NEW! Thank You! Thank you to Andrew Thibault for visiting the lower campus yesterday to talk about Camp Fatima and Camp Bernadette! See the end of this newsletter for more information about the camps and their fabulous summer programs.
NEW! ETC and EFA Scholarship Applications OPEN - The Children’s Scholarship Fund offers two scholarship programs to provide families the opportunity to choose the education they desire for their children, including attendance at Saint Chris. Both the Education Tax Credit (ETC) scholarship program and the Education Freedom Account (EFA) program are now open for applications and renewals/requalifications for the 2025-2026 school year. While Academy families who apply for Saint Chris financial assistance are required to apply to these programs, all Saint Chris families are encouraged to learn more about them and their requirements. Please click HERE for more information about the ETC scholarships and HERE for more information about the EFA program.
NEW! Hot Lunch Ends - Don’t forget….Hot Lunch service ends on Thursday, May 29 on the lower campus and Friday, May 30th on the upper campus! All students must bring a lunch from home through the end of school. There will be no “Forgotten Lunches” available at the lower campus. If a student does not bring a lunch, a parent will be called.
NEW! Last Day for Milk - The last day for milk will be May 30th!
Q3 Honor Roll Congratulations! Congratulations to our upper campus scholars for their outstanding academic achievement in the 3rd quarter! Please click HERE to see the Honor Roll!
School Board Minutes - The School Board met on April 9. Minutes of that meeting have been posted on the school website HERE. Please feel free to send any questions to the School Board by using the contact form HERE.
Teacher Appreciation Lunch - Our teachers are a slice above! Let's celebrate our fabulous teachers and staff with a Teacher Appreciation Lunch on Wednesday, May 14 at both campuses! We are in need of food, paper goods/decorations, and volunteers to make this a great event. Please see the SignUp Genius for the lower campus HERE and the upper campus HERE and the Amazon WishList HERE. If you aren’t able to volunteer or provide one of the needed items, please consider a small cash donation to help us provide the main part of the meal…donations can be sent into school to Marta Nissen’s attention or made online HERE. We appreciate your help in thanking our teachers for ALL that they do for our kids!
NEW! Teacher Lunch Sponsor - Many thanks to the Sklavounos family and Giorgio’s Merrimack for sponsoring the Teacher Appreciation Lunch! We appreciate their wonderful support of our terrific teachers!
Open Faculty Positions - We are hiring! We are currently in need of:
- 1st Grade teacher
- 3rd Grade teacher
- 4th Grade/Science teacher
- Lower campus part-time Spanish teacher
- Teacher Aides
- Substitutes
More information about each position can be found HERE. Please pass this on!
NEXT WEEK! April Vacation! Saturday, April 26 - Sunday, May 4 - April vacation. No school!
End of the Year Dates - The end of the school year may seem like a long way away, but it will come quickly! We have scheduled the following important dates and events:
Friday, May 23
- Family BBQ at the upper campus (all current families and incoming 2025-2026 new families invited!)
Wednesday, June 4
- 8th Grade last day of school - 8th grade released at 11:30 AM (no bus for early release students)
- NO After Care
- 5:00 PM – 8th grade Baccalaureate Mass at St. Christopher Parish (graduate and two parents only)
- 6:30 PM - 8th grade Baccalaureate Dinner at the upper campus (graduate and two parents only)
Friday, June 6
- 7:00 PM - 8th grade Graduation at the upper campus
Monday, June 9
- Grade 5 last day of school - 5th grade released at noon (no bus service for Early Release students)
- NO After Care
- 5:30 PM - 5th grade Convocation at upper campus (students gather at lower campus at 4:40 PM)
Wednesday, June 11
- Early Release and final day of school for grades PreK to 4, 6 & 7
Back to School 2025 Dates - Speaking of important dates, we have some important notes about back-to-school for Fall 2025! If you are booking summer vacations or other plans, please keep these important dates in mind:
- PreK, Kindergarten and 1st grade Playground Days - Who wants to play? We will hold special Playground Days for PreK, Kdg, and 1st grade students in August to help students and parents get to know each other before the start of school! PreK students are invited to the playground on Monday, August 4 from 9:00 - 10:00 AM. Kindergarten students are invited to play on Monday, August 11 from 9:00 - 10:00 AM. And 1st grade students will enjoy the playground on Monday, August 18 from 9:00 - 11:00 AM. If we need to cancel for rain, we will reschedule later in the same week. Come on down! This is a great time for the kids...and parents....to make important connections with friends before the school year begins!
Monday, August 25–
- First day of school for 6th grade students ONLY. This will be a half day for 6th grade students. More details will be sent to 6th grade parents later in the summer.
- Lower campus Meet the Teacher from 9:00 - 11:00 AM. Class lists will be posted in the school lobby that day.
Tuesday, August 26 - First day of school for ALL students on both campuses. (2nd day of school for grade 6.) Students should be in full school uniform.
Friday, August 29 and Monday, September 1 - No School…Labor Day Weekend
UPCOMING ACADEMY EVENTS
NEW! Fine Arts Festival - Please join our music groups for the Spring Fine Arts Festival concert on Wednesday, May 28 at 6:30 PM in the gym at the upper campus. More details will follow after April vacation!
UPDATED! Lower Campus Field Day – Field Day is coming for our lower campus students on Friday May 30! There are volunteer opportunities in the morning for Pre-K and K parents and afternoon for 1st through 5th grade parents. We will also be looking for donations to add to the fun of the day! Click HERE to sign up. More details about the day will be coming after April vacation.
RSVP DATE COMING SOON! Annual Year-End Family BBQ - It’s time to start planning our annual All Saint Chris Academy BBQ! All families are invited to this fun and FREE gathering on Friday, May 23 from 5:30 - 7:00 PM! The event will be held in the field behind the upper campus building (or inside the upper campus if it should rain) Plans include a ton of FREE food and a DJ. To help us plan and purchase enough food, we'd like to get a preliminary count on attendees. If you think that you and your family will be attending, please complete the anonymous form HERE by May 1. THANKS!
NEW! BBQ Sponsor - We are looking for a local business (of any type!) to sponsor our year-end BBQ! Benefits include a banner at the BBQ, frequent mentions here in the Wednesday News, and inclusion in the Honor Roll of Donors. Please reach out to Marta at [email protected] for more information!
THIS WEEK! Lower Campus Poetry Slam - THIS Friday afternoon, April 25, all lower campus students will gather in the church hall for our annual Poetry Slam under the direction of Mrs. Ternan. Students in every class have created their poetry and teachers have selected two students to read their creation in front of the school. The program begins at 1:45 PM. Parents are welcome to attend! Please sign in at the front desk before proceeding to the hall.
Silver Knights Education Day - All student tickets have been ordered for the May 28 Silver Knights baseball game. Please remember that if your grade 1 to 6 student is not attending the game, he or she MUST stay home for the day.
Parents tickets are still available for the game! Parent tickets must be purchased through the Silver Knights by using the link HERE! The password is STCHRIS.
Upcoming School Masses - All parents are invited to attend our school masses! Parents must enter through the front door of each campus facility, sign in, and receive a nametag to attend. All upper campus masses are at 9:45 AM and lower campus masses will be at 1:45 PM unless otherwise noted. The schedule for the rest of the year is:
- May 8 - Lower campus (grades 3-5) @ 1:45 PM
- May 15 - Upper campus Mass and May Crowning @ 9:45 AM
- May 19 - Lower campus Mass and May Crowning @ 9:45 AM
- May 29 - Ascension Thursday Mass - All students to attend at upper campus (details to come after April vacation!) at 9:45 AM
- June 3 - Lower campus @ 1:45 PM
- June 10 - Upper campus @ 9:45 AM
Student Programs and Activities
NEW! Lower Campus Chess Club Tournament - The lower campus Chess Club Tournament is underway! Please click HERE to see the standings so far! The tournament continues on Monday, May 5 and all students listed on the bracket are asked to attend. Those who do not attend will lose their round by forfeit, which is no fun for anyone!
NEW! Summer Drama Camp – Come perform greatest hits from past plays in a casual environment that will give everyone a chance to take the lead! Watch your emails for signup details, but here’s the basic information:
Two Sessions: July 7- 18 and July 21 - Aug 1
9am-12pm in the Upper Campus Gym
Open to INCOMING grades 3-8
Cost: $250 per session per student
Max 15 students per session
Helen J Horan Scholarship Applications for 8th Grade Students – Applications for the Helen J. Horan Scholarship for graduating 8th grade students are now being accepted. This scholarship provides support to a deserving Saint Christopher Academy 8th grade student who plans to continue his or her education at a Catholic high school next year. Established by the late Father Denis Horan in loving memory of his sister Helen, the Helen J. Horan Scholarship is the top award for our graduating students and will be awarded at the Baccalaureate Dinner on June 4th. The deadline for applications is May 15. Please see the description HERE for qualifications and other important information.
Parent Volunteers
NEW! Hot Lunch Volunteer Schedule - Thank you to our fabulous Hot Lunch volunteers! The schedule for the rest of this week and the first few days of next week is:
Thursday, April 24
LC: Christin Morrison, Amanda Vargas
UC: Nadra Bell
Friday, April 25
LC: Christine MacNeil, Krista Spadano, Ann Marie Pellecchia
UC: Sarah Neary, Heather Bowen
Monday, May 5 (After April vacation)
LC: James Rappaport, Amanda Vargas
UC: Lisa Censabella
Tuesday, May 6
LC: Crystal Romero, Jen Liba
UC: Nadra Bell
Wednesday, May 7
LC: Melanie Marcu, Rugi Mercier
UC: Carol Cyran, Lorraine Barry
NEW! Popcorn - Thank you to this week’s popcorn poppers:
Lower Campus: Laura Gehringer, Diane Perault, Jhoanny Marte
Upper Campus: Amy Algeo, Darcie Guarino
ST. CHRISTOPHER PARISH NEWS
St. Christopher’s Moms & Minis – Meet with other moms for hot coffee, light treats and conversation in the church hall. Our minis get to play while we chat and grow in faith and fellowship! We meet every 1st and 3rd Wednesday at 9 - 10:30 AM during the school year, with play dates throughout the summer. For additional information call or text Alex Sullivan at 603-479-4554.
CATHOLIC COMMUNITY NEWS
Camps Fatima and Bernadette - Give your child the gift of a summer rooted in faith, friendship, and fun at Camp Fatima for boys and Camp Bernadette for girls! From horseback riding and tubing to archery, arts & crafts, and so much more, each day is filled with joyful adventures and opportunities to grow closer to God.
“Our daughter (8) and son (7) attended Camp Bernadette and Fatima for the first time in July 2024. It was a wonderful experience that allowed them to develop more independence, critical thinking skills and emotional intelligence in social settings. The number of organized activities were unbelievable and they loved the meals.
We knew that we made the right decision by selecting Camp Fatima and Bernadette when they begged to stay longer at camp, despite being gone for 2 weeks. They are counting down the days until they return for session 2 this year!!” – Matt and Sarah Currid
COMMUNITY NEWS
FIRST PRACTICE THIS WEEK! PAL Gate City Striders Track and Field - The youth track & field program is a program offered by the Nashua Police Athletic League (PAL) and Gate City Striders (GCS) for boys and girls ages 7 through 14, who are interested in competing in track and field events. Middle school athletes are invited to participate at the conclusion of their school track & field season. Athletes without a school program can join at the beginning of the program. It includes twice-weekly coached workouts. Athletes can also choose to participate in the USATF Junior Olympic Track and Field Championships in June (optional).
Click HERE for more information and to sign up. The first practice is April 24.