April HSA Newsletter

Please take a look at this month’s HSA Newsletter (Click to open) to read about all the is happening in the next few months and where your help is needed!

No School Wednesday 3/29

As a reminder, there is no school tomorrow – Wednesday (3/29)  – as teachers will be at a conference all day.

Gala 2017 THANK YOU!

A huge Thank You to all the parents, staff, and friends who came out for the 2017 Saint James School Gala on Saturday.  We had over 140 attendees and raised approximately $15,000 in support of Saint James School!

Of course, we could not have done it without the amazing support and hard work of the Gala Committee (picture below) and all the volunteers that worked at the event.  A special thank you to Gala Chairs Tara Moriarty and Paul Munns for pulling it all together and to volunteer Jen Fiereck of J. Fiereck Photography for the fun pictures (see link below).  And last, but not least, THANK YOU to all the parents, staff, and friends who donated items for the class baskets or for the live and silent auctions.  We could not have done it without your support – Saint James is certainly blessed to have such a wonderful school community!  We hope to see you all again next year at this fun, annual event!

Here is a link to all the photos taken the evening of the gala.  If you wish to purchase any of the images, any profit will be donated back to SJS.  Enjoy!

Prospective Family Open House This Evening

Our annual evening Open House for prospective families will be held tonight,  March 28th, at 6:30pm.  If you know someone who may be interested in our Pre-Kindergarten – 8th grade program, please invite them to attend.  Families looking at the Kindergarten – 8th Grade Open House should arrive at the Gym for 6:30pm;  Families looking at the Pre-Kindergarten program only may arrive at the Pre-Kindergarten anytime between 6:30pm – 7:30pm.

Easter Party RSVPs Due Tomorrow

If you would like to attend the Easter Party on April 1, please sign up by tomorrow (3/29).  Details on the event can be found here and follow this link to sign up.  We hope you can join in the fun!

Last Call: SJS Soccer Sign Up

We are making tomorrow the LAST CALL for SJS soccer sign-ups if you forgot to get your paperwork in.  Also, there will be no practice this week.  We will send an e-mail alerting you to the schedule.

SJS Soccer Information 2017

Middle School Technology News

Dear SJS Parents,

We have some exciting news to share with you regarding our middle school program for the upcoming school year.  One of the items that parents requested as part of the recent SJS survey was additional technology utilization in the upper grades.  During the 2017-2018 school year, Chromebooks will be given to each of our middle school students, allowing SJS to further expand the technology tools available at the middle school level.

We have conducted substantial research on the benefits of students having Chromebooks at their disposal.  We are very excited about how this new technology will further prepare students for high school, while allowing us to still remain committed to the traditional teaching/learning style that has benefitted generations of SJS graduates.

The following are among the immediate benefits we foresee by utilizing Chromebooks:

  • Students will have access to textbooks each night at home without having to carry a heavy backpack (many textbooks will be available to them on the Chromebook). Please note, we will still be purchasing hard copy textbooks for students to utilize in class and students may still opt to bring home a textbook or two in addition to their Chromebooks.

 

  • Students will be able to work on papers and presentations in the classroom (on their Chromebooks), in the computer lab, or at home (on their Chromebooks) as documents will reside on the Google for Education cloud service. In addition, teachers can regularly check student progress as they will have access to each student’s account.

More details on our Chromebook initiative will be available over the next few months and as we begin the new school year.  We look forward to sharing additional details with you, and assure you that we will not deviate from the quality, traditional learning that makes Saint James School such a great place for our students to grow and learn.

At this point, we ask that you please keep in mind that next year, middle school students will need a backpack or bag that has a 12” laptop pocket.  Questions may be directed to Denise Mayo at dmayo@saintjamesschool.net.

Thank you again for your support and feedback as we continue to ensure Saint James School remains the premier Catholic school in our area.

Attention 7th Grade Parents

Important:  We are still looking for additional 7th grade students to serve in the capacity of reader, gift bearer, and/or a greeter at the next SJS School Mass, which is being held Sunday, April 2nd at 9:00am at Saint James Church.  If your child can help out, please e-mail cndherr@cox.net or 860.214.4575.

Instrumental Music Monday

Please note, instrumental music students in grades 6 – 8 will have lessons this coming Monday, March 27th.

Book/Art Club Pictures

Below please find pictures from yesterday’s Book/Art Club which featured the story Oh, The Thinks You Can Think by Dr. Seuss.  Students made Seuss-like sculptures using their imagination and ideas from the book.  Special thanks to Mrs. Carpenter for sending in the pictures.