NEW! Thank you - Many, many, many, many thanks to the amazing parents who gave of valuable time and treasure over the summer to update the Teachers’ Rooms on both campuses! The rooms went from drab and worn out to fab and fresh with new paint, decorations, furniture, appliances, layout, and more. The Teachers’ Rooms are heavily used by teachers to take a break, collaborate, eat lunch, and more…and they are loving the freshened up space! From the bottom of our hearts, we thank Jamie Gregoire and Jane Gill for their work in the lower campus space, and Jenn Torosian and her dad Nick for the transformation on the upper campus room! We are blessed!
NEW! Parent-Student Handbook - Our 2023-2024 Parent-Student Handbook has been posted on both the upper and lower campus websites and in the Family Portal:
- All families can find it in the Family Portal under the School - Resource Documents tab on the left side of the page.
- Lower campus parents can find the handbook on the website HERE and upper campus parents can find the handbook on the website HERE.
The handbook outlines important information about our school’s policies and procedures and is required reading for all families. Parents should review the handbook with their students and familiarize them with all applicable policies as soon as possible. Once you have completed this review, please print and complete the Signature Form located on page 54 and return it to school. Forms are due by September 15. Thank you!
Important Back to School Dates: Please mark your calendars with the following important back-to-school dates!
- THIS WEEK! Friday, September 1 and Monday, September 4 - No School…Labor Day Weekend
- Wednesday, September 6 - New Parent Orientation, 7:00 PM at the upper campus
- Tuesday, September 12 - Upper Campus Parent Information Night, 6:30 PM
- Thursday, September 14 - Lower Campus Parent Information Night, 6:30 PM
DUE FRIDAY! Medical and Immunization Updates - Updated physical and immunization records for every student, grades PreK to 8 are now due. These can be provided in paper copy sent into school or by email to Gloria Sheehan at [email protected] at the lower campus and Laura Danielson at [email protected] at the upper campus. Note: If you student has a medical or religious exemption for immunizations, please also forward that document. All documentation is due by this Friday, September 1st.
DUE THIS WEEK! Email Check-up and Primary Contact Selection Form - Due to software constraints, only ONE email contact per family can receive automated emails in order to purchase school portraits from our photographer, O’Connor Studios. Likewise, only this primary contact can receive automated emails about enrollment for next year.
To ensure that all emails are correct in our systems and are going to the correct primary email, all families MUST complete the short form located HERE by THIS Thursday, August 31st. Please only complete the form ONCE for every family. Thank you very much for your cooperation in this VERY important matter!
NEW! Nashua Bus Service - Please be patient with our school bus service over the next week or so as the Nashua School District refines the routes and continues to train their drivers. With all of the schools in Nashua back in session, there are a lot of students both at Saint Chris and at other schools who need transportation and there are bound to be delays and other mistakes. The schedule will smooth out as the year goes along! If you have any questions, please contact Jackie Langenfeld at [email protected]. She will forward all questions and concerns to the Nashua Schools Transportation office.
NEW! Lower Campus Morning Drop-off and Pick-up - Thanks for everyone’s patience with the lower campus drop-off and pick-up! We know that the city’s work on the sewer along Manchester St. added an extra “wrinkle” to our procedures, but we appreciate that everyone was willing to adjust. The next week or so may continue to be very busy, but both drop-off and pick-up will become much less chaotic as the year progresses if all parents continue to follow the instructions below. Thanks!
Please see commuter student instructions HERE for lower campus students and HERE for upper campus students.
NEW! Lower Campus Independence Day - At the beginning of the school year, some parents of our younger students like to walk their child into school in the morning for a little extra transition time (and it’s always the parents who need this, not the kids!). We understand! However, experience tells us that students who are able to enter the school on their own and navigate to the classroom feel much more independent and comfortable and start the day on a much more positive note. Therefore, we have declared our very own Independence Day on September 5….the first day that we ask ALL of our students to enter the school and find their classrooms without their parents’ help! Don’t worry…we will have teachers stationed both outside the school and in the hallways to help the children find their way. Thanks for your cooperation!
Absences, Late Arrivals, and Early Dismissals - If your child is going to be absent from school, arriving late due to an appointment, or will need to be dismissed early, you MUST notify the school as soon as possible. Lower campus notifications should be emailed to [email protected] and upper campus notifications should be emailed to [email protected]. Please note:
- Absence or Late Arrival: If a student is absent and we do not receive notification of the absence by 9:00 AM, parents will be called to confirm the absence.
- Early Dismissal: Notice of a student’s early dismissal MUST be submitted by 9:00 AM. Parents should not arrive at school to dismiss students without first notifying the school. Last minute and unexpected dismissals are disruptive to the class and may be difficult to accommodate if students are in other parts of the building for gym, recess, art, etc.
After School Student Pick-up Change Notification – We know that in this crazy world a parent’s plans can change without warning! If your wild day necessitates a sudden change in where your child should go after school (After Care, Linda Rousseau’s, carpool pick-up, etc.) or who will pick up (mom, dad, grandma, family friend, etc.), we must be informed by a PHONE CALL to 603-882-7442! Please do not rely on emailing teachers or the office at either campus as they may not be able to check their email until after school is over. With a quick phone call, you can be assured that the front desk will let your child know about the change in plans as soon as possible.
NEW! Lower Campus After Care Phone Number - Parents who use the lower campus After Care program are reminded that they can contact the After Care staff directly after school hours at 603-438-4735.
NEW! Upcoming School Masses - All parents are invited to attend our weekly school masses! Parents must enter through the front door of each campus facility, sign in, and receive a nametag to attend. All masses are at 9:45 AM on both campuses unless otherwise noted. The schedule for the next month is:
August 31 - Lower campus
September 6 - Lower campus (grades 3-5)
September 12 - Upper campus
September 19 - Lower campus (grades PK - 2) - in Church Hall
September 27 - Upper campus
THIS WEEK! Hot Lunch Ordering - The Hot Lunch program will begin on both campuses on September 25. Students will need to bring a lunch from home until that time! Ordering for the last week of September and all of October will open this Friday, September 1. Ordering for Hot Lunch is done through Boonli.com. Full instructions for ordering can be found HERE for the lower campus and HERE for the upper campus. Please be sure to read all instructions carefully! Parents will also receive an email with instructions on Friday.
NEW! Hot Lunch Fee Change - In order to make our Hot Lunch program fiscally sound and fully self-funding, we have made several necessary changes for this school year. Please note:
- Parents will no longer pay a $15 per year registration fee. Instead, parents will be charged Boonli processing and credit card fees for their order each month. This is currently a 6% charge.
- All meals on both campuses will now be $5. Additional pizza slices will be $1.00.
NEW! Lower Campus Bagged Lunch Reminder - Thank you to everyone for remembering to send in a bagged lunch for your student until Hot Lunch begins on September 25! Please remember to send your child with any necessary utensils to eat his or her bagged lunch. We do not have spoons, forks, or knives available for student use. Thank you!
NEW! Saint Chris Car Magnets - Show your Saint Chris pride with a Saint Chris magnet on your car! These magnets are free upon request to Marta Nissen at [email protected].
NEW! Look Us Up on Social Media – Don’t forget that we have very active social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest! Each account usually has different material, so be sure to follow both! You can find us at https://www.facebook.com/SaintChrisAcademy https://www.instagram.com/saintchrisacademy/
https://www.pinterest.com/SaintChrisAcademy/
UPDATED! Lower Campus Scholastic Book Fair News - The Scholastic Book Fair is Coming to the lower campus! We are so excited to start the year off with the Scholastic Book Fair to help support our lower campus library. Students in grades PreK - 5 will bring home Book Fair information for your review today. Please check those backpacks! Students will visit the Book Fair on either September 6th or 7th to compile their wish lists. The week of September 11th students will shop at the Book Fair during their regular library time. Additional shopping opportunities include before classes begin from 8:30-8:50, and during recess or lunchtime with their teacher's permission. New this year are Family Shopping Hours on Monday, September 11th from 12-3 and Tuesday September 12th from 10-12. Parents may also shop during the Open House on Thursday, September 14th. Please contact Mrs. Noon at [email protected] if you are interested in volunteering at the Book Fair.
Online Book Fair and eWallet - The online Scholastic Book Fair runs from September 5th - September 18th. Please take a look at our Book Fair website HERE for some shopping ideas and to purchase the eWallet. The eWallet gives students a secure, cash-free way to shop the Book Fair. There is no charge to set up an eWallet. You can simply create an account and authorize a spending limit on your credit card. There will be a record of the eWallets at the Book Fair in case your student does not have their eWallet in hand. For more information, visit the online book fair HERE to shop and to purchase your eWallet!
Cross Country at the Lower Campus – NOTE: Last day to sign up for lower campus cross country is September 8! We are so excited for our upcoming cross country season! Students who will be in grades 2 - 5 in the fall are able to join the team. Practices will begin on Thursday August 31st and will be every Monday and Thursday afterschool until 4:30 pm at the North Common Field on Artillery Lane for September and October. There are two Friday afternoon practice meets, one Saturday championship meet and one Saturday morning Catholic school meet. Email the coach, Mrs. Beauregard ([email protected]) with any questions.
To view the season schedule and details, click HERE.
To register for the team, please click HERE.
To volunteer, please click HERE.
UPDATED! Hot Lunch Volunteering - We are still in need of many, many more Hot Lunch volunteers! If we are unable to find a minimum of three volunteers daily at the lower campus and two volunteers at the upper campus, we will be unable to provide Hot Lunch on the days that we are short staffed. As our largest volunteer program, we need over 100 people to make the Hot Lunch program a success at both campuses. Everyone is welcome to volunteer…we’ve had parents, alumni parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles. Hot Lunch is a great way to get to know other parents, to see what’s going on at the Academy, and to see your children and their friends. Volunteers serve lunch one day a month on the day of the week of your choice (although those who want to help out several days a month are always welcome!). Volunteer hours at the lower campus are approximately from 11:15 AM to 1:15 PM and 10:15 AM to 12:30 PM at the upper campus.
To volunteer at the lower campus, use the Sign-Up Genius HERE. To volunteer at the upper campus click HERE. Be sure to click through the tabs at the top of each Sign-Up Genius to view the teams and dates available for each day of the week!
UPDATED! Calendar Raffle Fundraiser – It’s Fall Calendar Raffle time again! Envelopes with our popular Fall Calendar Raffle tickets were sent home on Tuesday with all students. We have some GREAT prizes again this year, including gift cards to fabulous stores and lots of CASH! Every family is asked to sell a minimum of 10 tickets at $10 per ticket. This is the first of our three major fundraisers, so we are really counting on your support! This year, our Academy goal is 4,000 tickets between the two campuses! We can do it!
As in the past, for every 10 raffle tickets your family sells, you will earn one entry into a raffle for a $1,500 Tuition Credit or $1,000 Cash!
NEW! Sales Incentives - We know that everyone…especially our most competitive friends…are waiting for this news! Here’s our student seller incentives for this year:
- Random Surprise Prizes – We’ll be picking random submitted tickets on random days…and the student seller for each of those random tickets wins a free dress pass. There’s no special schedule…it’s a surprise!
- Classroom contests –
- Top Selling Class across the Academy wins an ice cream sundae party with all the fixin’s!
- Top Selling Class on each campus wins a morning donut party (with coffee for the teacher!).
- Top Sellers - The three top sellers across the Academy win a Target gift card! (1st place - $25, 2nd place - $20, 3rd place - $15)
- Random School-Wide Turn-In Days - Keep an eye on your email…we may just throw out a few random days when any student who turns in a ticket gets a free dress!
Happy Hearts Day Care - Happy Hearts Daycare, located across the street from the lower campus at 12 Cushing Ave., has a few openings for extended care. The hours are 6:30 to 8:30 AM and 3:00 to 5:30 PM. They accommodate students on snow days, two hour delay, early release, no school days (except for the major holidays) and even if there is a power outage :) They also provide care on the Christmas, February and April vacation weeks. If interested, please call...603-321-9320.
NEW! Thank You Project Water Walk - The Thank You Project’s mission is to bring a clean and reliable source of water to communities of Achi and Ututu in rural Nigeria. Members of these communities are forced to walk miles every single day to get unsanitary water. We have begun our sixth water well in Nigeria (at a cost of $30,000 each) and also are providing one college scholarship per year ($2,000/ student) to those who cannot afford to go to college in Nigeria. Go to www. thankkyouoproject.org to see our progress. If you or a group from your congregation would like to get involved, please register at www.thankyouproject.org and submit pledges by filling out the registration form. Donations are accepted by using PayPal, Venmo, or by mail (PO Box 23, Nashua, NH 03061)
NEW! St. Christopher Parish Women’s Fall Book Study: Women of the school and parish community are invited to a Women’s Fall Book Study on Monday evenings from 7:15 to 8:30 pm in the Pennell Center (the white building across the parking lot from the church) , starting September 25th. The group will discuss Boundaries by Cloud and Townsend to help us explore how to apply the God given gift of Boundaries in our lives so we can multiply our love for God and others while minimizing resentment, exhaustion and all the other feelings associated with a lack of healthy boundaries in our lives. Please note: The authors of this book are not Catholic, however, it is based on sound Biblical principles shared by Catholics and Protestants. Sign up at: https://tinyurl.com/StChrisBoundaries.
NEW! St. Christopher Parish Sacramental Prep -
- St. Christopher Parish Grade 2 Students! RECONCILIATION – Please register now for RECONCILIATION class this Fall 2023. Baptized students in Grade 2 and up who are St. Chris parishioners and who are seeking reconciliation should register for this class. Students and a parent attend 7-8 Sunday evening classes at the upper campu sduring our parish renovations as they prepare to receive this wonderful sacrament. We will learn about God’s love for all of us, His forgiveness when we go astray, the Ten Commandments and more. Registration forms for Sacrament Prep are available on the parish website at stchrisparisnh.org. Online registration and payment has been added for your convenience! Questions? Email: [email protected]
- St. Christopher Parish Grade 3 Students- CONFIRMATION – St. Chris parish students in grade 3 who received their Reconciliation last Fall may register for this CONFIRMATION class. This class meets on approximately 7-8 Sunday mornings. Families attend the 10:00 am Mass and then proceed to the upper campus (during parish renovations). Classes resume in the Church hall once our upper church is completed! Class will be from 11:30-12:30. Students and a parent participate together as they learn and prepare to receive both Confirmation and Eucharist in Spring 2024. Students registering for this class also register for First Eucharist, which runs from January to May 2024 .Sacrament prep registration can be done conveniently online from our website stchrisparishnh.org Questions? [email protected]
- St. Christopher Parish Confirmation for Grade 6 and up - Baptized students in grade 6 and up and a parent attend classes in January 2024 through April 2024, preparing to receive the sacrament of Confirmation. Students in this class should already have received Reconciliation and First Communion. Classes are 11 am to 12 noon after attending the 10:00 am Mass. Registration forms for Sacrament Prep are found at stchrisparishnh.org. Questions? [email protected]
NEW! Immaculate Conception Parish Sacramental Prep - Registration for preparation for First Reconciliation at Immaculate Conception Parish in Nashua, to be held in October 2023, is now open and must be in by Thursday, September 21. Registration for the Sacraments of Confirmation & First Eucharist, to be held in the spring, needs to be received by January 1st, 2024. For more information, and to determine if your child is eligible to receive a Sacrament, and to register, please visit iccnashuanh.org/prek-8.