August 29 Meet the Teacher - 9:00-11:00 AM
August 30 – September 12 Online Scholastic Book Fair Bonus Days
September 3 First Day of School for all grades - Doors open at 8:30 AM, and School starts at 8:50 AM
September 4 Opening School Mass – 10:00 AM -- Church
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 Fine Arts Center Ribbon Cutting & Blessing – 5:30 PM --- Fine Arts Center
September 10 Parent Information Night - 6:45 PM – Church
September 12 Fiddle Sizing – 8:30 AM – Lobby
September 17 Fiddle Sizing – 8:30 AM - Lobby
NEW! First School Mass – Due to a conflict in Fr. David’s schedule, our first school mass has been moved to Wednesday, September 4 at 10:00 AM. All are invited to attend as we give thanks for a new school year!
NEW! Fine Arts Center Ribbon Cutting and Blessing – We are SO excited to announce that our Fine Arts Center will be ready to go when we start school! Students will begin attending art and music classes in the Fine Arts Center the week of September 9 (which is also the first week of gym, Spanish, computer, and library). Parents are invited to attend the Ribbon Cutting and Blessing ceremony on Tuesday, September 10 at 5:30 PM, the same night as Parent Information Night. Please join us and take a look around!
THIS WEEK! Meet the Teacher Day – This 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 next 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.
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.
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.
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! Fiddle Squad – Is your 3rd to 6th grade student interested in Band or Fiddle Squad? All students in those grades will attend an instrument demo on Tuesday, September 10 and information/signup sheets will go home in the first paper News on September 4. Mrs. Bailey will be in the lobby on Thursday, September 12 and Tuesday, September 17 at 8:30 AM to do fiddle sizing for interested students. The Advanced Fiddle Squad and Advanced Band will begin on September 23 and Beginning Fiddle Squad and Beginning Band will begin on September 25.
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].
NEW! Online Book Fair and eWallet Update -- The online book fair runs from August 30-September 12th. Get a jump on your online shopping or peruse the Scholastic site for some book fair shopping ideas. Good news! This year Scholastic has extended the online shopping rewards program. We will receive 25% rewards during the dates mentioned as well as 2% rewards all year long! While you are online check out the eWallet. The eWallet gives students a secure, cash-free way to shop the fair. There is no charge to set up an eWallet. You can simply create an account and authorize a spending limit on your credit card. For more information visit SCHOLASTIC.
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.
NEW! Paper Wednesday News – Next Wednesday, September 4, oldest and only students will be bringing home the first paper News of the year! This packet will be chock full of information, flyers, forms, handbooks, and more, so be sure to ask for it when your child arrives home! For those new to St. Chris, please note that your envelope will be labeled with your family’s name on it. We use the same envelope throughout the year, so be sure to empty it and return it right away. Also, please do not send any forms/permission slips/payments, etc. back in this envelope as it will not be found until next month!
If you have any materials that need distributing in next week’s paper News, please send it to Jackie Langenfeld at [email protected] or Marta Nissen at [email protected] by this Friday, August 30. All information to be distributed is subject to principal approval. Thanks!
NEW! From the Diocesan Catholic Schools Office -- The Catholic Schools Office would like to extend an invitation to all educators and parents to attend an evening with Dr. Donna Hicks to learn more about the dignity of the human person and conflict resolution. This event will be held in the Trinity High School gymnasium on Thursday, September 12 from 6:30pm – 7:30pm. Based at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University, Dr. Hicks has successfully applied her signature dignity model on a global stage. Her clients include the World Bank, the United Nations, the US Navy, and governments worldwide. She has worked with Nobel Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu to help resolve conflicts in Northern Ireland; she currently helps to create cultures that foster innovation and dignified human relationships, and is the author of Dignity: Its Essential Role in Resolving Conflict. Dr. Hicks will be participating in the Building with Israelis and Palestinianscampaign with our Diocese this fall. Professional Development hours will be awarded for educators who sign in upon arrival. There are no fees associated with this event; however an RSVP would be appreciated. Please join us to hear about this most important topic from a world-renowned expert. Click HERE to RSVP.