Wacky Hair Day
Thank you to everyone who sent in pictures for Distance Learning Wacky Hair Day yesterday. We love seeing these smiles and being able to share them with our school community!
Science Fair Winners Move on To National Competition!
Congratulations to SJS 7th graders Porter Breton and Zachary Nyberg for being selected to advance to the national Broadcom MASTERS* competition by the judges at the State of CT Science and Engineering Fair! The duo’s project for “Does the Baseball Bat You Use Affect How You Hit?” was also awarded one of the 3 cash prizes for middle school projects from Collins Aerospace Engineering.
Congratulations also go out to Maya Fisher for taking home an overall 3rd place award at the State level!
We are so excited to find out both that both projects SJS submitted to the state level took home awards! Awesome job Porter, Zach, and Maya!! And, of course a special shout out to our middle school science teachers for guiding our students through the state-level competition.
*The Broadcom MASTERS, a program sponsored by The Society for Science & the Public, is a national science competition for U.S. middle school students. The top 300 MASTERS will be announced on September 2nd and the 30 Finalists from that group will be announced on September 16th. The 30 Finalists will participate in the all expense paid Finals Week in Washington, DC in October.
Distance Learning Schedules for Middle School
Middle School Parents: Please ensure you reviewed the email from Mrs. Zorger that was sent over the weekend (we also send a text via our SJS app to middle school parents). If you need another copy of the middle school distance learning schedules, they are as follows:
Distance Learning Mrs. Wolpert’s Homeroom Schedule
Distance Learning Mrs. McQuaid’s Homeroom Schedule
Distance Learning Mrs. Oei’s Homeroom Schedule
Distance Learning Mrs. Grondin’s Homeroom Schedule
A Note From Mrs. Zorger
With Saint James School’s Distance Learning successfully underway I wanted to take a moment to share my overwhelming gratitude for all of you (teachers, parents, and students) who are working so hard to make the best of this situation.
Research has shown the importance of keeping to a schedule during this time. Students should still be getting up early, starting their day with a prayer, pausing school work for a healthy snack and some physical activity in the morning, eating a healthy lunch, and concluding any additional school work in the afternoon. Please be sure you are talking to your child/ren about what they are working on and reaching out to teachers with questions.
Of course, it is going to take some time to master this temporary new reality – especially when combined with the multitude of uncertainties that we are all facing right now. Yet, as we approach the end of distance learning day 3, I can say with full confidence that Saint James School is beyond blessed. From the creativity and determination of our teachers to make this work for our students, to all the parents who have reached out to share your positive experiences, unique ideas, and constructive feedback – this is the true meaning of community. Thank You!!
On a similar note, to keep up the school spirit, we are designating tomorrow (Friday) a Saber Sock Day for those that purchased Saber Socks. And, Saber Socks or not, if you are willing to share pictures of your children doing their distance learning, we would love to post some out in our emails and possibly on Facebook. We really miss seeing our students and the daily bustle of kids here at school. Please send pictures to Amy Guenther at aguenther@saintjamesschool.net.
Please know you are all in my prayers as we navigate this together.
Sincerely,
Bridget Zorger
All State Rehearsals Postponed
Mr. Corcoran is postponing the All State Band rehearsals for this week – 3/12, 3/13, and 3/14. A decision for further rehearsals will be made next week.
Important Notice (Emailed to SJS Families)
March 12, 2020
Dear Saint James School families,
We recently received notice that Manchester Public Schools will be closed effective Monday, March 16th. In keeping with what we have been communicating in our daily emails this week, Saint James School will begin implementing Distance Learning, with students being given the tools to continue their studies at home.
Tomorrow (Friday) will still be a day off for Saint James School students. Only faculty and staff will report to school on Monday, at which time we will be finalizing the plans we have been working on in preparation for this seemingly imminent announcement. No students should come to school on Monday. Instead, all families are asked to wait for a communication from the school with details on how each grade will be implementing their Distance Learning plans.
Distance Learning will continue until further notice.
Similarly, we have decided to cancel all school activities for the month of March, which includes the basketball banquet, Soiree, STEM Night, Father/Son Event, and Prospective Family Open House. Please bear with us as we work through possibly rescheduling these events for a later date.
As you know, this is uncharted territory for not only our school but the entire country. The administration of Saint James School is committed to giving our students the opportunity to continue their learning momentum while doing what we can to keep our community members safe.
We thank you for your patience and support during this time.
Sincerely,
Bridget Zorger, Principal
Congratulations Spelling Bee Winners!
Congratulations to our 4th, 5th, and 6th grade SJS Spelling Bee winners who participated in the 22nd Annual Connecticut Catholic Schools Knights of Columbus Regional Spelling Bee last evening at Saint Mary-Saint Joseph in Willimantic:
Varsity Girls to Play in Championship Game
Congratulations to our Varsity Girls on their win over St. Paul last night. The team will now move on to the Deanery Championship Game (date TBA) and has also secured a spot in the State Tournament. Great Job Sabers!
Also a reminder that our JV Boys will play in their Deanery Championship Game this evening at Northwest Catholic in West Hartford at 6pm versus St. Mary’s. Please come out to cheer on the team if you can!
