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St. Michael's Academy
Greetings! :
From my office, I can often hear a classroom lesson being taught. I clearly hear the teacher's voice, and then I usually hear the muffled response from the student. I really don't know if the child answered the question correctly, but what I do know, by the tone of the exchange, is that there is a mutual respect between teacher and student. And that gives me much joy. Joy because I know students are learning. Joy because I know, school and home are working together for the success of the child. Thank you parents for helping us set the right tone in the classroom. Keep up the great work!
Next week on Sept. 22nd, we look forward to welcoming Pope Francis to the United States. Please refer to the flyer further down in this newsletter for opportunities to view his address to the Joint Meeting of Congress on Sept. 24th. Enjoy the weekend. Peace,
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Important Dates To Remember!
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Please make note of these important upcoming dates:
Tuesday, September 22, 2015 The Holy Father Pope Francis arrives in the United States * See flyer farther down in this newsletter
Friday, September 25, 2015 at 9 a.m. SMA Walk-a-thon !
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Before and After School Payments
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Just to clarify, the extended day/before and after school payments are due on a weekly basis. These charges are separate from your FACTS account. Payments may be sent in with your child or dropped off in the office. Thank you!
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News from the Admissions and
Advancement Departments
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Admissions
Invest in a child's education AND their FUTURE!
We invite all of our families to engage with us on social media. Have you "liked us" on Facebook? Do you follow us  on Twitter? Do you visit our website? Take a few minutes to utilize these avenues of communication and don't forget the website provides a portal for parents to email teachers with updates, questions or concerns. Simply go to smaspringfield.org, click on the parent drop-down menu and choose teacher websites. It's as easy as that!
Also, Just a reminder that we are a looking into expanding some of our after-school activities. Please help us enhance our student experience! Do you have a passion for reading? Chess? If you have a talent/skill that you could volunteer to share with our students in the form of an after-school program, please contact the Admissions office. Thank you!
Advancement
Leadership Recognition Reception
We are looking forward to our 2nd annual Leadership Recognition Reception to be held at Samuel's at the Hall of Fame in October. Once a year, our Board of Trustees honors our Visionary Stewards, members of the Archangel Society, and the Guardian Angel Club with a night of celebration and appreciation. These leadership donors have demonstrated their commitment to the mission of St. Michael's Academy through their generosity. We are so very grateful these donors have chosen to partner with us, and make SMA a charitable priority!
The Fund for St. Michael's Academy
Next week, all parents will be receiving a letter asking you to consider a gift to The Fund for St. Michael's Academy. Any gift of any size will enrich the lives of our students. Every gift is appreciated!
Please direct any questions you have to the Advancement Office, at (413)-782-5246 ext. 1202. Blessings to everyone for your continued support.
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News from Mrs. Senecal - Grade 5
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 Smart Board technology is helping to open new educational pathways never before available to our students. This new system of learning has created an interactive learning environment that can be used by both the teacher and the students.
 Here in Grade 5, this is our second year with Smart Boards and as we continue to learn the Smart Board capabilities, I am able to develop engaging lessons that teach children on a multitude of levels. This brings a refreshing, high tech approach to learning and helps to spark ideas and motivate students to do the best they can do. They are the next generation and it is clear that they will be a generation shaped around technology. Here at St. Michael's, we are keeping up with the technology that is helping to shape the minds of the future.
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Classroom Happenings
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PreK - 4
Ms. Synan's PreK-4 students have been busy working on their "All About Me" books which went home today!
And Miss Enderlin's PreK-4 students were busy making applesauce! The best part was that they got to eat it for snack today!
Grade 8 Students Prepare for Papal Visit
To prepare for the upcoming Papal visit to the United States next week, our Grade 8 students have been preparing a lesson for their younger schoolmates. The lesson will focus on the latest Papal Encyclical and teach students about taking care of our environment. Each group will present to a younger class - stay tuned to next week's Messenger for a recap of their lessons!  
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Perfect Attendance!
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Congratulations to our three perfect attendance dress-down winners! In order to qualify for the weekly drawing, a student must have no absences, tardiness or early dismissals the previous week of school. We will select one from PreK - 2nd grade, 3rd - 5th grade and 6th - 8th grade. Congrats to this week's winners!
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Nut Free Environment
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St. Michael's Academy is a nut free environment. Throughout our student body there are many students who have different nut allergies. For the safety of these students, please refrain from sending in any nut products with your child. Our lunch program does provide a sunbutter sandwich as an alternative.
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Thank you for your cooperation and patience! Our daily practice has paid off and our students and teachers are feeling more confident about our dismissal routine. (Hopefully, you are too!) Now after three weeks, we have settled into an efficient, safe 3:10-3:30 dismissal time.
 Just a reminder, one area that is always challenging for everyone, is early dismissals that take place after 2:30PM. I know sometimes people take that corner and see the dismissal lines, and for multiple and sundry reasons, decide to forgo the lines and enter the building to request dismissal for their child/ren. Please reflect on your reason. We know there will always be legitimate ones. But we also know, many times it's because people don't want to wait in the line. Just know, between 2:30 and 3:10, teachers are finishing lessons, giving end of day instructions and our littlest ones are already beginning the dismissal routine. For safety purposes, if you must dismiss early, please try to do so before 2:30. Thank you!
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From The Nurse's Corner
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With the SMA Walk-a-thon right around the corner, we would like to remind all parents of students with inhalers to make sure you have provided the nurse's office with your child's inhaler. It should be brought in to school in its original container along with the medication order. Thank you!
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Stop and Shop Education Rewards!
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Stop and Shop will continue its A+ school rewards program. St. Michael's will earn A+ School Rewards points every time you shop.
Sign-up begins on September 14th - It's simple and easy - just click here and register your card. St. Michael's school ID is 06566. Previously registered cards will automatically be renewed. Now every time you shop, you will be earning reward dollars for our school!
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Holyoke Catholic Presents "Guys and Dolls"
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 There is still an opportunity to catch the Holyoke Catholic Performing Arts presentation of the musical "Guys and Dolls" at Elms College in the Veritas Auditorium. Performances will be held on 9/18 and 9/19 at 7:30 p.m..
Tickets are available at the door or by contacting Amanda at 413-777-4701 or by email, amanda.malouin@gmail.com. Adult tickets are $14.00, Seniors & Students $12.00.
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Comcast Email Delivery
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After some keen detective work, we think the Comcast email delivery problem with this newsletter has been solved. We have been assured by Comcast that the newsletter will arrive each Friday.
A special thanks go out to Mrs. Elizabeth Foley, a parent and Comcast subscriber, who played a pivotal role in the process and to Mrs. Val Brault, Mrs. Amy Bostian and Mrs.Tammy Yacovone who kept us updated on email transmissions! We appreciate your help!
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Employment Opportunity
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St. Michael's Academy is looking for a part-time data entry assistant for approximately 10-15 hours per week. Must be detail oriented.
Please contact the school at (413) 782-5246 if interested.
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Catholicity
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Don't miss this opportunity to watch Pope Francis address the Joint Meeting of Congress in TWO different locations! 
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News From The Diocese
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Pope Francis in his encyclical The Joy of the Gospel continually raises the need for the Church to reach out to people-- in a spirit of welcome, understanding and mercy.
The Diocese of Springfield under the leadership of Bishop Rozanski, has begun planning for an evangelization process designed to reach out to those who may be disenfranchised in some way, inviting them to Rediscover their Spiritual Roots. It is our hope that this process will encourage people to take a fresh look at our church and faith tradition.
In order for us to plan an effective program we need to hear from you about your experiences with the church, the strengths you perceive and the areas which cause you difficulty or may need more attention.
Please consider participating in and sharing with local family and friends an on-line survey now available which will help us understand these issues. It is open through October 5 to all active and inactive Catholics, as well as non-Catholics who work and collaborate with our faith community. The survey can be accessed through both diospringfield.org and iobserve.org. Thank you in advance for sharing your thoughts with us!
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Parish News
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 Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish, 123 William Street in Springfield, invites you to a "Taste of Italy" on Saturday, October 3rd at 4:30 p.m. in the auditorium at 56 Margaret Street. Come and sample 40 Italian dishes along with amazing desserts, wine and beverages!
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Prayer Corner
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St. Michael the Archangel, pray for us!
We pray for all St. Michael's Academy students, families, faculty, and staff, and their special intentions.
This week we pray in a special way for: 
Peter Rakouskas
Lucille Duquette
Patricia and Bill Kern
Patricia Sullivan
Margaret Williams
Gloria Parsons
Gloria Gomez
And we pray for the recently deceased:
Richard A. Pellegrini
Lincoln Collins
Kimberly Zeno
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
Our prayers continue to be with Mr. Rancitelli, who is undergoing treatment for a cancer recurrence. Each week, a different homeroom sends him cards. If your family would like to send a card, please send it to school with your child, clearly marked for Mr. Rancitelli. His family has set up a blog to write about this experience. Click here to read the blog.
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Thank you for your interest in St. Michael's Academy. To ensure receipt, please add smanews@smaspringfield.org to your address book.
You may unsubscribe if you no longer wish to receive our emails
St. Michael's Academy 153 Eddywood Street - Springfield, MA 01118
www.smaspringfield.org 413.782.5246 office 413.782.8137 fax
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