News for the Week of 10/10/18

Our official 2018 National Blue Ribbon School Certificate!

Click here to read the Simsbury Patch's announcement of our Blue Ribbon Award!

Hot Lunch Order Period for November is OPEN now through Friday, October 12 - The hot lunch order period for November opened on Monday, October 8.  Orders will be accepted through Friday, October 12.  All orders must be placed via the Educonnect Parent Portal.  Payment should be sent in promptly when your order is placed.  This is your only opportunity to order hot lunch for November.  No late orders can be accepted.

Walk-In Wednesdays are here! - Families interested in learning more about SMS are invited to drop in any Wednesday morning that school is open in October.  If you know someone who would like to get to know more about us, please encourage them to drop by and be sure to register for our Family Referral Program!  Your support of our school is greatly appreciated.

We will also be hosting an Open House for Prospective Families on Tuesday, November 6th.  Interested families are invited to drop in at any time during our school day or to attend our evening event that will begin at 6pm in the Parish Center.  An RSVP to the school office is appreciated but not required.

Please help spread the word about our 2018 Blue Ribbon School! Do you live, or own a business on a busy street that would be good for a lawn sign? Do you know some good public venues that will allow flyers to be hung up? Click here to sign up for a lawn sign and/or flyers advertising our upcoming Open House on Tuesday, November 6th!  

VEX ROBOTICS ARE HERE!

Parent/Teacher Conferences are Coming - Our Fall Parent/Teacher Conferences for students in

grades K-8 will be held on Wednesday, 10/24, Thursday, 10/25, and Friday, 10/26.  Each of these days will be a 12:45pm Early Dismissal. Since PreK will not have conferences at this time, there will be PreK Enrichment available on these days BUT there will be NO AFTERCARE.  Click here to access the sign-up geniuses for conferences.  Both SMS Spirit wear & Choice cards will be available for sale in the school office during conferences.

Annual Lyman Pie & Otis Spunkmeyer Cookie Dough Fund Raiser is underway!  

Just in time for the holidays, our Home & School Association is selling frozen Lyman Pies & Otis Spunkmeyer Cookie Dough.  Order forms were sent home with all students on Friday, October 5th but can also be downloaded.  All orders and payments must be returned to the school office no later than Friday, October 19th.  Checks should be made payable to St. Mary's HSA.  Orders may also be placed online - click here.  Pies & cookie dough will be available for pickup on Monday, 11/12/18, 1-4pm in the Parish Center.  Please note - all products arrive frozen and must be picked up on 11/12.  The school does not have freezer space for products that are not picked up and will not be responsible for products that thaw.

Just in Time for Holiday Celebrations & Giving -- Again this year, Yankee Candle Fundraising is helping us raise money to support our instrumental music program including the FMI Recorder program in grade 3.  Shop now for the best selection of holiday items.  Click here and then enter our group number - 999977285 - where requested under "Start Shopping".  All products will ship directly to your home.

CHOICE Corner - Celebrate our Blue Ribbon School of Excellence Award with dinner (or lunch) out.  The CHOICE box has gift cards available to Max Group restaurants, Chili's, Chipotle, Little City,  or Panera.  Even more great restaurants are available via GL Scrip.  Click here to discover more choices!

Scholastic Fall Bookfair is Less than a Month Away! 

Reading for pleasure unlocks the power of information and imagination and helps children discover who they are. Here’s what you can do to help children develop stronger reading skills and a love for reading:

·   Set the example. Let children see you read.

·   Have a collection of books in your home. Update this collection routinely to keep up with changing tastes and reading skills.

·   Support our school’s Book Fair. Allow your children to choose their own books to read.

Our Scholastic Book Fair is a reading event that brings the books kids want to read right into our school. It’s a wonderful selection of engaging and affordable books for every reading level. Please make plans to help and visit our Book Fair and be involved in shaping your child’s reading habits.

Book Fair dates: Saturday, November 3rd - Thursday, November 8th

Click here for Volunteer Sign Up.

"Every Brick Has A Memory To Share"
Sponsor a brick for our new St. Mary Courtyard
Don’t miss out on personalizing your brick for the new St. Mary Courtyard.

Click to listen why Greta and Noelle sponsored their brick.  Sponsor yours today. Click here to learn more and order your brick.

2018 Altar Server Training for New Servers -New altar servers are needed at Saint Mary’s Church and School. Are you interested in joining this wonderful ministry? Classes will meet on Saturdays, time to TBD, on October 20th, 27th, and November 10th. All children in 4th grade or above are invited to join us. You must RSVP by email to Sheila Garilli, altar server coordinator, via email at ServerLeader@StMarySimsbury.org





Community News

Gently Used Clothing, Shoes & Accessories Needed!  Again this year, we will be collecting
gently used clothing( all seasons), shoes, handbags, accessories, jewelry, jackets and coats (infant/youth/teen clothing especially needed) for the St. Ann's Clothing Sale.  Items may be brought into school from Thursday, 10/18 - Friday, 10/26/18 and put into the donation bin that will be located near the faculty mailboxes.  The Clothing Sale will be held on November 2 &3 and benefits the St. Ann Scholarship Program which provides partial tuition support for Hartford students attending area Catholic high schools. Begun in 1979, the program has helped over 100 young people get their high school diplomas in a safe, supportive and spiritual environment.