Our crossing guard would like to remind families to please not turn onto Otis Street when she is out in the road crossing students at morning arrival. Any time a crossing guard is in the road with the stop sign, all cars need to stay stationary. Thank you!
Cross Country starts next week and we still need helpers! You do NOT have to run to help out with what we need. If you are willing to help please reach out to Mr. Green at cgreen@saintjamesschool.net asap.
For students in Grades 5-8 who are FULLY REGISTERED to participate in Cross Country, please note the 1st practice begins on Tuesday, September 3rd. Practices will typically be held right after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays but a schedule will be handed out in the days ahead. Please be parked outside the SJS gymnasium to pick up your runner by 3:30pm (please don’t buzz into the school – wait for your runner to come out).
Runners should bring their running shoes and a change of clothes to school on Tuesday morning. Please make sure they have a refillable water bottle packed as well. A note or email should be sent to the teacher giving permission for your child to stay after school on Tuesday.
We are excited for a great season!
All students (PreK-Grade 8) will be coming home today with our fall fundraiser packet from Cherrydale Fundraising. This catalog-based fundraiser offers a wide-range of items including wrapping paper, kitchen gadgets, home decor, cookies, and candy — there is something for everyone!
Our goal with this fundraiser is to raise $20,000.00 for essential programs not currently funded through tuition or other traditional means.
We are asking ALL parents to register their student(s) here: https://www.shopfund.com/
This year, all sales should be done online at ShopFund.com.
At the end of the fundraiser, students will earn prizes based on the total number of items sold. In addition, throughout the sale, there are 3 chances to earn extra incentives. Turn-in dates for the Wild Thingz incentives are:
Friday, September 6th
Friday, September 13th
Friday, September 20th
On these dates, send your child to school with the special coupon on the back of the prize brochure in the fundraising packet.
While all our school fundraisers are optional, our Cherrydale fundraiser is typically one of our most successful with a large percentage of sales coming back to our school. We certainly appreciate your participation when possible! If you have any questions, please contact the school office or email our parent volunteer coordinator for this fundraiser, Kate Davis, at 70greenbean@sbcglobal.net.
Show your SCHOOL SPIRIT with Saint James School Spiritwear! Click the link below to view all items:
Products – Saint James School (saintjamesstore.com)
For students running Cross Country (gr. 5-8), the following spiritwear items may be worn to school on gym day:
* Cross country navy shorts (not the cadence trainers)
* Limitless pants
* Limitless warm up jacket
The Gray t-shirt required for gym day, however, must be the uniform one from Lands’ End or Dennis Uniform company (spiritwear t-shirts are not permitted on gym day)
For K-8 students, the following general spiritwear items may be worn to school on gym day OVER the required gray uniform t-shirt:
* Faith Love Hope Hoodie
* Gray 2 Stripes Hoodie
* Navy Basic Hoodie with Gold Crest
Orders must be placed by August 30th and will be available for pick-up at SJS around mid-September (we will send an email when items are in). There is an additional fee if you would like items shipped directly to your home.
A portion of each sale will be donated back to SJS. Please direct any questions to Amy Guenther at aguenther@saintjamesschool.net.
Tomorrow our 1st – 8th grade students will attend a Back-to-School Mass at Saint James Church. As this is our first Mass of the new year, please have your student wear their “regular uniform” to school tomorrow (not gym uniform). IF Friday is the day your child has gym class, your student is welcome to wear their sneakers with their regular uniform.
Please join us in welcoming the following new staff members to Saint James School:
Ms. Brigid Utz – Middle School English/Reading, Grade 6 Homeroom
We are excited to welcome Ms. Utz to our middle school teaching team! Ms. Utz is a recent graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville where she received her degree in Middle Childhood Education. Having completed her student teaching in a Grade 6 classroom, she is excited to jump right in and work with our middle school students here at Saint James School. Ms. Utz will be in tomorrow to meet our students and will be working closely with Mrs. Mitchell over the next few days as she transitions into the role.
Mrs. Ann McAdams – Social Worker
We are also delighted to welcome Mrs. McAdams as our school’s new social worker. Mrs. McAdams has been working with families and children in various roles from almost 15 years, including working at a Family Resource Center, as a School Social Worker, an in-home clinician, and at two different mental health clinics. She welcomes families to reach out to her at any time via phone (860) 643-5088 (option 7) or email (AMcAdams@saintjamesschool.net).
It was great seeing everyone this morning for the meet-the-teachers event! We are looking forward to a GREAT 1st day of School tomorrow. A few reminders – particularly pertaining to our K-8 families:
*All students should be in their regular (non gym) uniform tomorrow.
*Parents: please remember to park in the Saint James Church parking lot or designated areas if you are not using the drop-and-go line. We are opening the big parking lot (by the preschool) this year for morning arrival parking.
*Dismissal is at 12:05pm on the first day – LUNCH WILL BE SERVED. For students being picked up by a parent or caregiver, afternoon pickup will take place in the parking lot between the main school and the Pre-Kindergarten. Please park in a designated spot and walk over to this lot to pick up your student. Kindergarten will be closest to the grassy area and 8th grade closest to the street – with all other grades sequentially in between. Please wait for the teacher to dismiss the child to you in an orderly fashion (don’t encourage them to run over to you). If you also have a student in the Pre-K, please pick that child up first – then proceed to the “big school.”
*After-care/before-care is available on the first day of school for registered families.
*All students should bring a snack and bottle of water on the first day of school. Per school policy, please limit snacks to fruits and/or vegetables or a healthy protein only – cheese/yogurt. A bottle of water should be packed with the snack every day.
*For the K-8 program, please arrive between 7:30am and 7:45am – allow yourself plenty of time to park, particularly on the first day when it will be extremely busy around the school. After 7:50am, your student is tardy and you must come to the main office with them to sign them in.
*Please check your child’s temperature and assess their overall health before leaving the house every day.
Teachers will be reviewing all school guidelines with students over the first few days of school, however, we wish to remind K – 8 parents of the following for the first day (from our school handbook):
*No makeup, nail polish, artificial nails, or artificial “tattoos” are allowed
*Boys’ hair must not touch their shirt collar and must not cover their ears or eyebrows
*Hairpieces, mohawk-style haircuts, designs cut into hair, and outlandish hairstyles are not allowed
*Hair must not be dyed, highlighted, or bleached
*The following jewelry is allowed: one watch, one ring, one thin chain necklace with or without a cross. Smart watches and fitbits are NOT allowed.
*Girls are allowed one pair of post earrings worn in the earlobes (Boys are not allowed to wear earrings)
*Hair must be neat, clean, and well cut
*Students must be in the proper uniform attire.
Please allow extra time in your day for drop-off and pick-up so you are not rushing in at the last minute. Extra staff will be on hand at both drop-off and pick-up to help guide you to where you need to be during the first few days.
For all students in grades 5 – 8 interested in running Cross Country this fall, please note that the following items are due to SJS by Thursday, August 29th (the first day of school).
1. Athletics Health Permission Form (please note, this is different than the standard health physical form and must be signed by the child’s doctor);
2. Cross Country Permission Slip:
3. $70 sports/activity fee.
Cross Country practices are expected to start the first week of September. Runners must have the endurance to run a distances of 1-3 miles (without stopping) at the start of the season. If your student is interested in participating in Cross Country this year, please ensure they are working on their endurance this summer.
Attached below is a link to our Saber Stories Newsletter for September. There is lots of important information in this document, please take a few moments to read through at your convenience.
In addition to the link below, the September lunch menu can be found in our school app and at the bottom of our website homepage (Quick Links area).
SJS Hot Lunch Menu September 2024
REMINDER: the state is now requiring that lunch is served on early dismissal days so students will have lunch before dismissal on Thursday. If you were planning to take your student out for lunch after school on the first day, just send them with an extra snack.
* 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: MPS Paper FAQ. If you would like to print a paper copy of the application, you can do that HERE. Our district for this is Manchester Private Schools.