News for the Week of 2/3/16











In February, we will worship with our parish family on Ash Wednesday, 2/10/16,  in observance of the start of the holy season of Lent.  We will attend the 12:15pm parish Mass.  All are welcome.  Please remember that no physical education uniforms should be worn to Mass.






Fun in February!   Students in PreKindergarten through Grade 4 will enjoy an assembly with Zak Morgan on Monday, February 8th at 10am in the Parish Center.  Mr. Morgan is a Grammy nominated musician with a signature brand of children's music.  Click here to learn more about Mr. Morgan.









School will be closed on Monday, February 15 & Tuesday, February 16 for a long winter weekend. School is open for regular, full days from Wednesday, February 17 - Friday, February 19.






NEW Altar Server Training

Are you interested in becoming an Altar Server for Saint Mary's?
All students in 4th grade and above are invited to attend our yearly training program. There will be four training sessions on the following Saturdays from 1:30-2:30pm in the Church:
February 20, 27, March 5,12

Candidates must attend all four sessions. Please contact the Parish Office (860-658-7627or Diana Kalamarides (ServerLeader@StMarySimsbury.org) with any questions. 

Altar Serving is a great way to grow closer to God and serve our community. We hope you will consider joining us in this ministry. 






 Munson's Fundraiser!! 

The 7th Grade class invites you to participate in their Munson's Chocolates Fundraiser to benefit the class trip to Boston. A fund raiser brochure and order form were sent home with your youngest/only child earlier this week.  A couple of extra order forms are also available in the school office. All orders and payments are due NLT Friday, 2/19/16.  Pick up will be during March Parent/Teacher Conferences. Please plan to purchase your Easter candy, chocolate bunnies, and jelly beans through our fundraiser. The cost of the candy is the same price as at the local Munson's retail shop. Thank you in advance for your support!




We are SO proud of our  JVA Girls Basketball Team!  On January 30th,  Mrs. Rushin and Mr. Davis coached Teams 1 & 2 as they played against each other during halftime of the UCONN vs.University of Memphis Women's Basketball game.  The girls played a great game in front of a packed XL stadium! #SMSUnited  #KnightsVictorious





March Parent/Teacher Conferences are right around the corner!  Conferences will be held from Monday, March 7 - Wednesday, March 9.  Each of these will be a 12:45 early dismissal with NO PreK Enrichment or Aftercare.  

If you do not sign up for a conference, NO conference will be assigned for you.  If a teacher feels a conference is needed and you have not signed up, the teacher will be in touch with you to schedule a time. Click here to sign up for conferences or use the Conference Sign Up tab that appears at the top of the blog.  Thursday, March 10 and Friday, March 11 will be regular full days of school with both PreK Enrichment and Aftercare available.

The Saint Mary’s School Board Nominating Committee has started our process to identify potential school board members for next year. Potential candidates may self-nominate or be nominated by someone else. There is no requirement for board members to have children at Saint Mary’s School. We want to ensure we have the best talent serving on the board. The needs we will be looking to address for the upcoming term will include individuals with a financial or CPA background skills or individuals with skills focused on marketing, project management and strategic planning. Potential candidates must believe in and support Catholic education and be willing to serve a three year term.  If you are interested in being considered to serve on the School Board, please contact Claude Howard at claudeoh@gmail.com. In your e-mail, please include information about your Parish (Town), Occupation, if you have or had students at Saint Mary’s School and the specific talents you will make available to the board.


The 2016 Talent Show is Coming!  Mark your calendar for Wednesday, March 30th, from 6-8:30pm in the Parish Center.  Interested in sharing your talent?  Click here for a form to audition for the Talent Show.  All sign ups must be turned into Mr. Gangloff  NLT Friday, February 19th.  Students that have signed up will be auditioning between February 22 - 26.










Thanks to Everyone Who Supported our First Art Show & Wine Tasting at the Hill-Stead Museum on 1/29/16.  Our Art Teacher, Mrs. Alane Powell, helped our students create some truly spectacular artwork. We are grateful for her creative direction and inspiration!  Our Advancement Committee and Advancement Director, Mrs. Toni Chagnon, did a great job selecting a fabulous venue for this event that really showcased our students' beautiful art work.  Delicious hor d'oeuvres were provided by Mrs. Belo, Mrs. McAnaney and The Bees Knees Catering in Avon.  Beer and Wine Tasting was provided by Valley Fine Wine & Spirits.  Other sponsors included:  Whole Foods Market, The Fresh Market, Stop & Shop, Big Y Supermarkets, and Avon Prime Meats.  

If you could not attend the art show and missed the opportunity to purchase your child(ren)'s professionally framed art work, you are in luck!  Framed artwork can be ordered until this Friday, February 5th.  No orders can be accepted after 2/5/16. 





Alumni News
Congratulations to Claire Keating, SMS Class of '09, on being named to the Dean's List at Assumption College.  Adrian Hatch, also Class of '09, has been named to the Dean's List at Syracuse University's iSchool.


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