Thank You! This week, our upper campus faculty was treated to some deliciousness, courtesy of the Bruttaniti family! Thank you!
Extra special thanks also go to Kelly Dabrowski for securing a one-time donation of $2,500 for Saint Chris on behalf of Amazon! This is part of Amazon’s end-of-year efforts to support local nonprofit/charitable organizations as we continue to navigate the difficulties of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thank you, Kelly!
UPDATED Clarification -- FACTS Tuition Management Log-In and Financial Balances in Family Portal - As part of our phased move to the Renweb Student Information System on both campuses, we have now tied our Renweb Family Portals with FACTS Tuition Management. This means that you will now use your Family Portal to access your online FACTS tuition account to pay student tuition, “Incidental Fees” like Extended Care, field trip fees (after COVID!), book fees, etc. To view your financial balances, log into your Family Portal, select “Financial” in the blue column on the left side of the screen. Your tuition balance and Incidental Fee (Extended Care, book fees, etc.) will appear in the “Balance” box in the center of the screen. You can access your FACTS Tuition Management account by clicking “Financial Home” in the “Resources” box. Please note: All tuition payments will continue to be automatically withdrawn by whatever method you have set up in FACTS. The only change in your FACTS account is the way that you log into your account...through your Family Portal, rather than through your FACTS Tuition Management account.
NEW! December 9 No School - Just a friendly reminder that we will have a day off school for professional development for our teachers next Wednesday, December 9!
NEW!! Christmas Vacation - Our last day of school before Christmas vacation is December 22! We’ll see everyone back in the building on Monday, January 4! (Please remember that if your family travels outside of New England during vacation, students may not come back to school until 14 days after returning. Arrangements for remote learning during travel quarantine should be made through your child’s teacher and Mrs. Clarke.)
NEW! Grades 6-8 Winter Sports Tryouts -- Tryouts for girls and boys basketball, as well as wrestling, will be held starting December 14! To sign up for tryouts, please complete and return the Sign Up Sheet HERE by Friday, December 11. Please note that all sports require a $40 fee per athlete per sport. For more information, please contact Athletic Director Tim Davidian at [email protected].
NEW! Hot Lunch Ordering - Hot Lunch ordering for January is now open! Place your order on Boonli.com before midnight on December 15. Please remember that orders are not officially placed until you go all the way through the ordering process and receive an email confirmation from Boonli.com.
NEW! New Family Referral Bonus - Many thanks to those parents who referred new students to Saint Chris between July 1 and August 15 as part of our Referral bonus program! As outlined this summer, we will be awarding a $500 tuition rebate for referring families listed on new student applications.. We will send notices to referring families next week and parents will receive a check for their bonus in January. Thanks again!
NEW TO REMOTE LEARNING? Mrs. Litch has prepared a short “introduction” to lower campus remote learners for parents whose children may need to be on remote learning for the first time. Please click HERE to read the document and please feel free to contact Mrs. Litch at [email protected]!
CHRISTMAS EVENTS -- It’s hard to believe, but the season of Advent is upon us! Christmas traditions are an important part of the Saint Chris community, bringing us together as we anticipate and celebrate the coming of the baby Jesus. Advent at Saint Chris is often filled with many festive events like Los Pasados at the lower campus, Lessons and Carols at the upper campus, and Christmas concerts at both. While COVID restrictions this year will hamper some of our usual activities, we are excited to invite families to celebrate the season by sharing in two of our “amended” events this season:
THIS WEEK! Virtual Lessons and Carols/Christmas Tree Lighting: Grab a cup of hot chocolate and gather the whole family for our Virtual Lessons and Carols/Christmas Tree Lighting THIS Saturday, December 5 at 5:30 PM! This live-streamed event will be a beautiful merging of upper and lower traditions, presented by our faculty and staff. Following the blessing and lighting of our school Christmas tree, the story of the promise of the Messiah and the birth of Jesus will be told in short bible readings, interspersed with the singing of traditional Christmas carols. Lessons and Carols/Christmas Tree Lighting will be livestreamed on the school's website. A link will be sent out prior to the event.
NEXT WEEK! Christmas Food Drive Service Project: An important part of our Saint Christopher Christmas tradition has always been a focus on service to those who are less fortunate in our area. This year, we will be holding a Food Drive to benefit the Nashua Soup Kitchen, following their 30 Acts of Kindness for the Holidays drive for their Holiday Food boxes. Each grade has been assigned an item in need at the Soup Kitchen. You can find the list HERE. From December 7 to 11, each class will have a box in their room to receive donated items. Please be as generous as possible to help those in Nashua who have great need!
NEW! Christmas Free Dress -- Ho-Ho-Ho...both campuses will have a Christmas Free Dress on Friday, December 18! Students can wear their most festive red, white, and green for the day. Please be sure your student follows the dress code for Free Dress days:
The following are not appropriate for free dress days:
- Tank tops (boys and girls), spaghetti straps, tube tops or halter tops, sheer tops
- T-shirts/shirts/shorts or articles of clothing that display rock groups, violence, or inappropriate saying
- Large baggy pants, bike shorts
- Shorts, skirts or skorts that are more than 3 inches above the knee
- Legging and yoga pants may be worn on dress down days ONLY if a shirt is worn that covers the students’ bottom.
Students must also wear socks on dress down days.
NEW! 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! SCRIP also has an app for your phone! Makes ordering and managing gift cards soooo easy! Check out RaiseRight by ShopWithScrip!
NEW! Upper Campus Art News - Great things are happening in art at the upper campus! Check out the Newsletter from Mrs. Michael HERE!
NEW! COVID Request - COVID infection rates continue to increase locally. Should a member of your household need to be tested for COVID (including parents or children), please keep all students home from school until the test results have been returned. This helps us contain the risk of infection for our students and staff. Thank you!
Applications Open for New Students in 2021-2022 - Registrations are now OPEN for NEW students for next year, from PreK 3 through grade 8. If you have a younger child who you would like to join us next year, please visit the front page of the school website at SaintChrisAcademy.org and click the Apply Now button to get started! Please also pass the word to any new families.
THIS WEEK! Eucharistic Adoration - Looking for a beautiful way to “wait” for the birth of our Savior during Advent? St. Christopher Parish invites you to their First Friday Eucharistic Adoration THIS Friday, December 4 from 1:00 - 3:00 PM. Spend time with the Lord in Adoration and prepare your heart, mind and soul for the coming of our Saviour!