This evening, Monday, September 12th Mr. Corcoran will have a parent meeting at 6:30pm in the cafeteria for new families interested in joining the band program this year (grades 4 – 8). Please ring the buzzer at arrival to be let in.
Please review the following information from the Archdiocese of Hartford in regards to the new, adaptive assessments our grade 3 – 8 students will participate in this school year. The testing will provide teachers with a detailed baseline assessment of each student in their class to help them better customize lessons throughout the school year.
During the week of September 12 the students will be taking practice tests on their technology device, practicing “think alouds”, and being able to experience this new testing platform while working through any questions with their teacher’s assistance.
During the week of September 19, students will take their first MAP assessments in reading, language usage, and mathematics.
You will note in the information below that the tests are also available for students in grades 1 and 2, however Saint James School will be implementing this program only for grades 3 – 8 at this time.
Two quick reminders about morning arrival for our Kindergarten – 8th Grade families:
1) If you arrive after the breezeway doors have closed at 7:50am – you must park your car and accompany your child/ren to the SJS main office to sign them in.
2) If you are using the drop-and-go option and you are at the front of the line, please pull up PAST the crosswalk to drop your students off. The entire area in front of the school should be used for drop-and-go.
As a reminder, Mrs. Tierney and Mrs. Fiereck will be selling Fall Festival Wrist Bands and special SJS 22-23 School Year Centennial Calendars tomorrow afternoon at pick-up. If your child takes the bus or goes to aftercare on Friday afternoons, you can purchase either of these items via “kid mail.” See below for information:
A reminder for families with a student participating in the first Cross Country Practice today, pick-up for students not going to aftercare is 3:30pm outside the SJS gymnasium. Please wait outside and runners will be dismissed to you there.
As a reminder, Saint James School’s Fall Festival commemorating our Centennial Anniversary will take place on Saturday, September 17th on our school campus. There will be inflatables, food trucks, games, a dunk tank, fun contests, and more! We are hoping all our SJS families will come out to enjoy the fun and commemorate this milestone event! The Fall Festival is open to everyone in the community as well, so invite friends, family, etc. to join us!
Fall Festival Admission WRIST BANDS are now on sale for $10 each (for students/children only – no charge for accompanying adults). Please note food and some other items will be an additional cost.
Our event chairs – Mrs. Tierney and Mrs. Fiereck – will be on hand selling wristbands this coming WEDNESDAY (9/14) at afternoon pickup. You can also send cash or check into school in an envelope with your child (“kid mail”) and wrist bands will be sent home with them. Please include this form for “kid mail” purchases: 100th Anniversary FALL FESTIVAL Wrist Band Purchases
Saint James School is pleased to share a couple of changes to the middle school teaching team/schedule:
First, we are happy to report that Mr. Adams will be returning to SJS in the role of 6th grade Social Studies and 7th & 8th grade History/Geography teacher. With this change, Mr. Adams will become a homeroom teacher in 7th grade – taking over Mrs. Wolpert’s 7th grade homeroom beginning tomorrow (Thursday).
Mrs. Wolpert, who is opting for a part-time schedule this year, will continue to teach 7th grade English and 8th Grade Reading. Mrs. McQuaid will add the 6th grade and 7th grade Math B groups to her teaching schedule while Ms. Starnick will continue to teach the mid and accelerated math classes for grades 6 – 8.
If you have any questions about these changes, please feel free to reach out to your child’s homeroom teacher.
This morning all NEW SJS K – 8 families should have received an email with information on setting up their EZSchoolPay account for tracking funds in their child’s hot lunch account.
While Hot Lunch is FREE through approximately December 1st, if your child purchases just milk or extra food, there will be a charge to your account. You can add money to your child’s account through the EZSchoolPay app (a $3.00 convenience fee will apply) or by sending in cash or a check with your child to the attention of Manchester Hot Lunch Program (no fee). Checks must be made out to “Manchester Hot Lunch Program” and the envelope you send it in should be clearly labeled with your child’s name.
If you are a returning family and did not set up an EZSchoolPay account last year, please reach out to Amy Guenther (aguenther@saintjamesschool.net) if you need your child’s ID number.
Mr. Corcoran is pleased to announce that the Advanced Band will be performing at the Open House for Saint James School’s 100th Anniversary Celebration on Sunday, September 18th. On September 7th, music students in grades 6 – 8 will have lessons and band rehearsal to prepare all members for this important event.
On Monday, September 12th Mr. Corcoran will have a parent meeting at 6:30pm in the cafeteria for families (grades 4 – 8) interested in joining the band program this year.
Beginning Band Lessons start on September 15th.
The SJS Home & School Association (similar to a PTA/PTO) will hold its first meeting of the new school year this coming Thursday, September 8th from 7:00-8:00pm in the school cafeteria. We strongly encourage all Pre-K through Grade 8 parents to attend to learn about ways to get involved in our school community and get information about events that will be upcoming in the next few months.
When you arrive at the school, please ring the buzzer at the breezeway doors and then head downstairs to the cafeteria for the meeting.
Any questions can be directed to our HSA President, Patricia McCarthy, at hsa@saintjamesschool.net.
We look forward to seeing you there!