School Offices Closed Monday

All Saint James School Offices will be closed this coming Monday, August 28th, as the faculty and staff will be offsite for meetings.

Class Assignments

Teacher assignments for students in grades K-8 were sent out yesterday via email.  If you did not receive one for your student(s), please email Amy Guenther at aguenther@saintjamesschool.net.  Please be sure to review and print the forms that were included with that email.

Extended Day Program Handbook

For families who will be using our Extended Day Program, please review the handbook below.  There is a signature page at the back that must be given to the program director by 9/15.  This document has also been posted on our Forms/Docs webpage for future reference.

2023-2024 Extended Day Policy Book

Reminder: Medicine Drop-Off

For any students that may need medicine administered while at school, the nurse will have office hours on Tuesday, August 29th from 9am – 2pm and Wednesday, August 30th during the “Meet-the-Teacher/Classroom Visit/Supply Drop-off” Event (8:30am – 11:30am).

Extended Day Program Reminder

Please remember, any student using before/after school care for the 2023-2024 school year must have completed all paperwork to re-enroll in the program (enrollment does not carry over from last year).  If you are unsure if you submitted your paperwork, please reach out to Ms. Jean at jburdick@saintjamesschool.net so you are not caught off guard at the start of school.

Extended Day Registration Form 2023-2024

Extended-Day-Emergency-Contact-Information-2023-2024

Bus Assignments

Bus assignments for our K-8 students that will utilizing the bus this year were emailed out on Friday.  If you registered to use the bus and did not receive this, please email aguenther@saintjamesschool.net.

Welcome New Faculty and Staff!

We are excited to announce a couple of new additions to the Saint James School faculty and staff.  Please join us in welcoming:

Mrs. Christina Nunes – Grade 2 Teacher
Mrs. Nunes is joining us from Saint Gabriel School in Windsor, where she has taught 2nd grade since 2008.  Mrs. Nunes is a recipient of the “Light of Christ Teacher Recognition Award” for excellence in teaching and brings a wide variety of skills, experience, and teaching styles to help differentiate learning in the classroom environment.  Mrs. Nunes is a graduate of St. Gabriel and Northwest Catholic High School, has a Master’s Degree in Education, and is certified through the State of Connecticut to teach early childhood.  We are excited to welcome Mrs. Nunes to our 2nd grade.

 

Mrs. Amy Watson – Grade 5 Teacher
Mrs. Watson comes to us from the Rocky Hill school system, where she has worked for over two decades as a classroom teacher, long-term substitute, paraeducator, and reading specialist.  Mrs. Watson is certified through the State of Connecticut to teach early childhood through 6th grade and holds a Master’s Degree in Reading and Language Arts.  In addition to being a 5th grade homeroom teacher, Mrs. Watson will be teaching English, Reading, and Social Studies for both of our 5th grade classes.  Please join us in welcoming her to Saint James School.

 

Mrs. Deanna Simoncini – Grade 5 Teacher
Mrs. Simoncini has over 14 years of experience teaching middle school Math, Religion, and Science in the Catholic school environment.  After relocating from Georgia with her family in 2018, Mrs. Simoncini taught at Saint James School for a short time before opting to be home with her children in early 2020.  She is a graduate of Florida State University and holds State of Connecticut certification to teach at the middle-grade level (grades 4 – 8).  We are excited to welcome Mrs. Simoncini back to Saint James School where she will serve as one of our 5th grade homeroom teachers – teaching the subjects of Religion, Math, and Science for both 5th grade classes.

 

Mr. Thomas Burke – Middle School Teacher
Mr. Burke will be joining our middle school teaching team, overseeing a 6th grade homeroom in addition to teaching classes in both Reading and English Language Arts.  Most recently, Mr. Burke taught Literature and English at East Catholic High School but prior to that spent many years teaching at the middle school level in the Hartford public school system.  Mr. Burke holds state certification in middle and high school English and also holds a Master’s Degree in Education.  Please join us in welcoming him to Saint James School.

 

Extended Day
We are also welcoming three new staff members to the extended day program under the direction of Ms. Jean.  Please join us in welcoming Mrs. Fionnuala Purcell, Mrs. Kristine Nadvornik-Moulard and Mrs. Paula St. Germain to the team!

 

2023-2024 First Day Reminders

As a reminder, the first day of school for the 2023-2024 school year is as follows:

*K-8 students:  Thursday, August 31st (12:05pm dismissal day; aftercare will be in session);

*Pre-K4 Full-Day students: Thursday, August 31st (12:05pm dismissal day; aftercare will be in session);

*Pre-K4 Part-Time students:  Friday, September 1st;

*Pre-K3 Full-Day students: Tuesday, September 5th;

*Pre-K3 Part-Time students: Wednesday, September 6th;

Use this link to download the Saint James School 2023-2024 school year calendar:  2023-2024 School Year Calendar

 

Classroom Visits/Supply Drop-Off:
On Wednesday, August 30th, all Pre-K through grade 8 parents/guardians and their student(s) are invited to stop by the school between the hours of 8:30am and 11:30am to visit the classrooms, meet the teachers, and drop off their child’s school supplies.  This is a drop-in event, please come at whatever time works for your schedule.

 

Teacher Assignments:
Teacher assignments for 1st – 8th grade students will be sent via email later this week.  Please note, all teacher assignments are final at this point in time.  Requests for changes cannot be accommodated.

 

Lands’ End Sale

For K – 8 families:  If you need any last minute uniform items, please note that Lands’ End is offering 20% off school uniforms from August 10th – 18th with CODE: LEARN and PIN: 5299

A summary of Saint James School’s K-8 dress code (initially sent on 7/19) can be viewed HERE.

Hot Lunch Information

The cost for Hot Lunch at Saint James School for the 2023-2024 school year will be as follows:

Grades K-6:  $3.25;
Grades 7-8: $4.25

Please check the balance on your child’s hot lunch (EZSchoolPay) account if they will be purchasing Hot Lunch this school year.

Over the next several days, Kindergarten families and all families new to Saint James School will receive an email with their child’s hot lunch account ID.  Returning families are welcome to reach out to the Saint James School office if they have forgotten their child’s lunch account ID.

Please note the following:

* As per our standard protocol, a monthly hot lunch calendar will be sent via our email blast each month, posted on our website homepage (quick links section), and is available in the Saint James School App for quick reference.

* You may add money to your child’s account online using the EZSchoolPay app (a $3.00 convenience fee will apply) or by sending in cash or a check to the school with your child (no fee).  The check must be made out to “Manchester Hot Lunch Program” and please be sure envelopes are labeled with your child’s name.

*An application for Free or Reduced Lunch may be found online at ezmealapp.com.Details and eligibility income guidelines can be found by clicking this link: Parent Letter & FAQ