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St. Michael's Academy
:
It's been the craziest first two weeks of school that I've ever experienced!
As I sit here and try to figure out how to sum it up in this little note, I have to say, I'm really proud of the entire SMA community. In the face of adversity, everyone joined together to make it work. Parents figured out with their families and friends and neighbors how to do pickup and day care. Students and teachers made the most of their time together, as they began to set procedures and routines and cracked those books back open. And all with minimal grumbling!
That said, I think we're all ready to get back to business: full days, dress uniforms, and of course, regular car lines! Thank you for your patience, cooperation and your adherence to the traffic rules during these first two weeks! It always take awhile to break in our new families and your patience as they learn the routines, speaks volumes as to the supportive community we have here at St. Michael's Academy.
May you enjoy a restful and
cool weekend!
God's blessings,
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Important Dates
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Please Make A Note Of These Important Dates
Wednesday, September 12th from 6-7 p.m.
Grade 3 and Grade 4 Parent Orientation
Thursday, September 13th from 6-7 p.m.
Grade 1 and Grade 2 Parent Orientation
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Business Department
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Before And After School Bills
The Before and After School bills will begin going home today with your child. We ask that you return your payments on Monday of each week. You may send payments in with your child or mail directly to the school. Please make sure your child's name is on the envelope so it will be credited to your account. Thank you!
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Important Parent Volunteer Information!
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Parent Volunteer Requirements
St. Michael's Academy welcomes all parent volunteers. In order to volunteer at the school or chaperone a field trip, all parents must complete the Safe Environment Training as mandated by the Diocese of Springfield.
The CORI background check paperwork must be completed in the school office as well as viewing the safe environment video at home. A certificate of completion for the video will be provided at the end of the training and must be brought to the school. A link to required information and the Virtus training video
can be found here.
If you plan to volunteer for the Walk-a-thon on Sept. 28th
, the above training must be completed. Please plan to set aside 1 1/2 hours to view the safe environment video and complete testing modules.
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From The Classroom Of: Mrs. Dean - Grade 2B
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Welcome to 2B!
Second grade is off to a great, albeit slow, start. We welcomed our classes with love and enthusiasm on Monday, August 27, and since then we have had six early dismissal days due to heat. Our students have risen to the occasion though and taken each day in stride.
We have been busy establishing routines, introducing skills, and learning to be mindful of ourselves, others, and our surroundings.
 In 2B we are looking forward to the exciting, faith-filled year ahead!
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Carlines
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Carlines - A Few Reminders
 As we settle into our school routine, we wanted to remind you of the drop-off and pick-up procedures. These procedures are meant for the safety of all students, staff and family members.
Morning Drop-Off
- Both Wheeler and Eddywood Streets are
ONE WAY from
8 - 8:30 a.m.
- PreK cars are the only cars that should be parking and leaving their vehicles for drop-off. There is a reserved area for these cars from the SMA flagpole up to Plumtree Road on the school side of the street.
- Drop-off only on the school side of the street. Again the street is one way so cars should not be driving on the opposite side of the street.
- Please do not drive through the parking lot to drop students off on the Wheeler Ave side of the building. This creates a LARGE safety hazard for people walking in through the parking lot. Please drop your child(ren) at the sidewalk.
Afternoon Pick-up
- Both Wheeler and Eddywood Streets are
ONE WAY
from
3 - 3:30 p.m.
- Please do not block the driveways of our neighbors.
- Please do not try to cut into the carlines by using Arvilla Street.
- Please have patience in the carlines. We know it is difficult to wait but these procedures are for the safety of all.
Thank you!
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Mindfulness
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The Practice of Mindfulness
 Have the first two weeks of school left you feeling on edge, stressed, anxious? If you answered yes, then mindfulness may help. It has been a tough opening for our students, teachers, and parents as all our routines are being challenged. It is just a stroke of luck that St. Michael's Academy chose to incorporate mindfulness into this year's programs.
About half of our students have now participated in one mindfulness class and many have
already expressed feelings of relaxation and calmness for short periods of time. By the end of next week all our students will have had the benefit of participating in one or more mindfulness class.
As the year progresses, mindfulness will become an integral part of the health classes with the classroom teachers also bringing it into play as called for throughout the school day.
You may now be wondering what exactly is mindfulness? Tune in again next week for the answer to that question and more!
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Photos
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A Few Photos From The 2nd Week of School
Even with 4 out of 5 half days of school this week, we still managed to snap a few shots of our students!
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FREE!
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Pianos/Keyboards Looking For A Good Home
As you may remember, St. Michael's Academy recently received a $5,000 grant from Westfield Bank that funded the purchase of a new digital classroom piano and a new portable keyboard for our music program. We are very grateful to Westfield Bank for their dedicated partnership with SMA these past five years.
As a result of this generous grant, we are trying to find a home for two other pianos located in the building; a Winter Spinet piano (all keys function, needs tuning) currently located in the school chapel and a Technics PX-4 Keyboard (76 keys, keys are not weighted and a few don't work, needs tuning) which was in the music room. There is also a small electronic Casio keyboard (32 keys) available. If you are interested in any of these, please contact Phyllis Lund at 413-782-5246 ext. 1202. These items will be donated on a first come, first serve basis.
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Start Saving Your Cans and Bottles!
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Can and Bottle Drive
Start saving all of your cans and bottles for the first SMA Can and Bottle Drive! The event will be held on
Saturday, November 17
from 9 a.m. to noon.
Make a little extra room in your garage or basement and start saving now!
The benefits are two fold - we are helping to recycle and making a few dollars for our school!
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Girls On The Run
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Last Chance To Register!
There are still a few open slots in the 6th-8th grade group! Register on-line or call one of the phone numbers below.
C'mon ladies...each season, team members learn to recognize their individual strengths, and gain a better understanding of who they are, what's important to them, the value of teamwork, and developing healthy relationships. Over the course of the ten-week program, you will develop essential skills to help navigate the world and establish a lifetime appreciation for health and fitness.
All girls are welcome - nobody needs to be a runner. Our fall season will begin the second week in September right here at St. Michael's Academy after school and continue for 10 weeks, ending with our GOTR 5k at Smith College.
For more information, please contact Kristie Budrecki at [email protected] or 413-271-4700, or click here.
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Sign up today to begin earning points for
St. Michael's Academy!
Participating in the program is simple:
3. Select your school.
4. Look for the Education Express logo on items in our weekly circular, online and on signs in our stores. You can also preview on the website and click into your shopping list!
5. Purchase these specially marked products and your school earns points. They redeem the points for the supplies they need.
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From The Nurse's Office
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Attention Parents in Kindergarten,
4th Grade and 7th Grade
Massachusetts Department of Public Health requires all students in Kindergarten, 4th grade and 7th grade to provide updated physical exam forms and current immunizations to their schools.
If you have a child in one of these grades, it is extremely important that you provide our school nurse, Ms. Pomeroy, R.N. with these documents.
Thank you!
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Food For Thought
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"Preserve the warmth of the family, because the warmth of the whole world cannot make up for it."
- St. Charbel Makhlouf
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Parish News
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Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish
QUARTER AUCTION
There's a QUARTER AUCTION at Mt. Carmel's new Parish Center tomorrow Saturday, Sept. 8, at 5 PM! Ten vendors including Colorstreet, Perfectly Posh, Lula Roe, Natural Pet Care, Lois' Bags & More, Avon, etc.
Sandwiches, hot dogs, snacks. $5 admission gets you a paddle for the auction action. Quarters on hand for cash exchange too.
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Holy Cross Knights of Columbus
2018 Golf Tournament
 The Holy Cross Knights of Columbus invite you to join them at the 5th Annual K of C Golf Tournament on Sunday, September 16, 2018 at Franconia Golf Course, 619 Dwight Road in Springfield. This is a 4 person scramble event, beginning with a non "shotgun" start. There will be trophies for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place teams as well as longest drive and closest to the pin. Check-in will be 11-11:30 a.m. at the course. Dinner will be at Nathan Bill's Restaurant and Bar at 110 Island Pond Road in Springfield.
Not a golfer? Join for just the dinner!
Prices: $60 - 18 holes of golf with cart and lunch on the course
$80 - the above plus dinner at Nathan Bill's.
$20 - dinner only
Please click here for additional information!
Register now...Then grab your clubs and
hit the course on Sept. 16th!
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Prayer Corner
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St. Michael the Arch
angel, 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:
Frances D. Lavelle
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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Thank you for your interest in St. Michael's Academy. To ensure receipt, please add [email protected] to your address book.
You may unsubscribe if you no longer wish to receive our newsletter and emails. Please note this will remove you from ALL St. Michael's Academy communications. Thank you!
St. Michael's Academy
153 Eddywood Street - Springfield, MA 01118
www.smaspringfield.org
413.782.5246 office
413.782.8137 fax
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