The Messenger Vol. V No. 17

"The Messenger"

December 15, 2017

Vol. V, No. 17

St. Michael's Academy

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St. Michael's Academy

What a beautiful pageant our students performed this week! It is always one of the highlights of our school year and everyone did a fantastic job on both evenings. You should all be very proud of your children. It was quite evident that a lot of hard work and practice went into the performances by both the students and their teachers. A special thank you to our volunteer musicians for sharing their talents with us and to Steve Mosier for the use of his equipment. Please find a link farther down in this newsletter to see photos from both performances.

We have one more week before the Christmas break and the students are getting excited. Please remind them that we do have to complete our work for another week but we will end the week on Friday with our sing-a-long which is always lots of fun. There is a half day of school on Friday and we will begin dismissal at 11:45 a.m. Please feel free to join us at the sing-a-long if you are able.

Peace,

Ann E. Dougal

Principal

Upcoming Dates To Remember

Please make note of these important upcoming dates:

Monday, Dec. 18, 2017 - Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2017

Holly Jolly Christmas Store!

Conference Room

Monday, December 18, 2017 at 9:30 a.m.

Grade 1 Grandparent Event

Christmas Traditions

Wednesday, December 20, 2017 at 9:30 a.m.

Grade 3 Grandparent Event

Drumming Recital - Gymnasium

Friday, December 22, 2017 at 10 a.m.

Christmas Sing-a-long

Gymnasium - All are welcome!

HALF DAY OF SCHOOL - Dismissal begins at 11:45 a.m.

Please remember to attend Church as a family.

The Fund For SMA

The Fund for SMA Challenge!

"The Sky's the Limit"

We have some exciting news! For every NEW GIFT, every LAPSED DONOR GIFT, and every INCREASED GIFT, St. Michael's Academy will receive a MATCHING GIFT in its entirety. This matching donation is made possible through the kindness of an anonymous donor ! This means your gift will have twice as much value!

This is an incredible opportunity for our school! Please help us by making your contribution today. Every donation, no matter the amount, goes a long way in helping our school meet the needs of our students!

Need Help!
Holly Jolly Store Needs Help! We need a few more "elves" for the Holly Jolly Christmas Store on Wednesday, 12/20 for both the morning and the afternoon! Please check your schedules and see if you might be able to help for an hour or two. There is a lot of work that goes into providing a store for the children to shop at. Help us help them buy and give gifts!

Perfect Attendance

Good Attendance Pays Off !

Congratulations to our perfect attendance dress-down winners! In order to qualify for the weekly drawing, a student must have no absences, tardiness or early dismissals the previous week of school. We select one from PreK - 2nd grade, one from 3rd - 5th grade and one from 6th - 8th grade. Congrats to this week's winners!

Jordan - Gr. KB Jordyn - Gr. 5B

Elizabeth - Gr. 6C

From The Classroom of Ms. Lefebvre - Grade 6

News From Ms. Lefebvre

Hello! My name is Miss Allison Lefebvre. I am new to St. Michael's Academy this year. I attended private schools from preschool through tenth grade, and I am happy to be back within the Diocese.

This year, my ELA (English, Language, Arts) students and I have been focusing on elevating our vocabulary. Each week, we begin a new vocabulary lesson consisting of a set of ten vocabulary words. We practice using our vocabulary words in both written and oral forms of communication throughout the week. Students are always encouraged to use our current and previous vocabulary words in everyday communication.

Towards the end of the week, we usually play interactive games using our vocabulary words to prepare for assessments. Last week, we played Pictionary using our current words from lesson 8. Pictured below are some energetic scenes of the game!

I am looking forward to a wonderful year, and I am eager to see just how many vocabulary words we will learn this year!

Wishing you a Merry Christmas!

Miss Lefebvre

Christmas Pageant

Two Beautiful Performances!

If you attended the Christmas Pageant on the first night or the second night or both nights, you had to walk away with a wonderful feeling of Christmas spirit and grace. All of the students did a great job reenacting the nativity story with reverence and respect. Thank you to all who helped to make this year's pageant a fantastic success.

Happy Birthday Jesus...the time is swiftly approaching!

To view photos from both performances, please click here.

Kindergarten
Let It Snow! What's that you say...let it snow? That's just what Mrs. Santos's kindergarten students said this week when they MADE their own snow! The students had a blast creating things and playing with their snow. The best part was that it didn't melt!

Indoor Recess
Indoor Recess Can Still Be Fun! Students in Mrs. McQuade's 5th grade class haven't let a little rain outside keep them from having a fun recess!

Tuition Assistance Gala
The Inaugural Tuition Assistance Gala

School Safety
There's A New Stop Sign In Town! Old habits are hard to change so we wanted to call attention to a new stop sign on the corner of WHEELER AND ARVILLA. If you travel this way for pick up or drop off, please take note!! Also, please notice that this creates a four-way stop on this corner. Safety first!

Prayer Corner

St. Michael the Archangel, pray for us!

We pray for all St. Michael's Academy students, families, faculty, and staff, and their special intentions:

Joyce Rosen
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Pafumi
Frank Valley
Emily boyce
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Hall

And we pray in a special way for all of our recently departed.

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Food For Thought
"You never go away from us, yet we have difficulty in returning to You. Come, Lord, stir us up and call us back. Kindle and seize us. Be our fire and our sweetness. Let us love. Let us run." - St. Augustine

Parish News

St. Patrick's - Springfield

Christmas with The Dan Kane Singers

Sunday, December 17th

at 2 p.m. (doors will open 1 p.m.)

Tickets are not required, however a goodwill offering

is gratefully accepted.

For more information, contact the Parish Office @ (413) 783-6201

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St. Cecilia's - Wilbraham

SAVE THE DATE!

The Saint Cecilia Children and Adult Choirs will present their annual Festival of Carols in the Church on Sunday, December 17 at 7 p.m. The program will feature Advent and Christmas favorites that are sure to fill you with the spirit of the season.

Admission to the concert is free! A free-will offering will be taken.

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