Friday, September 1st and Monday, September 4th: No school in observance of Labor Day

Tuesday September 5 - All School Assembly – First Fire drill and “practice Mass”.

Wednesday September 6 - Presbyteral Day - Visiting Priest for Mass

Friday September 8 – Birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Freshman Challenge

Wednesday September 13 - Faculty Meeting, 1st HS Soccer Home Game @3:30 (Greenwood)

Friday September 15 - Car Wash benefitting Grade 9 and 10

Monday September 18 - Thursday September 21 – Recess Dance Lessons for MS/HS

Monday September 18 - 3rd/4th Grade Feast Day - St. Joseph Cupertino Paper Airplane Festival

Wednesday September 20 - EARLY RELEASE - @12 noon - Teacher In-service

*Release at noon, lunch served, NO AFTERCARE

Thursday September 21 - HS Soccer - Home Game @4:30 (PVPA)

Friday September 22 - Autumn Sock Hop & Swing Dance - 7th - 12th

Sunday September 24 - Catechetical Sunday – Procession and Parish Picnic after Mass

Tuesday September 26 -HS Soccer - Away Game @3:30 (Hartsbrook)

Wednesday September 27– School Picture Day with Meaghan Fagley Photography after Mass

Wednesday September 27 - Faculty Meeting

Thursday September 28 - HS Soccer - Home Game @3:30 (Buxton)

Friday September 29 - Michaelmas Feast - Classroom Angels & Warriors Party @2PM

SMS is still enrolling! We have open enrollment so it's never too late. Mrs O'Neil works with new families considering enrollment throughout the year.

Parents are looking for alternatives in education right now more than ever. It is surprising how often we talk to someone that simply didn't know we were here! We encourage you to talk to your friends and family about your experience at Saint Michael School this year and help us grow.

FACEBOOK: If you haven't already done so, please like and follow our Facebook page so you can see other great photos not posted here in the Hark each week: https://www.facebook.com/SMSVT

UNSUBSCRIBE? As we begin a new school year, we hope you all will continue to stay connected with Saint Michael School but we understand if you are in a new season of life. If you are no longer interested in receiving our newsletter, please know that there is an "unsubscribe" option at the end of every newsletter.

As Mrs. Beam communicated in a recent email:

ALL FAMILIES MUST FEED THEIR STUDENTS BREAKFAST FROM HOME AND SEND IN A HOME PACKED LUNCH UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.

We hope to have something in place by mid September. Mrs. Beam is working diligently behind the scenes with our partners in the industry to try to resolve this. We are working on a plan and will keep you all informed.

A reminder that we are hoping for everyone to participate in a Welcome Back All-School Bulletin Board. We want to celebrate all of our families, and see your faces here in the building. Send your child in with a print, old Christmas card or email a family photo to Mrs. O'Neil to add to our bulletin board.

In the early weeks of school, our teachers will be working diligently to set the expectations for the year ahead. This includes our policy of "No Cell Phones or Electronic Devices" while at school. This policy applies to ALL students regardless of grade, circumstance, or the device itself.

For new families, this may be a departure from what you and your children are accustomed to, but we assure that it will be a refreshing change. The students are free to focus on their job- being an attentive student in the classroom, being present for the play and meaningful conversations that happen at recess, and disconnecting from the distractions that flood their devices all day long.

We will have a procedure in place to allow students to leave their cell phone, watch or other device with the principal for safe keeping during the day, and collection at the end of the school day. For now, we ask all students to leave any cell phones, smart watches, music players or other electronic devices at home. We thank you in advance for your partnership.

All super raffle tickets were distributed this past week. If you did not receive your tickets in hand from a teacher or staff member, please check your students backpack.

Open your packets and familiarize yourself with the contents.

Raffle ticket sales begin immediately.

Please note: WE ONLY HAVE 166 EXTRA TICKETS FOR SALE IN THE OFFICE.

They will be available on a first come, first served basis.

Stop by the office or contact Mrs. Gauthier for tickets.

If you have any questions about the Super Raffle, we encourage you to call the office at 802.254.6320.

What a great start to the week we had: The sun was shining and both teams were eager to hit the field.

The school purchased some new goals and a few parents were able to set them up in just one afternoon! We have full rosters for both teams this year which is very exciting for the growth of our athletic program. Thanks to everyone for your support and enthusiasm as we get the season underway.

Going forward, practices are Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday each week from 3:45-5:00. All players and drivers should meet in Rand Hall, where Mrs. Kuusela will assign a student to a driver or school van. Game days will follow the same protocol as practice days.

If you have not yet done so, please register your athletes and pay your $45 registration fee here: https://saintmichaelschoolvt.org/athletic-team-registration

*Those who have already paid the fee need not complete this form.

Come ready to play: cleats, shin guards, long soccer socks, a water bottle, and a ball if you own one (with your name written on it), and a great attitude!

Please contact me at michellekuusela@smsvt.info with any questions or concerns.

GO SAINTS,

Michelle Kuusela

Athletic Director

Our Home Field at Winston Prouty is a bit tricky. Please use the directions below and the satellite image here to help guide you to the field.

209 Austine Dr, Brattleboro, VT 05301

● When you turn onto campus, take the first left

● Follow it around to the end of the parking lot.

● From the parking lot, you'll walk up the stairs and follow the sidewalk

● You'll come around the bushes and see the soccer field down below.

As our school grows, prospective families are eager to hear from current families. We have a web presence on many sites but the reviews are outdated. A lot has changed and we are hoping that each of you will pick a site or two to leave some comments and reviews to help us spread the word.

Here is our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SMSVT

niche.com

privateschoolreview.com

winnie.com (for our preschool)

greatschools.org

And of course a good ole fashioned Google search and review of SMS by typing Saint Michael Catholic School Brattleboro VT

The Brattleboro Recreation Department provided us with flyers about thier fall sports programs. In addition, families should be aware that the Gibson Aiken will be offering Open Gym and game room time starting on October 23rd:

Here is the weekly breakdown:

Monday Grade 6 and under 3-5 pm

Tuesday Grade 7-12 from 3-5 pm

Wednesday Grade 6 and under 3-4:45 pm

Thursday Grade 7-12 from 3-5 pm

Friday Grade 6 and under 3-5 pm

Saturday Grade 7-12 from 1-3 pm

Anyone with questions should contact:

Matt Tibbs

Program Coordinator

P.O. Box 513

207 Main Street

802-254-5808 office

Saint Michael Catholic Church has a marvelous collection of stained glass windows. They were created for the church in 1889 by the Art Stained Glass Institute of F. Nicolas and Sons in Roermond, Holland. While eye has not seen nor ear heard the glories that await in heaven, Saint Michael’s gives a vivid preview! “It’s like entering a jewel box,” as a child said.

A program on the saints pictured in the stained glass windows will be presented in the church by a number of visiting priests, artisans and teachers starting on Wednesday, June 28. The program begins at 5PM with evening prayer followed by the presentation.

This parent facebook group is intended for current SMS parents, grandparents and caregivers only as a private way to connect with one another, share cute photos or events and collaborate on school tasks, such as Teacher Appreciation Week.

If anyone is looking for a way to make a donation to help out the school, we could use:

• copy paper
• band aids
• disposable cups
• reusable water bottles
• Children's pain/fever reliever (liquid please)
• multi-symptom children's cold medicine (liquid please)
• healthy snacks for the school day and aftercare
• unused, new pairs of white, black or navy socks, navy leggings, and underwear for our uniform closet.
• We would also appreciate black or brown belts, new or gently used, all sizes.

To see our uniform Dress Code for the 2023/2024 school year, please go here

We will be working with students in these early weeks to make sure they are dressed according to the guidelines.

Uniform compliance starts in the home each morning. We thank you in advance for your help before they leave the house for the day.

Questions? Thoughts? Suggestions?

Please reach out. We LOVE to hear from our families!

UNSUBSCRIBE? As we begin each new school year, we hope you all will continue to stay connected with Saint Michael School but we understand if you are in a new season of life. If you are no longer interested in receiving our newsletter, please know that there is an "unsubscribe" option at the end of every newsletter.

Emails:

Elaine Beam, Principal elainebeam@smsvt.info

Sandi Gauthier, Administration, Accounting, Record Requests sandigauthier@smsvt.info

Lindsay O'Neil, Admissions and Development lindsayoneil@smsvt.info

Janna Andrus, Religious Education jannaandrus@smsvt.info

Joshua Dionne, Dean of Curriculum, joshuadionne@smsvt.info

Michelle Kuusela, Athletics michellekuusela@smsvt.info

Peter Orlowski, Dean of Students, peterorlowski@smsvt.info

As a reminder, all of our teachers and staff have personal emails which can be found on our website at: https://saintmichaelschoolvt.org/faculty