  Click here to access the SMARTAID application.  All SMARTAID applications must be submitted no later than April 28, 2017.

Moms in Prayer -  Moms in Prayer will be meeting on Wednesday, April 19^th from 8:30-10am in the Lower Church Library.  Psalm 119:105 tells us “Your Word is a lamp for my feet, a light for my path.”  Please join us to watch the video presentation “Guarding Your Child’s Heart” by Dr. Gary Smalley, about the importance of grounding our children in faith, through the memorization of scripture.  Please contact Christine Sinopoli at christineds1213@yahoo.com or (860)558-9868 if you have any questions.  Children are welcome.

A very big THANK YOU to the fantastic volunteers who worked at the Scholastic Book Fair this week! The students really enjoy the fair, and we could not host it without all of the support from the wonderful parents volunteers! If you did not get a chance to shop at the fair, visit the online fair here.  Please note that on-line purchases are NOT buy one-get one free.

A Scholastic Chairperson is needed for the 2018-2019 school year! If you would like to run the fair as a co-chair next year to learn the ropes, or you are interested in learning more about running the fair please contact Jodie Burhoe (text or call) 860-967-8842. 

SMS CHOICE News -  Please keep in mind that your family's CHOICE commitment for 2016-17 must be completed no later than April 30th.  Please keep an eye out for your March CHOICE statement.  These will be emailed to you soon.  If you have any questions regarding your family's CHOICE obligation or the balance still due for this year, please contact Tammy in the school office. CHOICE purchases made after April 30th will be credited to your family's 2017-18 obligation.

For the month of April and until the inventory is gone, Big Y cards are available at a 6% profit rate.  Once the 6% cards are sold out, the profit rate will drop back to 2%.

SMS Stars - Our congratulations to Rebecca Lobo Rushin, mother of Siobhan, gr. 7; Maeve, gr.5; Thomas, gr.3 and Rose, gr. 1.  Mrs. Rushin will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame at the group's enshrinement weekend from September 7-9, 2017.  Click here for more details.  Click here for a great write up that appeared in Sunday's Hartford Courant.

Mason B., Gr 7, pictured third from left with the rest of the
Talcott team!

Our congratulations to Mason B., Grade 7.  Mason competed with the Talcott Mountain Science Center team at the Trinity College International Firefighting Robotics Competition last weekend. Their robot successfully completed its task of extinguishing the fire and placed as one of the top 5 junior teams, and in the overall top 30 teams. Robots have to navigate rooms, locate a candle, and extinguish the flame while avoiding obstacles. The competition brings together college, high school, and junior teams from countries all over the world including Indonesia, Israel, China, United Arab Emirates, and Portugal. Way to go Mason and the Talcott team!

Alumni News - Congratulations to the cast and crew of Northwest Catholic's production of The Little Mermaid!

SMS Alums in full costume - left to right: Lindsey Voelker, SMS Class of '15;
Ally Voelker, SMS Class of '13; Joanna Kuziak, SMS Class of '15; John Sullivan, Brendan Wlochowski,
& James Sullivan, all SMS Class of '14

Community News -

Tickets are available in the school office until Wednesday, April 26th.

Granny's Attic & Granny's Boutique - It's everyone's favorite tag sale!  We encourage families to donate unwanted treasures they no longer need. Items must be in good to excellent condition and clean. Last year we made over $19,000. One-half of the proceeds directly benefit St. Mary’s School! This year we will also be accepting clean gently used coats and clothing. Antiques or collectibles will be specially priced. If you are donating an item that has a cord or remote please tape it to the item. Items that we will not accept due to state regulations and/or are not of interest for buyers are: automobile tires, computers, monitors, printers, old computer software, paint, chemicals, fertilizers, batteries, full size appliances, magazines, Reader’s Digest, textbooks, encyclopedias, mattresses, TV’s, skis, car seats, heavy exercise equipment, trunks, dorm refrigerators and disposable or personal items such as cosmetics, electric razors, or toothbrushes. Location will be the Wagner Showroom, thanks to the generosity of Rick and Carole Wagner.  If you have questions and/or would like to volunteer to collect, sort and assist in selling, please contact Jane Stevenson 860-651-5017 stevenje@comcast.net 

Collection dates: Wednesday, 4/19 - Thursday, 4/20 and Friday, 4/21 4pm-7pm 

and Saturday, 4/22 and Sunday, 4/23 9am-4pm

Granny’s Attic will be open to the public: Mon 4/24-Sat 4/29: for times refer to St. Mary’s website www.stmarysimsbury.org.

Volunteers Needed:  There are jobs for everyone, from organizing before the sale, helping customers on sell dates and the “Great Clean Up” after the sale.  Sign up now and plan to spend the day serving our church and school and meeting new friends!  There is a link to the sign up genius on the front page of St. Mary’s Church website or click here. Thanks again!  Remember many hands make light work!