Tomorrow, Friday March 29 – NO SCHOOL - Good Friday

Sunday March 31 - Easter Sunday REJOICE: He is Risen!

Monday April 1 - NO SCHOOL - Easter Monday

Tuesday April 2 - All School Meeting: Unfurling Our Alleluia

Sunday April 7 - Monday April 8 - Grade 7/8 Eclipse Trip (late night return Monday evening)

Monday - April 8th: Eclipse Party! All are welcome, details to follow. View the eclipse here at SMS!

Read this Space.com Article about the upcoming eclipse.

NOTE: There will be NO AFTERCARE ON THIS DAY. Please Plan to pick up your child no later than 3:30 pm.

Wednesday April 10 – Faculty Meeting

Thursday April 11 – Grammar School Dress Down Benefiting Grade 2

Thursday April 11 – Parent Information Night at 6pm for rising middle and high school parents and guardians. Prospective families are invited to attend. Information to follow.

Monday April 15 - Friday April 19 - NO SCHOOL - Spring Break

Tuesday April 16 - Senior Patronal Feast Day - St. Drogo Coffee Day

Wednesday April 24 - NO Faculty Meeting

Thursday April 25 - All School Meeting - Grammar School Business Dress Up Day Benefiting Grade 5

Friday April 26 – Third Trimester Progress Reports sent home with students

Friday April 26 - Fundraiser benefiting Grade 7 and 8

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

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

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.

As we send everyone home today, we would like to wish you all a blessed Easter Triduum. Whatever you have planned, we hope you all enjoy your time together, and come back to school refreshed on Tuesday.

The summit of the Liturgical Year is the Easter Triduum—from the evening of Holy Thursday to the joy of Easter Sunday. Though chronologically three days, they are liturgically one day unfolding for us the unity of Christ's Paschal Mystery.

The single celebration of the Triduum marks the end of the Lenten season, and leads to the Mass of the Resurrection of the Lord at the Easter Vigil.

The liturgical services that take place during the Triduum are:

• Mass of the Lord's Supper
• Good Friday of the Lord's Passion
• Mass of the Resurrection of the Lord

For information and resources, here is a great place to start https://www.usccb.org/prayer-worship/liturgical-year/triduum

There are many traditions within Triduum, including

-the washing of the feet on Holy Thursday

-the veneration of the cross on Good Friday

-the blessing of the paschal candle at the Easter Vigil, where we also celebrate the sacraments of initiation for those entering the church, and

-the celebration of Christ's resurrection on Easter Sunday.

If you have not experienced these beautiful liturgical expressions of our faith, we encourage you to attend the services in your area to enter into this most holy of weeks.

Several of our students will be baptized this weekend at either the Easter Vigil on Saturday at 8pm or after the Easter Sunday Mass at 8am.

Supporting one another through the celebration of Sacraments is a really unique aspect of our school community. We encourage you to consider attending one of these Masses so your children can witness their friends on their special day.

Sacred Tridium

Holy Thursday

Morning Prayer: 8AM

Rosary: 6:30PM

Mass of the Lord’s Supper: 7PM

(Our Blessed Lord will be reserved at the Altar of Repose for Adoration — Visitors Welcomed & Encouraged)

Confessions and Adoration Following

Friday of the Passion of the Lord

Morning Prayer: 8AM

Rosary: 2:30PM

Celebration of the Passion of the Lord: 3PM

(Reading of the Passion from the Gospel,

Universal Prayers of the Faithful,

Veneration of the Cross, and Holy Communion)

Confessions Following

Stations of the Cross: 7PM

Confessions Following

Holy Saturday

Morning Prayer: 11AM

Rosary: 11:15AM

Confessions: 11AM-Noon

Evening Prayer: 5PM

Easter Vigil Mass: 8PM

Reception following Holy Mass

Easter Sunday

Holy Masses: 8AM & 10:30 AM

Morning Prayer: 9AM

Reception following 10:30AM Mass

Evening Prayer: 5PM

Saint Michael Church 47 Walnut Street Brattleboro, Vermont

https://stmichaelvt.com/

As you may recall, last year we moved towards a "Continuous Enrollment" model for current and new families. We are now in the first cycle of re-enrollment under the new model.

If you wish to opt-out of Saint Michael Catholic School enrollment for the upcoming school year, you must submit the OPT OUT FORM by March 31st, 2024.

If your family is moving, or you have made other enrollment decisions for your student, and you have discussed this with the school, we still need you to submit the OPT OUT FORM by March 31st, 2024.

In the event Saint Michael School does not receive an " Opt-Out Notification Form”, we will assume your students are returning. The non-refundable annual Registration/Enrollment Fee of $185.00 will be billed by FACTS Tuition Management in April. This gets the proverbial ball rolling for the next school year. Your child will be advanced to their appropriate grade and the payment plan selected at initial enrollment will renew/rollover into the school year ahead. However, please note that families may contact the school at any time to discuss a change to the payment schedule if needed.

ALL SMS FAMILIES ARE ASKED TO REVIEW OUR WEBSITE for details about Continuous Enrollment, Opting Out, and the 2024/2025 Tuition Rates. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out.

Many in our SMS community forget that St. Michael is composed of three schools: the primary school, the middle school, and the high school – one might call them after their classical titles: the grammar, logic, and rhetoric schools respectively. So, in order to highlight this, we have created Mid & High Notes. We will run this feature weekly for the rest of the school year: just make sure you scroll down until you see the Mid & High Notes banner.

And so without further adieu, we present to you this week’s news….

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 and this week your students' teachers passed around this link to discuss. 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)

The date for the Great American Eclipse is approaching quickly!

We have several important announcements regarding the Total Solar Eclipse occurring on Monday, April 8, 2024. Please read on to make plans as a family for this exciting day:

Your student has an opportunity to travel to northern Vermont to experience the eclipse in its totality. We have made arrangements for our students to travel to Highgate on Sunday, April 7, stay overnight and observe the eclipse on the afternoon of the 8th, traveling back that evening. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and we are excited to share it with our middle school students.

We hosted a MANDATORY informational meeting earlier this week to go over expectations for behavior and participation, details for food, lodging, and transportation. Students attending must be in good standing academically and behaviorally.

NOTE: If you missed the meeting, you and your child must make arrangements to meet privately with Principal Beam in order for your student to be able to go.

We invite you to come experience the eclipse together as a school community here at SMS. We have ordered special glasses so you can safely view the eclipse with your children. Teachers are planning simple activities to enjoy while observing the event.

We have also ordered MOONPIES to eat together in celebration. 😋

The peak viewing here in our area will be at 3:20 pm. Families are invited to arrive by 3pm to watch with your children.

NOTE: There will be NO AFTERCARE ON THIS DAY. Please plan to pick up your child no later than 3:30 pm. The roads WILL become congested in the hours after the eclipse so we want you to head home.

CALLING ALL VOLUNTEERS: We are looking for a few parents willing to step up and help organize the afterschool Eclipse party. Many of our faculty will be up north in Highgate so we will need extra help. Please contact Mrs. Beam if you are able to help at elainebeam@smsvt.info

Yes, we are aware that many of the schools are dismissing students early to avoid traffic, but honestly, this event is just too educationally exciting to pass up on. 🤩 We want our students to enjoy this phenomenon, and we want them to do so safely, with proper eyewear and supervision.

We are not in the path of totality so we anticipate that most eclipse viewers will be well on their way to their destination and roads should be clear by the end of the school day.

However, if you would prefer to keep your child home, or pick them up early, please feel free to do so and know that this will be considered an excused absence.

Sadly, this one is out of our control 😨

If there is heavy cloud cover or rain, there will be nothing to see. The weather forecasters will be watching this event very closely so we will have more information as the day approaches.

We will send you all home with a moon pie as a consolation. 💔

Pray the weather is perfect for viewing on Monday, April 8th.

There are all sorts of interesting scientific phenomena that occur during an eclipse.

For the best viewing experience, experts in vision science recommend wearing red and green for the upcoming April 8 solar eclipse.

"About 4 minutes before totality you experience the weirdest lighting effect you can ever witness on Earth! The slow transition to night vision through the Mesopic Zone creating the Purkinje Effect."

Click on the video link below to learn more behind the science of this occurrence.

And make sure to wear a red or green shirt on Monday, April 8th 🤩

Saturday, April 27th

following 9AM Mass until Noon

Please save the date 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. Please consider volunteering for both indoor and outdoor projects around the school and parish on Saturday 4/27 from 10am until 12. Check out the photo collage to see how much fun we had last year!

Ms Peek and her science students would like the opportunity to raise chicks in the classroom as part of their spring curriculum. However, we must find someone willing to take the chicks in once they are ready for the great outdoors.

If you raise chickens and would be committed to taking them when they are ready, please contact Theresa Peek by email at peek.theresa@smsvt.info Only serious inquiries please.

Students received packets recently with details about the 2024 SMS FUN RUN fundraiser.

🤩 We have exciting new incentives for participation.... Like taping Principal Beam to the wall in Rand Hall!!!! And students are encouraged to submit original artwork for the t-shirt design contest (deadline April 15)

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

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

Saturday APRIL 6: ROUND-ROBIN played at PUTNEY beginning at 9 am with a pizza party at the end. Each participating team will donate cash towards the pizza.

Tuesday APRIL 23: St Mikes v BARTS, starting time 4:30

Thursday APRIL 25: St Mikes v BARTS. starting time 4:30

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.

✝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