Thank you to all of our families for your participation and for entrusting your children to us this year. We have had such a wonderful time together in 2024, learning about our beautifully complex world through the study of its history, cultures and language, the sciences and math, astronomy and drama, art and music. We have enjoyed movie nights under the stars, joyous Christmas concerts in an historical performance space, athletic competitions on field day and cheering for our sports teams. We have worshiped together in weekly Mass, and welcomed new families to become a part of our remarkable SMS community.

Thank you to our students for making our days meaningful. It is a joy and privilege to spend our days with each of you. We say it all the time but we really do have the best students! We are excited to see what you can learn and accomplish in 2025.

Thank you to our alumni, local neighbors and business partners for your support and involvement this past year. Each of you plays a critical role in the success of our school behind the scenes, ensuring that our wonderful students receive an excellent educational experience.

The new year is upon us and the next 362 pages are blank, full of hope and promise, opportunities for personal growth and changing the world around you. Do not let the "New Years Resolution" daunt you. Choose 1 small but meaningful change you can make in your family that will improve your life together.

• Enjoy a simple family meal together atleast 1 x per week. Science shows it makes for healthier happier families. No need for fancy meals, just time together.

• Cultivate gratitude: Buy a small notebook and write down 1 thing you are grateful for, or describe the most pleasant thing that happened during your day. Many of our classrooms close the school day by sharing a rose, a thorn, and a bud (something lovely, something difficult, and something you hope for). Here is a great list of gratitude journal prompts.

• Read more... from a book. Put down the tablet and pick up something to read. Maybe it is the book your child is currently reading in class, or the Bible in a Year with Fr Schmitz. Did you know that many of the books our students read can be found on Youtube or Audible. If sitting to read from a book is just not feasible right now, consider listening to a book while you cook dinner or fold laundry. The books we read here are classics so they are well worth your time, and might spark some lovely conversations with your children.

• Set aside time each night to put the devices away. As a school community, we support you. We urge everyone to watch this insightful video and share it with someone afterwards.

• Get involved here at the school! We have things going on all the time and we always welcome the presence and help of families with school activities, parties, events, fundraising, extra hands in the classroom, or being an ambassador out in the community.

Monday January 6 - Epiphany - Student Appreciation Breakfast

Next week: Epiphany Blessing of the Classrooms 20+C+M+B+25

Wednesday January 8 - Faculty Meeting after school

Friday January 10 – Winter Sports Begins

Monday January 13 - Thursday January 16 - Recess Waltz Lessons

Friday January 17 – 8th Grade Patronal Feast - St. Sebastian Archery

Friday January 17 - Winter Sports

Saturday January 18 - Winter Waltz - 7th - 12th

Monday January 20 – NO SCHOOL - Martin Luther King Day

Thursday January 23 – Friday January 24 - March for Life - Washington (Greenfield Parishes)

Friday January 24 - Winter Sports

Wednesday January 29 - Faculty Meeting after school

Catholic Schools Week - Sunday January 26 - Friday February 2 (More details to follow)

SMS tours and enrollment available. If you know someone considering SMS, let them know we have open enrollment, so it's never too late. Mrs. O'Neil works with new families considering enrollment all year long. 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 or that we have a high school! 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 Winter Sports season is right around the corner. Here are some things to consider as we head into next week:

Booster Seats! Booster Seats! Booster Seats! If your student needs to be in a booster seat, please make sure to bring it in with your child on Friday morning. Ideally, take the time to put a piece of tape with your child's name on the seat before drop off.

Here are a few friendly reminders of what to provide for your child the days of winter sports:

1. Proper clothing for the winter elements- hats, gloves, scarves, snow pants, heavy jackets, and boots

2. Necessary sports equipment such as skis or snowboard, ice skates etc.

3. Water bottles

4. Change of clothes if they get wet or cold at the end of the day.

5. Berkshire Skiers: please pack a snack for the ride down or for the ride home

To All of our Chaperones: If you are unable to attend any of the winter sports weeks for chaperoning, please contact Mrs. Gauthier in the office ASAP so that we can make different arrangements to transport students. sandigauthier@smsvt.info

Anyone volunteering to help with Ice Skating, Cross Country Skiing, or Berkshire East should arrive at the school at 12:20 to assist with departure.

Chaperones for Brattleboro Ski Hill should arrive at 11:45 am to assist with departure.

If you have any questions, please contact the office at (802)254-6320. Thank you all so much for your support to make this year a great success!

Every year, our high school freshman have the opportunity to learn Geometry from a 23 hundred year old textbook, Euclid's Elements, and reproduce the proofs for themselves.

Many students can be very apprehensive about standing in front of their peers and presenting these proofs, so to make the challenge more fun and less scary, Mr. Orlowski promises the students to do the "weird beard" when they all present their triangle constructions publicly. Mr. Orlowski did not disappoint, but we were not able to capture the "weird beard" with a camera so to the left is a photo taken from a prior year. (Look how young everyone looks!)

Students in the younger grades see Mr. O. in the hallways and are full of questions. Hopefully they learn to look forward to their opportunity to do their own propositions. "Why does Mr. O. have a blue triangle carved into his beard?" Older students see Mr. Orlowski's equilateral triangle beard and reflect back on their own experience doing Euclid's Elements. "Ah, you guys must be doing Euclid's proofs now!" they exclaim in the hallways.

Questions, wonder, challenges, joy, delighting in wisdom together:

that's what classical learning is all about!

In celebration of Catholic Schools Week 2025, January 27th-31st, St. Michael's will be hosting an I:55 Book Fair! The book fair will offer a variety of hand-selected, Christian values-based literature for Pre-K through high school students, including but certainly not limited to timeless fairy tales. It will be a feast of literary fun. I:55 refers to the Scripture Isaiah 55 and is the mission statement of this organization. All content sold goes through a screening process to ensure quality, age-appropriate literature is selected. So, save some of that Christmas money and be ready for more news about this event in January 2025!

If you are able to help with set up, clean up, or sales during the week of January 27-31, please email Book Fair Organizer: Coreen Gallagher coreen.gallagher@gmail.com

Thank you!!!!

Our kindergarteners did an exciting project this week in celebration of the New Year: Watercolor/Salt Fireworks! They enjoyed this so much that we thought we should share the details so families could recreate the fun at home:

Items needed:

white or yellow crayons

dark colored paper

school glue

salt

water color paints

Step 1: Draw your image in crayon on the dark paper

Step 2: Trace over the image with the school glue

Step 3: Sprinkle salt over the glue to adhere, allow to dry overnight

Step 4: Gently brush away any excess salt then paint your design with watercolors.

Parents, we encourage you to carve out some time and do this activity with your children. Invite your teenagers to get involved. Art and sensory experiences have so many wonderful benefits for mental health and bodies of all ages. Have fun!

Did you attend Saint Michael School as a student? Or perhaps work here as faculty or staff?

Do you keep in touch with fellow classmates or parishioners?

We are eager to make sure everyone is on our guest list for the Sesquicentennial celebration.

In the year ahead, we plan to share stories about our past, and dreams for our future. We encourage you to share this newsletter, and subsequent ones, with people who might be interested. There are alumni we want to reconnect with, as well as new teachers, families, and donors we want to welcome into our school community. Help us spread the word! Here is an RSVP form to get on the guest list.

We are working with the archivist from the Diocese to create an exhibition. When you click on the link below, you will be given the opportunity to upload photos and share memories of your time here at Saint Michael School.

Our home games are held in the gymnasium at Winston Prouty, located at 60 Austine Drive, Thomas Hall, Brattleboro, VT 05301

We have an AMAZING team this year- some are new to the sport and some are eager to earn their place on our high school team. C'mon out and cheer them on.

Tipoff is 4pm each game unless otherwise noted.

Tuesday, January 7th First HOME game this coming Tuesday against Trinity School!

Tuesday, January 14th vs. Hilltop (HOME GAME at Winston Prouty Gym)

Thursday, January 16th vs. Trinity (AWAY at Trinity Christian School)

Tuesday, January 28th vs. Hilltop (AWAY at Hilltop)

PLEASE NOTE: Our high school home court is the gymnasium at Camp Spofford.

Please familiarize yourself with the map above and head to the "Office/Gift Shop/Gymnasium"

There is parking near the tennis courts right next to the gymnasium, and overflow parking available next to the chapel.

Address: 24 NH-9A, Spofford, NH 03462

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

• Tissues! Tissues! Tissues! 🤣
• Disinfecting wipes for surfaces
• Baby wipes for hands and faces
• barrettes, headbands and elastics for unruly hairdays
• healthy snacks for the school day and aftercare
• disposable cups
• 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.

For those of you new to Saint Michael School this year, please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Dr. Bert Green and I 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 2023 and I'd love to now partner with you as parents and guardians to our students. I look forward to 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.

Roberta “Bert” Green, Ed.D. , School Psychologist

A reminder that we are hoping for everyone to participate in an 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.

The children love looking at the photos and sharing about their families. They can be overheard in the hallways looking at and discussing all the pictures. It is very sweet.

Maybe you can you help!

First, a word of thanks: We have a dedicated crew of SMS families that volunteer weekly to help with lunch service. You all know who you are and we love you dearly. Thank you for making time in your week to serve lunch and spend time with the students. 💝

Now the call to action: We would love to have a few volunteers willing to help out in a pinch. One of our parents will be leaving us shortly as their family is expecting a baby (YAY!) and we will need someone to take over her shift. If you are willing to be "on call" please contact the office.

Chef Justin puts the sandwiches together on Sundays at 11:30am (after the 10:30 Mass) and he could use some extra hands for about an hour. Please use the Signup Genius link here to pick a Sunday or 2 to help out. He would be grateful for the help whenever he can get it. If you can only volunteer once this year, GREAT! Or maybe your family can commit to helping out one Sunday every month... this would make a meaningful difference.

Thank you in advance. The students love these subs!

There is a gentleman in Brattleboro who sells used equipment bundles out of his garage by appointment. Below are some photos he shared of some youth gear he has. Visits are by appointment only. If you need any ski or snowboarding gear for yourself or your student, this could be a great opportunity.

The Details
Name: Bruce Abedon
Email: eolvermont@gmail.com
Location: Bonnyvale Road in Brattleboro. Bruce will give you his address and instructions when you set up the appointment. He is really trying to avoid people just stopping over.
Payment Method: Cash (prices will vary of course but plan on $120-175 for skis, boots and poles, or a snowboard package. I asked him for a range so people could bring enough cash)
Once you make an appointment, Bruce will use all the information provided to gather gear and have them ready for you or your student to try on when you arrive.
He has ski and snowboard gear, plus some ice skates.

What you need to tell him in advance in your email:

age

height

shoe size

ability of the wearer (beginner, intermediate, or advanced)

What you are looking for

Your availability for an appointment. (Yes, he is available after school and weekends!)

Many of the bottles and cans you drink out of are "returnables", redeemable for 5 cents that can be donated to the school! One of our students has set up a fund at the Putney Redemption Center to benefit Saint Michael School! You have two ways you can participate:

1) Outside of the school we have placed a blue barrel for returnables. If you have a few cans, toss them in the barrel. If you have a whole bag to donate, just leave the bag behind the barrel and it will be taken. Each day after school, Anthony collects all of the cans and bags, brings them to work, and donates your redemption money.

2) If you'd like to visit Anthony in person, come on down and drop off your cans and bottles at the Redemption Center, only 3 minutes away from the school at 36 Noah's Lane, Brattleboro, VT. You don't even need to wait for your bag to be counted! Just let the person on duty know you would like your donation to go to Saint Michael School.

Please make sure only "returnables" are being dropped off, not trash and recycling. Thank you!

Online reviews provide information and assurance for prospective families deciding where to send their children. Please leave a review at one or all of these sites! Our Parent Teacher Group has created an incentive to help us all get the word out: The person who does the most reviews (their own and any other parents they can get to leave a review), will receive a $25.00 gift certificate to Staples!

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SMSVT

niche.com

privateschoolreview.com

winnie.com (for our preschool)

greatschools.org

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

To see our uniform Dress Code for the 2024/2025 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 your students leave the house for the day.

Questions? Thoughts? Suggestions?

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

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

Emails:

Elaine Beam, Principal elainebeam@smsvt.info

Sandi Gauthier, Office Manager, 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

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

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.