Hark! the Herald
Friday, November 9th, 2018
Important Dates and Reminders
Please, as you enter or leave the building, take a minute to look behind you and pull/jiggle the door shut. Thank you so much for your help!
- Monday November 12th- NO SCHOOL in honor of Veteran's Day
** If your child is dropped off or picked up by someone else on Mondays, PLEASE make sure you communicate this with them.**
- Friday November 16th- Early Dismissal for Parent/Teacher Conferences
** If you have not yet scheduled a time to meet with your children's' teachers, please get in touch with them as soon as possible. There are many times and alternate dates available to accommodate busy schedules.
Catholic Schools Week Recap
We are pleased to be among the families throughout history that have made the decision to send their children to Saint Michael Catholic School. Shown at left is the oldest known photo of Saint Michael School students, taken in 1880, just years after it opened!
Certainly there are many alternatives, but for one reason or another, each of you has chosen to enroll your children at Saint Michael's instead. Our mission has always been to offer an educational environment that is grounded in Catholic faith, focused on academic excellence, and nurtures in students a strong sense of self discipline and service to others.
DID YOU KNOW? Saint Michael School opened in 1874 out of a need to provide the community with a school that respected the importance of Catholic families to practice their faith daily. A group of about 150 students were denied late admittance and eventually expelled from the local public school after arriving late to school a few times because they were attending Mass on a Holy Day of Obligation. After this happened, preparations were immediately made to open a Catholic school to serve these families.
Saint Michael School Today
We continue a legacy of serving the needs of the community by offering an educational experience that is unavailable in the current public school system.
Because the school is small, and because we share a building with children as young as 3 years old and young men and women who are discerning their futures after graduation, it is a very unique, dynamic place all day long. The teachers and staff treat students as their own (with kindness, compassion, and accountability) and as you watch interactions among our students, they hold a deep love and respect for one another. We truly are a family, and the school is our home.
It is an honor and a privilege to spend our days with your children!
Congratulations to Thomas Duchaney, our Summer Reading Program Winnner!
Thomas received a gold medal and a woven tapestry blanket featuring a map of the Middle Earth from J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit. He will also receive recognition of outstanding achievement in the display case of the second floor hallway of the school.
Congratulations Thomas!
Readathon
The hallways were pretty quiet, and as you walked around to each classroom, it was beautiful to find students quietly engaged in personal reading, or gathered together in discussion over a book.
Mass and Community Service
DID YOU KNOW? On Wednesdays, SMS students are responsible for assisting Father Justin Baker with all aspects of the Mass, including being Altar Servers, bringing up the gifts, and reading the Scripture Readings. In the week beforehand, our older students practice being lectors as part of their religious education classes. This is a wonderful opportunity for developing public speaking skills, and also prepares our students to be active participants in their own communities.
Afterwards, the students spent the day in various community service projects around the school and Brattleboro community. Some classes made beautiful greeting cards for Father Baker to bring to homebound parishioners for Thanksgiving, others helped with food preparation and service at Brigid's Kitchen, some cleaned up trash in the parks and streets downtown, and others stayed behind to help with beautifying the school itself.
Bishop's Mass in Burlington, VT
While our most senior students were away, the rest of the school had a regular academic day, or participated in some community service work by helping Ms. Bobbi Jo in the kitchen. They learned how to bake muffins and prepped salad for the Spaghetti Dinner.
Student Appreciation Breakfast
We have to give an extra special thank you to Ms Bobbi Jo and Ms Melissa for all of their hard work and efforts to prepare the food itself. The food was delicious, prepared with love, and we hope that all of the students enjoyed themselves.
Breakfast is served...
Our surprise special performance for the students
It was a really fun, silly, and entertaining way to end the school day.
Spaghetti Dinner
During the dinner, we also took some time to recognize our High School Soccer team for all of their hard work and accomplishments this season. Students were awarded their certificates and Varsity Letters for the season by Head Coach, Steve Duchaney.
DID YOU KNOW? Monsignor Rand Hall was named after Reverend James P. Rand, devoted Pastor to Saint Michael Parish and School for 47 years! He was known for having a special devotion to the children of the school and making sure their educational needs were being met. It was during his time as Pastor that the cornerstone was laid and construction was completed for our current school building.
On this Friday alone, Rand Hall provided us the space to feed our school and parish families 4 meals, plus an hour of magical entertainment. What a wonderful way to honor the legacy of a priest who devoted his life to our Saint Michael's Family.
A Teacher and Staff Member Reflect on Catholic Schools Week
A reflection and photo from Mrs. Andrus, Religious Education
A favorite moment from Mrs. Gauthier, Administrative Assistant
Conga Line
Full stomachs make for happy boys!
Sweet Caroline
Rand Hall was full of joyous song... and some dancing!
Breakfast Lunch and AMP menus
Breakfast is $2.25 and Lunch is $3.50
Monday 11-12-18
NO SCHOOL
Tuesday 11-13-18
Bagel w/cream cheese, apple oatmeal, juice, fruit choice, milk
Wednesday 11-14-18
Banana muffin, string cheese, juice, fruit choice, milk
Thursday 11-15-18
Pancakes w/syrup, sausage patties, juice, fruit choice, milk
Friday 11-16-18
Blueberry muffin, hard boiled egg, orange juice, fruit choice, milk
Afterschool Meal Program
DID YOU KNOW? Before our students eat their AMP meal, they all come together in Rand Hall and say grace? What a beautiful way to stay connected with one another, and mindful of all of our blessings from God, including the availability of delicious, nourishing food.
... Just one more reason we are grateful to be a Catholic School!
Community events
A NIGHT AT THE MOVIES
PAUL, APOSTLE OF CHRIST is the story of two men. Luke, as a friend and physician, risks his life when he ventures into the city of Rome to visit Paul, who is held captive in Nero’s darkest, bleakest prison cell. Bound in chains, Paul’s struggle is internal. He has survived so much—floggings, shipwreck, starvation, stoning, hunger and thirst, cold and exposure—yet as he waits for his appointment with death, he is haunted by the shadows of his past misdeeds. Two men struggled against a determined emperor and the frailties of the human spirit in order to live out the Gospel of Jesus Christ and spread their message to the world. Please join us on Tuesday, November 13th at 6PM in the youth center to watch this movie starring Jim Caviezel, Olivier Martinez and James Faulkner. Popcorn, snacks, and drinks will be provided.
PIANO AND ORGAN LESSONS NOW AVAILABLE
Hi! I'm Breton Abbondanzio, the new Music Director at St. Michael Parish and I'm pleased to offer private lessons in piano and organ. I teach all ages and levels and some of my students have won prizes in the ATAM Music Competition in Newton, MA. Lessons are a half hour in duration and my fee is reasonable and competitive. Please give me a call at (413) 824-9881 or email me at babbondanzio@gmail.com. I look forward to teaching your child!
"THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS" READING GROUP
It's not too late to join a group of young people who are doing dramatic readings from C.S. Lewis's novel “The Screwtape Letters” every week. This group is open to youth age high school and up. They meet from 9:10 to 10:10 on Sunday mornings in the parish center.
We'd love to hear from you!
Email: lindsayoneil@smsvt.org
Website: www.saintmichaelschoolvt.org
Location: 48 Walnut Street, Brattleboro, VT, USA
Phone: 802-254-6320
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SMSVT