Family Information Sheet – Please Correct & Return

A Family Information Sheet, showing the contact information the school has listed for your family, will be coming home with your child today or tomorrow.  Please review, make any changes, and send back to the school the following day.

Letter from the Superintendent

Please take a moment to read the attached letter from Dr. Hoyt, Superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Archdiocese of Hartford.

Fall 2015 Letter to Parents and Guardians

SJS Cross Country Paperwork Due Monday

The first Cross Country practice of the season will be held on Tuesday, September 1st. It will be open to all SJS students in 5th – 8th grade.  In order to participate, the the 2015-2016 Athletic Health Form must be completed and turned in by this coming Monday, along with the $35.00 cross country fee required for each participant (Make checks out to Saint James School).

Practices are Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:15-3:30pm, unless otherwise noted by the coach.  Students should dismiss to the school gym with the WALKERS group.  They will wait in the gym with the teacher until Coach O’Neill comes down to get them.  Please be outside the gym for pickup by 3:30pm.

Please contact Coach O’Neill at the school if you are interested in helping with the Cross Country program.

SJS Job Opening: Music Teacher

Saint James School is looking to hire a classroom music teacher for grades K-8 for the 2015-2016 school year.  If you know anyone who would be interested in applying for the position, please have them contact Mr. Corcoran at (860) 342-4485.

Attention Extended Day Parents

For those of you who created a new PIN for yourself or an authorized person on your 2015-2016 Extended Day emergency form, many of you have listed a pin already in use.  Please confirm with Ms. Jean when picking up your child before you enter your pin into the pad for the first time.  A new pin has been assigned to those of you who chose pins already in use.  If you are a returning family and kept the same pin as last year, you should be fine.  When signing out, please always confirm with the screen that you have entered the correct pin.  Thank you.

HSA Meeting This Coming Tuesday

Please join us for the first HSA (Home & School Association) Meeting of the 2015-2016 school year this coming Tuesday (Sept. 1) at 7:00pm in the Saint James School Gym.  The HSA – which is similar to a PTA or PTO – is open to all Saint James School parents/ grandparents/ guardians.

The HSA is comprised of volunteers who organize and support our school’s events and fundraisers.  There is no fee to join and no minimum time commitment required.  It’s also a wonderful opportunity to meet new people and help make great memories during our children’s years at Saint James School. We hope to see you there!

The agenda for the meeting will be as follows:

– Introductions
– Opening Prayer
Short discussions about the following events:
– Gala
– Jeannine Fall Fundraiser
– Halloween Party
– Book Fair
– September 22 Dine Out Night at Hartford Road Cafe
– Grandparent’s Day
– Picture Days
– Pasta Dinner on November 13
– Spirit Sticks

If you have any questions, please contact HSA President, Keshet Spadaccini at (860) 205-4529 or kspadaccini@att.net.

First Day of School Pictures

We hope everyone had a great first day of school!  Below are a few pictures from this morning (click image to enlarge).

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New Dismissal Procedures For Picking Up Students

As a measure of additional safety for our students, effective today – Thursday, August 27th – the school is implementing a new procedure for picking up students at the end of the day (“walkers”):

  • All parents who pick up students at dismissal will park in the church parking lot. The parents/ guardians will walk to the school and enter the front doors of the gym.  Parents/ guardians will walk to the RIGHT side of the gym and wait for the dismissal signal bell.

 

  • The students will be walked down to the gym with a grade teacher and will enter through the breezeway entrance.  They will line up with the teacher on the LEFT side of the gym.

 

  • PARENTS MUST TELL THE TEACHER WHO THEY ARE PICKING UP AND THE STUDENT WILL BE RELEASED TO THE PARENT.

 

  • All Pre-Kindergarten students should be picked up at the Pre-Kindergarten.  Parents with a child also in the K-8 school should pick up their Pre-Kindergarten student first, then proceed to the gym.

 

  • Students will be brought down to the gym for dismissal at 2:10pm.  The doors to the gym will open at 2:00pm.

 

  • NO ONE IS PERMITTED TO PARK ON EITHER SIDE OF PARK STREET FROM THE CORNER OF CHURCH STREET TO THE PRE-K FENCE.  PLEASE DO NOT PULL INTO EITHER STAFF PARKING LOT.

 

  • Manchester residents are encouraged to use the bus system to help with the congestion at the end of the day.

 

Additional staff will be at dismissal to help make this new procedure run in a safe and orderly manner.  We ask for your cooperation and patience as we transition to this new pick-up method.

Sincerely,

The administration and staff of Saint James School

SJS Parent/Student Handbook

The teachers and staff will be reviewing the parent/student handbook tomorrow with all students.  A signature page will be sent home that all parents and students will need to sign and return to the teacher next week.  Parents may access a copy of the handbook by clicking HERE or by visiting the “Forms & Documents” page of our website (yellow link on the right hand side).

Instrumental Music Notice

On Friday, August 28th, all instrumental music students in grades 5-8 will have lessons and band. The advanced Band will meet at 12:00 and the Intermediate Band will meet at 12:30. All new students in grades 5-8 who already play an instrument should bring them to school Friday August 28 for a special class.