"The Messenger"


    April  12 , 2019
    Vol. VI, No. 33

St. Michael's Academy
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Well, we made it!  And we ended on a strong note!  Our eighth graders portrayed the Stations of the Cross in a most moving way today.  They certainly set the tone for all of us as we enter into Holy Week.

May you all enjoy a meaningful Holy Week and a blessed and joyful Easter!

Enjoy your spring vacation!

Peace and God's blessing,

Ann E. Dougal

  Important Dates
 
Please Make A Note Of These Important Dates 


Banking every Wednesday
Violin every Thursday
4th Grade Chorus every Wednesday

Friday, April 12, 2019 
REPORT CARDS DISTRIBUTED

April 15, 2019 through April 19, 2019
SCHOOL VACATION

HAPPY E
A ST ER!


Please remember to attend Church as a family

  Catholic Identity
 
Living Stations of the Cross

You could hear a pin drop as the powerful presentation of "The Living Stations of the Cross" filled the altar of the church today.

Our 8th grade students portrayed this reenactment with dignity, humility and grace.  There are few words to describe how moving this portrayal was, as everyone in attendance could attest to.

Thank you to our 8th grade students and to our teachers who provided the necessary guidance for such a meaningful event.






From The Classroom of Ms. Dunn - Science

Science Happenings

Hello!  My name is Miss Dunn and I am the new 6th and 7th grade science teacher. 

It has been exciting to be working with the students of St. Michael's Academy for the last couple of months. In grade 7, we have been learning about the human anatomy and physiology. In grade 6, we have been working on weather and climate.

One of our more recent projects with the 7th grade has been our unit on the Circulatory System. Students were able to visually draw and label the parts of the heart. They colored the heart based on the oxygenated and deoxygenated blood flow through the heart. Then they labeled the different one-way valves and arteries to the heart. Lastly the students labeled the right atrium, left atrium, septum, left atrium, and left ventricle. They went on to label the main organs that are involved in the circulatory system: blood, blood vessel and heart. 

That will lead us into the Respiratory System where the students will learn how the blood becomes oxygenated in the body. Looking forward to a great rest of the school year!






 Thank You!

SMA Volunteers Busy Sewing 

And speaking of The Living Stations, you may have noticed some new, beautiful costumes this year.  We have a fantastic team of volunteers who spent hours creating these masterpieces!

We send our heartfelt thanks to:

Ashley Duplessis
Diane Sitnik
Christina Sitnik
Angela Santos
Phyllis Lund
Michelle Clark
Amanda Alves
Kerri Falvo
Judy  Shea
Melinda McQuade
Irma  Luna-Cartagena
Catherine Glennon
Nicole Enderlin  
Katie Tivnan
and Eileen Cusick who donated lots of fabric!

Many of these volunteers were up until 3:30 a.m. one evening trying to finish the costumes before the event and many took costumes home to work on them.  We appreciate you and all of your hard work!




  PreK News

PreK-4 Classes Have Been Busy

Throughout the school year, the students in Ms. Synan's PreK-4B class have been very busy working on their alphabet books.  



And the PreK-4C students in Ms. Enderlin's class have been busy coloring their Stations of the Cross booklets.



Great job everyone!!!

Computer Lab

3rd Grade Students Connect With India

There was an extremely long distance skype going on in the Computer Lab this week!  How far? ...all the way to India!

Ms. Laporte, as part of her Microsoft Innovative Educators Program, connected with Ms. Neelam Mata from Birla Public School in Palani, India.  The two arranged for the students to skype and learn about each other.  The children were very happy to get the opportunity to share information about their school day and special interests.

Some of the questions the children asked were: What do you do in your free time? What subjects are you currently learning and do you get days off during the school year? The children from Palani asked about favorite animals, favorite food, and favorite subjects as well.

Both groups of children were very excited about the exchange of ideas. It gave them the chance to see that all students share similar interests. It was a fun and exciting way to learn about other students from around the world!









Grandparent Event

Grade 5 Creation Fair

Our 5th grade students hosted their grandparents this week for a Creation Fair.  They acknowledged all of God's beautiful creations and delighted their audience with song.

The students also had projects on display that centered around the three R's of reduce, reuse and recycle.

We send out our thanks to 5th grade grandparent, Mrs. Ida Falvo, who spoke about the wonderful education her grandchildren are receiving at St. Michael's Academy and the difference a small donation makes.




 Easter Basket Raffle

 We Have A Winner!

Congratulations to Daniella from 3B who was the lucky winner of our Student Council Easter Basket Raffle!



 SMA Floats A New Flag
 
New Stars and Stripes

SMA was proud today to fly their new American Flag.  Looks good guys!




 5th Grade News

Egg-cellent Job! 

Throughout the week, the fifth grade students have been working on expository writing while describing how to decorate Easter eggs. There were many creative ideas as to how they thought eggs were decorated, from "removing the raw" out of the egg, to make sure you don't peel the shell off, and by using paintbrushes of various sizes. We all knew they needed to be hard boiled before we could do anything with them, and they even double checked before dipping to be sure they were! Through class discussion, we filled in some of the missing steps, such as adding vinegar and water to the cups with the dye tablets in them. Our expert egg dyers were able to give advice on how to get vibrant colors on your eggs as well as how to decorate in multi colors!

Did you know there is also a religious significance to decorating eggs? The Easter egg is considered by some to be a symbol of the resurrection of Jesus. Eggs dyed red represent the blood shed by Christ on the cross and the hard shell represents the sealed tomb of Jesus.

This week has been very "eggciting" for our fifth graders! We hope you have a restful spring vacation and we wish you and your family a very Happy Easter!

  



 Music Room
 
Practice Makes Perfect!

Mrs. Duplessis would like everyone to try and practice a little on vacation for the upcoming "Evening of the Arts."

Please click here to access songs and music.


 Book Swap
 
Need Something Different To Read?

Well, we have just the thing for you!  St. Michael's Academy will be holding a "Pop Up Book Swap!"  Start your spring cleaning now and bring in as many books as you want (and don't want anymore.) You will receive a voucher to swap for a book of your choice during the swap.  Books may be brought in between Monday, April 22nd and Friday, May 17th - there will be a collection box in all of the classrooms. 

The "Pop Up Book Swap" will be held on May 21st.  Seems like next week's vacation is a perfect time to go through your books and decide which ones you would like to swap!



 Cornhole Tournament!


The First SMA Cornhole Tournament!

Have you put your team together, given it a catchy, fantastic name and registered yet? 

  What are you waiting for?  Get your cornhole team together and
Please submit one registration form for each person.




 Can and Bottle Drive
 
Save Us Your Cans And Bottles

Whether you are hosting Easter Dinner or just having a few friends over, chances are you might have a few empty bottles or cans at the end of the day.  We ask that you put them aside for the SMA Can and Bottle Drive taking place on Saturday, April 27th from 9 a.m. to noon.

All you have to do is pull into the Wheeler Avenue parking lot side of the school and students will unload your bottles and sort them! It's easy!

Help us to help our school raise a few extra dollars!



Food For Thought
   
"If you ate only one meal a week would you survive? It is the same for your soul. Nourish it with the Blessed Sacrament."
                                        - St. AndrĂ© Bessette

Parish News

  Blessed Sacrament Church in Holyoke

Blessed Sacrament Church in Holyoke invites you to join them for the final speaker in their Lenten Speaker Series featuring our Catholic Schools Superintendent - Dan Baillargeon and his wife Megan. They will speak on Wednesday, April 17th from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Dan and Megan will be speaking about Catholic Family Life today - its challenges and its blessings!


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St. Catherine of Siena

St. Catherine's also Lenten Lunches from 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. every Friday during Lent in the Parish Center, 1023 Parker Street.  Meals include a homemade soup, sandwich, dessert and beverage. Don't you just love a bargain!!



 


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.

And we pray in a special way for 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. 



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St. Michael's Academy 
153 Eddywood Street - Springfield, MA 01118
www.smaspringfield.org
413.782.5246 office 
413.782.8137 fax