St. Mary's School is all about celebrating God's gift of families and children.  To welcome everyone back to the "school family" the St. Mary PTA is sponsoring a "Welcome Back to St. Mary's Breakfast" on Friday, September 9.  Parents and children are welcome to come to the gym to dine on a Continental Breakfast.  The breakfast will be served from 7:30 - 10:00 for both parents and children.  Adults are more than welcome to linger a little longer for fellowship over bagels and coffee! Don't feel rushed - relax and enjoy yourselves.(Students will need to report to class at the morning school bell at 8:25 am, but parents may stay to linger.)

The school year will begin on Tuesday, September 6.  All days of the first week of school are full days.  There will be Before Care and After Care beginning September 6.  Hot lunch will be provided beginning the first day of school.

Pre-K  Open House  Pre-K3 and Pre-K4 students are invited to attend an Open House on Tuesday, September 6 between the hours of 1:00 and 3:00 pm.  Parents and our littlest "St. Mary's Saints" may visit their classroom, bring their supplies and meet the teachers.   

All Pre-K students will begin the normal school schedule on Tuesday, September 7.  

I want to extend a cordial invitation to all parents, guardians and extended family to attend all our school liturgies, functions, meetings and activities during the school year.  Please come and share with us our opening school liturgy, on the Feast of Padre Pio, on Friday, September 23 at 9:00 a.m. in the gym.  We will also have a 9/11 Prayer Service in the gym on Friday, September 11 at 9:00 a.m.  Please refer to our monthly and yearly calendar on the school's website for the dates and times of our monthly liturgies.

Please refer to the school website (www.smrschool.org) under "Parent Information" located in the sidebar for a description of the school uniform.  A copy of the student dress code was also inserted in your Back to School letter that you received.  Our uniform vendor is Cheryl's Uniforms in Vineland. 

Parents, please make sure your child returns to school with an appropriate haircut.  Boy's hair length should not be long - hair should not be touching the collar and may cover only half of the ear.  No sideburns are allowed.  Bangs cannot be over the eyebrows. 

Please be attentive to the purchase of school uniform sneakers for gym. Sneakers are to be white with moderate colored trim or black athletic sneakers (No high top sneakers are allowed).

School shoes should be sturdy and appropriate for school (no sandal, open toe, or open back styles).  Girls may wear traditional loafers, docksiders, saddle shoes, tie shoes and mary janes/t-strap styles.  Boots of any type are not permitted. No sneaker style may be worn and all shoes must have a low heel. Ballet style slip-on shoes are not permitted.   Boys may wear black or navy dress shoes.  No boots, casual sports shoes, hightops or sandals are permitted.

SCHOOL LUNCH     

St. Mary's School offers an excellent and nutritious hot lunch program.  Mr. Saglimbeni manages our school lunch program.  The hot lunch program begins on Tuesday, September 6.   A menu and a "New" Ordering Menu will be mailed to all parents. You can view the hot lunch menu for September that is posted  on the school's website.  If you chose to send a sack lunch in with your child, please remember that "fast food" lunches (McDonalds, Wendys, Burger King, etc.) are not allowed.  No soda or candy is permitted to be eaten at lunch.  Thank you for your cooperation and attention to these matters.

Back to School Night and the first PTA General Meeting will be held on Thursday, September 15 from 7-9 pm in the school gym.  Please make every effort to attend so that you can meet your children's teachers and school staff.  Your children are blessed to have such a dedicated and highly qualified group of teachers.  St. Mary's School has such an excellent reputation because it has excellent teachers!  The faculty and staff look forward to meeting all the parents. 

Grades K-8  The first school day begins on Tuesday, September 6, 2011 with a full day.  School hours are 8:25 a.m. until 3:10 p.m.  Students may enter the school at the 8:15 a.m. bell and report to their classrooms.  No student will be admitted to school before that time unless they are enrolled in the Latch Key Program.  The Latch Key Program begins on Tuesday, September 6 for both morning and afternoon sessions.  Those students arriving after the 8:25 a.m. bell will be considered late.  All students are to be in their classrooms by the 8:30 a.m. bell.

During the school year, dismissal on half-day sessions is 1:10 pm unless the half-day precedes a holiday (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter) which in that case dismissal is at 11:10 am.  Dismissal time for Pre-K students enrolled in the half day sessions is 12:30 pm.  Supervision by the teachers begins at 8:15 am.

Parents, please make sure your children arrive to school on time.  This is the parent's responsibility.  When your child arrives late, it causes a level of anxiety not only for your child, who has missed announcements and parts of the activity period, but also think of the inconvenience that it causes for the teacher who must change attendance reports and lunch counts, and the process of collecting notes and messages that must be sent to the office.

Each week a Wednesday Communication Envelope will go home with the youngest or only child of your family.  In the envelope, a white insert called the "St. Mary's News" will have a list of items that will be available for viewing and printing for that current week's Wednesday Envelope.  You can access the information online by going to the school's website (www.smrschool.org).  Parents are to sign the back of the Wednesday Envelope and return it to school on Thursday.  The homeroom teacher will look for your signature on the envelope which indicates that you received the envelope and examined its contents.

Please make sure that you join the school's email group by going on the school's website and clicking on the appropriate area on the upper right hand corner to sign up.

The monthly school calendar and lunch menu will be posted on the school website.

"Curriculum Highlights" will be issued as a monthly newsletter.  The newsletter will contain curriculum highlights of the month and current school information.  The newsletter will be issued on the last Wednesday of each month. 

Families that do not have Internet access may pick up a copy of the week's Wednesday Envelope at the school office between 8:30-12:00 each Wednesday.  A parent, or designated adult, is required to pick up the hard copy, if needed, at the school office.  The hard copy will not be sent home with students.

Latch Key services will be provided from 7:00 to 8:15 am and from 3:15 until 5:30 pm. 

Anyone interested in enrolling their child/children in the program should fill out the pre-registration form that was mailed to all parents in the Back to School mailing and return it to school on or before the first day of school.  Latch Key is located in the Pre-K room which is the first classroom on the right as you enter the gate.

Latch Key enrollment fees, rules and regulation forms will be sent home to be filled out and signed.  These forms should be read thoroughly before signing.  Information about Latch Key is also located on the school website.

Every child must be signed out when picked up from the program.  The Latch Key Program ends promptly at 5:30 pm.  To avoid the late fee charge, please comply with this regulation.

Bus

During the first few weeks of school, bus transportation and car transportation can be problematic!  Therefore, we need the help of our parents.  Students in Pre-K through 3^rd grade must have a transportation tag pinned to their uniform.  You must include the bus number and bus route on the tag.  This is very important!

Prior to the opening of school, you should receive a bus pass indicating your child's bus number and bus route, pick-up time and location.  If you do not receive one by the start of school, please contact your transportation coordinator.

Vineland         Mr. Joe Callavini      794-6700 (ext. 2287)

Sheppard Bus                              451-4004

Buena             Ms. Theresa Coia   697-0800

For insurance purposes and safety, no child is allowed to ride a bus that they are not assigned.  In case of necessity, you must contact your local transportation coordinator for permission and then advise the school principal.  Students from one district cannot ask permission to ride on a bus from another school district.

Car

Morning Drop Off Procedures (8:15-8:25 am)

Pre-K Drop Off is from 8:15 am to 8:45 am - All Pre-K3 and Pre-K4 car riders are to enter in the double doors near the Pre-K rooms on the north side of the building.  Parents are to enter slowly through the gate and park.  All Pre-K students are to be escorted by a parent/guardian in to the school to their appropriate rooms.  Any older siblings of Pre-K students may use this entrance and proceed to their classroom between 8:15-8:25 am.  No parent is to enter the main part of the building at this time.  If you need to visit the office you must enter by the front entrance of the school and sign in at the office.

Pre-K AM session car dismissal - Parents are to pick up their child between 12:15 pm and 12:30 pm in the car line waiting outside the double doors located in the front of the north end of the school.  Please wait in your car until your child is walked out.

All Kindergarten through eighth grade students are to use the south end car line in the morning for drop off. 

Afternoon Dismissal Procedures (3:10 pm)

Parents of car riders (grade K with older siblings to grade 8) will form a line at the south end of the school near the former rectory.  Your child will be dismissed directly to your car as you pull up in line.  Please do not get out of your car; a safety will assist in this process.

Textbooks and workbooks must be covered at all times with a book cover.  No writing or marks are to be made in the textbooks.   Book covers are available for purchase from the school supply store.  The students will be obliged to pay the total cost of the textbook if it is written in, torn, damaged in any way, or lost.  Students should have a book bag or rolling backpack to carry their books.

All articles of clothing and lunch boxes must be labeled.  Your child's name should be placed on all sweaters, jackets, gloves, hats, etc.  All of the items mentioned are very easily misplaced and, therefore, easily lost.  If an item has been lost or misplaced, please have your child check the Lost and Found.

Please return with your child an updated  Emergency Information Form that was mailed to you.  You may make the updates on the ChurchWerks print out. It is important that during the school year if there are any changes in phone numbers, place of residence, employment, etc., that the office be notified so that changes can be made on the Emergency Information Forms.  Also, please notify the office if there is any type of parental custody restrictions due to divorce or separation.  This will help facilitate teachers in making sure that your child leaves the school premises with the appropriate adult and that academic information is shared with the appropriate guardians.   

 We appreciate your support and cooperation in helping to maintain the safety and welfare of our students.  With that thought in mind, parents are not allowed to go to the classrooms during school hours without permission of the principal.  If you are a guest and have a purpose to be in the school building, you must wear a visitor's tag at all times. Please enter the front doors only and report to the office where the secretary will take care of delivering your messages.  All visitors must exit by the front door.  If your child should forget to bring his/her lunch to school, lunch boxes may be dropped off in a bin at the secretary's office.    Thanks for your cooperation and attention to these matters.   

Parents, please remember that we collect Campbell Soup Labels and "Big G" box tops throughout the school year.  These can be sent in with your child at any time during the school year.  Both the Campbell Soup Labels and the General Mills Box tops are used to purchase needed equipment and supplies for the school.    

Parents, please drop off any used computer ink cartridges at school.  Drop them in the container found at the front entrance.  We also recycle cell phones and palm pilots.  They do not need to be in working condition, but they must have been manufactured within the last five years and have no broken parts.  Please do not send in accessories (e.g. chargers, covers, ear pieces, etc.)  

If any families have petitions that the school children can pray for please write your intention down on a piece of paper and have your child bring it to the office.  We will pray for your needs during daily morning prayer.  

Would anyone be interested in being a "Paper Parent"?  This would entail purchasing a box of photocopying paper for your child's teacher.  This would greatly reduce our paper costs.  Place a check for $30.00 in an envelope labeled "Paper Parent".  (You may give any donation)

 DATES TO REMEMBER! 

Sept. 6 Grades K-8 1st Day of school

Sept. 6 Prek Open House

Sept. 7 Prek 1st Day of school

Sept. 9 Welcome Back Breakfast  

Sept. 9 All Back to School Paperwork is due!   

Sept. 11 Prayer Service for 9/11 

Sept. 15 Back to School Night

Sept. 23 Opening School Litergy-Feast of Padre Pio