Saint James School is looking to hire an additional Aftercare Assistant for this upcoming school year. If you know of anyone who might be interested, please have them reach out to Mrs. Zorger (bzorger@saintjamesschool.net).
Our Middle School history/social studies teacher, Mr. Adams, has decided to take a teaching position closer to his hometown for the upcoming school year and therefore, will not be returning to SJS this Fall. Mrs. Zorger is currently accepting resumes and interviewing candidates for the position. If you know of anyone who may be interested, please have them reach out to Mrs. Zorger (bzorger@saintjamesschool.net).
As a reminder, our Fall Festival will take place at Saint James School on Saturday, September 17th. Grade-level ambassadors have been selected and will all be reaching out to families (by grade) shortly to discuss helping with this event. If you are not comfortable with your email address being shared with our parent volunteers (for purposes of communicating about the event), please notify Amy Guenther at aguenther@saintjamesschool.net by Sunday, July 31st.
Also, we are in need of additional volunteers to help out in three different areas. Please use this link to share your interest in helping with one or more of the areas below: https://forms.gle/F5h6borfReAujtJj7 (Those that already reached out to us may also use this form to indicate where they would like to help).
Gardening Committee – Weed, plant flowers, and mulch the flower beds on the Saint James School campus. This should be done before the start of school with a quick refresh in advance of our centennial events on September 17th & 18th.
Open House Decorating Committee – Help us finalize plans for our Open House event (for alumni, donors, families, etc.) and participate in set-up/decorating the afternoon of Saturday, September 17th (decorating for Sunday’s event will begin after the Fall Festival ends).
Open House Hospitality Committee – Help make decisions about food and beverages at the event and be at the school on Sunday, September 18th to welcome guests, assist with serving, and clean-up after the Open House concludes.
Questions can be directed to Amy Guenther. Thank you for your time and support as we celebrate and commemorate this exciting milestone!
Parents are responsible for ensuring their student comes to school in appropriate attire each day. A few notes to keep in mind as you are planning back-to-school uniform attire:
* Shipping times were excessive all last year due to supply issues, so we strongly suggest you begin planning what you need to order asap.
* Tan uniform pants/shorts MUST be purchased from Lands’ End or Dennis Uniform Company and may only be the style of pants listed under our school’s uniform code.
* Gym Day pants MUST be plain Navy sweat pants (for students playing an SJS team sport, corresponding spiritwear pants – purchased through SJS – are acceptable on gym day). For the warmer weather, shorts must be plain navy and at least a 5-inch inseam.
* Skorts may be NO MORE than TWO inches above the knee.
* Socks MUST cover the ankle and be white on gym day; Navy, black, or khaki socks must be worn with tan pants (white socks may also be worn with tan shorts).
* Hair must not be dyed, highlighted, or bleached. Boys’ hair must not touch their shirt collar and must not cover their ears or eyebrows (if your student has colored their hair for the summer, it must be dyed back before the first day of school).
* Remember, students will need to be in their formal uniform for class pictures on September 21st (long pants for all boys, skorts for all girls, and button down shirt with tie for grade 6-8 boys)
* The following jewelry is allowed: one watch, one ring, one bracelet, one thin chain necklace with or without a cross.
— Smart watches/Fitbits are NOT allowed.
— Girls are allowed one pair of post earrings worn in the earlobes.
Our updated handbook will be released in the weeks ahead.
For Manchester residents (K-8 program) whose child/ren DID NOT use school bus transportation last year but you WOULD like them to use it this coming school year, please make sure you have spoken to Mrs. Guenther to discuss the town’s new registration procedures by Monday, August 1st (paperwork showing residency must be submitted to the town). Students that rode the school bus last year to and/or home from SJS are being grandfathered in and do not need to complete this new process.
Lands End uniform items are 20% off through July 22nd with Promo Code: SCHOOL and Pin: 1749
As we continue planning for the upcoming school year, we have a few staff notes to share:
Middle School Math
Please join us in welcoming Ms. Jennifer Starnick as our new 7th & 8th grade Advanced Math teacher. Ms. Starnick comes to us from the Coventry Public School system where she most recently taught 6th & 7th grade science at Nathan Hale Middle School. A graduate of Rutgers University in New Jersey, Ms. Starnick has two Master of Education degrees and is currently completing her state certification in math (already state certified in science). In addition to teaching in the classroom setting, Ms. Starnick is involved with the Coventry Lake waterski club, teaches at Dance Express in Tolland, and has actively participated with the Embrace Kids Foundation since her time at Rutgers. Ms. Starnick has three young children enrolled at Saint James School and is excited to be joining our middle school teaching team.
We would like to extend a very big thank you to Mrs. Powers for stepping in as our long-term substitute teacher this past year.
Elementary School Music Teacher
We are also pleased to welcome Mrs. Ann Marie Schrager as our new Elementary Music Teacher (grades K-5). Mrs. Schrager recently retired from teaching elementary education in Vernon and is excited to share her passion for music with our students at SJS. Mrs. Schrager has been an active member of Saint Teresa of Calcutta parish for many years, serving as church organist and, more recently, as a member of the St. Bridget/St. Bartholomew choir.
Pre-Kindergarten News
In other news, our Pre-Kindergarten Director, Mrs. Fitzgerald, has resigned in order to take a full-time position with the East Hartford Public Library (where she has been working summers for the past few years). As such, we are looking for a new Pre-Kindergarten Director for this upcoming school year. If you know of anyone who might be interested, please have them send a resume to Mrs. Zorger (candidates must have a degree in early childhood education to be considered).
Now through September 5, 2022, Connecticut children aged 18 and under – plus one accompanying Connecticut adult – can receive free admission to participating museums, including historic house museums, historic sites, historical societies, art museums, children’s museums, science centers, special-interest museums, natural history museums, university museums, arboretums/botanical gardens and zoos. Connecticut residents should check each museum’s website to learn of any restrictions before visiting.
The full list of participating museums is available at www.CTSummerMuseums.com.
Some of the notable attractions include:
For families that are members of the Saint Teresa Parish community (St. James Church, St. Bridget Church, St. Bartholomew Church, Assumption Church), please note that there is a very informative parish e-newsletter that is sent out each week. If you are not currently receiving this newsletter and would like to be added to the distribution, please email the parish office: pastoroffice@manchestercatholic.org.