The Messenger

April 18 2016
Vol. III, No.31

St. Michael's Academy

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St. Michael's Academy

Catholic education is a long term investment that parents make for the benefit of their children. To make that investment, a real commitment to Catholic education is necessary and many sacrifices are made. We know that's not always easy in today's economic and social world, especially when concrete evidence for the return on the investment often comes sporadically. Well, Wednesday night the parents of our eighth grade students enjoyed a great return on their investment.

At their Poetry Café the students wowed everyone in attendance. Their composure and poise, the depth and intensity of their words and their sense of teamwork and dedication to the project was a perfect example of the end product of an investment in Catholic education. We are so very proud of our eighth graders and all the students here at St. Michael's Academy.

Enjoy the weekend.

Peace,

Ann Dougal

Principal

Important Dates To Remember!

Please make note of these important

upcoming dates!

Violin - Tuesday

Banking - Wednesday

PLEASE NOTE:

Monday, April 11, 2016

Grades 1 and 2

Museum of Science Assembly

Tuesday, April 12, 2016

Grades 3, 4, 5

Museum of Science Assembly

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Grades 6, 7, 8

Museum of Science Assembly

Wednesday, April 13, 2016 at 4 p.m.

Admissions Information Session

Wednesday, April 13, 2016 at 5:30 p.m.

School Board Meeting

Thursday, April 14, 2016 at 1:30 p.m.

Grade 5 Grandparent Event

Thursday, April 14, 2016 at 6 p.m.

National Junior Honor Society

Induction Ceremony

Friday, April 15, 2016 at 9:30 a.m.

School Mass

Get Your Uniforms Early!
Mark your calendars especially if you are unsure what size uniforms to order for next year. We will have a representative from Donnelly's Clothing here at SMA on Thursday, June 2, 2016 from 9 - 11 a.m. If in doubt...check with the experts!

From The Classroom of Mrs. Dean - Grade 2

Busy in Grade 2!

The Second Graders have been very busy lately learning many new skills. We continue to practice adding and subtracting two-digit numbers with and without regrouping while moving onto adding and subtracting three-digit numbers with and without regrouping.

In English, we have been learning new grammar rules such as doubling the final consonant for a short vowel word ending with a single consonant. Exploration continues into different genres in literature and we have been delighted to use what we have learned in Reading class about non-fiction writing from our Scholastic News magazine. In addition, April is National Poetry Month and the second graders have been excited to find a poem to memorize and then recite for the class.

Speaking of excitement, we are quickly approaching the First Communion season. In preparation, we are reviewing the sacrament using a supplemental text "We Believe and Celebrate First Communion" by Sadlier. In addition, on Thursday, April 14, the second grade classes will be visited by Mrs. Mashia, who is a Third Order Carmelite. Mrs. Mashia comes each year to educate the children about Our Lady of Mount Carmel and the devotion to the Scapular.

Perfect Attendance
Congratulations to our 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 select one from PreK - 2nd grade, one from 3rd - 5th grade and one from 6th - 8th grade. Congrats to this week's winners! Anna - Gr. 2B Grace - Gr. 5A Michelle - Gr. 8A

Poetry Cafe

8th Grade Rocks The Cafe!

Congratulations to the 8th Grade students on a fabulous performance this week at The Poetry Cafe. Students created and presented their own words of poetry with incredible composure and poise. The depth and intensity of their words and their sense of teamwork and dedication to the project was overwhelming. What a pleasure to see their growth, not only academically, but emotionally and spiritually.

The Poetry Cafe is a perfect example of what can be achieved when home and school work together for the benefit of the student.

Great Job!

Grade 8 Grandparent Event
Great Poetry AND Breakfast Too! The 8th Grade students hosted a wonderful breakfast this morning for their grandparents. There were even some special poems written especially for grandparents! For a link to all the photos from the breakfast, click here.

PreK Fun!
Take cover....there were some volcanoes erupting in Ms. Enderlin's PreK-4 class this week! Did Someone Call For A Super Hero? You might recognize some of these super heroes from Ms. Enderlin's class!

What Should I Be When I Grow Up?
Our 1st Graders are learning about the different occupations they can be when they grow up! Thank you to Jenna's dad, Mr. Pooler, and Aryanna's mom, Ms. Dill, for coming and sharing their occupations. Mr. Pooler works at First Niagra and practiced some money counrting skills. And Ms. Dill is a nurse at Murphy-Avis Homecare and also an EMT for AMR Ambulance Service.

5K for SMA!!

Get Ready for the 5K for SMA!

It's that time of year again! Are you ready to dust off your sneakers and support a great school?

Now is the time to start thinking about registering for the annual "5K for SMA" run on Saturday, May 7th. Grab the family and head over to St. Michael's for a 5K run. Not a runner? We will have a walking route. Not fond of walking? The SMA Carnival will be happening the same day! Cheer on the runners at the finish line and have a little fun at the carnival. There will be something for everyone on May 7th at St. Michael's.

Run registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. and there will be a FREE Kid's Run at 9:00 a.m. The race will kick-off at 10 a.m. with the runners. The walkers will follow. Entrance Fees are $25 per person before 4/1, $30 per person before 4/15 and $35 per person after 4/16. $15 per student.

Online registrations is available! Click here to register online: http://www.accu-specracing.com/accu-spec_005.htm.

Don't Forget To Save!
They can be turned in at school or most parishes have a collection box located in the Church! Thank you!

Pope Francis Placement Test

3rd Placement Test for Pope Francis High School

A Placement Test for students will be administered on Saturday, April 9, 2016 from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon at Holyoke Catholic High School, 134 Springfield Street in Chicopee. Prospective ninth grade students who are interested in attending Pope Francis High School for September 2016 are required to take the test and should register as soon as possible. There is a $50 application fee which includes the $25 test fee. For more information or to obtain an application form for enrollment, call Ann Rivers, Director of Admissions at 331-2480, ext. 1132 or go to popefrancishigh.org.

Calling All Alumni
CALLING ALL We are trying to organize a St. Michael's Academy Reunion this spring or early summer. Please send your email or contact information to Mrs. Phyllis Lund at p.lund@smaspringfield.org or contact us at 413-782-5246 ext. 1202. Please spread the word!!

Social Media

Did you know that St. Michael's Academy has a Facebook page? Have you liked us? https://www.facebook.com/St-Michaels-Academy-347801508664454/

Have you given us a review on Facebook? https://www.facebook.com/St-Michaels-Academy-347801508664454/reviews/

Do you follow us on Twitter? https://twitter.com/SMASpringfield

Do you receive AND read The Messenger every week via email?

Not receiving it? Click here and have the Admissions Office add you to the email list!

Did you know that every teacher has a page on the SMA website and you can also contact them via that page? http://www.smaspringfield.org/parents/teacherpages/

These are some of the avenues that St. Michael's Acadamy makes available to families to keep everyone up to date!

Parish News

Holy Cross Church

Don't miss the Holy Cross Tag Sale NEXT SATURDAY, April 9th from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the St. Michael's Academy Gym. There will be HUNDREDS of items for sale. Admission is FREE! Come early and

SHOP, SHOP, SHOP!!!

Don't miss the fun - stop by!

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East Forest Park Civic Association

The engineering firm building the new Pope Francis High School will present building plans at the next East Forest Park Civic Association meeting next Wednesday, April 13 at 6:30 p.m. in the St. Michael's Academy Cafeteria.

All are welcome to hear the details!

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St. Catherine of Siena Church

St. C- July 11-15, 2016

Registration for St C is now open. Children ages 5-12 are invited to register for a fun filled week of games, outside sports, Bible stories, and other activities . Registration forms are available at the Parish Office,

Mon-Fri from 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

Registration is limited to 120 children and will be on a first come, first served basis. The fee for St. C is $80 per child. For more information please contact Diana Gallant at 413-525-3366, Mary Reardon at 413-783-4515 or Brian Kelly at 413-782-5993.

Snow Days

Even though the weather has been FABULOUS, Mother Nature is always unpredictable.

In the event of inclement weather, St. Michael's Academy follows the Springfield Public Schools cancellation notices (due to bus transportation). If Springfield Public Schools cancel school - we cancel school, if they delay school - we delay school. Please check your local television stations for announcements.

We will do our best to send out a Blackboard Connect announcement to our families as well.

Prayer Corner

St. Michael the Archangel, pray for us!

We pray for all St. Michael's Academy students, families, faculty, and staff, and their special intentions.

Samuel Hudak III

Susan Curto

Mr. and Mrs. John Fitzgerald

Mr.and Mrs. Gerald Tabb

Quyen Le

And we pray in a special way for our recently departed:

Barbara Shea

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.


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