The Trumpet

March 17, 2008                                               St. Michael School                               North Andover, MA

School Notes

The faculty and staff wish to extend many Easter blessings to your families.

 

Lenten Service Projects- The Lenten Rice Bowl money is due back in school this week on Holy Thursday, March 20th. Please make checks payable to St. Michael Parish. Please do not return the bowl with coins. Thank you for your support!

 

Good Friday- As a reminder, the school will be closed on Good Friday, March 21st. Ext. Day Care will also be closed.

 

Kindergarten Screening- We will have kindergarten screening during the week of March 24-28 for all pre-k students who plan on attending our kindergarten program. Results from screening will be mailed home after April vacation.

 

Play Practice- Students in grades 3-5 have play practice on Wednesday until 5:00p.m. Students in grades 6-8 have play practice on Thursday until 5:00p.m. Students not picked up at that time will be sent to Ext. Day Care and parents will be billed.

 

Protecting God’s Children Workshops- Here are the upcoming PGC workshops in our area: St. Patrick Parish in Lawrence: May 3rd at 10a.m. (call 978-683-9416 to register).

 

Grade 5 Test- The students in grade 5 will be administered the ACRE religion test this week. This test is mandated across the Archdiocese for 5th graders. Individual results are not distributed to parents but are used by the administration for planning purposes. There are no make-up days for the test.

 

Recess- We are trying to have outdoor recess whenever possible. The snow plows have left us a very large mountain of snow in the play area. There really isn’t room to run freely and the children have a very hard time turning down the temptation to play in the snow. Nevertheless, we are trying to get the kids outside so please be sure your child is dressed properly each day.

 

Honor Band- Congratulations to the following students for being named to the Massachusetts Honor Band. They’ll represent St. Michael School on April 13th at a special concert in Framingham. The students who are participating are: David Bradburn, Hannah Carey, Maggie Carey, Kayla McMinniman, Nate Schmidt, Kathleen Smolak, Jonathan Tammaro, James Testa and Thomas Yadgood.

 

Grade 7 & 8 News- Students and Parents in grades 7 & 8 are invited to attend a presentation by Jason Evert on “Romance Without Regret.” Jason has spoken to over 45,000 students, parents and faculty in the Archdiocese of Boston since 2005. Don’t miss this remarkable and entertaining presentation on the important topic of chastity. The presentation will be Sunday, April 13th from 7:15-8:45p.m. in the church. Parents with younger children are welcome to attend but the material presented is only appropriate for students in grades 7-12.

 

Spanish Extra Help for Middle School Students - This is a reminder to parents and middle school students that Mrs. Reardon will be offering an extra help session this Tuesday, March 18th at 8:00 a.m. in the computer lab. Please let her know if you plan on attending.

 

Grade 8 NAHS News- For the students who are planning on attending NAHS please be advised that if you need the SMS teachers assistance in course placement (Honors or College Prep.), we need permission from your parents to release that information to NAHS. Please inform Miss Reidy, in writing, if you want help placing your child in the correct class. Our understanding is that students must have a 90% or higher average to be tentatively placed in an Honors class.

 

Summer Adventures at SMS- We are offering 4-one week summer sessions for students at school. A flyer was sent home last week outlining the theme for each week. If you didn’t receive a flyer and wish to receive one, please contact the school office.

 

Kurzweill Club-There will be a Kurzweill Club meeting this Thursday, March 20th at 8a.m. in the computer room.

 

Jimmy Fund- There is also a website that gives parents the opportunity to make a contribution to the Jimmy Fund first hand.  You can visit www.rallyagainstcancer.org.  Click on Support An Individual.  Then type in First name: Jenn Last name: Andrewchuk, and click search. When the information appears below, click on St. Michael Superstars, and follow the instructions on the donation page.  All online donations must be made by 11:00 p.m. on April 8th in order to be eligible for the contest.  If you would like to send a check into the school, please make it payable to The Jimmy Fund.  All checks must be submitted to the Jimmy Fund by April 4th at 5:00 p.m. The Jimmy Fund website also has instructions for matching contributions from companies and corporations. If you find that your company would like to contribute a matching donation, please follow the instructions.

 

Attention Poets and Artists- American Community Think Tank is pairing up with the Lowell Poetry Network on a poetry & artwork exhibit. They are looking for artists and poets of all ages to submit poems (along with artwork) about World Peace. All submissions will be on display on April 26th at an art gallery in Lowell. Students who submit poetry will have the option of reading their poem at this reception.

 

Project Details: All entries need to be World Peace Poems that include artwork from the same student who wrote the poem. The poem should be on an 8 ½” x 11” sheet of paper. If you choose to do the artwork on its own sheet, it must still adhere to the size requirement. The front of the poem/artwork must have your first name only, school name and grade. On the back, please put your first and last name, teacher’s name and homeroom. All poems with artwork are due in the school office by March 25th.

 

Basketball Notes ¯

St. Michael School K-4 Basketball Program Update.  The program finished its season over the weekend with the successful Grade 4 Girls and Boys Tournament. The K-4 basketball program was a great opportunity for our 140+ young players to have lots of fun and learn more about the great game of basketball. A huge thank you to all of the coaches who volunteered tirelessly this season: Mrs. Barry, Mr. Basile, Mr. Boehm, Mr. Bosco, Mr. Cochrane, Mr. Connors, Mr. Daigle, Mr. Duggan, Mr. Fallon, Mrs. Flanagan, Mr. Garcia, Mr. Gibbs, Mrs. Grant, Mrs. Hughes, Mr. Jaskelevicious, Mr. Kamieneski, Mr. Madigan, Mr. McInnis, Mr. Neff, Mr. Norris, Mr. Onofrio, Mr. Panos, Mr. Peterson, Mr. Reardon, Mr. Ribaudo, Mr. Sapienza, Mrs. Surette, Mr. Tabola, Mr. Theruvakattil, and Mr. Testa.  Thank you all for a successful 2007-2008 basketball season! See you next Fall!

 

PTO Notes ¯

Scrip Program - Good news… the March Scrip order will be in EARLY… and will be available for pick up on Tuesday 3/18!  The store will also be completely restocked at this time… so come pick up any last minute Easter gifts or cards you may need!

 

Family Lip Sync was FANTASTIC - Thank you Paula Cargill for putting together a wonderful show and a fun evening for our St. Michael teachers and families. Thanks to all participants for such an entertaining night. The acts were fabulous! 

 

A Night at the Disco - Tickets available now from Mrs. Donahue! Don't miss the fun on April 12th at Salvatore's in Lawrence. $35.00/person or $60.00/couple. Dinner, dancing, games and a live auction... what a night! Come join us. Would you like to bid on Red Sox tickets, a weekend get-away, gift certificates for home items, salons, photographers, museums or amusement parks? Visit the auction site at www.smsauction.cmarket.com . There are over 60 items listed with more being added weekly!  Bidding begins soon!

 

Ladies Choice Photos - If anyone has not received their pictures from the Ladies’ Choice Dance, please contact Tricia Hekmatpour at triciahek@yahoo.com

Scouts Notes ¯

Second Grade Brownie Troop #298:  Our next meeting is Friday, April 4th from 3:15 to 4:30 in the school gym.  Remember to bring a snack and wear your sash!  See you there!

 

Kindergarten Daisy Troop #6415:  Our next meeting is Friday, March 28th from 3:15 to 4:30 in the school gym.  We will earn the orange petal for “Responsible for What I Do and Say.”  Please remember to wear your Daisy smock and bring a snack!  See you there!

 

Community Notes ¯

Ed Pedi Photography - First Communion Portrait Fund Raiser to benefit St. Michael School Programs runs from March 1 through May 31st.  Ed will donate $25 from the session fee to St. Michael school programs and each participating family receives one complimentary 5 x 7 portrait. The sacred celebration of First Holy Communion is one of the single most important events to occur in a young child’s life. Don’t let this special day pass by without preserving a timeless portrait memory. Ed encourages you to bring along any special family heirlooms, rosary beads, or prayer book to personalize your child’s portrait. Take a moment to visit Ed’s first communion portrait gallery to see samples of his first communion images at www.edpediphoto.com.  To schedule a session call his studio at 978-686-6535. 

 

Go Green! -  Are you looking to switch over to non-toxic cleaning products?  Heather Fahey, an SMS Mom, can help you switch and remove harmful chemical cleaners from your home environment and replace them with safer, less expensive alternatives.  Please contact Heather at 978-685-7739 or e-mail heather at heather@heatherorganics.com for more information.  GO GREEN!

 

Hot lunch for the week of March 17 to March 21

Monday: Hot dog/roll, veggies, cookies

Tuesday: Taco, rice, pineapples

Wednesday: Spaghetti/sauce, antipasto, graham crackers

Thursday: Pizza, celery sticks

Friday: Good Friday – No School

 

Trumpet Submissions - Email Theresa Peterson at theresapeterson@comcast.net by Saturday evenings or send home your submissions with Jack Peterson c/o 4B by Friday afternoons.