Saturday, April 27th following 9AM Mass until Noon (or longer if we are having a great time!)

Please reserve your morning and join us for this community event.

🧼🧹⚒️ Whether you are a backyard warrior, someone who likes to just help out in the community, or you are looking for an excuse to enjoy a morning with friends, this is a great opportunity.

We had SO MUCH FUN last year.

Here are some of the tasks we hope to accomplish OUTDOORS on Saturday:

• We are getting a donation of playground woodchips from Cersosimo Lumber (THANK YOU!!!) that needs to be spread. (Bring wheelbarrows, shovels, and rakes)
• Plant some flowers around our school sign
• Cleaning off the blacktop for recess (Bring rakes, tarps and backpack blowers)
• Clearing our hillside of weeds, and trash (Bring trimmers, handsaws, backpack blowers, rakes, shovels, tarps and wagons or wheelbarrows)
• Remove our sandbox

INDOORS:

• Dusting windowsills so we can throw open the windows for spring (bring your dusting supplies, handheld or push vacuums)
• Organize our uniform closet and pull out polos and shorts for quick access next week.
• Organize our "Scary Closet"

The Parish will also be doing yardwork outside to beautiful the grounds for Spring, First Communion and Confirmation. Please come be a part of the festivities effort.

Many hands make light work.

Saturday, April 27 - School and Parish Clean up Day from 10-12, details below.

Sunday April 28 - FIRST HOLY COMMUNION. All are welcome to attend 10:30 am Mass

Saturday, May 4, 2024 CONFIRMATION MASS at 1:00 pm. All are welcome to attend

Wednesday May 1 - May Crowning after Mass and Marian Procession - Faculty Meeting after school

Thursday May 2 - Panathenaea: Greek Festival - PreK - 12th at 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Friday May 3 - Firefighters Visiting Day - St. Florian Feast (May 4) Observed

Saturday, May 4, 2024 CONFIRMATION MASS at 1:00 pm. All are welcome to attend

Monday May 6- Friday May 10- Terra Nova Testing Grades 1-8

Thursday May 9 - Ascension Thursday - School Mass - High School Ascension of Mount Wantastiquet

Friday May 17 - SMS Fun Run

Sunday May 19 - Pentecost

Tuesday May 21 - Spring Concert in Rand Hall at 6:00 p.m

Wednesday May 22 - Health Fair - Faculty Meeting

Friday May 24 - EARLY RELEASE – Teacher In-Service

*Release at noon, lunch served and extended care available until 3:00 p.m.

Monday May 27 – NO SCHOOL - Memorial Day

Thursday May 30 - Solemnity of Corpus Christi - Holy Hour & Benediction

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

Our teachers are beginning to schedule their end of year class field trips.

We will update this list as dates and locations are finalized.

PK/K: Tuesday, May 14 trip to the Montshire Museum in Norwich, Vermont

Grade 1 and 2: Tuesday, May 23 trip to Stonewall Farm in Keene, New Hampshire

Grade 3 and 4: Tuesday, May 14 trip to the Montshire Museum in Norwich, Vermont

Grade 7: Tuesday, June 4 trip to Rudyard Kipling's Home Naulakha in Dummerston, Vermont

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. You are also welcome to request for your email to be removed from our mailing list. Contact lindsayoneil@smsvt.info to be removed.

Bill Thomson lives in Southington, Connecticut with his wife, Diann, and their three sons, Billy, Nik, and Ethan. Bill illustrated the picture books, Karate Hour, Building With Dad, Baseball Hour, and Soccer Hour; and he also created the wordless books, CHALK, FOSSIL and The Typewriter. Bill teaches at the Hartford Art School at the University of Hartford where he is a Professor of Illustration.

To visit Bill's website and see more of his work, visit http://billthomson.com/

A number of St. Michael's 8th, 9th and 10th grade students joined the 100,000 students in all 50 states and 26 countries around the world taking the 2024 National Latin Exam and carried off an impressive list of prizes. Derek Small, Bridget Froula and Chase Clarke earned cum laude certificates ("with honor"), and Dezrah Bills and Anthony Bills earned magna cum laude certificates ("with great honor"). A Maxima cum laude certificates ("with greatest honor") and silver medal went to Lily Tainter. James Gardner was awarded a summa cum laude certificate ("with highest honor") and a gold medal.

Spring has finally arrived in Vermont and with it comes sports practices, recitals, outdoor play and the last few months of school. With Spring Fever often comes challenges with getting homework done. Here are some recommendations to consider. Of course they should be modified to meet the needs of you, your child, and your family.

• Decide on a flexible homework schedule that works for your family.

• Have a designated homework area stocked with needed supplies.

• If your child has difficulty sustaining attention, you should start with small chunks of time for working. The child can keep track of these with a timer, and by working for a set amount of time, he/she earns a short break.

• On a weekly basis you should review what is coming due for the following week (so you can plan trips to the library, or buying special supplies.)

• Using a calendar for long term projects is beneficial. This helps make intermittent deadlines more ‘real’ and helps everyone stay organized.

• Each day, you should review your child’s homework with him/her. Help your child decide what subjects to start with. Some children work best beginning with the easiest subject and working toward the most difficult, other children work best in the reverse order.

• Do not have the television on when the child is working.

• Music, at a low level, is acceptable if it is not distracting to your child.

• Decide with your child and his/her teacher how to handle situations where your child does not understand the material. It is essential that the teacher be aware of difficulties with homework, since it means that the child is having difficulty understanding the in-class material.

• Once your child has completed the homework, it should be put in the proper place in the backpack to be returned to school.

• If your child is resistant to homework, you might consider making a homework chart that keeps track of the progress he/she is making. Successful completion of homework might earn stickers, or stars that can be accumulated for rewards such as extra computer time.

• In general play time comes after homework is completed. It is very difficult to leave a preferred activity (like Gameboy) for a less preferred activity (such as homework).

First of all, thank you to everyone for your partnership in March to finalize our enrollment for the fall. Now that we have solid numbers for enrollment by grade, we can begin planning for curriculum and hiring needs for the 2024/2025 school year.

We are looking to hire an experienced math teacher to meet the needs of our growing upper school in grades 7-12. SMCS administers a rigorous, integrated program of Catholic classical liberal arts. The ideal candidate will be competent in teaching middle and high school, experienced in managing a classroom of 15-20 students, and dedicated to professional development in the classical liberal arts and the pursuit of academic excellence.

Interested persons should send a curriculum vitae and a cover letter detailing their interest in teaching in St. Michael Catholic School's classical liberal arts curriculum to Principal Elaine Beam at elainebeam@smsvt.info

This is a lovely part time position for the right person to get involved at SMS. We need someone to work from 3-5:30pm daily as part of our aftercare program. Interested persons should send a resume and a cover letter detailing their interest in teaching to: elainebeam@smsvt.info

A flyer was sent home with details about Teacher Appreciation Week. We have an all-star team of parents working behind the scenes to plan some special ways to celebrate our teachers. We won't be including details here so they are surprised. Feel free to contact any of the organizers if you have questions or want to get more involved.

Teacher Appreciation Week is coming up from May 6-10 and we are looking for volunteers to get involved with the planning.

We want to use this week as the catalyst for a Parent Teacher Group of sorts. There have been several parents this year asking about getting involved in a 'PTO' to help support the students and faculty, and get more involved in the school community. At this time, there is not intention of doing fundraising. The objective of the group will be to help plan and run events at the school such as:

Teacher Appreciation Week, summer gatherings, Parent Nights Out, Trunk or Treat, Coffee Hours etc. These events have been organized and run by the office and there has been a lot of interest by parents to take these activities over.

If you are interested in helping out, please contact one of our two coordinators:

Inga Paluch i_plisz@yahoo.com

Desiree DeLuca-Johnson desiree.delucajohnson@gmail.com

For obvious reasons, this fundraiser is not being run by the school or through our school office.

Mr. and Mrs. Gauthier are so grateful for everyone's love and support.

If you would like to purchase tickets, make a straight donation, or ask questions, please contact Jenn Thompson at 603-998-1843.

While the modern methods of education introduced by John Dewey in 1899 continue to fail all around us, the ancient method of education employed at SMS is catching on again across the country!

Here is an article that was shared with us by an SMS Parent. We encourage you all to make the time to read it:

Inside the New Wave of Old-School Education

(Shown here: "The School of Athens" by Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino

Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

Our Fun Run is coming up in a few weeks and we are able half way to our goal. Please get creative with your fundraising efforts and expand your ask outside your immediate community or friend/family circle. There are lots of people who are really excited by what we are offering at Saint Michael School.

Please review the contents and get started with your fundraising efforts. Let your donors know that their donation is tax-deductible and we offer convenient online giving for instant donations and donor receipts. Here is the link https://saintmichaelschoolvt.org/sms-fun-run

Anyone interested in joining our spring golf team should contact Athletic Director, Michelle Kuusela, ASAP at michellekuusela@smsvt.info

We are blessed to have a wonderful partnership with Brattleboro Country Club. BCC is offering a three day a week program for the team as a base. This is a great schedule to help the kids develop their game. $75 per athlete will cover the team financial obligations.

If students want to obtain an open membership to the course for the remainder of the season, a $200 add on is available. This is a great discounted opportunity for our kids to explore the game of golf for the entire season at BCC and move towards the vision of a fall team that can play and compete with the other schools in the area who foster fall golf programs.

The team departs the school at dismissal and will receive instruction and game play from 3:30-5 Monday, Wednesday, Friday.

Please mark your calendars and come out to cheer our team on if you are able.

Wednesday MAY 1: St Mikes v PUTNEY starting time 4:30

Wednesday May 15: ULTIMATE TOURNAMENT. We are unsure what this will look like; it may be another round-robin-type event. Details of the place and time will follow shortly.

Game Location Addresses:

BART: 1 COMMERCIAL ST, ADAMS, MA

PUTNEY: 418 HOUGHTON BROOK RD, PUTNEY, VT

Please contact our Athletic Director, Michelle Kuusela with any questions or concerns at michellekuusela@smsvt.info

We will be offering 5 weeks of preschool summer camp this year for children ages 3-5.

Each week will be limited to 8 spots. Please let us know if you have any questions or trouble while registering your family.

My name is Dr. Bert Green and am a school psychologist specializing in school neuropsychology. After a 25-year career consulting for schools in MA and VT I have retired and continue my work with children on a voluntary basis at St. Mike’s. I’m a member of the parish and my husband and I live in Dover, VT.

I have been working with students, faculty and staff since last summer and I'd love to now partner with you as parents and guardians to our students. I look forward to periodically writing helpful articles for the Hark! The articles are meant to be general guidelines to help support your child’s education. Please feel free to email bertgreen76@gmail.com if you have suggestions for topics or questions.

Teachers are now taking lunch orders IN THE CLASSROOM at role call. Make sure each of your children knows if they have a packed home lunch, or should order a hot school lunch.

We will be sending out a printed menu each month for your daily reference. You may also consult the Hark for a digital copy.

IF YOU ARE TARDY:

Our meal order must be submitted by 8:30 am. If you anticipate arriving after 8:25 am, please email the office and your homeroom teacher in the morning with any HOT lunch orders.

Lunch costs $4.15. Families will receive an invoice on the 5th of each month with the lunch bill for the month prior. Your FACTS account will autopay the bill on the 20th of that month. You will receive emails from FACTS so please be diligent in checking your emails monthly. Applications for eligibility to participate in the National School Lunch Program for Free of Reduced Lunch were sent out earlier this year and are still available in the office.

Call 802.254.6320 for questions

or email sandigauthier@smsvt.info

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

If you know of an event that might be interesting or beneficial to our school community, please feel free to send us details and a flyer to include there.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mYkDJ1vBg4

The group releasing the movie is calling April 26th "Family Day" since the movie aims to bring families together through prayer amidst hardship. It could be the FIRST Christian movie to ever be #1 at the box office opening weekend! Whether you see the movie or not- HAPPY FAMILY DAY

Based on a remarkable true story, Unsung Hero follows David Smallbone as he moves his family from Down Under to the States, searching for a brighter future after his successful music company collapses. With nothing more than their seven children, suitcases, and their love of music, David (for KING + COUNTRY’s Joel Smallbone) and his pregnant wife Helen (Daisy Betts) set out to rebuild their lives. Helen’s faith stands against all odds and inspires her husband and children to hold onto theirs. With their own dreams on hold, David and Helen begin to realize the musical prowess in their children, who would go on to become two of the most successful acts in Inspirational Music history: five-time GRAMMY Award®-winning artists for KING + COUNTRY and Rebecca St. James.

RUN TIME: 112 min

RATED: PG

✝Memento mori

"The one thing that unites us all, no matter our background, is the fact that we will all die. It’s a truth that we all know, yet many of us are scared to face it head-on. This fear of mortality is what inspired the ancient practice of Memento Mori, which encourages us to reflect on our mortality and use it as a tool to make the most of each moment and enjoy the journey."(Andrea Shelley)*

Vermont Catholic Community Foundation (VCCF) recently engaged with FreeWill, to provide free, confidential, online assistance with creating a will, advance directive, and power of attorney in addition to outlining your wishes for a Catholic funeral and burial. You can also make a simple bequest in your will specifying an amount or percentage of your estate that would benefit a specific Catholic ministry, such as Saint Michael Catholic School! This tool is free for our community. It only takes 20 minutes to complete your will now: https://www.freewill.com/vccf

🙏We hope you will please remember Saint Michael Catholic School in your estate planning and leave a legacy of faith.

Pass it along. This is not only for Catholics or those wanting a Catholic Funeral.

No one should be without their wishes in writing.

For further information, contact Ellen Kane (Executive Director of Vermont Catholic Community Foundation) at 802-846-5837.

https://www.freewill.com/vccf

*To read more from Andrea on the meaning and history of the practice of Memento Mori, visit https://andreashelley.com/blog/memento-mori-meaning-and-history/

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

• barrettes and hair elastics
• boxes of tissues
• healthy snacks for the school day and aftercare
• copy paper
• band aids
• disposable cups
• reusable water bottles
• Children's pain/fever reliever (liquid please)
• multi-symptom children's cold medicine (liquid please)
• 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.

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.

We are so grateful for the donations of beautiful books and learning toys for the students. If you have toys still in great shape that you'd like to rehome, check with your teacher to see if they could use them in the classroom. Great items include Legos, Tinker Toys, wooden blocks, magnetic tiles, puzzles etc.

To purchase new items for a classroom, visit our Amazon wish list here:

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1MR1QH7HRGU1?ref_=wl_share

Not inspired by anything you see? Check back as our teachers will be adding items. Thank you in advance for your generosity! Our students are so grateful for your support!

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