News for the Week of 2/11/15




It doesn't quite seem possible, but last week on Thursday, we celebrated our 100th
day of school!  Students in Mrs. Jehning's first grade class created drawings that showed themselves
as they are today and as they think they will be at 100.




February Calendar Reminders  


School is closed Monday, 2/16 & Tuesday, 2/17 for a long Winter Weekend.  School reopens on Wednesday, 2/18, for a regular full day and the remainder of that week is a regular school week.

Ash Wednesday, 2/18/15 - We will join with our Parish family and begin the Lenten season at the 12:15pm Parish Mass.  All are welcome and encouraged to join us.  Please remember that no physical education uniforms should be worn to Mass.


Snow Day Calendar Changes -  We have now had 4 snow days.  Our one "built-in" snow day was used this week on Monday, 2/9. Our schedule for snow day makeups is as follows:

Monday, April 6, 2015 - School will be OPEN for a regular full day of school with PreKindergarten Enrichment and Aftercare available.  This is Easter Monday and was planned as a day off on our original school calendar .

Wednesday, June 10, 2015 & Thursday, June 11, 2015- School will be OPEN FOR A REGULAR FULL DAY of school with PreKindergarten Enrichment and Aftercare available. 

Friday, June 12, 2015 - This is now our TENTATIVE last day of school and will be a 12:45pm EARLY DISMISSAL WITH NO PREKINDERGARTEN ENRICHMENT OR AFTERCARE.

If we should have additional snow days, they will be added to our days in June and only the last day will be a 12:45pm early dismissal.


HOT LUNCH MAKEUPS -  The hot lunch scheduled for Monday, 2/9/15, will be served this Thursday, 2/12/15.  The hot lunch that was scheduled for January 12th (yes, that was also a snow day), will be served on Tuesday, 2/24.



March Parent/Teacher Conferences will be here before you know it!  This year, our March Parent/Teacher Conferences are scheduled for Monday, 3/16 - Thursday, 3/19.  Each of these days will be a 12:45pm Early Dismissal and there will be NO PREKINDERGARTEN ENRICHMENT OR AFTERCARE.  Click here to sign up for conferences.  A conference is strongly encouraged for all students but unlike the Fall conferences, no appointments will be scheduled for you if you do not sign up on your own.  If you do not sign up for a conference and your child's teacher feels one is necessary, you will be contacted by the teacher.


Yearbook 2015 - Your photos are needed!  The SMS Yearbook is a very special keepsake.  It features photos of every student at SMS and many candid shots from the year's activities, athletic events and clubs.  If you have photos from this year's activities, please upload them now!  Photos may be uploaded at community.lifetouch.com.  The password/access code for our school is - WXBRRX (Please note, this is case sensitive.  Use all capital letters.)  Please note that up to 5 images may be uploaded at a time.  Your photos will be accepted until the end of March.  Please be sure that photos are identified by activity and/or grade and include teacher and or student names.

Team & Club Photos for 2014-15 Yearbook - Team, club and activity group photos along with grade 8 superlative photos will be taken by a Lifetouch Photographer on Wednesday, 2/18/15, in the morning.  All students that participate in a team sport or club should plan accordingly.  Since this date is Ash Wednesday and we will be attending Mass at 12:15pm with our parish family, all students should wear their formal uniform to school.  

Members of the Basketball teams may bring their jersey to wear over the uniform for the photo, 
Members of the Soccer team will be provided with a jersey by Mr. Gangloff to wear for the photo.
Members of the Cross Country and/or Track team should plan to wear their track jackets for the photo.
Other team sports, including spring sports which will have sign ups announced later this week,  should plan to wear either their PE shirt over the formal uniform or an SMS sweatshirt for the photo.
Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts may wear their scout uniforms on this day for this photo.  The scout uniform is permissible for Mass.
Altar servers, chess club, ski &snow board club, cadet and advanced bands, and chorus will all have their photos taken in formal uniform.
Mrs. Gillen will provide Grade 8 students with directives regarding props for superlative photos.

Please note that if a student forgets to bring a team jersey, they will have their photo taken in their formal uniform - no calls home for forgotten items.  Thank you for your understanding.


Tired of Winter?  Ready to plan for Spring?  Save the Date for the annual "Fairway to Heaven" Golf Tournament - May 18, 2015 at the Hopmeadow Country Club in Simsbury.  Golf and Tennis during the day, followed by a dinner at the club that evening. Click here for more information.

Internet Accountability - Do you have concerns about your child(ren)'s on-line activities or the amount of time they spend "on-line", about what websites they may be accessing or what they may inadvertently be exposed to while conducting internet searches?  Have you wondered if you need to be doing more to monitor your child(ren)'s internet activity?  All parents are encouraged to fully explore the options for internet filtering and parental controls available from their internet providers but we would also like to make you aware of an additional fee based service from CovenantEyes.  For more information, click here or call 1-877-720-8000.  Please note that this information is being provided only as a potentially helpful resource but is not required by or endorsed by St. Mary's School.

Home & School Association News
Is a strong bond between our School and the Parish important to you? Do you want to help keep a vibrant community within SMS?  Then consider a position on the Home & School Board.  The HSA Nominating Committee is currently looking for people to fill the positions of President (or Co-President), Vice President (or Co-Vice President), Corresponding Secretary and Recording Secretary.  Together, the team coordinates events that strengthen the relationship between the Parish and the School communities such as the Fall Festival, Senior Luncheon, the SMS Auction, additional fundraising events and activities throughout Catholic Schools Month, to name a few. The Board also conducts monthly meetings with members of the school administration and School Board, along with interested parents from the School. Please consider being part of an organization that does so much for our community. If you are interested, please contact Noreen Kuziak, Nominating Chair, at 860-416-7662 or  nkuziak@comcast.net  OR Deb Poniatowski at 860-916-1335 or  lakewinnie@comcast.net

St. Mary's Parishioners Needed!
St. Mary's Parish is in the process of creating a new Parish Photo Directory.
This is where they need your assistance. They are looking for people to assist with the check in process prior to photos being taken. The following is the date and time span which volunteers are needed: Wednesday, March 4, 2015, from 4:00PM until 9:00 PM. Please consider signing up for any available time slot(s).  Click here to sign up.


Box Tops for Education -Collection contest continues until February 20.  The teacher of the winning class will receive $50 for classroom extras.  Please send Box Tops into homeroom teachers.  Please check the expiration date since expired Box Tops are not accepted.  This contest is open to all grades PreKindergarten - Grade 8.  Questions should be directed to Scott Sirianni at scottmary99@aol.com.

Community News


Valentines Night - Kids Night In, Parents Night Out

Fundraiser for Sam Spak’s Eagle Project to benefit Mercy Shelter & Housing in Hartford. Sam is an SMS Alum, Class of '12, and is currently a junior at Northwest Catholic High School and belongs to Troop 175 in Simsbury.

Professional Babysitters, Boy Scouts and Mom Helpers to watch the kids in the St. Mary's Parish Center
Saturday, February 14th, 5:30 to 10:00pm, Games, Movie, Food and Fun to be Provided. 
                           $20 per child/ $50 per family.
Reserve a Spot – Sam Spak 860-214-7027 or Terry Spak 860-214-7360, Email huntspak@cox.net




EmoticonEmoticon