September 10 Independence Day
September 10 Fiddle Sizing – 8:30 AM -- Lobby
September 11 School Board Meeting – 8:00 AM – Library
September 12 Parent Information Night – 6:45 PM – Church
September 13 Fiddle Sizing – 8:30 AM -- Lobby
September 14 Coffee with the Principal – 9:15 AM – Church Hall
September 14 PAL Cross Country Practice Race – 3:00 PM – Nashua North High School
September 15 Hot Lunch ordering for Sept/Oct ends at midnight
September 17 Band and Fiddle Squad Begin
September 19 Parent Group Meeting – Shorty’s – 6:30 PM
September 19 Auction Committee Meeting – Shorty’s – 7:15 PM
September 20 3-School Mass – 10:00 AM – Church
September 21 Faith Outreach Committee – 9:00 AM -- Library
September 24 1st School Mass/Mercy Day Mass – 9:15 AM – Church
September 24 Hot Lunch begins
September 28 No School – Teacher Faith Formation Day
NEW! Thank You – This week, we extend many thank you’s to Emily Uong who has taken on the rather daunting task of organizing the used uniform closets!
TONIGHT! Parent Information Night – All parents should attend the Parent Information Night on Wednesday, September 12 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!
NEW! Faith Outreach Committee Meeting – Our Faith Outreach Committee is integral to the spiritual identity of the school through their planning of October’s Vocation Day, service projects, Adopted Religious program, and other events. New members are always welcome…being Catholic is not a requirement! Their first meeting of the year takes place on Friday, September 21 at 9:00 AM in the library. Please join them!
NEW! Lacrosse Clinics for grades 1-4 -- Does your child in grades 1 through 4 want to learn the fun sport of lacrosse? St. Christopher will hold an eight week lacrosse clinic for boys and girls beginning October 1 and running through November 26. The clinic, lead by 3rd grade teacher Emily Bedard, will take place on Mondays from 3:00 - 4:15 PM at Sargent Park. For more information or to download a registration form, click HERE.
Parent Group Meeting – As planners of many of our sooooo fun community events, our Parent Group is one of the most active groups here at St. Chris! During the year, the Parent Group coordinates activities like enrichment speakers, the Christmas Tree Lighting, the Used Book Sale, teacher appreciation events, and the always awesome BBQ! There are many ways to get involved…and every parent is automatically a member! The group will have it’s first organization meeting for the year at Shorty’s in Nashua on Wednesday, September 19 at 6:30 PM. Please join us!
Auction Committee Meeting -- Time to get the party started…or at least start planning for it! Our Auction Committee will hold its first meeting of the year on Wednesday, September 19 at 7:15 PM at Shorty’s in Nashua. Our auction is the largest fundraiser for St. Chris, having raised over $55,000 dollars last year to assist in making St. Chris a better place for all students! There’s a place on the Auction Committee for everyone, including those interested in theme/decorations, item procurement, technology/computers, class art projects, reservations/seating, etc.! Meetings are held monthly through December, then bi-weekly during January and weekly in March, although Committee members “come and go” as needed with their role on the Committee. Contact chairperson Jenn Torosian at [email protected] for more information. And yes, you read that right….we are holding the Parent Group and Auction Committee meetings back-to-back on September 19! Hoping this will make it easier for everyone to get involved in one…or both…groups!
UPDATED! Website Tip o’ the Week: Have a quick question you need answered but don’t know who to ask? Simply click the “Contact” button at the top right of the website front page, fill out the short form with your name, email address, and question, and someone will figure out the answer and get back to you!
FIRST Lego League -- It’s that time of year again! FIRST Lego League at St. Chris will be starting up as the school year starts and we’re looking for parent volunteers to help with this awesome team. Our FLL season will run from the beginning of September till mid-November. If anyone is interested in volunteering or coaching, please contact Lana Tyrrell at [email protected]. You don’t have to have a child on the team to be a coach or volunteer! Student signups are now available via Signup Genius HERE. The team is open to all students who are 9 years old or older in 2018, but space will be limited.
NEW! Corpus Christi Food Pantry Brown Bag Collection – We are getting the year started off right with our annual Brown Bag collection for the Corpus Christi Food Pantry! The bags will be distributed next week and are due on the day of our first school mass, Monday, September 24. Please consider filling the bags with the items on the list attached to the bag…or other appropriate items…and bring them back Monday morning for pick-up by the Corpus Christi van. Many thanks for your support!
Parent Volunteers – How you will make a difference at St. Chris? Our school is so thankful for the many, many volunteers who partner with us to offer special events and programs that would not exist without their help. Numerous studies show that students are more successful in school when their parent volunteers…it’s a win-win for everyone! To see the many ways you can get involved here at St. Chris, click HERE! You can also sign up to volunteer for the individual programs by clicking through to the Sign-Up Genius under each opportunity. Thank you SO much!
UPDATED! Hot Lunch Volunteers Needed! We still need help on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays for Hot Lunch! Please consider giving of one day per month on any of those days! Without help, we will be forced to cancel one or all of those Hot Lunch days…which means everyone will have to make a lunch every day….oh no! 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, to see what’s going on in the school, and to see your children and their friends. To volunteer, use the Sign-Up Genius at https://tinyurl.com/hotlunch2018.
NEW! Spirit Shirts (Husky and Cross Country) -- It’s time for a Husky Spirit Shirt order! For those of you who are new, these are the royal blue shirts featuring our Sparky mascot and “Husky Pride” on the back, with “St. Christopher School” on the front. The kids LOVE them! Spirit shirts can be worn on Spirit Days, on Free Dress days, and at any number of school activities like basketball games and Barnes and Noble night! For a limited time, Husky Spirit Shirts can be ordered online HERE for $8.50. In addition, spirit shirts and sweatshirts for cross country are also available! All shirts will be delivered to the school and sent home with students. Please order by NEXT Friday, September 21!
Bus Options for Communities Outside Nashua – We are excited to announce that we have contracted with SchoolWheels Direct to provide several morning bus routes from local communities outside Nashua. This new program is being offered in partnership with Bishop Guertin High School at a cost of $500 per student for the year. Payment will be made directly to SchoolWheels Direct and can be made on a monthly or yearly basis. Students will be picked up by bus at designated stops and brought to Bishop Guertin High School. From there, students will be transported by shuttle to St. Chris and will arrive here by 7:30 AM. Students who are not in before school activities will be enrolled in Before Care with the appropriate charge. Sign-ups can be done directly with SchoolWheels Direct HERE.
UPDATED! Raffle Calendar Fundraiser –We’ve sold over 400 calendar raffle tickets so far…we’re on our way to our goal of 2,000 tickets! Please be sure to sell your 10 tickets so we can meet that goal! Each ticket is $10. As in the past, for every 10 raffle tickets your family sells, you will earn one entry into a raffle for a $1,500 Tuition Credit or $1,000 Cash! This is the first of our three major fundraisers in the annual Invest in Excellence campaign, so we are really counting on your support!
We have a number of fun student seller incentives throughout the month of September! Check them out!
FRIDAY FUNDAY incentives for every Friday in September (except on Sept 28, a no school day!). Any student who brings in at least one ticket will receive the prize of the day:
Friday, September 14 – Those who turn in a ticket today will be enjoying a cookie treats at lunch on Thursday, September 20, after our 3-school mass! (This is changed from Monday due to scheduling conflicts…sorry!)
Friday, September 21 – Free popcorn
Student Surprise Free Dress Passes will be chosen on random days during the month of September from anyone who turns in a ticket on that day.
Crazy Mrs. Clarke will make a special appearance in October if we beat our school goal of 2,000 tickets! We’ve met our goal each of the last 9 years…can’t wait to make this number 10 and see what crazy Mrs. Clarke will do this year!
THIS WEEK! Coffee with Mrs. Clarke -- Our first Coffee with Mrs. Clarke will be held on Friday, September 14 from 9:15 – 10:15 AM in the Church Hall! This is an informal opportunity to get together with Mrs. Clarke and other parents and chat about all that’s happening at St. Chris. Bring your thoughts, ideas, and suggestions….we’ll bring the coffee and light refreshments!
THIS WEEK! Parent-Student Handbook – Your paper Wednesday News includes a copy of the updated Parent-Student Handbook for this year. Please take the time to read it yourself and review it with your student(s). All students and parents must sign and return the form located at the back of the Handbook by THIS Friday, September 14.
THIS WEEK! Fiddle Squad Sizing – Is your 3rd to 6th grade student interested in Fiddle Squad? Mrs. Bailey will be in the lobby tomorrow, Thursday, September 13 at 8:30 AM to do fiddle sizing for interested students. Information about the Band and Fiddle Squads is available HERE.
ENDS THIS WEEK! Book Fair – The library is 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 evening gatherings. The Book Fair will be open TONIGHT during the Parent Information Night!
Online Book Fair – Parents (and far away relatives!) are also welcome to shop our Scholastic Book Fair online! To shop, go to HERE.
THIS WEEK! Hot Lunch – Ordering for September 24-October 31 ends on THIS Saturday, September 15 at Boonli.com. Hot Lunch will begin serving lunch on Monday, September 24. Further information about the Hot Lunch program can be viewed online HERE. Please note that NO late orders can be taken after midnight on September 15. At midnight, the system automatically generates our vendor orders that are then placed first thing in the morning on the 16th. Also, please note that due to cost increases, our vendors were unable to provide gluten free options for our Hot Lunch. We apologize for the inconvenience.
NEW! NO School – Diocesan Formation Day – Just a reminder…there will be NO school on Friday, September 28 so that our teachers can attend a Faith Formation Day with the Diocese of Manchester!
3-School Mass – On Thursday, September 20, students from Nashua Catholic Jr. High and Infant Jesus School will be joining us here at St. Chris for a very special mass celebrating the start of the school year. Due to busing constraints, Mass will now begin at 10:00 AM instead of 9:15. All are invited!
School Mass – Our first St. Chris all-school mass of the year will be Monday, September 24 at 9:15 AM and will be prepared by 6W in celebration of Mercy Day. Please join us as we give thanks for the opportunity to begin a new school year together and to ask for God’s blessings.
Low Gluten Host – St. Christopher Parish and School offer low gluten hosts for our gluten intolerant students who have already received First Communion. If your child is gluten intolerant and would like to receive Communion at our school masses, please email Marta at [email protected].
AmazonSmile – Are you an Amazon shopper? If so, be sure you use AmazonSmile and designate St. Chris to receive .5% of eligible purchases! We recently received a $76.88 donation from AmazonSmile, which brings our total Amazon donations to $1,193.76!
UPDATED! Parish Youth Ministry –
St. Chris Kid Group! – It’s the start of a brand new school year, so we’ll be talking about new beginnings at Kid Group this week. See you in the Pennell Center on Saturday at 5pm! All 3rd-5th graders and their parents are welcome to join us. PS – There will be pizza!
St. Chris Junior Group – Do you ever think about how many decisions you make in a day? We’ll be talking about how the decisions you make impact your life at Junior Group this week. See you in the Pennell Center on Sunday at 6pm! All 6th-8th graders are welcome to join us.
Any questions email Emily Murphy at [email protected].
NEW! Parish Restored Order of the Sacraments – As part of the Diocese of Manchester, St. Christopher Parish is undergoing significant changes in their sacrament preparation program, including the sacraments of Reconciliation, Confirmation, and First Eucharist. Please see more information about the Restored Order of the Sacraments at St. Christopher Parish HERE.