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St. Michael's Academy
:
Outside my office on Eddywood Street, I see a few leaves already changing colors! I think that's mother nature's way of telling us that it really is time to return to school and begin to say good-bye to the care free days of summer. We had a great first week renewing friendships, welcoming new students and settling back into our routines. Thank you parents for all your efforts in ensuring a smooth start to the new year for your child(ren).
September is the routine and procedure setting month. When you attended the parent orientation sessions held these past two weeks, the teachers spent some time explaining the routines and procedures particular to the individual grade levels. We also have whole school routines and procedures as well. The two biggest, as you probably know, are our arrival and dismissal routines and sticking to the school schedule. We did a lot of work cleaning up our arrival routine last year, and once we break in the new families, I feel pretty sure we'll stay on track in that area. So, this year, it's all about the school schedule. The day begins officially at 8:30 a.m. and ends at 3:05 p.m. One of the best gifts you can give your child(ren), is to respect the school schedule by first, having them here every day and secondly, having them here on time and all day (no tardies, no early dismissals). If you take a look at your child's last report card, you'll know if this is an area you as a family need to work on. And when I say "work," I know it's hard work to always put the needs of the child first (while you're managing the rest of life), but if done, you will never regret it! All for the benefit of the child!!
May God bless all of you and your families this new school year.
Enjoy the long weekend!
Ms. Ann E. Dougal
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Important Dates
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Please Make A Note Of These Important Dates
Monday, September 2, 2019
LABOR DAY - NO SCHOOL
Thursday, September 5, 2019 at 5:30 p.m.
Home School Executive Committee Meeting
Sunday, September 29, 2019 at 11 a.m.
Feast of St. Michael Anniversary Mass
Celebrated by Bishop Rozanski with student participation
Holy Cross Church
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Don't Forget!
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Tuition Assistance
PLEASE NOTE! If you have applied for tuition assistance and have NOT uploaded your tax documents, we are UNABLE to award assistance. Your application must be verified by the FACTS company and they will not do so until all documents are received.
If you are having difficulty uploading your documents, please contact the main office. Help is always available!
Haven't applied for assistance but would like to? Just log into your FACTS tuition payment account and click on the "apply for tuition assistance" button.
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Before and After School
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Before and After School Billing
We want to let all parents know that we sent home the first of the Before and After School invoices today. The billing cycle is from Thursday to Wednesday every week so the invoices that you received today will reflect the first three days of school.
Please remember that payment is due the following Monday.
Thank you!
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Big Thank You!
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Thank you!
We would like to thank Westfield Bank and Chicopee Savings Charitable Foundation for their generous grants totaling $5,000 to help support our new audio sound system which is currently being installed in our gymnasium. We are deeply grateful for our partnership with both organizations!
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From the Office of the School Counselor
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Maximizing School Year Success
As we start our new school year, here are some helpful tips for all of our students and their families.
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 Develop a strong partnership/consistent direct communication with your child's homeroom teacher. Share information about your child and/or ask for ideas about organization, time management, and classroom norms. Contact School Counselor, Nurse, and/or Principal for additional support for your child. Team effort is the best way to ensure progress, growth, and optimal success!
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 Ask your child to show you what they did each day by saying something like, "let's see what you brought home today". Here are some other ideas since "how was your day?" is unlikely to get you much information:
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What was one positive and one negative of your day?
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What did you talk about/do in math, science, religion, english, history, specials, etc. today?
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What were you most proud of and what do you want to put more effort into today?
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How were you helpful to someone or how was someone kind to you today?
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Help your child set limits on technology/media use for better sleep, mood and energy.
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Help your child establish routines for sleep, meals, homework, chores, and play. Routines provide comfort and motivation.
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Encourage your child to get exercise for at least 30 minutes every day (a walk, a workout, sports or simply running/jumping in place while watching a favorite tv show)
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Encourage your child to eat as many fruits and vegetables as possible and avoid sodas/sweets for better sleep, mood and energy.
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 Our society is rapidly moving away from reading books. Science research tells us that reading is critical our entire lives starting as young as possible! Many parents read to their children even when they are babies Support at least 20 minutes of reading every day. Best if you read together with your child either out loud or simply reading your own book in their presence. Reading the bible together is the most important of course.
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 Ensure your child knows that everyone has different learning styles and what their best styles may be. Help your child communicate their best learning styles to the teacher. (ex. visual, kinesthetic, auditory)
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YOU/WE adults are constantly role modeling for "our children". Therefore, it is really important they also see us doing steps 2-6 above.
- Have one-to-one time with your child once a week if possible to emphasize the importance of education and well being, to remind them of their strengths, to check in with them about thoughts they might have about future career/job/vocation ideas(they are never to young to explore), and to tell them you love them unconditionally.
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The Messenger
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The Messenger Newsletter-Please Read!
Communication is the cornerstone of our school! We will continue to send
The Messenger
out via e-mail every Friday. This is an important avenue of school communication, so please make every effort to
read it on a weekly basis!
If you are the parent of a new student, your email addresses have already been included if they were listed on the application. For other email addresses (grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc.) that you would like to receive the newsletter, please email their names and email to: [email protected].
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1st Day of School Mass
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Opening School Mass
We send out our thanks to Fr. John Connors for celebrating our first day of school Mass with us. What a great message of encouragement Fr. John brought to the students as he talked about the new school year that lies ahead. He also taught the students the meaning of the word "Amen" or "I Believe" so every time the students say the word amen, they are reaffirming their faith.
A shout out goes to our grade 8 students for participating in the Mass by being readers and altar servers. Great job as always!
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Around The School
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Photos From The First Week Of School
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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 and the Code of Conduct forms must be completed as well as viewing the safe environment video. 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 training video
can be found here.
If you plan to volunteer for the Walk-a-thon on Sept. 27th
, 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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After School Clubs
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Do You Have A Talent That You Would Like To Share?
St. Michael's Academy would really like to offer its students expanded after-school experiences. It is not within our budget to pay instructors so we are asking for parent volunteers to lead after school clubs. Do you have an interest? Would you help us? Ideas for after school clubs might include a cooking class, arts and crafts class, public speaking class, creative writing class....the possibilities are endless but we cannot do it without your help! Classes can be weekly, every two weeks or monthly - whatever fits into your schedule.
If you are interested, we would love to chat with you. Please contact Nancy Coley in the Admissions Department at [email protected] or by calling (413) 782-5246, ext. 1208.
Our students really enjoy the clubs - consider joining us!
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Girls On The Run
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Girls On The Run Continues!
OK girls...get ready for Girls On The Run at St. Michael's Academy again this Fall!
Our Fall season for Heart & Sole will begin the week of September 9th, and registration is open now!
Practices will continue to be held on Mondays and Fridays from 3:30-5:00. We truly had a great time getting to know the girls last season. Each one of them grew so much, and we hope to see them return this Fall. Please ask them to also spread the word to their friends - we would love to see more girls involved!
We are looking for additional volunteer coaches to help support our team. Please consider reaching out to friends and family members who might be interested in this great opportunity to make a positive impact on our girls. Coaches do not need to be runners and can be male or female. GOTR provides a comprehensive training that will be coming up soon. Please let us know if you are interested.
Each season, our girls 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, girls develop essential skills to help them navigate their worlds and establish a lifetime appreciation for health and fitness.
For more information, please contact Kristie Budrecki at [email protected] or 413-271-4700, or go to www.girlsontherunwesternma.org.
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Box Tops For Education
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Box Tops for Education
St. Michael's Academy will continue to participate in the Box Top for Education program. Help us earn money for our school! There are some
updates to the program.
Box Tops is changing to fit today's families. The new and improved Box Tops mobile app uses state-of-the-art technology to scan your store receipt, find participating products and instantly add Box Tops to your school's earnings online.
The next generation of Box Tops for Education is here! Click here for further details!
Old Label
Look For This NEW Label
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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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Reminder For Grade 2 Parents
Parents of grade 2 students are reminded that it will be a sacrament year for their child and they will need to attend CCD classes at their individual parishes. Please contact your parish to enroll your child!
This is a Diocesan requirement even if you attend a Catholic school.
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Holy Cross Church
Single Parent Support Group
Holy Cross Parish extends an invitation to all single parents who are currently raising their children from infancy through college age, whether with primary or shared custody.
If you would like the support of others with similar experiences, people who would understand what you are going through, please join us on Wednesday, September 18, at 7 p.m. in the rectory parlor. If you need to be late or leave early, please join us for the time you are available. Not everyone's schedule matches the set time.
The group has provided a great source of strength to those who have participated in the past. Perhaps it could help you as well. For more information, please call Sr. Cindy at 372-6241. You are welcome to "give it a try" if you are currently raising your children as a single parent.
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Our Lady of Mt. Carmel
 On
September 21st from 5-7 p.m., Our Lady of Mt. Carmel will be holding its annual "
Quarter Auction." There will be vendors, 25 cent auctions, raffle baskets and door prizes. Light supper will be available for purchase. Auction paddle with $5 admission fee.
On
October 5th join with friends for the annual
"Taste of Italy" from 5-8 p.m. The evening will feature 40+ Italian specialties, wine and beverages and a variety of desserts. There will be a cash raffle along with merchandise prizes. Food tickets are $1 at the door.
 On
December 8th from 2-4 p.m. you are invited to "
A Christmas Carol Festival" featuring reverent caroling and narration, stories of faith, living Nativity prayers along with homemade cookies and a gift to bring home.
This event is free!
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Holy Name Parish
What if you become a better version of yourself? Grab a friend and don't miss this opportunity! There are still seats available at the Dynamic Catholic presentation on
September 14th from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The featured speaker with be Jonathan Fanning - you can meet Jonathan by
clicking here. You'll be glad you did!
For addition details (because this flyer is a little hard to read) please call Holy Name Parish at (413) 733-5823.
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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 for all of our recently departed:
Richard S. Moriarty
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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