News for the Week of 1/31/18

TOMORROW!  THURSDAY, 2/1/18

2018 Family Lunch

Pack Your Brown Bag & Join Us for Lunch!  

We welcome everyone to pack a lunch and join us for family lunch on Thursday, February 1.

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

Advancement News

- It's not too late! We are hosting one more Fairy Tale Friday this Friday, Feb. 2nd! Hope you can join us for some Gingerbread Man Fun, 9-9:30 am in the Prekindergarten classroom with Miss Kane. 

- Applications for Admission are being accepted for 2018-19! Walk In Wednesdays will be back for February! Invite a friend to come learn more about our school. Every Wednesday 9-11 am Feb. 7th - 28th. All are welcome! Contact Toni Chagnon for more information 860-658-9412/ tchagnon@stmarysimsbury.eduk12.net

2018 Altar Serving Training for New Servers - Students in Grades 4 and up are invited to join the St. Mary's Altar Server ministry.  Preparatory classes will meet on Saturdays from 1-2pm in the church on March 10, 17, 24 and 31.  It is necessary to attend all 4 sessions. Questions should be directed to Sheila Garilli via email at serverleader@stmarysimsbury.org.

Debate Club - Students in grades 6-8 are invited to participate in the new SMS Debate Club. This club will be moderated by Mrs. Rayissa Armata and will begin on Thursday, February 8th . 

Debate Club will meet from 3:30-4:45pm in the Art/Music Portable on the following dates: 

February 8, 15, & 22 

March 8, 15 & 22

 * The club will NOT meet on March 1 because it is a 12:45pm early dismissal due to Parent/Teacher Conferences. 

There is no charge to participate in Debate Club.  Click here to download a permission slip to return to the school office.

Grade 8 Fundraising - JOIN US! 8th Grade Class of 2018 invites your students in Kindergarten - Grade 7 to Valentine's Day Pajama Party in the Saint Mary's Parish Center on February 10th from 5 - 9:30 pm. The event will include Valentine crafts, fun games, and a g-rated movie. Pizza dinner will be served as well as hot chocolate and popcorn during the movie! Come in PJs, and bring a blanket/pillow to watch the movie with. Bring a friend! All children must be Kindergarten (age 5+) and up. $25 per child. Drop off is at 5pm, pick up by 9:30. All proceeds support 8th grade fundraising, which provides the 8th graders with funds for graduation expenses, a class trip, and a gift to the school from their class. They have been working hard this year and appreciate the continued support from the community! Click here to download & print a reservation form to send to the school office.  All RSVP's and payments are due by Wednesday, February 7th. Please make checks payable to Saint Mary's School with "Kids Night Out" in the memo.

8th Graders & 8th Grade Parents: Please click HERE to sign up for your shift as a student volunteer and parent chaperone (must be Virtus trained) 

Grade 7 Fundraising - Our seventh grade will be hosting 2 fundraisers to help them with costs associated with their field trip to Boston:

Munsons Chocolates - Delicious treats for Easter!  Order forms will be sent home with students on Friday, January 26th.  Please be sure to check backpacks.  All orders and payments will be due back NLT Friday, February 23rd.  Chocolates will be available for pickup on Friday, March 23rd.  Additional pick up details will be announced closer to the pick up date.

Enjoy a No-Fuss Tuesday Night Delicious Dinner - Dine In or Take Out

Click here to download a copy of this flyer to print & present

Time to order the 17-18 SMS Yearbook!  
Every student is pictured along with all SMS school events.

Click here to order online or click here to download & print an order form.
Our school ID  - # 9415318

Save the Date & Book Your Babysitter!  Your invitation will be arriving soon.  St. Mary's School 3rd Annual Art Show is coming soon! This year's Art Show will be from 7-10pm on Friday, March 2nd, at the Silpe Gallery at The University of Hartford. This is a great adult evening out to enjoy and purchase your child's artwork. Every child in Prekindergarten thru 8th grade will have a framed piece of artwork on display and available for sale for $40 a piece.

Supporting SMS - 

Help SMS Earn Free School Supplies & Equipment with Big Y Education Express -

Big Y Education Express helps schools get FREE, much needed supplies & equipment!

• Everyone can participate! Family and friends can support SMS by signing up for Education Express.
• From February 1 through April 25, 2018, for every 500 Education Express Points earned, you get a GOLD COIN!
• Just shop Big Y and look for the participating items marked with the Education Express logo. Each item will have a point value and savings on top of that!

Click here to register for Education Express.

Athletic News


The Girls’ Varsity Basketball team played 2 games recently, sweeping Sacred Heart (league) and Granby (non-league). Last week, the girls played 4 games in 5 days, going 2-2 in that span. They played some heart pounding, hard fought, tough games including a tough loss in OT at St. Paul.

Their record is currently 7-2 in league and 9-5 overall.

Next week, they hit the road for 2 games before returning home on Sunday, 2/11, 7pm at Ethel Walker. Come out and watch a gritty group of ladies.

Many Thanks to All That Have Helped Make Teacher Appreciation Week So Special - Already this week we have enjoyed delicious snacks and lunches.  There are fabulous posters up in the hall and one teacher, who happens to be a big NY Jets fan, received a very special hat -

Box Tops for Education - Thanks to everyone who is faithfully clipping Box Tops for Education.  Just a reminder to please check expiration dates and clip carefully!  If the expiration date is clipped off, the Box Top will not be accepted.


Community News

News for the Week of 1/24/18

Mass & Family Pizza Dinner to celebrate St. Mary’s School!

Our community will celebrate our wonderful school and Catholic Schools Week on Saturday, January 27, 2018.   Please join us at the 5pm Mass and then for a pizza dinner in the parish center. Students should wear their formal uniforms to Mass but will sit with their families.

We are requesting a $10 donation per family to help defray the cost of pizza and salad.  There will be cake for dessert!  We are also looking for help coordinating this event and for donations of disposable napkins, plates and flatware, and bottled water.

At the end of dinner, we invite you to stay for demonstrations of the  "Dot & Dash" coding robots being used in grades K -5 and Apple's Swift Playground in grades 6 and 7.

Please let us know if your family will be attending and what you may be able to donate via this Sign Up Genius - Click here.

Please read on for news about more special Catholic Schools Week activities.

Advancement News

January is Jumping at St. Mary’s School! Take the leap to learn more about the advantages of a Catholic Education! Click here to visit our website.

Take a Tour: Walk in Wednesday - January 31st - Drop in on Wednesday anytime between 9:00am & 11:00am and see our classrooms in action.

Sunday Open House: January 28th from 2:00pm to 4:00pm – Meet staff, faculty, current parents and students and alumni. Featuring workshops for both parents and children in coding and cursive!

Fairy Tale Fridays: Have a 3 or young 4 year old and thinking about PreKindergarten? Come in for story time and nursery rhymes from 9 to 9:45am on Friday, January 26, for fun activities for child accompanied by parent or caregiver and take a peek at life as a PreKindergarten student at St. Mary’s School!

For more information or to register for any of these events please contact Toni Chagnon at 860-658-9412 or tchagnon@stmarysimsbury.eduk12.net

96.5 Radio Campaign - Our radio ad continues to air on 96.5FM (WTIC AM).  Many thanks to the "voice of St. Mary's" - our own Rebecca Rushin.  Click here to listen to our ad.

Open House is This Sunday!

New Open House Referral Program:  Simply share your referral family via the referral link below and include their contact information in the confidential sign up section.  The Advancement Office will invite them to the January open house.  If they attend in person, your family will receive $25 in spirit wear credit!

Click here for New Open House Referral Link

You are our best advocates and we welcome you sharing your St. Mary’s story in whatever way you can.

Catholic Schools Week News

Teacher Appreciation Week is next week - January 29-February 2! The HSA will need help providing food/supplies, set-up, and clean-up, and will be collecting monetary donations for gift cards and a lunch. We will also need people to make posters at home! Click here to sign up to help. Thank you!

Here are two additional ways you can help us celebrate and honor our teachers during Catholic Schools Week:

1. Write a THANK YOU letter. Let's say thank you to our amazing teachers for everything they do; by writing them a personal letter. This letter can be from the student or from the parents or both. Please make sure to send in your teacher thank you note by January 26th.

2. Publicly thank your teachers on social media channels using #uKNIGHTed. This is a great chance for parents to give our awesome teachers and staff a shout out on Facebook or Twitter. Just use #uKNIGHTed.

2018 Family Lunch - Pack Your Brown Bag & Join Us for Lunch!  We welcome everyone to join us for family lunch on Thursday, February 1.

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

Grade 8 Fundraising - JOIN US! 8th Grade Class of 2018 invites your students in Kindergarten - Grade 7 to Valentine's Day Pajama Party in the Saint Mary's Parish Center on February 10th from 5 - 9:30 pm. The event will include Valentine crafts, fun games, and a g-rated movie. Pizza dinner will be served as well as hot chocolate and popcorn during the movie! Come in PJs, and bring a blanket/pillow to watch the movie with. Bring a friend! All children must be Kindergarten (age 5+) and up. $25 per child. Drop off is at 5pm, pick up by 9:30. All proceeds support 8th grade fundraising, which provides the 8th graders with funds for graduation expenses, a class trip, and a gift to the school from their class. They have been working hard this year and appreciate the continued support from the community! Click here to download & print a reservation form to send to the school office.  All RSVP's and payments are due by Wednesday, February 7th. Please make checks payable to Saint Mary's School with "Kids Night Out" in the memo.

8th Graders & 8th Grade Parents: Please click HERE to sign up for your shift as a student volunteer and parent chaperone (must be Virtus trained) 

Grade 7 Fundraising - Our seventh grade will be hosting 2 fundraisers to help them with costs associated with their field trip to Boston:

Munsons Chocolates - Delicious treats for Easter!  Order forms will be sent home with students on Friday, January 26th.  Please be sure to check backpacks.  All orders and payments will be due back NLT Friday, February 23rd.  Chocolates will be available for pickup on Friday, March 23rd.  Additional pick up details will be announced closer to the pick up date.

Enjoy a No-Fuss Tuesday Night Delicious Dinner - Dine In or Take Out

Click here to download a copy of this flyer to print & present

Time to order the 17-18 SMS Yearbook!  
Every student is pictured along with all SMS school events.

Click here to order online or click here to download & print an order form.
Our school ID  - # 9415318

Save the Date & Book Your Babysitter!  Your invitation will be arriving soon. St. Mary's School 3rd Annual Art Show is coming soon! This year's Art Show will be from 7-10pm on Friday, March 2nd at the Silpe Gallery at The University of Hartford. This is a great adult evening out to enjoy and purchase your child's artwork. Every child in Prekindergarten thru 8th grade will have a framed piece of artwork on display and available for sale for $40 a piece.

Alumni News

Our congratulations to Mary Elizabeth Budnick, SMS Class of '12.   Mary Elizabeth has been named to Dean's list at Norwich University in Vermont.  Mary is part of the Corps of Cadets and is currently in the Army ROTC  program with a business major that focuses on sports management.

Community News

Avon Soccer Club Spring 2018 Recreational SeasonThe Avon Soccer Club offers the following programs to Avon residents:

- Soccer Stars (U5): Develop soccer skills through fun drills and friendly scrimmages led by professional coaches. This group meets on Saturdays, and teams are co-ed. For children born in 2013.
- Kindergarten Clinic (U6): Develop soccer techniques and skills and play small-sided games. Led by professional coaches, this group meets on Saturdays, and teams are co-ed. For children born in 2012.
- Intramural (U8–U14): Develop skills, learn teamwork, and enjoy a fun level of competitive play. Practice is one night per week; games are played on Saturdays, with an occasional Sunday game. For children born in 2004 (or grade 8) through 2011.

Register online at avonsoccerclub.org.
Questions? Contact avonsoccerclub@comcast.net.

News for the Week of 1/18/18

Snow Day Update - We have now had 3 snow days.  As of last week, our last day of school was tentatively scheduled for Friday, 6/15/18.  We will give Mother Nature a few weeks to show her hand before definitively moving our last day again or deciding to use either the faculty retreat day scheduled for Friday, March 9th or Easter Monday (April 2nd) as a make-up day.  Stay tuned for an announcement but please be aware when planning for summer that school may still be in session the week of June 18th depending on additional snow days.

A make up hot lunch for Wednesday, 1/17/18, will be served.  Date will be announced soon - we just need to confirm that volunteers will be available to serve a make up lunch.

The Order Period for February Hot Lunches is now open and will close at the end of the school day on Friday, 1/19/18.

All orders should be placed via the Educonnect Parent Portal. This is the only opportunity to order hot lunches for February. Payments should be sent into the office as soon as your order is placed.

Advancement News

January is Jumping at St. Mary’s School! Take the leap to learn more about the advantages of a Catholic Education! Click here to visit our website.

Take a Tour: Walk in Wednesdays, January 3rd thru January 31st - Drop in on a Wednesday anytime between 9:00am & 11:00am and see our classrooms in action. 

Sunday Open House: January 28th from 2:00pm to 4:00pm – Meet staff, faculty, current parents and students and alumni. Featuring workshops for both parents and children in coding and cursive!

Fairy Tale Fridays: Have a 3 or young 4 year old and thinking about PreKindergarten? Come in for story time and nursery rhymes from 9 to 9:45am on any Friday in January for fun activities for child accompanied by parent or caregiver and take a peek at life as a PreKindergarten student at St. Mary’s School!

For more information or to register for any of these events please contact Toni Chagnon at 860-658-9412 or tchagnon@stmarysimsbury.eduk12.net

96.5 Radio Campaign - On Monday, our radio ad began airing on 96.5FM (WTIC AM).  Many thanks to the "voice of St. Mary's" - our own Rebecca Rushin.  Click here to listen to our ad.

Open House is Almost Here!

New Open House Referral Program:  Simply share your referral family via the referral link below and include their contact information in the confidential sign up section.  The Advancement Office will invite them to the January open house.  If they attend in person, your family will receive $25 in spirit wear credit!

Click here for New Open House Referral Link

Can you help us advertise our Open House?  If you own or know of a business or community bulletin board that would post our flyer, please click here to download and print a copy.  You may also pick up a copy from Toni in the school office.

You are our best advocates and we welcome you sharing your St. Mary’s story in whatever way you can.

Catholic Schools Week News

Teacher Appreciation Week is coming soon! Each day during the week of January 29th, the HSA will need help providing food/supplies, set-up, and clean-up, and will be collecting monetary donations for gift cards and a lunch. We will also need people to make posters at home! Click here to sign up to help. Thank you!

Here are two additional ways you can help us celebrate and honor our teachers during Catholic Schools Week:

1. Write a THANK YOU letter. Let's say thank you to our amazing teachers for everything they do; by writing them a personal letter. This letter can be from the student or from the parents or both. Please make sure to send in your teacher thank you note by January 26th.

2. Publicly thank your teachers on social media channels using #uKNIGHTed. This is a great chance for parents to give our awesome teachers and staff a shout out on Facebook or Twitter. Just use #uKNIGHTed.

Mass & Family Pizza Dinner to celebrate St. Mary’s School!

Our community will celebrate our wonderful school and Catholic Schools Week on Saturday, January 27, 2018.   Please join us at the 5pm Mass and then for a pizza dinner in the parish center. Students should wear their formal uniforms to Mass but will sit with their families.

We are requesting a $10 donation per family to help defray the cost of pizza and salad.  We are also looking for help coordinating this event and for donations of disposable napkins, plates and flatware, bottled water and desserts.

Please let us know if your family will be attending and what you may be able to donate via this Sign Up Genius - Click here.

2018 Family Lunch - Pack Your Brown Bag & Join Us for Lunch!  We welcome everyone to join us for family lunch on Thursday, February 1.

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

St. Mary's Stars -#uKNIGHTEDfun4goodcause

On Monday, 1/5/18, several members of the SMS student body participated in the UCONN Skating Strides Hockey Clinic. UCONN and Hockey East Staking Strides is an initiative to promote and support breast cancer research.

Pictured from left are Marisa M, Morgan Wabick of the UCONN Women's Hockey Team, Megan D, Andrew M, Brennan S, Cece M, and Max M.

Alumni News

We congratulate several alumni from the SMS Class of '12 on recent college achievements:

We congratulate Rebecca Rienow on being named to the Dean's List at Geneva College for the fall semester.  Rebecca has also received her Letter of Induction to the Education Program.

Congratulations to Jennifer Kornacki on being named to the Dean's List at Stonehill College.  Jennifer is an accounting major. 

Congratulations to  Avery Hatch on being named to the Dean's List at Elon University for the fall semester.  This spring, Avery will begin her undergraduate research in the field of nanotechnology under the direction of her faculty mentor focusing on the enhanced chemical and physical properties of metallic materials at the nanoscale as that relates to intake pathways in the human body and possible long term health effects.

Supporting SMS

Box Tops for Education - Keep those Box Tops Coming!!!  Thanks to your clipping, the Home & School Association recently received a check for $344.30 from Box Tops for Education!  Your Box Tops may be sent into school at any time.  All homerooms have collection boxes.

Help SMS Earn Free School Supplies & Equipment with Big Y Education Express -

Big Y Education Express helps schools get FREE, much needed supplies & equipment!

• Everyone can participate! Family and friends can support SMS by signing up for Education Express.
• From February 1 through April 25, 2018, for every 500 Education Express Points earned, you get a GOLD COIN!
• Just shop Big Y and look for the participating items marked with the Education Express logo. Each item will have a point value and savings on top of that!

Click here to register for Education Express.

Community News

Click here to view the Simsbury Public Library's current newsletter.  This newsletter contains a listing of all events available at the library from January through March.