What's the Buzz?
11/14/2024
Upcoming Dates
Remember to utilize our SMS Google Calendar subscription (click here to view), or view the “Events” page on the SMS website.
Nov. 15: SMS Book Fair
Nov. 15: 9am School Mass led by St. Gemma Faith Family (Miss Kirwan)
Nov. 15: Drama Club Fall Play - Holy Mother of Bingo! - 7pm - actors report at 6:15
Nov. 18: HSA Bills Dress Down Day (bring $2 or purchase pass)
Nov. 21: 2nd Grade Bake Sale
Nov. 22: 9am School Mass led by St. Catherine of Alexandria Faith Family (Mr. Kelly)
Nov. 26: 9am School Thanksgiving Mass led by St. Joan of Arc Faith Family (Mrs. Bishop)
Nov. 26: HSA Thanksgiving Luncheon
Nov. 27-29: Thanksgiving Recess - No School
Nov. 30: HSA Family Movie Night: The Star
Dec. 3: HSA Meeting - 7pm
Dec. 4-6: Merry Moose Christmas Shopping
Dec. 9: Immaculate Conception Holy Day Mass
Dec. 10: Christmas Concert - 6pm - Montessori-8th grade
Dec. 12: Report Card Conferences - 2:40-6:20pm
Dec. 13: NO SCHOOL Report Card Conferences - 7:30-10:50am
Dec. 20: School Adoration following Mass
Lost and Found
PLEASE NOTE: The Lost & Found Box is now outside the school office window. Please check it if your student is missing items. The contents of the box will be “on display” on a table near the school office this Friday evening, so if you are coming in for the Fall Play, PLEASE LOOK AND TAKE ANY ITEMS THAT BELONG TO YOU!
News from the Cafe
The DECEMBER LUNCH MENU is now live!
Charges for lunches ordered for the month of November have been applied in your FACTS account. As a reminder, once submitted, lunch orders cannot be changed so please be careful when filling out the form, and also only submit one lunch order per student. December Lunch orders are due by Monday, November 18th at 12 Noon.
Lunch Room Volunteers
If you are interested in helping out in the lunchroom and are VIRTUS trained please sign up below using the buttons. If you have any questions, you can email Mr. Mangione at attendance@st.maryschoolswormville.org.
IMPORTANT: Please complete by TOMORROW
We know that people move, change phone numbers & emails, & family situations change. Please help us make sure that we have the most up-to-date information on your student(s) & family, including emergency contact information for this school year, & your students' t-shirt sizes for any special event needs by completing the linked form below by Friday, November 15th. Thank you!
Uniform Reminder
- Shorts and uniform t-shirt season is over so students should be in their SMS polos.
- The Flynn-O'Hara jackets/fleeces with the SMS logo or a navy cardigan are the only sweatshirts/sweaters your child will be allowed to wear during the school day. They will be asked to hang any others in their lockers/cubbies for the day.
- Navy, black, or tan dress shoes or black/white sneakers may be worn. This is a change from last year when students were required to wear solid black or solid white. We wanted to make shopping easier. Any other sneakers are only acceptable on dress down days.
- Socks should be black, white, or navy. Holiday and fun socks are not part of the uniform.
Walking Pneumonia in Schools (and at SMS too)
The CDC has reported that there has been a surge in walking pneumonia cases in 2024, especially among young children. We are seeing cases here at SMS. Please be sure to educate yourself in order to help treat your own student(s) should they become ill, and also help prevent future cases. Reminder, school policy states that your student must be fever-free for 24 hours in order to return to school.
Walking Pneumonia Symptoms include: Persistent cough, low-grade fever, fatigue, headache, chills, sore throat, chest discomfort
To prevent the spread of walking pneumonia, you can:
• Wash your hands frequently
• Cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze
• Stay home when you're sick and visit your doctor for potential antibiotic treatment
Tomorrow is the last day to shop the SMS Book Fair!
Monkey See Monkey Do will be hosting the last day of the SMS Book Fair with in-school shopping tomorrow, November 15, 9 am - 3pm. Remember, the online book fair is open until 11/18, so if there was a book that was sold out that your child wanted, or a book/topic that you didn’t see available, look online and any purchases you make will be delivered to school in the next few weeks. Books make great Christmas presents for your own children, friends & family… hint, hint! If your student would like additional shopping time tomorrow please send in an envelope containing cash or check for them, and notify their homeroom teacher. Parents are also welcome to come in and shop with their students after school until 3 pm.
Click here to see the Book Fair flyer.
Click here to shop the online book fair until 11/18
Thank you for your support!
Class of 2025 Fundraising News
SHOE DRIVE ONGOING
AFTER MASS DONUT SALE
Satisfy your sweet tooth THIS WEEKEND when Grade 8 students will be selling delicious "Famous Donuts” ($22/dozen, $12/half-dozen, or $6 for 3 donuts) after all weekend Masses at St. Mary’s.
SAVE THE DATE: Wine tasting fundraiser at Addy’s on Dec. 12 from 6-8pm. There will be wine tasting stations, basket raffles, charcuterie, and more. Admission is $20 per person. 10% of sales that night go to the class AND during the month of December, anyone can go in and mention the St. Mary’s Fundraiser and a portion of their sale will be donated to the class. Let’s make this a huge success! Questions? Contact Kristen Latona at kmlatona2@yahoo.com.
Break a Leg Drama Club! See you tomorrow night at "Holy Mother of Bingo”!
Online ticket sales are now closed for our Fall Play. A very limited number of tickets will be available at the door tomorrow evening. PLEASE NOTE- in an effort to save paper, there are no physical tickets, if you purchased tickets please check in at the door Friday evening for your table number. The show starts promptly at 7 pm, please arrive a few minutes early in order to allow time to find your table & purchase concessions if you’d like.
THANK YOU to all of our generous sponsors & patrons - without you this show would not be possible!
REPORT CARD CONFERENCE SIGN UP
Special Area Teachers
If you need a conference with one of our specials teachers, please contact them directly through email.
ART - Mrs. Genovese
MUSIC - Mrs. Daigler
COMPUTER/MAKERSPACE - Mrs. Leong
PHYSICAL EDUCATION - Mr. Reeds
Help the Homeless this Thanksgiving
Homelessness can make daily living challenging. Everyday activities such as eating & maintaining basic hygiene can become difficult. As a school family we are endeavoring to help the homeless this Thanksgiving with their basic needs, so they have what they need AFTER the hot Thanksgiving meal of turkey and stuffing. A flyer came home in backpacks this week with suggested items to donate, or click the link below to view it now. Thank you in advance for your support, you can send items into school with your student or drop them off tot he school office during school hours.
Catholic Charities Newsletter
Fire Inspection Completed
“Notice is hereby given that the annual inspection for the 2024-2025 school year of the school building of St. Mary School Swormville for fire hazards which might endanger the lives of students, teachers, employees therein, has been completed and the report thereof is available at the office of St. Mary School by appointment for inspection by all interested persons.”
The HSA Thanksgiving Lunch is Just Around the Corner!
Our annual school Thanksgiving lunch is on Tuesday, November 26, 2024. This time honored tradition brings the whole school together in our gym for a festive lunch with all of the fixings! Classes prepare small bits of entertainment and our older students assist with the younger ones. Please review the available volunteer positions and needed donations at the link below. NOTE: several donations of a turkey are needed. BJ’s and Top's are both running free turkey promotions with a qualifying purchase this week, see their stores for details. Please contact Lauren Suttell (hsa@stmaryschoolswormville.org or 716-510-3065) if you have any questions.
RSVP for HSA Family Movie Night by Nov. 29th
Join us in the gym over Thanksgiving Break for HSA Family Movie Night! We’ll be watching the Christmas Movie: "The Star”.
Saturday, November 30⋅6:00 – 8:00pm
RSVP Here: https://forms.gle/an8EjC1Yb71rMYFq7If you'd like to help out by donating some supplies, please sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C044CAEAD2CA3F94-52326251-hsafamily
You are welcome to bring your own snacks and beverages. Pizza, water, and kids movie treat boxes (including a slice of pizza, treat, and juice box/water) will be available for purchase. Funds raised are restricted to the St. Mary’s HSA.
COMMUNITY EVENTS
Giving Tree
If you are aware of a family in need of help at Christmas this year (yourself or someone else), please let the office know so we can add their name to our Parish giving tree. office@stmaryschoolswormville.org
A New Book for Christmas
Heather Harris was an illustrator who spoke to our students during Spirit Week last year. She has illustrated a new book and asked us to share with our families.