NEW! Thank you! - We have FOUR Christmas thank you’s to share this week!
- So many thanks to our faculty and staff and to the lower campus choir who presented our Tree Lighting/Lessons and Carols last Friday night! The rain stopped just as we started the program and did not start again til we were finished! We were blessed to have so many families come to experience this beautiful program!
- Many thanks to our 5th grade students who voluntarily gave up their recesses for a few days to prepare our Christmas card mailing! We mailed almost 500 cards to families, alumni, and friends of the school this week!
- And many thanks also go to the 20+ parents who dropped off plates of cookies and bags of candy for our parish appreciation cookie platters. Every cookie and candy looked absolutely delicious…we are positive that the parish staffs around our Deanery will appreciate them very much!
- And finally, thank you to the parents and staff members who delivered the cookie platters yesterday! We are thankful that you were willing to represent our school so well!
Re-enrollment Reminder - Don’t forget to re-enroll your student/s for the 2024-2025 school year! All students must be enrolled by January 15 in order to guarantee a seat for the next school year. The enrollment packet can be found in the Family Portal of the “primary” parent under Enrollment/Reenrollment. Thank you for your prompt attention to this!
TODAY! Upper Campus Math Tutoring with BG Students Ends Today - The last day for math tutoring with BG students on Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:30 to 4:30 will be TODAY, Wednesday December 6th. That will be the last day for the rest of December. BG students will be preparing to take finals and starting their winter break after that day.
NEXT WEEK! Christmas Concert - Mark your calendar for December 13 at 6:30 PM in the upper campus gym for our annual Christmas Show! This year’s show will feature student singers from grades PreK to 5, as well as the lower campus chorus and Performance Choir and the upper campus band and chorus. Students should plan to arrive between 6:00 and 6:15 PM, dressed in festive, school appropriate, red and green.
To alleviate parking issues, Bishop Guertin will once again be providing shuttle service from the lower campus back parking lot directly to the front doors of the upper campus...please take advantage of this awesome service and save yourself the headache of trying to find a parking space at the UC!
Lower Campus Winter Apparel Reminder - Winter weather is here, so it’s time to remind everyone about wearing appropriate outerwear for the colder months! Our lower campus students WILL be going out to recess and After Care as long as the temperature is above 20 degrees and it is not raining, so they should be wearing winter coats, hats, and gloves when the weather is cold. Boots should also be worn when it is cold and especially when it is snowy….please remember to have students bring their regular school shoes in their backpack too as they are not allowed to wear boots in school. We know that students often resist wearing winter clothes, but we are counting on parents to help us keep our kids warm and healthy!
Upcoming Upper Campus Campus Ministry Events - All events are open to students in grade 6 to 8! Please contact Ms. Thompson at [email protected] for a permission slip or have your student pick one up from her classroom.
NEW! Visiting the elderly at Aynsley Place (80 Lake Street) next week from 3:00 - 4:00 pm on Thursday, December 14.
Warm Clothing Drive: Outgrown your winter pants? Have some sweatshirts, coats, hats, and mittens in your closet that you no longer need? We are hosting a warm clothing drive from now until Wednesday, December 20th. All gently used warm clothing donations are appreciated!
Journeying to Bethlehem with Mary: Advent is the season in which we prepare for the coming of the King of kings, and there is no one better to help us prepare for the birth of Jesus than Mary. She who held her Lord within her womb shows us how to hold Him in our heart. So, each Tuesday from December 5th to the 19th, Regina Caeli Girls' Group will meet in Mrs. Bedard's room after school from 2:45-3:45 pm to examine God's Word through the eyes of Our Lady and share some faith, fellowship, and food. Come, Lord Jesus, come!
DEADLINE NEXT WEEK! Pajama Drive to benefit The Pass Along Project – We are happy to be participating in a Pajama Drive for The Pass Along Project again this year. The Pass Along Project collects and distributes clothing bundles to children who enter the foster system. We will be collecting pajamas for these children who often arrive at a foster home with nothing. Please click HERE for specific instructions! Families on both campuses are urged to participate until NEXT Friday, December 15!
Lower Campus Chess, Checkers and Cribbage Club - The lower campus Chess, Checkers, and Cribbage Club is going strong! Students are learning and perfecting their skills and having a great time! Many of the students are particularly excited to learn the game of cribbage in addition to chess, and Mrs. Morrell has volunteered to teach them this fun math-oriented game. Therefore, we will be alternating chess and cribbage weeks for the foreseeable future. The schedule for the next two months will be:
Cribbage:
December 18
January 22
January 25
Chess:
December 11
January 8
January 29
It’s not too late to join the club! It meets on Monday morning at 7:30 AM. Students should enter through the Before Care entrance and check in with the teacher on duty before proceeding to Mrs. Hickey’s classroom for the club.
Upper Campus Chess Club - We are thrilled that we can now also offer Chess Club at the upper campus! The club will meet on Monday morning every other week from 7:00 - 7:30 in the music room. Students should enter school through the cafeteria doors. The next meeting will take place on Monday, December 18!
Christmas Free Dress - Our classrooms will be fun and festive over the last two days of school with TWO Christmas free dress days! On Tuesday, December 19, all students on both campuses are welcome to wear their favorite red, green, and white free dress. On Wednesday, December 20, all students should wear their favorite school-appropriate pajamas for a special Polar Express day! For both days, all students should keep in mind our free dress guidelines outlined in the parent-student handbook!
Hot Lunch Ordering for January - Ordering for January’s Hot Lunch will open on Friday, December 1st and run through midnight on the 15th on Boonli.com. Please be sure to place your order early in case of technological difficulties. You will receive an email confirmation once your order has been placed….if you do not receive that email, your order has not yet been placed and your child will not receive Hot Lunch for the month. Thank you!
December and January Calendar Notes -- Looking ahead to December and January, we have a few schedule notes for your calendar:
- Our last day of school before Christmas vacation will be Wednesday, December 20.
- Our first day back to school after Christmas vacation will be Wednesday, January 3.
- There will by NO After Care on Thursday, January 4 so teachers can enjoy their Christmas party!
- We will have NO school on Monday, January 15 in observance of Martin Luther King Jr Day.
Academy Annual Appeal - Our Saint Christopher Academy Annual Appeal is underway! Letters explaining the appeal were mailed to current families, staff and faculty, alumni, alumni parents, and community friends before Thanksgiving…please let us know if you did not receive the letter or if you would like the information mailed to a grandparent, friend, or other potential supporter! The Annual Appeal is the second of our three school-wide fundraisers and all funds STAY at Saint Chris to directly benefit our students. Donations to the Annual Appeal can be made by sending a check into school, or by donating online HERE. Our goal for this year’s Annual Appeal is $80,000…we look forward to periodically updating parents on our progress through the Wednesday News! Please join us in reaching this important goal!
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Auction Sponsor! Thank you to these fabulous businesses who have committed to an Auction sponsorship:
Presenting Sponsor
Gold Sponsor
Bronze Sponsor
Kevin Brown '99 - the Knights of Columbus Insurance
TONIGHT! Auction Committee Meeting - Our next Auction Committee meeting will take place TONIGHT, Wednesday, December 6 at 7:00 PM in room 303 at the upper campus!
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Hot Lunch Volunteers - Thank you to our fabulous Hot Lunch volunteers! The schedule for the next week is:
Thursday, December 7
LC: Courtney Duran, Beth Kreick, Katie Shrieves, Alison Salfia
UC: Susette Parks, NEED A VOLUNTEER
Friday, December 8
LC: Jenna Richardson, Natalie Boldeia, Jamie Viveiros, Kelly Ciardelli
UC: Nadra Bell, Tarrah Ledoux
Monday, December11
LC: Diane London, Shannon Silva, Amanda Vargas, Anju Kurian
UC: Nadra Bell, Tina Bruno
Tuesday, December 12
LC: Tina Bruno, Stephen Carroll, Andrea Infante, Cindi Conley
UC: Emily Uong, NEED A VOLUNTEER
Wednesday, December 13
LC: Alex Sullivan, Crystal Romero, Carol Laviolette, Nancy Sydow
UC: Paul Schibbelhute, NEED A VOLUNTEER
Popcorn Poppers: Our popcorn poppers for this week are:
LC: Alex Sullivan, Parissa Khayami, Monique Rivera
UC: Rachel Ricker, Steph Ellison, Ram Mandeli
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:
December 8 - Immaculate Conception (Holy Day of Obligation) - both campuses (see below!)
December 13 - Lower campus Mass
December 18 - Lower campus prayer service
December 18 - Upper campus Mass
THIS FRIDAY! Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Mary Mass – The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception on December 8 celebrates the immaculate conception of Mary, the mother of Jesus, and her sinless life. It is a holy day of obligation in the Catholic church. Both campuses will hold mass at 9:45 AM and parents are welcome to attend either mass. Please enter through the front door of each school to sign in.
SCRIP for Christmas! – Did you know that you can purchase gift cards to most popular retailers and restaurants quickly and easily online through the Shop with Scrip Program…AND benefit St. Chris at the same time? Click HERE, select “Join a Program,” and create an account using our school code 751C7D6L13155. Gift cards are available from a long list of retailers and restaurants and all gift cards will be shipped directly to the school. You’ll usually receive your gift cards in under a week, and the school receives anywhere from 1.25% to 14% of your gift card purchase! Christmas is a perfect time to give the program a try, with gift card options like Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks, Target, and Barnes and Noble! SCRIP also has an app for your phone that makes ordering and managing gift cards soooo easy! Check out RaiseRight by ShopWithScrip!
SAINT CHRISTOPHER PARISH NEWS
Parish Advent and Christmas Schedule: School families are cordially invited to attend any of the upcoming Advent and Christmas season masses and activities:
COMMUNITY NEWS
Our Lady of Guadalupe Novena - St. Aloysius of Gonzaga parish is hosting a Novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas, starting on December 3rd and ending with the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Dec. 12th. Envelopes to sponsor the novena are available at the entrance of the church. Click HERE to obtain a detailed schedule for this Novena.
Eagle Scout Project Thank You - Ian Leonardi extends his thanks to all those who contributed to his Eagle Scout book collection project! He collected 87 books!
Cub Scout Pack 19 - Saint Chris students in grades kindergarten through 5 are invited to join Cub Scout Pack 19 which is located at the nearby First Baptist Church at 121 Manchester St.! For more information, see the flyer HERE!
Confirmation Prep at Immaculate Conception Parish - If your child is baptized, has received First Reconciliation, is in (at least) Grade 3, and has been enrolled in his/her 2nd year of Faith Formation (or attending Catholic School), he/she is eligible to receive Confirmation/First Eucharist in the Spring of 2024 at Immaculate Conception Parish in Nashua. Registration deadline is January 1, 2024. To register, please go to www.iccnashuanh.org.
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.