News for the Week of 1/10/18

Calendar Updates - Lots of Important Updates This Week!

School will be closed on Monday, 1/15/18, in observance of Martin Luther King Day.

There is NO PE Club this week (1/10 or 1/11).  If you have already paid for January, you will be credited for a session in February.  To receive Mr. G's texts regarding changes to PE Club and other athletic activities - 
On your iPhone or Android phone,open your web browser and go to the following link:

rmd.at/smssport

Follow the instructions to sign up for Remind. You’ll be prompted to download the mobile app. -
rmd.at/smssport .  Follow the directions to join SMSATHLETICS with your:
Full Name
First and Last Name
Phone Number or Email Address
(555) 555-5555
OR
Text the message @smssport to the number 81010.  If you’re having trouble with 81010, try
texting @smssport to (301) 200-4763.

Important Note - This SMSATHELTICS Remind Group is separate and distinct from the general school remind community.  To receive Mr. G's texts, you must join the SMSATHLETICS group as directed above.  This information was originally shared in this blog in November.

The date for the Northwest Catholic Jazz Band & Singers' Visit has been changed to Thursday, 1/25/18, from 9-10:30am.  All are invited to the 9am performance in the Parish Center.

The date for this year's Art Show has been changed.  Originally scheduled for Friday, February 23rd, the event will now take place on Friday, March 2nd, at the Slipe Gallery at the University of Hartford's Art School.

Snow Day Makeups Have Changed Our Tentative Final Day of School -  At this time, we have had 2 snow days and our final day of school has been moved to Friday, 6/15/18.  Wednesday, 6/13/18, and Thursday, 6/14/18, will both be regular full days of school.  Friday, 6/15/18, will be a 12:45pm early dismissal with no PreK Enrichment or Aftercare.  NOTE - If we have additional snow days, our last day of school will change again.

There is no change to the date for 8th grade graduation.  Graduation is scheduled for Friday, 6/8/18.

The End of Year Kindergarten Prayer Service has been rescheduled for Thursday, 6/14/18, at 9am in the Church.  This date may change again if there are additional snow days.

It has been necessary to reschedule the dates for our Spring Scholastic Bookfair.  Spring Bookfair is now scheduled for Tuesday, 5/29/18 - Friday, 6/1/18.  Additional details will follow later this Spring.

Outdoor Recess - It's SNOW much fun!Temperatures have finally soared past 20 degrees and the wind is not blowing!
Please remember to send your child(ren) with full snow gear - including
boots & snowpants so that they can enjoy the snow!

The Open Order Period for February Hot Lunches will begin on Monday, 1/15/18.  The Open Order Period 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.




School Board Meeting - The School Board will meet on Wednesday, 1/17/18, at 7pm in the lower church.  All are invited to attend.




Upcoming Virtus Sessions - Anyone wishing to volunteer at school must complete Virtus training.  There is a training next week in our area:

St. Brigid in West Hartford on Wednesday, 1/17/18, at 3pm

To register for this session, click here and then on "First Time Registrant".

Catholic Schools Week News

Teacher Appreciation Week is coming soon! Each day during the week of Jan. 29th, the HSA will need help providing food/supplies, set-up, and clean-up, and collecting monetary donations for gift cards and a lunch. We will also need people to make posters at home! Keep your eyes out for a Sign Up Genius in the coming week, and think about how you’d like to contribute. If you’d like to help coordinate this event, please contact Mrs. Williamson. Thank you!

Mass to celebrate St. Mary’s School! At the 5:00pm Mass on Saturday, Jan. 27th, Fr. Matera will celebrate Mass in honor of our school. The whole school and their families are invited, and then there will be a pizza party for all of the SMS families in the Parish Center. If you are interested in coordinating or assisting with this event, please contact Mrs. Williamson. The HSA will also be looking for volunteers for set-up, serving, and clean-up. Sign Up Genius coming soon.

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

Come Grow With Us - In conjunction with the launch of our Come Grow With Us campaign, we are excited to share our new open house referral program and our new open house format. 

Our next open house is scheduled for January 28, 2018!

 …a new format, a new day, a new experience!  

Be rewarded for referring prospective families to the January Open House.

New Day:  Sunday afternoon, 1/28/18, from 2 - 4pm instead of a weeknight

New Format: New voluntary break-out sessions for prospective families to sign up and attend. Break out sessions include cursive handwriting and Dot & Dash coding.

New Experience:  More interaction, more visually stimulating/hands-on activities, more time showcasing our uniqueness real time with integrated use of technology

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.

Check Us Out on SCTV!  Our St. Mary's School interview with State Representative (and SMS alum) John Hampton is currently live on YouTube!   Click here. Throughout the month of January, our program will also broadcast periodically on SCTV channels.  Click here for specific programming information.

This is just a sample of what's available in the SMS Spirit Shop!
Visit the Sign Up Genius to see all the products available!

Spirit Wear Shop is Always Open!  Visit the new Spirit Wear Sign Up Genius to browse the shop and place your order.  You can even pay online!  Click here to visit the shop.

Moms in Prayer will be meeting on the following Wednesdays from 8:30-10am in the Lower Church Library - 2/21, 3/21, 4/25 and 5/23.  If you have questions about Moms in Prayer, please contact Christine Sinopoli at  christineds1213@yahoo.com or text (860)558-9868.   Children are welcome.

Lost & Found is FULL to the Brim - Our current Lost & Found collection features several pairs of gloves, a navy blue L.L. Bean jacket - child size large, a lightweight hooded black jacket, adult size medium and several cardigans, pullovers and sweatshirts along with a few winter hats and miscellaneous other items.  Please encourage your children to check the bin outside the school office if you are missing any items.  Items not claimed by Friday, 1/19/18, will be donated to charity.