News for the Week of 1/15/20

The School Board will meet tonight - Wednesday, January 15, at 7pm in the Reading Room of the Magowan Center.  All are welcome to attend.









This Friday, January 17, will be a 12:45pm early dismissal with NO PreK Enrichment or Aftercare.  School will be closed on Monday, January 20, in observance of Martin Luther King Day.

Catholic Schools Week is Coming!  Help us Celebrate SMS & Everything Wonderful About Catholic Schools.  There'll be lots of opportunities to help make our week long celebration special for both students and teachers! 

Catholic Schools Week will begin on Sunday, 1/26/20, with Family Mass at 9:30am in the church followed by coffee in the Magowan Center.  CHOICE cards will be available for sale & credit cards can be accepted (with a processing fee). Please plan to join us.  Students will sit with their families.

Faculty Appreciation - It's been a long time tradition during Catholic School's Week to shine a thankful spotlight on our wonderful faculty and staff.  This year, there are going to be various ways you and your children can help make things special.  Please keep in mind, participation is welcome but never required. 

Gift Card donations in small increments of $5-25 are requested to be used in a faculty/staff grab bag throughout the week. Gift cards can be purchased though CHOICE and the profit percentage on these cards will be credited toward your family's CHOICE obligation.  Gift cards should be sent to the office by 1/27. There are many small denomination gift cards in the office. Contact Mrs. Howard to purchase them before January 27th. 

Letters and artwork made by the students at home to be brought in and handed to the teacher in class on Friday, January 31.

Thursday, 1/30/20,  is our annual Family Lunch.  Come & enjoy lunch with your favorite SMS student(s)!  If you did not order guest lunches via Educonnect when ordering your January hot lunches, you can still add guest meals by emailing Michelle Howard until end of day Monday, 1/27 - mhoward@stmarysimsbury.eduk12.net.  You are also welcome to bring in a brown bag or take out lunch. 

Times for Family Lunch Day are:

11:00-11:35 PreKindergarten, Kindergarten, Grades 1 & 2

11:40-12:15 Grades 3, 4 & 5

12:20-12:50 Grades 6, 7 & 8  

Students are Invited to Celebrate Catholic Schools Week from head to toe!  We are excited to announce that students can choose to wear Catholic socks any day or every day during Catholic Schools week. 

Socks in various styles can be purchased in the school office or during school lunch waves on Friday, January 24th; Monday, January 27th and Thursday, January 30th. 

Kids socks are $10 - Adult socks are $14 - Checks may be made payable to St. Mary's School with "Catholic socks" in the memo section.

St. Mary’s School is hosting its first Catholic Book Fair during Catholic Schools Week!

JClub Catholic Book Fairs is the only program of its kind run by religious sisters. The sisters of the community, the Daughters of St. Paul, have hand selected each book featured at the fair.  You can be confident that these books are fun, build character, and reinforce the lessons you're working so hard to impart!

Sample books will be available to view on Sunday, January 26th after Masses in the Magowan Center and during Catholic Schools Week Open House from 2-4pm in the Parish Center and also during Family Lunch Day on Thursday, January 30th. In the meantime, please click here to preview available titles.  Thanks in advance for your support!

Open House for Prospective Families - We will host an Open House on Sunday, 1/26/20, from 2-4pm.  This is a great opportunity for families to learn more about our wonderful school so please share this information with anyone that might be interested in learning more about us and don't forget about our Family Referral Program!

Students in Mrs. Gore's fifth grade class are working
on models of the solar system this month.

Fun for PreSchoolers is Still Underway Every Friday - 

Know a friend looking for Prekindergarten? Invite them to our Five Senses Fridays in January at 9am in our PreK classroom! All little ones should be accompanied by a parent or caregiver for this program. Free and all are welcome! In the event of a delayed opening or school cancellation, the program will be cancelled for the day. 

Invitations to the Sweetheart Masquerade Ball were sent home with all girls last week.  Please be sure to send in your RSVP card NLT Friday, January 24th!

Kids in Business - Session 2 is Coming Soon!  Kids in Business for students in grades K-8 will resume for the spring with our kickoff meeting on Monday, February 24, 2020. New club members are always welcome. The Club  will meet on 2/24, 3/9, 3/23, 4/6, and 4/20 after school from 3:45-5pm. Our sale will be during school hours on 4/22 and 4/23. Please contact Mrs. Herron at cherron@stmarysimsbury.eduk12.net to register. There is a participation fee of $10. Checks should be made payable to St. Mary's School with "Kids in Business" in the memo section.

Kids in Business - Session 1 Thank You!  The Kids in Business Club would like to thank you very much for your support during our holiday sale in December. Together we donated $430.25 of our profits to a variety of worthy charities. The recipients were: The Gary Sinise Foundation, Hydro Philanthropy (Nicaragua), Mary’s Kitty Corner, Roaring Brook Nature Center, Saint Mary’s School Annual Fund, CCMC, St Jude’s Children’s Hospital, The ASPCA, Dog Star Rescue and The Roger Williams Zoo. Thank you for helping us live our faith through service to others! 

Seventh Grade Fund Raising - Enjoy a delicious and super convenient dinner and help our 7th grade raise funds for their field trip.  Click here to download your order form.

Let CHOICE Help You Keep Your New Year's Resolutions!  Trying to keep on track with new health goals?  You can bolster your determination by making healthy food choices, making time for daily exercise that you enjoy (maybe a brisk walk?) and practicing self-care.  Gift cards from the CHOICE program and GL Scrip can help with this - Get cards to Big Y, Stop & Shop, Fitzgeralds, or Shoprite for healthy food choices, to Dicks for new walking shoes and athletic apparel and Spa Finder Wellness 265 (via GL Scrip) for a relaxing massage or facial at participating locations.

Yearbook Orders Now Being Accepted!  Don't miss a minute of memories!  The SMS yearbook contains a photo of every student along with candid photos from all major school events.  Yearbooks are $35 each and may be ordered online - click here.  You may also complete a paper order form.  Order forms were sent home earlier in the month with all students and extra order forms are available in the school office.  Our yearbook ID code is 9415320.  Please note that the order deadline is March 27, 2020 and that all yearbooks must be preordered. 

Community News





Simsbury Youth Lacrosse registration for the spring 2020 season CLOSES at midnight on January 31, 2020. SYL aims to provide a fun and exciting lacrosse experience for boys and girls of all skill levels in grades K-8. New players at all age levels are welcome. For more information and to register please click here.

Avon Wellness Center Dental Associates will provide free dental services to qualifying children* (*insurance and other restrictions apply - contact dental office for details) up to age 18 on the American Dental Association's Give Kids a Smile Day on Friday, February 7, 2020.  Appointments will begin at 8am. They are located at 100 Simsbury Road, Suite 201 in Avon.  You are encouraged to contact them at your earliest convenience to setup your appointment - 860-606-0066. 

John Rosemond - Parenting Expert -  Coming to St. Catherine’s February 22 and 23, 2020!

St. Catherine of Siena Church will be hosting nationally known author, syndicated columnist, and family psychologist John Rosemond for two seminars which will take place on February 22 and 23, 2020.  Rosemond is known for his sound advice, relaxed style and is one of America’s most sought-after public speakers. There will be 2 opportunities to hear John speak and meet him in person!

Part 1 of 2 - Parenting with Love and Leadership, February 22 from 7-8:30pm – A humorous, yet thought-provoking seminar, where Rosemond describes the contemporary parenting conundrum in clear, compelling terms and then describes a practical, tested solution using what children need adults to provide to them: Love and Leadership

Part 2 of 2 - Parenting the Strong-Willed Child: Obedience Made Easy, February 23 from 1-2:30pm – In this seminar, Rosemond outlines a virtually fail-safe formula for successful discipline of not only the child who is strong-willed, but any child. 

To register for either or both sessions, click here.

Rosemond has authored over 18 books on parenting, family life, and faith. He has been writing a nationally syndicated parenting column for over 35 years that appears in over 200 newspapers. Some of Rosemond’s books include: “The Well-Behaved Child, “Making the Terrible Twos Terrific,” and “Teen Proofing.” Rosemond’s common-sense advice has gained much credibility with today’s parents who are sick of techniques and methods that don’t work.