August 19, 26 PreKindergarten and Kindergarten Playground Dates - 9:00-10:00 AM
August 29 Meet the Teacher - 9:00-11:00 AM
September 3 First Day of School for all grades - Doors open at 8:30 AM, and School starts at 8:50 AM
September 5 New Parent Orientation -- 7:00 PM – School Lobby
September 5-6 Scholastic Wish List Shopping
September 9-12 Scholastic Book Fair
September 9 First Day in Full Uniform
September 10 Parent Information Night - 6:45 PM – Church
September 11 Opening School Mass – 9:15 AM -- Church
PreKindergarten and Kindergarten Playground Play Dates! – Two more Monday play dates to go, August 19 and 26! The playground will be open for PreK and Kdg students and their parents on the four Mondays in August (5, 12, 19, 26) from 9:00-10:00 AM. Come on down! This is a great time for the kids...and parents (!)....to make important connections with friends before the school year begins!
Tuition Agreements – If you have not yet signed your tuition agreement, please contact Business Manager Murrayann Abucewicz at [email protected] as soon as possible! Students without signed tuition agreements will not be able to start school on September 3. This applies to ALL families, including those with returning students and those who are new to the school. Thanks!
UPDATED! Meet the Teacher Day – Thursday, August 29 is our annual Meet the Teacher event from 9:00-11:00 AM. This is an optional, drop-in event. Classroom assignments will be posted on the lobby bulletin board and teachers will be in all classrooms greeting their new students! No need to be here right away at 9:00...the school will be open and teachers will be in their rooms until 11:00. Come on by and say hi! Please note: Classroom assignments are not distributed prior to Meet the Teacher Day. If you cannot attend, feel free to send an email to [email protected] after the event is over to find our who your child’s teacher will be!
First Day for ALL Students - Our first full day for all grades will be Tuesday, September 3. Doors will open at 8:30 AM and school begins at 8:50 AM. If you will be walking your child in to school, please do not park on the school side of Cushing Ave. This is for active drop-off only. You may park in the rear of the school (families with PreK and Kdg students only), across the street from the school, and in the church parking lot.
NEW! Carpooling Instructions -- Please understand that the first few weeks of the morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up are unusually busy and sometimes a bit confusing. We ask everyone’s patience as new parents learn our routine and veteran parents get back into the swing of things! Please take a moment to review the following procedures to keep us all going safely in the RIGHT directions:
Morning Drop-off –
Pre-K and Kdg – ONLY these students should be dropped off in the REAR of the school. (The only exception would be those older students who carpool with PreK or Kdg students).
Please enter the back parking lot via the entrance closest to the school building and pull up to the top of the stairway, perpendicular to the parking spaces.
You should not park or exit your car. Teachers will meet your car and help your student out of the car.
Once your student has exited your car, please proceed forward and then circle around to exit the parking lot via the exit closest to the dumpsters.
To avoid congestion on Brookline St., please go straight out of the parking lot down Hill St.
Grades 1-6 – These students should be dropped off along the sidewalk in FRONT of the school.
Parents should turn onto Cushing Ave via Manchester St. ONLY and pull as far forward in front of the school as possible.
Your child should exit the car immediately without your assistance so that you may move on as quickly as possible and make room for other parents behind you.
For safety and security reasons, please do not park your car in front of the school or attempt to have your child cross the street from the opposite direction (even with your assistance).
In addition, students should not exit your car into the teacher’s parking lot…please wait until you have pulled up to the sidewalk.
Afternoon Pick-Up – Again, the first few weeks will be very busy in the parking lots…please be patient! The following rules are very important for student safety:
Back Parking Lot: This area is for Pre-K and Kdg pick-up, as well as those students who live OUTSIDE Nashua. (Students who carpool with Pre-K and Kdg students will exit to the back parking lot also.)
If you arrive early, you may find that the entrance to the parking lot is blocked by cones. Please do NOT move the cones. Classes often use the parking lot for activities until just before pick-up and it must remain clear. We will have 6th grade student helpers come to move the gates when appropriate.
Enter the parking lot via the entrance closest to the school building.
Please BACK into the spaces along the outside of the lot first, saving the inside row of parking spaces for later arrivals.
Exit your car and meet your child at the top of the stairs. Do not ask students to walk across the parking lot alone.
Please keep students with you and keep them from climbing the trees and running down the hill on the grass.
Exit the parking lot via the exit closest to the dumpsters.
Upper Parking Lot (by the Church): This area is for those students who live INSIDE Nashua.
Please park your car within the marked spaces only. If extra parking is needed, you may park in the lot next to the parish’s barn (beyond the white house with the Mary statue in front)
Exit your car and meet your student in the parking lot by the door to the church. Do not ask students to walk across the parking lot alone.
Please do not allow students to jump off the stone walls or run around in the memorial garden next to the Rectory.
NEW! Hot Lunch – Our Hot Lunch program will begin serving lunch on Monday, September 23. Ordering for September 23-October 31 will take place from September 1 to September 15 at Boonli.com. Further information about the Hot Lunch program will be distributed in the first paper Wednesday News on September 4 or can be viewed online HERE.
NEW! Hot Lunch Volunteering – Speaking of Hot Lunch, it’s not too early to start thinking about volunteering for Hot Lunch! Our Hot Lunch program is run entirely by volunteers….in fact, it takes over 100 people to make it work! Everyone is welcome to volunteer…we’ve had parents, alumni parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles! Hot Lunch is a great way to get to know other parents, be a part of what’s going on in the school, and see your children and their friends. Volunteers serve lunch just one day a month on the day of the week of your choice (although those who want to help out several days a month are always welcome!). To volunteer, use the Sign-Up Genius HERE.
NEW! Book Fair! Get Ready to Stomp, Chomp, and READ! – We are so excited to start the year off with our Scholastic Book Fair to support the library! For the first two weeks of school, the library will be FULL of great books and items that are sure to be a hit with your kids (and even a few things for us adults, too!). Each class will visit the library during the Book Fair and parents are welcome to shop any time that school is in session or during any of the evening Back to School meetings. Also, volunteers are needed to help Mrs. Noon with the event. (Bonus points for anyone who would be willing to dress up in our Husky costume for 30 minutes at drop-off time during the Book Fair!) If you can help, please contact Mrs. Noon at [email protected].
Back to School Parent Events - Mark your calendars for the following events! They are a great opportunity to meet fellow parents and/or get caught up with old friends, as well as find out what's new at St. Christopher School!
- New Parent Orientation- We can't wait to welcome our new parents to St. Christopher School! Our New Parent Orientation will be held on Thursday, September 5 at 7:00 PM in the school. The session will cover volunteer opportunities, upcoming events, "inside info" from veteran families, tours of the school, question and answer session, and more! Note: After the introductory general school information, PreK parents will move to the PreK classroom for a special information session.
- Parent Information Night - ALL parents should attend the Parent Information Night on Tuesday, September 10 at 6:45 PM. The meeting will begin in the Church with a series of short presentations outlining the state of the school and the upcoming school year. We will then adjourn to the school so parents may visit their children's classrooms (be sure to leave a note in your child's desk...they'll be looking for it!). We'll see you there!
Free Dress – No uniforms until September 9! Shorts are okay, but please be sure that your child's clothing follows the Free Dress guidelines set out in the Handbook, including NO tank tops/spaghetti straps/tube tops/halter tops, NO clothing displaying rock groups/violence/inappropriate sayings, NO extra-large or baggy shirts or pants, and NO shorts/skirts/skorts that are more than 2-3 inches above the knee. Thanks!
Before and After Care - Our Extended Day programs will begin on the first day of school, September 3. Before Care will open at 6:30 AM and After Care is available until 6:00 PM. Additional information can be found HERE. All students who attend either Before or After Care must have a completed registration form on file before attending. (It is okay to send the form in with the child on the first day he or she attends.) These are available at the link above or at the school on Meet the Teacher Day.
Back to School Supply and Required Reading List - The sales are on in all the stores...time to stock up on supplies for the upcoming school year! The Back to School Supply and Required Reading List can be found HERE. Have fun!
3-Year-Olds in PreK! Have you heard the news? By popular demand, our PreK program has been expanded to include both 3 and 4-year-old students! Full and part time hours are available. For more information, click HERE!
Cross Country Registration – Our cross country program, open to all students in grades 2-6) will begin as soon as we start back to school! The school will participate in several races, including the Nashua PAL City Championship Cross Country Meet for elementary schools (grades 2-5). Students in grade 6 will participate at Nashua Catholic Jr. High School. Practices are held Monday and Wednesday from 3:00-4:30 PM at Sargent Ave Park. (Students will be picked up at the school by 4:45. After 4:45, students will be taken to After Care for an additional charge.) The cost is $35 per runner or $60 per family. To sign up, email Coach Stacey Marino at [email protected].
UPDATED! Fine Arts Center – The floors are in, the cabinets have arrived, furnishings have been ordered, and the landscaping is being planned! The building is looking on target to be finished by the start of school…keep your eyes out for a date for our ribbon cutting and blessing!
Private Tours - Know of any new folks moving to the area? Have friends or relatives who would enjoy the St. Chris community and value a St. Chris education? We'd love to show them our school! Private tours with the wonderful Jackie Langenfeld can be scheduled for almost any day! To arrange, please have the prospective families call Jackie at 882-774, ext. 114.
New Parish Website - St. Christopher Parish has a spiffy new website chockfull of great information about the parish! The website is designed to help parishioners, school families, and visitors stay in touch with all that’s happening at St. Chris! On the website, you will find the weekly bulletin, a calendar of upcoming parish events and mass intentions, contact information, program descriptions, RCIA and Religious Education information, and more! Be sure to check them out at StChrisParishNH.org!
NEW! Car Wash! – Is your car looking a little dirty? Want to support some awesome St. Chris kids as they raise money for the Nashua Humane Society? Then plan to visit the Happy Hearts Daycare this Friday, August 16 at 12 Cushing Ave (across from the school) from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM! A number of our kids spend their summer with Miss Linda at Happy Hearts. Each year, they put on a car wash and donate 100% of their proceeds to the Humane Society…how wonderful! No donation is too small, so come on by!
NEW! Diocesan Vocation Ministry – The Diocese has asked us to pass along two upcoming events for those who are feeling called to a ministry as a priest or sister!
Miriam Dinner -- Are you looking to follow the Lord and ready to say “yes” when he calls? We would like to invite women in our diocese, ages 14-40, who are considering a vocation to the religious life or would simply like some help hearing the Lord’s call for their life, to an evening of prayer, conversation with consecrated women, and dinner. Come hear the story of Sister Agnes Therese Davis, TOR, a native of New Hampshire who has answered a call to religious life. This evening will take place at the Joseph House (279 Cartier Street) in Manchester on September 6, 2019 from 6-8pm. Please RSVP to Becky Vinson at [email protected] or 663-0153 if you would like to attend.
St. Andrew Dinners -- St. Andrew was the first of the Apostles to hear Jesus’ call to follow him. We would like to invite men in our diocese who are considering a vocation to the priesthood or would simply like some help hearing the Lord’s call for their life, to an evening of prayer, conversation with the Vocations Team, and dinner. These evenings will take place for different age groups on Fridays from 6-8pm at the Joseph House (279 Cartier Street) in Manchester. Please RSVP to Becky Vinson at [email protected] or 663-0153 if you would like to attend. Dates are October 4 for young men from 13-18 years old and October 18 for men from 19-60 years old.