Please see the attached flyer for dates and information about two excellent opportunities for our school families to learn more about how youth are affected by their regular access to social media and internet usage.
RSVP forms to both events will be sent before Spring Recess.
If you have any questions please contact Stephanie Holmes at campusminister@saintteresacatholic.org.
For SJS families and friends who are not able to attend our 2025 Gala & Auction Fundraiser in person there will be two ways that you can still participate in the fun and potentially win some AWESOME PRIZES in the process:
1) Class Basket Raffle — Basket details by grade coming soon!
2) Silent Auction — Through our Under the Stars auction website, participants not attending the Gala can bid on items from home simultaneously with those attending the event in person. More details will be sent after Spring Recess but some of the fun items up for grabs in our 2025 Silent Auction will include:
*A ride to school in a firetruck
*Premier seating at 8th grade graduation
*A $200 Gift Certificate for M&R Liquors
*A $500 Gift Certificate for Williams Fuel
*Premier seating at the Kindergarten Stepping Up Ceremony
*Urban Lodge & Mulberry Street Gift Cards
*Little Theatre of Manchester Gift Certificate
*Tommy Hilfiger Uniform Gift Cards
*A youth bowling party for up to ten guests at Spare Time in Vernon
*SJS Gym Teacher for a day, Principal for a day, Librarian/Art Teacher for a day, etc.
*Special STEM Club session with Mrs. Poth and two friends
*A week at the Reilly Basketball Camp
*A special afternoon with your child’s teacher & one friend
*Blackhawk fishing adventure
*Golf/Mini-golf, museum passes, fun excursions, sports tickets, and so much more!
As a reminder, we ask that you do not drop your student off at the Stop Sign on Otis Street. Please take the extra moment to pull onto Park Street to let them out. Cars are regularly turning onto Otis Street during morning arrival and it creates an unsafe situation, especially when we see students crossing that area without waiting for the crossing guard. Thank you for helping us ensure everyone has a safe start to their morning!
For families that ordered soccer spiritwear or general SJS spirtwear in March, those items have arrived and will be sent home with your student on Monday.
This coming Monday, April 7th, Saint James School is looking forward to welcoming the first of two formal visits from our NEAS&C (New England Association of Schools & Colleges) accreditation team.
As you may recall, back in September we asked our SJS families to complete a detailed survey to assist us in preparing for our NEAS&C accreditation renewal. As a member of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Saint James School undergoes a comprehensive evaluation every ten years, with smaller assessments conducted at the 2-year and 5-year marks.
Since September, the SJS faculty and staff have been diligently collecting and reviewing information from a variety of sources, including the family and student surveys, to complete a comprehensive self-study. The self-study is an important part of the accreditation process and is prepared in advance of the accreditation team’s visit.
Monday’s visit will be the first of two in-person assessments for our school. This first visit, known as the Foundation Visit, will consist of three school administrators from other accredited Catholic schools (not in our local area). The team will be at our school for the entire day on Monday, making observations, conducting interviews, and reviewing the information provided in our self-study.
In October 2025, we will host our second accreditation team visit, known as the Program Visit. This will be a larger team who will be with us for a longer duration. Building on the Foundation Visit, this team will conduct an in-depth review of all aspects of our program, assessing how well they align with our mission, meet the needs of our students, and support our commitment to excellence.
While the 10-year accreditation process is a major undertaking for any academic institution, it provides an invaluable opportunity to step back from the day-to-day routine and thoughtfully assess all aspects of our school.
Mrs. LaMarche and Mrs. Jones, two of our wonderful elementary teachers, have done an outstanding job organizing and leading this important initiative for our school. We are excited to meet our first set of visitors on Monday and share with them our vibrant and faith-filled learning community!
The Connecticut Catholic (and Christian) School soccer season will begin next week! SJS has enough students playing this year that each participating grade (3rd – 8th) will have its own team. The 3rd – 5th grade teams are considered JV; grades 6 – 8 are in the varsity league. All (parent volunteer) coaches have been given their player roster and will be reaching out to families shortly with important information for the season.
As a reminder, if your student does not have their health form in to the office or is missing any of the required registration items, please remember they cannot practice or play in games until that is received.
With the Charter Oak fields currently under renovation, this year we will be playing our games at either Martin School (140 Dartmouth Rd, Manchester) or at Star Hill (100 Gerber Dr, Tolland).
Typical practice times are Wednesdays from 5:00pm – 6:30pm for JV and 6:00pm – 7:30pm for Varsity at Martin School. Practices are scheduled to being this coming Wednesday, April 9th.
The first games of the season will be Friday 4/11 and Saturday 4/12. Coaches will be looking for your availability since this is the weekend before Spring recess. Teams may need to be adjusted for the first game based on available player counts.
A huge Thank You to all the parents who have volunteered to coach! We are looking forward to a great season!
To account for the two snow days we have had so far this year, please note the following changes are being made to the school calendar:
* The last day of school for grades 1-7 will now be Friday, June 13th.
* June 10th will now be a full day of school.
* June 11th – June 13th will be early dismissal days.
* The last day for all Pre-K students (and the stepping up celebration for Pre-K4) will be Wednesday, June 11th.
* The last day of Kindergarten (and the Kindergarten celebration) will be Thursday, June 12th.
Grade 8 Graduation is not impacted by these changes and will still be held on Thursday, June 5th.
An updated One Page calendar can be downloaded HERE.
The SJS Home & School Association will meet this evening at 6:00pm in the school cafeteria. We hope you will join us!
An additional (no charge) week for Lego Club has been added so the club will now end on Tuesday, April 29th. Remaining dates are 4/8, 4/22, and 4/29.