The Defender

Dear SMA Families,

What an AWESOME morning! It was wonderful to see so many families this morning at School Supply Drop-Off and picture day. I hope you were able to stop by the volunteer tables to see what kinds of opportunities are available for families to engage in our school community. Thank you for filling our school with children, joy, and love!

Our theme for this year is focused on LOVE! You may have noticed our fun staff t-shirts, too.

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. John 13:34

We had a wonderful turnout at our Kindergarten Back to School Night last night, as well. Parents had a chance to see the kindergarten classrooms, meet their child’s teacher, and hear about all the wonderful opportunities in kindergarten. We have many new families joining us this year, and I know you’ll join me in making them feel welcome in our school and our parish.

Back to School Night for grades 1-8 is Thursday, August 17 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. We will all gather in the church at 6:00 p.m. for opening remarks from Fr. Brian, Sr. Lucia, and me. From there, parents will move to the school to meet their children’s teachers. We will have three 20-minute rotations so parents with multiple children have an opportunity to visit more than one teacher. In the past, there was a separate presentation/schedule for 7th/8th grade parents; however, this year everyone has an opportunity to visit homeroom classrooms and meet the teachers in all grades.

As we prepare for the first day, I would like to remind parents of the drop-off and pick-up procedures. We have an extremely organized and safe way to drop=off and pick-up students. Please read the explanation in the link (also linked below) to be best prepared for the first day.

Many families enjoy the tradition of taking pictures in the courtyard on the first day of school is Fr. Brian and the principal. Sr. Lucia will join us this year, as well! We’ll be outside around 7:10 for anyone who would like to park and bring the kids to the courtyard for pictures. It’s a lovely tradition that we cherish!

We are looking forward to an amazing year loving your children and sharing the love of Christ with our families. May God bless our St. Michael the Archangel school community as we begin the school year.

Mary, Mother of Joy, pray for us.

Sincerely,

Diana Tate, Principal

We are excited to invite you to our St. Michael the Archangel “Building the Domestic Church” parent formation sessions taking place every fourth Tuesday of the month beginning on Tuesday, September 26 at 6:30 pm. If you are interested in attending the sessions, please click here to fill out the form and provide input for topics of interest.

Click here for Drop-Off and Pick-Up Procedures

We have been working closely with Dennis Uniform to try and ensure that all orders were filled before the first day of school. The Regional VP informed Mrs. Tate earlier this week that some orders may not be fulfilled until August 25. As you know this is out of our control. If you are one of the families who do not receive your order before the first day of school, please note that girls K-4 are allowed to wear navy walking shorts to the knee and girls 5-8 are allowed to wear navy or khaki walking shorts to the knee. Our uniform swap closet is also available for our families. Thank you for your support!

We are excited to inform you that we have secured an After School Care Program with Camp Fire Heartland for this school year. We have supplied all the necessary documentation to Camp Fire Heartland and are awaiting the state’s approval to proceed.

Camp Fire Heartland hopes to be able to begin providing care no later than August 28, but they are at the mercy of the application/approval process. We hope that providing this information to you now will allow you to make arrangements for the first couple of weeks of the school year.

Click on this link to register.

Click here to sign up for one of the many VSL opportunities for the 2023-2024 school year.

Check out a NEW fundraising opportunity that will kick off this year with our 8th graders. We are so excited about bringing the kids together to bond and raise money for their class gift to the school & the charity of THEIR choice. Stay tuned for more info on the class gift!

The first annual 8th Grade SMA Car Wash fundraiser will be held on Saturday, August 26th from 10am-12pm at SMA (see graphic below).

All 8th graders are strongly encouraged to attend! We are hoping for 100% involvement on this event. Please see sign up genius link below to sign up; we need lots of parents to help! Arrival time will be 9am to go over training, etc...and the car wash will run from 10am - 12pm.

8th Grade Car Wash!

We encourage all parents to volunteer at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic School to support our school and to support all children. All volunteers are required to complete the “Protect God's Children” training before volunteering in our school or our parish. We will offer on-site training for our parents on Aug 24, 6-9 p.m., School Multipurpose Room. Volunteers 16+ who work with children or vulnerable adults are required to complete this training. Register here.

Click here to view our 2023-2024 Tentative School Calendar.

Have some free time during the school day? We are looking for volunteers to work with teachers and students at Our Lady of Unity School for the 2023-2024 school year. Volunteers are needed from 9 a.m. to noon or 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. but we can accommodate almost any schedule. The day of the week is flexible and as well as the frequency of your volunteer visits. You must be VIRTUS trained to volunteer but no teaching expertise is needed, just a willing heart to work with students.

If you would like more information or would like to volunteer, please visit http://companionsinfaith.weebly.com/volunteer-at-our-lady-of-unity-school.html

Shopping Guide

Discount Code-23FACAGISM

SMA Cub Scouts

Battle of the Books 2023-2024

Check out some of the exciting new events for families and adults as part of Defenders' Ball including Family Game Night & Kick Off Parties. This year we are celebrating the school while raising money for technology. There's something for everyone!

www.smadefendersball.com