November 13, 2020 Volume VII, No. 11
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From The Desk Of The Principal |
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Greetings!
Here is some important information to share with you:
Tuesday, November 24thwill be an all school remote learning day. All students will be assigned work to complete independently (age appropriate) at home on that day. While they are working, parents and teachers will be meeting either in person or remotely, for the annual parent/teacher conference held each year at this time, to review the student’s first quarter report card. Right now we are working on scheduling the conferences. You should receive your conference time(s) early next week. If you have not responded to the remote/in person preference survey sent on October 29th, please e-mail/call Mrs. Cullen (d.cullen@smaspringfield.org). She is completing the master schedule for the entire school at the present moment.
After careful consideration and in recognition of current guidelines concerning Thanksgiving gatherings, we have decided to teach remotely the three days following the Thanksgiving break. That means that all students, Grades 1-8, will be expected to sign into remote learning on Monday, November 30th, Tuesday, December 1st and Wednesday, December 2nd. The remote learning hours will be 8:30-noon each day. (PreK and Kindergarten teachers will be contacting the parents directly with their daily schedules.) The schedule of morning classes will allow our teachers and staff afternoon time for professional development. In school learning will resume on Thursday, December 3rd.
Finally, after reviewing all your wonderful pictures and videos, we are ready to present the Walk-a-thon awards! We will be holding a Zoom awards ceremony on Thursday, November 19th at 2 p.m. and you’re invited! (We’ll see how that works!) A zoom link will be posted on our SMA website that morning. Looking forward to seeing you there.
Enjoy a restful weekend.
Peace and God's blessings,
Ms. Ann E. Dougal
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ATTENTION ALL PARENTS -
REMOTE LEARNING DAYS
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PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCES |
Tuesday, November 24th - ALL STUDENTS FULL REMOTE
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ADDITIONAL FULL SCHOOL REMOTE DAYS |
Monday, November 30, Tuesday, December 1 and Wednesday, December 2 will be ALL STUDENT FULL REMOTE DAYS.
On these three days, all students will be remote and receive lessons from 8:30 a.m. until noon. The afternoons will be used for professional development time for all teachers.
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ATTENTION PRESCHOOL PARENTS |
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All preschool students may return to school on Monday, November 16th. Please look for an email tomorrow morning, Saturday, with updates. |
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From the Classroom of Mrs. Harvey - Grade 6 & 7 Science |
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Sixth and seventh grade science students have been studying about some of those “good things that come in small packages!”
For instance, sixth grade students have been studying about the structures of different types of atoms and how they join together, which determines all the properties of matter that we can observe. They learned “atom anatomy” - protons, neutrons, and electrons, as well as the four states of matter and their different properties. The students found it interesting to learn that plasma is the most common state of matter in the universe, and that, on Earth, plasma is found in lightning bolts! Students created Atom Anatomy Flip books, had a low tech ice melting contest, calculated an atom’s mass and atomic number, and are now moving on to a study of the crystalline structure of minerals.
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Seventh graders have been studying about the structure of cells, the smallest unit that is capable of providing life functions. They learned about and compared the structure of plant and animal cells. It was interesting to learn how viruses cannot move by themselves, but can be carried by various means to attach and enter a host cell. Students were given “mystery” slides to study under our camera-microscopes and determine whether they were viewing plant or animal cells. Some students experimented with creating slides from onion skin, grass, leaves, and hair. |
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Earlier in the semester, during the Walk-a-thon weekend, some of the students took the Environmental Science challenge. As part of their walk they sought to improve the natural environment by picking up trash, helping with gardening or planting, removing debris, etc.
There have been many discoveries going on in 6th and 7th grade Science!
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St. Michael's Academy will be holding a Thanksgiving food drive for our friends at The Gray House next week, November 16-20, 2020. Please drop off your donation when dropping off your child. There will be boxes available along the curbside.
Consider Donating the Following Items:
· Canned Vegetables (Green Beans, Refried Beans, Pink, Red, or Black Beans, Corn, Sweet Potatoes, White Potatoes, Squash, Greens, etc.)
· Boxed Potatoes and Rice (Mashed, Scalloped, White - Brown - Yellow Rice)
· Boxed Pasta Mixes (Macaroni, Mac-n-Cheese)
· Boxed or Bagged Stuffing Mixes (Cornbread, Herb, Plain)
· Bags of Flour (Wheat, All-Purpose, White), Cornmeal, Biscuit mixes
· Boxes of Baking Goods (Cake, Brownies, Pie makings)
· Cans of Gravy (Turkey, Chicken)
· Cans of Fruit (Apple, Cranberry, Cranberry Sauce, Pineapple, Applesauce)
· Aluminum roasting pan
· $$ or gift card to purchase a Turkey
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Do You Smile With Your Eyes?! |
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"The Lord manifests Himself to those who stop for some time in peace and humility of heart. If you look in murky and turbulent waters, you cannot see the reflection of your face. If you want to see the face of Christ, stop and collect your thoughts in silence, and close the door of your soul to the noise of external things."
— St. Anthony of Padua
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St. Michael the Archangel, pray for us!
We pray for our brothers and sisters across our nation and across the world. May God give everyone strength during these especially stressful times.
We pray in a special way for all of our families and friends:
Juan Hernandez
We pray for our recently departed:
Joan (Viera) Sullivan
We pray for all those lives that have been taken by the Covid-19 virus across the world.
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 n.coley@smaspringfield.org to your address book.
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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
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