News for the Week of 11/28/18

Advent begins this Sunday, 12/2/18.

School Uniform Announcement - On a trial basis, Grades 6, 7, and 8 are allowed to wear gym clothes on Wednesday, their art class day, during the formal uniform season.

Hot Lunch Snow Day Makeup - We will be making up the pizza lunch from 11/16's snow day on Tuesday, 12/4. If your child ordered pizza on 11/16, they will be served it on Tuesday, 12/4.

Thank you to the volunteers who are willing to help serve!

First Trimester grades close on Friday, 11/30.  Report cards will be available on the Educonnect Parent Portal on Friday, 12/7, at the close of the school day.  Please remember that no paper copy of the report card will be sent home.

Looking Ahead to the Busy Month of December -

Formal Uniform begins for Grade 8 on Monday, 12/3/18.

Our December School Mass will be held on Tuesday, 12/4/18, at 9am in the church.  All are welcome to join us.  Please remember that no PE uniforms should be worn to Mass.

Please Join Us for a Blue Ribbon Recognition Event - We are happy to share that Archbishop Blair and several other distinguished guests will join us on Thursday, December 6, at 8:45am morning prayer in the Parish Center.  After prayer, there will be a brief presentation of our Blue Ribbon plaque and flag.  The Archbishop is also expected to pay a brief visit to our classrooms.  All are welcome to join us at this event.  There will be coffee and baked goods after the presentation for those that are able to stay and socialize.

Our Christmas Band & Chorus Concert will be held on Monday, 12/10/18, in the Parish Center.  There will be a dress rehearsal at 2pm and evening performance at 7pm.  Guests are welcome at either performance.  Mrs. Morse will provide concert and dress guidelines to band students.  Mrs. Jalinskas will provide guidelines to chorus members.  Attendance is considered mandatory if a student is a member of instrumental music/band and/or chorus.  If your family has a conflict, please contact Mrs. Williamson.  All are welcome to come and enjoy an evening of festive music.  The snow date for this concert is Monday, 1/7/19.

Lessons & Carols will be held on Monday, 12/17/18, in the church.  This beautiful retelling of the Nativity story is a beloved SMS tradition involving all students in Kindergarten- Grade 8.  Student attendance is considered mandatory.  If your family has a conflict, please contact Mrs. Williamson.  There will be a dress rehearsal at 10am and an evening presentation at 7pm.  Guests are welcome at either performance and the morning is especially suitable for preschool age siblings since it is much less crowded and easier to see the Nativity story unfold. Students in Grades 1-7 should wear their formal uniform - no sweatshirts or spirit wear.  Students in Kindergarten and Grade 8 follow dress guidelines provided by Miss Ciarcia and Mrs. Work.  The snow date for Lessons & Carols is Tuesday, 12/18/18.

School will be dismissed early at 12:45pm on Friday, 12/21/18. 
There will be NO PreK Enrichment or Aftercare.  School is CLOSED from Monday, 12/24/18 through Tuesday, 1/1/19.  School reopens for a regular, full day of school on Wednesday, 1/2/19.

CHOICE Corner - Gift cards Make Great Holiday Gifts & Charitable Contributions.  SMS Choice can help you get all your shopping done.  Click here to download a Holiday Order Form.

                                                      

Announcing a Great New Storefront- We are excited to share that St. Mary's School now has a Shutterfly storefront thanks to a new partnership between Lifetouch Photography and Shutterfly.  Any purchases made with Shutterfly or Tiny Prints through this storefront will earn 8% for SMS. Shop now for Cyber Savings up to 50% off almost everything! The sale is from November 27-29 and the promo code is listed on our site.  So, if you are creating great photo memories or putting together Christmas cards, please shop through our storefront - Click here.

Grade 8 Fundraising - 

The annual poinsettia sale is currently underway and this Thursday you can enjoy a delicious meal at Puerto Vallarta in Avon.  See below.

Last call for Poinsettias!  Poinsettia orders will be accepted through Friday, 11/30/18.

Click here to download & print order form.

Click here to download and print a flyer.

Lost & Found - Did you bake a pie for the Senior Thanksgiving luncheon in a red Emile Henry stoneware pie dish?  If so, your pie dish is waiting for you in the school office!


Community News

The Omar family enjoyed Simsbury Celebrates over Thanksgiving weekend.
There are lots of celebrations coming up - If you'd like to share a holiday memory,
please send your photo to smsoffice@stmarysimsbury.eduk12.net.

News for the Week of 11/21/18

School will be closed Thursday, 11/27, and Friday, 11/28, for Thanksgiving.

We are thankful for the gift of your family in our school community and

grateful for our opportunity to work in partnership with you.

First Trimester grades close on Friday, 11/30.  Report cards will be available on the Educonnect Parent Portal on Friday, 12/7, at the close of the school day.  Please remember that no paper copy of the report card will be sent home.

Looking Ahead to the Busy Month of December -

Formal Uniform begins for Grade 8 on Monday, 12/3/18.

Our December School Mass will be held on Tuesday, 12/4/18, at 9am in the church.  All are welcome to join us.  Please remember that no PE uniforms should be worn to Mass.

Our Christmas Band & Chorus Concert will be held on Monday, 12/10/18, in the Parish Center.  There will be a dress rehearsal at 2pm and evening performance at 7pm.  Guests are welcome at either performance.  Mrs. Morse will provide concert and dress guidelines to band students.  Mrs. Jalinskas will provide guidelines to chorus members.  All are welcome to come and enjoy an evening of festive music.  The snow date for this concert is Monday, 1/7/19.

Lessons & Carols will be held on Monday, 12/17/18, in the church.  This beautiful retelling of the Nativity story is a beloved SMS tradition involving all students in Kindergarten- Grade 8.  Student attendance is considered mandatory.  If your family has a conflict, please contact Mrs. Williamson.  There will be a dress rehearsal at 10am and an evening presentation at 7pm.  Guests are welcome at either performance and the morning is especially suitable for preschool age siblings since it is much less crowded and easier to see the Nativity story unfold. Students in Grades 1-7 should wear their formal uniform - no sweatshirts or spirit wear.  Students in Kindergarten and Grade 8 follow dress guidelines provided by Miss Ciarcia and Mrs. Work.  The snow date for Lessons & Carols is Tuesday, 12/18/18.

School will be dismissed early at 12:45pm on Friday, 12/21/18.  There will be NO PreK Enrichment or Aftercare.  School is CLOSED from Monday, 12/24/18 through Tuesday, 1/1/19.  School reopens for a regular, full day of school on Wednesday, 1/2/19.

Snow Gear Reminder - Winter has made an early start!  Please keep in mind that students wait outside each morning & go outside for recess each day unless the weather is inclement or below 20 degrees.  Children must have snowpants and boots to play in the snow.  Please be sure all winter gear is labelled with a name & encourage your children to wear their snow gear!

CHOICE Corner - Gift cards Make Great Holiday Gifts & Charitable Contributions.  SMS Choice can help you get all your shopping done.  Click here to download a Holiday Order Form.

                                                      

Announcing a Great New Storefront- We are excited to share that St. Mary's School now has a Shutterfly storefront thanks to a new partnership between Lifetouch Photography and Shutterfly.  Any purchases made with Shutterfly or Tiny Prints through this storefront will earn 8% for SMS.  So, if you are creating great photo memories or putting together Christmas cards, please shop through our storefront - Click here.

Grade 8 Fundraising - 

Last call for Poinsettias!  Poinsettia orders will be accepted through Friday, 11/30/18.

The annual poinsettia sale is currently underway and the week after Thanksgiving you can enjoy a delicious meal at Puerto Vallarta in Avon.  See below.

Click here to download & print order form.

Click here to download and print a flyer.

Supporting SMS  - As we enter a season that features a lot of grocery shopping, just a reminder that you can help SMS earn cash and/or classroom supplies if you participate in:

*   Big Y's Education Express
*   Shoprite for Education
*  Stop & Shop A+ Rewards
*  Fitzgeralds Educational Edge.

For more information about how to easily register for all these programs - click here.

Be sure to check for Box Tops on your holiday grocery items!  Box Tops may be sent
into school at any time.  All classrooms have collection boxes.

Community News

Simsbury Public Library has many events scheduled for December.  Click here.

News for the Week of 11/14/18

Veterans Day Assembly 2018

We took time on Monday to honor the service of all veterans and to thank some veterans that are part of our school family.  We were so pleased to have these honored guests present at our Veterans Day Assembly.

Mason & Gavin D., Gr. 2 with their
grandfather, Phil LaBrecque, who served
in Vietnam in the Army.

Anna S., Gr. 5,  with her dad, an Air Force Veteran

 Advancement Corner - All Are Welcome! The Advancement Committee will be meeting this Thursday, 11/15/18, in the lower church at 9am. We are getting ready for our winter community events and would love your help! See you there!  Contact Toni Chagnon for any questions or more information 860-658-9412 or tchagnon@stmarysimsbury.eduk12.net.  ** Please note that our evening meeting at 6:30 pm will not take place due to the winter weather has been forecasted to start late Thursday afternoon! 

Hot Lunch Orders for December will be accepted through this Friday, 11/16/18.  Please place all orders via Educonnect Parent Portal and send payment into the office as soon as your order has been placed.  This is your only opportunity to order hot lunches for December & no late orders can be accepted.

School Board Meeting - The School Board will meet on Tuesday, 11/20/18, at 7pm in Lower Church.  All are welcome and encouraged to attend.

Winter Weather Reminders - With the possibility of a winter storm ahead, please keep in mind that SMS follows the Simsbury public schools in regard to delayed openings, early closings and emergency closings.  If you hear that the Simsbury public schools are altering their school day due to weather SMS will be doing the same thing.  In the event of an early closing, our dismissal time is 12:45pm and there is NO PreK Enrichment or Aftercare.

 A Remind text will be sent out if the weather alters our school day and a notice will be placed on the home page of the school's website.  Please also keep in mind that students do wait outside at morning arrival and go outside for recess unless the weather is inclement or below 20 degrees.  If there is snow on the ground, students should bring snow gear for outdoor recess.






School will be dismissed early at 12:45pm on Wednesday, 11/21/18, for Thanksgiving.  There will be NO PreK Enrichment or Aftercare.  School is also closed on Friday, 11/23/18.

Senior Luncheon - Thanks to everyone who contributed to today's Senior Thanksgiving Luncheon.  This year's luncheon was particularly well attended and as always, it was a wonderful outreach to our local community of seniors.










Special thanks to Mrs. Karen Corriveau for chairing the luncheon this year.  Karen worked tirelessly to assure that we had sufficient donations and that the event would be well organized, festive and enjoyable for all. We also thank all those volunteers who donated time to setup, serve and clean up.


We are proud of our 8th grade students for their service today and thankful for the engaging entertainment provided by students in Kindergarten through grade 3.   Also a special shout out to Mr. G. and the 8th grade students that helped him organize today's parking.  Amazing job!

First Trimester grades close on Friday, 11/30.  Report cards will be available on the Educonnect Parent Portal on Friday, 12/7, at the close of the school day.  Please remember that no paper copy of the report card will be sent home.





Looking Ahead to the Busy Month of December -

Formal Uniform begins for Grade 8 on Monday, 12/3/18.

Our December School Mass will be held on Tuesday, 12/4/18, at 9am in the church.  All are welcome to join us.  Please remember that no PE uniforms should be worn to Mass.

Our Christmas Band & Chorus Concert will be held on Monday, 12/10/18, in the Parish Center.  There will be a dress rehearsal at 2pm and evening performance at 7pm.  Guests are welcome at either performance.  Mrs. Morse will provide concert and dress guidelines to band students.  Mrs. Jalinskas will provide guidelines to chorus members.  All are welcome to come and enjoy an evening of festive music.  The snow date for this concert is Monday, 1/7/19.

Lessons & Carols will be held on Monday, 12/17/18, in the church.  This beautiful retelling of the Nativity story is a beloved SMS tradition involving all students in Kindergarten- Grade 8.  Student attendance is considered mandatory.  If your family has a conflict, please contact Mrs. Williamson.  There will be a dress rehearsal at 10am and an evening presentation at 7pm.  Guests are welcome at either performance and the morning is especially suitable for preschool age siblings since it is much less crowded and easier to see the Nativity story unfold. Students in Grades 1-7 should wear their formal uniform - no sweatshirts or spirit wear.  Students in Kindergarten and Grade 8 follow dress guidelines provided by Miss Ciarcia and Mrs. Work.  The snow date for Lessons & Carols is Tuesday, 12/18/18.

School will be dismissed early at 12:45pm on Friday, 12/21/18.  There will be NO PreK Enrichment or Aftercare.  School is CLOSED from Monday, 12/24/18 through Tuesday, 1/1/19.  School reopens for a regular, full day of school on Wednesday, 1/2/19.



Athletic News - Basketball jerseys are being distributed to Varsity players this week and to JV players next week.  Only players with their participation fee paid will receive a jersey.  Please email Mr. G. with any questions.




CHOICE Corner - Gift cards Make Great Holiday Gifts & Charitable Contributions.  SMS Choice can help you get all your shopping done.  Click here to download a Holiday Order Form.

                                                     

Announcing a Great New Storefront - We are excited to share that St. Mary's School now has a Shutterfly storefront thanks to a new partnership between Lifetouch Photography and Shutterfly.  Any purchases made with Shutterfly or Tiny Prints through this storefront will earn 8% for SMS.  So, if you are creating great photo memories or putting together Christmas cards, please shop through our storefront - Click here.

Thank you to all the volunteers for generously giving your time and energy to our Book Fair. Awesome sales set us up for a larger fair next Fall!  There will also be a "BOGO" Spring Bookfair just in time to encourage summer reading.  Our very special thanks to Tricia Prausa for chairing our Book Fair events this year!

Grade 8 Fundraising -  Thanks to all who supported the Lyman Orchard Pie & Cookie Dough sale. There's two more great opportunities to help support our 8th grade.  The annual poinsettia sale is currently underway and the week after Thanksgiving you can enjoy a delicious meal at Puerto Vallarta in Avon.  See below.

Click here to download & print order form.

Click here to download and print a flyer.

Mrs. Williamson, Mrs. Gore & Emma M., Gr. 4 started the day early today at 6am bringing some food donations from our Halloween collection to Scot Haney from WFSB.  They also brought along a special Blue Knight card in honor of Scot's 20th anniversary at WFSB.

Thanks again to all that donated to the Jack Bannon
Turkey Trot.  Foodshare arrived today to pick up our donations.

News for the Week of 11/7/18

#uKnightedinPride - Just a reminder that Mrs. Williamson and Mrs. Gore are attending the Blue Ribbon Recognition Ceremony in Washington, DC this week.  This ceremony is the well deserved highlight to being named a 2018 Blue Ribbon School of Excellence.  In addition to presentations, networking, and small group discussions, awardees will attend a special awards luncheon. Following the luncheon, school representatives will go onstage, school by school, to be greeted by Program Director Aba Kumi and receive the National Blue Ribbon School flag and an engraved plaque as symbols of their success. There will be a livestream of this event on Thursday, 11/8, from 1:30-3:30pm - click here. We look forward to their return and to seeing the special plaque our school will receive.

Calendar Reminders - 

Hot Lunch Order Period for December opens on Monday, 11/12.  Orders will be accepted via the Educonnect Parent Portal through Friday, 11/16.    Please send payment in as soon as your order is complete. NO late orders can be accepted.

School will close at 12:45pm on Wednesday, 11/21 for Thanksgiving.  There will be NO PreK Enrichment or Aftercare.  School is also closed on Friday, 11/23.

There's still one more day (Thursday, 11/8) to shop at our Fall Scholastic Bookfair!  Feel free to stop by and browse the selection.  Students will be able to purchase item at lunch on Thursday before the bookfair closes.  Our very special thanks to Mrs. Prausa for all her work coordinating this year's Fall Bookfair and to the all the other volunteers who helped with the fair.

Veterans Day Assembly - We welcome all parents/guardians and all veterans to join us for a Veterans Day Assembly on Monday, November 12, in the Parish Center beginning with morning prayer at 8:45am.

Group Class Photos & Individual Make-up & Retake Photos -   Monday,  November 12th

Lifetouch will be at school on Monday, 11/12, to take group class photos for PreKindergarten - Grade 7.  All students in grades K-7 should wear their full formal uniform for the group class photo.

If your child(ren) were absent on picture day (9/10) an individual photo will be taken on 11/12 even if no portrait package is being purchased since a photo is needed for the yearbook.  If you were not satisfied with original portrait(s) taken in September, return the complete package to the photographer on retake day.  Students having an individual photo taken may bring clothing to school to change into for the photo.  School uniform should be worn to school.

Any student who did not purchase on the original day and would like to purchase a package. Order forms are available in the school office approximately one week prior to retake day  Or online at mylifetouch.com -- picture day id: EJ418008Q1.  Any questions, please call Lifetouch at 203-735-5933

Lyman Pie & Otis Spunkmeyer Cookie Dough Pick Up is Monday, 11/12.  These products all arrive FROZEN and must be picked up on Monday, 11/12.   The company specifies that pies should be refrigerated within 2-4 hours and the cookie dough should be refrigerated within 4-6 hours. Pick up will be from noon until 3:45pm in the Parish Center.  *If picking up between noon and 1:15pm, please note that you will need to park near the rectory and walk around for admission to school since the playground gate will be closed for recess.  The school does not have freezer space for items not picked up and will not be responsible for thawed items.  If you want your items sent home with your child(ren), please contact Jennifer Miller at jenmiller1002@gmail.com.  If your child(ren) ride the bus, please keep in mind what can be reasonably carried by a child who is also carrying a backpack and possibly a musical instrument. 

Students in Mrs. Gore's fifth grade worked on making models of atoms.

The annual Senior Thanksgiving Luncheon will be held next week on Wednesday, 11/14.  This annual event provides a delicious Thanksgiving meal to over 175 area senior citizens.

Thanks to all that have already signed up to donate or volunteer.  If you have not yet done so, there is still time and your help is important and needed!   Click here to access the Sign Up Geniuses that list the donations needed by grade level.   Please note that NO HOT LUNCH is served on this day since the kitchen is very busy making Thanksgiving dinner!

Athletic News - Is/Are your child(ren) playing basketball this year?  If so, have you signed up for the Athletic Department Remind? 

Please sign up for the Athletic Department Remind to receive all texts regarding the basketball program.  Please note that the Athletic Department Remind is SEPARATE from the school Remind and has to be joined separately.  All cancellations, changes and updates will go out through Remind.  To join the Athletic Department Remind:

Text @smssport to the number 81010
You will receive a welcome text from Remind.
If anyone has trouble with 81010, please try texting @smssport to (301) 200-4763.


CHOICE News -

Are you ready to shop for the most important meal of the year?  Thanksgiving is early this year - November 21!  CHOICE has cards to most area grocery stores including Big Y, Fitzgeralds, Stop & Shop, Shoprite & Whole Foods.  Or - take the family out and no one has to wash a dish!  Cards are available to the Max Group restaurants and if no one cares for pumpkin pie - there's also cards to Peachwave!

It's Time to Order Beautiful Holiday Poinsettias!  Again this year, our 8th grade is selling beautiful poinsettias to help defray costs associated with their field trip and other graduation expenses.   Click here to download & print your order form.

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.




Community News

St. Mary's Parish Christmas Youth Choir -  The Christmas Youth Choir will rehearse on three Thursdays: 12/6, 12/13, and 12/20 from 4:30 - 5:15 inside the church. All children old enough to learn the words to traditional Christmas carols are invited to participate. The choir sings prior to the 6pm Mass on Christmas Eve starting at 5:30pm. Please see Music Director, Gena Sullivan after Mass if you have any questions.