Thank You!

A huge THANK YOU to all our SJS families for stopping by our Breezeway Pick-Up area yesterday and today to get the materials we had for you and to all our 8th grade parents for dropping off your students’ research papers that were due today.  We also wanted to share our gratitude for so many kind words and emails that were shared with the administration and faculty during these past few days.  We feel so blessed to be part of this special community.  Please know that each and every family is in our prayers.

Instrumental Music Notes From Mr. Corcoran

General Performing Maintenance:

1) Remember if you play at one range or one dynamic level you will lose the others. It is recommended that you play your highest and lowest notes as well as your loudest note and your softest dynamic range.

2) Sight read every day.  Go to a new lesson in your book or old band music you have not played in a long  time.

3) Brass players play long tones in the upper register striving for 30 seconds.

4) Move as far as you can in your books. I showed everyone the  rhythmic concepts on charts 7 and 11.

My e-mail is jcorcoran@snet.net feel free to e-mail with any questions about what or how to practice. I hope to be able to Skype in a few days to we can continue lessons.

Sincerely,

Mr. Corcoran

 

Music on Google Classroom

For students on Google Classroom (Grades 3-8) please have the students use the following codes for their weekly music special and also for choir:

Grade 3 – 4jnkyic
Grade 4 – mu6c3pv
Grade 5 – fzxkgwr
Grade 6 – rxmb5nb
Grade 7 – 2eointa
Grade 8 – cwifra2
Choir – zhfsc4j

Important Notice 3/16/20

Monday, March 16, 2020

Dear SJS families,

We have a lot of important information to share, please read this entire email:

Materials Pickup & Drop-off

*Excluded from this is Kindergarten and 4th grade who already have everything they need*

As noted in yesterday’s email – a parent or guardian should come by the school to pick up a packet and/or books at the following times:

**TODAY – Monday, March 16th from 3:00pm – 6:00pm

**Tuesday, March 17th from 9:00am – 12:00pm 

All 8th grade students must turn in their research paper at one of these two drop off dates.

For anyone who was Absent on Thursday, these are the pickup times for your child’s materials as well.

Pickup/drop-off of assignments will be in the BREEZEWAY LOT only.  Please do not buzz into the school.

 

Office Hours

As of right now, the school will answer phone calls M-F between the hours of 9am and 1pm.  No parents, students, or teachers will be allowed in the school.

 

Distance Learning

Teaching will continue via distance learning.  All students are expected to keep up with their studies.
For grades K-4, your child’s teachers will email you daily as to what work should be completed and also will give you information about some online platforms that may assist your child in enrichment activities.

 

For grades 5-8, your child’s teachers will post assignments daily in Google Classroom.  All students will have daily required assignments that must be turned in by a time that will be communicated from your child’s teacher.  Please note, the Google Classroom servers are going to be exceptionally busy.  If your child gets a note that the server is unavailable, they should shut down and wait a bit (particularly today).

Illness

If your child is ill during these days and unable to complete their daily lessons, you must email lsager@saintjamesschool.net so we can record their absence.  Teachers will be notified of their absence and know not to expect the work that day.  However, the work will need to be completed and handed in asap.

 

Other Important Notes:

*This plan is in place until March 27th and we will communicate as we have information to share.

*For activities that we needed to cancel (basketball banquet, father/son event) we will return your money when students come back to school.  We are still deciding if the Soiree will be held at a later date.

*During this time that teachers and students are not allowed in the building, the entire school will be disinfected and cleaned.

*We still have a deadline to order yearbooks of Friday, March 20th.  If possible, please order online.  The website and school code are on the order form your child brought home last week.  Online orders are being accepted until April 6th.  If you are unable to order online, please bring your order form to school during today or tomorrow’s breezeway pickup times.  Or, mail it to the school so it will be here by Friday.  Questions can be directed to our volunteer yearbook coordinator Mrs. St. Jean at lstjean@saintjamesschool.net

*Book & Art Club will be rescheduled for when we return

*The soccer season is on hold for now

*At this time, there has not been a change to our 8th grade graduation date, but we will update you immediately if this changes.  Our Pre-K and Kindergarten “Stepping Up” celebrations will have a final date determined once we return back to school.

Please take every precaution possible to stay healthy and safe during this difficult time.  I am praying for all our students and families and appreciate the sacrifices everyone is making to keep our students moving forward.

May the peace of Our Lord be with you.

Sincerely,
Bridget Zorger
Principal

 

 

 

 

Important Notice From Mrs. Zorger

Dear Families of Saint James School,

Currently, a decision has NOT been made regarding the closure of Manchester Public Schools.  However, in an effort to be prepared, we have asked our students to bring home learning materials in the event that a decision will be made before we come back to school on Monday.  In the event Manchester Public Schools decides to close for a time period, Saint James School will implement a Distance Learning model.  If this happens, your child’s teacher and I will communicate how we will proceed with learning during that time. As information continues to develop, we will keep you abreast of any changes.  At this time, we DO expect to be in school on Monday.

Thank you for your patience, understanding, and support during this unsettling time.

Sincerely,

Bridget Zorger, Principal

 

No school tomorrow

As a reminder, there is no school tomorrow (Friday, March 12) as teachers will be attending an offsite conference.

Water Bottle Reminder & Events

As noted in the Archdiocese-wide directive that was included in yesterday (and today’s) email, the water fountains at the school have been shut off until further notice.  All students should be bringing a water bottle from home.

In addition, please know that we are mindful of upcoming events – the Soiree, the Basketball banquet, STEM Night, etc. and will be making a decision about these upcoming activities on Monday.

IMPORTANT: Contingency Plan for School Closure

While a school closure related to the corona virus is NOT imminent at the moment, our school is preparing in case Manchester schools do opt to close for a period of time (SJS will follow the Manchester public schools’ protocol).

If a closure is anticipated for a long duration, we are preparing to have students continue with their learning and studies through the use of technology.

At this point, we are looking at the K-8 program and the access to technology that students have at home should we need them to work remotely.  Middle School Students are all actively using their Chromebooks and Google classroom at home, so we are not as concerned about them.

If you have a student in Kindergarten – 5th grade, however, please complete the following form to help us with our planning (If you did not do so yesterday):   https://forms.gle/FmT7Qd8DyZz13QGx6

Please also review this release we received today from the Archdiocese of Hartford, containing additional information on policies we are implementing immediately: AOHSchools.coronavirus.3.10.2020

12:05 Dismissal Tomorrow & No School Friday

As a reminder, tomorrow – Thursday, March 12th is another half day (12:05pm dismissal) for optional parent/teacher conferences.  Aftercare will be in session tomorrow but students going to aftercare will need to bring a lunch from home.

Also, there is no school this Friday, March 13th, as all teachers will be attending an offsite conference.

 

Book & Art Club Gr 3 & 4

The next Book & Art Club for students in grades 3 & 4 will be held after school on March 24th, if your student would like to attend, please RSVP using the permission slip below.

March 24 Book & Art Club Permission Slip Grades 3&4

A couple of notes:

  • If your child has a food allergy, please have them bring a snack.
  • Pick-up will now take place outside the gym doors.
  • Please be sure you check in with Mrs. Rafferty or Mrs. Carpenter to sign-out your student before leaving.