NEW! Thank you! - Thank you to those teachers and students who prepared our Veterans Day programs last week and to the veterans and families who attended! It was our distinct pleasure to honor and thank our veterans for their service to our country.
TODAY! Lower Campus Parent-Teacher Conferences - Parent-teacher conferences at the lower campus are scheduled TODAY, Wednesday, November 15 from 4:00 - 8:00 PM. Conference sign-up's were done in most classrooms on Parent Information Night in September or through a SignUp Genius. At least one parent/guardian must meet with each child's homeroom teacher at the lower campus at this time.
TOMORROW! Upper Campus Parent-Teacher Conferences - Upper campus parent-teacher conferences will take place TOMORROW, Thursday, November 16, from 3:30 - 7:30 PM, in the upper campus gym. All meetings will be 10 minutes in length and MUST be pre-scheduled using the Sign-Up Genius HERE (click the tabs across the top to view each teacher’s conference schedule as well as a waitlist for teachers whose conferences are full.) Parents are encouraged to review their student's schedule and prioritize meeting with teachers whose class is challenging a student most. Parents are not required to attend or to speak with all of a student's teachers.
THIS WEEK! Spirit Day #2 - Our Wildcat Spirit Shirts have been delivered and, as promised, we’ve scheduled another Spirit Day! Students are welcome to wear their spirit shirts, other Saint Chris gear, or blue and white THIS Friday, November 17!
NEXT WEEK! Thanksgiving Vacation - In observance of the Thanksgiving holiday, we will have NO SCHOOL from Wednesday, November 22nd through Friday, November 24!
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ENDS TODAY! Hot Lunch Orders for December - Ordering for December’s Hot Lunch runs through midnight TONIGHT on Boonli.com. Please be sure to place your order early in case of technological difficulties. You will receive an email confirmation once your order has been placed….if you do not receive that email, your order has not yet been placed and your child will not receive Hot Lunch for the month. Thank you!
THIS WEEK! Desserts and Volunteers Needed for Father-Daughter Dance - Help us make the Father-Daughter Dance a night to remember! We are in need of desserts and packaged snacks, as well as a set-up and clean-up crew. Please see the SignUp Genius HERE!
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THIS WEEK! Gym Tarp Help Needed - In anticipation of the Father-Daughter Dance, we will be tarping the upper campus gym floor on Saturday, November 18 at 12:30 PM. Many hands make light work…we’ll need at least 8 volunteers to get it done! If you can assist, please email Marta at [email protected]. Thanks!
2024-2025 Bus Transportation – To be eligible for bus transportation, students must live in the City of Nashua and must be in grades kindergarten thru 8. Students at the Lower Campus must live at least a mile or more from the school. Upper Campus students must live at least 2 miles or more from the school. The list we submit to the Nashua School Department is compiled from the information we receive on the 2024-2025 Re-Enrollment Form, under Transportation Information. If you indicate you would like Nashua School Bus, your child’s name will be submitted to the Transportation Department requesting a bus pass for 2024-2025. Please note that Pre-Kindergarten students are not eligible to ride the school bus.
Christmas Show - December will be here before we know it…and so will our Christmas Show! Mark your calendar for December 13 at 6:30 PM in the upper campus gym! This year’s show will feature student singers from grades PreK to 5, as well as the lower campus chorus and Performance Choir and the upper campus band and chorus. Mr. Quigley will send additional information in the near future!
NEW! Lower Campus Animation Club - We are excited to introduce an Animation Club at the lower campus, thanks to parent volunteer Mallory Gray! This club is open to students in grades 3 to 5 and starts on Thursday, December 14. It will meet monthly, on the second Thursday of each month, from 7:30 AM - 8:30 AM in Ms. Goltsov’s classroom. The cost per student is $20.
Students will learn the fundamentals of animation using Procreate on the iPad. Through practical lessons and guidance, students will explore the world of animation, bringing their drawings to life in an engaging and educational setting. The Animation Club encourages both artistic expression and technical skills to unlock your child’s creative potential!
This program is limited to 12 students. If interested, please click HERE to sign up. Students should enter through the Before Care entrance and check in with the teacher on duty before proceeding to Ms. Goltsov’s room for the club.
NEW! Parish Appreciation Christmas Cookies -- Tis the season of giving! Please help us share our Christmas joy with the pastors and parish staffs of our Deanery! Bake your favorite Christmas goodies (or bring your favorite Christmas candy!) and deliver them to the front desk on either campus on Monday, December 4th by 9:00 AM. We will use everyone's delicious treats to create giving plates of cookies and candies for delivery to each of the 12 parishes in our Deanery in appreciation of their support of Catholic schools. Please sign up using the SignUp Genius HERE and thank you for your contribution to this wonderful project!
NEW! Parish Christmas Cookies Delivery - We also need parent volunteers to deliver the cookie plates to the parishes on the morning of Tuesday, December 5! Please see the SignUp Genius HERE!
Pajama Drive to benefit The Pass Along Project – We are happy to be participating in a Pajama Drive for The Pass Along Project again this year. The Pass Along Project collects and distributes clothing bundles to children who enter the foster system. We will be collecting pajamas for these children who often arrive at a foster home with nothing. Please click HERE for specific instructions! Families on both campuses are urged to participate until December 15!
Upcoming Upper Campus Campus Ministry Event - All events are open to students in grade 6 to 8! Please contact Ms. Thompson at [email protected] for a permission slip or have your student pick one up from her classroom.
- Saint Chris's Kitchen homemade bread making event next Tuesday, November 14th from 3-4:45pm in the upper campus kitchen. Cost is $5 for supplies.
NEW! Christmas Free Dress - Our classrooms will be fun and festive over the last two days of school with TWO Christmas free dress days! On Tuesday, December 19, all students on both campuses are welcome to wear their favorite red, green, and white free dress. On Wednesday, December 20, all students should wear their favorite school-appropriate pajamas for a special Polar Express day! For both days, all students should keep in mind our free dress guidelines outlined in the parent-student handbook!
NEW! December and January Calendar Notes -- Looking ahead to December and January, we have a few schedule notes for your calendar:
- Our last day of school before Christmas vacation will be Wednesday, December 20.
- Our first day back to school after Christmas vacation will be Wednesday, January 3.
- There will by NO After Care on Thursday, January 4 so teachers can enjoy their Christmas party!
- We will have NO school on Monday, January 15 in observance of Martin Luther King Jr Day.
NEW! Christmas Tree Lighting and Blessing of the Bambellini: Gather the whole family for our Christmas Tree Lighting on Friday, December 1 at 6:00 PM in front of the lower campus building! This event is a beautiful tradition in the Saint Chris community and includes the blessing and lighting of our school Christmas tree, the story of the promise of the Messiah and the birth of Jesus told in short bible readings, and the singing of traditional Christmas carols. Families are also invited to bring their bambellini…the baby Jesus from their home nativity…for a special blessing….just like at the Vatican! All are invited!
Lower Campus Library News - Mrs. Noon has lots of great information to share!
Birthday Books - It's Birthday Book time! Lower campus students have brought home a flyer with information on the birthday book program. Students whose birthdays are after January will receive their flyer in January. It is a great way to commemorate your child's birthday, and the book they choose will be shared with others for many years to come! Books typically cost between $14-$17 and are library bound. If you have more than one student, please consider ordering books for all of them at once. Feel free to have your student order a book anytime. You can find more information HERE. If you have any questions please email Mrs. Noon at [email protected].
Destiny Online Catalog - Students in Grades 2-5 have all been assigned a password and username to fully utilize the online catalog. Students will receive a label with their username and password and it will be adhered to the inside of their planner for your convenience. Upon logging in, students can check to see which books they have checked out, they can put books on hold, and browse the books that we have in the library right from the comfort of their home! You may access our online catalog 24/7. Please visit Mrs. Noon's class page to access the online catalog as well as under the Student Life tab on the lower campus home page.
Self Check in and Self Check out - Independent check in and check out in the library for students in Grades 1-5 has begun. Students are now checking in and checking out their own library books. Students love being part of the library process, and it also fosters their independence in the library.
Thank you.....Many thanks to Sarah Daugherty, Stephanie Ellison, Lauren Saltalamacchia, Kirsten Snyder and Julie Vincent, for their help in the library with genrefying the fiction section and adding sub locations to Destiny so that students can easily locate fiction books, as well as scanning each book in the library for inventory. Thank you for all of your help!
Happy Reading!
O’Connor Portraits Absentee / Retake Day – As soon as we receive the portrait packages from Picture Day, we will send them home. That will occur sometime prior to Thanksgiving break. We will let you know when the photos are going home so you can check backpacks!
Absentee / Retake Day at both campuses is on Wednesday, November 29.
- Students who were ABSENT on Picture Day, October 4 will have their photo taken for the yearbook. If you are placing an order, these students should bring their original order form to the photographer (which is preprinted with the student’s name and ID number). If you misplaced the original order form and would like a replacement, please contact Carol Fiore at [email protected] and we will send a blank order form home. You can also place an order by calling O’Connor Studios at 978-640-6250.
- Students who already purchased photos and want a RETAKE may have their photo taken again.
Simply fill out the “Retake Form” printed on the back side of the portrait envelope that contains your student’s portrait package. (You do not need a new form.) *Note, you must send the entire portrait package back to school with your student on Retake Day.
- Students who are NEW to Saint Chris since October 4 will have their photo taken for the yearbook. We will send an order form home with your student before Thanksgiving. If you are placing an order, please send the completed order form to school on Retake Day. You can also place an order by calling O’Connor Studios at 978-640-6250.
Students should be in full uniform. For the upper campus, students should wear the oxford shirt (with tie for boys), and may wear the quarter zip sweater.
If you have any questions, please contact Carol Fiore at [email protected].
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NEW! Auction Update Coming Soon! Our Auction Committee has some great plans for our Roaring 20th Anniversary Auction! Be sure that you’ve marked your calendar for Saturday, March 16…this will be an incredible night and you don’t want to miss it! Look for an email later this week with additional details on tickets, donations, sponsorships and more!
NEW! Auction Sponsor! We are happy to announce our first Auction sponsor of the year...Kevin Brown '99 - the Knights of Columbus Insurance at the Bronze Sponsor level. Thank you Kevin!
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Ski Club - Registration for this year’s Ski Club is now underway! Parents were sent an email from Mrs. Joyce last week detailing the Ski Club and the same information can be found on the school website HERE. IMPORTANT: All students must be registered for Ski Club using the form HERE by December 1st!
Ticket sales for Crotched Mountain are now open. Instructions for ordering are HERE. All Ski Club participants (except those with EPIC passes) must purchase their Ski passes through the online system in addition to registering with Saint Chris through the link above.
Lower Campus Chess, Checkers and Cribbage Club - We are thrilled to announce that our lower campus Chess, Checkers, and Cribbage Club is back thanks to parent volunteer Tom Nardone! This program offers a safe, low stress environment for children to learn and enjoy the games, while engaging in a social activity that is fun for all. Children play with classmates and learn at their own pace. The club meets on Monday morning at 7:30 AM. Students should enter through the Before Care entrance and check in with the teacher on duty before proceeding to Mrs. Hickey’s class for the club.
Additional parent helpers are MUCH appreciated and welcome! (Note: All volunteers must have completed the Diocesan Safe Haven training prior to volunteering.) While some knowledge of chess, checkers, and especially cribbage would be helpful, it isn’t necessary!
Wrestling Coach(es) Needed - We are very excited to be bringing a wrestling team back to the upper campus. We have students interested in participating, but we don’t have a coach for the team. Previous wrestling and coaching experience is highly encouraged, but not required. This is a paid, stipend position at the upper campus. The team practice schedule is flexible to accommodate coaches' work schedules. For anyone interested, please contact the upper campus Athletic Director, Ryan Farris at [email protected].
Hot Lunch Volunteers - Thank you to our fabulous Hot Lunch volunteers! The schedule for the next week is:
Thursday, November 16
LC: Athena Chisholm, Stephanie Ellison, Stephen Barton, Stacy Cardinale
UC: Teresa Carlton, Emily Uong
Friday, November 17
LC: Amanda Coan, Erica Lilley, Lisa Blanchard, Katie Osborn
UC: Sarah Neary, Nadra Bell
Monday, November 20
LC: Ann Marie Pellechia, Sarah Currid, Amanda DeWitt, Sandra Currid
UC: Lorraine Barry, Lisa Censabella
Tuesday, November 21
LC: Tina Bruno, Shannon Silva, Amy Barry, Allyson Donovan
UC: Teresa Carlton, NEED A VOLUNTEER
Wednesday, November 22
LC: NO SCHOOL - Thanksgiving Break
UC: NO SCHOOL - Thanksgiving Break
Popcorn Poppers: Our popcorn poppers for this week are:
LC: Louis Cardinale, Stacy Cardinale, Caroline Belt
UC: Nadra Bell, Mike Slocumb, Priyanka Bachwal
Upcoming School Masses - All parents are invited to attend our weekly school masses! Parents must enter through the front door of each campus facility, sign in, and receive a nametag to attend. All masses are at 9:45 AM on both campuses unless otherwise noted. The schedule for the next month is:
November 30 - Upper campus Mass
December 8 - Immaculate Conception (Holy Day of Obligation) - both campuses
December 13 - Lower campus Mass
December 18 - Lower campus prayer service
December 18 - Upper campus Mass
SCRIP for Christmas! – 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? Click HERE, select “Join a Program,” and create an account using our school code 751C7D6L13155. Gift cards are available from a long list of retailers and restaurants and all 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 that makes ordering and managing gift cards soooo easy! Check out RaiseRight by ShopWithScrip!
COMMUNITY NEWS
Camps Fatima and Bernadette Registration – It’s time! Registration for the 2024 season at Camp Bernadette and Camp Fatima is underway! Early registration secures your camper’s spot and allows you to set up a payment plan. NH Catholic school students are eligible for a 15% discount. If you have any questions, please contact Andrew Thibault: [email protected] 603-931-5500 x114.
Eagle Scout Project – My name is Ian Leonardi from Troop 773. I'm currently working on my Eagle Scout project.I graduated from Saint Chris in 2022. I am gathering books so every baby born at St. Joseph's Hospital in 2024 can go home with a new book. The hospital averages 500 babies born per year, so that will be my collection goal. Studies show that babies who are read to, grow up to have a better vocabulary. Giving each family a book will start them off on the right foot. It will also promote bonding between the parents and the baby. I will have collection boxes at both campuses through November 10 or you can use the Amazon Wishlist link thak is included. Thank you for your support.
Amazon Wishlist: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/XIQAT7JWJLD2/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_1
Boston Marathon Run in Honor of Lindsay Toomey - In November of last year, Saint Chris parent Lindsay Toomey lost her long battle with ovarian cancer. Heather French, a close friend of Lindsay’s and a fellow teacher, is running the 2024 Boston Marathon in honor of Lindsay. All proceeds from Heather’s fundraising for the marathon will go to Dana Farber Cancer Institute. All are invited to support Heather and remember Lindsay through a donation HERE.
Happy Hearts Day Care - Happy Hearts Daycare, located across the street from the lower campus at 12 Cushing Ave., has a few openings for extended care. The hours are 6:30 to 8:30 AM and 3:00 to 5:30 PM. They accommodate students on snow days, two hour delay, early release, no school days (except for the major holidays) and even if there is a power outage :) They also provide care on the Christmas, February and April vacation weeks. If interested, please call...603-321-9320.
TONIGHT! Trinity High School Open House - Due to ongoing construction in the Trinity High School gymnasium, the Open House has been postponed to November 15 at 7:00 PM. Trinity High School is located at 581 Bridge St., Manchester. All future students in attendance will be entered into a raffle to win $1,000 off tuition! A Trinity High School education is affordable for all who desire it through several financial aid options. In addition, 2023 graduates of Trinity received over 24 million in merit awards. To RSVP, please contact the Admissions Office at [email protected] or by calling 603-668-2910 Ext. 220.Discover the difference at Trinity!