The Defender
January 26, 2024
A Message from Mrs. Tate
Dear St. Michael Families,
We are excited for Catholic Schools Week! This year’s theme for the national Catholic schools recognition week is, “Catholic Schools: United in Faith and Community.” Each day of the week is designated to honor and celebrate groups in our community dedicated to supporting Catholic education.
Please see the schedule of events for the week and join us! We love our community and want you to know how much we appreciate your support.
Sunday, January 28
Catholic Schools Week Kick-Off – Students should wear their uniforms to Mass this weekend!
Open House – 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. - Join us to see what’s new at SMA and enjoy a donut. Bring a parishioner or two with you so we can thank them for their support, too! Tour the building, check out projects, activities, and performances in classrooms, visit with our staff. All are welcome!
1:00 - New Family Meeting – Please encourage prospective families to join us in the library for an informational meeting.
Monday, January 29 – Celebrating our Parents and Volunteers
2:30 – All parents and volunteers are encouraged to attend our living rosary in the church. Our intention for the rosary is for all SMA parents and volunteers. Come and enjoy the kids praying for you!
Tuesday, January 30 – Celebrating our Priests and Religious
2:30 – Eucharistic Presentation – Fr. Brian will lead a Eucharistic Procession with the Blessed Sacrament throughout our school. Students line the hallways in prayerful silence as the Blessed Sacrament passes. It is beautiful!
Wednesday, January 31 – Celebrating our Teachers
Teacher Appreciation Lunch – Thank you to those who have already volunteered to spoil the teachers with a delicious lunch!
Thursday, February 1 – Celebrating our Students
Spirit Day – Students can wear SMA colors and spiritwear.
Gift card extravaganza – during the day, we randomly draw student names to win gift cards!
2:00 – 8th graders vs. faculty volleyball game – This is such a fun tradition! K-4 & 7 watches the games from 2:00-2:30 and grades 4-7 watch between 2:40-3:10. Join us for the excitement! The teachers were defeated 2-1 for the first time in school history last year!
Friday, February 2 – Celebrating our Families
Near and Dear Day – Students invite those near and dear to them (grandparent, aunt, uncle, babysitter, etc.) to join us for the morning.
8:15 – This year, students will sit with their guests during Mass. If they do not have someone at Mass, they will join their teachers and Mass ambassadors.
9:10-9:30 – Rotation 1 – Near and Dears visit classrooms with their student
9:35-9:55 – Rotation 2 – Near and Dears visit classrooms with their student
10:00-10:30 – Coffee and Danish Reception in the School Cafeteria for Near and Dears (students stay in class for LEARNING!)
We hope you’ll be able to join us for part or all of our celebrations this week! Thank you for your support of Catholic Education and for your love of our Lord!
Sincerely,
Diana Tate, Principal
Catholic Schools Week
Near and Dear Day is Friday, February 2nd
Friday, February 2 is our celebration of Near and Dear Day. Near and Dear guests should arrive at 8 AM. They may park on any of the surface lots and proceed directly to the church. There is no formal check-in process. The students will meet their guests in the church, and they will sit together. After Mass, everyone will cross the courtyard and enter the school. Each class will have two classroom sessions with identical content. After guests have visited their students, they are invited to join us in the cafeteria for refreshments. If Near and Dear guests have any special needs and require assistance getting around campus, parents are welcome to stay and help.
Parent Teacher Conferences February 8, 2024 8:00 AM - 3:30 PM
Please click here to sign up for a Parent Teacher Conference on February 8th.
Parent Formation – February 27
In our next parent formation session, we will dive into the beauty and true meaning of the human body and sexuality. They are both a beautiful gift from God! When we use our sexuality correctly - we show God’s love by loving as He loves. Let us learn together how to better protect, guard, and cherish the gift of human love! Please join us!
If you are interested in preparing before the session, we’ve included some Theology of the Body resources below:
YOU - Life, Love, and the Theology of the Body
Theology of the Body for Teens (Middle School) - Parent Edition
Theology of the Body for Teens - Parent Edition 2
The Truth and Meaning of Human Sexuality. Pontifical Council for the Family, 1995.
Living Out Theology of the Body | Dr. Edward Sri (video)
All for the Heart of Jesus, through the Heart of Mary!
Sr. Lucia Maria Sol, SCTJM
Campus Minister
♥️ VSL Updates ♥️
♥️ Don't forget Catholic Schools Week starts this weekend with students wearing their uniforms to Mass!
♥️ The Staff Appreciation Luncheon sign up is located here.
♥️ February Fun First Friday is one week away. Sign up here!
♥️ Please save the date - ♥️ Tuesday, February 13 ♥️ - for our St. Valentine's Day parties. ALL CLASSES need multiple parents to assist in snacks and activities. The students really look forward to these parties and parent support is crucial. Room parents will be reaching out with individual class sign ups!
*Valentine's parties are on Tuesday, February 13th because Wednesday, February 14th is Ash Wednesday.
Mathletics Winners
Spelling Bee
On Thursday, January 25, St. Michael the Archangel Catholic School held its annual school Spelling Bee. We're proud to announce the SMA Spelling Bee Champion is Vivaan Kidder and the Runner-Up is Ellen Esch. Please support these two students as they will compete in the Archdiocesan Regional Spelling Bee at Bishop Miege High School on February 6, 2024. Congratulations to all students who represented their grades as Classroom Winners in the school Spelling Bee.
Dennis Uniform
SMA School Activities
Parish News
Knights of Columbus Fish Fry - Desserts Needed
Fish Fry season kicks off February 16! This year we want to feature homemade desserts to help us stand out among the fish fry options in the area. Making a homemade treat is a great way to get your kids involved and help support the parish. All parishioners are invited to help. Cakes and cupcakes are always popular treats! Even something as simple as crispy rice treats are loved and scooped up quickly. Check out all the suggested items here.
Tickets are on sale but early bird pricing is ending soon! Get your tickets for the celebration of the year! Even if you can't join us that night you can purchase an "auction only" ticket at no cost to participate in all the raffles and auctions. Click here for tickets!
Hot Lunch for a Year!
New Raffle! Win Hot Lunch for a Year! One lucky winner will take home 1 hot lunch/day for the 2024-2025 school year. Click here to get raffle tickets!
Fixed Price Parties
New travel packages! Ready to warm up somewhere fun! DB is offering 3 dreamy destinations at fixed prices. There's something for everyone!
🎢 Disney World for the family!
⛳ Fairway Dreams - pick your golf destination! Punta Cana, Hilton Head, or Hawaii
⛷️ Winter Park for skiing!
These amazing packages are a great deal and offered via LuxGive travel. Travel while supporting SMA and school computers. Get yours now!