MAP Assessments This Week
Please note that students in Grades 3 – 8 will take the preliminary MAP assessments on Tuesday – Thursday of this week. You may reference information about the MAP assessments HERE, in case you missed it in a prior email.
Morning Bus Route Time Change
For students that take the school bus TO school in the mornings:
The town has notified us that morning stops will be 20 minutes EARLIER beginning Monday (9/19). Unfortunately, the buses are having trouble getting to their next route and need to adjust our schedule accordingly since we are the first pickup each day.
This change impacts:
Bus 27, 28, 29, and 31
Bus 32’s morning schedule will not change at this time.
Afternoon bus stop times will remain the same.
Individual Portraits – Monday (9/19)
As a reminder, individual student portraits will be taken this coming Monday, September 19th. This is a dress down (or dress up!) day – please send your student to school on Monday in whatever attire you would like them to have their school picture taken in (must adhere to the dress down guidelines on page number 11 in the school school Handbook 2022-2023 Parent Student Handbook).
To order school pictures this year:
1) Send your picture order form (coming home with students this week) in to school with your child on Monday, or
2) Go ONLINE to mylifetouch.com and to set up your picture order (this must be done by Sunday evening). Please use picture id: EVT7ZZ37T
With Lifetouch Pictures, your child’s school portrait can also be used to create fun photo gifts via Shutterfly. Please make these purchases using this link and 8% of the sale price will be donated back to Saint James School! http://saintjamesmanchester.shutterflystorefront.com/ (This link can be used to support SJS on ALL purchases through Shutterfly, not just school-picture related gifts).
Please note all students photographed will receive a FREE class picture from Lifetouch.
Cherrydale Ticket Turn-In Tomorrow
Tomorrow is our second Cherrydale GOATz ticket turn in day! If your child has completed any additional tickets since last week, please send them in to school with your child tomorrow. There will be one more “turn-in” day on Friday, September 23rd (which is also the last day for orders).
Fall Festival Just 2 Days Away!!
Only 2 days left until the Fall Festival, which will help kick off our school’s Centennial celebration. We hope that your family will join us for this day of fun, food, games and friendship! Here is everything you need to know for Saturday:
What: SJS Fall Festival
When: Saturday, September 17
Time: 11am to 2pm (drop in anytime!)
Where: Saint James School
Parking: Park in the Saint James Church lot or on the street (legally). There will be NO PARKING in the school parking lots that day.
Admission: Adults are free. Children 16 and under must have an SJS Centennial wristband. These will be available for purchase at the Fall Fest if you have not already done so.
Most of the activities/games at the Fall Festival are included in admission. However, the following are additional and CASH only:
Dunk Tank ($5 for five balls)
Pie Eating Contest ($5 per entry; winner of each “heat” qualifies for Championship round at 1:40pm and chance to win a prize)
Kona Ice Truck
Highland Park Market Booth
SJS Concessions Table
Grade/Class Activity: If you haven’t already done so and are able, please sign your family up for one of the shifts on the Sign-Up Sheet Here. If your child’s grade is full, please consider volunteering for the Dunk Tank, Inflatables Area or Concession Table (details below):
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1crTDWA6pTVY3if2amDQjFzRZh5fX3pSGSqLTTOCaT9E/edit#gid=0
We are still looking for adults to volunteer (30-minute shifts) for the following booths:
Dunk Tank: Collect $5 for 5 balls for each participant.
If you would like to sign-up to be “dunked” in the Dunk Tank (all for a good cause), please click here.
Inflatables Area: Supervise children on slide and obstacle course
Concession Table: SJS will be selling snacks and beverages for $1 each. Collect money. This can be done with your children, but the adults need to handle the money.
Today’s Rosary
Today we enjoyed our first school-wide Rosary of the new year. It is always a treat to see and hear everyone praying in unison throughout the school building on these special mornings.
Updated to Covid/Health Protocol
Thank you again to all of our families for adhering to our published health protocol and conducting those important health checks with your student(s) each day before school.
We are seeing a strong uptick in Covid cases here at school as the year is progressing and, as such, we are amending our Health protocol slightly.
Going forward, any student/staff member that has any respiratory symptoms (sore throat, congestion, cough), even if they don’t have a fever, will need to take a Covid test before coming to school each day. Any positive tests should be reported to the school nurse. Negative tests do not need to be reported to the nurse.
We will continue to require masking and documentation of a negative Covid test 5 days after exposure for students and staff to remain in school (after an exposure).
Please reach out to our school nurse, Mrs. Pennington, at kpennington@mpspride.org with any questions.
SJS 9/11 Memorial In the News
In case you missed it, two of our 5th grade students made the front page of the Journal Inquirer on Sunday (9/11) for their contributions to our September 11th memorial. Special thanks to Luke Szupryczynski and Quinn D’Agostino (with help from their parents) for looking after our 9/11 memorial. The article can be read…
Commemorative Calendars & Fall Festival Wrist Bands
A reminder that parent volunteers will be selling the 100th Anniversary Commemorative Calendars & Fall Festival Wrist Bands at pick-up tomorrow afternoon (Wednesday).
