“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling.” (Psalm 46:1-3)
Perhaps there has never been a better time to delve deeply into the stories and prayers of Holy Week. Visit the St. Mary's Church website homepage for Staying Connected Through the Word. Once on the homepage, you may need to scroll down a bit to access the daily service. Each service is approximately 15 minutes and includes the readings for the day, a brief homily, and an opportunity for Spiritual Communion. Our thanks to our Pastor, Monsignor Matera, for making this resource available to us. The parish's website also has a special section that provides information and spiritual resources during this time. Click here.
As directed by Governor Lamont, St. Mary's School will be CLOSED from 3/16/20 through at least 4/20/20. At this time, the School Office is closed but emails are being checked regularly.
Today - Wednesday, April 8 - was our final day of distance learning until after our April break. Tomorrow, April 9, is Holy Thursday and April 10 is Good Friday - there will be NO distance learning on either of these days as we all prepare for Easter. Next week, April 13-17, will be our April break. Rest, relax catch up on assignments if need be, but there will be no planned schooling during the break.
We must understand that the situation is fluid and does change. If we are closed beyond April 20, distance learning will resume.
Thanks to all for the efforts you are making at home to help your children, our students, navigate the new world of distance learning. Many of you are doing this while also working from home or caring for younger siblings or both! Please note that teachers are committed to being available to our students and responding to questions and concerns promptly. With that in mind, please keep in mind that emails received after 4pm may not receive a response until the following day and that our teachers will also be using the April break as a time to rest, recharge and focus on their families. We are confident that working together, with patience and persistence and #uKnighted in our faith, we can all continue to learn and grow despite these uncertain times.
Attendance Policy During Distance Learning - If distance learning extends past April 20 and your child(ren) is/are unable to participate in distance learning because of illness (or other cause), please send an email to: HOffice@stmarysimsbury.eduk12.net, smsoffice@stmarysimsbury.eduk12.net and your child(ren)'s homeroom teacher. Please make note if the absence is due to illness or another cause. Since it is our intention that these days can be counted as days of school completed, it is important that we continue to maintain our attendance records.
Health Office News - During this period of distance learning our school nurse, Kim Tyrrell will be working from home and checking email during regular school hours. Please send email to HOffice@stmarysimsbury.eduk12.net. Nurse Tyrrell is also available via telephone on scheduled school days for any questions or concerns involving a current medical condition which may be impacting your child’s ability to attend to distance learning.
Call Kim Tyrrell at (860) 856-6811 from 10am-12noon on scheduled school days. NOTE - This is a temporary contact number established for the distance learning period only. Nurse Tyrrell will respond within 24 hours to parent concerns and questions.
In the event of a medical emergency contact 911
Immediate medical concerns contact your physician
Questions and concerns related to COVID-19 please call 211
Additional online resources:
School nurse follow-up with parents regarding completion of any outstanding State of CT mandated physical exams for 6th grade students has been deferred until further notice. Health forms for next year's enrollment may be mailed to school to the Health Office's attention.
We encourage all to follow us on Facebook (St. Mary's School) and Instagram (smssimsburyknights). DID YOU KNOW? IF YOU CHOOSE NOT TO HAVE ACCOUNTS ON SOCIAL MEDIA, OUR POSTS ARE STILL AVAILABLE TO YOU ON OUR PUBLIC FACEBOOK PAGE. Simply click here or on the Facebook icon that appears to the right of this blog post. Students (and parents/guardians) are encouraged to join us for Morning Prayer each day and Facebook GoodKNIGHT stories are airing nightly at 7pm! Mrs. Gore is sharing a chapter read aloud at 8pm! Keep an eye out for fun posts from Mr. G. that will keep you moving!
Do you have photos of distance learning in progress? We'd love to see and share some photos of our students hard at work at home. Share on Facebook & Instagram or send emails to smsoffice@stmarysimsbury.eduk12.net and kwork@stmarysimsbury.eduk12.net.
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| Ashlynn in "Science Class" |
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| Sara showed her school spirit with this great drawing! |
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| Erick is hard at work - making Mrs. Janaskie proud! |
2020-21 Family Enrollment Forms and Fees should be mailed to school. Please keep in mind that the Family Enrollment Forms and Fees were requested to be returned by March 27th. If you have not already sent yours in, please do so at your earliest convenience. Mail is being picked up and processed on a periodic basis. Having this enrollment information helps us get the 2020-21 school year off to a good start:)
Tuition Assistance Applications - Families applying for any form of tuition assistance - Click here to review types of assistance available and instructions for SMARTAID application. Please note that all SMARTAID applications must be completed no later than Friday, April 24, 2020.
#uKnighted & Growing! Even though the school office is closed, we are still accepting applications for new students for the 2020-21 school year. Our new full day PreK for older 4's and young 5's is filling up fast! So, if you know someone who has been thinking about Catholic School for their children or maybe has been impressed with the success of our distance learning program and would like to learn more about our community, please encourage them to contact Toni Chagnon at tchagnon@stmarysimsbury.eduk12.net for an information packet or have them download and complete an application form and mail it to school. If you do encourage someone to apply, be sure to take advantage of the Family Referral Program.
A Chance to Spread Cheer - Just a reminder that Mrs. Mortillaro is working with the Senior Center and needs help from our students in the form of hand made cards and drawings to spread good wishes for health and happiness to local senior citizens. Mrs. Mortillaro has placed
a Rubbermaid type box at the north parking lot entrance to the school, where we enter school each day, under the overhang (in case of rain). She will pick up any cards from there each Wednesday morning at 9:00, and bring them to the Senior Center, so they can be delivered with their Wednesday lunches to the seniors. If you are looking for a way to help someone else at this time, this is a great and fun way to do it. Mrs. Mortillaro will be checking the box every week! If there are ten cards in the box, or even just one each week, they will find there way into someone’s home and bring joy. You can sign the cards with your first name, or just a friend from St. Mary School. Thanks for being messengers of hope and happiness!
CHOICE News - Families with students in grades K-8 are reminded that participation in CHOICE is part of the annual tuition obligation. CHOICE purchases made through April 30 will be applied to this year's CHOICE commitment. Purchases made after April 30 will be applied to next year's CHOICE obligation. Our CHOICE program coordinator, Michelle Howard, is currently preparing the final statements for this year. These will be sent out soon. While the school office is closed, everyone is encouraged to use GL Scrip's online order system to purchase downloadable "e cards" for vendors, especially restaurants and on-line merchants like Amazon, Chili's, Chipotle, Olive Garden, Lands End, LL Bean, Bath & Body Works, Barnes & Noble, that may have delivery or pick up available for take out orders or who can ship your order to you. When ordering "cards" from GL Scrip be very careful to only order downloadable cards at this time since there is no one in the office to receive any physical cards that GL Scrip might try to send us to deliver to you. Click here for more information on GL Scrip's Presto Pay or, if you prefer, there is also a credit card option for payment for these "ecards". You may also opt out of CHOICE by sending in a check for your family's commitment made payable to SMS Choice with opt-out in the memo section. Please include the school year to which the opt out payment should be applied.
Memorare with Mrs. Williamson - Even though we are physically apart, our community remains #uKnighted in faith and love and in our devotion to our Blessed Mother. Click here to join Mrs. Williamson in community prayer.
Below is an additional prayer shared by the Connecticut Catholic Public Affairs Conference:
PRAYER FOR INNER PEACE AND STRENGTH
O Lord,
Your life in me brings stillness to my turmoil.
Your life in me brings clarity to my confusion.
Your life in me brings wisdom to my worry.
Your life in me brings contentment to my striving.
Your life in me brings gentleness to my anger.
Your life in me brings patience to my panic.
Your life in me brings hope to my suffering.
Your life in me brings faith to my frustration.
Your life in me brings such heavenly treasure into my heart
And enables me to navigate a peaceful path.
In you I find strength for my journey.
SCRIPTURE READING FOR INNER PEACE AND STRENGTH
"Don't worry about anything, but pray about everything. With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God. Then, because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand. And this peace will control the way you think and feel." - Philippians 4:6-7 (CEV)
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| Thanks to Lizzie & her family for this "Sharing the Caring" message. |
Staycation - This year's April break challenges all of us to find ways to creatively have fun while staying safely at home! Click here for some great ideas for fun in the yard. If you choose to create a dinosaur, fairy, truck or other themed garden space, we hope you'll share a picture with us. Emails can be sent to smsoffice@stmarysimsbury.eduk12.net & kwork@stmarysimsbury.eduk12.net
Community News
The Connecticut March for Life is now the Connecticut Login for Life. Click here for more information and to register for the one hour webinar on 4/15/20 at 12noon.
A Chance to Spread Cheer - Just a reminder that Mrs. Mortillaro is working with the Senior Center and needs help from our students in the form of hand made cards and drawings to spread good wishes for health and happiness to local senior citizens. Mrs. Mortillaro has placed a Rubbermaid type box at the north parking lot entrance to the school, where we enter school each day, under the overhang (in case of rain). She will pick up any cards from there each Wednesday morning at 9:00, and bring them to the Senior Center, so they can be delivered with their Wednesday lunches to the seniors. If you are looking for a way to help someone else at this time, this is a great and fun way to do it. Mrs. Mortillaro will be checking the box every week! If there are ten cards in the box, or even just one each week, they will find there way into someone’s home and bring joy. You can sign the cards with your first name, or just a friend from St. Mary School. Thanks for being messengers of hope and happiness!
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