November 6, 2019

November 8 After Care in 1st Grade

November 11 NO SCHOOL – Veterans Day

November 12 School Board Meeting – 8:00 AM

November 13 Mass – 9:15 AM – 3 M preparing

November 15 Hot Lunch ordering ends at midnight

November 19 Lifetouch Portrait Retakes

November 20 Paper Wednesday News

November 20 Christmas Shopping Pricing Night – 6:00 PM – Church Hall

November 21 Parent Teacher Conferences – 4:00-8:00 PM

November 25 After Care in 1st Grade

November 26 Thanksgiving Prayer Service – 10:00 AM – 4D preparing

November 26 Crazy Sock Day

November 26 Cafeteria Day

November 27 – December 1 NO SCHOOL – Thanksgiving Break!

  

NEW! Thank You – How can we thank our ice cream sundae volunteers enough? So many thanks to coordinator Melissa Sprague and her helpers Mary Woodward, Lorrice Bedard, Jen McGowan, Oana Logiotatos, Ayla Abboud, Fr. David, and Mrs. Clarke for serving up 325+ deeeeelicious ice cream sundaes in celebration of NH Catholic Schools Week!

NEW! Current Family Registration for 2020-2021 School Year – We are excited to announce that NEW this year, we are implementing “60 Second Registration” for veteran students! THIS Friday, November 8, parents of children currently in grades Pre-K 3 to grade 1 will be sent an email with a link to an abbreviated registration form for next year. The registration should take you less than a minute to complete online, simplifying the registration process and saving you valuable time!  

The registration link will be sent to whomever is listed on the student online record as the “primary” contact. If you do not receive the email, or would like the email to go to someone else, please contact Marta at [email protected]. 

The 60 Second online registration must be completed and submitted by November 30, along with a $175 registration fee to be paid online at the time of registration. Please know that because we are at capacity in several grades and are also enrolling new students at this time, current students whose registrations are returned after November 30 will not be guaranteed a seat for next year.

Students currently in grades 2-5 will register in January unless a family wishes to register early. If you’d like to register your child in those grades now (and get it out of the way!), please send Jackie an email at [email protected]!

NEW! New Student Registrations for 2020-2021 OPEN! Do you have a younger child who will be ready for PreK 3 in 2020-2021? Do you know of a family who is interested in joining our wonderful community next year? Registrations are OPEN for new students in 2020-2021! Click HERE to get started!

Help Needed! Volunteers needed, please! We are looking for parent volunteers to hang up and take down student artwork in the hallways of the main school building. Instructions, materials and project labels will be provided by Mrs. Fessenden. Folders of student work that is ready for display will be placed in a labeled drawer or cabinet in the middle of the upstairs hallway, in between the teachers room and the computer room. Please contact Mrs. Fessenden at [email protected] with any questions or to volunteer! Thanks!

STEM Extracurricular Programs – The STEM Committee is busy putting together a number of STEM related extracurricular programs for this year! While many of the activities already have a coordinator/leader, we are looking for adults to lead additional programs in computer programming (Scratch and Java) and photography/video. Programs usually run for 6 weeks. For more information or to volunteer, please contact committee chairperson Sophie Marquis at [email protected].

NEW! Recycling Effort St. Chris would like to continue to help our environment by recycling our plastic waste! In order to do so, we need a volunteer who is can take the recyclables to the Nashua landfill 2-3 times per month. Please reach out to Mrs. Clarke at [email protected] if you can help! Thank you!

Ski Club Registration is Open!  Ski Club is open to skiers in Grades 3-6, runs for 5 weeks and will start-up on Friday, January 10th.  Please contact Tara Canaway at [email protected] if you are interested in joining and were unable to attend last week’s organizational meeting.

 To register, purchase your passes on the Crotched Mountain website.  Our club registration deadline is November 15th. An awesome benefit this year:  kids get season passes valid at all 7 Peak resorts with their ski club pass!!!

  • Go to https://www.crotchedmtn.com/voyager-program/
  • Scroll down, click the “BUY NOW” button.
  • At the VIP Login page, use the following user name and password to access St. Chris Ski Club:  User Name:  CMSTCHRSC  Password:  scscmember(case sensitive)
  • Click ‘See Available Items’, then ‘Friday Youth Cards’ for the 5-week program pass.  Youth Season passes are also available.  (Lessons will be listed as an optional add-on after you select the pass.)  Follow directions for checkout.
  • Important!If your child will need to ride the bus to Crotched please email [email protected]to reserve a seat.

If you have questions about which passes/options to purchase, please contact Tara.  If you have questions or issues with the website, please contact Amy Daniels at Crotched Mountain – 603.588.3668 ext 232.  Thanks!    

THIS WEEK! Family Roster/Directory Deadline -- We are once again doing our Family Roster/Directory! This directory will include student and parent names, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses.

Because of privacy laws, however, it is very important that we receive your permission to print your family's contact information on this directory. We understand that some people are hesitant to share their private information, and we respect that choice.

To have your information listed on the roster, please complete the form located at https://tinyurl.com/FamilyRoster2019 by Friday, November 8. In the interest of timeliness, information returned after that date will not be included on the Roster. Please note that although we are collecting the roster information electronically, it will be distributed in print form only. We will NOT post the information on the school website.

NEW! NH Catholic Schools Week Thanksgiving Food CollectionDon't forget we are collecting items for the parish's St. Vincent dePaul Society Thanksgiving basket program this week! Every class was assigned an item to bring in which will allow us to help the SVdeP Society feed the hungry of our parish and Nashua area! Here's a reminder on class assignments:

PreK I & PreK M: Gravy Mix

KB: Boxed Potato Mixes (Mashed, Au Gratin, etc.)

KN: Quick Bread Mix (Cornbread, Pumpkin, etc.)

1A: Rice

1M: Stuffing

2B: Canned Corn

2G: Canned Green Beans

3F: Applesauce

3M: Canned Fruit

4D: Stuffing

4T: Canned Soup

5G: Cranberry Sauce

5M: Jello & Pudding Mixes

6E: Boxed Macaroni & Cheese

6W: Instant Coffee & Hot Chocolate Mix

 

Birthday Book Program - If you are interested in a purchasing a book for our school library to commemorate your student's birthday, please contact Mrs. Noon at [email protected]. Feel free to send in an email or a note. I will help them hand pick a library quality birthday book that suits their interests. Books typically range in price between $10 - $15. It doesn't matter if their birthday passed…all birthdays are worth celebrating! Thank you for helping our library grow!

NEW! CYO Basketball Spirit Wear The Spirit Wear store for CYO basketball is now open! Orders can be placed HERE, with a firm deadline of Friday November 15 at midnight. Items will be delivered to school and sent home with students. If a parent would like to keep the items a surprise, please email Jeni Leonard at [email protected] or text her at 603-345-8987.

Winter School Delays and Cancellations – Well, sad to say but winter is coming! It’s time for our annual Delays and Closings announcement! In the case of inclement weather, school cancellations or delays will be posted on the website, on our Facebook page, on radio station WZID 95.7 FM and also on TV channel 9 (WMUR). Parents will also receive text messages on their cell phones, voice messages on home phones, and emails through our Notify system. 

Please note that our Notify system is not foolproof….power and internet outages may interfere with delivery of the text messages, robocalls, and voice messages. We will post the information on the school website and Facebook, as well as contacting WMUR, as soon as we are able. Please also know that we do not post school delays or closings until we receive confirmation from the appropriate administrator in the Nashua public schools, which may delay notification in some cases. Thank you for your understanding!

St. Christopher School follows the Nashua Public School System for all cancellations and delayed openings. Therefore, delayed openings are 2 hours. When there is a delayed opening, there is no school for the AM Pre-K. Before Care will take place starting at 9:00 AM and morning enrichment activities will begin 2 hours later than normally scheduled. Please note that there will be NO Band or Fiddle Squad on delayed openings. Doors are open for regular drop-off at 10:30 AM and school starts at 10:50 AM for all grades Full Day PreKindergarten through 6. 

Parent Teacher Conferences – Just a reminder that Parent Teacher Conferences are scheduled for Thursday, November 21 from 4:00-8:00 PM. You should have made an appointment on Meet the Teacher night. If not, please contact your child’s teacher ASAP to schedule an appointment. At least one parent/guardian must meet with each child’s teacher at this time in the school year! 

NEXT MONDAY! November No School Dates – Don’t forget that there will be NO SCHOOL NEXT Monday, November 11 in observance of Veterans Day. In addition, our Thanksgiving vacation will run from Wednesday, November 26 through Sunday, December 1.

NEW! Follow Us! Are you on Instagram or Facebook? So are we! Help us spread the word about our fabulous school by liking us and commenting on our posts. Your interaction with our posts increases our exposure to others on those platforms and helps us reach new friends and potential families. Check us out at https://www.facebook.com/St.ChrisSchoolNH on Facebook and https://www.instagram.com/stchrisschoolnh/ on Instagram!

Hot Lunch Ordering – Boonli.com will be open for December’s Hot Lunch ordering until midnight on November 15. Please be sure to order as soon as possible, just in case of technical difficulty! As usual, we cannot accept orders past midnight on the 15th.

Lifetouch Portrait Retakes – If your child was absent on the original portrait date, or you just don’t like the portrait taken of your student, Lifetouch will be here for retakes on Tuesday, November 19. Students should wear regular uniforms.

Literacy Club with Mrs. Gigliotti – Mrs. Gigliotti is excited to be offering a second session of reading skills instruction for students in grades Kindergarten to 2 here at St. Chris! The program will take place on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays before school from 7:45-8:30 AM and will run for six weeks from November 13 through January 10. Holidays have been incorporated into these dates. The sessions will focus on letters, sounds, sight words, reading comprehension, and retelling the. There are 10 slots available.  The cost for the six week program is $360. To sign up, visit the SignUp Genius at https://tinyurl.com/STCReadingClub2. 

Crazy Sock Day and Thanksgiving Prayer Service – November 26 will be a busy day around school! Students can wear their craziest socks with their uniforms on the 26thplus we will have our Thanksgiving Prayer Service (prepared by 4D) at 10:00 AM. Please note: Although it’s during the winter uniform schedule, boys MAY wear shorts on November 26 IF they are wearing crazy socks!

Mark Your Christmas Calendar – We are quickly coming up on the busy holiday months, so we thought everyone might appreciate a heads-up on our upcoming Christmas events:

Christmas Shopping for Kids – This event is ALWAYS one of the students’ favorite events of the year! It will take place on December 4 through 6 in the Church Hall. Each class will visit the “store” and shop for gifts for family and friends! Each item is $6 or under and will be wrapped before the kids leave the event. Many, many volunteer elves will be needed! More information will be distributed on November 20

HO-HO-HO! Christmas Shopping Pricing Night -- Calling all elves! On Wednesday, November 20 at 6:00 PM, we need helpers to sort and price our Christmas Shopping goodies in the Church Hall! We have boxes and boxes and boxes of great items for the shopping event, but we need to organize ourselves so that set-up the night before the event is speedy and efficient! Please send a quick email to Marta at [email protected] if you are able to help out!

Christmas Tree Lighting – Join us for our 6th Annual Christmas Tree Lighting on December 13! This year’s festivities will include hot chocolate, treats, caroling, and the lighting of the fabulous St. Chris Christmas tree in the front of the school. (Please note, due to scheduling conflicts, we will not be holding the pre-lighting event in the church hall.) Coordinated by the Parent Group, this wonderful event is a meaningful way to celebrate the holidays with your St. Chris family!

Christmas Concerts –Here’s another festive way to get into the holiday spirit! Our students are busy preparing two wonderful daytime Christmas concerts. The schedule is:

    • Christmas Concert for grades PreK-2 – December 10 at 10:00 AM in the Church
    • Christmas Concert for grades 3-6 – December 17 at 10:00 AM in the Church
Christmas Free Dress – Students will get into the holiday mood by wearing their favorite red, green and white on December 20! Santa hats, jingle bells, flashing necklaces, and other Christmas accessories are welcome and encouraged!
 
Christmas Mass – Celebrate the real reason for the season – the birth of baby Jesus! December 18 at 10:00 AM in the Church. 6W will be preparing.

Auction Request – It’s never too early to start thinking ahead to our exciting Auction! This year’s event, “In the Winners Circle with St. Chris,” will have a Kentucky Derby theme and will take place on March 21, 2020. (Be sure to book that babysitter now!) Last week’s paper News contains a flyer outlining several ways to support the Auction…please check it out HERE! We love to have our families and local and national businesses participate in the Auction through item donations, program advertisements, and sponsorships. Donate an item, get together with another family or two to put together a basket, chat with your boss, ask your barber, talk with your dry cleaner, reach out to your dog groomer….all are invited to participate! If you need more printed flyers, please shoot Marta an email at [email protected]! 

NEW! Auction Website is Live! This year’s Auction website is now live! The website can be used to purchase tickets, make donations, purchase sponsorships and advertising, and more! Check it out HERE.

AmazonSmile for Christmas – Who is thinking ahead to Christmas shopping already? If you are like most parents, at least one of the gifts you purchase this holiday season will arrive in an Amazon box….so don’t forget to use the school’s AmazonSmile program! AmazonSmile doesn’t cost you a penny extra, but St. Chris receives money from each purchase. The shopping interface is identical to the regular Amazon (with the exception of the AmazonSmile logo!) and the selection is exactly the same also. To start supporting St. Chris through AmazonSmile, visit https://tinyurl.com/StChristopherAmazon.

And SCRIP for Christmas, too! – Did you know that you can purchase gift cards to most popular retailers and restaurants quickly and easily online through the Shop with Scrip Program…AND benefit St. Chris at the same time? Visit https://shop.shopwithscrip.com/Login/Enroll, create an account using our school code 751C7D6L13155, order gift cards from a long list of retailers and restaurants and the gift cards will be shipped directly to the school. You’ll usually receive your gift cards in under a week, and the school receives anywhere from 1.25% to 14% of your gift card purchase! Christmas is a perfect time to give the program a try, with gift card options like Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks, Target, and Barnes and Noble!  

Hot Lunch Schedules – Thank you to everyone who stepped up to volunteer for the Hot Lunch program! Your help is MUCH appreciated. Volunteers for the next week are below:

Thursday, November 7

Greg Tribou

 

Friday, November 8

Karen Hutchins

Heather Reardon

Jaclyn Leonardi

 

Monday, November 11

NO School – Veterans Day

 

Tuesday, November 12

Karla Chamoun

Katie Shrieves

Annette Cameron

 

Wednesday, November 13

Jen McGowan

Jeff Rol

Cliff Osinski

Sasha Shaplyko