As a reminder, the 2016 boys and girls basketball parent meetings will be held tonight in the school cafeteria.  There is also a voluntary Open Gym for basketball players in select grades (your child must have turned in a 2016-2017 Athletics Health Form to participate in open gym or basketball practices.  If they have only turned in the basketball registration form, they cannot participate in any basketball activity until they have their Health Form in).

Wednesday October 12^th Parents meeting in Cafeteria (player attendance at meeting is optional):
Boys Program Meeting  6pm to 6:45pm (4th – 8th)
Girls Program Meeting  7pm to 7:45 pm (4th – 8th)

Wednesday October 12^th  Open Gym (voluntary)
5pm to 7pm Girls  5, 6,7 & 8^th
7pm to 8:30 pm  Boys 7 & 8^th 

Yesterday, SJS Art Teacher Mrs. Sabatella took advantage of the beautiful fall day to teach the 3rd graders about landscape drawings.  The specific lesson pictured below focused around a tree with the leaves changing color.  Students were first instructed on how to sketch out a basic tree and then Mrs. Sabatella encouraged them to use their creativity to make it unique (click pictures to enlarge).

 

 

The SJS Basketball program will be getting underway shortly.  Below please find a list of dates pertinent for Parent Informational Meetings, Open Gym times and Team selection days.

Open Gym (basketball free-play) dates are completely voluntary and will have no impact on Team selections (must have your basketball paperwork and health form on file to participate). Each student athlete registered for Basketball will make one of the various St. James Teams, but because of large headcount numbers we will need to have Team selection days.

Team practices will commence first week of November.  Parents please make every effort to attend Informational meetings where Coaches will share league status updates, vision for program, practice and game commitments along with answering any questions you may have. No student will be allowed to participate in any basketball event without completed registration, payment, and medical health form filed at the school office.  Looking forward to a great year for our Student Athletes!

Wednesday October 12^th Parents meeting in Cafeteria (player attendance at meeting is optional):
Boys Program Meeting  6pm to 6:45pm (4th – 8th)
Girls Program Meeting  7pm to 7:45 pm (4th – 8th)

Wednesday October 12^th  Open Gym (voluntary)
5pm to 7pm Girls  5, 6,7 & 8^th
7pm to 8:30 pm  Boys 7 & 8^th              

Monday October 17^th
5 pm to 6:30 pm  Boys 6th Grade Tryouts/Team selection
6:30 to 8:30 pm   Boys 7 & 8^th Grade  Tryouts/Team Selection

Thursday October 20^th
5 pm to 7 pm Girls Grade  6, 7 & 8  Tryouts/Team selection

Sunday October 23^rd    Open Gym
1 pm to 2:30 pm  Boys 4 & 5^th

 Monday October 24^th
5 pm to 7 pm Girls Grade  6, 7 & 8  Tryouts/Team selection
7pm to 8:30 pm Boys 7 & 8^th Grade  Tryouts/Team Selection

Team practices will start November 1.  Any student invited to participate in the XC State meet on Saturday November 5^th will be ineligible to attend Basketball practice until after November 5th.

A reminder for parents and students that this Saturday (10/15) is the town-wide Manchester Elementary School Cross Country Challenge.  Thank you to all the parents and students who signed up to run in support of Team Saint James School!

If you have not already done so, you may still RSVP your child for this event and even show up the morning of to race:  Students will just need to wear their Saint James School Gym Shirt as our race shirt order was placed a while ago.

Please click HERE for paperwork and details.   This is a really fun, well-run event! Questions can be e-mailed to parent volunteer Andrea Piotrowski at ampiotrowski@yahoo.com or Amy Guenther at aguenther@saintjamesschool.net.  HERE is a list of all our students signed up to run (these students all will receive a race t-shirt upon Check-In on Saturday).  If you know you cannot make the event after all, please let Mrs. Piotrowski or Mrs. Guenther know so your race shirt may be given to students who will be racing but missed the shirt deadline.

Just a reminder for parents and students in Kindergarten – 6th grade about the “Fall Into Reading” contest currently in progress through our school Librarian, Mrs. Carpenter.  For every book a student reads during the contest period, they should fill out a paper leaf which – once signed by the parent – will be put into the “leaf bag” for their grade.  The grade with the most leaves in their leaf bag at the end of the contest period – November 4th – will win a dress down day and no homework night.